Battlelines (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 14)

by T. R. Harris

  “They’ll give one to you, but not to their former Speaker? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “With her it’s political. For me it was public relations.”

  “You know, Sherri still has hers too,” Riyad pointed out, the dejection evident on his face.

  Adam cast an accusatory eye at Sherri. Even in the pale light of the fire, he saw her blush. “So sue me because I didn’t have mine deactivated like I said. You have to admit, they’re pretty cool to have.”

  “It is true,” said Arieel, “that two Humans have been blessed with Gifts from our Gods, yet not Lila nor myself. And yes, I do know the true nature of the devices. Nonetheless the logic of the situation still escapes me.”

  “Believe me, Arieel, I wish you had mine,” Adam said. “You’re so much better with it than I am.”

  “Can we get back on topic?” Riyad asked. “What are you going to do with little balls of static electricity?” He was getting impatient. The eastern sky was beginning to glow an unnatural pink, as the sun of Kor—coincidentally named Sol—would be rising soon. Already it was beginning to add radiance to the raging fires encompassing the planet.

  “I believe I can get a Hal’ic ship to land to investigate the mysterious dancing light on the surface.”

  “The two mysterious dancing lights,” Sherri corrected.

  Adam nodded. “We get them to set down at a location of our choosing, then Lila skips aboard and subdues the crew.”

  “For the light to be noticed it will have to be done at night, and after we’ve found a suitable location,” Riyad said. “And only one ship. Two or more could be problematic.”

  “Agreed, and the sooner the better. J’nae has at least a six hour head start on us. Lila, how far is Silana from Kor?”

  “One hundred seventy-eight light-years.”

  “In the Najmah Fayd, that’s about an hour or two in gravity-congested space.”

  “There are numerous stellar systems along the away. Even so, she has reached her destination by now.”

  Adam scampered to the top of a nearby boulder. Daylight was only an hour or so away. They would have to act fast to get the maximum effect out of the static electricity balls. From his vantage point, he could see approximately fifty glowing dots that were Hal’ic starships darting through the sky around them.

  “There’s a relatively level plateau about a hundred meters away. Sherri, come with me. Lila, Riyad—and Benefis—take up positions on each side of the plateau.”

  “I thought you said the mutant would lead the assault?” the Juirean said.

  “She may need some help containing the crew. Just do it, will you?”

  “If you insist.”

  “I do. Now let’s go. We’re rapidly losing the darkness.”

  ********

  Sherri and Adam took up positions on opposite sides of a large boulder at the head of the flat landing area. After mentally accessing their Artificial Telepathy Devices, they began to gather free electricity from the cold, dry air. Soon, two sparkling balls of light danced above the rock, about ten meters in the air. The two Humans were soon engaged in a playful game of cat and mouse, sending their creations in fast spirals that left trails of light swirling above the landscape.

  After twenty minutes—and still no activity from the nearby Hal’ic ships—Adam began racking his brains for a Plan B. Short of hiking to the nearest Hal’ic base, which could take the better part of the coming day, he was at a loss for—

  “I think one of those lights is getting bigger and brighter,” Sherri said through the telepathic link between their ATD’s. It had been a long time since he’d felt the intimate nature of such communication. Not only were words conveyed, but also emotions, and not only on a surface level. He felt what Sherri felt at the moment, which was a combination of excitement and anticipation, with only a trace of fear.

  Adam could see the Hal’ic ship as it neared. He and Sherri continued their dance, not wanting to make it appear the lights were aware of the approaching alien starship.

  Then a brilliant flare erupted from the forward section of the warship. The plasma bolt streaked out and ripped through the air where the balls of light had danced, before continuing on until it struck the surface a hundred meters beyond where the Humans were hiding.

  The heat from the blast was both welcomed and terrifying, but it caused no serious injury, not this time.

  A moment after the bolt dissipated, Adam and Sherri had their defiant balls of light up and dancing again.

