by T. R. Harris
“Let’s see, where shall I begin? First of all, in a couple of hours this compound will be attacked by forces masquerading as Formilians.” Nigel’s eyes absolutely beamed bright as he watched the shock cross Adam’s face. “That’s right, and during this attack, the pretty little Speaker over there will unfortunately meet her demise. This event will allow the Omphly Federation to declare war on the Coalition in response to this blatant breech of their regional sovereignty. The resulting war will be the largest such conflict to take place in the galaxy since … well, since we last saw each other.”
“Why would you do that … start a war that will kill billions?”
“For the money, Adam, why else? The Formilians are very advanced technologically, yet they have not spent much of their energies on building weapons of war. And the Federation is more primitive, even though larger in numbers. Both of these sides will need the weapons I will sell them. This ransom you’ve brought is but a small down payment for what I will make as the war progresses.”
“So why kill Arieel if the attack will be enough to start the war?”
“For a couple of reasons: First of all, the Federation has a very healthy fear of the Speaker and her powers. As I said, they are primitive and actually believe that she is some kind of supernatural demon. That’s why they despise her so much. Yet they won’t hesitate to declare war if they believe the lovely Arieel is dead.”
“Believe?”
“That’s right, Mr. Cain. Do you really think I could allow her to die before I’ve learned all her secrets? That knowledge is much too valuable to throw away like that.”
“I’m not following you.”
“You don’t actually believe she has supernatural powers, do you?”
“Not really. But why do you not believe her?”
“Because I have seen the device she has imbedded under her lovely skin.”
“The self-destruct?”
“I have seen that, too. In fact we knew of it even before we took her. No, I’m talking about the gadget she uses to do all her fancy miracles.”
Adam’s jaw fell open slightly as he stared silently at McCarthy.
“You didn’t know, did you? How do you think she does all that fancy crap with just her mind?” McCarthy let out a soft grunt. “You would think that for people as smart as the Formilians that they would have seen through the ruse long ago. Just think logically, mate. If her bloodline did possess these great powers, then why does only one of them exhibit them at a time? And if these are real powers, then how can they be given and taken away at a certain age?
“It’s obvious to anyone with a lick of sense that she’s using some artificial means of controlling electricity and electronic devices – devices I might add that have been almost exclusively designed by her own people.”
Adam was silent; he had essentially come to the same conclusion several days before, but maybe not in such succinct terms.
McCarthy continued through the silence. “I’m sure you’ve thought about what you could do if you had her powers, Mr. Cain. Well, I’ve had the opportunity to study Miss Bol for several days now, and my scientists have just about got it figured out. It’s simply a device that can read her thoughts and then act on them through the wonders of technology. The Formilians have all that nailed down, and have for a very long time.
“So you see, I not only going to start a very profitable war, which will make me a shit-load of money, but now I have the bonus of finding out how the Formilians can control electricity with just their thoughts. That, my Yankee friend, is now the greatest prize of them all, and not something I had anticipated when I initially planned this operation.”
McCarthy then stopped and let out a hearty laugh. “And now you have simply dropped in my lap! As I said, I must be living right.”
“So how are you going to learn how the device works without getting yourself blown up? She only has so much time left, you know.”
“Let me worry about that. I have people working on that problem right now, and besides, we already have a fundamental understanding of how the mind-reading device works. If we can’t figure out the self-destruct mechanism as well, then we’ll just have to make do with what we have. And thanks to this ransom, as well as the money I make from the rest of my other activities, I have nearly unlimited funds available to make that happen. Once we analyze the data, I’m sure we’ll be able to duplicate the technology.”
“So you’ll just let her die?”
“Of course, Mr. Cain; she’s a bloody alien after all! Granted, she is the most fetching lass I’ve seen out here – or anywhere for that matter – but the two of us have killed more than our fair share of non-Humans. This is no time to go soft, just for a pretty face and a knock-out body.”
Adam began to quickly work through the different scenarios if a war began between the Coalition and the Federation was to begin and if Nigel’s scientist did manage to override the explosive device within Arieel’s body. The Order may just let her die and install a new Speaker. Convor would then assume power – at least in the interim – during a time of war and until a new Speaker comes of age. Or they may continue their efforts to rescue her, only to reveal her to the Federation as also having the power over life and death, in addition to all her other miraculous powers. That might put an end to the war right then and there.
Either way, the ultimate fate of Arieel Bol was no longer his primary concern. That had been replaced by the fact that Nigel McCarthy, the insane SAS officer who had once assisted the Klin in the slaughter of over a billion of his fellow Humans, might actually gain the knowledge of how she controls electronic devices with her mind. That would prove to be even a greater threat than any regional war. With that much power, McCarthy would be virtually unstoppable. And then what if he gave that power to all of his one hundred fellow Human criminals he spoke of? He would indeed control an army of real supermen, with powers far beyond those of any alien, or even other Humans. It would be a disaster of unimaginable proportions.
