by T. R. Harris
The Juireans also offered their Members tacit protection against any of their more aggressive neighbors – even though it took a lot for the Juireans to step in personally to resolve a dispute. More often than not, they simply chose to arm the Member planets with more powerful weapons, and let the planets fight the wars themselves, rather than risk spilling Juirean blood over these mostly internal squabbles. Juirean life was sacred, and more valuable than that of any other being in the galaxy – at least to the Juireans.
This new strategy for ruling a galaxy ended up being a win-win for all parties involved. Individual worlds could retain much of their independence and freedom, while rejoining the community of civilizations in the galaxy.
All they had to do was what the Juireans told them to do.
Juirean influence began to expand rapidly throughout the galaxy, and at even a faster pace than during the time of the more militaristic Mass. More and more worlds began to petition for Membership, and the Juireans soon found themselves once again masters of the known galaxy, and in complete control of their destiny.
After approximately 1,500 years of building an empire, the evolution of Juirean control over the galaxy was complete. Growing from the Seven World Common Alliance and the Union, to The Mass and the Juirean Empire, to finally The Juirean Expansion, a point had been reached where a relative peace and stability now settled over the galaxy.
And it existed for almost 2,500 more years, until…
As Overlord Yan’wal drew his thoughts to a close, he agonized over the uncertainty of the path on which he was embarking. The Juirean people had come a long way from their humble beginnings on an obscure planet in a small stellar cluster, to become rulers of the known galaxy. And now an upstart, an outlier from the Far Arm, could threaten it all.
The Humans were not of The Expansion, and as such, did not owe any allegiance to the Juireans. Their civilization, political structure and technology all came from someplace else. Yes, they were being helped by the Klin, but to what extent? That information was in conflict. Could they be a totally self-sufficient industrial and technological power in their own right? Could they control an empire of their own at the far end of the galaxy? There was just so little known about the Far Arm that any guess on his part would be purely that, a guess. And Senior Overlord Yan’wal did not operate on guesses, at least not under normal circumstances.
But what else could he do? And what other choice did he have?
As Yan’wal had previously expressed to his staff, he truly believed the Juirean race was about to encounter the greatest threat to their existence since before the days of Malor the Great. He had no choice.
The Human race had to be destroyed…
Chapter Three
When the link came through from Overlord Yan’wal, Senior Guard Commander Lod-fin Al Reuminin, commander of the Secondary Exploratory Fleet under direction of Fleet Commander Siegor, was in the grooming station of his stateroom, hunched over a sink and vomiting his guts out.
The abscess in his stomach lining was getting worse, and the bile he was expelling was now laced with blood. He felt awful, and he cursed the intoxicating specialty food he had discovered on the planet Yonnlin, during his last assignment in the far-off Sector 4 of The Expansion. The dish was an almost addictive concoction of spices and meats that the dietary computer had cleared for Juirean consumption. However, in excess, the meal had proved to be a destructive force upon his digestive tract, and now it was ripping his insides apart.
The condition had started innocently enough, just a few sharp pains in his side. But now that he had been deployed with Commander Siegor’s force, and on a mission of such importance as tracking down the last surviving Klin, he was afraid to report the ailment to his superiors. He would not risk losing his command on account of his medical condition.
His aide stood at the doorway to the grooming station, looking unsure of himself. Overlord Yan’wal was not one you kept waiting on the link. So after one final surge, Lod’fin looked up from the sink and over at the aide, spittle dangling from his mouth. “Tell the Overlord I will be with him presently. Just let me clean up a little first before I speak with him – but don’t tell him that!”
“Yes, Commander,” and the aide quickly retreated back into the stateroom.
Lod’fin splashed some water on his face and rinsed out his mouth, before brushing the long mane of light green hair back over his head and down his back. His eyes were blood-shot, and his normally bronze skin looked pale. He had no choice. He had to face the Overlord in his present condition.
After slipping into the chair behind his desk, Lod’fin took a deep breath, exhaled, and then opened the link to the Overlord.
“My Lord, I apologize for the delay.”
Yan’wal appeared on the screen, and took several long seconds to consider the image of the Senior Guard before him. “Are you all right?” he finally asked.
“Yes, My Lord, just a slight malfunction with the dietary computer. I appear to have eaten something that does not agree with me.”
Yan’wal stared at his subordinate for several more seconds, during which Lod’fin fought the urge to resume vomiting right in front of the Overlord. Eventually, Yan’wal nodded. “Very well, Commander. First of all, I would like a progress report on your effort to locate any secondary Klin bases on your side of the Barrier.”
Lod’fin was relieved for the change of subject. It would help get his mind off the burning pain in his gut. “As directed, we have revised our search parameters to include only planets with a substantially higher surface gravity than standard, and have surveyed seven planets to date. Only two were within the habitable zones for their stars, and none have shown any evidence of a base of any kind. We are continuing our survey.”
Yan’wal nodded again, and then furrowed his brow slightly. He was silent for several more seconds, as if contemplating a decision. Then he looked straight at Lod’fin again. “Commander, have you been keeping abreast of the events in the Sector over the past few weeks?”
