Prelude to War (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 10)

by T. R. Harris

  “The crosses we have to bear…”

  ********

  “What the hell happened?” Ophelia Naidu screamed over the comm link. “It felt like a nuclear bomb went off.”

  “Suffice to say, the Sol-Kor base will need a major remodel after our visit,” Petty Officer Owens answered.

  “Is Riyad all right?”

  Owens looked to the admiral. Tobias leaned over the microphone. “We’re moving to your location now. Be ready to board when we get there.”

  “What about Riyad? You didn’t answer me.”

  “His status is unknown at this time. We need to get into space and recover an escape pod with members of Cain’s team aboard.”

  “Is Riyad in the pod?”

  “No more questions, Ms. Naidu. Prepare for extraction.”

  “But you haven’t—”

  Tobias cut the link. He looked at Owens. “Damn,” was all he said.

  ********

  It took Andy and his team ten minutes to reach Ophelia, load her into the ship and head for space. Her obnoxious questioning didn’t stop, not until Andy took her by the shoulders and told her—in no uncertain terms—to shut the fuck up! After that she retreated to a corner of the bridge and sulked.

  “Damn, Admiral, this place is swarming with those brain-eating bastards,” Owens said.

  Andy nodded. He liked that: brain-eating bastards. It would make a great title for the book he’d write about this adventure—if he survived it.

  “Any distress beacons?”

  “If there are, the aliens ships are receiving them, not us. That’s a Sol-Kor escape pod they’re in.”

  “Good point. Arieel, anything?”

  “Yes, Admiral.” Her eyes still sparkled when she looked at him. He diverted his eyes from her dark orbs, embarrassed. “I am getting close to being able to make direct contact.”

  “Let me know when you can.”

  “As you Humans say, Your wish is my command.” The unspoken implications of the statement made Owens nearly burst out laughing. Fortunately for Tobias, Chief Timmons entered the bridge with a temporary cast on his right arm.

  “Prognosis, Chief?”

  “Hell if I know why, but it looks like I’ll live.”

  “Damn, this day just keeps getting worse and worse,” Tobias said, shaking his head.

  “I have them, Andy,” Arieel said.

  Adam, can you hear me?

  Barely. Where are you?

  Thank my gods, you are alive! I am only detecting two Gifts. Who is with you?

  Sherri.

  Arieel went weak. She looked first at a questioning Andy Tobias and then to an oblivious Ophelia Naidu. The young woman wasn’t aware Arieel could make telepathic contact with Adam and the others. Arieel mouthed the words Adam and Sherri at Andy.

  He shook his head, not understanding. Arieel had formed the words in her native language, without the assistance of the translation bugs they all had embedded behind their ears, so the movements of her lips didn’t correspond to the Human words.

  Seeing the confusion in Andy’s eye, she cocked her head in Ophelia’s direction and shook it.

  Andy’s jaw dropped open as he got the message. But then he quickly snapped it shut again and grit his teeth in anger. “Can you guide us in, Arieel?” he growled.

  “Yes, just depends on the clarity of the contact. Please make a few course corrections so I can get a reading.”

  Andy nodded to Owens, who had assumed piloting duties.

  We’re coming for you, Adam.

  Where are you?

  In space.

  What about the array? It looks like the portal closed…right after Riyad went through.

  The array is destroyed, as is the entire site on the planet.

  Really? Damn, you guys are badasses, aren’t you?

  I will have to work through the translation, Adam, but Andy and his Humans were quite efficient. But now the Sol-Kor in space are many. With no base to descend to, they occupy much of the space above the planet.

  I’ve shut down the homing beacon in the pod. We’re pretty small, so it would be a miracle if they find us. What about you? Can you find us?

  As we speak I am guiding the ship towards you. Are you and Ms. Valentine injured?

  We’re both fine, Arieel, Sherri said, having been linked to the telepathic conversation by Adam. And thank you for doing this. You didn’t have to risk your life for us—for Adam.

