by T. R. Harris
“My intentions will depend on the orders I receive from my Queen. Until then, remove your fleet from this vicinity immediately or I will initiate action against your inferior force.”
On the bridge of Mount Rushmore, all eyes were on Tobias as he worked through his next move. “I’m sorry, but I will not comply. However, we won’t attack as long as you don’t. But I would respectfully request that you contact your Queen immediately for an answer to my question regarding the immunity offer.”
“You suggest I demand a response from my Queen?” The voice sounded incredulous. “You obviously do not understand Sol-Kor society.”
“I’m not demanding anything, just that you make your report in a timely manner. I’m sure that when you do, your Queen will give you an answer without having to be coaxed.”
“I will make my report the moment Panur is back within Sol-Kor control, yet I will not hold off on an attack for more than two of your hours as I await commands from my Queen. You have that time to withdraw your forces.”
“Agreed…but we’re not going anywhere, so let’s just hope your Queen honors her offer of immunity.”
“You question the integrity of my Queen?”
“Let’s just wait a couple of hours to see what happens. After that, who knows?”
********
The Pegasus II fit easily in the landing bay of the huge beamship, and once atmosphere was restored to the chamber, Adam cracked the hatch and stepped out onto the metal deck, wearing a clear respirator mask over his mouth and nose. As usual, Panur showed no signs of distress, his body adapting instantly to Sol-Kor air.
There were easily fifty armed aliens surrounding the Pegasus II, and as soon as Adam and Panur were clear of the doorway, several of them pushed past them and entered the starship. Adam gritted his teeth, knowing they were going on board to disable the ship. His precious Pegasus II was here for the duration…at least for the duration of Plan B.
A huge, gray-skinned alien stepped up to him. “The leader of the Human fleet has contacted me,” the officer said without introducing himself. “He says your arrival here was initiated by them—the Humans and the Juireans. Is this true?”
“Yes it is. I have been working with them from the beginning to return Panur to your Queen.” Adam turned to the tiny alien and held out double palms. “Ta-da…here he is. Now how about some of that immunity we’ve been promised? My galaxy would really like to get back to normal without having to worry about Sol-Kor dietary requirements.”
The officer nodded to others, and soon Panur was surrounded by hulking seven-foot-tall creatures who dwarfed him with ease, making all the ruckus over the tiny alien seem even that much more absurd. He began to be led away.
“Thanks for nothing, you traitor!” Panur yelled back at Adam, wobbling slightly as he was led away. “I trusted you, and now I find out this was your plan all along.”
“I’m just fulfilling the terms of the Queen’s offer. Now go sober up somewhere.”
Adam turned back to the High-Noslead and smiled. “What now, chief?”
As it was with almost every species, the eyes are the gateway to the mind, and in those of the alien, Adam saw a wickedness, and almost insane humor. “I am aware of your history with the Sol-Kor, Adam Cain. And although you have helped to return the mutant to us, I will still present you to my Queen to answer for your past deeds. There will be no immunity for you. Combined with Panur’s return and your capture, I will be rightly rewarded. I thank you for this opportunity. Now, lead him away!”
********
First-Noslead Lonnis Huon didn’t rank high enough to speak directly with the Queen, so his report was filtered through several others of more deserving status. It was Council Member Gori Bon who delivered the news.
“And you also say the alien Adam Cain is under our control as well?” the Queen asked.
Standing before the massive bulk of his mother, Bon nodded. He was a regular visitor to the sacred chambers, so he felt no intimidation. In fact, the news he brought to her at this time would bring great joy to the creator of the Sol-Kor, which Bon felt vicariously within his own body. “Yes, and with your permission, I shall expedite his transfer back to Kor so you may have your way with him.”
“Permission granted, Gori Bon. And have Panur returned along with the Human. I have missed him so much. There is a void in my soul when he is gone. Our interactions through these many thousands of years have always brought such joy to me. I do not understand why he must always go off on these journeys without warning me first.”
