The Unreachable Stars: Book #11 of The Human Chronicles Saga

by T. R. Harris

  Leaning back, the dark-haired Human returned a friendly grin—careful to keep his teeth covered—and looked up at the towering alien.

  “Are you Riode Tasary?” the Juirean asked.

  Riyad nodded. “Close enough. It’s pronounced Riyad Tarazi.”

  The Overlord’s glare didn’t waiver. “That is a confirmation?”

  “Yes, yes it is. What can I do for you?”

  “Have you had recent communications with a kinship Human called Adam Cain?”

  “Adam? No, I haven’t—is anything wrong? What’s happened to him?” The mention of Adam’s name helped to sober Riyad up a bit—but only a bit.

  “I will ask the questions,” the Overlord barked. He glanced around the room. “I wish to speak to you in private.”

  Riyad was cautious enough—call it paranoid—not to trust Juireans as far as he could throw one, so he shook his head. “I would prefer if we—”

  His sentence was cut short when all the other creatures in the huge dining room began to lift out of their chairs and head silently for the exits, including his host, I-can’t-pronounce-your-last-name-Rorick.

  Riyad slumped in his seat. “It’s good to be the king, isn’t it?” he said to the Juirean.

  “I do not understand the reference.”

  “It’s not important. So what’s this about Adam?”

  “Have you had contact with him recently?”

  “I said no. Why do you ask?”

  The huge alien slipped into the seat at the other side of the table. “You should be aware that Adam Cain is a fugitive, currently being sought by not only the Expansion but also members of your own race, and that any assistance rendered or unauthorized communications will place you as a conspirator-in-fact, subject to the same punishment that will befall your fellow Human.”

  “Adam…a fugitive? Bullshit! And being hunted by Humans as well? Double bullshit.”

  The Overlord looked up at one of the hovering green-haired Guards, sharing a look of confusion. He then looked back at Riyad. “I would suggest you keep your comments on a more refined level, just so no misunderstandings are made. The consequences of such a breakdown in communications could seriously affect your status within the Expansion.”

  “What I’m saying is that Adam Cain is a hero to the Human race. He would never be in trouble with them.”

  “Yet he is, and not only with the Humans, but also with every other advanced race in the galaxy.”

  Riyad blinked several times. “Forgive me, Overlord—I’m sorry, I forget your name—but you’re going to have to fill in some rather huge gaps for me to understand what you’re saying.”

  The Overlord’s pale yellow eyes scanned Riyad’s face. It was obvious to him that this particular alien hadn’t had much contact with Humans, so he had no idea what the Juirean hoped to learn from studying his expression. After a moment, the Overlord continued:

  “Adam Cain has absconded from your planet Earth with a very valuable asset, one which is being sought by all within the galaxy, including your own species. There is now a galaxy-wide search taking place for him, and all his current and past associates are being contacted and considered potential accomplices or supporters. That is why I am here this night. You are listed at the very top of his associates, which places you as the most likely to help him avoid capture.”

  “As well it should!” Riyad said defiantly, letting the alcohol get the best of him. “Adam is my best friend, and I know that if Adam took off with something of value, he had a damn good reason for doing so. What’s this thing he stole?”

  “It is not a thing. It is a being known as Panur.”

  “Panur!” Riyad head wobbled on his neck, partly from the shock of the statement, but mainly from the booze. “First of all,” Riyad blurted while sticking his index finger emphatically toward the ceiling, “I’m sure Adam didn’t steal Panur. You don’t know that little shit. No one could steal him even if they wanted to. And secondly, you’re labeling Panur a valuable asset being sought by all the major races in the galaxy. What the hell have I missed since I’ve been on Vinnous Mak?”

  “Whether or not Adam Cain took the Panur creature by force is not my concern, and I do not have many details beyond the fact that the two of them left Earth together. What I do know is that the mutant creature must be captured and restrained without delay. Those are my orders, and the life of Adam Cain is of no concern to me in the fulfillment of my directives.”

