Invasion Force (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 21)

by T. R. Harris

  “Would you mind,” Adam prompted. “You were talking about the Klin’s lack of imagination.”

  Robert frowned. “Patience, my friend. It’s not like you have someplace else to be.”

  McCarthy smiled again, a spontaneous, almost manic look in his eyes.

  “You ask how I survived, Ms. Valentine. Simple. I became the Klin’s imagination. Of course, they didn’t realize it at the time, they still haven’t. They just thought I was especially helpful, always coming up with new ideas as to how they could further their cause. Case-in-point: the most recent offensive on the part of the Klin.”

  “That was your idea?” Adam asked.

  “It surely wasn’t theirs. Since time in memorial, the silver-skinned slugs have been singularly focused on needing a partner race for their scheming. They’ve always had this inferiority complex based on their low numbers. It’s kind of outrageous to dream of galactic domination when there’s only a couple of hundred thousand of you around. Hell, that’s barely enough to manage a good-size city, let alone a whole galaxy.”

  “The robots were your idea?” Adam stated.

  “Of course they were, but even then the Klin tried to screw it up. They wanted androids, intelligent robots who could take their place in positions of power and responsibility. I told them that was a bad idea. You make the robots too smart, and pretty soon they’re looking to take over. Keep them dumb and obedient; that’s what I said. If later on you still need another class of robot to help out around the house, make them then, but in limited number, and under the watchful eye of your brainless killer bots.” Robert slapped his knee. “And you know the greatest thing about working with the Klin: all you have do is come up with an idea and those silly bastards can figure out a way to make it happen. I gave them a list of must-haves for the robots, and they went out and built them.”

  Adam opened his mouth to ask another question, but Robert held up his hand. “You’re going to ask about the VN-91s, aren’t you?”

  “The what?” Sherri asked.

  “The large carrier ships. You refer to them as the black ships…oh what a scary name.” He spread his fingers wide and made them wiggle. “Let me back up. As I said, Nigel trained a small group of his sons in a lot of things, but the only subject I found truly interesting was the military training. He taught us two very important lessons, both related: Know your enemy and always be prepared. Knowing one’s enemy allows the second lesson to come into play. If you know your enemy well enough, then you can anticipate all they can throw at you. And for that, I thank you, Mr. Cain.”

  “Me? What the hell do I have to do with this?”

  “Needless to say, my father was obsessed with you. He’d talk about you all the time during our lessons, using you as an example of what could go wrong if you underestimate your enemy. So when everything went to shit, I started studying you, tracing the factors that resulted in the Juireans, the Klin and the Kracori all suffering catastrophic losses, while the primitive Humans rose to the top of the food chain. It was very educational. But the main lesson I learned is to always identify the threat…and then devise counters to it. For instance, the brain link you have within your body—yes, I know about that.”

  Adam tensed. The man may know of his ATD, but he couldn’t know about the rest of it. In addition, he made no mention of Sherri in his revelation.

  Robert twisted his body around and placed a finger on a small, elongated lump on the back of his neck. “You see, I have one, too.”

  Adam mentally grimaced. He figured he had the upper hand against the talkative 2G, but now he wasn’t so sure. What other surprises did Robert McCarthy have in store?

  “Yes, I’ve been studying you for a very long time, Adam Cain. I even had eyes on you when you first visited Formil and conned your way into getting the brain linking device. I’d long suspected that the Formilian Speakers used such technology, but it was only when you upset their neat little magic show that my suspicions were realized. And this is another example of the Klin’s abilities. Once I told them about the Formilian’s brain interface device, they went out and built one in a matter of weeks. Sure, mine may not be as advanced as yours, but it works.”

  The lights in the room dimmed and then brightened. “The Klin—in their infinite lack of imagination—could never see a purpose for the device, other than as a very complicated and expensive remote control switch. I tend to agree with them, especially since I haven’t had anyone to speak with telepathically since I got it. Perhaps we can sync our units so I can experience the sensation?”

