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

by T. R. Harris

  “Bullshit! I’ve had a lot of contact with the Klin recently and they’re just as concerned as the rest of us.”

  “Concerned for themselves, Admiral. If the status quo is maintained, they’re shut out, as they’ve been for the past four thousand years. They need a change, and they see the Sol-Kor as their ticket.”

  “But you say the SK’s won’t honor their agreement?”

  “And to the Klin, what if they don’t? They’ll concentrate on whole worlds first and not a scattering of colony ships. The entire Klin population wouldn’t provide even an appetizer for a Sol-Kor Sunday brunch. With the Klin’s ability to build TD portals, they may even convince the Sol-Kor that they can help them expand further into our universe. Andy, if anyone can’t be trusted, it’s those silver-skinned bastards!”

  “So what are you proposing, Captain, that we let Panur build his detector—on his own—and then launch major attacks against the locations his gadget spits out?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m proposing.”

  Tobias shook his head. “And what about the opposition, from the Klin and others? Everyone has their own agenda.”

  “You have to convince them, Admiral. This is the only real solution. As I said, the Sol-Kor will not honor any immunity agreement, so those who think they will are in for a rude awakening. If Panur is returned to the Queen, he’ll complete work on a new beam platform that can subdue a world from a light-year away. We wouldn’t even know what hit us before it’s too late.”

  This time Tobias pressed both his hands against the sides of his head. “A new weapon, built by the very alien you’re protecting, the creature you’ve sacrificed everything for? Whose side is he on anyway? He’s willing to provide us with a way to defend against the SK’s, but if he’s returned he’ll build even deadlier weapons to be used against us. Can you see how screwed up that is?”

  “Of course I can, Andy, that’s why I keep saying it’s not that simple. If Panur is returned he will be forced to complete work on the beam platform.”

  “How? I thought the bastard couldn’t be killed?” Tobias saw Adam open his mouth to speak. “I know…it’s not that simple,” he interrupted. Shaking his head, Tobias returned to his desk and fell back into his chair, looking defeated. “You haven’t given me very much, Captain. And you’re right, I am under a lot of pressure. If what you say about the Klin is true, then they’ll fight me every step of the way. I need more details, details about this detector. How does it work?”

  “You’re asking me?”

  “Damn right I am! You trust this mutant. Give me a reason to trust him, too.”

  Adam looked around at the darkened pilothouse of the Pegasus II. He felt totally alone and with no one to ask for counseling. If he made the wrong decision it could mean the end of the Milky Way galaxy, or at least all advanced life within it. And all he had was the word of a mutant alien to go by. What if he was being manipulated by what was undeniably a greater intellect than his? Adam had no doubt that Panur had his own endgame in sight. Whether it was beneficial to Humanity or not, he couldn’t tell, not yet. But he had to do something to get Andy on his side, to take his case before the powers in the galaxy, something to lift the manhunt for him and Panur.

  He nodded. “Of course I don’t know how it really works, but he says certain crystals can pick up the disturbances in universal vibrations caused by the portals. With the proper crystal, and sensitive equipment to read the signals, he can detect TD portals.”

  “What kind of crystal?”

  Adam shrugged, displaying a wry smile. “Diamond, of course.”

  “No shit? That’s it? He just needs to read some mystic diamonds to find the portals.”

  Adam shook his head. “It’s not that simple,” he said, knowing that Andy would give him the nasty glare he now displayed. “He needs a flawless, thousand-pound diamond…”

  An outside thought beamed into Adam’s brain like a sledgehammer. He paused speaking with Andy to respond.

  Riyad! Damn dude, tone it down a little. And I’ll have to call you back. I’m talking with Andy Tobias right now.

  But I need to talk to you!

  I know. Give me a couple of minutes.

  Tobias stared into the camera for almost a full minute before suddenly bursting out laughing. It took him another thirty seconds to recover from the fit. “Oh, is that all? Damn, Captain, I’m disappointed. I thought we taught you better in the SEALs, to face reality and not live in some fantasy world. I suppose Panur has convinced you that such a diamond exists?”

