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

by T. R. Harris

  All Adam had to do now was look for the signatures of these giant space stations.

  “The track is actually leading to a planet,” Sherri pointed out.

  Riyad and Ophelia had finally made an appearance on the bridge, he at the weapons station and she seated next to him and asking questions every few seconds. He was patient, taking his time to explain everything he was doing. Adam knew this had to be distracting, yet he would wait a while longer to say anything, just long enough, however, to see if Riyad’s reactions were impeded. Normally, he was one of the best gunners Adam had ever seen, with skills honed during his six years as the leader of the Fringe Pirates. If there was a Klin Colony out there somewhere, then Adam would need all of Riyad’s skills and then some. At that time, the last thing Riyad would need was a woman yapping in his ear.

  “Everyone on alert,” he finally said, hoping that would make Ophelia shut up for a minute. “I wasn’t expecting them to head for a planet.”

  “That’s just what they did, Adam, and it looks like they landed instead of going into orbit,” Sherri reported.

  “Do you have a location?”

  “Yep. It’s on the hemisphere facing us. But it’s moving into night. We should swing around to the other side so our approach won’t be so easy to spot.”

  “We’re going in?” Ophelia asked. “Aren’t we going to wait for the rest of the fleet?”

  “We’re just dropping in for a look,” Riyad said with a smile. “We don’t intend to start anything.”

  “Not unless they start something first,” Sherri said with her best bravado.

  “Even then, I think that would be foolish,” Ophelia threw in.

  “Entering the atmosphere!” Adam called out before Sherri could respond to Ophelia’s comment. “Switch to standard sensors, ready on weapons.”

  “I’ve already switched, Adam,” Sherri said, testiness apparent in her voice. “I know what I’m doing.”

  Damn, Adam thought. This is not going to end well.

  Arriving on the dark side of the planet, it was evident from the total lack of observable lights that the planet was uninhabited, at least by anything with even a modicum of advanced technology. Adam found that piloting the modern SES within an atmosphere was a delight. She had been nimble and smooth-controlled while in space, and now the same held true here. That wasn’t always the case with the smaller ships. Adam made a note to ask Andy Tobias if he could keep the Falcon when the mission was over. After all, the Admiral did owe him a replacement ship.

  “Cut back Adam!” Sherri suddenly called out. ‘We’re coming up on something.”

  Adam obeyed, cutting power and setting the ship down on a level plain at the base of a jagged range of snow-capped mountains.

  “What do you see?”

  “Something big, sticking up over the horizon. Oh my god, I can’t believe it!”

  “What is it?”

  Adam lifted out of the pilot seat and moved to Sherri’s station. “Metal structures, and if I have our range correct and the size of the planet calculated properly, they’re each about a mile high.”

  “Another array?” Riyad asked, unbelieving. He came over to Sherri’s station as well. Ophelia watched from the weapon’s console.

  “Looks like it, but this one doesn’t seem to be projecting anything…not yet.”

  “Just turned off or not completed?” Adam asked.

  “Can’t tell…not from here. We’re going to have to go out and take a look.”

  “Shouldn’t we call Admiral Tobias?” Ophelia asked.

  All eyes turned to her. “Don’t!” Riyad called out, not knowing if she was going to take the intuitive and flick a comm switch. “We’re too close. They’d pick up the signal the moment we open the link.”

  “That’s right,” Sherri said. “So don’t touch anything. You could get us all killed.”

  “I wasn’t going to do anything. I just thought someone else should.”

  “Let’s suit up,” Adam ordered, once again having to intercede before the argument escalated. “The atmosphere is just a little off. We can breathe it, but only for short intervals, so breathing masks for everyone.”

  All four of the them rose from their seats. “Ophelia, why don’t you stay here?” It was Riyad speaking. But then: “It could be dangerous.”

  Adam caught Sherri’s disgusted smirk. He’s not concerned about us, just her, Adam could imagine her thinking.

  “Okay,” Ophelia said. “Just be careful.”

  “Always.” He flashed a smile at her. Adam swore she almost melted when he did.

  When the three were suited up and out the rear hatchway, Adam had them all switch their outgoing comm signal to channel two.

  “She won’t be able to hear us on the ship then.”

  “That right,” Adam said. “I wouldn’t want her to worry. You can still talk to her when you want to by switching between channels.”

  “You two don’t like her, do you?”

  “Not the time nor the place, Riyad,” Adam shot back. “The three of us are proven assets; we know what we’re doing. This may be harsh, but right now Ophelia is just deadweight. I should have never allowed her to come along in the first place.”

  “Now you say this! If she had stayed on the Lincoln I wouldn’t have to worry about her.”

  “You insisted she come along!”

  “I thought we were just going to track some gravity signatures, not go out looking for another trans-dimensional array. Remember, Adam, I’ve done my share of ops, and I know deadweight when I see it.”

  Sherri coughed. “You do know we haven’t switched channels yet, don’t you?” she said to the shock of the two men.

  “Ophelia!”

  “So I’m just deadweight to you…all of you?” Adam couldn’t tell if she was crying hysterically or hysterically angry.

