by T. R. Harris
“Ask him,” Adam said. The slight motion of his head in Riyad’s direction ignited a spasm of pain on his face.
“Hell if I know,” Riyad grumbled. “Could’ve been yak piss for all I know. But potent yak piss.”
“Well you better get your acts together,” Copernicus scolded. “We’ll be at Visidor tomorrow afternoon.”
“Visidor—that’s the name of the place!” The moment Adam made the emphatic announcement, he regretted it…or at least the intensity of his spoken words.
Copernicus continued to shake his head. “Saviors of the galaxy…heroes of the Human race. Yeah, right.” Then he turned and left the room, leaving the door open wide in his wake.
Adam Cain—through his Formilian brain-interface implant—accessed the door controls. A moment later the room was once more cast in soothing shadows, a medicinal necessity for the heavily hung-over, heroes or not.
********
It was a gold statue representing some local idol, and being the nearest object in reach, Admiral Andy Tobias hurled it through the air with all the power of a major league pitcher. When the figurine hit the opposing wall and deformed into a barely recognizable replica of the original, everyone in the room were stunned into deathly silence. They knew this was not the time to speak of local customs or religious sensitivities.
“So not only is the TD ship gone, but so are Cain and Tarazi? Does that about sum up the situation?”
Lieutenant-Commander Tom Paulson—the admiral’s second-in-command—nodded. “They left this morning in a vessel owned by a Human named Copernicus Smith.”
“Yeah, I saw him at the spaceport with my two missing renegades.” Tobias looked to where Sherri Valentine sat on a couch, slumped to her left, a head of mottled blonde hair cradled in her hand. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she wore no makeup. “You met this Copernicus guy,” he stated. “What did he want?”
“It’s about Kaylor and Jym,” she mumbled. “Something about them being arrested and needing our help to get out.”
“You were supposed to go with them?”
She looked up at the Admiral. “Yeah…but do I look like I’m in any condition to go out in public?”
“That’s not the point. You agreed to go…and to take the Najmah Fayd, if that’s what you call it.”
“You got it right. Weird name, I know.”
“So you, Cain and Tarazi were going to take the only spaceship capable of independent trans-dimensional travel and skip on over to some alien planet and attempt to interfere with local law enforcement?”
“It’s Kaylor and Jym, Andy.”
“I understand that, but you do realize that starship is a lot more important than a couple of our old alien buddies?”
“Stop yelling; my head hurts.”
Tobias gnashed his teeth, his eyes wide, dark pupils surrounded by a sea of white. “Oh, I’m not yelling, Ms. Valentine—not yet.”
“Relax, Andy,” Sherri barked. “They didn’t take your precious ship…Lila did.”
The comment prompted Tobias to shift his attention to Arieel Bol, seated next to Sherri on the couch; her eyes were swollen and red, the result of over four hours of near-constant crying. “And you knew nothing of this?”
“Lila is gone—probably forever—and you think I condoned such an act?”
Andy blinked. “Forgive me, it’s just that if Lila would tell anyone about her plans, it would be her mother.”
“Oh yeah,” Sherri growled. “You can be nice to the hot chick with the big boobs.”
Arieel looked at Sherri briefly before returning her attention to Admiral Tobias. “She is now under the influence of the mutant. She has been convinced she does not belong among beings like us.”
“And no hint as to where she could be?”
“None, Andy. And with the ship she possesses, she could be anywhere by now.”
Andy looked to his small compliment of loyal military personnel, the five enlisted men and officers who had accompanied him—involuntarily—into the Sol-Kor universe and back. They stood near the far wall of the large living room, looking impatient and perturbed. Besides them, Tobias had no other resources available to launch a mission to bring Cain and Tarazi back to Panur’s planet, not with the TD starship gone. All he could do was wait for the escort squadron to arrive—so they could escort nothing back to Earth.
