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

by T. R. Harris

  The being—designated as a male by most standards—looked up at the disappearing height of the mast and then over at the squat generator building nearby.

  “Primitive,” he said to one of his hulking companions. “Very primitive, yet effective.”

  “It does appear to be purposeful, unlike the unintended consequences of the Alini.”

  “That it does.” The creature frowned slightly, a gesture not lost on the hulking figure next to him.

  “Do not mourn them, Panur. They served their purpose to the Colony, as we all do, including yourself.”

  “They were just trying to improve their communications, Noslead Vosmin. They did not intend you any harm.”

  “Whether they did or not is a non-factor. They made themselves known…and they were accessible. We only did what all other species do.” The tall creature looked down at Panur, turning the obscured faceplate towards him. “All except mutants like you.”

  Panur shrugged. “Perhaps I should have a look at the generators?”

  The trio walked the short distance to the large metal building that was the power source for this particular mast. As they approached, Vosmin looked into the sky and then around at the desolate landscape falling out below the small rise. “This is a strange location for an array. Why place it here?”

  “For it to remain undetected; that’s obvious. Whoever built the array doesn’t want others to know about it.”

  “How can it be kept a secret…now that we are here?”

  “The better question is why do those who built the array believe you would let it remain a secret, something exclusive only to them?”

  The tall alien looked down at the smaller figure as awareness dawned on him. “It is because they do not know of us.” The voice sounded incredulous. “Is it possible they intentionally built the array without knowing what would come through? That is even worse than piercing the dimension unintentionally.”

  The smaller creature took in a deep breath of the alien air. “You comprehend the situation perfectly, Vosmin. As for the builders of the array, they are either incredibly stupid or incredibility desperate. Either way, their fate is sealed.”

  “Just complete your analysis, Panur. The Queen was reluctant to allow your passage as it was. The longer you remain in peril the more nervous she will become.”

  This time Panur smiled, an expression which often brought confusion to the Sol-Kor. They had seen him happy within the gesture, and also extremely sad. In this case it was neutral. “You should know by now, Noslead, I can take care of myself. There is very little to be worried about.”

  “This is a new universe, and already the Queen has lost a mainship. That has never happened before, short of war. There is a strangeness here that your gadgets may not be able to overcome.”

  “My beam worked fine, Vosmin. The reports indicated such. There were other factors involved that brought about the demise of the mainship. Perhaps when your racemates arrive we will learn more.”

  “That is your sole mission here, scientist—to learn. Assess the risks and value the crop.”

  “And improve on this archaic piece of equipment,” Panur said as he entered the unlocked generator room. He took a quick glance around. “Look at this thing! It is a miracle the device works at all.”

  The atmosphere within Panur’s chambers was adjusted so that the Sol-Kor soldier—a First-Minlead named Boslef—could remove his headgear and address the scientist directly. For his part, Panur simply adjusted his own physiology to the toxic mixture and was now completely immune to its affects.

  Noslead Vosmin—also armor-less—was seated at Panur’s desk, having commandeered it for his own. The scientist now stood to the right, waiting his turn to question the Sol-Kor junior officer. “You commanded one of the boarding vessels,” Vosmin stated, “the one that went aboard the alien craft.”

  “I commanded the vessel after Senior-Midlead Jofins was killed. I broke the seal and retreated.”

  “Are you positive Jofins and the other two Sol-Kors were dead before you departed?”

  “Their life signs indicated so, my Lead.”

  “And yet the bodies remained on the alien ship?”

  “Yes.” The huge alien shuffled nervously where he stood.

  When Vosmin didn’t speak, Boslef felt compelled to continue. “The mainship was destroyed and it was determined our light weapons would have been inadequate against the much larger vessel. The recordings will verify as much. Also with the strain aboard the small ship now free of the influence of the pulse, we were outnumbered. I felt it more important to return to the array and contact the Colony rather than resist against such force.”

  “Calm, First-Midlead, you made the right decision. If you hadn’t departed, one of my ships may have been captured, or possibly a Sol-Kor taken prisoner. It’s just that we’ve never lost a mainship before. This concerns me. I have reviewed your report and understand the events as they unfolded. I believe it may have been an unfortunate series of events that led to your defeat. Yet since we are new to this universe, I will withhold judgement until Panur has completed his analysis.”

  Now it was Panur’s turn. “You had already subdued the larger vessel and harvested the crop, with no issues concerning the pulse?”

  “That is correct. We had already determined that their weapons and propulsion technology had nothing to offer, and as their leader denied being the builder of the array, we proceeded to clear the vessel of what little benefit it had to offer.”

  “And then you departed,” Vosmin stated.

  Boslef suddenly became very animated. “Only temporarily, my Lead. On the journey back to the array, Senior-Midlead Jofins had the crop tested. As has been reported, the findings were incredible, surpassing in a number of categories even that of the A’nor.”

  Panur cringed visibly at the mention of the word A’nor. Vosmin looked to the scientist and noticed the paleness of his skin. “Please, Boslef, there is no need to be insensitive. As you can see, Panur has reacted badly to your testimony.”