  “Perhaps later,” Adam said. “But as a military man, I’m more curious about the black ships—the VN-91s. They’re the truly revolutionary piece of hardware in this war. And you say it was your idea? That’s incredible.” Adam figured stroking the man’s very large ego couldn’t hurt. Besides, when his story ended, Adam had no idea what would happen next. The long line of questions was becoming Adam’s version of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights.

  “Yes…it is a great story,” Robert said enthusiastically. “It goes back to the fact that there are so few Klin. They could never have a sizeable fleet of warships to match that of the galaxy, no matter what. So I figured they had to do more with less. If they couldn’t have a fleet of ships, they needed to have invincible ships.” He laughed. “Under normal circumstances, sitting around and dreaming up what an invincible warship would look like would be an act of folly. But I have the Klin to make my dreams come true. I started with developing a ship impervious to outside attack. I made a list of all the offensive weapons that could be brought to bear, and then worked on a defensive system to stop each one. This evolved into the three-tier screen system you’ve experienced. But then I looked to offensive weapons. The only truly invincible weapon is a laser, and one powerful enough to travel across millions of miles of space and penetrate any diffusion shield in existence. But these weapons are huge, and the power requirements impossible to achieve. But then it dawned on me. The limiting factor with the laser was the lack of energy to charge the system. And what did the enemy fire at you? Energy bolts! The solution seemed simple. Capture this incoming energy and use it to power the lasers. I’m not a scientist or an engineer, but I don’t need to be. I just imagine something, and voila, the Klin make it real. It’s a great system. Now the Klin have invincible ships with millions of robots ready to carry out their objective. The Klin will finally achieve their goal and all because I gave them the vision to make it so.”

  “So why the slow advance? Why not go for the big worlds and leave the others alone. You don’t have to kill so many innocent creatures to conquer the galaxy.”

  Robert frowned. “Is this Adam Cain I hear talking? To paraphrase…you: ‘The only good alien is a dead alien.’ I think back to the Kracori, the Sol-Kor and now the Nuoreans. There are whole planets smoldering in your wake that were once inhabited by innocent creatures you didn’t like.”

  “That was self-defense and you know it.”

  “A surrender would have achieved the same objective.”

  “Every planet you’ve approached has offered to surrender,” Sherri pointed out. “But you attack them anyway. That seems more genocidal than strategic.”

  “Ah, but it is strategic, Ms. Valentine,” Robert countered. “I agree with you in one respect. By now the Expansion is ready to surrender to the Klin. But then what? The Klin are too few to rule an empire as big as a galaxy. So do the Klin cloister away from the population for fear of assassination and revolt? Or do they slowly integrate themselves into the operations of the galaxy? Eventually, resistance would come, followed by a deadly uprising. The more ingrained the few Klin become, the harder it is for their robots to protect them. The only way the Klin can rule a galactic empire is to cut it down to their size. Then as the Klin population grows, so can the empire.”

  “All you have to do is stop,” Adam said, frustrated. “Take what you have and leave the rest.”

  Robert smirked. “And you believe that is how
it would end? No, the forces opposed to the Klin will always be planning, waiting for the time to strike. Yet I agree, our current timetable for conquest has reached an anticipated juncture. I have to decide which Council planet to destroy as a response to the attack on G-nin Bor. I’m sure you heard about it; an utter failure on the part of your forces.”

  “I heard about it,” Adam said. “And since it was such a lopsided victory, why do you need a response? You won.”

  “Lessons must be learned, my friend. Now we have to demonstrate to the Expansion that no world is safe, not even those of the Advisory Council.”

  “What are you going to do?” Sherri’s voice trembled.

