by T. R. Harris
“Father, you must realize by now that we—meaning Panur, J’nae, and myself—do not belong in your world. We are too much of a disruptive influence. Yet also be assured that J’nae will no longer be a threat. Panur is in the process of re-programming her, and if that fails, he will take other measures he deems necessary. Your universe will be safe from her and all her evil.
“Now, on a sad note…please inform my mother of this recording and its contents. Assure her that I love her very much, and that even mutants are capable of love, intense love. I love you, too, even if you are having difficulty returning the emotion to me in full. I understand. But now I will conclude. It is hard for me to remain stable the longer I record this message. Good-bye father. I love you very much.”
The screen went blank.
“Are you crying?” Copernicus asked sarcastically.
“Fuc—”
“Damn, they were manipulating us all along,” Riyad said, interrupting. He visibly trembled. “Tobias is going to be pissed!”
Adam wiped the stray tears from his bloodshot eyes, nodding. “You got that right. It might be wise for us to make ourselves scarce for a few days, at least until he calms down.” Adam turned to Copernicus Smith. “You have a ship here, don’t you?”
“I do, but it will take us longer to get to Visidor in it.”
“Fine, let’s take it. In this case, the longer the better.”
Epilogue
The Hal’ic had long ago chosen the unnamed world as the location for a remote monitoring station of Sol-Kor activities based on the fact that it was unnamed and uninhabited. It was a harsh and savage rock, barely held together as it was ping-ponged by the gravity from two huge gas giants nearby. None of the planets in the system could sustain Prime life, so it had been passed by for thousands of years, leaving the station undiscovered…and subsequently abandoned.
The facility itself was a large dome-shaped structure hidden in the perpetual shadow of a large impact crater. It had once been manned by a crew of fifteen Hal’ic, but now it had to be expanded to accommodate the hundreds of creatures who would be attending the peace conference.
Temporary inflatable living quarters were erected outside, with short connecting tunnels running to the dome. Food, water, heat, and other amenities were all brought in or enhanced, and eleven days after the initial communication between the leaders of the two warring races, the facility was ready to receive conference attendees.
True to his word, Edei Fran arrived with a full entourage of five hundred twenty-nine other Sol-Kor, including every member of the Applying Council. In orbit were forty-eight beamships, including the vessels that had transported the delegation, plus others for security.
He also brought dozens of High Nosleads who had spent the intervening days studying references across all databases to the policies and procedures surrounding peace talks. The records were thin, but in the end, Edei Fran felt he had a pretty good basis of knowledge with which to proceed.
The Hal’ic, on the other hand, arrived with only fifty-four delegates, with Veritis Estor Jan as their leader.
Edei was upset to learn that the Scribes would not be attending, but he quickly amended his protests when it became obvious what a dominant presence the Sol-Kor had at the remote station. Believing he could easily intimidate his lower-ranking counterpart, he insisted the conference begin as soon as possible.
Estor agreed, and soon the dome was packed with nearly every Sol-Kor in the delegation, creating a steamy, smelly atmosphere for the overworked air purifiers.
“Let us begin,” Edei announced, taking command. “As has been revealed, meetings such as these normally begin with an opening statement from both sides. I will go first.”
He looked to the cameras recording the historic event, taking a moment to send an intense glare at all who were watching live, or who would see it as a recording. These were Sol-Kor controlled lenses, so they took in the grandeur of the delegation seated behind and to the sides of the Callos of the Applying Council. By comparison, the tiny gathering of Hal’ic were confined to four small tables and six rows of seating. Estor Jan sat alone at the lead table.
“I now begin my statement,” said Edei to the camera, not to the Hal’ic representative. “We have agreed to this meeting in order to preserve the population of the Sol-Kor for future benefit of the Colony. This is not be to deemed a surrender or a defeat in any way. It is simply a cessation of hostilities. As the conference proceeds, we will decide the future of this cessation, be it permanent or temporary. We will also discuss any reparations which may be required to help with the reconstruction of the worlds the Hal’ic have ravaged since the beginning of the conflict. This damage has been extensive, and even includes the homeworld of the Sol-Kor. No reciprocal action has taken place on the Hal’ic homeworld, so it is only appropriate that the Hal’ic bear most of the responsibility for helping rebuild the Sol-Kor settleme—”
“The Sol-Kor did harvest my homeworld of nearly ninety percent of its population,” Estor Jan said, interrupting.
“Do not interrupt,” Edei scolded. “You will have an opportunity to make an opening statement very soon. Now with respect to this secret weapon the Hal’ic appear to be in possession of, the Sol-Kor demand that the technology for such a device be disclosed to the Sol-Kor. It provides the Hal’ic with an unfair advantage in any conflict. Therefore, to equalize forces, the Sol-Kor shall have this knowledge as well.
