by T. R. Harris
Vosmin stepped past him and bowed, while simultaneously placing a powerful elbow into Riyad’s midsection. “Bow before the Great Queen, the Creator of All, the Guiding Mother to the Sol-Kor race.”
Riyad obeyed, if only so he could divert his eyes from the disgusting sight before him.
“Vosmin Yon, is this the creature that has caused all the concern among my planners?”
“Yes it is, my Queen, a representative of the strain called Human.”
“Has he been tested?”
“We did an non-invasive probe, since you wished him kept alive for this audience. The findings were exceptional, much like the others from U-Five.”
“This is good news. I am informed that this is the richest crop ever discovered.”
“That is true, my Queen.”
“So why have you not begun harvesting?” The Queen’s tone changed from one of curiosity to accusatory. “Surely we have the resources to suppress the resistance, Noslead.”
Vosmin shuffled nervously. “We will, as soon as the prime stations are completed. Until now we have been limited by the primary site’s primitive nature and size.”
“And the base station? I understand that is no longer operational as well.”
“Correct, my Queen. My ship was the last to pass through. Yet prime station one is now complete. I will be returning to U-Five through that portal, along with a force large enough to subdue any resistance.”
“And what of Panur? You have lost him.”
“He is not lost, my Queen. He is following his own path, as you know he has a tendency to do. I could not stop him.”
“I do not have to tell you how important he is the Colony. Upon your return, make it a priority to have him returned to me. Tell him I demand it.”
“Of course, it will be done.”
The Queen of the Sol-Kor now turned her attention on Riyad. He smiled broadly and winked.
“Do you suffer from an infliction of some sort? Are you diseased?”
Riyad was amused. “No, I’m not diseased. I’m just greeting a very lovely female in the way my people are accustomed. I must say, I know now why the Sol-Kor worship you so.”
“It is because I gave them birth.”
“No, it is because of your hypnotic beauty, my Queen.”
“I am aware of the concept of beauty; I have studied countless strains who revere such things. Do you truly find me to be in this category? I would not expect such attribution from my children, yet from others, the comment has evoked a strange sensation within me. Strange…and not entirely unwelcomed.”
“As my people have a saying: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I, therefore, cannot help myself based on what I see.”
Vosmin glared at Riyad. “My Queen, I have seen how this strain manipulates situations to their liking. Believe me, he is only teasing you, playing with your emotions with undeserved compliments as a means of gaining favor.”
“You believe the compliment is undeserved, as in unworthy of my attention? Or is it undeserved because it is not true?”
Riyad saw Vosmin’s jaw fall open as he hesitated answering. “Eh, my Queen, you are my Creator, therefore have no opinion on the status of your beauty. You are…what you are.”
The Queen considered Vosmin for a long moment before returning her attention to Riyad. “I have decided to keep you around longer, as we study further this concept of beauty within females. I suppose that as the only female in the Colony, I could be considered both the most-beautiful—as well as the most-hideous—of all the females, seeing that I occupy the only place on the scale.”
“That may be so, my Queen,” Riyad said, “yet even then, there is no denying your status as the most-intelligent within the Colony.”
“That would be Panur, Human, and that I accept. However, seeing that he is a mutant—an exception—I will acknowledge my place as number two without complaint.”
Just then the sound of distant popping could be heard, like that of a faraway firework show at a local carnival. With Riyad knowing nothing about the goings on in the Queen’s complex, he did his best to keep his hopes in check. Yet any time he heard the sound of automatic weapons fire, only one thing came to mind: Adam Cain!
The confused looks on the faces of the Sol-Kor now spoke volumes. Vosmin barked out an order and three of the guards ran from the room to investigate. Then suddenly the room was filled with other Sol-Kor, all with weapons in their hands and worried looks on their faces.
“What is happening?” the Queen asked.
Vosmin looked at Riyad, who flashed back a Cheshire Cat smile before saying: “Maybe you shouldn’t have messed with the Humans.”
Then as if to punctuate the statement, the thick, ornately carved double wood door at the end of the large chamber suddenly imploded. Several huge, grey creatures with oversized, solid block heads stormed into the room, some firing flash weapons, while the majority stampeded head down into the surrounding guards. Bodies went flying, people screamed and the sound of hooved feet clacking on the stone floor was deafening.
It was over in seconds, as the room now swarmed with these hulking beasts.
Vosmin pulled his flash weapon and grabbed Riyad, wrapping a thick arm around his neck and pressing the barrel of the weapon against his head as he did.
That’s when Adam Cain calmly entered the room.
“Party-crasher,” Riyad said, just before Vosmin tighten the grip around his neck, choking off any further speech.
The stunned look on Adam’s face was priceless. He never imagined he’d find Riyad this quickly, and in the Queen’s chambers of all places. “Are you okay?” he asked.
All Riyad could do was nod. Then Adam looked to the incredible, smelly blob that had to be Queen of the Sol-Kor. “Holy crap, is that her?”
Again Riyad nodded.
“Asexual wouldn’t be enough for me,” Adam said. “If I looked like that, I wouldn’t even do myself.”