  “Maybe I should go back inside?” Riyad said.

  “Do what you think you must, Mr. Tarazi, but Sherri and I are going to see what’s over the horizon. It probably is another array, a portal where more alien hordes can come through and eat us all alive. You decide what’s most important.”

  “They don’t eat us alive,” Riyad countered. “They kill us first.” But then he turned and began hiking toward the dark ridge where only the very tops of the mile-high towers could be seen. “Sit tight, Ophelia; we’ll talk when I get back.”

  “I don’t see any Klin,” Sherri said as she scanned the field below with her Nighthawk infrared binoculars. Just a whole lot of Sol-Kor ships.” She tilted the lenses up as she took in the detail of the huge masts soaring into the night sky. “And these things look different, too. Sleeker and with nodules rather than coils on them.”

  “Probably a Sol-Kor design rather than Klin,” Riyad said.

  The three Humans were on their stomachs at the peak of the ridge overlooking the beehive of activity taking place below. Light flooded the area, and it was obvious work on the array was continuing around the clock.

  “They started building this thing long before the other array was destroyed,” Adam said. “Probably their modus operandi: as soon as they pop into another universe they start building a backup array so they don’t become trapped if something happens to the original.”

  “Or arrays,” Sherri said. “They could have a dozen of these things under construction right now. This really throws a monkey wrench into our plans to stop them.”

  “Keeping them out of our dimension looks to be impossible. We’re going to have to come up with another way to defeat them.”

  Just then one of the towers began to hum. As they watched, the hundreds of bumpy nodes along its length began to glow a pale red. After a moment, it fell silent again.

  “A test?” Riyad asked. “Looks like they’re really close.”

  Adam turned his own binoculars on the main part of the facility. Without too much effort he counted over a hundred Sol-Kor scurrying about. As essentially worker drones for the Colony, they moved with purpose
and efficiency. They were also without their black armor, which was probably the reason they chose this planet to build the array. The Klin had built the first one, so the aliens had to deal with the local environment. With this one they picked a place more suitable to their needs.

  “There not much we can do here,” Adam said. “We better get back to the ship and then to a place where we can warn Tobias.”

  Even through their breathing masks, the three noticed the smell before they heard the low-pitched growl. Rolling over on their backs they each pulled MK-47’s and looked behind them.

  The beast was about the size of black bear, resting on four legs with paws displaying thick claws that dug into the hard soil in threatening pulses. Yet it was the animal’s head that clearly took up half its bulk and made it so imposing. The black-tipped snout was a foot long, with a snarling mouth featuring a pair of twisted fangs over six-inches long protruding down from the upper jaw. Unblinking red eyes stared at them and a set of pointed ears at each side of the thick head pointed backwards in a signal of an impending attack.

  “Nice puppy,” Sherri said to the fierce beast. “Don’t anyone move. It’s a chase animal. And don’t look it directly in the eyes.”

  “Says the former veterinary student,” Adam added. “This thing isn’t your typical house cat.”

  “They’re all the same—”

  “Back!” a strong voice called out. The threatening beast immediately sat back on its haunches and the ears perked up. “You there, surrender your weapons, you are surrounded.”

  The hill was suddenly bathed in stabs of blinding light. Adam looked around and saw that two more of the huge beasts where at each side of the trio, having remained hidden while the leader distracted them.

  But now there were also Sol-Kor—a bunch of them—swarming the area. Strong hands pulled the Humans from the ground and removed their weapons and communications equipment. Soon they were being shoved down the hill and toward the construction site.

  By the time they reached the tarmac, Vosmin had been summoned. As he approached, it was obvious all he’d been told was that spies had been caught on the boundary hill. His eyes grew wide when he saw who they were.

  “Are there clones within your society or are you the originals?” he asked sincerely.

  “Take me to your leader!” Adam droned, moving his unshackled hands in robot-like fashion. The alien was caught off guard by the display. To his credit, he recovered quickly.

  “Your attempt at humor only shows your utter lack of comprehension at your status.” He addressed one of the guards. “Has a ship been located?”

  “A search vessel has been dispatched to look for one, my Lead. It can’t be far since they were on foot.”

  “That is no indicator for this strain.” He walked up to Adam. “I remember you striking me. That has never happened before, and it was extremely painful. I will not permit it to happen again.”

  “I didn’t think you permitted it the first time. So, where’s my buddy Panur? He’s usually following you around like a puppy.”

  Adam didn’t know if puppy would translate properly, but he was secretly hoping the pale alien was around. Although he was playing his own game, Panur had intervened on behalf of the Humans on more than one occasion. Adam could certainly use some intervening about now.

  “Panur is with the Klin, who evacuated the location of the other array just as your forces were attacking. It makes me suspect that you were in collusion with them all along.”

  “That’s very perceptive of you, Vosmin. There is no fooling you. Of course, the Klin are with us. Everyone in this galaxy is united against you. So at what point does food become too difficult to harvest? With all the universes you have to choose from, why don’t you just move on to happier hunting grounds?”