  “I only speak the truth; I was not being insensitive. You have seen the results yourself, my Lead. This is the richest find since the A’nor. And that is why we returned; to learn more of the strain and its growing fields.”

  Panur gathered himself before continuing. “And this smaller ship was of a different strain?”

  “Yes, smaller and less marbled as far as we could determine from the recordings. We never got the chance to do an analysis.”

  “Could you tell if the pulse worked on them as well?”

  “As Midlead Jofins and the rest entered the small ship, I was left in charge of the boarding shuttle. I observed on the screen as they surveyed the ship. Yes, the beam had also rendered this new strain compliant, although to a somewhat lesser degree than the creatures on the larger ship, yet still manageable.”

  “And then the mainship was destroyed.”

  “Yes, it came unexpectedly.”

  “From the larger ship?”

  “Yes.”

  “Could some of the original crew have been missed?”

  “No, when we left we did a lifesign scan. The harvest was thorough.”

  Panur looked at Vosmin. “Then creatures from the second ship boarded the larger vessel.”

  “Yet they were not affected by your beam,” Vosmin countered. His manner still conveyed the belief that Panur’s pulse beam was somehow at fault. “Even at the spread between vessels, the strain should have been subdued.”

  “Each species reacts differently to the pulse,” Panur said in his defense. “As Boslef reports, the ones on the smaller ship were affected, yet they must also have a certain resistance to it, at least enough to still possess the ability to act independently when not being directly targeted.”

  Vosmin turned his attention back to Boslef. “That I accept, yet there is a second issue present. Even as the pulse was negated when the mainship was destroyed, how was it that the strain on the smaller ship was so easily abl
e to kill three armored Sol-Kor and repel the boarding?”

  “As I watched the screen, I saw the creatures recover quite rapidly. And then they attacked with such a viciousness that Midlead Joslin and the others were caught off guard.”

  “They are small—”

  “Yet extremely strong and agile.”

  “You have harvested other strains before in this universe,” Vosmin stated. “This was your first encounter with this particular strain?”

  “Yes, my Lead. We had detected three distinct strains by then, yet not this particular variety. The other two were adequate for our needs, yet not of the same grade as the crop from the larger vessel. I suspect that because of the unique qualities of the smaller strain, we may find this one to be of a high grade as well.”

  Vosmin nodded. “That may be possible.” He looked at Panur. “There appears to be an open intermingling of the strains in this universe. That is unusual.”

  “Not necessarily,” Panur answered. “We have found this interaction in other universes, and even in our own. It is a common social trait among species…when you’re not eating them.”

  “Even the A’nor had to eat to survive, Panur. You may have found a means around that biological necessity, yet for the Sol-Kor, we feed to survive. There is no cruelty, savagery or malicious intent involved.”

  “And yet you also do not manage your crops as well as you could,” Panur said. He and Vosmin had had this discussion often.

  “There may come a time when we have to, scientist, yet thanks to your inventive mind, we are able to find food that is abundant and accessible, with very little effort required on our part. The Queen survives, the Colony survives, and the strongest survive.”

  “With my help.” Panur always loved to point out this very inconvenient fact to the Sol-Kor. They projected an air of superiority over him—as well as every other strain of living creature they encountered—and yet it was only through his inventions did they reign supreme.

  “Yes, Panur, your point is becoming monotonous. Second only to the Queen herself, you have made an impact on the well-being of the Sol-Kor; that I acknowledge. Yet you are only one being and you only have value because of the things you create. I cannot say I understand how you became what you are; only you and the Queen have lived as long. And if it hadn’t been for your unique contributions to the Sol-Kor, your scrawny body would have been absorbed thousands of years ago by my ancient brothers. As long as you produce, you have value to the Colony beyond the energy we would have consumed from your brain.” Vosmin narrowed his large eyes at Panur while a glistening appeared on his lips. “Although I must admit, of all the delicacies in the all the universes, I am sure your brain would reign supreme, even if you are a mutant.”

  “As a mutant, I am one of a kind. If I didn’t exist, we would not be here talking as we are. Indeed, the entire Sol-Kor race would probably have been forgotten long before this. You owe your very existence to me, Vosmin—”

  “We owe our existence to the Queen!”

  It was Panur’s turn to nod. “That is correct. Yet by now your kind would have consumed every race you could reach in your primitive starships and probably starved to death long ago. Only through me have more feeding grounds been brought under your domain.”

  “And now you have given us an infinite number of universes to harvest. You have provided us with superior star travel, as well as the means to subdue just about any prey. As I see it, Panur, what else do you have to offer the Sol-Kor? You have assured our survival for all eternity, with or without any new discoveries.”

  “Unless you meet a challenge greater than even I can overcome, Noslead Vosmin.” He turned to Boslef. “Were you able to ascertain the identity of the strain within the smaller ship?”

  “Yes, as briefly we were aboard their ship, we discovered they are referred to as Humans.”

  184

  “You Humans truly are a strong race!” said Dravis Hurr as Adam hoisted the huge alien above his head. “I would not have imagined it from such a small creature.”