  Now the alien crew became even more curious. They’d sent a cannon bolt point-blank into the lights, yet the obnoxious balls were back, apparently suffering no ill-affect. The huge, oblong starship began to drop toward the flat slab of rock.

  Hot clouds of chemical exhaust shot out over the surface, filling the gorges on either side of the plateau. Adam hadn’t counted on this, although he should have. Riyad and Benefis would be choked and blinded by the gas cloud, but not Lila. The two non-mutants would survive, but the Juirean—already suffering the humiliating effects of the first plasma bolt—would be pissed.

  Soon the Hal’ic ship rested on the wide plateau, its metal hull creaking and popping, its forward section aimed at the still-bouncing balls of light. Five minutes passed before the portside hatch cracked open and an armored figure emerged. Just one. From his brief time on J’nae, Adam knew these ships carried a crew of six.

  The lone figure cautiously approached the flickering lights, both of which moved slowly away the closer he got. From his vantage point, Adam saw Lila leap to the top of the rock platform and quickly enter the starship’s open hatch. Almost immediately the armored figure stopped and turned towards his ship. Seconds later, the area was once again bathed in a blast of gray smoke and gas. The starship shot into the air, leaving its stranded crew member rolling on the rock, having been blown off his feet by his companions’ violent departure.

  Adam dissolved his static electricity ball and raced to the top of the plateau. He reached the fallen Hal’ic soldier three seconds later.

  The Hal’ic were only slightly taller than Humans, yet not nearly as strong, so when Adam fell on the alien there wasn’t much of a struggle. The Human now had a weapon, along with four spare battery packs.

  The shocked alien was soon surrounded by the rest of Adam’s team. He sat up and removed the helmet to his battlesuit.

  “I recognize you—you are Veritis Adam Cain!”

  “Former Veritis. But you’re right, I’m Adam Cain.”

  “Then why have you attacked me? We are both fighting the Sol-Kor.”

  “Sorry about that, but we need your ship.”

  “Why did you not ask?”

  “Because the Hal’ic seem to have a policy of blasting first and asking questions later. We had to find a way to get your ship to the surface without you killing us.”

  “You created the curious lights?”

  “That we did.”

  “Even so, it appears your plan has failed. My crewmates have departed, having detected an intruder aboard. They will return to base and report this incident—”

  The alien was interrupted by a low rumble growing in intensity and coming from the west, along the side of the mountain. All eyes turned to watch as the huge Hal’ic starship decelerated for its return to the plateau.

  “Let’s get someplace safe before my associate lands your ship,” Adam said with a smile.

  “My…your…?”

  Adam let the alien work through his confusion as the dark ship landed. Once on the surface, the hatch slid open and the team—along with their captive—rushed aboard.

  “What have you done to my crew?”

  “I’m sure they’re okay. She didn’t need to kill anyone to take over the ship.”

  “She…who?”

  “My daughter!” Adam said proudly.

  Sure enough, the other five crew members were seated in the corridor outside the bridge, looking dejected and secured by bent pieces of metal pulled fro
m the interior skin of the ship. Lila stepped forward, a frown on her face. “I was at a loss for a means to bind the crew, so I improvised.”

  “You did fine, Lila.” Adam turned to the armored crew member. “Like you said before, we’re all on the same side, so you won’t be hurt. We’ll let you and your crew off here. All we need is your ship.”

  “We can take you back to J’nae, if that is what you seek? So your actions to this point have been unnecessary.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but we have other plans, ones that don’t include a return to J’nae. Riyad, Benefis, please escort our guests to the door. The party’s over.”

  Riyad smiled. “And here I thought it was just beginning.”

  ********

  Fifteen minutes later, the Hal’ic ship was airborne again.

  “You know we can’t just fly directly to the moons and land at the nearest Sol-Kor base, don’t you?” Sherri asked.

  “I know. This is just the first step. Check the spacesuit inventory. We may need to take a little hike once we reach the moons.”

