by T. R. Harris
“Sounds like a pretty reasonable thing to do,” Adam said. “These Juireans don’t sound that bad.” As soon as Adam finished his statement, the look of disgust on the faces of the two aliens told him he didn’t have all the facts.
“How can you say that?” Kaylor asked, scorn in his voice. “The Juireans are heartless animals who have stolen everything they have from others.”
“Sorry,” Adam said. “It just kinda made sense. How else are you going to govern a whole galaxy?”
Kaylor shook his head, a dismissive gesture toward someone who knew no better. Then he continued: “Since they are only one race, the Juireans insist that the ultimate authority in The Expansion is always left to a Juirean. So they have breeding factories; they don’t have traditional mating pairs like most races. Children are analyzed for ability, and then separated at an early age to be trained to perform various tasks within the Juirean structure.
“Like I said earlier, at the very top of their hierarchy are the Elites, followed by the Overlords and then the Counselors. Below them are the various administrators and technicians. The Overlords are the governors of The Expansion, along with the Guards, who run the military side of the society. But the Juireans are the sole arbiters of their actions. No other race, only other Juireans, can even question the decisions of an Overlord. The Counselors are more of the regional administrators, answerable only to the local Overlord. Located at the very edge of The Expansion, The Fringe has very few Juireans of any classification. We just aren’t that important to them.”
“And that’s why you’re so concerned about this Counselor coming today?” Adam said. “I can see that drawing the attention of a Juirean – let alone a Counselor – must mean there’s something very strange about that spaceship I was on.”
Kaylor just bobbed his head, yet it didn’t take an alien body language expert to read the worry on his face. Finally Kaylor asked Adam, “And you know nothing more about the ship or where it came from?”
“How could I?” Adam answered. “You know I come from some backwater world that doesn’t even have space travel – not real space travel like you have. Hell, we’ve only been to our own moon a few times. I honestly have no idea where the ship came from, or why I was even aboard.”
“But there were a total of eighty of your race in the pods. That must mean something?” Jym said from the faraway cot.
“Hell if I know. Remember, to me I’ve only been awake in your universe for about two days, and already I’ve been shot by you,” he pointed at Kaylor, “been in a gunfight with two crazed lizards, and been arrested for murder. To top all that off, back home they think I’m dead, and all the people I know and love have already put me six-feet under. Damn, this adventure is getting off to a great start! I wonder what new discoveries tomorrow will bring?”
Kaylor grunted. “At least you don’t have to face a Counselor.”
“That may be true, but you do realize that my chances of meeting the owners of that ship are now virtually nonexistent? And if that’s the case, then I’m truly fucked!” With that outburst, Adam slammed his hand hard against a bar of the cell – and was shocked when it bent outward by an inch or so!
He looked over at Kaylor and Jym to see if they had noticed it, too, but they hadn’t. So he quickly shifted his position on the cot until he was seated like Kaylor, with his back against the front bars. Next, he stretched out his legs on the cot, placing his left foot against another bar of the cell, and then using the bars at his back as a backstop, began to push with his leg. With some effort, he felt the bar begin to give.
He stopped pushing and looked again at the two aliens. Jym had fallen back on his cot, while Kaylor was staring straight ahead, toward the rear of the cell, lost in thought. Adam wasn’t sure why he wanted to keep his latest discovery to himself, but he felt he had to. He had no doubt that he could easily separate the bars enough so he could slip through. Of course, the bars on this side of the cell simply lead to another cell, but he knew he could also bend the front ones just as easily.
Adam reclined further on the cot until he was staring at the ceiling, eyes wide, his mind clicking. Now that he knew he could escape from the cell, he was at a loss as to what to do with the knowledge. This whole planet – hell this entire alien universe – was a prison for him. Without a workable plan of action he was still screwed, and at this time he didn’t have enough knowledge or experience with his surroundings to even begin to formulate one. However, as the mantra went: He would adapt, innovate and overcome – when the time came. Of that he was sure.