“I do not know what you expect to achieve here, Human,” said Vosmin. “Within seconds there will be so many Sol-Kor in this room that we will sacrifice hundreds just to deplete your charges. Then we will overwhelm you…you and your animals.”
Dravis took a step towards Vosmin. Struggling against alien’s grip, Riyad called out: “No, Dravis, I got this one.”
Riyad had both his hands on Vosmin’s forearm…and now he began to squeeze. The alien’s eyes grew wide as the pain began to register, even while Riyad slipped a hand around the thick wrist of Vosmin’s gun hand and twisted. The weapon discharged, but it missed Riyad’s head with inches to spare. Next the Human turned around, still gripping Vosmin’s wrist and arm, and soon the alien had been flipped around with his back to Riyad. The flash weapon fell to the floor.
Now it was Riyad’s turn to place an arm across Vosmin’s neck, soon evolving into a Full Nelson chokehold. This wasn’t easy for him to accomplish, not on a creature over a foot taller than him. So Riyad pulled back, bending the alien backwards to get a firmer grip.
“Hurry up, Riyad,” Adam said. “We gotta go.”
Tarazi obeyed. He pressed with the arm behind Vosmin’s head, bending the alien’s neck forward until a pronounced crack was heard. The Sol-Kor officer fell limp in Riyad’s arms and was then casually tossed aside. Riyad bent down and picked up the discarded flash weapon.
Now he and Adam stood before the wide-eyed Queen of the Sol-Kor, one with an M-19 aimed at her, the other a plasma handgun. In unison, they pressed their triggers.
Just then a white blur passed their vision, and suddenly the mutant Panur was standing in front of them. The single round fired by Adam struck him in the chest, as did a sizzling plasma bolt hit fired by Riyad. The bolt spread out across the burnt clothing, causing the alien’s skin to glow white. Panur threw back his head and inhaled sharply. But then he leveled his intense gaze at the two stunned Humans. The white glow of the flash bolt quickly dissipated, even as the bullet wound closed before their eyes and disappeared as if it had never b
een there.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot let you do this,” the mutant said.
Adam was furious. “But this can end it all, right here, with the death of this one, rather hideous looking thing.”
“That’s not entirely true, Adam. If she dies then somehow a genetic marker is triggered in one of her existing embryos and another queen begins to form.”
“But that’ll take time for her to mature and for the Sol-Kor to regain their direction,” Riyad said.
“Still, I cannot let you kill her. You must realize, the Queen is the closest thing I have to a mother. We have shared five thousand years together; that is something you cannot comprehend. In this very chamber we have often had year-long discussions about all the mysteries of the universe, of multiple universes. Without her, I would lose the only creature in existence who can relate to me.”
“So you are picking sides,” Adam said. “I thought that was something you wouldn’t do.”
Panur smiled. “I’m just keeping the sides equal, Mr. Cain. There’s not much fun in the game if one side has an overwhelming advantage. Now you must go. I set the portal to destroy itself in three minutes. You will barely have the time to make it out.”
Adam was livid, but he also didn’t have time to dwell on it. “C’mon, Riyad. Let’s get you home.”
With one last defiant glare at Panur, Adam lead the team of Humans and Que’l out of the Queen’s chambers. By now, more defenders were flooding the corridors between there and the portal room, but the Que’l—what was left of them—managed to form an effective blocking screen, running at full speed—and over—anything that got in their way.
They reached the portal room, and Adam was relieved to see that no Sol-Kor were waiting on the other side of the shimmering doorway. Instead, three mind-addled Klin stood zombie-like to one side of the CW room, under the influence of the residual effects of the suppressor beam filtering through the portal.
“Dravis, get your people through first, we’ll cover you.” And then after a quick count he said. “I’m sorry. I count only seventeen survivors.”
Riyad blanched. “That was too much to sacrifice for me, my friend.”
Dravis smiled. “The Que’l do not sacrifice, they contribute. The fallen did so engaged in a noble effort, in an effort that was real and not a game. Even in death, they are grateful for the opportunity. Do not grieve for them, Mr. Tarazi. Grief is not necessary.”
And then he was through the portal.
“You next, buddy. And welcome home…to your home universe anyway.”
Riyad passed through…just as a barrage of flash bolts lit up the entire room, with even some streaking through the portal and into the universe beyond.
“Shit!” Adam yelled as he dove for the deck. He was still twenty feet away from the portal, and with no over between there and where he lie. And then a lull came in the rain of flash bolts. He ran for the portal and then leapt, taking flight in the light gravity and diving through the gate.
When no bolts followed, he stood and turned toward the portal. Panur was there, with several dead Sol-Kor at his feet.
“Are you coming?” Adam called out to him.
“Not at this time.”
Adam shook his head. “She’s going to be pissed.”
“That she will be, but I’m pretty sure I’ll live.” He laughed out loud at this little joke.
“Goodbye, Panur.”
The smiled stretched out incredibly wide on the mutant’s pale face. “Hasta la vista, baby.”
And then the CW equipment bank behind him exploded, hitting Adam from behind with an incredible rush of heat and expanding concussion. He was flung through the air—and straight for the still-open trans-dimensional portal. Focusing on Panur’s shocked look, Adam knew this was the end. He was heading back into the Sol-Kor universe…this time for good.
