by T. R. Harris
“That is all you request?”
“That is all, my friends. Do this and then you can enjoy the credits and your new ship without guilt.”
“I feel no guilt associated with the negotiation we shared, Riyad.”
“Still, I hope you both have a long and prosperous life enjoying the fruits of your encounter with me. I didn’t expect to meet the likes of you when I first entered the nebula. It has been an honor working with you both.”
Riyad could see that the two aliens were genuinely touched by his sentiment; Riyad was himself surprised at his words. He had never really bonded with aliens before, not even Kaylor and Jym from the old days. Maybe he was just getting sentimental in his old age.
“Let’s roll,” he said motioning with the S&W toward the exit of the pilothouse. “We have to make this look convincing.”
********
Once the two aliens were secure in one of the two staterooms aboard the Ifrit – and still thoroughly confused over the term ‘let’s roll’ – Riyad went to the landing bay and began to prep the small escape pod. The tiny craft had air and supplies enough for ten days, as well as a miniature gravity-drive barely capably of sustaining an event horizon. The craft also had a small chemical drive which would be unaffected by the dampening field that now surrounded the ship, but it wouldn’t get him far enough away to escape the Kracori.
He really held no hope of escape. The Kracori were all around them, and they would detect any pod leaving the Ifrit. So he hesitated entering the pod. Should he stay aboard and help convince the Kracori of the alien’s innocence? Or should he climb in the pod and put some distance between him the Ifrit? In the latter case he would more-than-likely to be blasted to atoms … and without ever knowing if Ruszel and Canos had been allowed to leave.
He felt a heart-wrenching disappointment. He had come so far and had found the homeworld of the Kracori. But unless the aliens survived, no one would ever know. And then what would become of the Human attack on Elision? Would another agent be sent, or would the fleet simply plow head-first towards the coordinates, unaware of the Shield, the Void or even of the Klin colony he had encountered?
Taking a more metaphysical perspective, Riyad figured he would leave those questions to the living, as he was about to finally learn the truth concerning the afterlife and all that entailed. A strange calm now filled him. This was it. He had reached forty-six years of life, much more than anyone would have anticipated, and he’d seen and done things no one could have ever imagined. If it wasn’t for the uncertainty hanging over this last mission, Riyad felt he would be welcoming this moment. The doubt was the only disappointment he now held concerning his life. He would have to see it through. After that, death would surely come. Of that he had no doubt.
He entered the pod, yet didn’t launch. Instead, the Kracori would find him there – having stopped him at the last minute before launch. As he sat in the warm interior of the pod, listening to the sounds of the aliens gaining entry to his ship, he knew some Kracori soldier would receive a meritorious citation for preventing Riyad from escaping that day.
He would let the bastards have their little victory. His would come in another life.
********
As expected, the seven-foot-tall Kracori warriors flooded into the Ifrit with full body armor and weapons at the ready. They spread quickly throughout the small spaceship, discovering Ruszel and Canos in the stateroom just as a wide-eyed Kracori soldier spotted Riyad sitting calmly in the escape pod.
He pulled the hatch open and placed the barrel of his flash rifle in Riyad’s face. The Human calmly raised his arms in the universal sign of surrender, while five other Kracori pulled him from the pod and threw him to the deck. The young Kracori soldier then placed a powerful kick to Riyad’s ribs.
“You are a Human, scum of the universe, who dare to place a price upon the Legend of the Kracori.” He pressed the barrel of the rifle to the side of Riyad’s head. A decision crossed the face of the Kracori, and the fingers of the alien began to tighten on the trigger of the weapon—
“Stop!”
The fiery-eyed Kracori hesitated, as another warrior broke through the crowd surrounding Riyad. He wore a purple sash across his chest. He glared at the younger Kracori. “Secure the prisoner. We do not kill sources of information, at least until they have revealed all their secrets. Bring him to the central room.”
In a blur, Riyad was dragged through the Ifrit and to the common room. The area was full of Kracori, several with colorful sashes on their uniforms. Ruszel and Canos were seated on a sofa, still in their bindings.
The angry young Kracori handed Riyad’s Smith & Wesson to another tall Kracori, this one with a white sash.
“There! That is the weapon he threatened us with,” Ruszel shouted. “It is a Human weapon, is that correct?” Even through the pain of his beating, Riyad still admired the tenacity – and frankly – the natural ability of the Tel’oran to lie on command. Maybe being a merchant-pilot taught one to embellish the truth when attempting to make a sale? If so, then that talent was universal among traders of all species.
Riyad was lifted up and placed in one of the chairs in the room, after which the officer with the white sash approached him. “You are a Human spy, sent here to learn of our location; that is undeniable. And you have apparently enlisted the assistance of these two Guild members, our brothers within the Nebula.”
“They served their purpose, even though they are spineless creatures who were about to give me up once they learned of my true identity. Indeed they are your brothers.” Riyad looked at the two aliens with open contempt.
“They did not know of your mission prior to entering the Void?”
“Not even then. It wasn’t until you began to close on the ship that they began to suspect. And why did you change your mind and stop me?”