“In other business, my Queen, the Humans are requesting the immunity status you have offered, and they extended this to include their entire galaxy.” Gori Bon’s smile was thin and sinister.
Spittle drooled from the Queen’s heavily crusted lips as she attempted a smile of her own. There was a basin below to catch the liquid, which would be used in honoring ceremonies throughout the Colony. Bon saw that the basin was nearly full; he would order it changed out for a new one.
“I see that fleets of Humans and Juireans are in the vicinity of this particular portal.”
“That is correct, and our forces outnumber them by three to one.”
“Would you not think this a good time to start the wholesale harvest of the Human’s galaxy? With Panur’s return, the High-Noslead in command of the harvest will have my permission to commence full operations. I must say, the sample of the stock grown there is of the highest quality. Be sure to allot an additional portion for the Council and for the Noslead and his commanders, including the First-Noslead who is in command of the fleet now facing the Humans.”
Then the Queen’s mood turned serious. “This insignificant galaxy has caused me much distress, Gori Bon. The losses here have been inconsequential, yet they have been symbolic. Then to have been threatened by these creatures here, in my own chambers, is completely unacceptable. Order immediate harvests of the homeworlds of the major races, especially that of the Humans. Send even more harvesters. I want that entire galaxy devoid of advanced life as soon as possible. An example must be made. And with Panur back to complete work on his long-range beam platform, the harvest should come in at record levels. The Colony will grow substantially as a result, guaranteeing my longevity.”
“That was never in doubt, my Queen.”
More spittle drained from the side of the Queen’s mouth. “That is always in doubt, Gori Bon. The mysteries of Sol-Kor bodies dictate that. How my eggs know when it’s time for a new queen is unknown even to me.”
“There is no need for knowing, my Queen. Revel in the fact that the Colony knows, and that we will continue…forever.”
********
The first vessels to be taken out by the Sol-Kor were the observation drones. It was such a blatant attack that it confirmed Tobias’ worst fears. And only twenty minutes since the Pegasus II was taken aboard the beamship.
“They’re coming,” he announced to the bridge personnel. “Prepare for evasive maneuvers, even retreat if need be.”
“Retreat?” questioned Commander Ron Walker.
“With that many beamships it’s a good bet a lot of our forces will be knocked out of the fight. I doubt we’ll get close enough to the portal array to take it out. Obviously the alien bastards aren’t going to live up to their immunity offer, so we’re in this for the long-haul. The gloves come off now, Commander. But first, let’s make sure we can live to fight another day.”
“This is what Cain has been saying all along about the immunity offer,” added Walker.
“You’re right. And also about the mutant having a portal detector. I just hope Adam’s made other provisions for getting the information to us, and that they’re not riding around with him on the Pegasus. Surely Adam wouldn’t have led us here just to have the locations of the arrays go down with him?” Tobias shook his head out of frustration. “Riyad must have them. Send out a galaxy-wide alert to be on the lookout for the Crescent Star, and with implicit orders not to destroy the ship.
We need those coordinates.”
“And if Tarazi doesn’t have them?”
“I refuse to believe we trained Cain to be that reckless, that shortsighted. No, he must be up to something else.”
“Let’s hope, sir. Otherwise we’re screwed.”
********
The sentry ships cast out countering beams as the Sol-Kor ships streamed toward the fleet. These were small destroyers, yet they still carried an incredible amount of firepower when compared to the lightly armed beamships.
Unfortunately, only ten ships were available as the first line of defense. They managed to blast eighteen alien warships to stardust before they were surrounded. Then the blue pulse beams saturated the defenders, who could only counteract four simultaneous beams. When struck with a dozen or more, the crews fell dormant and the deadly plasma bolts stopped. Moments later, the ten ships disappeared off Andy’s tac screen.
“Where are the damn Juireans?” he asked his communications officer, Lieutenant-Commander Grimes.
“Breaking off, sir,” she reported. “They see the futility of joining the attack.”
