by T. R. Harris
“You’re putting a lot of faith into an organization that hires itself out to the highest bidder.”
The smile on the alien’s face widened. “I do not worry since I am always the highest bidder. I am commonly ranked as the wealthiest being on my world, so I can afford to self-finance my revolution. And my Cartel partners are to be richly rewarded when the weapons are recovered. Nothing can go forward without my devices.”
“If you were already so rich and powerful,” Sherri began, “why would you go through all this to take over a planet you already control?”
“It is not that simple. I come from a place called K’wess. We are a very organized and authoritarian species. There is wealth, and then there is power. I have the wealth; I now seek the power.”
“Typical,” Adam said. “Just another asshole out to conquer the galaxy.”
Sirous shook his head. “That is where you are wrong, Adam Cain. Even though I have incredible wealth, I am using it only to interfere in the affairs of my homeworld. Unlike so many other powers within the galaxy, I seek not the conquest of other worlds and other populations. I care not for the affairs of aliens. I have very little in common with them and would find no pleasure in dealing with them as their ruler. I have confined my ambitions to only my kind, beings I understand and to which I can relate.”
“Beings you also want to kill,” Sherri added.
“Of course. There will always be casualties. Yet enough will survive. And once my superweapons are introduced onto the battlefield, even more lives will be saved because of the futility of the effort against me. Surrender will come sooner, rather than later, sparing the lives of millions. I know you may find the logic strained, but my superweapons were designed to save lives, not take them.”
“Yeah, that is kind of fucked-up,” Sherri snorted.
The translation jarred the alien at first, then he continued. “However, none of my plans will succeed unless my revolution comes as a surprise. The K’wess are a strong and competent race. Our military is powerful and the citizenry courageous. Only by overwhelming strength and firepower will I be able to impress upon my enemy the logic of a timely surrender. Therefore, all potential leaks must be tied off.” He squeaked. “In fact, I must give thanks to Kracion in a way. Before his attack on Hax’on, I was prepared to detonate my own nuclear device at the Tainesin Manufacturing Works, once my weapons were shipped, of course. There were too many there who knew of the Saxon Order. It would be a tragic yet necessary action taken to preserve the secret.”
“Sounds like you have it all worked out,” Adam said. “Assuming you can find the weapons. What are these superweapons anyway? If you recall, we’ve never seen them. As a matter of fact, Sherri and I never even heard of them until today.”
“They are a hybrid plasma rifle, similar to the Xan-fi model R-17. However, my weapons are rated for ninety bolts at maximum charge, and that charge is seventy-plus.”
Adam and Sherri shared a stunned look.
“You’re not kidding, are you?” Sherri asked.
“Kidding? Ah, joking? No, I am not kidding,” said Sirous. “I can tell by your expressions that you now understand the significance of the devices and how they would play such an important role in my upcoming revolution.”
“I suppose so,” Adam agreed. “But do you really have to kill us? Frankly, Sirous, we don’t give a damn what happens on your planet. It’s not going to impact us one way or another. Go kill each other to death for all we care. What if we promised not to say anything, just let bygones be bygones?”
“I am having difficulty with the literal translation, yet I believe I understand what you are asking. I will answer you. Even after recovering my weapons, it will still be several months before the events I have set up can be placed back into motion. After Kracion, I had to bury many of them for fear of discovery. Now they must be resurrected. This has created a delay in the start of the revolution. Therefore, I cannot risk a possible leak, not over the time involved. I am sure you understand.”
“Ah, yeah,” Adam said, nodding. “Perfectly. I’m just sorry we put you in a situation where you have to kill us to keep us quiet. I know it must be hard on you.”
Sirous frowned and looked at Pannel. The Cartel soldier’s expression had remained neutral during the conversation, probably from the fact that his face was as swollen as a balloon. Now he frowned and pursed his lips. When he spoke, the pain was evident.
“He is using sarcasm, Sirous,” Pannel mumbled.
Sirous nodded knowingly. “Thank you!” There was little concern on his face for the other alien’s pain. He looked back at Adam. “Humorous. However, you will find I have no emotional attachment to your lives. Killing you will not affect my life … one way or another.” Sirous appeared to congratulate himself for throwing Adam’s words back in his face.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Adam said. “So, when is all this glorious and justified killing supposed to begin?”
Sirous frowned. “My revolution, or your demise?”
“I’m a little more concerned about the two of us,” Adam answered with a grin.
“You have a while longer. It remains to be seen what information Riyad Tarazi can provide. In addition, he may ask to speak with you before releasing the information. For the moment, you can live.”
The communicator in Pannel’s pocket chimed. He answered it, speaking in grunts. He then motioned for Sirous to join him, and the two aliens left the room.
Sirous and Pannel returned fifteen minutes later. Adam and Sherri had heard increased activity outside the room through the thin walls. People were moving as orders were barked. Something was happening.
“Good news,” Sirous announced, his face animated, his large eyes even larger than before. “We have learned the location of my weapons.”
“Riyad knew where they were?” Sherri asked incredulously.
“In truth, it was the younger Human who told us.”
“Younger?” Adam asked. “Jay Williford?”