“It was your energy-signature, Human. No race within the Nebula has a ship such as this, yet there have been rumors of these large-array drives being employed by a small band of Humans working for the Expansion. It was better to be cautious than to let you leave.”
Riyad looked around the room at the sea of Kracori all staring at him with open contempt. “Now what; I suppose my execution will be the spectacle of the year on Elision?”
“You will not be executed, at least not yet. We shall enjoy extracting all you know concerning the Human plans for invading the Nebula. And then depending on your importance, we may even save you until the invasion, so we may transmit your evisceration to your approaching fleet, destroying your legend and sending a warning to all who approach. In the interim, we Kracori have never had a Human to play with.” The officer turned to his troops. “This shall be a sport! We shall make an example of this Human spy.”
The other Kracori in the room cheered and slapped their chests, and then the senior officer leaned in closer to Riyad. “You will beg for death, yet you will not be granted your wish. If I could keep you alive until the stars burn out, just so you can experience an eternity of pain, I would do so. Our science will do what it can. Your death will not come, not for a long, long while.”
The Kracori officer stood tall. “Take him,” he commanded.
“And these two?” another Kracori with a purple sash asked of his commander.
The tall Kracori approached the two trembling aliens. “In a very short while, all will know of the Kracori within the Nebula. Our secret will no longer have value. You must be returned to Guild space, where you are to warn others of the impending plague coming this way. The Humans will destroy everything you know – your planets, your societies, your bloodlines. Take this ship and return to the Guild. Then be prepared to assist the Kracori to save your Nebula. We are indeed brothers, forged from the fires of the exploding stars of the Silvean Nebula. This,” he pointed a long finger at Riyad “… this is your enemy, just as he is the Kracori’s. Don’t you forget where your allegiance belongs. Now go.”
As the bindings were removed from the two aliens, Riya
d breathed a sigh of relief; however, as he looked into Ruszel’s eyes, he saw something he’d not seen there before. Was it hatred? Had the Kracori’s impassioned condemnation of the Humans swayed the Tel’oran? Would he do Riyad the favor he had asked … or not?
As the Kracori proceeded to drag him from the room, and soon through the umbilical joining the Ifrit with a larger Kracori warship, Riyad had no idea if he would die in vain, or whether his last desperate request would be granted.
The Tel’orans would be released, that much he was certain; what they would do after that he had no idea. Riyad felt sick to his stomach. He had once had at his disposal the means of forcing the Kracori to end his life quickly in the vacuum of space. Now all he had to look forward to were months of unimaginable pain and suffering. And he would not even have the comfort of knowing that his last wish had been carried out to bring him solace.
In the end, Riyad Tarazi will have lived a life unfulfilled, and for that he would suffer indignation and disgrace throughout all eternity.
Chapter 32
Adam Cain…
It was frustrating for both the Humans aboard the Pegasus that they were not able to warn the Earth or even announce their impending arrival. Yet all they had for comm was traditional radio, which even if they were to send a message to Earth by this method, would not arrive for over a thousand years. Their only means of communicating outside the ship would only become practical once they reach the Solar System, and then only if they can relay the warning to another nearby ship with CW capabilities. Fortunately, there would be plenty of traffic surrounding the system that he could communicate with in real-time. All they had to do was get there ahead of the Kracori.
********
When they finally arrived at the Solar System, Adam cut the gravity-drive and simultaneously activated the radio microphone. “Earth forces, this is Adam Cain and Sherri Valentine arriving in-system, please acknowledge.”
Two small sentry ships had been altered to their gravity-wave by monitors outside the system and were waiting along their line of approach. From the signatures of the ships, they were nothing more than tiny five-man monitoring vessels, and not the KFV-A’s that would normally be stationed at the system’s perimeter. After a longer-than-normal delay, the speakers in the pilothouse of the Pegasus came to life.
“Eh, you’re on a radio; is that what you meant to do?” The voice on the speaker sounded like that of a teenager, unsure and untrained.
“We realize that. Who am I speaking with?”
There was another pregnant pause before the speaker responded. “This is Cadet Adam DePere … did you say Adam Cain?”
“That’s correct, and I have a very important message for Fleet Command. Can you patch me through using your CW-array?”
“Adam Cain! This is amazing. I was named after you, or at least that’s what they tell me. I don’t really think it’s true, since I’m seventeen and I think the Juireans attacked fourteen, fifteen years ago. I’ve looked it up before, so I think it’s all bullshit.”
Adam’s jaw dropped open. He looked over at Sherri and saw her smiling. “You’re getting to be an old fart, aren’t you?” she said.
Adam shook his head and returned to the microphone. “That’s … eh, I don’t, but I really need that patch. Can you do it … Adam?”
“Yes, sir!” came the enthusiastic reply. “Just give me a minute to look up the instructions. It shouldn’t be too hard; it’s just that you’re on a different system than the CW. I have to say, it’s a real honor to speak with you, sir, even if I wasn’t named after you.”
