by T. R. Harris
The Marine lieutenant-colonel was mad at himself. He’d placed his men—once all dedicated military personnel—into a situation which they weren’t equipped to handle. Even if they would obey his order to cease and desist, he would feel shitty giving it. Fifteen years in the service had come down to this, a complete breakdown of military order and protocol, and all because of a big-ass pile of unimaginable treasure.
Joshua Nolan came to a conclusion. He had short-term and long-term goals before him. In the long-term, he had to help Adam Cain and the others survive the bounty placed on them by the Nuoreans. In the short-term, he had a fortune to collect. He rolled up his sleeves and approached the pile. If he and his men could clean out the Nuoreans treasury, the aliens would have nothing left to offer the galaxy for the heads of the other team members. That was one way to help the cause. It also wouldn’t hurt his financial prospects.
Josh dove into the pile.
14
With Nolan’s ship on the surface of the arid planet and not too far from the cluster of buildings, Adam was able to reconnect with Arieel through the ghost program. He was told Kaylor and Jym had a bead on his location and the two backup ships were on the way. She asked about Nolan and his men, and whether they were in position to strike at the Nuoreans when the rest of the force arrived?
Adam honestly didn’t know. He was locked away and Nolan hadn’t been by to see him, if that was even allowed. Hopefully the Marine officer had located the stash of money the Nuoreans were using to sponsor the bounty, and plans were underway to destroy it.
Yet even with the money destroyed, the Cadre still had to be eliminated. If not, then they would just gather more wealth from the conquered worlds and start the whole thing over again.
Riyad and the others would be at the planet in twenty-two hours, if they didn’t run into any sentries. Adam described to Arieel the layout of the compound so she could relay it to Riyad. He was the best strategist in the group; he’d find a way to make the biggest impact and hopefully cut the Nuoreans force down to a reasonable size before the main battle began. Seeing how exposed the compound was, that shouldn’t be a problem. Obviously, the Nuoreans weren’t expecting an attack.
After breaking off with Arieel, Adam leaned back on the hard pad of the narrow bed they’d given him in his windowless prison room and stared at the ceiling. He had no doubt he could escape, but he would wait for Riyad’s arrival.
Now all he had to do now was make sure he survived the next twenty-two hours.
Adam wasn’t surprised when the Nuoreans rousted him from his rest and brought him into a main meeting room in the complex of metal buildings. They couldn’t let their prized captive languish in a prison cell without parading him around a little. Besides, he hadn’t been introduced to the top dog yet. That time had come.
The Third Cadre three-striper who had taken him from Nolan’s ship was in the room, along with easily a dozen other aliens, each carrying expressions of extreme hatred toward Adam. He couldn’t blame them. As far as they knew, this was the creature who destroyed their homeworld. Adam pumped out his chest a little more at the thought. How many people could say they’ve destroyed a world and killed billions of creatures? Seeing that his victims were aliens intent on conquering the galaxy and killing untold trillions of people, he felt justified in his warped sense of pride.
Another senior Cadre officer was seated at a long table. Two other officers flanked him. The officer from the ship shoved Adam in front of the table.
“I present you with Adam Cain, Master Janvis (784).” The Nuorean from the ship looked Adam up and down with a condescending scowl. “The destroyer of worlds is but a mere mortal of plain definition.”
“This mortal creature killed Master Azon in the arena, Lead-Player Crans,” said the officer seated at the table. “He may appear weak and unskilled, yet that is just an illusion. This beast also invaded our galaxy and spent time roaming our space destroying facilities and even worlds. He is not to be taken lightly.”
The still-standing Nuorean seemed agitated by his superior’s countering remarks. “Then why not challenge him now? Let us move him to the arena and be done with this.”
“Patience, Crans. His time will come—”
The ground beneath the building began to rumble and Adam recognized the signs of a ship landing outside. The seated Nuorean smiled at Adam.