  “There has to be some mistake—misunderstanding—my green-skinned friend.”

  “There is no misunderstanding. The entire galaxy is seeking Adam Cain and the creature Panur, and any and all means of locating them have been authorized.”

  The hair on the back on Riyad’s neck suddenly came to life. There was something ominous and threatening in the Juirean’s words.

  “Like I said, I haven’t heard from him in a while, but if I do I’ll be sure to let someone know. That’s the best I can do. I’m at a loss as to what’s going on or why he’s doing what he’s doing.”

  The Overlord glared at Riyad. “Your abrupt offer to cooperate leaves me suspicious. Previously you mentioned how supportive you were of Adam Cain. Now I would be remiss if I did not consider you to be a potential assistant in his activities.” The Juirean glanced up at the three Guards standing nearby. “Summon a backup force,” he ordered, and then to Riyad: “I am fully aware of the capabilities of Humans—that is well-known within the Expansion. Even now, I believe you to be devising a plan to avoid incarceration.”

  “Incarceration? I haven’t done anything wrong!”

  “Not yet, but I will take no chances that you will assist Adam Cain in the future. I am restraining you, however, only until your Human friend, as you call him, is apprehended or the creature Panur is acquired, by whatever means necessary.”

  “You’re arresting me…just so I won’t do something bad? Isn’t that assbackwards?”

  “There appears to be no adequate translation for the word assbackwards. Rephrase your statement.”

  “I think you get the meaning well enough,” Riyad growled. His senses were sharp and his muscles flexed. Or at least he thought so. He wasn’t about to let the Juireans lock him up somewhere simply because he might help Adam. He would seek out Adam and give him his full support, but the Juireans didn’t know that—though to their credit, they knew Human nature well enough to suspect as much.

  Now they were calling in additional alien-power. Riyad’s window of opportunity to act was closing rapidly.

  The gravity of Vinnous Mak was like most planets within the Expansion—hell, the entire galaxy for that matter—sitting at about three-quarters that of Earth’s. As a consequence, Riyad was quicker and stronger on this alien world than he would be on his homeworld. He lifted the thick metal dining tabletop easily off the floor and shoved it into the chest of the much-taller Juirean Overlord. The alien’s eyes grew wide as the air blew out of his lungs by the force of the impact. He was caught between the crushing tabletop and the back of the booth, choking and unable to move.

  Riyad then lifted the tabletop up and away, flipping it sideways before slamming it into the two nearest Juirean Guards. The movement was quick and unexpected, and the impact strong enough to send both of the aliens collapsing to the floor unconscious.

  With the Overlord choking and gasping for breath through several broken ribs, that still left one huge green-haired Juirean to contend with. He had been standing off about ten feet away and out of range of Riyad’s swinging tabletop. An MK-17 flash weapon was now in his hand, and Riyad could see the pale amber light blinking on the side as the internal targeting computer calculated the shot. A brilliant flash bolt erupted from the barrel just as Riyad lifted the metal tabletop. The streaking ball of white hot plasma hit the table and spread out, instantly burning Riyad’s exposed fingers. He dropped the table, letting out a loud yelp at the same time.

  Now the targeting computer of the alien’s weapon had an unobstructed bead on Ri
yad.

  The Human crouched down, springing upwards in the light gravity just as another flash bolt whizzed by below him. The ceiling of the dining room was about twenty feet high, and with outstretched arms Riyad managed to reach it, locking his stinging hands around a narrow crossbeam. He swung forward as another flash bolt singed the skin on his butt. He let out another yelp.

  Riyad continued his arc, releasing his grip only when he flew over the head of the Juirean. He tumbled backwards in midair, and a split second later landed hard on top of the Juirean Guard, who had been trying in vain to follow the movement of Riyad’s swinging.

  Riyad wrapped his arms around the almost non-existent neck of the alien, using it to break his fall. He ended up riding the back of the Juirean, who was fighting desperately to break Riyad’s vise-like chokehold. Although a good foot shorter than the Juirean, and appearing to be much lighter, Riyad was in fact a heavier and denser creature. His weight caused the Guard to fall backwards, and as he did, Riyad’s feet reached the ground. With a firm base of support for torque, Riyad heard a snap, and then the green-haired creature fell limp in his arms.

