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

by T. R. Harris

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I know how horny you get after a presentation. So…I have a little presentation of my own.” With sensual movements of her slender hands, the woman began to separate the front of the nightgown.”

  Ignoring the near-naked woman, Riyad slipped past her and settled into the pilot’s seat, flicking switches and overriding Regina’s single spotlight. The room was suddenly bathed in mood-killing light. “I appreciate the gesture, but right now we have to get the hell out of here.”

  The engines were beginning to hum, even as the walls of the pilothouse began to sparkle with the red and blue reflections of emergency lights spinning outside the ship, coming from the edge of the spaceport grounds.

  Regina Greywood moved quickly to the large window and looked out. After a quick survey of the horde of vehicles screaming toward the ship, she ran to her co-pilot’s seat and slipped in, pulling a shoulder harness over her thin, silky nightgown.

  “I should’ve known when I hooked up with one of Adam Cain’s gang that I’d be running for my life one day.” She began to ready her controls for liftoff.

  “I thought that was part of my appeal?”

  “Oh, it was. After all, what girl wouldn’t want her own private Han Solo to romp around with?”

  “That reference goes back a ways.”

  “Sexy never goes out of style. So, stud, how many natives did you kill tonight?”

  “I swear, not a single one.” And after the proper pause, Riyad continued. “They were Juireans, including an Overlord.”

  When Reggie didn’t say anything, he chanced a quick look in her direction. Upon seeing the flushed cheeks and glossy eyes, he did a double take. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were getting aroused.”

  “Well…you did say you killed Juireans.” Reggie began to run a finger over her moist, red lips. “That just earned you a bonus, big boy.”

  Even as a dozen emergency vehicles closed on the starship, Riyad took a moment to lock eyes with his co-pilot. “I know where there’s a whole planet of Juireans just waiting to be killed.”

  “Don’t tease me. If you do that, we both may not live through the aftermath.”

  “We’d die with smiles on our faces, that’s for sure.”

  The fiery redhead looked to the viewport. “If I have to go, I would prefer it that way than at the hands of a bunch of smelly aliens, on a rock of a world orbiting an unreachable star somewhere.”

  “Then do the honors. You’re always telling me how you’re the better pilot. Show me what you got.”

  “Seriously?” Regina bounced in her seat. “You’re going to let me do the escaping?”

  “It’s the least I could do, in light of what you offered me earlier.”

  “The offer’s still on the table.”

  “Table, chair, bed, whatever. Just make sure we live long enough to decide on which one.”

  “One? I was thinking all three.”

  And with that, one of the most advanced warships built by Human hands shot into the night sky of Vinnous Mak, a long tail of flame falling out behind it, until the gravity drive engaged.

  Four smaller Makean patrol craft rose up after them, firing ineffective plasma bolts at the rapidly shrinking target. The Juirean Class-Four battleship off to starboard, however, was another matter.

  The barrage of intense bolts it fired at the fleeing starship fanned out, covering a wide swath of space directly across their forward path. Riyad inhaled sharply as Reggie sent the Crescent Star into a series of wild “s” turns, expertly dodging the incoming bolts like one of those action heroes back home who end up being chased down the freeway on the wrong side of the road. All Riyad could do was hold on.

  The Star was faster than the Juirean warship, so once she was beyond the range of their weapons, Reggie straightened out their course, even as she rollercoastered her way through a nearby asteroid belt.

  “Where to, boss?” she finally asked as they cleared the field of space rock and headed out-system.

  “Castor, in the Fringe.”

  “I know where Castor is. I actually spent a couple of months in a prison there once.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “Nope. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned a lot there.”

  Although the two of them had been together for nearly a year, this was something Riyad didn’t know about his new flame. But that would have to wait for another time.

  Right now, the one thing he did know about the woman: she was a better pilot than he was. Way better. But before he could compliment her, she placed the ship on autopilot, unstrapped, and then jumped in his lap, straddling him with her long, muscular legs.

  “If this what it’s like to be part of the Adam Cain Brat Pack…I could get used this.”

  As he was overcome by the warm kisses on his neck and the fragrance of her long, wavy locks, Riyad’s eyes rolled back in his head. His brilliant smile lit up the pilothouse.

  “So could I,” he breathed. “So could I.”

  Chapter 13

  Adam corrected the course of the Pegasus II, heading for the planet Formil. He had no illusions that he would be allowed to land, so he would have to convince Arieel to meet him somewhere off-planet. That wouldn’t be easy for her. As Speaker of the Formilian religious order, her every movement was news. And to ask that her daughter go with her was something he wasn’t even sure was allowed. Speaker and Speaker-In-Waiting off-planet at the same time? If he were in charge, he wouldn’t allow it. Too much of a security risk.

  Adam went to his cabin and contacted Riyad through his ATD, filling him in on the change of plans. Surprisingly, his old sidekick didn’t seem too upset with the prospect of spending a few extra days in a boring transit to Sylox. He also seemed distracted and anxious to break the connection, apparently having been interrupted in the middle of something important. What could be more important than saving the galaxy—and their lives? After only a short thirty second mental conversation, the contact was severed.