“I am Master Lead-Player Janvis Kallen-Noc (784),” he said, ignoring the landing of the starship. “I am the ranking Third Cadre player in the Kac…and now, as far as I know, I may be the leading Cadre in all of existence!” He laughed. No one joined him. “Yet before you so ruthlessly destroyed my homeworld of Nuor, I was part of Master Azon’s team tasked with providing accurate survey measurements for your world of Earth. I had already transmitted the data to the Suponac and was only moments away from watching your world shattered to dust…when something unexpected happened. As a master player, I commend you on a game well-played. Yet as a member of the Nuorean species, I despise you from the very depths of my being. It is a dichotomy of feelings I struggle with even at this very moment.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Adam said with gushing sincerity. “If I’d known the troubles my actions would cause…I would have done them anyway and twice on Sunday.”
The Nuorean frowned. “I had the opportunity to study a few Humans on Nuor before I made the transit to the Kac, so I am aware of your cryptic, often confusing manner of speaking. Continuing, I believe I understand your meaning. Your light concern for your present situation is simply a defense against the inevitable. I find it quite pleasing that it was members of your own race who turned you over to me. Your race has once again proven how primitive and dishonorable you are.”
“It should also frighten you.”
The Cadre leader cocked his head. “Why so?”
“If we’d do such a nasty thing to a fellow Human, just imagine the shit-storm we’d bring down on you, just another stinking alien.”
Janvis looked to each side at the other officers next to him. “The beast tries to provoke us,” he said. “It’s as if he has a death-wish. Do you, Adam Cain? Do you wish to have your life ended sooner, rather than later?”
Adam decided to back off on the insults for a while. He still had a day to go before Riyad arrives. But toying with the alien was so much fun….
“I don’t believe that’s up to me,” he said, accompanied by an abrupt change in tone.
“No it is not. And fortunately, it’s not up to me, either.”
A commotion came from the other side of the room, behind Adam. He turned and saw another entourage of aliens enter. The Nuorean at the phalanx wore a high collared tan shirt and half cape of shimmering gold on his shoulders.
Janvis rose—as did the others—as the new alien approached the table.
He moved up next to Adam and studied the Human with an amused look in his brown eyes. He was about Adam’s height and build, but older, as far as he could tell. Even then, the rippling muscles under the form-fitting shirt spoke of an experienced warrior with hundreds of victories to his name. Nuoreans advanced through wins in the arena, making the higher ranking—and oldest—the most-deadly of their race.
“Adam Cain, you are honored by the presence of Master-Player Qintis Bondo (435), the leader of the Nuorean forces in the Kac.”
Adam couldn’t help himself; he laughed out loud. “Sorry,” he said, waving his hand at the alien. “But Bondo? Your name is Bondo.”
The Nuorean frowned at him, failing to grasp the reason for Adam’s reaction. “Yes, that is the name of my blood-team. Yet I am referred to by my first—Qintis. Why do you laugh?”
Tears flowed from Adam’s eyes. “Like I said, I’m sorry. It just struck me as funny. Bon…do!” Adam formed the syllables with exaggerated movements of his lips. Eventually he gathered his composure. This wasn’t helping him live long enough for the cavalry to arrive.
“You will address me as either Master-Lead or Master Qintis.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Adam said. “If I do, can I live longer?”
“You appear to be in good spirits, Adam Cain, especially for a creature destined for death.”
“Hey, Qintis, we all have to die sometime…even you.” Adam meant it. He hadn’t expected the head honcho of the Nuoreans to be here. This was going to make the coming slaughter that much sweeter.
Adam looked from Qintis to Janvis then back to Qintis again. “So I guess the renegade story was just that, a story.”
Qintis moved to the other side of the table and sat down. He motioned for Adam to sit as well. The audience in the room remained silent, yet attentive.
“It is a story still believed by most Nuoreans in the Kac. But once you and your players are dispatched, Master Janvis and his Cadre will be welcomed back as heroes to their species, having killed those who destroyed our homeworld.”
