The Human Chronicles Saga : Boxset #2 (The Human Chronicles Saga Boxsets)

by T. R. Harris

Communications to and from Vicor would take fifteen minutes to complete, so Foslin waited anxiously in the quiet of the K-92, hoping that Juris was in his office. He knew the local time on Vicor, so he should be, unless he was out on an assignment.

  When an hour had passed, and still no answer, Foslin was about to give up this tack and try another, when suddenly the comm beeped, and the image of Juris Lim appeared on the screen.

  “Greetings, Foslin, I hope this communiqué finds you well,” said Juris Lim in the minutes-old recording. Foslin noticed his former colleague looked concerned. “Sorry it took me so long to return the link, but I was confused by the content of your message. It took time for me to research the references you made. Yet even after my research, I am still confused.”

  Within the recording, Juris placed a secondary box on the screen. It showed two Vicorean Enforcers in a still-frame picture. “If you are correct regarding the designation of the Enforcer craft sent in pursuit of the aforementioned Silean spacecraft, that vessel is crewed by Josel Kil and Loren Mols. There is also no mention of a specialist being assigned to the mission. That craft—the NK-90—was sent in pursuit of a Silean vessel whose owner accosted several Enforcers and local civilians, causing bodily harm to several. Upon last report, the vessel was located on the planet Karlis, along with a number of your Clan security vessels. That is the last we heard from the crew. In addition, there is no Enforcer named Nurick Nur within the Corps; however, there is a power-module channeler by that name. I was able to discern that he was engaged in a business transaction with the Silean vessel’s owner—a creature named Adam Cain—just prior to the ship fleeing from Vicor. Since the untimely departure of the alien spacecraft, the channeler has not been seen back at his facility or his home.”

  Juris paused as an image of the Vicorean Nurick Nur replaced that of the two Enforcers in the small box. “As you can tell now, I am quite confused regarding the report you filed, since none of the facts match those from here. I have sent a ping to the NK-90 for a status update on the crew yet have not received a reply as of my replying to your link. What I will ask of you is a secondary confirmation that the Enforcer ship you speak of is indeed the NK-90. In light of all the information to the contrary, I suspect you are mistaken. I will await your reply, Foslin, although I will be leaving my station in two hours from the time you receive this reply. I will mention your contact to Kilie; she will be glad to hear you are well.”

  After the message ended with the image of his old friend Juris Lim frozen on the screen—along with the very recognizable Nurick Nur in the smaller box—Foslin knew there had been no mistake. That was Nur aboard the Silean ship, and the so-called specialist had to be none other than the ship’s owner—the alien Adam Cain.

  So if these two had arrived in the NK-90, what happened to the two Enforcers? It didn’t take a lot of imagination on Foslin’s part to surmise an answer. After all, Foslin was a trained criminal enforcer, whether he worked for the Corps or the Clan. Somehow on the planet Karlis, Nur and Cain had gained control of the NK-90, probably at the final demise of Josel and Loren. And now Adam Cain was here on Ralic-Sim to recover his ship. How involved in the conspiracy was Nurick Nur, Foslin had no idea, although Cain did mention that after securing his ship, Nurick could return to Vicor aboard the Enforcer spacecraft, implying some kind of forced participation on the Vicorean’s part, while the alien journeyed to Anicett. That reference, in itself, would implicate the Kiran Clan in whatever conspiracy is underway.

  Foslin leaned back in his chair and smiled. With the recording he’d just received, it was indeed very likely that Nurick would return to Vicor in the NK-90, yet not as its pilot, but rather as a prisoner within.

  Foslin had no time to waste. The alien Adam Cain could lift off at any moment; after all it was his ship and he knew the systems intimately. Foslin made a quick copy of the transmission with Juris for his datapad and then hurried out of the K-92. He would take this information directly to Lord Solius Vix. His captain would be released, yet it would be he—Foslin— who would be thanked and rewarded for his independent actions, as well as for the prevention of a major embarrassment for Vice-Lord Solius Vix.