  Now he lay on his bed and attempted to open a channel to Arieel.

  Five minutes later an awareness filled his mind. The presence he felt there was more intimate than merely physical; their minds melded and sensations became one. This was something that only Arieel seemed to know how to do; he didn’t feel this with anyone else he communicated with by ATD. Her “Gift,” as the Formilians referred to the brain-interface device, was an integral part of her soul by now, and she used it in ways he couldn’t even imagine. As Panur had said once, calling it an artificial telepathy device was diminishing its abilities, and Arieel Bol had spent a lifetime learning all its secrets.

  The question now: would she give it up based solely on Adam’s asking?

  Adam, I am so glad you have made contact!

  It’s good to hear your thoughts again, too, Arieel.

  I have been meaning to contact you myself, yet I am under close scrutiny. It appears all your past contacts are being watched.

  But we can communicate by the implants.

  Yes, but your Admiral Tobias is aware of this. He has received permission from the Order to have surveillance on me constantly, hoping to detect changes in my expression.

  That’s happening right now?

  Yes, but I have resumed a calm demeanor. I am in a ceremony which involves emotional responses, so I should be able to mask my interaction with you. Now I must plead with you—return the mutant and let us be done with this. I do not understand what you are doing.

  I can’t return him. If I do, he’ll be forced to create even deadlier weapons against us. And I’ve also learned that the Sol-Kor will not honor any immunity agreement made with them. They never have in the past and they won’t this time either. So even if we return Panur, the Sol-Kor will still come after us.

  Are you sure?

  That’s what Panur has told me, and I believe him.

  It may just be a ploy to keep him from being returned.

  I
know, but his argument is strong. Besides, now he’s working on a way for us to defeat the Sol-Kor for good, a portal detector which will allow us to find all their doorways into our universe. Knowing where they’re getting into the galaxy will allow us to shut them down and remove the threat for good. That’s much better than working out some deal with those bastards to leave us alone.

  Can he do that?

  I believe so. If he does, he’ll be safe from the Sol-Kor, and so will we. It’s the best outcome we could hope for. This is also the reason I’m contacting you.

  I sense a deep foreboding. You are in turmoil and it is tearing you apart. I fear what you have to say.

  I need your help, Arieel.

  Adam, I am incapable of providing assistance. With the current political dynamic of the galaxy, all the major races are unified in the quest to find and return the mutant. This dynamic has supplanted even local authority. I am diminished in my power, and our past relationship has only weakened it more. I am now seen as a potential accomplice to your deeds.

  We have to find a way, Arieel. If Panur can build his portal detector, we can defeat the Sol-Kor once and for all.

  As you have said…but I do not see how I can help.

  I need your ATD—your Gift—as well as the one Lila has.

  There was silence in his mind for several seconds.

  I do not understand the request. Do you require our assistance through our Gifts? I sense there is more.

  I need the actual devices.

  Again silence followed his statement.

  Please clarify. I am afraid I understand what you are saying. I just need confirmation.

  Panur needs four of the devices to serve as readers for his detector. I’m giving up mine, as is Riyad. That leaves us two short.

  They are to be removed from our bodies?

  That’s right.

  The silence was even longer this time.

  You ask far too much of me…and of Lila. To us these are not simple electronic devices, as you consider them. To us they are an essential part of our lives and our bodies. I can’t imagine surviving without mine.

  You may not have a choice. The Sol-Kor will continue to spread throughout the galaxy, consuming all the higher intelligences, including the Formilians. This is important, Arieel. Panur has a way of saving us all from the Sol-Kor. If he succeeds, we survive. If he doesn’t, then we all die. It’s as simple as that. And if he’s captured and returned, then he’ll be unable to build the detector and the Sol-Kor will renege on their immunity offer. We will have gained nothing, while also losing the only chance we have of defeating the enemy. If we don’t help Panur, all we gain is a little time. After that, there’ll be nothing left, no Earth, no Expansion…no Formil.

  Adam…

  Can’t the Order build you new Gifts to replace the ones you donate to the cause?

  It takes time. It is a process to construct new Gifts. It is possible ours can be replaced, yet for us to help you, that would mean going against the Order and the galaxy to side with you and the mutant. You say the Sol-Kor will not honor an immunity agreement, yet that cannot be proven except through execution. If the Sol-Kor are not given the opportunity to prove their words have meaning, the galaxy will not accept your word over theirs. The mutant may indeed be able to build his detector, and the Sol-Kor may be vanquished from the galaxy, yet to some that outcome would also occur through their immunity offer. Certain factions here on Formil will see me as the ultimate traitor, not worthy of my position, and certainly not eligible for a replacement Gift. I fear that once I give it up, there will be no going back.

  And without your help, the galaxy will fall to the Sol-Kor.

  Do not do this to me, Adam. Do not put me in such a position. I want to believe you, and if what you say is true, then I would gladly sacrifice my Gift—my life—to save my people. But how can I be sure?

  Adam was silent for a long time. He had no good answer. How could he prove a negative before the event occurred? How could he convince Arieel that she would die—that they all would die—unless she gave up her device?

