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

by T. R. Harris

  Already, screening ships surrounding the fleet were picking up increased gravity disturbances on this side of the huge gas cloud that Adam and the Falcon had penetrated a few hours ago. The fleet had yet to move into the interior of the cluster, not until Adam reported back with his findings. But it was obvious something was going on in and around the cluster.

  And now the news of a second array. Being the life-long government employee that he was, Tobias knew where one huge-ass array could be built, there were probably a dozen more hidden somewhere else. Large organizations—such as the Sol-Kor Colony—were big on redundancy. So if there were more arrays scattered about, that meant there could also be hundreds, if not thousands, of additional beamships swarming this part of the galaxy.

  Without the element of surprise in his favor, Andy was at a loss as to how he could counter the effects of the alien suppressor beam. Essentially all the aliens had to do was form a large ball in space with all their beams pointing outward and no one could touch them. Sure, firing long-range missiles might work. But at the distance his ships would have to be so as to not feel the effects of the beam, the alien bastards would have all the time in the world to either launch countermeasures or simply move out of the way. And flash bolts didn’t have near the range for what was needed.

  He pulled up an inventory of his fleet. Three hundred eighteen ships, with crews numbering three thousand, four hundred. He knew the last thing he could do was enter the confined space of the globular cluster, not with all the unknowns, as well as the knowns. And all to save four lives.

  He pressed a button on his console. “Helm, this is Tobias. Bring us about. Steer course one-eight-zero, up ten, all ahead flank. Execute now. Also comm, send an alert to all commands, including Juirean. Make them aware that the Sol-Kor have at least one other trans-dimensional portal, and probably others. Have all commands set maximum security levels. Do it now. Tobias out.”

  Next the Admiral of the Fleet opened a link to Union Command on Earth. With the alien bastards and their blue beams roaming the Arm, no one was safe, especially cargo and passenger vessels. He would recommend an immediate grounding of all traffic. He would also recommend an air-tight detection screen be placed around all the more-heavily populated planets in the Union. He still had an ounce of confidence that sheer numbers may be able to win the day against the Sol-Kor, but until those numbers could be concentrated at the most likely targets, there was very little they could stop the aliens.

  This also meant asset allocation would become critical, as well as a point of contention. Some worlds would go unprotected, while would not. Tobias felt sorry for the politicians who would have to make those announcements.

  After breaking the bad news to the Union leadership, he would then seek out Arieel Bol. Through some magic of Formilian technology, maybe she could make contact with Adam. It hadn’t worked at this distance before, but maybe they’d get lucky. Of course, this was assuming there was still a living Adam Cain to make contact with.

  202

  The one good thing that could be said about the Sol-Kor, they had no concept of torture. They simply placed the three Humans in the back of a huge metal hanger, with eight mean and angry-looking guards staring at them with weapons leveled. These creatures had been briefed on the abilities of the captives so they were alert and serious. They were also a good fifty feet away, which took away the possibility of a Carl Lewis-like sprint at their ranks as only Humans in light gravity could do.

  Vosmin came into the hangar a little later with an amused grin on his face. “I will kill you in a while, but first I have some news.”

  When none of the Humans responded, he continued: “We have located your ship.”

  Adam and Sherri looked at Riyad. His face was as hard as stone, staring at the alien.

  “Apparently there was another occupant aboard who has since fled. We will find this creature, that is guaranteed. In addition, a broadcast was made from your ship which allowed us to pinpoint the location of your fleet. You will be happy to know that it has now left the region and is retreating back into the Arm.”

  “Why would they do that?” Adam asked.

  “Oh, it is our turn to play a trick. We activated certain gravity beacons that made it appear as though a large force was gathering to meet them. It is now known that Humans are cowards. That comes from having individual thoughts and goals; you covet the individual far more than the Colony. If it were the Sol-Kor in that situation we would have sacrificed all to soften the enemy for those who come after us.”

  “If that’s the case, then why don’t you do us all a favor and sacrifice your sorry ass for the good of the Colony right here and now,” Adam said rising to his feet.

  “Don’t be foolish, Adam Cain. You will die soon enough; however, I want it to be on my terms, not yours. And if you attack me now, it will be you sacrificing your life…for nothing.”

  Sherri pulled him back to his chair. “You do know you won’t finish the array in time before the fleet returns, don’t you?”

  “Nonsense. The array will be completed within the day…. Oh very clever, Sherri Valentine. So now that you know the timetable, it will do you no good. You will not be around to witness the inaugural passage. But I will tell you that this portal is not like the primitive Klin portal. We could only pass one reaper ship through at a time. This portal will allow twenty through simultaneously.”

  He held out his palm and then pressed it forward slightly. “You see, in far less space than my hand traveled there are millions of universes. They are separated by only the width of a hydrogen atom. When all was created, that was the first measurement of distance, and it was what defines the universes. Although I can’t see it, I know my universe is right here, not even a breath away. And in that impossibly small space is the essence of the Sol-Kor, massed and ready to pass over into your dimension.”