  Foslin was proud of himself. All it had taken was one link to his source and the mystery of the two imposters was solved. Yes, his reward would substantial—and well-deserved. His future within the Security Directorate would be secure.

  142

  “Perhaps I should be returning to the Enforcer spacecraft,” Nurick said as he watched the power-modules being loaded aboard the Pegasus. Adam stood within arm’s reach of the Vicorean, just in case he made a break for freedom.

  “Be patient. Let’s get the mods hooked up first. These are the right models, aren’t they?” Adam’s tone was biting and accusatory.

  “Yes they are, and I know what you are insinuating. I repeat, your negotiations left me little choice but to substitute the hybrids for standard mods.”

  “And if you hadn’t, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Sorry, Nurick; you stay with me until I’m ready to lift off.”

  The two of them approached the tech crew, with Adam sending out orders to begin the install immediately. There was ample labor for the job. This Solius Vix creature really wanted to make an impression on her boss by running the Pegasus through her paces as soon as possible, The timetable suited Adam just fine. Once the mods were installed, and he and Nurick were up on the test drive, he could send the Vicorean away in the Enforcer ship, while he engaged the full gravity-drive of the Pegasus and bolted out of Polimor territory before anyone was the wiser.

  Nurick and Adam returned to the interior of the Pegasus. Adam had already counted out an amount of gold equivalent to two hundred locbars and had the bars stacked neatly on a table on the mess deck. Even though he knew nearly all his problems had been caused by Nurick’s supply of inferior power-modules, he was also aware that Nurick’s return to Vicor may not go as smoothly as planned. The extra money should help with any legal defense he may need.

  Even with all the gold staring him in the face, Nurick still looked depressed. So they spent the next hour recording even more staged conversations between Adam and the Vicorean, all designed to clear Nurick of any wrongdoing. These conversations were then loaded into a datapad which Adam handed to Nurick.

  “I appreciate this,” Nurick said as he considered the small black box in his hand. “However, I’m afraid that with the deaths of the two Enforcers—and you gone to places unknown—it may not be enough. Someone will have to answer for the deaths.”

  “You had nothing to do with that; it’s all in there. You’ll be fine. Just another hour and we’ll be on our way—”

  The installation of power-modules is a noisy affair, as workers used powerful air wrenches to loosen and tighten bolts which held the units in place near the focusing ring housings. Also, these workers were a talkative lot—not Vicoreans or the species of Solius Vix—but of some other species that apparently had a lot to say to one another.

  So when suddenly the ship fell silent, Adam noticed right away.

  Nurick and he exchanged a look. “That was quick,” the alien commented.

  “Too quick,” Adam added.

  The pair went aft to the cargo bay, where a few of the install crew were still there, but in the process of leaving. “Are you done already?” Adam asked.

  “No,” answered one of the aliens. “Work ordered to be stopped.”

  “This can’t be good,” Adam said to Nurick. “Get back to the bridge while I secure the cargo bay.”

  “But what about the Enforcer ship? I need to get aboard.”

  “First things first. Let’s see what’s going on, and then if we can, get you to the ship. But if it comes to getting away fast, it might be wise for you to stay aboard the Pegasus.”

  “I am not going with you again!”

  Adam was at the controls of the hanger door, which was in the process of closing even as the last of the alien technicians hurried off the ship. The last one ba
rely squeezed through before the door thundered to a close.

  “Fine,” Adam said as he brushed past a defiant Nurick Nur on his way to the bridge. “Stay here and face the Clan courts and not those of Vicor. I’m sure the Polimors will be a lot more understanding. But I’m telling you, I have a bad feeling about this.”

  Even before reaching the bridge, Adam had already jumped started the generators using his ATD. His old friend Kaylor used to always keep one generator humming while in port, just in case he had to make a fast getaway. But these generators had been sitting cold for several days now, requiring at least fifteen minutes to wind up to full lift-off power.