  “There is a blockade around the moons,” Lila announced from the pilot seat. “As would be expected, the Hal’ic know the location of the Sol-Kor underground bases.”

  “Join the blockade,” Adam ordered, “and then move us to the front of the line. Let’s see what we’re up against.”

  Chapter 3

  Estor Jan wore no emotion on his face as he delivered the report to Andy Tobias. For such a momentous and relevant event, Andy would have expected more.

  “The destruction of Kor is proceeding according to schedule,” the former Veritis of the Hal’ic was saying. “Clearly ninety percent of all surface settlements have been hit and cleanup operations are underway to identify the last surviving Sol-Kor. A large number of enemy vessels have taken flight and are retreating to Silana.”

  “As expected,” Andy said. “Are the intercept forces underway?”

  “Yes, hallon. They are comprised of the units which destroyed the transit portals. The other force assigned to Phase Two has still to reach the inter-dimensional portal cluster. Yet as you surmised, the Sol-Kor are not using these portals to escape our onslaught. Only additional defensive units are arriving. However, they will be insufficient to influence the battle.”

  “The Sol-Kor realize that sooner or later we’re going to destroy the portals, so they don’t want to send any of their units through just so they can end up isolated in some far-distant galaxy.”

  “Correct. Yet I must point out, the defensive units being assembled on this side of Silana are quite substantial.”

  Andy scanned the datapad. Estor was right. In the first few hours of the conflict, the Sol-Kor had already managed to call up over thirty thousand war ships to form a barrier between Kor and their second major settlement of Silana. With his available counter forces, Andy should win the day, yet at a heavy cost. Although he had overwhelming numbers on his side—at least for now—even in these early engagements the lack of skill and experience on the part of the Hal’ic crews was becoming apparent. The Sol-Kor weren’t that much more experienced—they relied too much on their suppressor beams to have been involved in very many dogfights in the past. However, they did have discipline and a single-minded determination, along with a fanatical devotion to their Colony. And when all was taken into consideration, they did outnumber the Hal’ic on a galaxy-wide basis.

  That was why Tobias was shooting for a stalemate rather than an outright victory. By destroying the major population centers of the Sol-Kor early on, he was hoping for a retreat on the part of the aliens to a location that would allow the Hal’ic to form a large buffer zone, as well as give them time to reorganize and rearm. The industrial capacity of the planet J’nae was incredible, and now it was operating in the clear. Still, it takes time to build ships, and already nearly every Hal’ic on the planet was part of the war effort in one way or another. Even with more ships available, there would no one to pilot them.

  Admiral Tobias digested all this information before responding to Estor Jan’s comment. “There’s a concentration of Sol-Kor on their moons?” he said, changing the subject slightly.

  “Yes. Six bases, with two currently being used as staging areas. They will soon realize the futility of a counterattack and attempt to flee. That is when we will destroy them.”

  “Very good. No point pressing the issue and causing more casualties on our side.”

  Estor Jan leaned in a little closer to the Human. “Admiral, I have concerns. My estimates reveal that in sixty-four days—approximately—Sol-Kor and Hal’ic forces will reach parity. The enemy will have assembled enough defensive units to match our depleted numbers resulting from current and future battles. We have not worked all these centuries to achieve only a temporary advantage. Do you have any suggestions on how we can have a more permanent impact on the battlefield? Is there any chance of your galaxy joining in the effort?”

  “If they did, we’d still need a transit portal in our galaxy, one tuned to your universe.”

  “We know the methods for building portal arrays. Teams can be sent through personal portals to guide the construction crews.”

  Tobias pursed his lips. “Even so, I’m pretty sure my people wouldn’t be willing to help.”

  “They would be in control of the portal from their end. It would be secure.”

  “That’s not it, Estor. It’s politics. However, I’ll keep the option open. So you have personal transit portals on J’nae that can access my universe?” Andy’s heart raced. This could be their way home…

  “No. The nearest portals are now on Silana.”