Chapter 15
The next few hours passed without much interaction between the three prisoners, yet they all sat up when they heard a commotion coming from the processing room. The door to the cell block opened suddenly and a flood of creatures began to enter.
Kaylor and Jym jumped to their feet, while Adam remained seated on his cot.
A dozen or more Nimorian natives entered, followed by five of the nasty-looking lizard creatures Adam knew now to be Rigorians – like the ones he’d killed the night before. Their eyes locked on him instantly, and Adam knew that the news had spread quickly about the deaths. He simply smiled back at the glowering aliens, which only seemed to agitate them more. Good.
After the lizards, the Juirean entered. Adam reasoned this had to be the Juirean because of the deference granted him – as well as the fact that he was about a foot taller than anyone else in the room, even the seven-foot-tall Rigorians. Adam quickly noticed, however, that most of the Counselor’s added height came from his magnificent mane of yellowish-blond hair. It flowed from his wide forehead and puffed out on top for a good foot, before cascading halfway down his back. The Juirean’s swarthy complexion stood out in stark contrast to the light-colored hair, allowing the alien’s face to remain slightly obscured and mysterious; a long, angular face that tapered down from the wide forehead, past a simple, normal looking nose and smallish mouth, to culminate at a pencil-thin chin thrusting out from the narrow jaw line. Adam couldn’t tell much about the creature’s physical build since he was draped in several layers of flowing capes of greens, blues and reds. It was all made for quite the spectacle.
The Juirean’s entire dress and demeanor had been created for show and intimidation, and even though Adam wasn’t that impressed, it appeared to be working on the other aliens in the room.
The Juirean Counselor stepped closer to the bars of Kaylor and Jym’s cell and took a screenpad from one of the Nimorians. After scanning the screen, he locked his steely gaze upon Kaylor. “You are the salvager?” His voice was extremely strong and projecting, something Adam reasoned came from centuries of being at the top of the food chain throughout much of the galaxy.
“Yes … yes I am,” Kaylor stammered. In the brief time he’d been with Kaylor, Adam had never seen him this nervous.
The Juirean cocked his head slightly to the right. “Bring the two of them. I will require a room without listening devices or imagers.”
The Juirean then moved to Adam’s cell. Adam remained seated on the cot. The Nimorians – and especially the Rigorians – went ballistic, demanding that he stand before the Counselor. Adam just flashed another big, toothy grin at the lizards, and the crowd of creatures outside his cell erupted into a near-riot.
“SILENCE!” the Juirean commanded. It still took a second or two more for the Rigorians to ceased their chatter. Adam remained seated.
The Juirean spent a few moments unabashedly looking Adam up and down before he abruptly turned to his right and headed for the exit. Then just before disappearing though the doorway, and without looking back, the Counselor barked out a command: “Bring him, too.”
The three prisoners were escorted to a smallish room in the same building, furnished with a solitary desk set near the center. Chairs were brought in for the Kaylor, Jym and Adam, while the Juirean slipped into a massive chair Nimorians placed behind the desk. He then signaled for everyone except the four of them to leave the room. Adam did
n’t question the Juirean’s confidence in being left alone with the prisoners. After all, who would dare accost a Juirean?
Adam glanced over at Kaylor and Jym, who each looked as if they’d just pissed their pants. They sat hunched over slightly, occasionally daring a furtive glance at the Juirean. Then without ceremony, the Counselor began speaking:
“There will be no salvage awarded for the derelict spacecraft,” he stated bluntly. This got Kaylor attention. “The ship is being confiscated by the Juirean Authority, and all records of its discovery have been purged from the Library.”
“Forgive me, Counselor,” Kaylor said feebly, “but that is a legitimate claim. Why can we not receive a salvage, or at least a recovery fee for our efforts?”