  Adam also didn’t know how many of the mods had been installed before the crew had been recalled. Focusing rings worked in tandem with a mirroring unit, so they only operated in pairs. If four had been installed, then he would have the power of traditional vessels. If six had been installed, then he’ be a little faster. But since the increase in ring power was geometric in nature, he wouldn’t achieve truly superior speed until he had all eight rings working together. Any odd number module would just be wasted until another could be brought online to form a pair.

  He was on the bridge before he could use his ATD to determine the number of active rings. By then he simply slipped into the pilot’s seat and activated a screen. This is not good, he though, scanning the readouts. Five mods had been fully installed, with another two nearly complete. Little good that did; with energy modules, it was all or nothing.

  Nurick entered the bridge and moved to the forward viewport.

  “You coming or going?” Adam asked. “You have about thirty seconds to decide.

  There were emergency vehicles screaming across the tarmac of the spaceport heading for the Pegasus, and pretty soon there would be ships overhead. “I believe I will—”

  Nurick’s statement was cut short when suddenly two fiery rockets arched over the Pegasus, each trailing what appeared to be thick metal chains behind them. The links of thick iron, each easily a foot long, clanged loudly against the hull of the Pegasus with a nearly intolerable fingernails-on-chalkboard grating sound. Adam called up one of the exterior cameras and saw that the two long lengths of chain had landed about fifty yards to port where alien crews were already beginning to fasten the ends to heavy eye-bolts embedded in the surface of the spaceport, used more commonly to secure vessels against severe weather events. Now it looked to Adam that they were to be used to keep him on the surface.

  Adam jumped up out the pilot’s seat and stared into Nurick’s face. “You with me or against me, you have no time to think about it.”

  “They will simply blow the ship out of the air if you do manage to lift off.”

  “Not a chance. They don’t want to destroy the ship, just us.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “First of all, I have to get those chains untied.”

  Just outside the bridge, Adam opened a tall metal cabinet door set into the bulkhead. Inside was an array of weaponry. He strapped a holster around his waist and inserted a Colt .45 Model 1911 into the carrier. Next he withdrew an FN SCAR CQC assault rifle with an FN-40 grenade launcher attached and snapped in a 20-round magazine with a defiant click. Next he placed another four magazines into the pockets on the utility belt, along with six 40mm grenade cartridges.

  “What are these weapons?” Nurick asked. “They do not appear to be energy weapons.”

  “Oh, they pack a lot of energy, just not the kind you’re used to. I need you to monitor the generators and to clear the space above us when they’re charged.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “With a gravity well.”

  “While on the surface?”

  “Yep. Just a light one, something to keep any craft from taking up a position above us.”

  By then Adam was fully armed and ready for action. He moved to the side hatch. “Don’t try anything fancy, Nurick. As you know, I can control the ship from a distance. I can override anything you do against me.”

  “Why do you not trust me?”

  “Just lucky, I guess. Now, hold down the fort!”

  Adam was out the door before Nurick could ask what ‘hold down the fort’ meant.

  As with most civilized worlds in the universe, the gravity of Ralic-Sim was lighter than Adam was used too. In addition, he was able to take advantage of the seven months of increased gravity he’d suffered with aboard the Pegasus during his journey to the LMC. He had adjusted it upwards gradually until he was operating routinely on about twenty-five percent more than Earth standard. His muscles had grown accustomed to the heavier gravity, and now it felt as if an incredible weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was fast, light-footed and full of nervous energy. Pity the poor alien who got in his way.

  Unfortunately, there were plenty.

  As he exited the Pegasus, a squad of ten clansmons of various species poured out the back of a military-style personnel transport and lifted their flash weapons in his direction. He sent a burst from the SCAR in their direction with catastrophic effects. First of all, the sound of automatic rifle fire was something the aliens had never heard before, so they were all stunned into a moment of inaction. By then, as their comrades around them began to disintegrate from multiple tiny explosions striking their bodies, they were at a loss as to what was happening. Unlike flash weapons which left a trail of light behind them, the bullets from the SCAR came so swiftly that they were invisible to the eye. All they knew was that the barrel end of the rifle Adam carried was flashing at them with a deafening sound, and then bodies were exploding.