“Yes I have, My Lord. I am aware of the battles that have taken place, especially the fleet casualties suffered off Dimloe. Do you require my presence to supplement the fleet?”
“Not at this time. I have another assignment for you.” And then again, that look of uncertainty on the face of the Senior Overlord. Lod’fin began to grow concerned.
“Have you heard any references to a race of beings called Humans?”
“Yes, My Lord. They appear to be the race that participated in both battles, alongside the Klin.”
“Well, Commander, it now appears as if the Humans may have been the primary participants in both these confrontations, and that the Klin may have played only a minor role.”
“I don’t understand. I thought the Klin are our primary targets during this campaign?”
“That was the original mission. But now the focus has shifted to these Humans.”
“Who are they, My Lord? Where do they come from?”
“From the Far Arm, Commander.”
Immediately, the significance of the link from the Overlord became clear. Lod-fin’s force of five Juirean battlecruisers was located at the very beginning of the Far Arm, on the opposite side of the Barrier from Sector 17. His force would be the first line of defense against any attack from that region. “Is there any evidence of movement from the Far Arm toward my location, by these…Humans?”
“Not at this time. However, we have learned what we believe to be is the location of the Human homeworld, a planet called Earth, and The Juirean Authority is amassing a fleet to assault the planet as soon as possible.”
Lod-fin suddenly forgot all about his torn-up stomach, as excitement surged throughout his body. “That is magnificent news, My Lord. How can I be of assistance in this undertaking?”
“Don’t be so anxious, Commander,” the Overlord warned. “These Humans are an unknown entity, and to date have proven to be a tenacious opponent. We do not know what we will be going up ag
ainst during an assault of their homeworld.”
“So what is my mission, My Lord?” Lod-fin asked, letting his enthusiasm override decorum with the Overlord.
“A group of Humans have commandeered a battlecruiser, the UN-233.”
“My Lord, that is Commander Olin’s ship!”
“It was, Commander. Like I said, the Humans are now in control of it, and Commander Olin has not been heard from in several days.”
“Where is this ship now?” Olin was a friend of Lod-fin’s; they had crewed together on many a ship in the past, and it was on Lod-fin’s recommendation that Olin had received his own command.
“We have lost contact with the UN-233, however we believe that it may be headed to the Human homeworld. Since we know the location of Earth, we can assume they will follow that same track.”
Yan’wal paused slightly before continuing. “Commander, your assignment will be to track down the UN-233 and prevent it from reaching Earth before our fleet arrives. As mentioned before, we do not have adequate intelligence as to the strength and capabilities of the enemy. Our fleet will be arriving essentially blind, and we cannot afford to have the Humans be forewarned of our arrival.
“In addition, you are instructed to not only prevent the UN-233 from reaching Earth, but also to provide any information you can ascertain regarding the strength of the Human enemy. We need to know if they control a coalition of planets, or if they stand alone. We need to know about their industrial and technological capabilities, and what weapons they possess, as well as any allies they may have in neighboring systems.”
Then the Overlord leaned in closer to the screen, “And Commander, we must not let them know we are collecting this data. The information we have received indicate that the Humans may be three years or so from being able to launch a direct assault on The Expansion. If so, then they may already be amassing ships for the assault. Should they learn that we know of their plans, they may choose to attack sooner.”
“I understand, My Lord. And the first priority should be to stop the UN-233 at all costs.”
“That is correct. The fleet we are assembling should consist of over 500 warships, which should be ample firepower to defeat this threat. However, it will not be ready to depart for approximately three more weeks, and then we will only be able to travel as fast as our slowest support ships. The assault on Earth will not take place for another four months. During this time, we need an advance force to lay communication relays and to provide whatever intelligence it can provide. You will be that advance force, Commander.”
“This is a great honor you’re bestowing on me, My Lord. I will not let you down.”
“I’m sure you will do your best. But I must stress to you again, the Humans must not learn of your presence in the region.”
“Once the UN-233 has been destroyed, we will proceed with the utmost caution and stealth. With the UN-233 on its way to…to Earth, where would you project its location to be at this time?”
“I will transmit an estimate to your nav computer presently. If we are right, they are probably just now beyond the Barrier and located about five light years from your current position.”
“They are in a Class-5 starship, just as we are. My forces will have to run all out to catch them.”
“I understand that. Do what is necessary, Commander. That is all.”
Once the screen went blank, Lod-fin sprinted for the grooming station once again. This time he had the added element of his new assignment to help summon forth the surges from his rotted gut …
Chapter Four
Nigel McCarthy heaved the fifty-pound weight across the room and through the opposite wall of the gym. The metal barbell crashed through the thin material as if it wasn’t there, and landed on the moist grass outside. Several Klin were in the field at the time, and Nigel could see their shocked looks through the hole in the wall the barbell had left. Once they noticed Nigel staring wild-eyed at them from the room beyond, the Klin quickly moved away and out of his line of sight.
