Cain's Crusaders

by T. R. Harris

  “If you weren’t sitting in the chair you’re in right now, I’d suspect you of being behind this new surge in criminal activity,” Adam said, returning the smile.

  “And you would be justified in your suspicions, my friend. And how are you this day, Miss Valentine?”

  Kroekus’ attitude was contagious, and even the sullen Sherri managed a smile. “I’m doing fine, Kroekus, thanks for asking.” Then her tone turned serious. “You are aware of the situation on Belson?”

  “Yes, I am. This is very unfortunate. Belson is one of the most-stabilizing factors in the sector. If it should decide to go independent, it will create a multiplying effect involving hundreds of additional worlds.”

  “That’s why Riyad, Adam and I are heading there to speak with Kaylor and his people. We want to see if there is anything we can do to change their minds.”

  “That is very sensible, and I do appreciate the effort.”

  “We were also wondering if you have anything my other agents need to tend to while we’re gone?” Adam asked.

  “Actually, I have a very grave situation which I believe the two of you should personally handle first even before going to Belson. The vote on Kaylor’s planet is still six months or more away. This other matter is of a more immediate concern.”

  “Can Lee or the others handle it?”

  “I would not feel comfortable entrusting them with this assignment.”

  Adam looked at Sherri and they simply raised their eyebrows. Adam looked back at the image of Kroekus, looming large on the screen. “Sure, whatever we can do to help.”

  Kroekus nodded his massive head, sending ripples through his numerous chins. “This involves the planet Formil and their supreme leader, a creature referred to as The Speaker. Have you ever heard of Formil before?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Adam answered. “What’s the story?”

  “Formil is probably the single-most important planet in the Expansion outside of Juir; I’m surprised you’ve not heard of it. It is on Formil that all the translation devices are manufactured, as well as nearly all the micro-processors that control the electronics throughout the galaxy.”

  “No shit?” Sherri said, impressed. “I can see why you thought we should have heard of the place.”

  “Yes, the technology that has come out of Formil over the past two thousand years has helped shape the Expansion. The Formilians, and the planetary Coalition they influence, are the foremost builders of electronic devices to be found. Their technology and science is the basis for nearly every device in operation in the galaxy today.”

  “I’m surprised the Juireans let them keep that much technology for themselves.”

  “The relationship between the Juireans and Formilians go back two millennia. The Juireans allowed the Formilians to run their society more or less unfettered in exchange for the exclusive rights to their technology. They also allowed the Formilians to worship their religion as they pleased, but since the fall of the Juireans, the natives have been under assault by a variety of other interests, primarily from their neighboring planetary affiliation called the Omphly Federation. It had been to counter the growing influence of the Federation that the Formilians began to expand their own Coalition over the past fifty years or so. But while the Coalition has grown to around thirty-five worlds to date, the Omphly Federation numbers over fifty. And since the Formilians are now longer protected by the Juireans, the responsibility has now fallen to me and the New Expansion.”

  “Sounds familiar, my friend,” Adam said, trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

  “All too much I’m afraid.”

  “So what’s happening now? It sounds like the situation has gotten worse?” Sherri asked.

  “Indeed,” said Kroekus. He leaned in closer to the screen, a movement which caused Sherri and Adam to lean back in the opposite direction, even though Kroekus was only an image on the screen. “An event has taken place which will soon bring the two entities to war. If this happens, then the galaxy, and primarily the New Expansion, will lose our access to the science and manufacturing centers of the Formilians. As a consequence, this could be the final blow it will take to destroy the Expansion. If the Formilians fall, so does the Expansion.”

  “I can see why this would take priority over Belson,” Adam said. “Go on.”

  “As I said, the Juireans allowed the Formilian’s to practice their religion as they saw fit. This protection shielded them from the Omphly Federation, whose population has been appalled by the Formilian beliefs for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The Juireans, and now us, have been the only thing keeping the Federation from attacking – plus of course, the fear.”

  “What type of sick religion do these people practice?” Sherri asked.

  “And what do they fear besides the Expansion?” Adam added.

  “It is nothing as sinister as you believe, Sherri,” Kroekus answered. “The entire Formilian religion is built around the worship of electricity, of all things. That is what has made them so proficient at the invention, development and manufacture of all things electronic. It goes back thousands of years, even before Formil was discovered by the Juireans. In fact, Formil and Juir have been affiliated since the time of The Mass, even before there was an Expansion. When the Juireans retreated during the time of the Reprieve, Formil was the only world outside the central core planets that Juir included in their empire. And when the Juireans came out again, this time to form the Expansion, it was the promise of the advanced electronic technology – most of which originated with the Formilians – that was so enticing to the new members of the Expansion. If it were not for the Formilians and their technology, the Expansion may never have formed.”

  “So what’s so bad about worshiping electricity that these other people – the Omphly’s – would hate them so much?” Sherri asked.