But then the portal evaporated in a wisp of blue haze.
Adam was still airborne, and flying toward a solid metal bulkhead, where hit face first and hard on the wall before rebounding backwards. Stunned, he staggered back and fell to the metal deck, landing on his butt, disoriented…yet still in his own universe.
Riyad ran to him and knelt down. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” And then Adam felt his bloody upper lip. “Damn, I think I knocked out a tooth.”
Riyad flashed him his trademarked smile. “It adds character to you, my friend; my very good friend. That’s twice now you’ve saved me from certain death.”
“Damn right!” Adam said as Riyad helped him to his feet. “What say we not have a third time, okay? I’m getting too old for this.”
216
From her vantage point above the battlefield, Sherri saw the stark and sudden impact of Andy’s plan brought to stunning fruition. It didn’t leave her much time, however. She wasn’t all the way to the rear side of the Sol-Kor forces, and now dozens of the retreating units were filtering back to the space around the portal, even as more Sol-Kor came through from the other side.
She decided to go for it.
Pressing the control lever forward, she dove for Sol-Kor space, zipping past unsuspecting starships who then fired pulsating blue light at her as she passed. She felt the tell-tale effects of the beams, but quickly shrugged them off. She continued toward the portal.
Fearing that her rogue ship was some kind of portal-destroying secret weapon, several of the Sol-Kor ships now shot off flash weapons. The scout ship had shields, but the onslaught was incredible. Within seconds of the first impacts, the shields were near redline.
She angled away slightly, which confused the beamship gunners who were concentrating on laying down bolts within her straight path to the portal. But she couldn’t stay off course for long.
“Sherri! What the hell are you doing?”
She tried to ignore the screaming voice of Admiral Tobias, yet he persisted.
“We’re going to blow the array even if you make it through. We can’t leave it open on the off chance you find Riyad and need to come back through.”
“I know that, Andy. I’ll figure something out on the other side.”
She was nearing the portal, and on extreme magnification she noticed something odd. Looking through the doorway into another universe, all she could see was a landscape made up of chaotically flashing lights. Then she realized…these were reflections off the hulls of thousands of spaceships. In fact, tens of thousands of spaceships.
The Sol-Kor had massed an incredible armada of warships just on the other side of the portal. Even if she made it through, how would she get past that?
“Sherri pull up!” Tobias yelled over the comm. “Pull up!”
“I can’t, Andy. I have to do all I can to save Riyad.”
“You don’t have to…he’s already back!”
“Bullshit.”
“No, it’s true. Adam brought him back.”
“You’re just saying that to keep me from going through.”
“No, I just got word. I’m patching you through….”
The Sol-Kor universe was now only seconds away.
“Sherri, it’s me.”
She switched to visual on the screen. Sure enough, there was Riyad, sweaty, bloodied in spots, but alive. “How?” she asked.
“It’s a long story, now break off. You don’t need to—”
And then the transmission was lost as the small starship passed into another universe.
“Holy crap!” Sherri yelled into the empty cockpit. Now she was face to face with the largest fleet anyone from her universe had ever seen. And it had just open fire on her.
She twisted the control stick around, spinning the tiny vessel in a tighter radius than could have been achieved in a larger ship. She was now heading back toward the portal when she glanced at the threat screen and saw something she’d never seen before. There was an overload of pure energy closing on her, with the readings indicating it was equivalent to the power of a small star. In actuality, it was the bolts from
a hundred or more of the leading Sol-Kor ships, all merged into one single, gigantic bolt… and it was closing on her at about twice her current speed. It was only be a matter of seconds before it reached her, and she knew it would follow her all the way into her own universe.
She passed through the portal, but the star-bolt was still there. She couldn’t out run it and the portal breath was too wide for her to maneuver out of its path. So Sherri Valentine leaned back in the pilot’s seat, released the control stick and closed her eyes.
“Well this sucks,” where her last words.
They were her last words before Captain Enrique Garcia and his strike force placed thirty nuclear warheads on the massive Sol-Kor trans-dimensional tower array on the nearby planet. Maybe thirty nuclear bombs could be considered overkill, but Garcia wanted to make sure the job got done and done right.
As it turned out, nearly a third of the small planet’s surface was set on fire, as the brilliant flash could be seen from even two hundred thousand miles out in space. Garcia looked to his left, and at the huge, shimmering white rectangle hovering incongruously in the blackness of space.
And then it was gone, breaking up and floating away in all directions as just wisps of evaporating white haze.
Garcia smiled.
After a moment, Sherri dared to open her eyes again. She appeared to be alive, but she wasn’t sure. After all, she had never died before. Well, except for that one time….
But this was different.
She looked at the threat screen again and found it to be clear, all except for a plethora of individual Sol-Kor mainships, all of which seemed to be ignoring her and bolting headlong out of the area at maximum star-drive.
Then she noticed that the portal was no longer there. She let out a deep sigh. They did it, and the timing couldn’t have been better. And then she recalled the brief conversation she’d had with Riyad, or was that just something she imagined?
She shook her head. No, it was real; Adam had gone in and got him.