“I do not know his name.”
Adam looked at Sherri. “It has to be Jay.”
“I thought he was dead, killed when the pirates attacked.”
“Ah, yes,” Sirous said. “It would seem the pirates do have the weapons, and on a planet call Masnin.”
“Masnin … here in the system?” Adam said.
“That is true. Very convenient. Pannel says it is only an hour's flight from here. We are preparing to make the journey and recover my property.”
“From the pirates?”
“That is true. Fortunately, I have a small Cartel army at my disposal plus one of the most advanced starships in the galaxy—my personal vessel. If the pirates act like normal pirates, they will flee at the first sign of a more powerful force.”
“What about Riyad?” Sherri asked, a slight tremble in her voice. Adam could see the agony on her face. Did they kill him once the location was found?
“He and the young one are being taken to the planet. We know the weapons are there, just not the precise location. They are being tasked with helping find them as a condition for your safe return.”
“Which is all bullshit,” Adam said.
Sirous had the typical alien reaction to the word bullshit, struggling through the translation for meaning and context.
“You lied to him,” Adam said, helping him out.
“Yes … we lied to him. But the other Humans do not know that. They will assist, then all you Humans will die.” Sirous smiled broadly and looked over at Pannel. “I find the prospect of that happening to be quite satisfactory. From my understanding, Humans are very difficult to kill, although I have not experienced that first-hand. Even now, you have not been much of a challenge.”
Adam looked at Pannel. The alien raised his thin eyebrows at him, an indication that he knew the truth but wasn’t going to argue with his employer. It was Pannel’s soldiers who died capturing Adam and Sherri. Sirous lost nothing during the battle, with the possible exception o
f his bowels. Everything he needed he could buy, and therefore nothing had value, not even lives.
Adam tensed; he saw Sherri do the same. Would they stand there and let Pannel place level-1 bolts into them without a fight? They were caught off guard when Sirous suddenly turned away and left the room, Pannel right behind him.
Adam couldn’t leave it alone. “What about us?” he called after them.
Pannel stopped at the door. “Once the weapons have been recovered, you will be dealt with.” The alien grimaced. Adam drew satisfaction from the difficulty he was having talking. If Adam’s hit had been an inch farther to the left, Pannel wouldn’t be here slurring his speech. “Until that time, you are being held in reserve. Your friends may not be telling us the truth. We must retain our leverage over them until we are certain.”
Adam and Sherri breathed sighs of relief when Pannel left and closed the door. “They’re leaving,” Sherri said with a smirk.
“Not all of them.”
“Enough.”
Adam nodded. “Riyad’s going with them—”
“Meaning the Tirrell Joyner will be at the spaceport.”
“One of these days, you’re going to have to tell me who Tirrell Joyner is?”
Sherri smiled wickedly. “Maybe. Someday. If we live through this.”
“You’re on, sister. I’ll make sure we survive … just to learn your secret.”
25
Riyad and Jay left Balamar in a four-vehicle caravan and arrived at the Kanac Spaceport fifteen minutes later. They were waved through the gates and pulled up next to one of the most beautiful and awesome starships Riyad had ever seen.
First off, it was huge, almost the size of a Juirean Class-4, yet this thing was sitting on the ground. C-Four’s couldn’t land on a planetary surface, but this ship had. That spoke of a sophisticated and advanced entry and liftoff system, probably a combination of both gravity and chemical drives. The fact that the vessel sat a fair distance from any other ship confirmed that. It would make one hell of an entrance and exit.
Six other ships sat off in the distance with Cartel troops preparing them for departure. Six ships—plus the shiny, new behemoth—would definitely make an impact on the pirates, Riyad conceded. But then again, he had no idea how many pirates there would be on Masnin and how aggressively they would defend the main depository of their stolen treasure. They weren’t the bravest of creatures, but they did fight for money. Let someone try to take it from them and see what they’re really capable of.
But the Cartel attack would come with little warning. Riyad was curious how big of a fight was coming. Fortunately—or unfortunately—he wouldn’t have to wait long to find out. Masnin was just a short jump within the Liave system; only a shallow gravity-well would be required to get them there in under an hour.
He and Jay were jostled out of the transport and paraded onto the fancy starship, the lead message-boy alien leading the way. Riyad knew he wasn’t the big dog in the pack; that person would make his appearance momentarily. Then he wondered if Sherri and Adam were aboard? That would be great. He smiled, grimacing as he did from his various injuries. Then I won’t have to go looking for them after I kick the ass of all hundred or so of these alien bastards. It’s been a while since I got to be the hero.
He limped aboard the starship, wincing from a sharp pain in his side and the throbbing of his head.
Yeah, just let me at them!
Riyad and Jay were led to the bridge and placed in luxuriously padded seats made of supple leather before being strapped in. No time was wasted. It was the middle of the night on Liave-3, but the mission was beginning anyway. Time was variable depending on which planet you were on and where on that planet. These beings could be working on an entirely different schedule.