  “It’s not so much the subject matter that the Omphly resent, as the means with which the Formilians represent their worship. As I mentioned earlier, the supreme leader and religious figure in Formilian society is a creature called The Speaker. The Speaker is rumored to be able to control the very nature of electricity itself, able to accomplish increased feats with the power of her mind alone. She can control all electronic devices around her and even create bolts of electricity out of thin air. She can summon lightning from the sky and has been rumored to be able to draw the life out of her enemies.”

  Adam looked over to see Sherri smiling. Noticing him looking at her, she said, “She. Kroekus keeps referring to The Speaker as she.”

  “That is correct, Sherri,” Kroekus continued. “The Speaker is always female and always the direct descendant of the founder of their religion, a female named Lorilie Bol. This unique bloodline appears to possess supernatural powers, and as they will profess, only The Speakers can manifest the energy of their gods.”

  “And you believe this?” Adam said, sounding skeptical. “You of all people have been around the galaxy to know that there are no truly supernatural powers – at least none that I have seen.”

  “I cannot say I believe in her powers completely, but even your own race has had supernatural abilities associated with it.”

  “And they’re wrong. You know as well as I that our so-called supernatural powers are just the product of evolution.”

  “And so maybe evolution has played a part in turning this Lorilie Bol into a being with truly supernatural powers, powers which she has passed on to her offspring?”

  “I’m not buying it,” Adam said, still not convinced.

  “As I said, I do not truly believe in The Speaker’s abilities myself, but I have seen the vids. The displays are quite impressive – and would be frightening to non-believers and believers alike.”

  “Maybe I’m just more of the skeptic, but I’ll believe it when I see it. It has to be some kind of trick.”

  “That may be so, but the Formilian’s believe and that is all that matters to me.”

  It was Sherri’s turn to question Kroekus
. “So why do these others hate the Formilians so much, as well as fear this Speaker person?”

  Kroekus smiled back at Sherri. “They hate her because she is female, and they fear her because of her powers.”

  “Does that make any sense?”

  “It does when you consider the makeup of Omphly society. Omphly is another word for Brotherhood, so a literal translation is the Brotherhood Federation. Females in this society are of the lowest class, used only for procreation and as servants to the males. So the idea of a female serving as the supreme leader of a race of beings – or the leader of anything for that matter – is an affront to the beliefs of the Omphly. And they have spread this odd way of thinking to many surrounding worlds, building not only on the fact that a female would be a leader, but that she would also be able to conjure up powers from the darkest depths of nature. To the followers of the Omphly, The Speaker is a demon, a devil deserving of the utmost vile and disgust. Their hatred for her has been festering for a very long time, and yet they also believe in her abilities, so their hatred is multiplied by the fact that the Brotherhood would have such fear for a female.”

  “Yeah, kind of a double whammy,” Adam said, looking at Sherri. The expression that crossed Kroekus’ face revealed his lack of understanding for the colloquialism.

  “So what has brought all this to head so you now believe a war is coming?” Adam asked.

  “It seems that The Speaker of the Formilians, the supreme leader of their religion, the person they refer to as the Giver of Life and Light and their living God, has been abducted.”

  “How the hell did that happen?”

  “As would be expected of the Formilians, the entire event was captured on a security video. I will play it for you now….”

  The screen immediately changed to show a columned room much like that of a Roman villa, dimly lit and with a large, extremely ornate bed to one side. There was a figure asleep in the bed, a slight figure covered by silken sheets and displaying a massive cascade of jet black hair against the white of the sheets.

  Suddenly, two shrouded-in-black figures moved into the room. The figure in the bed – presumably the Speaker – sat up as alarms began to sound. One of the shrouded figures lifted a long, thin tube to his mouth and blew. A dart impacted the neck of the Speaker, who fell back, unconscious. The two kidnappers moved to the bed and pulled back the sheets, revealing the naked form underneath.

  At that point, Adam audibly inhaled. “Wholly shit, is that the Speaker?”

  “Yes it is,” Kroekus’ voice answered from behind the video.

  The reason Adam had way he did was because the creature they called the Speaker was indeed female – and in every sense of the word. In fact, she almost appeared to a caricature of what the perfect female would look like: ample firm breasts, an impossibly thin waist above perfectly round hips, and the shapely legs of a gymnast. Her skin was completely unblemished and with the tone of sun-kissed bronze.

  And then there was the face. It was as angelic a face as could be envisioned by a Renaissance master painter, with a demure chin, ample red lips, smallish nose and a set of almond-shaped eyes – now closed – that appeared to be slightly larger than those of a Human female.

  Except for the fact that this creature had legs, she was a pornographer’s erotic vision of Ariel, The Little Mermaid, brought to life.

  In all the time Adam had spent in space, this was actually the first alien he’d ever seen that was … well, hot! For Adam, this mission suddenly took on a whole new level of interest.

  Adam looked over to see Sherri glowering at him. He raised his eyebrows and displayed a wicked, lustful grin.

  “For Christ’s sake, Adam, she’s an alien! Your parts don’t match up.”

  “On the contrary,” Kroekus interrupted, “Humans and Formilians are very similar anatomically. It’s doubtful whether a union of your two races could produce non-sterile offspring however the act of mating should be very compatible.”

