by T. R. Harris
Suneso saw the logic in the argument — to a point. “So the Kracori are driven from the Cluster and the Humans move in. How does that help the Klin cause? The Humans will remain a power for — well forever, and the Kracori will still be a power in their own right, and far more technologically-advanced than the Humans. How will it ever be that the Klin can assume leadership of the Expansion?”
The small smile vanished from Linuso’s weary face. “That has not been completely foreseen, yet with the chaotic events of the past several months, the Forum has been doing its best to come up with the best alternatives. What we do know is that it would be easier to expel — or persuade — the Humans to relinquish control of the Expansion than it would with the Kracori. However, we do realize that without a powerful ally, the Klin cannot rule alone.”
“If not the Kracori — or the Humans — who then, Pleabaen?”
“The Klin have been exploring the galaxy for over four thousand years and we have discovered literally thousands of races. There are always others, always alternatives. Some have been nurtured along slowly — such as the Kracori — while others have played a more limited and immediate role. We Klin are never without alternatives, although some may not be ready to be revealed at this time. If it had not been for the activities of the Humans — and particularly of Adam Cain — we would have had twenty additional years to more fully develop our alternatives prior to the events leading to the Juirean/Human war. As it is, we will have to speed up the process and adapt along the way.”
Linuso’s weak smile returned and he looked straight into the eyes of his subordinate. “The Klin are still viable, Suneso. We are patient; we will be heard from again. Of that you can be sure.”
Chapter 40
Kaddof had not had time to catch his breath over the past two days. With his friend and mentor Jonnif Vinn now dead, command of the Kracori forces in the Alliance Cluster fell to him, and along with it, the need to coordinate their untimely withdrawal.
He was furious at the very thought of retreat and humiliated in its execution. The Kracori had accomplished so much, yet with so much more to do. There was still an estimated one-million or more Juireans alive on the planet, many in long refugee lines streaming out from their destroyed cities. They would be easy prey for the Kracori ground troops and conventional air units; already thousands of Juireans had been killed by aerial strafing. And now the ground troops had offloaded their heavy equipment — tanks and artillery — and were only a day or so from being fully functional.
Now that effort — along with all its potential for so much more death and destruction throughout the Cluster — was all for naught. Kaddof was now tasked with surrendering all the ground they’d gained, and to give it back to the Juireans — or worse — to the advancing Humans.
Kaddof was in the command center aboard the largest flying disk sitting on the surface of Juir, arranging for the hundreds of shuttle flights it would take to ferry his thirty-thousand troops and equipment back to the transports in orbit. His warriors were furious, but they would obey, as would Kaddof.
A tone sounded within the center, indicating an incoming sustained-wormhole communication. Everyone in the room looked to Kaddof knowing that the message could only be coming from Eilsion. He acknowledged the notice and then proceeded to the secure room that was set up for S/W communications.
This would be his first direct contact with the Ludif Council since Jonnif’s death and Kaddof’s assumption of command. As he entered the comm center, the large head of Daninf Kicon, Langril of the Council, was already showing on the large screen.
“Greetings Ludif Daninf. I have been expecting contact with the Council, I assume you are looking for an update as to our evacuation progress-”
“That is not the primary reason for this communication, Kaddof,” Daninf interrupted, “yet I will ask, has the body been recovered yet?”
“Yes, my Ludif, early yesterday we were able to locate Jonnif’s body through the activities of carrion birds. It was fairly well-hidden between several large boulders and had been picked apart by the beasts.”
“It is good that the body has been recovered. Now for the most pressing matter at hand: You are to cease all evacuation procedures immediately and resume full suppression activities within the Cluster.”
Kaddof was stunned; he wasn’t sure he had heard the Langril correctly. “Forgive me, my Ludif, but could you please repeat that?”
“You are to cease all evacuation operations, Kaddof. The Kracori are to remain in control of Juir and the Alliance Cluster!”
Kaddof could see that the Langril was physically excited. His face beamed, his eyes were alight with joy. “What has happened to cause this change?”
“Our scouts have only just now reported that the Human fleet has turned and is headed back toward their home planet.”
“But … but they have no need,” Kaddof stammered. Finally he just asked simply: “Why?”
“The reason baffles even the Council. The Humans may feel the need to return to protect against any future attack,” Daninf offered. “Or they may not believe continuing to Juir a necessity now that the planet has been ransacked.”
Kaddof suddenly grew cold inside and he visibly shivered. “And then Jonnif — his death was in vain! His actions have had no ill-affect.”
Daninf’s expression changed. “That is not so,” he stated firmly. “Jonnif is still responsible for revealing the name of the Human’s attackers. Even though they are returning to Earth, it does not mean they will not return.”
“But we will be ready for them by then, my Ludif, and the Kracori Legend has not been harmed by Jonnif’s actions. His legend did not have to suffer so.”
“In light of these recent developments, you may be correct, Kaddof. But even if the Kracori Legend has not suffered, the Legend of Jonnif Vinn would have still. The planet Earth remains habitable and capable of supporting all future Human military actions, and their fleet is still the largest in the galaxy. They will not let the attempted destruction of their homeworld go unpunished — and with the name Kracori on their tongues, they will be back and looking for us. It was Jonnif who has given a name to their enemy.”