Adam knew Nigel McCarthy. The former SAS field officer was a certifiable nut-case, consumed by his own lust for power. But he was also a survivor. Whatever Adam was to do next, the last thing he should do is underestimate McCarthy and his abilities. If he said he was going to start a war, then a war he would start. And if he said he would learn the secrets of the Speaker, then Adam could bet his bottom dollar that he’d make that happen, too.
As for his own fate, Adam was not so sure. The tables had been turned 180-degrees in McCarthy’s favor once Adam had learned that he was being held captive by a fellow Human. Being held by aliens was a completely different matter, one that never caused Adam any real concern. But this was different. This creature thought like him, and could match his strength and skills one-to-one. McCarthy also knew what Adam was capable of – superman-wise. He would make sure not to underestimate Adam, either.
As a matter of fact, it would be easier for McCarthy just to shoot him dead on the spot; Adam was sure the thought had already crossed Nigel’s mind. The MK-47 resting on the table was a deadly weapon that could easily bore a dime-size hole through his body when set on level-one. That was why Nigel was taunting Adam with the weapon – as a warning.
“So what now, Nigel, it sounds like you have everything worked out?”
A genuine look of sadness crossed McCarthy’s face. “Yes, and this is the part I truly regret, my friend. Since the Order sent you to ransom the Speaker, I think it only appropriate that your body should be found in the ruins of the attack, and right next to the very charred and dismembered remains of a female Formilian, like the one I have just recently acquired.”
“They won’t believe she’s Arieel.”
“Oh, I think they will. There won’t be much left, making further investigation into the identity of the body pointless. Besides, the Formilians will have a lot more pressing matters to deal with at the time. The Federation has been chomping at the bit to war against them for a very long time. The only thing stopping t
hem has been their fear of little ole Arieel over there.”
“You are one sick muther—”
A thunderous concussion suddenly shattered the left side of the room, sending both Adam and McCarthy slamming into the opposite wall. The sound was deafening, and both the Humans stared out into the dust and debris with blank expressions, temporarily dazed and confused.
McCarthy was the first to recover, managing to stand and lean against the wall, looking out through the massive hole that had once been the left side of the building. Outside he could see a gigantic crater that now filled the courtyard. There were pieces of bodies lying all around; some of the pieces were still conscious and crying out in agony.
Nigel activated the comm box on his shoulder. “You’re attacking too soon, you bloody idiot! Call off the attack!”
As Adam regained his awareness, he could hear a panicked voice screaming out from Nigel’s communicator. “It’s not us, Major. It’s something … else.”
“What?”
“Eight ships dropping from orbit – they’re firing again!”
True to the warning, a barrage of additional bolts slammed into the building and surrounding area. The right wall of the room finally gave in, and Nigel disappeared into a pile of rubble. The force of the blast pushed Adam further to his left, closer toward where Arieel had last been sitting. He looked for her in the dust and crumbled concrete, finally locating a thin, blood-covered arm projecting up toward the now exposed sky.
Adam grabbed the arm and pulled. To his relief, he heard a piercing scream of agony. At least she’s still alive.
He dove into the pile covering Arieel and began to dig her out. Soon she was free, but now just a ghostly figure covered completely in white dust – except for the numerous spots of bright red blood that seemed to be everywhere on her body.
In the light gravity of Uniss-3, Adam scooped Arieel into his arms and ran toward the opening in the wall where Nigel had fallen. It was the furthest from the continuing bombardment of the compound from outside, and provided some relative safety.
In his haste, Adam didn’t notice that the skullcap Arieel had been wearing was now gone….
The building was in ruins, and Adam struggled over broken walls and shattered furniture, yet through all the noise and confusion, he could still hear Nigel screaming into his communicator, even though he could not see the Englishman.
“Round! They’re round ships? Bullshit!”
“They’re round, Major. I can tell round when I see it.”
“Shit, Taylor. That could only mean Klin or Kracori.”
“Or Humans.”
Adam had heard the name Taylor before. He had been one of McCarthy’s lieutenants from years ago.
“It’s not the Humans,” Nigel yelled back. “If it were, they would have come with a lot more than just eight ships.”
“Major, they’re strafing your location again. It looks like you are their target!”
“Take them out, Taylor. You have twice as many ships as they do. Do it now!”
“Yes sir. We’re already lining up – they see us! This will give you a chance to get out of there.”
“Roger, that. Keep me informed during the battle. McCarthy out!”
As the conversation was ending, Adam barreled through a half broken door and into a side room. He slipped down along the wall, still holding Arieel in his arms. He could hear McCarthy moving through the debris in the hallway outside the room, back in the direction of the now-shattered meeting room, and he was not too far away to hear the big Brit explode in a tirade of curses as he returned to find Adam and Arieel both gone.
Now he would come looking for them.
Adam rose up off the floor and staggered through more debris toward a broken-out window. He worked his way through to the outside, before running off in a painful crouch as fast as he could in the low gravity, still carrying the unconscious Formilian. He moved through a maze of other shattered buildings, nearly all now in some form of demolition with fires raging throughout most of them. There was dozens of bodies strewn about, with very few survivors in this area of the compound.