  You do realize your thoughts are transparent to me, unless you know how to shield them, Arieel said in his mind.

  Embarrassed, Adam replied. Then you must be able to detect my sincerity.

  I do, and that is the reason I believe you. Your unguarded thoughts reveal the truth. Can you allow me time to think on this? Although I believe in the sincerity of your argument, I must also look at the logistics. Even if I want to help you, is it even feasible? I am being watched, and you surely could not come to Formil.

  You’re going to have to get off the planet so we can meet.

  With Lila, too. I…I do not see how that will be possible.

  You have to try, Arieel. Take a ship and get away from Formil. I will meet you in space. The Pegasus has had some improvements. No one will be able to catch us afterwards.

  How much time do I have?

  Not long. You know the entire galaxy is looking for me and Panur. If we’re captured before he can build the detector, then that’s it, game over.

  This is not a game, Adam.

  I know it’s not. It’s just a saying. This is as serious as it gets. Can I count on you?

  I would only do this to save the Formilian people from extinction at the hands of the Sol-Kor. I believe…you believe…that to be the only alternative to me not helping.

  You can sense it.

  Yes I can…and that is why I will do what you ask. If I can.

  Without you and Lila the mission falls apart. Without you and Lila, the galaxy will die.

  Adam sensed a smile cross Arieel’s face. And when we save the galaxy…then we too shall become heroes—just like you. I will be in contact as the plan moves forward. Good-bye for now, Adam Cain.

  ********

  When the connection was severed, Adam lay on the bed for a moment longer. He didn’t feel much like a hero at that point. In fact, he felt sick to his stomach. He barely made it to the head in time before he vomited.

  As he recovered, he cursed under his breath: “You better be able to do this, Panur. Otherwise we’re all screwed.”

  Chapter 14

  “It’s about damn time he made contact with you, Admiral.”

  Michael Osbourne, the fifty-seven-year-old President of the Orion-Cygnus Union, was seated at his desk, with his scientific attaché, Jack Hardy, sitting on a couch across the room. On the coffee table in front of the scientist was a scattering of papers and two laptop computers. Before being interrupted by the arrival of Andy Tobias, the two officials had been busy studying technical data.

  Andy nodded at Hardy. They were acquaintances but not friends. Tobias had always found the scientist/politician to be uppity, and condescending at times. They had interacted at social events around Phoenix on a number of occasions, but never had the opportunity to bond. Now Hardy set some papers down on the table and leaned back on the couch, not bothering to disguise his frustration at being interrupted.

  Osbourne motioned with his hand for Tobias to take a seat across the desk from him. “Is he going to give up the alien?”

  “He says it’s not that simple…”

  “What the hell does that mean? God dammit, we’re running out of time! Tell him, Jack.”

  Tobias shifted his chair so he could see the scientist.

  “Two Sol-Kor fleets have moved into the Union. They’re right at the outskirts, but we believe they’ve identified a couple of target worlds they intend to harvest.”

  Andy turned back to the president. “I thought we had a moratorium from attack? They have to give us at least some time to catch Adam and Panur.”

  “I don’t know where you got that idea, Admiral?” Osbourne said. The stress was apparent in his voice. “There have been reports of six worlds being attacked in the last week. Follow-up surveys after the fact have shown they’re going in and grabbing only about a third of the population before moving on.”

  “What happens to th
e rest of them?”

  “After the SK leave, they recover from the effects of the beam, but by then many are sick or dying from exposure and lack of food or water. And with such a major disruption of the basic workings of society, most can’t survive without the trappings of civilization, like heat and electricity. Half of the survivors die within a day or so of the aliens leaving.”

  “And they’re stepping up their attacks,” Hardy said. “There’s a fifth harvest fleet operating in the galaxy now.”

  “They have to give us time!”

  “No they don’t, Andy. But what they have given us is incentive. So where is that traitorous bastard?” Osbourne was red-faced with anger.

  “I don’t know, he didn’t tell me. He said the Sol-Kor will not honor any immunity agreement. He said Panur’s done this before, and every time the Sol-Kor have reneged.”

  “Did he offer any proof of this?”

  “No, sir. How could he?”

  “Then I have nothing. We can’t give up hope of a negotiated peace simply on the word of a fugitive alien. He would do or say anything not to get caught. And even if I wanted to believe you, there are a lot more parties involved than just me.”

  “Still, if Cain and Panur are telling the truth, returning Panur to the Sol-Kor won’t stop the attacks.”

  Osbourne shook his head. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Admiral. What are Cain’s plans? He has to know he can’t hide the mutant from us forever. Does he know that the Sol-Kor attacks are continuing?”

  “He realizes both, Mister President. However, he also said that Panur has come up with a way of shutting off the Sol-Kor’s access to our galaxy. That could be a very substantial breakthrough in the war if he can do it. I agree with Captain Cain when he says that’s better than negotiating with the alien bastards.”

  “So how does the mutant propose to cut off the SK access to the galaxy? Did he say how?” Hardy asked, his curiosity piqued.