The Admiral had lost—or allowed to be lost—the single-most important starship in the galaxy, a quantum leap in technology that would have revolutionized space travel forever. In the meantime, his two top agents were off on some wild rescue mission without sanction or support. There was no telling what kind of trouble they were about to get into. And all the while, the Juireans were preparing to annex the entire Kidis Frontier, which would place Tobias, along with all the others with him, behind enemy lines, if indeed a war did break out as a result.
There were times when Andy wished he’d stayed retired, content to play golf twice a week at his country club in Phoenix, while sharing beers and war stories with his fellow retirees at the nineteenth hole. Instead, here he was stranded on a barely civilized planet four thousand light-years from Earth, and probably facing courts martial for allowing the TD-starship to be taken from his custody.
The one consolation—and a point that would play prominently in his defense—he probably couldn’t have stopped Lila from taking the ship even if he wanted to. She was an immortal mutant alien genius, with super-strength and abilities. Still, he was savvy enough to know that someone had to take the fall. He would have preferred it to be Cain and Tarazi, but they would probably skate by on their hero status. Andy Tobias was a second-tier hero. He could be sacrificed.
Screw it, he thought. He was almost seventy years old, so what could they really do to him? Take away his pension, cast him out of the service? He glanced around at the gold-lined walls of Panur’s palace. Maybe the Juirean—Benefis Na—had the right idea? Sock away several pounds of the precious metal, and Andy wouldn’t give a damn what they took from him. He’d survive his golden years just fine.
He shook off the discordant thoughts and returned his attention to the people in the room.
“Sherri, what do you know of this Copernicus Smith?”
“He said he owns a starship repair and towing service, and that Kaylor and Jym work for him. They were bringing in a tow when they were stopped, arrested and both ships confiscated.”
“Where did this take place?”
“I can’t remember, Andy. You know, all alien names sound alike.”
Andy turned to Paulson. “Did they file a flight plan?”
Paulson grimaced. “On this planet? Not hardly. All we know is that Smith landed here three days ago and then left around ten this morning. His initial course was…up.”
“Thank you for that, Mister Paulson,” Andy said sarcastically. “Do we have a link address for him?”
“Nothing we can find,” Paulson answered.
“Sherri, he has a business, do you recall the name?”
“Ah, man, ask me later. Maybe I’ll remember then—”
“Snap out of it, Valentine. This is important.”
“All I know is it didn’t have Smith in the name; that much I remember. Wait…C-S, yeah, CS something or another.”
Tobias turned to Paulson, who was already typing feverishly on a datapad. “Help me out, Sherri,” he said. “There are about a billion companies registered in the galaxy that start with CS.”
“It’s a towing and repair service.”
“Got it! Officially CS Systems Repair and Hauling, registered owner, C. Smith.”
“That’s it!”
“Do you have a link number?” Tobias asked.
“Yessir. Kind of vital in his line of work, I would imagine.”
“Dial it!”
A moment later a female voice came over the speaker in the datapad. There was no image linked to the call. “CS Repair and Hauling, is this an emergency?”
“You could say it is. This
is Admiral Andy Tobias, Supreme Military Commander of the Orion-Cygnus Union. To whom am I speaking?”
“I am Dora, an automated answering service for CS Systems.”
“Do you have cognizance reasoning?”
“Yes, Admiral Tobias. How can I be of service?”
“I need to speak directly with Copernicus Smith, do you have his location?”
“I can link to his vessel, yet I am unaware of his present location.”
“Please open a link immediately.”
“Mister Smith has placed restricted access to his personal vessel.”
“I just told you who I am. Does that not give me access?”
“Without confirmation, you could be anyone claiming to be Admiral Tobias,” the pleasant voice said without hesitation.
Andy’s jaw tightened.
“You’re arguing with a computer, Admiral,” Paulson warned.
“Then—Dora—can you send him a message?”
“That I can do.”
“Good. Tell him this is Admiral Andy Tobias and that I demand immediate communications with his two passengers, Adam Cain and Riyad Tarazi.”
