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

by T. R. Harris

  “So what’s the protocol, Admiral?” Adam asked.

  “Convoys. We’re going to initiate convoy movement throughout the sector. The alien beam is focused, so it may only be able to take on one ship at a time.”

  “That makes sense. We’ll be at Uinsid in another two days, and the closer we get to the system the more traffic we’ll run into. That should keep us safe, at least for the time being.”

  “Agreed, and every hour that goes by moves you further away from sector two-four-two. Just keep an eye out for any unknown vessels, and if you do see one, bolt away as fast as you can. We’ll get an escort lined up for your trip back to Earth.”

  “Damn, Andy, what are we dealing with here; another alien species with superior weapon’s technology?”

  “It’s a big and dangerous universe out there, Mr. Cain. Who knows what’s lurking around the corner just waiting for the chance to rain on our parade? And they’ve attacked both Juirean and Human ships, so they’re not playing favorites.”

  “Have the Juireans been contacted?”

  “Yep. They’re denying that the Class-4 is theirs. They say we took a derelict and dressed it to look like a C-4, just so we can cause some intergalactic crisis.”

  “You told them about their dead crew, didn’t you?”

  “That’s when they suddenly clamed up. They’re protesting, but also sending a team to investigate.” Tobias raised his eyebrows. “On second thought, we may actually have trouble proving it’s a Juirean ship after all, since there are no bodies onboard.”

  Adam attempted a smile. “There was time when I would have welcomed the news about dead Juireans, but this sounds like something really serious.”

  “Roger that. I’ll let you go now, but please, get to Uinsid as fast as you can, and then stay there until I give you the go ahead.”

  “Aye aye, sir. And if you can, send me the report on the dead aliens when it’s ready. I’d be curious to see what they’re made of.”

  “Will do. Signing off.”

  182

  The Pegasus II arrived at the planet Uinsid two days later without incident. They were directed to land in a large spaceport next what looked to be a massive sports arena, one that dwarfed anything found on Earth. This one could easily seat a million people or more.

  Adam had only taken a glancing look at the Que’l and their planet prior to arriving. As was his nature, one alien looked pretty much like the other, at least generically, so his curiosity level was virtually nil when it came to meeting another one. Yet in person, he found them to be much more impressive than in the vids.

  With the gravity of Uinsid sitting at slightly over half of Earth’s, the natives were much taller than Humans, somewhere between seven and eight feet tall. They were also strange looking things, with massive necks and huge, square heads that were nearly flat on top. Their scalps were hairless and appeared to be made up of overlapping plates of thick bone. They were two-legged yet had feet that resembled hooves. They were also extremely muscular, even the females, and adorned themselves with drab-looking garments made of course leather. There was nothing flashy or soft about the Que’l; they were an impressive and intimidating species.

  The Joining Ceremony would take place at the huge stadium, atop a stage placed where the fifty yard line would be in a traditional arena. The Human entourage consisted of no less than two senators, four representatives, an over-abundance of personnel from the Alien Affairs Office, along with nearly a hundred reps of the other Union members, all eager for the official joining so trade opportunities could be realized.

  The Que’l had petitioned for membership, and the Union was all too eager to let them in. Two of the planets within the Que’l sphere of influence were overflowing with raw materials, such as iron, nickel, magnesium and other heavy metals. They also had substantial gold, silver and other precious metals and gems which appeared to be untapped by the natives. This was something the Union could not abide. Whole fleets awaited the finalization of the joining documents so they could descend on these worlds and begin stripping them clean. The Que’l appeared to be fine with this, since it would mean untold wealth suddenly lavished on the population—of course, lavished upon some more than others.

  The trio’s escort led them to an underground access to the stadium, where they met the lead cultural attaché from Earth, a man named Omar Piero.

  His smile seemed practiced and overdone as he grasped the hands of each of them. “I am so honored to meet the three of you. Of course, I have been hearing of your exploits since I was just a kid.”