Klin or Kracori! Adam laughed out loud. Screw McCarthy! He was getting just what he deserves.
Having betrayed every partner he had ever had, the aliens had come looking for Nigel. Adam admitted this had more the markings of the Kracori than the Klin; the tall, silver Klin seldom did their own dirty work. Yet not so the Kracori, who were very Human-like – strong, skilled and pragmatic. They would do what was necessary to protect against the location of their homeworld being revealed, even if it meant leveling an entire city to do so.
The Kracori had found McCarthy. Now Adam hoped they would be successful in taking him out.
Through the gray sky, now filled with smoke, Adam could make out the tell-tale signs of a distant battle raging in the upper atmosphere. There were brilliant flashes of bolt weapons, and then the occasional blue and yellow burst signifying a devastating explosion aboard a starship. It wasn’t hard to make out the opposing sides, with one combatant vastly outnumbered by the other. McCarthy had said his own forces – those preparing to attack the city posing as Formilians – outnumbered the Kracori attackers two-to-one. And if those ships were manned by Human warriors, then it looked as though McCarthy just might win the day.
The consequences of such an outcome could have repercussions throughout the galaxy, but Adam couldn’t dwell on that at the moment. He had to get Arieel to safety, and hoped that her injuries weren’t too serious….
His eyes suddenly grew wide and he looked down at Arieel’s peaceful, yet bloodied and dirty face. If she were injured too severely, might her self-destruct go off at any second?
Adam slipped behind a tall mound of rubble and placed the Formilian on the ground. He began to back away.
What was he to do? He could see that she was still breathing, but he had no idea if her vital signs were being monitored by whatever device she had inside her. And why wouldn’t it? The device was capable of some incredible feats; monitoring the host’s vital signs would be a piece of cake. And if her life signs did fall below a certain level, would the device decide to end her pain? He had no idea.
Just then Arieel’s eyes fluttered and she took in a deep breath. As she exhaled, her eyes opened wide and she let out a loud, piercing scream of pain.
Adam rushed over to her and knelt down, placing his hand on her mouth. “Please try to be quiet,” he pleaded. “They’re looking for us.”
Arieel’s large eyes began to look around widely, her whole body trembling with spasms of panic and pain. It was all Adam could do to keep her from jumping up and running away.
“Arieel calm down! You’re been hurt; don’t try to get up.”
Finally her insane gaze focused on him and he felt her relax. He slowly removed his hand from her mouth.
“Who are you,” she managed to eke out, grimacing as spasms of pain still wracked her body.
“I’m Adam Cain. I was sent by the Order to deliver your ransom and bring you home.”
“Ransom? Home?”
“You don’t remember being kidnapped?”
“What is kidnapped?”
“Taken, abducted. You were taken from Formil. Those who took you have demanded credits for your release.”
Arieel’s body suddenly went rigid, and even though her face softened, her eyes turned a hot, smoldering black. “I was taken?” she stated, a hard cadence now in her voice. “Against my will … I was taken?”
“That’s right,” Adam confirmed, intimidated by the black intensity of her glare. He took his hands from her body and sat back on the blackened ground. Something wasn’t right.
Arieel continued to glare at him, and then slowly she closed her eyes. Adam began to feel the hairs on his arms begin to stand on end and a strange, metallic odor filled the air. Then he noticed a soft, shimmering blue glow envelop Arieel’s body.
He moved away from her as quickly as possible, sliding over next to a mo
und of debris. He didn’t know whether to stay and watch, or cut and run. Was she getting ready to explode, or was this something else?
Before he could decide on a course of action, the glow abruptly disappeared and Arieel took several deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, they revealed a much softer look.
Arieel sat up, and then fighting through her pain, shuffled over to a place where she could lean her back against. She looked at Adam. “You came to rescue me, you say? And exactly how is that goal progressing?” The tone from the stunningly beautiful, dark-haired alien was dripping with pure sarcasm. Adam just swallowed hard.
“So far, so good,” he lied before stretching out a thin, nervous smile.
To his surprise, Arieel smiled back. He began to relax.
He continued: “The person who took you – or at least the one who masterminded it – reneged on his agreement. He wasn’t going to let you go after the money was paid.”
“What is money?”
“Credits, money is credits.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” Arieel looked around at the smoldering devastation around them. “So you destroyed the buildings to rescue me?”
Adam shook his head. “Not exactly; your kidnapper – abductor – was attacked by a force of Kracori warships.”
“Kracori! I find that hard to believe. The Kracori are barely a myth. They came briefly, and then disappeared once the Humans took control of the Expansion.”
“You’re right, but they really want this guy dead.”
“But I was nearly killed in the process. Do the Kracori not know who I am?”
“I’m sure they didn’t even know you were here—”
“Quiet!” Arieel said, holding up a hand. “There are beings approaching.”
She stood up, shaky but determined, and looked off towards her left. Adam couldn’t hear or see anyone approaching through all the smoke and crackling of the surrounding fires, yet Arieel was on the scent. She limped to the edge of the debris pile.
“Get down!” Adam called out, moving up next to her.