  He paused to catch his breath, and also to smirk at the three now humbled and dejected Humans. “The Sol-Kor have been feeding on the strains from countless worlds for thousands of worlds. Before that, we eat each other, as well as other creatures native to Kor. Once we found the means to move off the planet, our numbers began to grow beyond belief. At that point we had to find more and more fields to harvest. And we did. We have consumed whole galaxies, and then galaxies beyond that. So, you arrogant Humans, why do you think we have not come upon strains such as yours in the past? Of course we have, countless times. And yet we are still here and they are not. What does that tell you? What does that tell you about your chances for survival?”

  “Hey, we all have to die sometime,” Adam said. “I get to do it giving you a severe case of explosive diarrhea. At least I hope I do.”

  “The translation disgusts me, Human, yet I will not let it bother me. For I will be alive to see the morning star-rise, while you and the others will be in the process of being prepared for my evening meal.”

  “Bon appetite, motherfu—”

  Suddenly a loud hum filled the vast hangar, distracting Adam from finishing his comment. Vosmin looked up toward the ceiling with a grin.

  “It appears I was wrong about something after all, Adam Cain. You have lived long enough to see the completion of the portal. I should now allow you the chance to witness first-hand the might and overwhelming numbers of the Sol-Kor.” He stepped in closer to Adam, sensing from his demeanor that he was no longer a threat. “Your universe is doomed, Human. It was doomed the moment the foolish Klin powered up their rudimentary array. This is the way of nature. The strong consume the weak, and life continues. I shall return later, Adam Cain, once I have devised a satisfactory way of harvesting your brain that will cause you the most pain. On rare occasions we do eat our brains raw, and while still in their containers. With the proper seasoning, they can be quite delicious.” He looked over at Sherri. “Perhaps I will let the others sample some of your brain before I let you die, and before they, too, are consumed. Would you like that, female?”

  Adam could tell by his expre
ssion that Vosmin didn’t know how to react when Sherri spit in his face. If he followed the context of the conversation, he would have realized it was an insult; however, at other times the exchange of bodily fluids, especially from the mouth, had been observed to be an sign of intimacy among Humans. Either way, Vosmin remained neutral with his reaction as he turned and walked away.

  Sherri was incensed. “I think the bastard enjoyed that!”

  “Aliens,” Adam began, “you can’t live with them, and you can’t kill them fast enough to save your universe. Ain’t that always the case?”

  203

  Andy Tobias spent a sleepless night after speaking with the leaders of the Union. At first they had protested, not believing the full impact of his alarm. But then more sensible minds prevailed. They would follow his recommendations, at least to a point. All military facilities would be placed on high alert and assets called up. They would even ground most civilian traffic, yet only in the immediate vicinity of the latest Sol-Kor activity.

  It was a start.

  Yet that wasn’t what kept him awake that night. It was the fact that he’d abandoned Adam, Sherri and Riyad to the blood-thirty—literally in this case—aliens. When he could stand it no longer, he walked the ship, now in twenty-four hour mode with cycles of day and night. Even then, the passageways were crowded and he grew tired of the constant ‘Evening, Admiral” and the awkward salutes from boots who didn’t remember you don’t salute while below deck.

  He found solace in the observation dome, yet even then he wasn’t alone for long.

  It was serious when even the stunning presence of Arieel Bol couldn’t pull him from his depression. “I, too could not sleep,” Arieel said as she stepped up next to him. “After learning the fate of Adam and the others—along with my inability to contact them—I have been beside myself with grief.”

  “You know I would have done something if I could’ve, but I have an entire fleet to consider.”

  “I fully understand. You do not need to explain to me.”

  Andy slammed his fist into the clear plastic of the observation window. “It’s their damn numbing beam! If it weren’t for that, we’d have no trouble smashing these alien bugs underfoot.”

  “Then let that be your goal, Admiral.”

  “What?”

  “Finding a way to counteract the beam.”

  “We’ve tried, but we can’t even duplicate the damn thing in order to test countermeasures.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” Arieel said with a frown. “I know my people have requested permission to salvage what remains of the Sol-Kor vessels from your last engagement. Surely there will be ways to reconstruct the beam from what we find there.”

  Tobias was shocked. The ravishing alien was correct, of course. Tons of debris was now floating in space, left over from the one and only battle he’d had with the Sol-Kor. There may even be entire beam assemblies still intact within the wreckage.

  “That is absolutely brilliant, Arieel! And if the beam can be recreated, do you think your scientists could find a way to counter it?”

  “It is what we do, Admiral Andy. The device utilizes the powers of Mislin and Sufor, as does everything in all universes. Once created, the beam can be defeated. Of that I am sure.”

  “Your people are already on site?”

  “That is my understanding.”

  “Just tell me what you need—anything—and it’s yours.”

  “I will leave that to the experts. But what I truly desire is the rescue of Adam Cain…and the others.”

  “Don’t we all.”

  “Then let us go do it.”

  “I told you, I have the fleet to consider.”

  “I mean let us go do it. Your fleet has departed, so the Sol-Kor will not be expecting a smaller rescue mission. Adam Cain once rescued me from certain death—it is how we met. I now wish to return the favor.”

