Prelude to War (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 10)

by T. R. Harris

  “As it so happens, my study of the Humans may have provided me with some insight into this very topic.”

  Vosmin nearly jumped out of his seat. “You know who the builder is?”

  “The Humans have a suspicion, and it appears logical.”

  “Who is it?”

  “The name would have no meaning to you, but the Humans call them Klin. It is a strain of creatures, not an individual.”

  “Where can they be found?”

  “Even the Humans do not know.”

  “How can you trust them? They could know, yet be harboring the secret to protect them.”

  “It is my understanding that the Humans and Klin are enemies.”

  “Then they may fear an alliance between us and the…the Klin.”

  “You just mentioned that the Sol-Kor do not enter into alliances.”

  “The Humans don’t know that, scientist.”

  “They have come to suspect as much.”

  Vosmin was silent for a long moment as his eyes darted to and fro, trying to solve the riddle Panur had placed before him. When the problem became too much for him, he looked back to Panur.

  “What would you suggest?”

  “Since the Humans and the Klin are enemies, I think it best we court them both simultaneously.”

  “Court them? I don’t understand.”

  “Have each try to curry your favor in exchange for the alliance you will not honor. In this way the Klin will reveal themselves and the Humans will seek to become your friend.”

  “But we do not want to be friends—as you call it—with either strain.”

  “Listen to what I say, Vosmin. You only pretend to be their friend. Gather information, consolidate your resources, and then strike when the time is best. As it is, your most recent actions have only served to alienate both strains.”

  “You want me to be friends with the Humans first?”

  “They are aboard, nearly sixty of them.”

  “Do I release them?”

  “Possibly. But first provide pleasant accommodations and then receive their leaders. Explain how the incarceration has all been a terrible mistake and misunderstanding. From what little I’ve learned of this strain, they will seek an accommodation with you, a negotiation for terms suitable to both parties.”

  “We want them for food, Panur.”

  “That, my Lead, is the last thing you should mention in the negotiations.”

  ********

  “No shit, we’re free?” Adam couldn’t believe what the pale alien had just said. He’d left the laboratory only twenty minutes before and now here he was saying all the Humans would be released and provided with the best accommodations the Sol-Kor had to offer, even as discussions got underway for a better relationship between the two species.

  “You really are a damn genius, aren’t you?” Sherri complimented, just as shocked as Adam.

  “I thought they wanted to eat us?” Riyad said.

  “Oh, they still do. However, first they wish to get to know you better.”

  That poured a pail of cold water on the conversation.

  “Bullshit,” Riyad said.

  “Bovine excrement again? Oh, I recall now! An unbelievable statement. I will have to research the origins of the saying since the literal translation and the context appear to be at such odds.”

  “I agree with Riyad,” Adam said. “Since when do the diners want to become more intimate with the cows before digging into their steaks? Did we make a mistake in trusting you, Panur?”

  “I am in the process of the providing the terms of your negotiation. How I go about it may seem cryptic at times, yet in the end you will see the logic in my actions. Please remember, I am not an ordinary intellect.”

  “Or so you keep telling us,” Sherri threw in.

  Panur smiled. “I respect your healthy skepticism, yet please enjoy the moment, and use it to gain your own knowledge. Vosmin will be studying you. Return the favor in kind. Now come with me, I wish to introduce you to the leader of the expedition.”

  Chapter 13

  The executive chamber of Pleabaen Kreasu Simblim was crowded the next morning when Molison Jons was granted an audience with the leader of the Klin race. As he and his diminutive assistant Rius entered, the scientist naturally assumed they were all there to hear the good news of his breakthrough with the mysterious blue beam. When very few acknowledged his presence, however, he knew something else had precipitated the rather chaotic meeting.

  Colinous Gemlin was the Coordinator of Scientific Inquiry for the Klin, a long-time personal friend of Molison and a respected colleague. He greeted him by the door and then pulled him and Rius aside for a briefing.

  “The surveillance cameras at the Trans-Dimensional Array have recorded some very disturbing events. The Pleabaen was informed last night and has been dealing with the situation ever since.”

  “What happened?” Molison asked.

  “A small flotilla of alien starships arrived on the planet—approximately six in total is our best estimate. Yet they also brought with them a Human spaceship.”

  “This was to be expected,” said Rius. She had known the Coordinator her entire life and felt a comfort when in his presence.

  “What has been unexpected is the aliens are now playing host to a large delegation of live Humans, going so far as to erect temporary accommodations on the planet near the array.”

  “The Humans are still alive?”

  “Indeed they are, and the two species appear to be quite cordial to one another.”

  “That runs against all the known data regarding the trans-dimensional travelers. As we have observed, they have shown no deference to any race they’ve encountered.”

  “They have now, and that has the Pleabaen very concerned. As you know, a delegation was being prepared to make contact with the aliens. The news of your breakthrough with the beam had allowed the timetable to be finalized. They were scheduled to leave today.”

  “And they will not?”

  “Until we know more of the relationship between the aliens and the Humans, the meeting has been postponed.”