  “I’ve been weighing the possibilities. At first I thought Formil would make a good object lesson, but then decided against it.” He laughed. “When the O’lac Building was being constructed, I sent an army of spies in to wire the place from top to bottom.” He looked at Adam and cocked his head. “Strategic planning can only go so far. Having direct intelligence regarding attack plans and troop movements is valuable, too. That’s how we were able to anticipate some of your more recent operations. No, it can’t be Formil. I put too much time and effort setting up my network there. I did, however, consider the nine worlds of the Formilian alliance that produce the bulk of their electronic devices. But we rely on those products as much as the rest of the galaxy, utilizing an elaborate system of dummy buyers to get what we need. So those worlds are safe.”

  Adam’s stomach tightened as Robert worked his way towards the inevitable.

  “I thought about Juir; that would be the most logical place, considering the history between the Juireans and the Klin. But the planet is more a symbol now than any real center of power. It’s been on a slow road to recovery since the Kracori asteroid attack, and to this day, less than a billion Juireans inhabit the planet.”

  Robert looked at Adam with burning eyes. “And then I thought about Earth.”

  Adam’s return expression could melt steel.

  “But then I thought we’re not ready to take on Earth.”

  “Why not?” Sherri stammered. The relief on the faces of the two Human captives was evident. But still Sherri wanted to know why their homeworld was being spared.

  “First of all, the planet has the most nuclear weapons anywhere in the galaxy, and knowing Humans like I do, they’d use every last one of them if it meant denying victory to the Klin. In the process, the place would become a wasteland. I’d very much prefer that not to happen.”

  “You want it for yourself,” Adam stated as the thought dawned on him.

  Robert nodded. “Unfortunately, the one thing my father did instill in me was a desire to lord over my fellow man. I have no desire to share in the Klin’s domination of the galaxy; there are far too many aliens, with alien ways and alien smells. They can have it. And although I’ve never been to Earth, I’d sure like to go. And as the supreme leader, I’d have certain perks.” He looked at Sherri with a lecherous grin. “You see, I like Human women; the Klin even bring some in for me now and then. I couldn’t imagine destroying the place where they grow naturally.”

  When neither of his guests responded, Robert shrugged and continued. “So I’m thinking now about Silea or Bannokfore, probably Bannokfore. It has a thriving industry and culture, controlling a federation of forty-plus worlds. It also has one of the largest military concentrations outside the core worlds. Destroying it would send a strong message to the Expansion.”

  “There’s also about ten billion people there,” Sherri pointed out.

  “The more the merrier.”

  “You are one sick son-of-a-bitch.”

  “And you should be grateful I’m also a horny SOB,” Robert countered. “If Earth was a world of just men, I’d burn it to ashes without a second thought.”

  When Robert’s eyes locked on Adam, accompanied by a thin, mischievous grin, Adam realized there was one topic that hadn’t covered yet: the future of him and Sherri. Robert prided himself on his ability to always anticipate the moves of his opponent, so he had to have put some thought into Adam’s motives and capabilities before bringing him and Sherri to his mountain hideaway.

  “So what’s next?”

  “For you?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

  Robert appeared relaxed and unconcerned. Having planned out this encounter well in advance, there had to be security measures in place. He couldn’t know of Adam’s special abilities, but he could anticipate some other action on his part.

  “You spoke earlier of coincidences. As you have already figured, I left the trail to the Klin fairly obvious for anyone to follow. If a traditional scouting party arrived and found nothing, they would leave. If a major military assault was launched, they too would be disappointed. But someone like you would have known it was a dead end. So why not let the Klin lead you…to the Klin? Allow yourselves to be captured and then be brought before the Pleabaen. But the bait—you—would have to be so inviting that the Klin wouldn’t simply just kill you. No, with the capture of the famous Adam Cain and Sherri Valentine, the Pleabaen would have you brought before her for disposal.”

  “Her?”