“That ship is of unknown origin and therefore is to be taken to Melfora Lum at the demand of Overlord Oplim Ra Unis. You will provide all data regarding the location of the find, including the vector from which the ship arrived, the circumstances of its recovery, as well as any observances once you entered the vessel.”
Kaylor appeared crestfallen. Adam knew he had placed so much promise on the salvage … and now it was being ripped away from him. Even so, Kaylor did not offer any resistance to the Juirean’s request – order – and began reciting exactly what had occurred over the past two days.
Damn! Has it only been two days since all this started? The thought suddenly made Adam very tired.
While Kaylor droned on, Adam noticed that the Juirean kept looking at him. Their eyes would lock, and then the Counselor would casually return his attention to Kaylor. Yet once Kaylor finished with his deposition, the Juirean turned his full attention upon Adam.
“What were you doing aboard the ship?”
“I don’t have any idea,” he answered. “Like I’ve been telling everyone, I was kidnapped – abducted. I woke up in one of those pods not knowing how I got there or why.”
The Juirean stared at him for several seconds before finally asking, “You did not interact with any of the ship’s crew or owners, or have any conversations with them?”
“The only living creature I saw was one of those little gray things – that was until Kaylor showed up.”
“And where are you from?”
“I’m from the planet Earth.” Adam waited for the expected comment about dirt and such, but it never came.
The Counselor spoke: “Why would the owners of the ship be transporting your kind aboard? Does your planet have relationships with them?”
“No … I don’t think so. We haven’t had any confirmed contact with aliens – with other races – even though there have been a lot of stories.”
“Your people should now begin to believe the stories,” stated the Juirean, an edge of sarcasm in his tone.
“I suppose so.” Adam was getting tired of all this. “Listen, I just want to get back home. I’m not interested in any of this bullshit or any of your politics. I didn’t ask to be here and I couldn’t care less about whose ship that is and where it came from. We are not a star traveling species—”
“Then why were eighty of your kind onboard the ship? What value are you to its builders?”
“You’re not listening to me, pal. I … don’t … know.”
Adam could see the veins in the Juirean’s neck begin to twitch; he was sure the Juirean had never been spoken to like this before. But he didn’t give a damn. This obnoxious blowhard was just another flamboyant, self-important bureaucrat on some kind of power trip.
“It is decided!” the Juirean announced suddenly. “You will be transported to Melfora Lum to be interrogated by the Overlord himself.” Next he turned to Kaylor and Jym. “And the two of you will be subjected to a brain cleansing to erase all memory of your recent encounter with the derelict ship.”
Adam was almost too pissed off to notice the look of utter shock that swept over the faces of his companions. “But we’ve done nothing wrong!” Kaylor cried out. “We promise we will not say anything about this.”
“I can guarantee you will not. Guards!” A squad of armed Nimorians entered the room. “Take them back to their cells, and arrange an immediate link with the Overlord,” The Counselor continued to glare at Adam as he and the other two prisoners were removed from the room.
Adam just smiled back at him … and sent him a wink.
A few minutes later – and in another room in the Ministry – Fredic Dess listened in on the conversation between Counselor Deslor and his Overlord, reporting on the results of the brief interrogation with the mule-drivers and the Human. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
KLIN! Could this be true?
Whether it was or not, this information would make him rich! Angar had promised to pay him handsomely for any information he could provide regarding the prisoners – yet this was so much more. He had already provided the pirate with the location of the detention center, as well as instructions on how to best affect a rescue.
And now this!
He fingered the communication device and Angar answered immediately….
Chapter 16
The moment the cell door was closed and locked, Adam was already planning his escape. He was desperate now, determined to do anything necessary to avoid accompanying the yellow-hair Juirean to yet another alien planet and more banal questioning about something he knew nothing about. But he would need Kaylor and Jym’s help, and at the moment he didn’t have any idea how much help they would be.
Kaylor had fallen back on one of the cots in his cell and was just lying there, staring at the ceiling. Jym was on the other cot, but he balled up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth and giving off soft whimpering sounds.