  Adam bit his bottom lip. “Yeah, he has. In the core of a white dwarf star.”

  Tobias frowned. “Adam, I’m worried about you. Have you gone completely mad, or is Panur feeding you some kind of drug that makes you lose all sense of reality? Even if he’s right, what good does that do us? It’s in the core of a friggin’ star!”

  “He can get to it.”

  “I’m afraid to ask how.”

  “By smashing a black hole into the white dwarf.”

  The smile returned to Andy’s face. “This will have to go down in history as the dumbest conversation of all time. But seriously, how the hell am I supposed to go before—well, anyone—with a story like this, and expect them to believe me?”

  “Just do it, Admiral. Let the experts evaluate the feasibility of the plan. To you and me it sounds like science fiction—maybe even fantasy—but to them it could make sense.”

  “And this is what I’ve been waiting to talk to you about, hoping it would give me a reason for what you’re doing?” Tobias was crestfallen. “If this is all I have, I’ll run with it, but you have to know it’s the longest of long shots…ever. Don’t be expecting too much.”

  “Believe me, Andy, I’m not. My whole life has been poured into a blender and set on high. I’m taking one day at a time. I know you’ll do the best you can. I’ll do what I can from this end. And if we both live long enough to meet again, one of us will owe the other a beer when this is all over.”

  “I just hope it’s not a toast over your coffin, Captain.”

  “Roger that, Admiral. I’ll be in touch.”

  ********

  After Adam cut the link with Tobias, he used his ATD to find the link back to Riyad. Another five minutes passed before their thoughts were synchronized.

  Riyad! What a coincidence. Like I said, I was just talking with Andy Tobias.

  That’s wonderful—now what the hell’s going on? In his mind’s eye, Adam could visualize that Riyad’s brilliant trademark smile had been replaced with a look of anger.

  Right now I’m just trying to stay alive, Adam replied. You know, Andy threatened to kill me to get to Panur.

  Yeah, well, it’s not making my life any easier either. An entire squad of hard-luck Juireans just tried to put me under arrest.

  For what?

  For knowing you, that’s what! How does it feel to be the most wanted person in an entire galaxy?

  Honored, I guess, Adam said with a smile. But seriously, I didn’t know any of this would carry over to my friends.

  They think we’re all going to rush in and help you.

  And you’re not?

  Of course I am, but that’s not the point. It would be nice to know what I’m risking my life for.

  You know Panur…

  Of course I do! They said you kidnapped him.

  It’s not as simple as that…

  And from there Adam went on to fill Riyad in on all that had happened over the past few days.

  Thousand-pound diamonds, colliding back holes with dwarf stars, intergalactic intrigue, aliens from another dimension…sounds like fun. Oh, and I get to give up this implant. I never trusted the damn thing anyway.

  Adam smiled. I thought you’d say that. This is right up your alley.

  Where are you?

  On Castor

  Got it, Riyad said. Give me three days. I’ll contact you when I land.

  Be careful, Sundance.

  Adam co
uld sense Riyad’s smile growing wider. I always saw myself as Butch Cassidy rather than the Sundance Kid.

  The brains of the operation? Not hardly. However, I am a better shot than you.

  Says who?

  And by the way, have you been drinking?

  Just a little.

  I thought that was against your religion?

  Not if you were tricked into it.

  Tricked…into getting drunk. Now that’s a new one. I’ll have to try that the next time I get pulled over for a DUI.

  I’m at the Crescent Star now, so I’m going to have to let you go, Riyad thought. Do your best to stay alive for the next three days. I don’t want to waste the fuel if you’re just going to be dead when I get to Castor.

  I’ll do my best, just so I won’t inconvenience you.