Gaining only an ounce of satisfaction from the scared looks on the faces of the aliens, Nigel turned to the other Human in the room. His assistant, Carter Thomas, did not show any reaction to the outburst by his boss, or any unease. Even though Nigel was tall and massively-built, with a fiery crop of ginger hair, Carter still made Nigel look like a school boy next to his own hulking mass of black, bulging muscles.
“How the fuck did this happen?” Nigel spat out between gritted teeth.
Carter didn’t bother to look down at the datapad he carried; he knew the report inside and out. “It seems as though Cain and Tarazi were able to free a number of the non-converts and escape in the Juirean cruiser. They even managed to take a few 2G’s with them.”
“Where are they now?”
“Our sensors at the Barrier picked up their gravity wave…heading for Sector 12.”
“Fuck!” Nigel slammed his massive fist into the heavy bag that hung from the ceiling next to him, sending a sound like a gunshot reverberating throughout the gym. The bag swung away, and then returned; Nigel grabbed it and squeezed as hard as he could. “They must have learned the location on Z-4. They’re going to ruin this whole goddamn thing!”
“They have to be stopped. We can’t allow them to reach Earth before the Juireans.”
Nigel glared at him. “Don’t you think I know that? What assets do we have available between the Barrier and the outer perimeter?”
“Not many. Most of our forces are already on station. But there is a small Klin outpost near Jaann.”
“Any 2G’s with them?”
“Some, and they have a couple of old Klin ships there as well.”
“But can they take out a Juirean battlecruiser? I doubt it,” Nigel said, answering his own question.
“What about a suicide mission?” Carter said evenly. “Just get them in close enough, and then set off a nuke?”
“Are these 2G’s Kamikazes?”
“No. But we could always have the Klin rig a detonator, unknown to the 2G’s.”
Nigel stared back at his subordinate, this time with a thin grin stretching across his freckled face. “You are one devious son-of-a-bitch, aren’t you? I like it. Make it happen.”
Chapter Five
Adam Cain found Sherri in the aft port corridor, emerging from the stateroom presently occupied by Billy Piscopo, one of the men they had rescued from Zylim-4. Her hair was mussed, and there was a reddish glow to her cheeks.
“There you are,” Adam said, stepping in stride beside her as she proceeded forward toward her own stateroom. The Juirean battlecruiser was so large that the rescued Humans, as well as Adam’s group, could each have their own individual staterooms. The 2G prisoners, however, were kept in two secure rooms near the aft cargo bay.
Sherri glanced over at Adam and saw the look on his face. “Don’t judge me, Adam.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“But I know what you’re thinking. You’re on the way back to your wife and kid. I have no one to return to.”
“I thought you had a fiancé.”
Sherri just shrugged. “Yeah, I kinda made that up. But a girl’s got her needs, too. And besides, I like the girl-to-guy ratio we have onboard.” Her attempt at a wicked smile came across as insincere.
“Still, I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to get involved with these guys so soon.” Adam knew he was experiencing a trace of jealousy. After all, Sherri and he had shared a bed together for a couple of weeks before the battle on Zylim-4, as well as for the first few days on the Juirean cruiser. After that, Sherri had claimed one of the staterooms for herself, and began to spend more time with a couple of the men they had rescued. He had to admit it, Sherri couldn’t go anywhere onboard the ship without being flirted with by at least a dozen of the younger men, and she seemed to be beaming with more and more confidence with each passing day.
“So what’s up?” she asked as they neared her stateroom.
“Kaylor wa
nts to meet with us in the ready room. He says it’s important.”
“And Riyad?”
“He didn’t ask for him to be there. Besides, he’s still scared shitless of him.”
Since Kaylor and Jym were the primary pilots of the huge battlecruiser, Adam had allowed the two aliens to claim the captain and XO quarters directly off the bridge. They were also able to adjust the gravity for this section of the ship to a more comfortable level, while the Humans kept the rest of the ship up to their much-heavier standard.
The ready room was a small conference room off the captain’s quarters, and Kaylor and Jym were already there when Adam and Sherri entered. A three meter long table jutted out from the rear bulkhead, with chairs on either side. A monitor was mounted on the bulkhead at the end of the table.
Adam could see the look of worry on Kaylor’s face. “What going on?” he asked, as he and Sherri took seats on the opposite side of the table from the two aliens.
“We may have a problem,” Kaylor said without preamble. “Jym picked up a massive gravity wave about a day ago that nearly collided with us.”
“What does that mean?” Sherri asked.
“It bolted past us as if we were standing still,” Jym said, bobbing in his chair, visibly agitated. “It was a communication pod.”
Sherri shook her head. “I still don’t follow.”
“When a region of space is without communication relays, the fastest way to communicate is to send physical communication pods. These are small craft with incredibly large gravity generators. They can travel at many times the speed of even Class-5 ships, like this one.”
“And..?”
“This pod is following the same track as we are – heading for Earth.”
Adam leaned in closer to the table. “So someone has sent a communication pod to Earth? Where did it come from?”