by T. R. Harris
Nurick’s eyes grew wide, yet he took a step back, lifted his right leg and began to shake it. Everyone burst out laughing, including the other aliens, Kaylor, Jym and Dracus. They had been around Humans long enough to recognize a colloquialism when they heard one. To his embarrassment, Nurick had not.
The medical jumpship was a combination ambulance and tow-truck all in one, designed specifically to rescue damaged fighter ships and their crews in outer space. It was a long vessel with a bulbous tail end which was essentially a large airlock and used to scoop up derelict or inoperable spaceships.
Kaylor piloted the jumpship until it was next to the round, gray orb that had once been Kroekus’s last-ditch method of escaping the Goliath in the event of an emergency. At the time McCarthy had invaded the giant starship, Kroekus felt confident he could use the pod to escape unharmed. Yet when Nigel attacked on specific decks, Adam had isolated those decks by sealing off the ship into thirds. The Silean’s only avenue of escape had been cut off—and a half hour later, so was his head.
Kaylor matched the speed of the pod, and the occupants of the crowded pilothouse craned to get a look; what they saw only caused hope to vanish. The orb was deformed on one side, charred and with several external nodes now melted against the mottled steel hull, a result of the massive explosion when the Goliath disintegrated. There was one small porthole, and as the pod slowly rotated, all they could see through the bubbled glass was darkness.
Next Kaylor maneuvered the medical ship until it was in front of the rescue pod before opening the huge rear airlock and slowly decreasing speed. The pod entered the gaping bay and moved further in until it contacted the huge rubber bumpers at the end of the room. Kaylor then closed the hatch and pressurized the chamber.
Next he activated the internal gravity well—slowly—until the large pod rested on the metal deck. Deformed as the sphere was, it rolled to one side, coming to a final rest with the escape hatch on the bottom.
The pilothouse cleared out, leaving only Kaylor at the controls.
“Do not touch it!” Nurick cried out as multiple pairs of Human hands reached for the pod. “It is as cold as space and will freeze your hands instantly.”
The rescue ship was equipped with an array of tools and clothing for handling such an event and after donning thick rubber gloves, the team attempted to roll the pod over off the escape hatch. When that didn’t work, Andy Tobias had them activate their magnetic boots and ordered Kaylor to reduce the ship’s gravity to only a tenth of normal.
Now the pod moved easily, and once the porthole was accessible, they all crowded in with flashlights darting about like blasts for the proverbial ray gun. Yet the glass was too charred and bubbled for them to see inside, and the control mechanism was now just a mass of smooth, solidified metal spread out over the hatch.
With no other recourse, Riyad and Andy set about with cutting lasers to free the hatch. Lasers such as these were also common equipment aboard the medical ship, with pilots often having to be cut out of mangled spacecraft; even then it took over ten minutes to complete the job.
Riyad then took a crowbar to the hatch, and with some effort began to pry it open. Once a purchase was revealed, eager, gloved hands reached out to pull it open fully.
Sherri was the first to stick her head into the pod, the beam from her flashlight leading the way. She gasped when she saw a body slumped over in one of the three seats in the pod, strapped in and alone. She recognized it immediately as that of Adam Cain. He appeared to be dead.
With the gravity still at such a low level, Sherri propelled herself into the interior of the pod with ease, and a second later was straddling Adam’s body with her hand on his neck, feeling for a pulse. “I’ve got nothing here!” she cried out. Her voice echoed off the cold metal interior of the pod like dirge. She then ripped open his already torn tunic and planted an ear against his chest. She kept it there for a full thirty second while tears escaped from her eyes. The entrance to the pod was now filled with the concerned faces of the other members of the team.
And then Sherri’s eyes grew wide. “I have something! It’s faint, but there. He’s alive! Hand me a neck brace.”
After she had wrapped the white apparatus around his neck, she unbuckled the straps, and in the light gravity, was able to easily lift him out of the seat. “Keep him straight. I don’t know the extent of his injuries and we don’t want to make matters worse.”
Helping hands reached out, and soon Adam Cain—or what was left of him—was out of the escape pod and headed for the ship’s medical bay.
177
Back aboard the Leviathan, Adam was placed in a medical coma for three weeks as the swelling in his brain subsided and his various other injuries healed. Alien medical science helped with his recovery, yet even at the time the doctors said it was okay to bring him out of the coma he was still in pretty rough shape.
All the players were in the room when he regained consciousness. There was Sherri, Riyad and Andy, along with Kaylor, Jym, Nurick and Dracus. Even Captain Dave Robe was present, although he stood back from the others, still feeling guilty for what he had done. Everyone had assured him he was not at fault; any one of them would have done the same if the roles were reversed. That still didn’t mitigate the awful feeling he knew would remain with him for the rest of his life, even with Adam expected to make a full recovery.
Once the drugs began to flow through his veins, Adam’s eyes began to flutter and his lips trembled. Then slowly he opened his eyes—mere bloodshot slits—before they fluttered to a close again.