A few minutes later, another entourage of aliens swept into the room. The one with enormous bug eyes had to be the owner of the vessel since he wore the most expensive clothing and had an air of importance about him. The other alien with authority was a tall, stocky creature with grey skin and a severely swollen and bruised face. Riyad smiled. He had the look of so many aliens who tangled with Humans in the past. He must have been in on the capture of Adam and Sherri. He wore the badge of honor for such a folly.
The fancy-dressed alien with the enormous black eyes walked up to the pair of Humans. He turned to the Cartel soldier, the one who had escorted them aboard the ship.
“Did you do this to them? They were not to be injured. They had vital information.”
“They did it to themselves, attempting to kill one another.”
“They did? Why?”
The soldier shrugged.
The big-eyed alien turned back to the Humans. “My name is Sirous Fenn, and you are the ones who originally had intentions of stealing my property. Now because of you, I have gone through a measure of steps that have cost me both time and credits. I do not appreciate that. However, cooperate and you and your friends will be released. Is that understood?”
“We’ll do what we can,” Jay blurted out. “But as I told the other guy, I don’t know where the weapons are on L-7.”
Riyad was mesmerized by the alien’s eyes, watching them stare unblinking at the young Human. “You will do your best, or you and everyone else will die. Is that not a simple proposition?”
“I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t have your weapons. The raiders do.”
The alien waved his hand dismissively. “That matters not. The arrangement is simple. Do as I say or you will die.”
“Are Adam and Sherri onboard?” Riyad asked. “I’d like to know if they’re okay.”
“They are not aboard. They shall remain on Liave-3 until the successful completion of this operation.” Sirous squeaked unexpectedly. “In truth, they will remain here whether our mission is successful or not. Only the state of their existence is now in question. That will be up to you.”
“But they’re okay?”
“Yes. Your friends are leverage over you. It would not be wise to kill them prematurely.”
He turned away abruptly and addressed the crew on the spacious bridge. “Liftoff when the Cartel vessels are ready.”
“Confirmed; all ships prepared,” said a voice. “Lifting in twenty seconds.”
Riyad was curious how something this big could lift off the surface, and when the time came, reality was both enlightening and anticlimactic. There was very little sound or vibration, although an enormous cloud of exhaust gas rose up to obscure the forward viewport before it was sucked upward by the engagement of the gravity-wells. The transit was remarkably smooth and efficient—the best money could buy, in Riyad’s opinion. Soon they were in space, and the curious wavy circle of starlight ahead of them signified a shallow gravity-well had been established. In less than an hour, they would be at the planet Masnin.
Riyad had passed L-7 dozens of times but never thought to stop and have a look. It was a desolate, grey ball of nothing, with barely an atmosphere and no permanent settlements as far as he knew at the time. It had once hosted various mining operations, but the workers hightailed it out of the system when Kracion began his run through the Kidis Frontier. Thinking about it, the planet was the perfect staging ground for the raider’s ill-gotten bounty. It was close enough to Liave-3 so that small and constant shipments could be brought in that wouldn’t attract attention. There were also several ready-made hiding places in the various deep-underground mine shafts, many of which were enormous and had once been pressurized to accommodate the miners. The planet was also a little smaller than L-3, with a gravity half that of Earth. Although Riyad wasn’t anticipating having to fight in this environment, he did recall other times in his long career when he had. Giddy was the word he would use to describe his feelings back then. On Juirean standard worlds, Humans were already quasi supermen. On a place like Masnin, they would be even more so.
26
Adam and Sherri waited until most of the activity outside their room died down. Just the fact tha
t they could hear so well was a testimony to the flimsiness of the building’s construction.
There would still be guards outside their room, and if they were the same ones as earlier, it might be a little harder than usual to escape. Because of that, Adam would wait by the door for when the guards came to investigate while Sherri did the busting through the wall. He was bigger and more skilled at fighting. He didn’t say that to her, of course. He wasn’t that stupid. He just took up the position and then motioned for her to take out the wall, not giving her the option.
There was nothing in the room they could use as weapons, at least nothing more lethal than their Human fists. They were still shackled, but hopefully, the guards would have the keys.
Sherri pressed against the far side wall from the door, feeling for the spongiest area. Even in a prefab building there were a few support cross beams. It wasn’t hard to find the voids. She then prepared herself, stepping across the room as far as she could to get enough running room, ready to drop a shoulder and barrel through the wall.
With a nod from Adam, she took off.
Sherri is not a very big woman; five-foot-four and about one hundred ten pounds. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to break through the wall on the initial try. Instead, the give in the wall created such a recoil that it tossed her back into the room where she landed hard on her butt.
However, the noise she caused was enough to alert the guards.
The door opened, and one of the huge, muscular monsters entered, with the other one standing back, his weapon also at the ready.
There was a moment of confusion as the alien looked down at Sherri, sitting on the floor as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Not until Adam barreled into the hulking beast, grabbing him around the waist and driving him out into the corridor. They plowed into the second guard, who maintained his balance as he bounced off the opposite wall. Adam and the first guard fell to the floor, with the much smaller Human lost in the grip of tree-trunk-size arms. Adam had encountered creatures stronger than Humans before, but most were slow and not very bright. This bastard was the exception. Adam was being crushed by the incredible embrace even as the beast climbed to his feet and slammed Adam into the wall.