“Please concentrate, son—” Adam cringed when he spoke the word ‘son.’ He had never referred to anyone like that before. He heard Sherri burst out laughing.
He covered the microphone and sent her a stern look. “This is serious! Do you mind?”
Sherri held up her hands in a sign of contrition. “Sorry, sir, I’ll try to be more respectful … of my elders.”
With the microphone held in his left hand, Adam lifted his right to the side of his face and extended the middle finger in Sherri’s direction. He scratched a non-existent itch.
“Okay, sir, I think I have it worked out.”
“Good, just let me know when I can talk.”
“Oh, go ahead … you’re connected now.”
Adam pasted a sour look on his face and sighed deeply. “This is Adam Cain, who am I speaking with?”
“This is Tech Sergeant Javier Luna … is this really Adam Cain? Can I get verification?”
“What do you want, Sergeant, my social security number? You don’t go by those anymore. I need you to pass along a very specific message to your commander. This is the message: There’s a Kracori fleet of warships heading for Earth that I suspect will be here in two days. All necessary defensive measures are to be taken. They are carrying nukes. Did you get that, Sergeant?”
There was a pause before Luna came back on the line. “Okay, who is this really?” There was laughter in the man’s voice. “Is that you, Morgan? You dickhead; you had me going for a while.”
“Listen up, Sergeant! This is Captain Adam Cain, and not your friend Morgan. This is critical information. Are you following me?”
“Bullshit. This can’t be Captain Cain. He’s somewhere on the other side of the galaxy, has been for years now.”
“You’re beginning to piss me off, Sergeant. You better—”
Sherri pulled the microphone from Adam’s hand. “This is Sherri Valentine, Mr. Luna. Does that name ring a bell?”
“Eh, yes ma’am.”
“Then you know Adam Cain and I often travel together. Does that help you get a grip on reality of the situation?”
“Well, yes it does.” His voice came back more defiant this time. “But I can’t just accept an unsolicited communication without verification.”
“Then get your supervisor. Maybe he – or she – will have the balls to make a fucking decision.”
“I can patch you to Commander Garcia, but that’s probably about as high as we can go at this time, I mean with most of the top brass already gone.”
Adam took the microphone again. “Gone? Gone where?” The lack of adequate security at the system’s edge had made him suspicious.
“To fight the Jusepi … sir.”
“You mean everyone is gone? Wasn’t a reserve force left in place?”
“They took everything, sir.”
The Kracori commander had told him the fleet had been sent to the Jusepi system; he just couldn’t imagine that meant everything, even the security units for the system.
“Can you locate Admiral Andrew Tobias; are you familiar with the name?”
“Of course, sir, but isn’t he retired?”
“If you say most of the top brass are gone, then I need someone who can verify my identity and who will have the clout to get things done. Are you hearing me, Sergeant?”
“I hear you, sir. I’ll check the roster, see if he’s listed. It’s all on the computer … so give me a minute.”
“That’s all I’ll give you, Sergeant, before I fire up my ship and blaze a trail straight up your ass—”
Sherri jerked the microphone out of Adam’s hands – again. “Very well, Sergeant, just hurry. What Captain Cain said earlier about the Kracori fleet is true. We don’t have a lot of time … son.” The wicked smirk she sent back at Adam did nothing to calm his anger, but it did make Sherri giggle seeing what a curmudgeon he had become – in his old age.
Chapter 33
After creating a very shallow gravity-well, the Pegasus was escorted by the two small monitor ships past Jupiter and Mars and in towards Earth. The tiny ships struggled to keep up.
By this time, the reality of the situation had hit Sherri hard and she was fighting back the tears. Adam wasn’t too far behind. If small units like those piloted by Cadet Adam DePere were all the Earth had left to send against the Kracori then all their efforts to warn the planet had been wasted. The Kracori would crush whateve
r meager resistance could be thrown against them and carry out their mission … that of the destruction of the Human homeworld.
It took three hours to find Admiral Tobias and get him to a CW link. By then, the Pegasus was just about to enter the atmosphere, and they switched to conventional radio.
“Hot damn, it’s good to hear from the two of you again!” the Georgian yelled through the speakers. “But let’s cut to the gristle – what’s this about some Kracori attack? The youngsters who rousted me out of my retirement seemed mightily confused.”
“Andy, we’re really screwed if what we’ve been told is true: has the entire fleet left the area to fight against some minor-league aliens?”
“Worse than that, Adam, they also pulled most of the security force for the system as well.”
“I saw that. But why would they do that?”
“Shock and awe, Captain, that’s why. Command really wants to go up against Elision, so they figured that if they send all they’ve got against the pointy-eared Jusepi, then they’d finish sooner and head out after the real enemy. However, if what you say is true, it now looks like this will be a home-game against the Kracori, and all we have left on the team are the equipment managers and field crew.”
“Andy, this is serious!” Sherri was nearing hysterics. “There are three hundred Class-4’s and 5’s only two days behind us – what are we going to do?”
“Miss Sherri, I do understand. Please forgive my Southern attempt at lightening the mood. We’ll surely get everything up to meet them, and I mean everything.”