  “Even if I go, I can’t let you come with me. Damn, you’re the leader of an entire race of people.”

  “I will go, Admiral, or else….”

  The lights suddenly went out in the observation dome as the air began to be pulled away through ceiling vents. Arieel had taken a deep breath before initiating the purge, so she was okay. Andy, however, was caught off guard. He gasped momentarily for breath and then smiled.

  “I get your point, Arieel. You can take care of yourself.”

  The lights popped back on and the air returned to the room. “This is something I must do, Admiral.”

  “Same here. A small, tight-knit strike force should be able to get in and out without too much fanfare. And we might even be able to take out the array like we did the last one.”

  “We do not have much time.”

  “Agreed.” Then Andy took a moment to admire the glory that was Arieel Bol. “Beauty, brains…and courage. That’s a deadly combination,” he complimented.

  “Hopefully deadly to the Sol-Kor. I now follow you, Admiral Tobias.”

  204

  Energized by the prospect of actually doing something, Tobias scoured the large launch bays of the Abraham Lincoln looking for the perfect strikecraft for the mission. He already three other men in mind to join him and Arieel—who in spite of what she believed, would be held in reserve and not allowed to participate in any actual rescue operations. That is what SEALs do, and although out of practice by a good decade or so, Andy was sure all his training it would come back to him when needed.

  He found what he was looking for in a small survey vessel designated an AR-45. As the name implied, it was forty-five feet long and designed for aerial reconnaissance. It was lightly armed, yet Andy had already decided to pursue the destruction of the array from the ground with backpack explosives. A strange vessel entering enemy airspace was bound to generate a response, and unless he had backup, the chances of a successful air raid on the array were slim to none.

  No, this mission would have to be stealth all the way.

  The good thing about the AR-45 was that it carried a civilian transponder. It wasn’t strictly a military craft, so even if detected, it might go ignored rather than have the Sol-Kor announced their presence by lighting up the region around their facility just to repel a single civilian starship.

  As was often whispered at the conclusion of most military planning sessions, the saying, ‘At least that’s what I hope will happen,’ echoed prominently in the Admiral’s mind as he moved to the next phase of the operation.

  He found that the other three members of his team were chomping at the bit for some action themselves. They were all SEALs as well, veterans long before the program was shut down for a more unified special forces effort based more on space operations rather than the Sea-Air-Land operations of their original charter. Unfortunately, nowhere in the old acronym was the word Space to be found. That changed with the new reality, along with the entire training regime.

  Although his recruits were all over forty-five years old, they was hard as nails and courageous to a fault. None had worked with Adam in the past, yet they all knew his reputation, and now, as they loaded explosive and armament in to the small spacecraft, they were overheard joking about the bragging rights they’d get for saving the life of the great Adam Cain.

  Andy didn’t have to tell them that their chance of finding Adam—and finding him alive—was on the south side of impossible. Maybe against a normal enemy things would be different. But these alien bastards didn’t conquer their enemies—they ate them! That changed the entire dynamic when it came to prisoners of war. To the Sol-Kor there were no prisoners, just their next meal-in-waiting.

  The new members of the team had heard of Arieel Bol, yet none had seen her in person…until now. Andy pitied them as they tried hard to maintain their most respectful demeanor as she came aboard, with her ample assets testing the tensile strength of the shimmering blue outfit she now wore. Andy knew she wasn’t dressing to impress—this was what Formilian women wore to the laundromat for Christ’s sake. Besides, the poor gir
l couldn’t be held responsible for the gifts nature had so abundantly provided for her.

  Still, it was fun to watch the reactions of his men. And even after she entered the ship and left them alone outside to finish the loading, they were still too stunned to even engage in typical male crudeness.

  “Now that that’s over with,” Andy said to them, “how about we concentrate on the mission.”

  “With pleasure, Admiral,” said Master Chief Howey Timmons, oldest of the team, with the exception of Tobias. “I can’t even comprehend something like that, so I think I’ll just try to ignore it.”

  “Good luck with that, Chief. Better men then you have tried and failed. But you should also know, she’s really a sweet girl, and smart as a whip.”

  Petty Officer First Class George Owens overheard the conversation: “Smart as a whip…a whip with big-ass ti—”

  “Stow that, Owens!” Tobias ordered. “That’s a member of your team you’re talking about.”

  “Why didn’t we have anything like that back in the day, Admiral?” the Chief asked.

  “Because we didn’t know about aliens.”

  “Damn, I forget; she’s not one of us.”

  “In her case, I’d make an exception,” the third recruit commented. As the youngest among them at only forty-six, Chief Jacob Loreto considered himself something of ladies’ man. That belief was now expanded to include alien ladies.

  “Let’s wrap this up,” Tobias said. “We launch in fifteen. Make sure you all have this out of your systems. It’s a small ship, and the last thing you want to do is offend the Supreme Being of the Formilian race. She has skills none of you could even imagine.”

  Owens opened his mouth to make another crude comment, but Andy shut him down with a dagger-like stare. After that it was all asses and elbows as the team finished the loading.