Adam moved to the bars separating the two cells. “Listen up you two,” he hissed. “We’ve gotta get out of here. There’s no way I’m going with that son-of-a-bitch.”
Kaylor continued to stare at the ceiling.
“Snap out of it! I need the two of you to pay attention.”
Kaylor cocked his head slightly in Adam’s direction. “It’s no use, Adam. There’s nothing we can do at this point.”
“Bullshit! What was he talking about in there … about some sort of a cleansing?”
“A brain cleansing,” Kaylor said. “They are going to erase our memories. It is supposed to be selective, but I’ve never heard of a perfect cleansing. We will probably lose a couple years of memories, if not more, and then beings who have had it done are never the same again.”
“Then we have to get out of here while we have a chance.”
Kaylor looked at him as if he was crazy. “Do you not see where we are?”
“I can get us out of here. But then we’re going to have to get off this planet, and that’s where you come in.”
Kaylor sat up and Jym stopped his whimpering. “How … how can you get us out of here?”
Rather than tell him, Adam moved to the front of his cell, braced his back against the left side bars, and pushed against a front bar with his right leg. After a few grunts, the bar began to move. He then shifted sides and pushed on another bar until he had a separation wide enough to squeeze through.
Jym and Kaylor stood near the bars of their cell, staring in shocked disbelief. “What are you?” Jym asked.
“Never mind,” Adam said as he moved over to the bars between the two cells. Bracing himself against the cell wall as he had done earlier, he bent the bars wide enough for the two aliens to slip through and into his cell.
Soon the three of them were all outside of the cells and in the corridor. Adam knew that the processing room was located to the left, so they hurried down the corridor in the opposite direction. Adam had no idea what was beyond the door at the other end of the cell block, but he was willing to take his chances. The only plan he had was to make it back to Kaylor’s ship and get off the planet. With so few options available, doing something was better than just sitting in cell and waiting.
At the door, Adam motioned for the two aliens to remain silent while he tested the
handle. It was unlocked. He opened the door a crack, just enough so he could see two Nimorians sitting at a desk, one gnawing on some food, the other typing on a keyboard.
After taking a deep breath and firming his resolve, Adam suddenly burst through the door, and before the two Nimorians could react, he was upon them. He caught the typist with a vicious right cross to the alien’s chin – and in a cascade of blood and shattering bone felt his entire fist sink deep into the alien’s skull. Jesus Christ – I just ripped off half of his face!
Next he brought his left elbow across his body, striking the other Nimorian on the back of the head. Again the cracking of bone and the spray of blood, and soon both aliens lay on the floor, dead beyond doubt. With his right hand covered in alien blood and brain matter, Adam quickly removed the sidearms from the guards and strapped one around his waist. He tossed the other holster to Kaylor – who promptly had it fall through his hands and onto the floor.
“Pick it up, damn it, and put it on!”
Kaylor bent over and obeyed, his mouth hanging open as he surveyed the carnage Adam had just caused. Adam shrugged it off; casualties of war….
They were in a large foyer area, with a flight of stairs leading up and a long, deserted hallway leading away from the desk. At the far end of the hallway was a set of double glass doors with what looked to be a large room beyond and natural light streaming in. With an MK-17 in hand, Adam hurried down the hall toward the exit. Kaylor and Jym followed close behind.
Almost immediately, three burly, black-haired Nimorians appeared through a side door and nearly collided with Adam. As they panicked and went for their weapons, Adam calmly placed three quick bolts of blue fire into them as he sped past while hardly breaking stride. In this case, the weapon’s targeting computer never did vibrate, as it found nothing to lock on to. What a worthless piece of shit, Adam thought.
Suddenly, the entire building was rocked by a violent explosion. The double doors at the end of the hallway shattered inward as clouds of black smoke billowed into the hall and toward the trio. Screams and yelling could be heard all around, interlaced with a cacophony of electric popping sounds.