  “We can only go where a mating portal has been constructed. But to answer your question more directly: we do not give up on a crop. Our numbers are so great and our technology so advanced, that eventually all strains fall to us. They always have…and so will you. I’ve analyzed your attack on our mainships. That was a one-time event. We now know better. If you attempt to attack this facility, your forces will be met with an entirely different strategy.” And then the alien smiled. “By the word you, I refer to your strain. For you, Adam Cain, will not be around to witness anything that happens beyond the next few hours. The Klin were right in one respect: Humans are dangerous, even in captivity. That is why we will no longer keep Humans incarcerated. Rather, we will hasten a settlement. Take them to the hangar.”

  Ophelia Naidu had turned off the speaker after Riyad’s cruel decision. She no longer wished to listen to the banter between the three friends, it pained her too much.

  She had never been very popular with others, either in school or in her career. She had trouble relating to people and it showed. That was why she had selected contract law as a major, and alien affairs as a minor. She would be posted off planet, where she could spend time among non-judgmental aliens.

  Two hours had gone by and her fuming had subsided enough that she decided to check on the others. She wouldn’t have to speak, just listen in. If Riyad did show some remorse for how he treated her, she might then click in to say hello. It was always good to make the guilty feel even more guilty from their actions. Yes, that would work. Make them all feel as uncomfortable as she was feeling.

  She flicked the switch that opened the comm link, yet before she could say a word she heard others talking. These were not the voices of Riyad or his friends. This was a deeper, more guttural sound. It was hard to make out, but with effort she got the gist of the conversation.

  The other voices were barking out orders, orders to stand and surrender! Ophelia felt her pulse quicken. How was this going to affect her? She didn’t know how to fly a starship, hell she barely knew how to use the food processor. And then full blown panic set in. With the other captured, the aliens would surely come looking for the spaceship—and for her!

  Ophelia had already suffered once under the care of the grey aliens. She knew their suppressor beam would take away her self-control, her awareness. At that point they could do anything they wanted to her.

  The thought of alien hands on her body pushed her over the edge. She vomited on the comm console, and then wretched again as the rancid smell reached her nostrils. She ran from the bridge and to the nearest restroom—they call it a head aboard the ship, for whatever odd reason—and cleaned herself.

  When she returned to the bridge she didn’t feel any better. Riyad and the others were still gone and the aliens would now be that much closer to finding the ship.

  She sat at the comm station again and looked at the controls. She had called home hundreds of times on the way to Unisid and while on the planet, so she knew the basics for making a long-distance call. She also knew that the link information to Admiral Tobias and his fleet was programmed in the computer. Yes, Admiral Tobias wasn’t very far behind. He might be able to save her. He had to save her.

  She accessed the ship’s link directory and found the code for the trailing fleet. She touched the screen and then the link button.

  Thirty seconds went by and no reply. She sent the code again. Ten seconds later she was pressing the button constantly, screaming at the screen with tears flowing down her cheeks.

  Finally an amber light lit up on the console and an image flashed on the screen. It wasn’t Admiral Tobias, however, but it was a Human face, that of a red-faced man in a khaki uniform.

  “Cut your link immediately!” the man yelled at her. “You are broadcasting in the clear in direct violation of protocol.”

  “This is Ophelia Naidu. I’m aboard the Falcon and the others have been captured by the aliens. I’m all alone and they’re going to find me very soon.”

  “Cease transmission and reestablish with encryption. You have to do it from your end since you opened up so many goddamn links. Do it now!”

  “I don’t know how to do any of that stuff you said.”
r />   “Cut transmission. We’ll open back up from our end.”

  “When?”

  “Just do it, lady!”

  The screen turned to static, but Ophelia felt that wasn’t enough, not according to the rude man. She turned off the comm console with the master switch and then waited ten seconds. It was how they always told her to reboot her computer. When the console came alive again, there was a green light flashing above the screen. She pressed the connect button.

  This time the face of Andy Tobias appeared. At first Ophelia was relieved, right up to the point she saw his blue eyes burning into her.

  “Do you know what you just did, young lady?”

  “No.”

  “You just broadcast our location over half the Orion-Cygnus Arm of the galaxy. Hell, a kid with a ham radio back on Earth knows where we are now, so you can be damn sure so do the frickin aliens. What were you thinking?”

  “Riyad and the others were captured; I was just calling for help.”

  “Good intentions, lousy execution. Even if we had a chance of rescuing them, the alien bastards will be expecting us now. What about the Klin? Are they there, too?”

  “Klin? No, no Klin, just the gray ones. And they have some towers here, too, just like on the other planet.”

  Tobias was stunned into silence. “There’s another array?”

  “Yes, that’s what they called it. They went out to see and I heard them get caught. The aliens are going to be looking for the ship.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “They’re not? Why not?”

  “Because they already know where it is.”

  Tobias ordered the frighten young woman to pack all the provisions she could, along with an emergency comm link, and get as far away from the Falcon as she could. Once the fleet arrived, they would locate her. What Tobias failed to tell her was that there was a very good chance the fleet may never arrive.