But then a thin, wide smile began to stretch slowly across his face, while he opened his mouth and let a faint whisper escape.
“What did he say?” Riyad asked. Sherri was sitting on the side of the bed and holding Adam’s right hand. She was the closest to him. “I don’t know; it was too faint.”
Then Adam frowned. He slowly licked his lips with a dry tongue, before taking a deep breath and opening his mouth again to speak. This time the words came out clear enough for all in the room to hear.
He said: “Mission accomplished.”
Epilogue
Adam was up and walking a week later, which was just in time to meet Nurick and Qwels Nur at launch bay number four. They were leaving to return to Vicor, and from what Adam understood, to a hero’s welcome.
“I’ve been out of touch for a while, so what’s the latest news?” he asked Nurick just before the brothers boarded the shuttle that would take them back to Qwels’ flagship for the journey home.
“Dinis Grof has been arrested by the Council and the Kiran’s have sued for peace, having ceased all aggressive actions,” said Nurick with a smile. “It appears that their heart is not into war—that was something advocated by Nigel McCarthy and his co-conspirators.”
“And with their fleet reduced to less than ten percent of what it was at the peak of their power, they have little choice,” said Qwels. “I wonder how much their change of heart has to do with that fact?”
“Quite a lot, I would imagine,” Adam said. “And now it’s your job to make sure they don’t get the itch for war again anytime soon.”
“As long as you Humans do not assume control of any more of the Clans we just may be able to do that.”
Adam’s smile vanished. “Unfortunately, with the new dark matter drive, there’s going to be a lot more interaction between the galaxies.”
“An unavoidable circumstance, Adam; however, we of Tanic have now had close up experience with what to expect. I believe there will be adjustments made on both sides, yet we will be cautious.”
“Good for you. And there’s a saying which you should look up once you gain access to our Library. It’s a Human saying that says, ‘Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.’”
“What are Greeks?”
“Just look it up. Once you’ve read the context you’ll know what I mean. But until then, don’t trust anyone, especially people from my galaxy.”
“I believe you are t
oo hard on yourselves. We would certainly trust you and the others you surround yourself with. You are good and noble creatures.”
Adam just smiled and patted Nurick on the arm. “Please, research the saying. And watch your backs, looks can be deceiving.”
“And yet with your enemy Nigel McCarthy dead and with the knowledge that his offspring was the mastermind of the plan that allowed you to finally accomplish your mission, you must be feeling very satisfied.”
“I am satisfied, my friends. Eric McCarthy really came through in the end. I couldn’t have done it without him.” He shrugged. “I suppose there is some good in all of us.”
“So what new adventures await Adam Cain?”
Adam laughed. “I’m going home, my friends. The Leviathan and the Kraken leave in a week. After that, I’m hoping for a quiet retirement on a peaceful tropical island somewhere.”
“That seems rather dull.”
“Dull sounds really good right about now,” Adam said. And then he smiled and sent the two aliens a wink. “But who knows what the future may bring? We’ll just have to wait and see what the next chapter reveals.”
The End of
The Masters of War
(Expanded Edition)
In the next Adam Cain Adventure…
Upon returning to the Milky Way, Adam and his team are confronted with a new enemy, one that threatens the entire galaxy and not just a single race or planet. It’s something so truly alien that the Primes of the galaxy have trouble comprehending its savage actions, let alone its very existence.
Never have the combined civilized species of the Milky Way faced such a threat, and even the supermen from Earth may not be enough to save them.
Prelude to War
The Human Chronicles Saga
Book #10
an Adam Cain adventure
by
T.R. Harris
Adam Cain is an Alien with an Attitude.
His adventures continue….
178
“It certainly looks like a Juirean,” Ensign Jimmy Link said. “But if that’s the case, then someone’s breaking about a dozen conditions of the peace agreement.”
Commander John Frost checked his nav screen again. “Well it ain’t us. We’re on the edge, but still solidly in Human Space.”
“Power readings are strong, but we haven’t been scanned, which is unusual. I’m sure they can see us.”
Commander Frost considered the size of his little destroyer before making his decision. He did have right on his side, and besides, there hadn’t been any reported clashes between Humans and Juireans in over three years. “Helm, set course zero-nine-five, ahead one-half. We have every right to investigate. In the meantime, send an encrypted message to Fleet Command with a record of the last two hours.”
“Aye, sir. And weapons?”
“Activate shields but keep the weapons de-energized. We don’t want to make them nervous.”
“Nervous…them? That’s a Class-Four Juirean battle cruiser. It would take more than the firepower of the Tarazi to make that thing nervous.”
“Bring the ship to General Quarters just in case, Mr. Link. Let’s go take a look.”
The Orion Union Starship Tarazi closed on the huge alien spaceship as nonchalantly as a vessel could traveling at nineteen times the speed of light, before dumping out of the gravity-well and approaching at a meager forty-eight thousand miles per hour. When within visual range, Frost cut the power and used maneuvering jets to close within a thousand miles of the twenty-deck warship. For half an hour, Petty Officer Second-Class Hanson had been attempting to hail the alien craft, with no luck. The signal was being absorbed and an automated confirmation returned, yet so far no live Juirean had responded.