Kaddof was quiet for a moment, trying his best to put the Langril’s words into perspective. He was right, of course. Jonnif’s Legend had to be destroyed.
“And Kaddof,” Daninf continued, “it was Jonnif’s decision to end his life, not that of the Council.”
“Of course, my Ludif. I meant you no disrespect.”
“That is better, Kaddof. Insubordination is something we on the Council will not tolerate; that was something Jonnif was prone to exhibit on a regular basis. I hope we will find no such repeat with our new Fleet Commander.”
“No, my Ludif, you will not. What are my orders now? I was not in Jonnif’s position to know the full extent of his orders prior — prior to his demise.”
“Your orders at this time are to simply return to the clean-up operations that have begun, both on Juir and on the other worlds of the Cluster. Following that, a permanent Kracori colony must be established on Juir for all the Expansion to see. Soon the members will come looking to the Kracori for leadership. Our governing administrators will be leaving Eilsion soon to take over this responsibility from you and your military forces. At that time you must reinforce the Cluster against any hostile attacks, either from a Juirean counterstrike — or now — from the Humans as well. Later we will dispatch the search and destroy units to hunt down all surviving Juireans in other parts of the galaxy.”
He paused and the jovial expression returned to his face. “Kaddof, we on the Council cannot express strongly enough how relieved we are that the Kracori shall remain in the Cluster. And far greater than the destruction of a single Kracori’s legend, it was the harm to the legend of the entire race that was weighing on us more. Now the Legend of the Kracori will survive.”
“My Ludif,” Kaddof said, “of course the Kracori Legend is more important than that of
Jonnif’s, and I too am relieved. I will carry out your orders faithfully. All the Juireans upon Juir will die.”
“Excellent, Kaddof. Proceed with your tasks.”
Chapter 41
News that Juir had been sacked had spread rapidly throughout the galaxy as untold trillions of beings fell into a uniform state of shock. Near the Cluster Alliance it was even worse, with thousands of spaceships leaving the area as fast as their drives would carry them.
Whether intentional or not, Adam’s sudden fixation with finding a larger vessel to take them home had galvanized the Humans, taking their minds off the inconceivable event that had just taken place. They hounded Kaylor and Jym over the next fourteen hours to find them a ship — any ship — as long it was a Class-5 or larger.
“Primus-Lur is our best option, as far as I can tell,” Kaylor was saying. “I have never been to this side of the galaxy so I don’t have any first-hand knowledge to contribute, just what is in the Library.”
“Tell me about Primus-Lur,” Adam commanded a little too forcefully.
“From what I can find, it is one of the major commercial centers for this sector. It was in the second wave of consolidation, right after the Alliance Cluster, so it has been a part of the Juirean empire nearly from the start.”
“But do they have ships?” Riyad asked, anxious to contribute his years of pirating experience to the effort.
“It should — it did — before all this turmoil. According to the Library, representatives of all the major shipping companies are located there. How many of their ships remain, I do not know, and a number of them may have been called into action by the Juireans for their evacuation. The ships may be scattered throughout a thousand light years by now.”
“Screw it,” Adam said. “We won’t get anywhere just sitting around debating. Kaylor, get us over there as fast as you can. We’ll just go in and see for ourselves.”
Kaylor looked at Riyad. “Systems on this side of the galaxy are not as experienced with pirate activity as they are in the Fringe. I don’t think they’ve had any such activity in thousands of years.”
Riyad smiled. “Good. Then they won’t be expecting anything.”
“What I mean is the authorities will likely pursue much harder.”
“Let them pursue us all the way to back to Earth,” Adam said. “I don’t care much about following the law. Just get us there Kaylor; we’ll do the rest.”
“Yes, Adam. And that also brings up a subject Jym and I have been discussing.”
Adam frowned at the tall alien. “Go on.”
“Jym and I will not be accompanying you to Earth. We cannot; it is such a long journey there and back. And with the galaxy in such disarray, we have decided to return to our home worlds to see if we can be of any assistance.”
Adam could find no argument to counter Kaylor’s heart-felt confession. The Humans aboard the small ship were themselves in a frantic quest to return to their home — what there was left of it. He should expect nothing less from Kaylor and Jym.
“I understand, Kaylor. All I ask is that you help us locate another ship, and then you can take this one back to your planets.” He smiled as he placed a reassuring hand on Kaylor’s shoulder. “We may also need a quick lesson or two on how to run the new ship. I’m sure it’s different from the Juirean battlecruiser we took back to Earth the last time.”
“This one will more likely be a freighter. I believe there are very few warships left in this part of the Expansion.”
“That’s fine. Let’s just hope all the ships haven’t bolted. Set the course, Kaylor.”
“A freighter, you say?” Riyad said. “That should make for an easier acquisition.”
Chapter 42
Kaddof was outside the headquarters spaceship enjoying a few moments of natural air and starshine when his personal communicator sounded. There was an urgent message coming in from Eilsion that required his immediate attention. He rushed back into the large disk and proceeded to the S/W comm room.