  I did what I could when I could, Ms. Valentine. I suppose in that context I am now a hero, too, just like you and Adam.

  “Admiral!” Chief Timmons called out from the tac console. “It looks like the Sol-Kor have realized we’re not one of them. They’re angling in.”

  Pardon me, Adam, but I have to go. It appears the Sol-Kor have found us.

  ********

  “We have to jump, Admiral, otherwise we’re going to get hit with their fucking beam!”

  Timmons seemed very sure of his statement, yet Andy hesitated giving the order. He’d already abandoned Adam and Sherri once before and he wasn’t about to do it again. He turned to Arieel.

  “Do you know how to fly a spaceship?” he asked the Formilian.

  “Yes, of course…doesn’t everyone?”

  Andy did a quick, involuntary glance in Ophelia’s direction before continuing. “Good. Look, we’re probably going to get hit with their suppressor beam. I know Adam wasn’t as affected because of his implant. Do you think the same holds for you, too?”

  “I have no basis of reference, Andy, but I have to assume it would be so.”

  “All right, then assume the piloting duties. This bucket—this ship—doesn’t have any real weapons to speak of, so if we get hit, don’t worry about fighting back. Just go get Adam and Sherri.”

  “And Riyad,” Ophelia added, now listening in on the conversation. And then the truth dawned on her, and her olive complexion suddenly turned pale.

  Andy turned his attention back to Arieel. “Just go get them. Once aboard, Adam can take over.” He shook his head. “Hopefully we’ll be hit with one of those beams real soon…so we won’t have to put up with that much longer.”

  Both he and Arieel looked to the back of the bridge, to where an inconsolable Ophelia Naidu was wailing away at the top of her lungs, consumed with grief.

  Chapter 28

  Arieel had no experience with the alien suppressor beam, and when it hit she felt its impact. Yet as she watched in awe at the effects it had on the others, she could see its effect on her was minimal.

  Two Sol-Kor ships were coming towards her, yet she still maintained a respectable distance, if not enough to stay out of range of the beam.

  I am very near now, Adam, yet now the Sol-Kor are following.

  What about the beam?

  I am in the pilot seat, Admiral Tobias having anticipated a strike by the beam.

  Are you okay?

  Functioning. You must be very close. How should I proceed with the recovery, since the Sol-Kor will be upon us if I slow?

  Are you in a gravity-well?

  Very shallow.

  Good, just come straight for us. At the last minute, veer off. With luck we’ll be caught up in the well’s influence. After you have us, increase the intensity and head out of the system. Once clear, you should be able to dump out of the well and bring us aboard.

  That sound very risky, Adam. What if you are not caught by the well’s influence?

  You may have to make another pass at that point. Just stay ahead of the Sol-Kor as you do so.

  I will try my best. Get ready, I am very—Oh my gods!

  What is it?

  More contacts, a hundred or more have just appeared on the screens.

  Where are they?

  Forward on my position and closing in fast.

  Then get away, Arieel. This pod can support us for a couple of weeks. Go get the fleet and then come back. We’ll be fine.

  Arieel gripped the controls tighter, preparing to make a hard turn
to port, when she noticed something strange about the incoming contacts. She watched a moment longer to confirm. She was right! They were not focused on her. The massive fleet was heading directly for the Sol-Kor.

  Arieel, are you still there?

  Yes, I am Adam. And it seems I will not have to go get your fleet.

  Why not?

  Because they have found me.

  ********

  The Sol-Kor forces within the GC-1745 cluster consisted of two main types of ships. The first were the mainships, the smaller, fast-attack vessels with pulse beams. The other type were harvesting ships. These behemoths were built to transport crops back to the Colony. They contained huge refrigerated compartments for storing body parts, yet they didn’t carry beam weapons. For subduing entire worlds, a third type of ship was needed, huge beam platforms whose sole function was to bathe a planet in the mind-numbing pale blue light of submission. These deadly ships usually were not called upon until a specific planet had been targeted, so none came through the portal before it was shut down. However, with thousands of transport ships required, the process of supplying a universe with these ships was an ongoing process.