  “Ow, that’s disgusting!” Sherri cried out. “You can say the same thing about a sheep – and this would be bordering on bestiality.”

  Adam continued to smile. “But just think: a union between our two races could produce a super-being, one with our strength and her powers of the mind. It could also unify our two peoples, guaranteeing a lasting peace for generations to come,” he chanted, as if reciting the line from a classic Shakespearean play.

  “I’ve heard enough of this nonsense,” Sherri said, rising up from her chair. “Go rescue your fairy princess, Adam, but I’m not going to help. Instead, I’m going to Belson with Riyad. You’re on your own, Casanova!” Sherri stalked out of the room, her jaw set, eyes narrowed.

  The image on the screen had been frozen while Adam and Sherri had their discussion. Now half of it was replaced with an image of Kroekus – which when placed next to the static, high-definition image of the completely naked Formilian, caused Adam to wince like he was wearing a razor-wire thong.

  Kroekus was looking at him with a curious look on his face. “She’ll get over it,” Adam said to the bulky alien.

  Kroekus nodded. “It is similar with Sileans; our females are of a jealous and emotional sort. It is amusing, however, the way you Humans intentionally try to evoke these reactions. It appears almost as a game you both play.”

  “It’s just an affirmation of her feelings for me, my friend; if she didn’t care, she wouldn’t be so upset.”

  “A test! I can see that, however it seems to be a rather cruel way of going about it. But if it is your way, then so be it. Humans can be so very complex at times. Now back to business.”

  “Of course,” Adam said. Kroekus let the video run, showing the two assailants lift the unconscious Formilian from the bed and hurry off with her before guards appeared. “Was that a blow-dart they used?” Adam asked.

  “Yes, it appears to be a non-electrical device that rendered the Speaker unconscious. The use of any MK weapon or other electronic device would have been useless around her. The abductors knew in advance what they had to do to take her.”

  “Was this an inside job, or the Omphly?”

  “Inside job?”

  “Sorry. Could some Formilians have helped kidnap her, or do you believe it was the Omphly?”

  “I assume kidnap means to abduct, and I must say there is no evidence that any Formilians assisted.”

  “So it was the Omphly?”

  “That I also doubt,” Kroekus said.

  “Why?”

  “It would be too obvious and the consequences too severe. Besides, the Omphly have an irrational fear of the Speaker.”

  “Could they have hired outsiders to do the job?”

  “That is a possibility, but we will not know until we learn more. I do suspect that other forces are responsible.”

  “Well, just to satisfy my own devious mind, who would benefit from a war between the Coalition and the Federation?”

  “No one that I can tell, at least not on the surface, but there may be forces within each government who would seek a change in leadership. Or it could be the criminal element, which as you say, is becoming bolder and better organized.” Kroekus stretched out a wide grin, as the comment harkened back to his own days as one of the greatest criminal masterminds in the galaxy. “Profit can always found within conflict, at least for some parties.”

  “Then you suspect a possible ransom demand might be made at some point?”

  “That is a real possibility, and the Formilians will pay whatever price is necessary for the return of the Speaker unharmed. In addition, if it had been the Omphly behind the attack, then they would have summarily executed the Speaker rather than abduct her.”

  Adam let out a grunt. “That makes sense. But the nagging question I have is that if this Speaker-person is so powerful and blessed with supernatural powers, how was it that she ever allowed herself to be taken in the first place? This just makes me question her powers even more.”

  “I know you are skeptical �
� as am I – but let us do our best not to express these doubts with the Formilians. They can be very sensitive about their religious beliefs.” Kroekus hesitated before continuing, yet when he did, Adam had to force himself from laughing out loud. “Adam Cain, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to find the Formilian Speaker and affect a rescue if she is still alive.”

  This message will self-destruct in five seconds…. Of course Kroekus never muttered the words. Still, Adam was hoping.

  “Sure, I’ll give it a go,” he said. “And by the way, does this Speaker have a real name she goes by?”

  “Yes she does – it is Arieel.”

  No shit? Adam thought. Now this is getting creepy.

  “But Adam, you must hurry,” Kroekus said with tension in his voice. “If the Speaker is not found and returned to the Temple of the Order on Formil within the next nineteen days, then all will be lost. There will be war, a war which could bring about the downfall of the New Expansion.”

  “Why nineteen days?”

  “Because after that time, a self-destruct device will be activated within the body of Arieel Bol, and with her passing, the Omphly will have no reason to hold back. The Formilians will either defend themselves against such an attack, or they will strike first, targeting those they see as the most logical perpetrators of this crime.”

  “There’s a bomb in her body!” Adam said, incredulously. “In what kind of bizarro world does that make sense? So they’d rather blow her up rather than have her held as a hostage?”

  Kroekus shook his head, which sent a tsunami of fat around his massive neck. “You do indeed have a strange way of terming things, Adam Cain. But it reality it makes perfect sense. Whether biological – or as you suspect, artificial means – the Speaker of Formil does have powers, and the secret of how she does it would be of considerable value, as well as threaten the basis for their entire religion should the knowledge be revealed.”