“This is just a brief summary of what will take place at this conference. When I spoke with your leaders—the Scribes—they expressed the desire to have peace with the Sol-Kor, saying they will do all that is necessary to have such peace. The Sol-Kor agree with this desire. We will lay out the terms for such a peace as the conference proceeds, but for now I am done. The Hal’ic representative shall now speak.”
Estor Jan nodded slowly, scanning the delegation of huge, scaly creatures facing him. He had neither datapad nor screen before him, just an empty table with an audio device. He spoke softly as he began.
“I wish to welcome the Sol-Kor delegation to these proceedings. You are correct, Edei Fran, when you say the Scribes expressed an interest in peace with the Sol-Kor. When Scribe Gan Doli said the Hal’ic will do all it takes to assure peace with the Sol-Kor, he meant those words literally.”
“As we would expect,” said Edei Fran.
Estor Jan grinned at the interruption, choosing not to point out the Sol-Kor leader’s hypocrisy. “Continuing…how we achieve that peace may be skewed, depending on which side you represent. The Sol-Kor say they want peace to further preserve their Colony, and that is understandable. The Hal’ic, on the other hand, will find peace—lasting peace—along another path…”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that for a long part of our history the Hal’ic have harbored a great hatred and fear of the Sol-Kor. You came to our world without warning, fought and killed our people, and then spirited away billions to become food for your tables. Sir…you not only killed us…you then ate us.”
“Of course,” said the Sol-Kor leader. “Yet that was very long ago. What does that have to do with these proceedings?”
Again Estor grinned. “It has everything to do with them. Throughout the centuries, the Hal’ic have come to conclude that there can be peace with the Sol-Kor…when there are no more Sol-Kor in existence.”
Edei shook his head dismissively. “The same can be said for the Hal’ic. There is peace when there is no one left to fight.”
Now the grin grew wider. “I am glad we agree on this point. It signifies a bright future for these proceedings. Yet, I do not believe you realize the literal nature of my words.”
“What does that mean, literal nature?”
“It means that what I say is how it will be done.”
“I still do not understand.”
“Then please, let me provide a demonstration.”
From hidden panels set along the perimeter of the dome, dozens of flash-rifle-armed
Hal’ic emerged. There was a moment’s hesitation on their part as they awaited instructions.
Edei Fran turned to glare at the Hal’ic representative.
Estor smiled, full-teeth this time. “You see, Edei Fran, there can only be peace with the Sol-Kor…when every last Sol-Kor is dead. This is my opening statement of intent. This peace conference has come to an end.”
The combined light from the flash weapons lit up the impact crater with such intensity as hadn’t been seen since its creation. Meanwhile, hidden cannon placements on the planet’s surface opened up on the unsuspecting orbiting craft. In a matter of seconds it was over. The Sol-Kor Colony was not only without a Queen, it was now without its Applying Council, as well as its most competent senior members.
Yet the war with the Sol-Kor was not over. It would continue, until—as Estor Jan said—every last Sol-Kor was dead.
Then there would be peace.
The End
Look for Book #15 in
The Human Chronicles Saga
The Copernicus Deception
Available July 25, 2016
Pre-Order your copy today at Amazon.com
The Copernicus Deception…
Book #15 of The Human Chronicles Saga
When Adam and Riyad journey to the planet Visidor to help free their alien friends Kaylor and Jym from vindictive local law enforcement, they thought all it would take would be wowing the locals with their celebrity. Unfortunately, not everyone is as impressed with the creatures from Earth as they were expecting.
Now begins a wild adventure involving the most powerful galactic corporations to ever exist—stronger than any so-called empire—along with hordes of angry drug-runners and more, all in a desperate race to discover a secret that will alter the balance of power throughout the Milky Way galaxy—forever.
Add to this a belligerent Juirean military determined to start another war with the Humans, a war that will be far more destructive than any before it.
Seldom are things as simple or as obvious as they first appear. The mysterious Copernicus Smith’s secret—his deception—will determine the fate of thousands of worlds, including Earth.
The Copernicus Deception is pure shoot-em-up space opera adventure, with heroes such as Adam Cain, Riyad Tarazi, Sherri Valentine—and now Copernicus Smith—leading the symphony.
The book is available for Pre-Order through Amazon.com, with a publication date of July 26, 2016. Be sure to order your copy today so you can starting reading this exciting new adventure from T.R. Harris on the day of release.
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Novels by T.R. Harris
The Human Chronicles Saga
The Fringe Worlds
Alien Assassin
The War of Pawns
The Tactics of Revenge
The Legend of Earth
Cain’s Crusaders
The Apex Predator
A Galaxy to Conquer
The Masters of War
Prelude to War
The Unreachable Stars
When Earth Reigned Supreme
A Clash of Aliens
Battlelines
The Copernicus Deception (coming July 26, 2016)
Jason King – Agent to the Stars Series
The Enclaves of Sylox
The Drone Wars Series
Day of the Drone
In collaboration with George Wier…
The Liberation Series
Captains Malicious