“Nothing, sir,” Ensign Link reported unnecessarily; the captain of the Tarazi was fully aware of the situation.
“Yeah, she appears to be dead in the water. Mr. Link, take a boarding party over to our uninvited guests and take a look.”
“I’ll be sure to knock first, sir. They may just be taking some kind of alien nap.”
“Hell, I don’t even know if Juireans sleep.”
“You ever seen one, sir?”
“Not in person; that was before my time. Peace came before I joined.”
“Same here, just pictures and videos.”
“Well, do the honors, Ensign Link. Just don’t go start the Second Juirean War.”
“Sir, they’re in our space. If anyone starts something, it’ll be them.”
Frost could see conflicted emotions cross the face of the young officer. He was excited, as well as scared out of his shorts. This’ll be a good training exercise for him. Also give him something big to talk about back at the base.
Fifteen minutes later the Tarazi’s lone shuttle craft was firmly affixed to the side the looming spacecraft, looking like a baby remora attached to the skin of a great white. The comparison was accurate, too, even though at this point the shark appeared to be asleep.
Hatches were lined up and the seals tested before Jimmy opened up on his side. Even then, the five-man away team was dressed in environment suits and armed with flash weapons. Ensign Link reached through the short gap between starships, and with a heavy crescent wrench, banged on the hull of the alien vessel five times repeatedly. Then he waited. The Humans had fairly detailed schematics of the layout of a Juirean Class-Four, so he knew this hatch was part of the replenishment and supply system for the ship. There was a large airlock on the other side and then a series of storage holds lining a long corridor leading to the center spine of the vessel.
For good measure, Link hammered on the hull one more time. Still nothing.
“I’m opening the hatch,” he reported over his throat comm.
“Monitoring,” Commander Frost replied.
This is definitely weird, Frost thought. The huge alien warship had been silent as a tomb since being detected forty light-years within the boundary of Human Space, a vast region of the Milky Way known to Humans as the Orion-Cygnus arm. To the rest of the galaxy, this region was referred to as the Far Arm, and Frost’s tiny patrol ship was tasked with monitoring a small slice of it just on the Human side of the Barrier from The Fringe Worlds—the last outpost of Expansion-dominated space. Juirean ships were expressly forbidden from entering Human Space without permission, and those that did came mainly through the more established space lanes at the other side of the Arm. To find this vessel here meant only one thing: It was a spy ship, tasked with monitoring the activities of the Human space fleet.
Frost was sure the Union also employed spy ships of their own within the New Expansion, even though Humans were allowed more freedom of access and movement within the bulk of the galaxy than Earth gave the aliens. After two devastating attacks on their homeworld—one by the Juireans and another by the Klin—mankind wasn’t taking any more chances. Aliens were certainly welcome within Human Space, yet only after the proper clearance and inspections.
So this Class-Four starship shouldn’t be here, and if Commander Frost detected even the slightest sign of hostility, he would retreat and wait for back up. As it was, he knew at least a dozen much-larger warships were ripping through space at that very moment in an attempt to get here as quickly as possible.
“The hatch opened without a problem, Captain,” Link reported. “Lights just came on inside the airlock, probably automated. We’re moving inside. Gravity still active. Wow, this is neat! What are they, about three-quarters of Earth’s?”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“This is like training on Galicie Four.”
“Concentrate, Mister Link.”
“Yessir. We’re inside now. Closing the outer hatch and activating the airlock.”
The area beyond the airlock was a large processing center for most of the hand-carried goods loaded through this access point. Larger items were brought in through the main landing bays. This scuttle could also be used to transfer personnel from ship-to-ship and also to ga
in access to the exterior for maintenance and repair.
“No one’s around, Captain. Lights are on, and there’s atmosphere and heat.”
“Proceed with caution. A Class-Four has a normal compliment of four hundred mane-heads. They have to be somewhere.”
“Roger that. Moving into the outer corridor.”
The fact that he was now safely aboard the enemy vessel allowed Ensign Link to relax—at least a little. He was more concerned now with how he’d react when coming face-to-face with a Juirean. He’d only been in the service a little over two years, and although the Union was full of alien species, running across a Juirean was very rare.
Just then something caught his eye. It was a pool of brilliant red liquid on the deck, oozing from under one of the dozen or so doors leading to the small storage rooms lining the corridor. “Sir, are you seeing this? Is this what I think it is? Juirean blood is red, right?”
“I believe so, but blood of any color leaking from under a closed door is never a good sign.”
Link motioned for the other four men in his party to flank the door before triggering the electronic opener on the wall.
What he found inside was not what he expected. Sure, there was blood everywhere, covering the deck, as well as splashed violently across the walls, stacked crates of ship’s stores, and even the ceiling. Yet there were no bodies. Drag smudges were evident in the shallow lake of blood, but no dead aliens.