Adam nodded. “That makes sense. We were welcomed back as conquering heroes ourselves, having destroyed the homeworld of the creatures who were trying to kill us.”
Qintis shook his head. “The people of the Kac understand us not. We came never intending to kill all of you. We came only seeking sport and challenges. All creatures in the Kac had a chance to defeat us in fair combat. That is hardly the actions of a conquering enemy.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen your fair play, Master Qintis. It’s only fair when you know you can win. And what of the Third Cadre? If I hadn’t taken action, it would have been my homeworld crushed to dust, and all because we Humans could kick your ass in the arena.”
“That is the job of the Third Cadre, to identify and manage Jundac species. Humans were the exception rather than the rule in our games within the Kac. The vast majority of others would have been given more consideration.”
“And now everything has changed,” Adam pointed out. “Now your once-proud race is hiding away in a forgotten corner of the galaxy with the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head.”
“That did not translate, Adam Cain.”
“It means you spend every day expecting a massive weight to come crashing down on you. And believe me that time is coming.”
Qintis smiled. “You speak of your easily manipulated officials—politicians you call them. There will be no massive weight crashing upon us. Your people will vacillate and compromise until it is too late, until a link is reestablished with the Suponac. You must know you did not destroy my race with your actions. Instead, all you have done is given us more determination to come back to the Kac. And now that we know of a weapon of incredible power that cannot be countered, the next time we come it will not be for sport exclusively. Nuoreans normally do not engage in acts of revenge, yet you, Adam Cain, have taught us a new way of thinking.”
Adam was silent, taking in the words of the Nuorean leader. If the aliens from Andromeda did return, they could arrive in person after sucking a dozen prominent worlds over to their galaxy and killing trillions of souls. Their gravity beam weapon can destroy worlds, and they have the means to rebuild the midpoint generator faster than the allies could build one of their own. It was only a matter of time before the Nuoreans returned.
Adam fought his overwhelming feeling of guilt by noting that he didn’t invent the world-destroying weapon or envision its use. The Nuoreans—and specifically the Third Cadre—did that. If he hadn’t acted, they would have used the weapon first. And they’d still be using it, with all the creatures in the Milky Way under Nuorean rule.
“So what happens now?” Adam asked, growing weary of the game he was playing with the aliens.
Qintis looked at Janvis and smiled. “As you suspect, your death will be a grand spectacle, allowed to be shared by all the Nuoreans in the Kac. That is why the terms of your bounty were amended. The others can live or die for all I care. They were merely players in your game. You were their master. And it will be you who will pay the ultimate price for what you did to Nuor.”
What did he just say? “Did you say the others can live?”
“They can live or die, it matters not.”
“So you’ll lift the bounty?”
Qintis looked confused. “I did not say that. I said it matters not either way.”
“If you let them live, I will go peacefully and play whatever games you want.”
The confused looked remained on the alien’s face. “You will play our games whether you want to or not. You have no bargaining power, Adam Cain. It is insanity for you to even think otherwise.”
Adam’s gnashed his teeth. “I was just trying to help.”
Qintis shook his head. “The reward will stand. It’s just that when one of your teammates is terminated, there will be no wide-spread celebration or pronouncement. It will just happen. However, in your case, we may declare a holiday for all time to celebrate your death. Yes…it will be a glorious death.”
“Yeah, that’s what they all say.”
15
Fortunately for Adam, the Nuoreans weren’t ready to initiate their grand plan for his death—at least not yet. He was taken back to his room and locked in, which gave him time to prepare his assets for the coming conflict.
Nolan had been a ghost since coming to the planet. It had been eighteen hours and not a peep out of the Marine officer. Adam knew the Rutledge was still on the surface; he could sense its presence and he was still able to contact Arieel aboard the Tobias. With the ship so close, Adam began probing around in the circuits, trying to locate the comm systems. As he lay on the cot, his arm across his forehead and appearing to be at rest, his mind was activating the programs and converting his thoughts into speech.
