by T. R. Harris
“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 able to kill three armored Sol-Kor and repel the boarding?”
“As I watched the screen, I saw the creatures recover quite rapidly. 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 that they reigned 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. 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.”
“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.”
Chapter 7
“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,” Dravis interrupted. “That is not true strength and power in the opinion of the Que’l.”
“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,” said Adam, stepping 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 and 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’s 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 just 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!”
Chapter 8
“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 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 get 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.”
The speaker cracked. “Sherri, it’s Riyad. I’m at the embassy.”
It was Adam who spoke first. “Dammit, Riyad, you may have a vested interest in sticking around here, but we don’t. Ten days is long enough—”
“Ophelia’s ship is overdue,” Riyad shouted. Gone was his usual lightheartedness and calm demeanor. “It was carrying a delegation to the mining world of Qwinness about twelve light years from here.”
“Was it part of a convoy?”
“No, they figured a trip that short didn’t require one.”
“How long have they been overdue?”
“A full day.”
“That long?” Sherri asked. “That’s longer than the whole trip would take, and you’re just now learning about it?”
“It’s a Human ship and the Que’l aren’t used to so much traffic in their space.”
“What are they doing about it?”
“Nothing, that’s what they’re doing.” The frustration was evident in Riyad’s voice. “They say it’s a Human matter. I’ve been trying to link with Andy, but he’s out of pocket at the moment, and the people I’ve talked to say to give it another day or two. It could just be mechanical problems, they say. I tried to explain to the landlubbers that having mechanical problems in interstellar space isn’t like fixing a flat on the four-oh-five.”
“Did you tell them about the black ship?”
“No, that would have only confused them more. I was hoping to talk with Andy. He knows more about that than even we do.”
“Get over here, Riyad,” Adam Cain ordered. “It’s a pretty good bet we’re going to miss the convoy, so we might as well run over to Qwinness and see what we can find out.”
Sherri’s eyes met his, a look of worry on her face, yet she didn’t protest, at least not yet.
“Thanks, Adam,” Riyad said. “We’ll just have to be extra careful, and at least we have some idea what to look out for. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
When the link light went out, Sherri continued to stare at Adam.
“What was I supposed to do?” he asked when she remained silent. “Besides, this is often how great and heroic adventures begin.” He cast his most-devilish grin her way, hoping…
Unfortunately, Sherri Valentine had long ago grown immune to his charms. “I’ll be sure to have that carved into your tombstone, Mr. Cain…if I live that long.” Her smirk was as sarcastic as her comment. “Great and heroic…yeah, right!”
********
By the time Admiral Tobias was located and linked through, the Pegasus was already beyond the boundary of the Unisid star system and entering an expanse of open space stretching for twelve light years before reaching Qwinness. There were no other systems between the two points, so very little traffic was present. It was like that dark, deserted, and scary path on the way to grandma’s house….
Andy was livid. “Dammit, you guys really do like pushing your luck! You not only go unescorted, but you actually go out looking for trouble. You know it will be my ass if the three of you get killed. Even though I keep telling everyone you’re not the heroes they make you out to be, no one listens me.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have written that book about me,” Adam said with a wink.
He saw the admiral’s mouth fall open briefly, then he snapped it shut again. “I told you, the book isn’t about you, it’s about me!”
“Relax, Andy,” Sherri said. “He’s just yanking your chain. Now, can we get any kind of backup at all?”
“You’re kidding, aren’t you? Do you know how many ships it takes to escort a convoy? And after the Joining Ceremony, I have convoys heading out from Unisid in all directions—all except yours. Listen, Riyad, I’m really sorry about your girlfriend—”
“She is not my girlfriend!” Riyad interrupted. “Well, not yet. But we’re talking about a missing Human ship here, with over fifty passengers and crew. Someone has to go looking for them.”
“You’re right, of course, and if this were any normal search mission and you were just another crew, I’d say go for it.”
“Andy, we’ll be careful,” Adam finally cut in. “And from the reports I’ve seen, all the attacks have come on stationary targets, not ships in gravity-wells. We should be safe until we dump out.”
“And then what?” Tobias asked, already knowing the answer.
“Then we play it by ear.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” Tobias shook his head. “I can’t stop you—not the famous Adam Cain and crew—but I am going on record as being opposed to this mission. I’ll send a squadron your way as soon as some ships are freed up. It may take as long as a week.”
“Hey, Admiral,” Adam said with a smile, “if we’re not back on Unisid in a couple of days, then don’t bother sending help.”
Andy Tobias didn’t say another word, but he did send Adam a nonverbal message before breaking the link, the Human gesture of brotherhood, as the Que’lian Drunage player Dravis had called it.
Cha
pter 9
“It does have a similar shape as the Human ship,” Vosmin was saying. “And it is by itself. Yet still I hesitate…”
“Because you do not trust my pulse?”
“That is my primary concern, especially since this is a strain that has shown the ability to kill Sol-Kor.”
“My pulse will incapacitate them. It will with any strain with similar electronic brain function.”
It was Vosmin’s turn to have some fun at the expense of Panur’s ego. He knew the list of most sensitive topics that could irritate the A’nor mutant, and expressing a lack of confidence in one of his devices was at the very top. For all his superior intelligence—and his lifespan of several thousand years—Panur was still quite immature. When this weakness revealed itself, Vosmin was able to get the scientist to do his bidding without the normal resistance.
“Are you willing to risk your life on the effectiveness of your pulse beam? Oh, I forgot, you can’t be killed.”
“I can be killed, and you know it, Vosmin. I just can’t die. There is a difference.” His last sentence was drenched in condescension.
“Still I hesitate—”
“Then don’t harvest them,” Panur interrupted. “If you are so concerned about the capabilities of the Human strain, then allow me the opportunity to study them first. That will answer all your questions and settle any doubts. After that, we will know whether the Humans are a threat to the Colony or not.”
“Your study may involve the killing of some Humans so you can investigate their brains and physiology. At that point, it would be you directing the harvest.”
“I understand that. But it will be for a greater purpose, and not just to satisfy the rumblings in your stomach.”
“Either way, the individuals will be dead. I do not think they will care much what purpose their deaths may serve, just that they will be dead.”