  Adam pursed his lips, yet mentally forgave the man for pointing out their advancing age. He had to remind himself that he was only twenty-five when he’d been abducted by the Klin, which meant twenty years of adventure amongst the stars still placed him only in his mid-forties. Of course, he also knew it wasn’t the years, it was the mileage. And as far as he knew, no Human had more mileage under their belt than did Adam Cain.

  “So what’s the schedule, Mr. Piero?” he asked.

  “The ceremony begins in an hour, with the planetary president—a being named Quanick Mur—presenting a speech officially accepting the Joining Invitation. That will be followed by speeches by Senators Hardwick and Bloomberg, and then by Ambassador Reynolds. The Ambassador will then introduce the three of you, following a short summary of your accomplishments.”

  “Have you seen the speech, Mr. Piero?” Sherri asked. “Sometimes they go overboard with some of the things we’re credited with doing. It might be nice to know what’s going to be said about us before we go on stage.”

  “It is the standard bio, Ms. Valentine,” the young man explained. “Mr. Cain’s abduction by the Klin and his escape, your meeting him and then the joining up of Mr. Tarazi as the three of you warned the Earth of the impending attack by the Juireans.” The man seemed absolutely giddy as he spoke. “He won’t tell the whole story; that has already been circulated through media accounts for over two months now, including the release of movie The Human Chronicles by Cyrus Biggs.”

  All three of them cringed. They’d seen the movie, of course, even though none of them had signed off on it beforehand. It was an over-the-top glorification and exaggeration of the events surrounding the Human/Juirean War and the Humans’ ascension to the leadership of the Expansion. It ended with Adam’s famous abdication speech where Humanity gave the Expansion back to the Juireans so they could return home and begin building their own stellar empire. The storyline would dovetail nicely into the ceremony, and unfortunately, was becoming part of the standard media kit surrounding all new membership events.

  Omar Piero was still talking: “He’ll then introduce the three of you, at which point you will have thirty minutes for your presentation. Please feel free to extend it if you like. I have to say, it will be the highlight of the event and one which billions of beings on Uinsid have been anxious to see.” He flashed his practiced smile again. “After all, no one wants to hear politicians speak unless they have to. Most are tuning in to see you. Following all the official hoopla, there will be a Drunage Match, which you may find interesting.”

  “What’s a Drunage Match?” Riyad asked.

  “It’s the major sport practiced by the Que’l, basically a cross between football, rugby and a street brawl, if I had to describe it.”

  Adam and Riyad looked at each other. “Sounds like fun!” Adam said.

  The smile left Piero’s face. “The natives take the game very seriously. It’s played essentially as a substitute for war among the various Sects. It is quite savage and violent.”

  “As I said, sounds like fun,” Adam repeated, deciding to have a little fun at the expense of the attaché.

  “Thank you, Mr. Piero, it sounds like a delightful afternoon,” Sherri said, shaking his hand again and ending this line of conversation. She always was the most diplomatic of the three, a role which Adam and Riyad gladly surrendered without a fight.

  They followed their host to a small anteroom wh
ere they watched the pre-ceremony events on a huge flat screen monitor mounted on the wall. The trio had participated in nine previous Joining Ceremonies, with three already on the books for later in the year. Sherri seemed to revel in them, with Riyad basically indifferent and Adam thoroughly bored most of the time. But the money was great, and except for the time traveling to and from the various planets, they didn’t last long.

  The money he got from such events, plus the merchandising of his identity, had allowed Adam to finally purchase his dream estate in the Lake Tahoe region of Nevada, along where the Ponderosa Ranch once existed. He had ninety acres, with his home set squarely in the middle, giving him all the privacy he needed. Sherri lived in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Orinda, in a mansion with an incredible view of the Bay to the north. She spent three quarters of her time there, and the rest with Adam in Tahoe.