  “Oh, yes. The new leader of the Klin is a female, one of forty-six past female Pleabaens. She came to power within the year. But it matters not who is the Pleabaen. You see, we have been planning this for quite a while. It was delayed when you installed your mutant daughter as head of the Expansion—a brilliant move, I might add. It was further pushed back when the Nuoreans crashed the party. But after you so effectively cut off their access to the Milky Way, it opened the door for us to proceed.”

  “So she’s here?” Adam asked. “When do we meet this new leader of the Klin?”

  “The answer is…never.”

  Adam blinked. “Why is that?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding?” Robert blurted. “With your history of killing off Pleabaens, do you think I’d allow you within a thousand light-years of one?” He shook his head. “As I’ve said, I’ve studied you, Adam Cain. In too many cases you’ve allowed yourself to be captured just so you can weasel your way into the enemy’s camp; you did that with the Nuoreans just a year ago. And you’ve done it again. The only reason you’d do such a thing is because you believe you’ll survive. You believe that now. Although your team is supposedly back on Formil—according to a single news broadcast that appeared conveniently just when it was needed—it’s my belief that your team is nearby, probably communicating with you at this very moment through your telepathy device. You expect them to rescue you and Ms. Valentine, after you’ve collected the head of another Pleabaen for your trophy wall. Let me cut to the chase. There are approximately twenty thousand Klin in this settlement. The rest are scattered across the galaxy in their individual Colony Ships. There is no single concentration for your allied forces to attack. Even if you wipe out the Klin here, it will not stop the invasion. And as for me….”

  Two panels in the stone wall behind Sherri and Adam slid opened, and out rolled two of the Klin AN-9 robots.

  “Don’t make any sudden movements,” Robert cautioned. “They’re programmed to protect me.”

  Adam had the arms of the uncomfortable chair gripped in his hand, ready to jump to his feet. But he hesitated.

  “Now before this situation escalates into a shooting war, Adam please use your brain interface device to scan the ’9s. You will find this model has had a few improvements since your last encounter with my little friends.”

  Adam was way ahead of him. He was mentally foraging within the computer circuits of the robots, seeking out the scanner connections that, when tripped, would blind the deadly machines. He found them, but immediately noticed something was different. The circuits were constantly recycling, themselves in a state of flux. He couldn’t time the interruption, and if he could, the circuits would just reconnect a moment later.

  Sherri was silent. She had only been recently fitted with her new ATD and was still in the process o
f getting up to speed with the device. Even then, interaction with the robots was beyond her capabilities, especially in the heat of the moment.

  Sherri, stay cool, Adam spoke through his ATD. I can’t shut down the robots.

  Don’t worry, I’m sitting here scared shitless. How are we going to get out of this mess? I’ve been trying to reach Riyad and there’s no answer.

  Me too. But like I said, sit tight. We’ll figure a way out.

  “Yes, we analyzed the weakness in the older units,” Robert was saying. “With this model, the diagnostics run constantly. Any tricky manipulations inside their brains will be instantly corrected. And one other thing, observe the targeting beams for the tactical lasers.”

  Adam spotted the thin red lines projecting from the square metal bodies of the robots. There were two from each, and they were all aimed at Sherri.

  “I know you, Adam Cain,” Robert McCarthy said, his voice lower, more ominous. “I know your sensibilities and your loyalties. I know what you’re willing to sacrifice, and what you’re not. Now please, relax. I don’t intend to kill you…at least not yet. I’m enjoying your company far too much to do that. And I still have to try my charms out on the alluring Sherri Valentine—”

  “You sick bastard!” Sherri screamed. “You just try it. I guarantee—”

  “Relax, Sherri, I don’t intend to force you to do anything against your will.”

  “Then what makes you think I’d do anything with you?”

  “Time, my dear. And motivation.” Robert’s eyes turned as hard as stone. “You’ll do what I want, when I want. Otherwise…well, now you know the problem with bringing a lover along on a mission. They can be used as an incentive against the other. A very basic lesson you should have learned long ago, Mister Cain.”