  In his mind Adam heard what sounded like the sound of someone vomiting—or at least the mental image of someone vomiting. Even that was enough to make Adam sever the connection as quickly as possible.

  Chapter 10

  Adam donned the breathing mask again and left the Pegasus II, hunching against a strong, cold wind. It was late at night, and Castor’s solitary moon had yet to rise. The spaceport was deserted except for a few drunken sailors staggering back to their ships after a night of debauchery in the raunchier parts of Krune.

  It had been a long time since Adam had need of his ATD, and he was thankful he had it now to allow the conversation he’d just had with Riyad. He grimaced, thinking that he’d offered to give it up so that Panur could build his detector. Even then, it was for the noblest of causes that he was going to sacrifice the special powers the device gave him. And with Riyad on his way—and having already agreed to give up his—that left him only two short. Unfortunately, he’d still have to contact Arieel.

  That was an entirely different matter, and one he had no idea how he was going to approach…

  From somewhere in the wind, the mental signatures of three battery packs for MK plasma weapons registered in his mind. While on Earth, he rarely felt this awareness, since almost all Human weapons were conventional projectile devices. Now that he was back in the regular galaxy, energy-powered weapons were everywhere. Yet here, in the dark of a near-empty spaceport, their presence seemed out of place.

  The objects were moving, two cutting across his path to the VIP elevator, another coming up from behind.

  Adam pursed his lips. Damn, that was a waste of money, he thought, considering the money he’d spent to stay anonymous. It was obvious someone knew he was here, and with a bounty of galactic proportions on his head, the unfolding events weren’t totally unexpected.

  Through his brain interface, Adam located the control modules for the three MK’s and severed the contacts between the trigger and the firing circuit. The readouts on the weapons would remain active, the guns just wouldn’t fire.

  The three bounty hunters were closer now, and Adam decided it best if he used them to get information first, before he did anything else. Considering the foul mood he was in at the moment, this wasn’t going to end well for his assailants.

  It happened as Adam passed a Juirean AM-81 merchant cruiser, sitting cold and idle on the brown soil of the spaceport. Two creatures, both Castorians, stepped out of the black shadows, MK-17’s leveled at him. Adam opened his eyes wide and threw up his hands.

  “Please don’t shoot! I have credits…you can have them.”

  Castorians were tall creatures—as are most beings from light gravity worlds—Primes with basic Humanoid features. What made them appear more alien was how their eyes were set almost to the sides of their narrow faces, almost lizard-like, allowing them to move independently and scan nearly three hundred sixty degrees around them. Their skin was pale, the result of a centuries-long migration to underground living, as the surface of the planet was ever the more stripped clean of vegetation to get at the precious raw materials buried just below the surface. As a result, oxygen levels had dropped and ozone was depleted from the atmosphere, exposing the planet to increased stellar radiation.

  Physically, the natives had adapted to the lower oxygen levels, yet to protect against the radiation, they’d moved underground, occupying vast mines and caverns that had been carved out over the centuries following veins of metals, minerals, and gemstones. Castor was a fairly rich world—by Fringe standards—with their population still digging ever-deeper for the raw materials needed by a growing, industrialized galaxy.

  Yet there was always an element looking to make a quick buck through illegal activities, and Adam was now face to face with two of them, with a third lurking in the shadows behind him in case something unforeseen occurred.

  “You know we are not after your credits, Adam Cain. Where is the mutant?” The speaker was the taller of the two, with a dark red gash running diagonally across his pale face. He looked to be the sort who grew up on the dark side of Castorian society, and he moved closer to Adam with an intimidating confidence that the Human was sure worked on other Castorians, but not on him. Still, Adam played his part.

  “Look, all I was supposed to do is bring the creature here. Now he’s left and I don’t know where he is.”

  Both the alien’s eyes swiveled to peer down at the shorter Human. “Do not take us for uninformed. We know you are in the company of the mutant and that you have enlisted the assistance of others from your past. We will get paid for turning you over to the authorities, even without the mutant. Yet if we can acquire both aliens, we will be paid even more. Either way, we will be satisfied.”