“Hell, they never even tried,” Tobias said. “Ron, do we have the location of the beamship that has Captain Cain aboard?”
“Yes, sir. It’s way in the back,” he added, anticipating the admiral’s thinking.
“Dammit. Anyway, we have the location of one of their portals, and it’s not like they can just pick up an array and move it somewhere else. We’ll be back, and in force the next time. At least we’ll take out one of them.” He looked out at the anxious faces of the bridge crew. “Call back the screeners. Sound the retreat, Commander. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Aye, sir.”
As the crew began to bark orders and go about their tasks, Admiral Andy Tobias slumped in his command chair. Good-bye, Adam. It’s been a good run. I just wish I’d listened to you when I had the chance. Hooyah, sailor!
Chapter 25
Adam was taken to a room and locked inside. With no crime in Sol-Kor society, they had no need for a brig aboard their ships. This was an office of some kind, with only a bare, four-legged desk and a few cabinets along the wall. There was no bed and not even any chairs.
A small window was imbedded in the door and he could see four heavily-armed Sol-Kor in the corridor outside. He examined the legs of the desk—metal, about four feet long. They would make good clubs, to be used to acquire an even more lethal weapon. He flipped the desk on its face and then set about bending one of the legs until it broke off in his arms.
Just as he completed his task, the door opened and guards flooded in. Without a word, they took away his club and what was left of the desk and then left, with one now stationed outside the window outside, looking in. These were near-mindless drones. They would man their posts without distraction, and now the guard stared unblinking at Adam from the window. If he was going to escape, it would have to come when they moved him—if they moved him—before making the transit to another universe.
So with his back against a metal bulkhead, he slipped down to the floor and sat there, returning the gaze of the alien at the window. When he grew tired of that, he crossed his arms, hung his head, and tried to get some sleep. Whatever was going to happen would happen, and when it did, he needed to be well-rested and alert. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how the battle outside was going.
********
“May Allah curse you…was that you again, Jym?” Riyad covered his mouth and nose with the small breathing mask again. Like all the times before, it did little to lessen the potency. This had to be the tenth time the tiny bear-like creature had farted. The atmosphere in the packing crate was thoroughly contaminated.
“It is my nature,” Jym said in his defense. “Do Humans not release pent up gas?”
“Yeah, we do, but damn, yours could peel paint.”
“I do not believe so. That would take—”
“It’s just an expression, but remember, we’re trying to stay hidden from the Sol-Kor. If they smell you, they may think there’s some kind of dangerous gas leak aboard the Pegasus and cast the ship out the airlock. So please, control yourself.”
Jym looked to Kaylor. “It was not that bad, was it?”
Kaylor, who had lived aboard starships with Jym for over thirty standard years, just shrugged. “Riyad is right in one regard: we do not want to give away our presence.”
“Then let us get on with it,” Jym said out of frustration. “We have been crammed into this cargo box for far too long. It is quiet outside. Let us go do something.”
The two aliens looked to Riyad.
“Yes, you’re right. It is time to do something. Crack the lid, Kaylor. Let’s take a look outside.”
Only dim security lights lit the cargo hold of the Pegasus II, as the three stowaways peered out the narrow slit made by the raised lid. Then Riyad pushed it all the way up and the three climbed out. Riyad was relieved to stretch his legs again, and now that he could smell the fresh air of the cargo bay, he was able to put in perspective just how potent were Jym’s disgusting farts. He was even more convinced that if anyone had been in the cargo hold, it would have been impossible for them to miss the odor.
Riyad looked at his watch. It had been over six hours that the trio had been hiding in the box, and from peeing in plastic containers, Jym’s farts, and their rapidly disappearing rations, it was miracle they’d lasted that long. Now he had to figure out where they were.
The engines on the Pegasus II had long since shut down, and the gravity he felt was not that of the Human starship, but something much lighter. Also, he hadn’t heard or felt any signs of a planetary landing, so it was a good bet the Pegasus II was on another starship.