  They had reconciled—to a point—now that her affair with Riyad was long over. They enjoyed each other’s company…and then it was time to be alone. There’s a belief that two people must be alike to get along; not so with these two. They were too much alike to co-exist for very long in the same proximity. The time apart served to release the pressure that constantly built up between them.

  Riyad had moved to San Diego, boasting to anyone who would listen that the city had the best climate of anywhere in the galaxy. Adam was a California boy himself and knew the city intimately. He agreed whole-heartedly. Yet there was something about the rich pine scent in the air of the high Sierra, and the freshness of the winter snow fall that helped Adam stay grounded. You could travel the galaxy—hell two galaxies in his case—yet eventually one needed a place to call home just to keep things in perspective.

  And that was why these excursions off-planet were becoming more and more of a bother, and why he kept insisting on higher and higher fees for his time. The other two rode his coattails to the accompanying wealth, knowing that eventually Adam would say no at some point. And without Adam, their stock would drop like a rock.

  Stepping out onto the huge stage for the first time took their breath away, as a million living souls all cheered and clapped in a very Human-like display of greeting. They had never been faced with so many people in person and the sheer energy within the arena was overpowering.

  They took seats to the left of the main speaker’s podium and waited patiently for their time at center-stage. That time came precisely three-hours, forty-two minutes after the start of the ceremony, much longer than any of them had been told or anticipated.

  At some of these events, their show could last upwards of an hour or more, as they ad-libbed and enjoyed the intimate feel of the smaller venues. Yet this one was intimidating, and they wrapped up their part of the ceremony in only eighteen minutes. Still the crowd went wild.

  And then came the Drunage Match.

  Adam had to admit he was impressed. Here was a pair of forty-five-member teams basically beating the crap out of each other as only the Que’l were designed to do. As the game was played, a large stone with a handle was set at center field—a field twice as large as a standard football field—and each team would rush forward from their goal lines to take possession of it. What came next shocked even the violent and competitive Humans.

  The Que’l would use their flattened heads as battering rams, often slamming square on with another charging native. The sound of the collisions could be heard all the way to the stage, even over the absolute din of the crowd noise. Yet very few of the Que’l got injured, at least initially. Their plated heads, thick necks and massive shoulders were designed to take such impact, and they used them as weapons against their opponents. There also appeared to be very few rules to the game. Tacklers could come in from any angle, even joining together to crush a blocker or runner between two massive head butts. By the end of the shortened match—shortened on account of this being an exhibition match—sixteen of the starting ninety players had been removed from the field on mechanized carts.

  The captain of the winning team then made his way to the podium to greet the President and his mate, as well as their three most-distinguished guests.

  The President turned to the three Humans. “This is Dravis Hurr, our most accomplished Drunage player.”

  Dravis met their eyes with a steely, confident stare. “I have heard much of Humans, and of your abilities. I must say you are much smaller than I first believed.”

  “Dravis, please do not insult. These beings are guests of the Que’l.”

  “No offense taken,” Adam said, standing to greet the team captain. “We hear that all the time.”

  “So what do you think of our contest?” Dravis asked. Adam could smell the strong perspiration, musk-like and masculine.

  “Very impressive. We have a similar game on Earth called football. I used to play it when I was in school.”

  “Then perhaps you will consent to a challenge match?” He looked over at Riyad. “Two on two for the best score to three?”

  Adam smiled while shaking his head. “Oh, I concede your expertise, Dravis Hurr. I’m afraid we wouldn’t give you much of a contest. Besides, it seems your bodies are built for this kind of sport, where ours are not.”

  “We have head gear available.” He turned to another player who already carried the equipment. Dravis handed it to Adam.

  “This will provide the necessary protection to your head and neck and place most of the pressure upon the shoulders.”

  Adam lifted the light-weight, L-shaped helmet as Riyad stepped up to inspect it himself. It did indeed have a padded, flattened top, and then foot-wide panels that joined the top with a pair of U-shaped shoulder pads.