  Molison shook his head. “That may be a mistake. If the Humans are allowed more time to formalize an agreement with the aliens, we may have trouble convincing them of the alternative scenario we are offering them.”

  “As I said, the situation was just revealed, so events are in flux. If you have a valid argument for proceeding with the revelation, then you should present it to the Pleabaen.”

  “Will I be allowed?”

  Colinous smiled. “Be allowed? You are the great Molison Jons. If it were not for you there would be no trans-dimensional portal and no meeting taking place here in the Pleabaen’s chambers. Please step forward. I will provide you authority.”

  The room quieted as Colinous spoke to the Plaebaen, who then smiled and extended a hand to his Senior Scientist. “Come forward, Molison Jons. Your input in this matter is welcome. Indeed it is sought.”

  “I thank you, my Plaebaen.” Rius remained at his side as he stepped into the limelight. The twenty or so other Klin in the room made room for the pair, each polite and respectful. “I had originally come here to present the news that I and my assistant, Rius Olinous, have found an effective manner of neutralizing the alien pulse beam. The method for doing so is very simple and can be fitted to ships of the delegation in very short order. This will allow us safe passage to and from the confab.”

  “As you have heard,” said Pleabaen Kreasu Simblor, “the meeting has been postponed indefinitely until the threat posed by the alien-Human interaction has been fully determined.”

  “I have been so informed, yet I wish to offer an alternative opinion.” When no one spoke in opposition, Molison continued. “As we have learned in the recordings aboard the Juirean starship, the trans-dimensional visitors have been seeking the builder of the array. I fear that they may now believe Humans to be builders. It is the only logical explanation for the unusual treatment t
he Earth creatures are receiving.”

  “Why would the aliens believe this?” asked one of the other Klin in the room.

  Molison smiled dryly. “The Humans can be skilled deceivers when given the opportunity. Also, we do not know the level of awareness the aliens have to such deceit.”

  “Yet the ruse cannot stand.”

  “No, it cannot. Eventually the truth will become known, yet by then the Humans may have gained an adequate foothold in the situation to withstand any negative reaction from the visitors.”

  “You suggest we continue with revealing ourselves, and prove to the aliens that it was indeed the Klin who built the device and not the Humans?” said the leader of the Klin.

  “It is important that we establish our hierarchy within the galaxy. The visitors are advanced enough to have built an array themselves. They must respect a race who can do the same. That has been the basis for the plan from the beginning—races of equal ability joining together to vanquish enemies here, in this dimension, while we provide whatever assistance we can for our new partners in theirs.”

  “Yet we do not know the needs of the dimensional travelers,” another Klin pointed out. “We may not be able to provide anything they seek.”

  “That is why a meeting must be held. More knowledge of these aliens must be secured. So far all we know has come from remote observations. We must have firsthand knowledge. Yet the one assumption logic provides is that the aliens are here. They have built a portal and then elected to travel through our matching doorway. They have come for some purpose—why else build the array? Therefore, within our universe there is something the aliens desire. We must find what that is and then provide it.”

  “So far all they have done is kill…until now,” said Colinous. “They have abandoned helpless starships which have aboard them all of the most advanced technology this galaxy has to offer. Only living creatures have been taken. Until this time, we assumed the dead were to be used for food. Now that they have spared the Humans—indeed, they have gone beyond indifference into providing welcoming comfort to our enemy—the prior assumption is proving less valid. And I do not believe it is merely because they do not have a taste for Humans. The Juireans and Humans are too similar biologically for that to be true. There is something else at play here. Your belief in the subterfuge of the Humans may be true.”

  “The Humans may have provided the travelers with a falsehood to spare their lives,” another Klin added. “In which case the accommodation with the aliens would only be short-lived.”

  “Yet we are all painfully aware of the abilities of the Humans,” Molison said. “If they are allowed an advantage—if even temporary and slight—they could use it to foil our plans, as they have done too many times in the past.”

  “So it is your recommendation that we counter whatever gambit the Humans have by proceeding with our original plan?” said Pleabaen Simblor. “With the Humans at the site, this will reveal to them our continued existence in the galaxy. We have been successful in concealing our presence since the incident at the Dysion Void. This will change the entire dynamic with the galaxy, not only with regard to the Humans, but the Juireans as well. If negotiations with the dimensional aliens fail, we will surely be in a very precarious position. Is there any further input before a decision is rendered?”

  “Just one comment, my Plaebaen,” said Molison. “With our ability to counter the suppressor beam, our position with the aliens has tilted in our favor. So far we have not seen any advanced weaponry from their ships beyond the blue beam. They may be relying solely on that weapon to provide the advantage over their enemies. If this is so, then we may now have nothing to fear from them.”

  “And we now have the means of producing the pulse beam ourselves,” Rius added, speaking for the first and only time.

  “This has been important input, Master Jons…and Rius Olinous,” said Simblor. “However, it is not the aliens we have to fear the most. It is the Humans. It is always the Humans.”