A Sol-Kor starship.
Riyad smiled. Damn, Reggie, looks like Plan B is working, he thought. That also meant that Plan A had failed. The Human fleet was not in the process of attacking a portal array, not ready to follow them to the other seven portals. That was Plan A. Now Reggie’s Plan B was underway. If they were aboard a Sol-Kor ship, then Adam had surrendered Panur as a means of tipping the aliens’ hand about the immunity offer. How that information would manifest itself was a mystery, along with how long it would take before the fleet—and the galaxy—knew it was all a fake.
In the meantime, Panur was back in the hands of the Sol-Kor, with the ball in the Queen’s court.
As Riyad surveyed the deserted cargo bay of the Pegasus II, he thought a silent curse. If ever there was a time when he needed an artificial telepathy device, it was now. He had to find Adam and Panur before they were moved to another location, and before they were sent through a portal, and it would have been a piece of cake with an ATD.
Riyad led the small parade out of the cargo hold, along the spine of the small starship and to the pilothouse. All was quiet aboard, and as they entered the compartment with its large forward viewport, they crouched down and moved among the equipment banks and crew stations before looking over the lip of the window at the scene outside the ship.
They were in a large hangar bay, one with a dozen or so Sol-Kor workers flitting about. Their movements showed no sign of concern or undue urgency, so Riyad concluded for himself that the ship was not part of a battle taking place.
With his breathing mask firmly in place, Riyad moved to the open exit hatch and looked out. His first priority was to locate Adam, and for that Riyad needed a Sol-Kor crewmember willing to be interviewed. One such candidate stood about twenty feet from the hatchway, his back conveniently turned away from the ship as he worked on the electric motor of a small, boxy transport.
“Stay here,” he whispered to his alien companions, and then armed with an MK plasma weapon he’d taken from the pilothouse, Riyad slipped out through the hatch, moving along the fuselage until he was about eight feet from the taller Sol-Kor crewmember.
Riyad had fought Sol-Kor before in hand-to-hand combat, so he wasn’t too worried; however, the major concern he always had was how much f
orce to apply if he only wanted to knock them out or take them captive. Too many times in the past—and not just with Sol-Kor—he would use too much of his strength and kill the damn thing. Then he’d have to go hunting for another. That took time and exposed him to more risk. Now, as he slipped up behind his target, he fought the adrenalin surging through his veins, hoping he wouldn’t kill the guy. He needed information, not another useless corpse.
He had to jump slightly in order to reach neck level of the much taller alien so he could form an effective chokehold. The creature bent backwards with ease, and Riyad moved quickly to place a hand over his mouth. He squeezed a little tighter and saw his eyes rolling back into his head. As the crewmember became more compliant, Riyad quickly pulled him back to the Pegasus II and through the open hatch. They got back without being seen.
Riyad stationed Jym and Kaylor at guard duty before tossing the alien onto a couch in the common room and slapping him a couple of times to revive him.
“Wake up. You’re not dead. C’mon.”
The eyes of the alien fluttered open. When he saw the Human above him, a look of defiance came across his gray, scaly features. “You are not the one from before,” he stated without fear.
“No, I’m not. Where is he?”
“I will not tell you.”
“No, seriously, I want to know where he is.”
“I will not tell—”
Riyad planted a solid fist to the side of the Sol-Kor’s head. The alien’s yellow-tinged eyes grew cloudy and his mouth slack. Then Riyad slapped him again, this time lighter and for effect. “Wake up. I didn’t hit you that hard.”
Finally the eyes focused once more on Riyad. This time there was a little more fear in his expression.
“You cannot make me succumb.”
Riyad smiled. “Now we both know that’s not true.” He backed away and scanned the body of the alien. “I’m sure there are areas on your body that are more sensitive than others. Shall I begin the tour?” He ripped open the shirt of the Sol-Kor, revealing pale gray skin covered in what appeared to be tiny scales. He grabbed one of the scales and pulled it away. The alien grimaced.