  “The impact on the head will be transferred to the shoulders, resulting in no injury, especially for the physically superior Humans.” Dravis’s last comment was dripping with sarcasm and inference. Adam bristled.

  He looked to the President, who simply looked back at him with an amused grin. “It is quite appropriate for challenge matches to be accepted. They are a strong indicator of an opponent’s worthiness.”

  Adam looked at Riyad, who shrugged.

  “Sure, why not?” Adam said. “Challenge accepted.”

  “Very good!” said the President of the Que’l. “The audience, both here and on the transmissions, will enjoy this immensely. Thank you both for accepting the challenge. We will now have an opportunity to see why Humans have succeeded as you have against other races within the galaxy.”

  Adam laughed. “Please don’t hold too much expectation, President Mur. Your people are so much bigger than us and are built for the type of play required to win the game.”

  The smile suddenly vanished from Mur’s face. “Then have the stories of Human achievement been an exaggeration, simply a means to intimidate the other races of the Arm?”

  Adam was stunned by the intensity of the President’s accusation. He glanced around the stage, looking for Omar Piero. The attaché had spent months studying the Que’l; he knew their thinking and their culture. It was obvious Adam had made some faux pas, and he was at a loss as to what to do next.

  “It is as I suspected,” said Dravis Hurr. “Your technology is the only advantage you have over other races.”

  Riyad stepped up to the eight-foot-tall alien. “We said we accept your challenge, and we do. When do we start it? I’m anxious for some exercise.”

  Dravis nodded. “Good fortune,” he said. “An alien with courage. I find that refreshing. We begin as soon as the field is cleared and the teams assembled.” He looked to President Mur. “With your permission, my Lord.”

  “For victory!” he said.

  “For victory!” Dravis repeated.

  Riyad and Adam then huddled with Sherri. “We’ll just run around a little and let them win, even though it will piss me off to do so.” Adam said.

  “Have you seen how their heads are made?” Sherri asked. “They’re like walking, talking battering rams. This is one case where you may not win even if you wanted to.”


  Adam frowned. “Are you kidding? The gravity is half that of Earth’s, and I’ve found that no matter how intimidating an alien may look from the outside, most of them are made of marshmallows on the inside.”

  “Don’t let your macho ego get the best of you, Adam. Be careful, both of you.”

  “No sweat, pet,” Adam replied with a smile.

  The two men followed an escort down onto the field. Adam thought the arena was impressive from the stage; on the field it was like nothing he’d ever experienced. The playing area itself was huge, much larger than a traditional football field, with their goal marker barely visible in the distance. Two Que’l helped Adam and Riyad put on the head gear, and they found that the strap that held the apparatus to their foreheads blocked their view when trying to look up. They had no choice but to deal with it, since the other straps reached under their armpits to hold the shoulder gear in place.

  Adam and Riyad looked at each…and then both burst into laughter. “You look ridiculous!” Adam cried out.

  “So do you, my friend, so do you, and unfortunately this is being broadcast all across the Arm. How will we ever live this down?”

  “Let’s just get it over with as soon as possible.”

  The two Humans were placed at the Que’l goal line. The small stone with the handle was barely visible at midfield, and Dravis and his teammate were mere dots in the distance. And then a buzzer sounded, and Adam knew the match was underway.

  Riyad and Adam took off, looping in the light gravity with ease. Adam felt he was going about half speed when he noticed that the Que’l had already reached the rock. “Damn, they’re fast!” he called over to Riyad.

  “I’ll cover on the right,” Riyad replied.

  “I’ve got the left.”

  Dravis had the rock held firmly in his grip as he ran toward them. The field was extremely wide, yet the alien appeared to be making a beeline for Adam. At the last second before they came together, Dravis tossed the rock back to his trailing teammate, and then lowered his head and crashed directly into the Human.