  Soon the first ten aliens were dead and Adam was sprinting toward where others were fastening the chains to the eye-bolts. Adam let loose with another burst of rifle fire as he ran, shredding five or six more aliens in the process. He snapped in another magazine as he ran.

  Just then the concrete below his feet began to bubble up, as streaks of powerful energy slammed into the surface. One of the strikes sent a concussion of flame and surface material erupting upwards, sending Adam flying into the air. He was six feet up when he next pulled the trigger on the SCAR, targeting the group of aliens at the second eye-bolt.

  What happened next, he should have expected. The recoil from the rifle sent him careening through the air in the opposite direction from his line of fire, and he struck hard against the side of another military vehicle, this one also manned by upwards of ten aliens.

  He was stunned by the impact, and also by the various blows to his head coming from the assembled aliens around him. They were using the blunt, plastic end of their flash weapons, some of which were breaking apart from the impact.

  Regaining his senses, Adam swept the stock end of his rifle out in front of him, sending the blunt metal into the heads and chests of several creatures. The metal of his weapon had a much more substantial effect on his opponents than did their plastic counterparts had on him.

  Still more aliens piled on and he fell to the ground under their weight. But now, with his back on the ground, he had leverage. He kicked out with both his legs, sending a grey-skinned alien flying high into the air. Next he grabbed another by the front of his tunic and pulled him down hard, crashing the thin-boned skull into the hard concrete surface. He followed this up with a few well-placed fist strikes, and before he knew it, this second batch of aliens was strewn about him, dead, unconscious or crying out in pain.

  He jumped to his feet and literally hopped to where the chains met the eye-bolts. What aliens he hadn’t killed in the area were now running off for safety, yet still flash bolts were striking around him.

  He swung the rifle around to his back by its strap, freeing his hands so he could remove the ten-inch thick rod that now securing the first chain to the tie-bolt. The nut twisted off the end of the bolt with ease, and then the chain was free.

  He ran to the next eye-bolt.

  More aliens had just arrived in two armored vehicles; Adam switched to grenade mode and sent a 40mm can
ister into the nearest APC. The explosion lit up the spaceport. When he took aim at the second transport, he saw that the vehicle had come to stop and was now bleeding occupants, all running for safety. He sent the grenade into the vehicle anyway. Adam then sent another deadly barrage of hot, 7.62X51mm NATO rounds into a half dozen more aliens approaching from the right, giving him a moment of relative calm before more troops arrived.

  Adam was now at the second eye-bolt. This one didn’t have the nut on the bolt yet, so it was just a matter of slipping the long metal rod from the two eyes. The chains were free, but now he had to return to the Pegasus and hope no one else fastened them before he could lift off.

  Then he got an idea. He fingered the FN-40 grenade launcher and sent two perfectly-placed cartridges into the two embedded tie-bolts. One was sheared off at the surface, while the second was twisted, yet still with a secure ring. One last grenade did the job, and now even if they had the time, the aliens wouldn’t have anything to fasten the chains to.

  Adam sprinted back to the Pegasus, dodging flash bolts as he went. Fortunately, as with most aliens, they didn’t understand the concept of leading the target, so with his blazing speed, most of the bolts fell behind him.

  But then about twenty feet from the Pegasus his luck ran out. A bolt grazed his right shoulder, burning through his shirt and sending him twisting to his left. These weren’t ordinary flash bolts from hand weapons; instead, they were from cannon and carried a much heftier punch. Normally, a Human could take a Level-Two bolt and survive with not much more than a nasty burn and a bad attitude. But now Adam was writhing on the ground, the pain in his side nearly unbearable.

  Adam gritted his teeth after letting loose with a loud primal scream. The scream produced a surge of adrenalin which helped to ease the pain somewhat, yet when he attempted to get to his feet, he found that his whole right side was numb. His vision was blurred, as well, and he could feel the first traces of shock coming over him. He’d been trained to recognize the signs, and now all that training did was cause him to panic even more. If he passed out now, that would be it. Adam Cain would die a lonely, horrible death on this far distant planet, and the worst part, without completing his mission.