“I am familiar with the names Adam Cain and Riyad Tarazi. They are quite accomplished adventurers within the galaxy. Do you know them?”
Andy’s jaw fell slack. Hero worship…from a computer?
“Yes, I know them. They are under my command. Please relay the message.”
“I will do so immediately. Have a pleasant day, Admiral Tobias, and thank you for calling CS Systems Repair and Hauling.” The link was cut.
“What if they won’t turn around and come back, Admiral?” Tom Paulson asked.
Tobias shook his head. “Oh, they won’t come back. That pair is insubordinate enough that that’s a given. But when they do…you better hope they’ve saved the galaxy once again from some unknown threat. Otherwise I’ll have their hides drying over my front porch in the hot Arizona sun.”
Chapter 2
The escort squadron consisted of a cruiser, two destroyers and four frigates, which crossed the border between the Union and the Kidis Frontier near the Luminis Cluster. They had left Earth two weeks before and bolted at full speed to reach this point, with still another week to go before reaching Worak-nin, the planet where Admiral Tobias was located, and referred to by the natives as Panur’s Planet.
The border between the Frontier and the Union was nine thousand light-years long and located within a vast void area between major and minor arms of the galaxy. The Luminis Cluster was a rarity in the region, with forty-eight habitable planets in the area. It was a way station for transiting vessels, and the Human presence there was substantial.
Several of the worlds within the Cluster were protectorates of the Union, with applications in for membership, so the path the squadron took was relatively safe and established. So when a contingent of nine Juirean ships began shadowing them, CW links were opened with Earth, asking for guidance…just in case.
Protests were subsequently lodged with Juir, which were quickly dismissed. The Frontier, they were told, was now technically Juirean territory, so the Human starships were in violation of sovereign Expansion space. They were instructed to turn around and return to the Union arm of the galaxy.
Along with this brazen demand, a force of a hundred Juirean Class Four’s and Five’s set course for the Cluster, giving the Union population there only ten days to evacuate the region before they would be rounded up and forcibly removed.
All along the border, both Union and Expansion units moved into position, as tensions stretched to the breaking point. Diplomats—mainly on the Union side—burned up CW links in a futile attempt to head off the inevitable.
Captain David Morris was in command of the small escort squadron. He understood his mission, as well as the significance of getting the TD-capable starship into Union space. But now he had just received news that the ship was gone. He tapped the arm of his command chair with impatient fingers, waiting for amended orders to come through.
“Are we going to let the mane-head tell us where we can and can’t go, Captain?”
The ship’s XO was a young commander who had distinguished himself fighting the Sol-Kor, receiving meritorious advancement beyond his years-in-service as a result. His name was Omar Said, and he tended to come down on the side of action first, negotiation second. Morris doubted if his young second-in-command could see the larger picture: the Juireans had just set in motion a path that would lead to war between the two galactic empires, and this coming on the heels of the bloody struggle with the Sol-Kor. It made no sense to Morris that the galaxy was about to be cast once more into a major conflict, and without even a moment’s rest.
Yet it appeared young Omar Said was itching for even more action.
“Relax, Mister Said,” the captain said. “I’m sure the Juireans are sensible enough to know that what they are doing here could set off another war. What creatures in their right minds would want that?”
“But they can’t go around grabbing entire galactic arms and making them part of the Expansion. The Cluster is as much Union territory as any place. And let’s face it, we have a lot more forces available near Kidis than do the mane-heads.”
“Let’s just wait for orders from Earth.”
“And what of Admiral Tobias? He’s well into the Frontier. I wouldn’t put it past the Juireans to place him under arrest, or even accuse him of being a spy. And this after what he and the others did in the Sol-Kor universe. It just ain’t right.”
“I’m sure the Admiral can take care of himself. Our mission was to bring the TD ship back to Earth. Now that it’s gone, we’ll probably be told to return to Union space and let tensions cool down some.”
“So the Juireans win?”
