Prelude to War (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 10)

by T. R. Harris

  “Here, Sherri, you take the stone. Riyad and I will provide the blocking.”

  Adam tossed her the stone. At first she dodged it, but when she reached down and grasped the handle, she smiled. “Ten pounds, maybe?” she said. “I got this. Lead on.”

  They took off to the left, angling away from the nearest Que’l player, the new one they’d just brought in. He was quick, though, and managed to close the gap fifty yards before the goal line. As he took aim on Adam, he lowered his head, his beady eyes angled up so he could keep sight on his target.

  Adam moved to join him, lowering his shoulder and taking aim himself. But then at the last moment, he jerked to the right. His movement was lightning quick compared to the reactions of the alien, who lost his balance when his head didn’t impact anything, and he fell forward onto the field. Adam circled back, and as the Que’l player scrambled to his feet, Adam lowered his shoulder again and crashed into him. This time the result was just the opposite of when he’d first collided with a Que’l. This time it was the native who grunted hard and went airborne, landing unceremoniously on his backside, dazed and confused.

  Adam took off after Riyad and Sherri.

  The other two aliens had moved to block the goal line, a savage look now on Dravis’s face. They both closed on either side of Riyad, planning to crush him between their two bony head plates. Yet, just like Adam, Riyad waited until the last second before he leapt into the air, easily floating over the charging aliens. They came together, their hard headplates making a sound like a thunderclap. But they didn’t fall, not at first. The two aliens staggered backwards, before Dravis’s teammate finally keeled over to his left.

  Dravis was by far the strongest and most accomplished of the Drunage players. He didn’t fall, at least not until Adam ran up and blindsided him from the right. The hapless creature spun around three times, literally corkscrewing into the grass of the playing field. Now he collapsed, and for a moment crawled around on his hands and knees like an infant, before toppling over on his side.

  Adam stopped next to him, before looking down the field to see Sherri cross the goal line. Score: All tied up. Then he turned his attention back to the moaning alien. Should he, or shouldn’t he? Adam was conflicted. Finally, he reached out a hand.

  Dravis saw him do so, and a frown crossed his dazed face. “It is within your right,” he said to Adam.

  “I know, but that’s not how we do things. Respecting your enemy will help you to truly understand him. Acting superior all the time can lead to some very nasty surprises.”

  Dravis took Adam’s hand and stood up. “I believe I know what you mean.”

  “The game’s all tied,” Adam said. “What say we call it a draw so no one can be called a loser?”

  “That is unusual,” Dravis said. But with both his teammates still struggling to climb off the turf, he didn’t have much of a choice. “I agree, Adam Cain.” He grasped Adam’s hand and then lifted both their arms into the air. “We have both yielded. The contest is concluded!” he cried out, his voice easily picked up by the multitude of microphones surrounding the field.

  There was a moment of stunned silence from the crowd as Dravis slowly lowered their arms and surveyed the stands. He had no idea what would happen next.

  Then a slow crescendo of cheering took over, not a lot, but enough to make protesters take pause. The players on the field took this opportunity to make a hasty exit.

  “Let’s get cleaned up,” Adam said the Dravis. “I assume you’re invited to the banquet we’re having? If not, then come as my guest. I insist.”

  Dravis blinked his beady eyes several times. “You Humans are a strange species. Yet I can see the advantage of keeping your enemies near.”

  “That’s true, Dravis, yet I prefer the company of my friends over my enemies. The Que’l do have friends, don’t they?”

  Again the blinking eyes. “I am beginning to see how it was that Humans were able to lead a galaxy. I regret to say that we Que’l may have much to learn from your kind.”

  Adam smiled. “Come, my friend, all this exercise has really built up my appetite.”

  It was an odd sight as the diminutive six-footer led the hulking eight-foot giant off the field. The crowd was still in a mild state of shock as the pair exited under the huge stage.

  ********

  It was after an exquisite banquet when a crowd of aliens and Humans were gathered in a large reception hall, each with glasses of appropriate intoxicants to cap off the excellent meal. Dravis was engaged in an enthusiastic conversation with Sherri and the first mate, Ricoen, while Riyad was speaking with one of the Human diplomats, a very young, dark-skinned woman who appeared to come from the same part of the world as he.

  Adam was speaking with Ambassador Reynolds and the head of the Que’l military, an alien named Fracus Sim.

  “And they only took the bodies, nothing more?” the ambassador was saying.

  “That’s right,” Adam said. “Sir, I’m surprised you haven’t been informed of this.”

  “It may be in my queue, but I’ve been so busy with the preparations for the Joining Ceremony that I’m behind with my correspondence.”

  Adam looked at Fracus Sim. The alien was quiet, three deep furrows in his hard forehead. “Bul-Mot Sim, are you feeling ill?” Adam asked, calling the officer by his rank.