  Riyad tossed the dead alien aside—threw up briefly—and then looked to where the Overlord still sat in the booth. He was coughing up blood, his arms and hands clawing at his throat, suffocating from collapsed lungs and a crushed ribcage. Wiping his mouth, Riyad calmly bent down, picked up the Guard’s discarded MK-17 flash weapon, aimed it at the Overlord and pulled the trigger, not waiting for the targeting computer to give its slight vibrating confirmation. A moment later, the Juirean Overlord was relieved of his painful spiral towards oblivion.

  Riyad sprinted—staggered—toward the exit he’d spotted earlier. It wasn’t an exit from the building; it led to the kitchen area. Although no one remained in the dining room, this part of the building was still occupied. Many of the cooks and servers had been watching events unfold through slits in doorways or security cameras mounted in the main dining hall. Now they tumbled away from the doorway as Riyad barreled through. The Makeans were slower than the Human, and Riyad found himself having to shove seven-foot-tall aliens from his path. But soon he was at the end of the kitchen, crashing through another doorway and out into the area behind the restaurant.

  No Juireans were present; however Riyad collided with a moving transport, tumbling over the hood and falling to the concrete road on the other side. The driver slammed on the brakes, bringing the small electric vehicle to a stop twenty feet from where Riyad fell. By the time the car’s occupant had opened his side door and stepped out, Riyad was already there and pressing past him to slide into the driver’s seat.

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine, just a little drunk,” Riyad shouted as he grasped the door handle and pulled it shut. “And by the way, I need to borrow your car. I hope you don’t mind.”

  The native didn’t say a word, startled into silence by Riyad’s unexpected arrival…and now departure. Through the rearview mirror, he could see the alien standing in the middle of the road, gawking at his departing vehicle, just as another speeding car plowed into him.

  Riyad grimaced. That was unexpected. Oh well, he won’t need his car back anytime soon.

  Riyad steered the stolen car toward the spaceport, where his private starship was located. His co-pilot-slash-lover, Regina Greywood, was aboard and would have the engines already warmed up and ready for liftoff—she was pretty anal about that. All he had to do was get through the crazy alien traffic, which at the moment appeared to be spinning all around him, without somehow killing anyone—anyone else—including himself.

  The spaceport was about eight minutes out—if he was going in the right direction—which should be just enough time for him to contact Adam using his Formilian brain-interface device, what Adam called an ATD, or artificial telepathy device. Riyad hadn’t used his in about a year and half, so he was hoping he could remember how it worked. As drunk as he was, he had no idea what kind of mental images he would be sending.

  Still, he tried. The thought would link to an outgoing CW communication, then filter its way through a dozen more until it identified Adam’s ATD signature. In the past, Riyad had found such mental links could be nearly instantaneous or take up to five minutes to complete. In some rare cases, no link could be established since no CW comms were outgoing.

  Now, while weaving his way through modest traffic on yet another alien world, he waited for a reply, and pursed his lips in disgust. The Juireans weren’t going to take too kindly to his killing of four of their kind—including an Overlord. Future consulting jobs within the Expansion might be a little scarce from here on out. And he still didn’t have a good feel for what Adam was up to, especially when it involved that obnoxious little alien Panur.

  What he did know for sure was that he would help his friend—that was beyond question—even if he was the most wanted being in the galaxy. But what kind of deadly misadventure Adam had got himself into this time, only time would tell.

  Two minutes later the link with Adam Cain was established.

  Chapter 9

  Adam left the hotel room and returned to the Pegasus II, and after routing a traditional comm-link to the planet Silea, he attached that link to a CW blast being sent towards Earth. If Panur was right, the Humans wouldn’t be able to trace the call. And with this extra cut-out, he was hoping the Sol-Kor would be slowed down in tracking it back to Castor.