“Common sense wins. Now return to your station. You may get your war, Omar, but let’s just pray it comes later rather than sooner.”
********
The cluster of re-enforced buildings that made up the Juirean Military Center sat atop the Kacoran Plain, the revered table-top plateau that had served as the training site for combat personnel dating back more than four thousand years. Recently, the Center had had been rebuilt, following destruction of the original by Kracori forces seventeen years before. Today it was a study in high-tech design and function, as were most of the buildings that currently sat atop the mountain.
Synnoc Qriss was becoming a regular at the Center, having spent more time here than any Elder in recent memory. He had advanced through the ranks of the Juirean military, having been a section commander for many years before being appointed to the Council. Now in his tenth year as Elder, his military training was being called upon as he carefully maneuvered the galaxy closer to the much-needed war with the Humans.
Synnoc himself was housed in the new Malor Capital Building located eight kilometers from the military command station. Even though it was a replica of the one built on the site three thousand years before, the Juireans came to feel slightly self-conscious regarding the design of their primary structure. It mirrored in many ways the pyramids of the Sol-Kor, and the last thing the Juireans wanted was to be compared in any way to the Sol-Kor.
Already there were grumblings within the Expansion regarding the status of the empire’s founding race. With the Humans serving as a buffer, many of the member worlds no longer feared the Juireans, and it seemed that at every turn the Humans were engaged in some new adventure that resulted in the betterment of the galaxy. The Sol-Kor threat was a perfect example.
The Humans had taken the lead in the struggle against the flesh-eaters, while the Juireans played a secondary role. And now the war was over and the Humans were getting most of the credit—and in particular, the pariah known as Adam Cain. With the recent return of his team from the Sol-Kor universe, it seemed that the media on Earth was saturating the galaxy with fantastic tales of his exploits, and how he—and a handful of other Humans—had single-handedly defeated the entire Sol-Kor Colony, all one-trillion of t
hem. Of course, the stories downplayed the importance of another race called the Hal’ic who had played a part in the effort, or how only through the manipulations of the mutant Panur was Cain able to do what he had done.
Even so, countless worlds throughout the Expansion and Union were once again speaking his name, and as a consequence, Cain’s race of origin: Human.
The result was world after world within the Expansion asking what it would take to switch their affiliation to the Human-led Orion-Cygnus Union. A splintering of the Expansion was underway, and one based not solely on geographic location, either. Worlds halfway across the galaxy from the Far Arm were wondering how an alliance with the Union could benefit them.
Beginning seventeen years before, and lasting for seven beyond that, the Humans had ruled the Expansion, before abdicating control once again to the Juireans. They took such action to carve out a smaller, more manageable empire in the Far Arm. These days, however, the Humans appeared to be setting their sights far beyond their arm of the galaxy, as restless and ambitious leaders sought strength in numbers. They were welcoming the overtures from Expansion worlds, and if Elder Synnoc did not do something to quell this growing tide, then he could go down in history as the Elder who presided over the final collapse of the Expansion.
This was the reason Synnoc was spending so much time at the Center. He was working on a master plan to bring the Humans to their knees, and to show the rest of the galaxy that the smooth-skinned creatures from Earth were not as powerful as perceived.
The first step in Synnoc’s plan would take place in the Kidis Frontier.
The Orion-Cygnus Union encompassed nearly the entire Far Arm of the galaxy. If viewed from the center of the galaxy, Kidis was the minor arm to the left of the Far Arm, separated by a thin void area a thousand light-years wide. The border between the two arms was nine thousand light-years long, and just like the Far Arm, until twenty years ago, Kidis had been mostly unexplored territory. Since that time, it had fallen through the cracks of civilization, being neither part of the Union nor the Expansion. As a result, most of the dregs of both empires settled there. It was largely lawless, ungoverned and dangerous. No fewer than seventy independent planetary affiliations existed, each with their own set of rules and militias to enforce them. Conflicts between these groups were common, with political loyalties switching back and forth almost on a daily basis.