  Chapter 14

  “This is making me sick!” Sherri said. “Just look at them. Hey, you two, get a room!”

  Her mock call out to Riyad didn’t travel much beyond where Adam and she stood, near a side wall of the temporary structure the aliens had constructed for their guests. This was the main meeting/dining tent. Eight other structures had been similarly erected nearby to house the nearly sixty Humans present. The unnamed planet-x had a suitable atmosphere, gravity, and protection against solar radiation, so the Humans didn’t need to stay crammed into the black ships.

  This was the first general get-together of all the former captives, and to his obvious delight, Riyad had reunited with Ophelia Naidu. Whether from his telling of the story, or from a genuine interest she had in him, the starry-eyed look the dark-haired beauty now gave Riyad made Adam and Sherri mentally score one for their friend. From here on out, it would be a slam dunk…

  “I thought your thing for him was over?” Adam said, teasing Sherri for her very apparent jealousy.

  “What are you talking about? Of course it’s over. It’s just that he hardly knows her, and I don’t want to see Riyad get hurt.”

  “Again, you mean?”

  “It was mutual between us and you know it.”

  “It’s never mutual, sweetheart,” Adam countered. “That’s just what people say. Someone always gets hurt.”

  “Still, he needs to keep his head in the game. The others around here may think the frickin’ aliens have turned over a new leaf, but we know better. Just look at these scaly gray things, you can almost see them salivating when they look at us. Would you like your Human with or without salt?”

  Adam was about to continue his torment of an irate Sherri Valentine when Omar Piero walked up to the pair with the senior Human of the delegation, Associate Ambassador Unis Yellen.

  In his typical over-the-top bureaucratic-speak, the attaché introduced Adam and Sherri to the official.

  “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I want to thank you beyond words for helping us,” said Ambassador Yellen. “That beam they used on us may have left us incapacitated, but I still have some recollection of what transpired while we were under its influence. Once they had us locked away on their ship and the beam turned off, I got the distinct impression we were prisoners, not guests.”

  “I wouldn’t drop your guard all the way, Madam Ambassador,” Adam advised. “These aliens are new to our dimension and we’re both in a feeling out period.”

  “Yes, I heard about that! Travel between dimensions, is that really possible?”

  “It appears so. And I believe the Klin built that big-ass array out there—pardon my language.”

  Yellen smiled. “It is a big-ass array, isn’t it, Mr. Cain? And I assume the Klin built it after our last encounter with them in the Dysion Void. That fact opens up another whole can of worms.”

  “We always assumed some of the Klin survived,” Sherri said. “Now it seems as though enough of them are still around to pull off something like this.”

  “It’s our hope that they built the portal so they could escape to another dimension and be out of our hair for good,” said Yellen. Then she shook her head. “Yet I’m too much of a realist to truly believe that. I’m sure they built that array out there so they could—figuratively—shove it up our ass.”

  Adam smiled. He liked the older woman. She had to be in her late sixties, and had a down-to-earth way about her. What she was doing way out on Unisid and dealing with the Que’l beat the hell out of him. Her outspokenness seemed out of place for a career diplomat.

  “Are they allowing you to contact Earth?” Adam asked.

  “Not yet. They say they will, but that communications need to synced. Something about their equipment not being compatible with ours.”

  “We have equipment aboard the Pegasus,” Sherri pointed out.

  “I told them that, and that’s when the translators suddenly began acting up. These creatures may be smart enough to travel betw
een universes, but they’re not very convincing liars.”

  Unis Yellen stepped in a little closer to Adam and Sherri. “So do you have a plan working? Not to put any pressure on you both, but your reputations do precede you.”

  “We may have something, Madam Ambassador. When we’re ready to put it into action, you’ll be the first to know.”

  The older woman winked at him, and nodded at Sherri, then she walked away with a spring in her step with her doting pet Omar Piero in tow.

  Sherri looked at Adam. “You don’t have any idea what we’re going to do next, do you?”

  “Not a clue.”

  ********

  Adam, Sherri and Riyad had been granted the special accommodation of staying aboard the Pegasus while on the planet rather than being assigned to one of the huge white tents the aliens had erected for the rest of the Humans. The compromise was that the ship was locked down, everything except for the environmental systems. They had heat and air and food processing, but nothing else. They were all on the bridge, along with Ophelia—much to Sherri’s poorly disguised disapproval—when the alien scientist Panur came calling.

  He regarded the fourth member of the party with bright-eyed interest. “I have seen the data records,” the alien began. “You are Ophelia Naidu, aged twenty-six Human years, a trade specialist with regard to construction minerals and mining techniques. You are helping to negotiate resource acquisition for other members of your tiny stellar union. May I inquire as to your presence here?”

  “She’s with me,” said Riyad Tarazi forcefully.

  Panur smiled at him. “A defensive reaction. Am I to assume she is not privy to our prior conversation?”

  “What conversation?” Ophelia asked. She didn’t know anything about Panur, and since she and the alien were about the same size, didn’t feel intimidated by his presence either.

  “She can hear anything you have to say,” Riyad interjected.