  “What if I take you to the mutant and then pay you to let me go? After all, it’s the other alien who has the most value.”

  The Castorian looked to his partner. They shared a silent acknowledgement. “You have the credits to pay us now?”

  “Not on me, they’re back at my ship. I always carry a contingency supply of Juirean credits aboard. It comes in handy at times.”

  The alien stretched out a thin, closed-mouth grin. “You are experienced in the ways of the Fringe. Pay us a million credits and we will let you go…when the mutant has been secured.”

  “You will need me for that. I know him better than anyone, including his strengths and weaknesses. Honestly, all I want is to be rid of him.”

  The buldging, swiveling eyes studied the Human for a long moment. Adam knew this thug was seeing through his ruse of indifference towards Panur. But he was also already counting his bounty—the full bounty for the capture of both Panur and Adam—and with an extra million credits as a bonus.

  “Lead us back to your ship. Do not attempt to escape. We have been advised to use Level-One bolts on Humans…and there are three of us, not two.”

  The third Castorian stepped out of the shadows and joined the entourage that followed Adam back to the Pegasus II. Once inside the starship, they all ended up in the common room. Years ago, Adam had installed a false front on one of the food processors, where he kept his quantity of credits. He also had Formilian, Hyben, and a half dozen other currencies besides the Juirean credits, but since the mane-heads had returned to the leadership of the Expansion, their credits were the most coveted.

  Adam began to pull out stacks of the light blue chips; a million credits was a lot. It would take a bag to carry them off the ship. The Castorians had dropped their guard somewhat, focusing on the growing stacks of credits on the food prep counter. Adam hadn’t offered any kind of resistance, and all the aliens could see right now were dollar signs. It was the moment Adam had been waiting for.

  He took two huge stacks, one in each hand, and offered them to the three aliens, yet as he reached forward, one of the stacks began to wobble. Adam panicked, attempting to regain the balance with his other hand. All this did was make both stacks unstable.

  Two of the aliens lowered their weapons and reached out to catch the falling credits, but it was too late. The plastic chips clattered to the deck. The two Castorians knelt down to gather them up, while the third—the leader—glanced down, following the m
ovements of the others.

  To his credit, he quickly recovered, realizing his mistake, and when he looked back at Adam, there was panic on his face. He knew what was coming.

  Adam met the alien’s weird eyes with a wicked smile—and then planted a powerful right jab into his thin-boned face. The Castorian’s skull deformed as cartilage crumbled and fragments penetrated his brain. The force of the blow threw the creature backwards, where he collapsed on the solitary sofa in the common room, dead before he hit the cushions.

  The other two Castorians were on their knees, scooping up fallen credits, when they heard the loud clap of the punch. They lifted their heads to look at Adam just as the Human stomped a booted foot down on the wrist of one of them, crushing the bones and dislodging the MK-17 he held in that hand. The thug let out an ear-piercing scream and tumbled backwards, cradling his shattered arm.

  The remaining Castorian found himself being lifted off the deck as Adam grabbed the back of his jacket and spun him around until his back was to Adam. A strong forearm then clamped itself around the alien’s throat, while Adam’s other arm came down hard on the Castorians’ gun hand. With a snapping of thin bone, the gun fell to the deck.

  With alien number three firmly in his grasp, Adam looked to where number two was leaning against the couch, still holding his broken hand and screaming. Adam never realized Castorians had such powerful vocal chords, and the sound of the wailing alien was too much for him to bear. He kicked out, catching the sitting Castorian on the side of the head, and once again a clash between Human and alien resulted in a dead alien.

  Adam spun the surviving thug around until they were facing one another. “Okay, now we’re going to have a little talk.”

  The side-mounted eyes of the alien were wobbling uncontrollably, making Adam wonder what the hell the scene looked like from his point of view. It was disturbing.