  “Strength is relative, Dravis. The gravity of my homeworld makes me strong here on Unisid, but on mine I’m just a normal person.”

  “I understand that, yet I also know there are very few worlds with the gravity of Earth that have produced such advanced beings—Primes as you call them.”

  “Just the luck of the draw, my friend,” said Riyad Tarazi. “You can set him down now, Adam. I believe you’ve made your point.”

  “The Que’l have had limited exposure to other races, and until now we have not experienced one with the litany of qualities of a Human. We had always assumed that strength fell within certain tolerances, based on our previous contacts, yet Humans fall well outside that range. You are also swift and agile. The loxnors of N’noric are the strongest creatures we’ve ever encountered, yet they are slow and uncoordinated, even on Uinsid. Humans are different in this regard.”

  “I know about the loxnors,” Adam said. “They are strong, even stronger than Humans, yet their muscle system is extremely short and tight. They have no range of motions—as we call it—making their movements short and restricted. It all comes down to evolution, Dravis, nothing more. I can’t explain it or tell you why some races have more advantages over others. And strength isn’t everything. The Klin are—or were—weak, soft creatures—”

  “Yet they used technology to overcome their weaknesses. That is not true strength and power in the opinion of the Que’l,” Dravis interrupted.

  “Power comes in many forms, Dravis,” Riyad chimed in. “Don’t discount technological power. For thousands of years the galaxy has depended on the technological advances of the Klin. Stronger races—in your opinion—have taken that technology and used it to suppress others. They’ve built entire empires based on Klin technology.”

  Dravis shook his head. “Yes, we do understand the difference, Master Tarazi. What sets the Que’l to heat, though, is the idea that we can be subdued merely by machines operated by weaker beings.”

  “Weaker physically, yet stronger mentally.” Adam now stepped back into the conversation. “I know it can be frustrating. At times you just want the creature to step out from behind the damn machine and face you being-to-being. Yet what you need to have to accept, Dravis, is that there will always be a stronger race or a more intelligent race just waiting to bury you.”

  “That I also realize, yet from where the Human race stands, it is easy to accept that reality from your position near the top. The Que’l are still learning our place along this power scale.” The huge alien placed his hands on the shoulders of both Adam and Riyad. “And from what I have learned from your visit here, that lesson can be very humiliating.”

  “Humiliating?” Adam said, astounded. “Look who talking about being humiliated? You’re not the one who was urinated on…and on Union-wide T.V.”

  “I, too, have felt the warm touch of disrespect, Adam Cain. Do not feel bad. It was what made me try harder to become the best at what I do, a claim I may now have to pass along to you.”

  “Keep it,” Adam said. “We have a saying back on Earth: compare apples to apples. It means that you should only gauge yourself against other Que’l and not against other races. There’s far too much variety in the galaxy to always be comparing yourself to others. You are the best at what you do. You are the best of the Que’l. That should be enough for any creature: to be the best among your kind.”

  “As you are the best for the Humans, Master Cain.”

  Adam frowned as Riyad let out a chuckle. Dravis looked at him, too. “I’m sorry, Dravis,” Riyad said. “I got something caught in my throat. Now Master Cain, I believe it’s time we hit the road. It’s a long trip back to Earth…and back to your adoring masses.”

  Adam raised his hand and extended a tall middle finger in Riyad’s direction. Dravis immediately followed suit. “Ah, a gesture of brotherhood, I assume?”

  “That’s right, brotherhood,” Adam replied. “Yet one to be kept j
ust between us, as friends and fellow Drunage players.”

  “I see,” said Dravis, “however, even with your success at the Joining Ceremony challenge, I would not call you true Drunage players, not in this universe…or any other!”

  185

  “Where the hell is he? He’s the one who was so anxious to leave.”

  Adam stood at the main viewport of the Pegasus II looking out at the tarmac of the spaceport. Workers had already cleared the area around the ship for a chemical liftoff, and he could see them growing agitated since the ship hadn’t departed. They had obviously had other things to do, as did Adam.

  “He said something about running by the embassy to check on that girl he met at the reception.”

  “That explains it. He’s clearly not thinking with his head. Try the comm again, Sher. If we don’t leave in the next five minutes we’re going to bumped out of line. And with a hundred ships trying to get out of here after the Joining Ceremony, who knows when we’ll get cleared again?”

  “Relax,” Sherri scolded. “It’s like you’re the one late for a hot date. Besides, with a two week trip ahead of us, I thought you’d welcome the delay?”

  “That’s not it. Andy has a convoy heading out in a couple of hours and he’s not about to hold it on our account. If we miss this one, we could be stuck here for another couple of weeks, if not longer.”

  Sherri looked out at the distant gathering of square-headed workers and the bleak, gray sky above. “Why am I always the last to know these things? You should have told me.” She proceeded to half-scream into the comm speaker, demanding that Riyad answer her. “If he wanted to stay on the planet and catch the next ride home, he should have told us,” Sherri said to Adam. “As it is, we may all get stuck on this drab orb of a world, full of arrogant, smelly and misogynistic aliens…eh, I mean natives.”