  “Forgive me, Captain Cain,” Sim said, coming out of his trance. “It is just that I have some information that may add to your concerns. Recently, there have been five reports of abandoned ships discovered with missing crews, yet also with signs of savage action aboard. We attributed such attacks to pirate activity, which honestly had been nonexistent until this time. Since these ships were not operated by Que’l, but other races within our sector, we took no further action. In light of your revelations, it seems your mysterious invaders are active in Que’l space as well.”

  “Can you send us the locations where these ships were found?” Adam asked. “We might be able to isolate their movements that way.”

  “Yes, without delay. If what you say is true about this suppressor beam, then all ships that travel without escort are vulnerable. And even then there is no proof that the beam can’t be focused on several ships at a time. You said it yourself, the Humans survived because these savages were not aware others of your kind were aboard the Juirean ship.”

  “That’s true, and until we have another attack, we can’t even be sure there’s more than one mothership.”

  “Let us give hope that your Humans did destroy the only ship employing such a beam. Do you truly believe that to be a possibility?”

  Adam shook his head. “Not at all, just wishful thinking. With so many crewless ships to commandeer, the fact that they abandoned them tells me our technology means nothing to them, or our mode of star travel.”

  Fracus smiled—a full toothy grin unlike so many other alien races who were offended by such displays of ferocity—and lifted his glass of intoxicant. “As the newest member of the Orion Union, we will now ally ourselves with all our fellow members to face this threat united.”

  Reynolds and Adam each raised their own glasses. “Here’s to strength in numbers!” Reynolds said.

  “I just hope it will be enough,” Adam said half under his breath. The other two heard him, and almost immediately their smiles ratcheted down fifty percent.

  “Have faith, Captain Cain,” Fracus said. “The Que’l are now on your side.”

  Chapter 6

  The planet had no name and no designation. It was unknown to all but a few, and harbored no native life, even though it had a temperature and atmosphere that could support most Primes in the galaxy. A billion years ago life was just beginning to take hold on the surface, as was the rule for most worlds with the resources of this one. Unfortunately, the large ball of rock ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which was only a hundred light years from a gamma ray burst aimed in its direction. The deadly dose of scorching radiation fried the planet,
putting an abrupt end to the evolutionary process. Now only basic microbes called this world home, themselves aliens, having arrived here on asteroids and comets from more hospitable environments.

  A survey probe of the world would show one small ocean, a scattering of huge lakes, very little cloud cover, and a vast expanse of arid, brown desert. Gigantic swirling dust storms were omnipresent, giving the planet a ruddy look from space. And as the probe continued to scan the surface, no signs of occupation would be found, nothing to indicate that the planet had ever been visited by outsiders—nothing…except for a strange array of three massive antennae and accompanying power generators set atop a low-lying hill in the middle of a flat, dry desert.

  This incredible feat of engineering and construction sent the three masts soaring a mile above the desert floor, copper-colored coils climbing up three-quarters of their length. These structures were themselves separated by a mile of surface area, and each angled in ever so slightly. If one could draw a line extending from each mast into space, there would be a point where the lines intersected. This was the apex point, where the incredible power of the array was focused.

  Focused, however, was not the proper word in this case. That would apply that a beam of some sort was being sent to this point by the array. In fact, it was just the opposite. The array served to draw in the distant dot in space rather than send anything to it. The incredible energies the generators produced literally pulled the very fabric of space and time toward the desolate planet, creating what was commonly—yet mistakenly—termed a wormhole. But the rip in the fabric of space/time created by the array was more like a doorway than a hole. A hole had length, width, and depth, though if viewed from the side, this portal could not be seen, as it was only fractions of a micron in depth.

  Nevertheless, this incredibly small gap was enough to link one dimension with another. As would be learned, time and space consisted of not just one dimension, and not even eleven, thirteen, or the number currently in vogue in the scientific journals. It consisted of an infinite number of dimensions, all separated by the universal distance marker—the width of a single hydrogen atom, the basic building block of all things in all dimensions.

  The array was fully automated, so no living creature was present when the generators suddenly flared up and the fabric of space and time was once again ripped open. The portal wasn’t huge, just big enough for a single disk-shaped ship of a dull black color to appear. Then the door closed again.

  The small black ship headed for the planet, only four hundred miles below; it landed without a sound or disturbance on the desert floor at the base of the small hill. Within minutes, a small side hatch spun away on the hull and a figure appeared, hesitating only momentarily before descending a short ramp to the dusty red surface. A pair of huge, black-armored figures also appeared at the hatchway, and followed the much smaller and unshielded being up the hill and to the base of the nearest mile-high tower.

  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 had 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 sin
ce 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—though still manageable.”