The monitor blipped once and then Daninf’s head appeared. In the past three days Kaddof had not had any further communications with the Langril. Instead, he had redeployed his forces and only hours ago had received word that over five thousand more Juireans had been killed across the planet just from their initial strikes. It was going to be a good day on Juir.
“Kaddof!” Daninf Kicon called out. “The Humans have turned back toward Juir!”
Kaddof felt himself go weak. “This cannot be, my Ludif. Are you sure?”
“Of course. And not only have they turned, but approximately six hundred of their fastest units have broken off from the main fleet and are proceeding towards Juir at maximum well.”
“When will they arrive?”
“In just over thirty days, which is nearly a month sooner than originally expected.”
Kaddof’s mind was racing. Six-hundred Human ships….
“Only six hundred, my Ludif, our forces may be able to defeat them. I can muster over four hundred — and we are Kracori!”
“And even if you could defeat them, after a pitched battle with the Humans, what forces would you have to stand against their other nine-hundred ships when they arrive a month later?” Daninf asked, shaking his head. “I am disappointed in you, Kaddof. I would have thought the Academy would have trained our officers better.”
“But Daninf,” Kaddof began, forgetting the formal greeting for the head of the Ludif Council, “that would mean we must again prepare to evacuate.”
“Precisely, and not only prepare, but to execute.”
“We still have time to inflict great suffering on the Juireans here on the planet. I will double our efforts and still have time to pull the forces-”
“No!” Daninf said. “Begin the withdrawal immediately. All forces must be clear of the area well before the Humans arrive. We cannot leave any trace gravity waves that can lead them to us. Survival of our planet is more important than kill a few more Juireans. Pull your troops now, Kaddof.”
Kaddof sat staring at Daninf’s stoic face on the monitor. He knew there was no use in arguing; the Council had decided and now he must obey. He nodded slightly to Daninf.
Impatient, Daninf himself nodded and then cut the transmission.
Kaddof lifted himself from the seat slowly and made his way to the exit. Mininof, Jonnif’s aide — and now his — was waiting in the corridor. “The Humans are coming this way,” Kaddof mumbled. “Resume all evacuation procedures.”
“Why are they playing such games with us, these Humans?”
“I do not know, Mininof, but now the Kracori will lose our legend. It will be tragic.”
“Yes, my Ludif. I will send out your orders.”
Kaddof left the spaceship and returned to the edge of the cliff, very near where Jonnif had thrown himself off into the abyss. The remains of Juir City still smoldered far below, yet now he could see large concentrations of his ground troops clustered off to the left of the ruins. Soon the shuttles would start ferrying them back to their troop carriers for the long journey back home. They had only been on-planet for six days; they would not welcome being stuffed back into the giant spaceships, especially after not having accomplished their mission — or feasted much upon the flesh of Juireans.
In frustration Kaddof bent down and lifted a large rock from the ground. He held it in his hand, marveling at how light it felt for its size. With the gravity of Juir about one-quarter less than that of Eilsion, Kaddof felt an exhilarating physical strength on this planet of the Juireans. He would have welcomed the chance to kill a native with his bare hands, just to feel his superiority over the Juirean. His orders were to begin the evacuation immediately, but he was sure he still had time for one of the ground units to bring him a captive Juirean to kill. He would welcome that — and it would also make for an appropriate departing meal for him and his fellow officers.
As he peered over the edge of the cliff, Kaddof also thought of Jonnif and what joy he would have received fro
m engaging in the same act. Jonnif Vinn had been Kaddof’s mentor, and more like a father to him than simply a commander.
Jonnif was of the Kiconnif clan and had been raised with all the political privileges that came with his birthright. And even though he had been born with the strongest of legends, Jonnif Vinn was also a very good commander, having proven himself in many a contest and through extensive advanced training. In addition, he was also related to the Langril, so when the time came to lead the finally assault upon the Juireans and the Expansion, it was Jonnif who was naturally chosen to command.
Kaddof, on the other hand, was from the Hilfoif Tribe, and as such had not shared the same path to his present rank as had Jonnif. Jonnif had met Kaddof seventeen years before and had immediately spotted an exceptional fire burning within the younger Kracori officer. It was also no secret that Jonnif enjoyed Kaddof’s almost Ludif-like worship of his commander. He had contacts and influence and he had traveled extensively off-planet. Kaddof had been more than happy to serve as Jonnif’s understudy.
But now the broken and mutilated body of Jonnif Vinn lay in a freezer aboard the headquarters ship, awaiting return to Eilsion where it would be undoubtedly cast into an unmarked grave without fanfare or regard for legend. The line of Jonnif Vinn would end with him and it would end with shame.
Kaddof had to admit that Jonnif’s actions would bring about the destruction of the Kracori Legend, yet he was also sure that Jonnif had not meant that to be the case. But now he would be cast as the destroyer of the Kracori, and all because of a simple mistake. It just wasn’t fair.
And now, in spite of it all, Juireans still lived on the planet Juir….