“This is Adam Cain.” His voice boomed from the speakers on the bridge of the Rutledge. He could sense a portable comm device in the room, so he knew a crewman was aboard. “Just speak into the 1-MC, I’ll hear you.”
A moment later, a skeptical voice appeared in his head. Is this really Captain Cain?
“Yes it is. Who am I speaking with?”
This is petty officer Mike Pettit…sir.
Adam remembered the young sailor. He’d spent a few days aboard the ship with Nolan’s crew, and his enhanced mutant memory allowed him to easily recall the petty officer second-class. “Very good, Mister Pettit. I need to speak with Colonel Nolan. I sense he’s not onboard.”
You sense…is this really Captain Cain, or is this some kind of Nuorean trick?
“It’s me. If I recall, you’re from Indiana—Evansville, right?”
How do you know that?
“We spoke once on the mess decks, remember? You had something that was supposed to be biscuits and gravy. You said it looked like stew.”
There was a pause in his mind before Pettit responded. You remember that? Adam felt a sense of awe in the man’s voice; the great Adam Cain remembered a conversation with a lowly enlisted man. He was flattered.
Colonel Nolan is not onboard; he’s in the warehouse.
“Is that where they keep the money for the bounty?”
Yessir. We’ve been hauling loads of the stuff to the Rutledge for several hours. It’s turned into a real job. We’re working in shifts now.
Adam was angry. His backup force on the planet was so engrossed in collecting their money that they’d forgotten all about him.
“Listen, Mister Pettit, I need you to get Colonel Nolan now. Bring him back to the ship so I can talk to him.”
Yessir. Give me ten minutes.
Seven minutes later, Petty Officer Pettit was back on the line.
Colonel Nolan is presently unavailable, Captain Cain. Pettit’s voice was shaking. He will contact you when he can. I’m sorry.
Adam reassured the young sailor that it wasn’t his fault. He told him to relax and that it was okay. Then after breaking contact with the Rutledge, Adam got up from the cot and walked to the door of his room.
One thing he’d noticed from his ATD probe of the surrounding set of buildings and equipment: they were not of Nuorean origin. All the pre-fab buildings and other system
s were from the worlds they’d conquered, and even these planets used Formilian technology. This included the lock on his door.
It was simply a matter of Adam scanning the controls and activating the release switch and he was able to slowly open the door and look into the outer corridor. The hallway was empty, not even a single guard standing outside his door. This was a major weakness of the Nuoreans; they were overconfident in their own abilities and often underestimated those of their opponents.
Adam left his cell and made his way to the main exit door for the building without being seen. There were only a hundred Third Cadre sponsoring the bounty, and some of them were in starships, patrolling the system or in orbit above the planet. That left a relatively few in the compound. It was also night time on the planet, and the Nuoreans had already adapted to the local conditions. Most of them were asleep, figuring their prized captive was safely and securely locked away.
So Adam simply strolled into the dimly lit compound and toward the one source of abundant light—the huge building Adam concluded had to be the warehouse Petty Officer Pettit had mentioned.
He could see a steady stream of sailors and Marines ferrying loads of storage containers toward the Rutledge, which was located on the other side of the chain of buildings. The Humans enlisted the use of four-wheeled forklift-like haulers the Nuoreans had brought with them to help construct the settlement. There was a frantic nature to their actions, as loaded vehicles raced from the warehouse, and empty ones returned with the same urgency.
A departing vehicle nearly collided with one returning when the driver noticed Adam approach the building. Both forklifts came to a stop, followed by another pair. Soon the entire working party had come to a complete halt, with the crew staring at Adam as he entered the building.
LtCol. Joshua Nolan stood next to a series of mounds made up of thin plastic credit chips. They were of various colors, signifying denomination, and included both Juirean and Union chips. The Marine officer had a datapad in his hand, frantically making entries. He was shaking his head.