  Andy’s hope-balloon burst. “So how is that going to help us?”

  “When we strike the planet, we shall endeavor to save some of these portals from destruction.”

  Tobias was cautiously optimistic. This was the first he’d heard of another way back to his home universe, other than the starship Panur had stolen. No matter how much he enjoyed playing war with the Hal’ic and the Sol-Kor, more than anything else he wanted to get home. If the Sol-Kor threat could be isolated to this universe, Andy would bail at the first chance he got, even if that meant leaving the Hal’ic to fight the war alone.

  The siege of the planet Silana had just taken on a special significance.

  “The Queen has fled to Silana, as well,” Estor said, as if reading his thoughts. “She will be directing the defensive efforts.”

  “What do you know of her? She’s some kind of mutant, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, a byproduct of Panur and the Eternal Queen, from what we have learned. She has only been the Queen for a few short months. She is a genius, yet lacking in real experience.”

  “We could use that to our advantage.”

  “The Hal’ic, too, are lacking in experience.”

  “Then we shall have to overcome both handicaps.”

  “How?”

  “By doing the unexpected.”

  “The unexpected? And what would that be?”

  Andy chuckled. “If I knew, it wouldn’t be unexpected, now would it?”

  Estor Jan frowned. “I am afraid your answer has not instilled much confidence in the future outcome of this struggle, only confusion.”

  Tobias smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something fantastic. And when I do, you’ll be the first to know.”

  Chapter 4

  The Hal’ic were biding their time. They had sufficient forces to obliterate any Sol-Kor on the moons of Kor, yet they weren’t attacking.

  “What are they waiting for?” Sherri asked.

  Adam shook his head.

  “The outcome is inevitable,” Lila began. “Possibly the Sol-Kor will surrender, or attempt to flee to Silana.”

  “I doubt they’ll surrender. I haven’t heard of that happening before…ever,” Adam said. “They must be waiting for them to liftoff so they can be shot out of the sky.”

  Sherri placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “So…even if we d
o get our hands on a Sol-Kor starship, we’ll be a prime target for all these hungry Hal’ic ships just itching for something to shoot?”

  “Gotta love a challenge, Ms. Valentine.”

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way. But we better do something quick before the Hal’ic we left back on Kor report their ship stolen, even if it was the great Adam Cain who did the stealin’.”

  “Lila, can you simulate a flare-out in the engines, something that will get us heading to one of the moons for an emergency landing?”

  “That should not be a problem. Flare-outs are rare, yet they do happen. I will arrange for a major containment breach that will send us tumbling out of the line. It will take approximately five minutes to prepare.”

  “Make it so.”

  “Yessir.” Lila lifted out of the pilot seat, a slight grin on her face. She was catching on, which was making her a little more…Human.

  “Once again, we’re limited in the number of spacesuits we have aboard, along with their size.”

  Sherri scowled at Adam.

  “Yes, this time you can come along, though we will also need our ace-in-the-hole.”

  “Lila?”

  “Yep. You know what I always say: ‘Immortal mutant alien geniuses. Don’t leave home without them.’”

  “I’ve never heard you say that.”

  “You just did.”

  ********

  The flaming gas plume shot out from the aft section of the portside engine room, sending the stolen Hal’ic ship in a slow spiral, centered amidships. It flew out of the barricade line toward the surface of the gray moon seven thousand kilometers below. Lila was on the comm immediately, using her recently acquired fluency in the Hal’ic language to report the emergency. She was given coordinates to avoid, if possible, to keep from falling into a nest of Sol-Kor. After a few moments of spinning, Lila compensated for the disrupting thrust of the blowout, yet still sent the ship on a wobbly course for the surface.

  Knowing the location on the nearest Sol-Kor base provided her with a target. She exhausted the artificial flare moments before setting down in a cloud of powdery gray dust twenty kilometers from the base. Adam was sure the Sol-Kor had noticed their arrival, yet also had the ability to determine it was an emergency and not a prelude to invasion.