  He called Earth and the private CW number for Andy Tobias.

  It was a visual link.

  “I’ve been expecting your call, Captain,” said the red-faced officer. “And I have to say, you really screwed the pooch this time.”

  “Me? Why would anyone trust the Sol-Kor to keep their word?”

  “That’s not the point. Whether they do or not, the reprieve might give us the time we need to figure out a better defense, and all it will cost is returning an alien to the people he’s been living with for the past five thousand years. It’s a pretty cut-and-dry call in my opinion.”

  “But it isn’t, Andy.” Adam leaned forward in the pilot’s seat. “It will be far too dangerous to return Panur to the Sol-Kor. He’s told me things—”

  “Why do you believe him, especially over your own people? You’re being manipulated, son.”

  “Aren’t we all? I sincerely believe the Sol-Kor will not honor any immunity agreement. As Panur says, why should they? They make no long-term commitments with anyone. To them, everyone is just food. All they want is Panur, and once they have him, all bets are off. They’ve done this before, so the pattern isn’t new.”

  “We’re counting on them just moving on after they get him back, Adam. We’ve already caused them more trouble than they’re used to. It would be simpler just to move to another galaxy, or another universe.”

  “It’s not as simple as that, Admiral. They can only go where there’s a matching portal. In our universe, the only one large enough for starships was built by the Klin. And now that they have a foothold in the Milky Way, they’re not going to give it up. They have nowhere else to go.”

  “Aren’t there enough universes for them?”

  “Only those with portals, and they’re few and far between.”

  “Even if that’s the case, we have nothing to lose.” The admiral rose up from his seat and began to pace in front of his desk, the camera sensor following his movements. He was angry and frustrated, Adam could tell. And the doubling of deep worry lines on his forehead spoke of the strain Tobias was experiencing.

  “Andy, I know you’re under a lot of pressure, not only from the Union but from the Juireans, the Klin, and everyone else in the galaxy…”

  “Do you really? They know my feelings are conflicted. At any moment I could be pulled from command and replaced with someone they consider to be more impartial.”

  “Then you have to give them all the facts. If Panur is returned it will not save their worlds. The Sol-Kor will renege and then Panur will go on to build even deadlier weapons against us. He says he’s workin
g on a new beam platform that can subdue a world from a light-year away. Just imagine how terrible that would be.”

  Andy stopped his pacing and turned toward the camera. “Why the hell would he do that? I thought he was your friend? Damn, and you’re risking your life to keep him away from the Sol-Kor.”

  “It’s complicated, but I believe he’ll be forced to continue his work.”

  “Forced? Hell, he’s already provided those alien bastards with everything they need to kill gazillions of creatures. If I could kill him myself, I would. That would be the best solution all around.”

  “Or we can use him to build defenses against the Sol-Kor.”

  “Like what?”

  Adam hesitated telling Andy of Panur’s plans. They were so vague, so impossible to explain. But Adam wasn’t getting any closer to getting Andy on his side, and he would need the admiral as his advocate against the forces united against him.

  “He can build a detector, something that can find all the Sol-Kor trans-dimensional portals in the galaxy. If we can shut down their access to the galaxy, they won’t be a threat to us anymore.”

  Adam saw Tobias hesitate, his bright blue eyes staring into the camera with newfound intensity. “He can do that?”

  “He says he can, and I believe him.”

  “So bring him back to Earth and we’ll get him working on it right away.”

  “It’s not that simple—”

  “What the hell, Captain! You can’t keep saying, It’s not that simple. At some point it has to get simple!”

  “He doesn’t trust the Klin or the Juireans. He believes they prefer to cut a deal with the Sol-Kor where their enemies are destroyed and they’re left as the sole power in the galaxy, especially the Klin. They don’t have a fleet or even a homeworld, so they consider themselves safe from the threat. With immunity for returning Panur, they could sit back and let the Sol-Kor consume Earth and Juir and everyone else they see as a challenge to their leadership of the Milky Way.”