  This meant the Human fleet had only twenty beamships to contend with, and even though some of the Union ships were affected, many more were not. And then when half of the mainships broke off and ran with the bulk of the transport ships, the remaining Sol-Kor force was quickly overwhelmed.

  Andy Tobias and the rest of his Human crew recovered quickly from the beam attack on the AR-45, and three hours later his team, along with Adam and Sherri, were back aboard the Abraham Lincoln and meeting with the acting fleet commander, Enrique Garcia.

  “Orders, Captain,” Andy Tobias was saying. “You had your orders.”

  “Command has the option of amending orders, sir,” the junior officer said in his defense. “Once you surrendered your command, I was in charge. And aren’t you glad I was?”

  “Still, it was risky following us in here.”

  Captain Enrique Garcia was squat and overweight, yet his command presence was evident. Confident and composed, he had proven himself time and again as part of Andy’s staff prior to the admiral’s retirement. Even now, his name was before the new congress for approval to rear admiral. He had also been on the short list of officers to head the Third Union Fleet, if Andy hadn’t come out of retirement.

  “I didn’t see it that way, Admiral.” He looked at the gathered entourage in the wardroom. “When a group of veteran SEALs say they’re going on a mission, I just assume it’s going to be a success. And if that mission is to destroy an alien trans-dimensional portal and cut off the flow of enemy units into our universe, I felt confident we had the firepower to overcome any scattered resistance—after you guys were done playing badass.”

  “Hooyah!” the SEALs called out.

  “Hooyah!” Garcia replied.

  Adam saw the confused look on Arieel’s face. “It’s a Human thing,” he shrugged.

  “So what’s the next move, Admiral?” Garcia asked.

  Andy Tobias looked at Adam and Sherri. He had spoken with them at length about this very question and had received some very emotional feedback. Yet Admiral Tobias couldn’t let emotions influence his decisions.

  “That’s a rather complicated question, Mr. Garcia. We’re still operating on limited intelligence. First of all, we don’t know if other arrays exist or are under construction. The fact that the mainships and the others bolted out pretty fast makes me suspect they had a backup location to get to.”

  “I can track them,” Sherri pointed out.

  “And with your guidance, I’m sure most of our tracking techs can as well.”

  “Don’t put me on the back burner, Andy,” said Adam. “If there’s another array, we have to find it and use it.”

  “To cross over and look for Riyad? Do you know how crazy that sounds?”

  “Crazy or not, we have to do it.”

  “And get yourselves killed in the process. Let’s just work this out. First you have to find a working array, one that’s not being using used to shuttle planet-killing fleets into our universe. Then you have to make your way through the portal, only to arrive in a completely alien universe you know absolutely nothing about. Then you have to find this Colony of the Sol-Kor, the one with over a trillion members. Sure, a civilization that big should be easy to find, but then you have to infiltrate the colony and locate the one and only Human in the entire universe. And of course, you have to do all this before they lop off the top of his head and start feeding on his brain.”

  Andy saw Sherri blanch. “I don’t mean to be insensitive,” he said, “but you have to be hit over the head with reality sometimes.” He looked more directly at Adam. “I can see by your expression that my argument hasn’t swayed you, either.”

  “It’s Riyad, sir. We at least have to give it a try.”

  “Which means exactly what?”

  “It means we need to do a reconnaissance of the other universe. Maybe just a peek inside to see what we’re up against.”

  “And what makes you think he’s still alive?”

  “Just something Vosmin said, about the Queen taking an interest in Humans. Being the only one in their universe, I’m hoping he’ll be kept around for study. And if they want a taste of his brain, they don’t have to kill him for that.” He looked at Sherri and squeezed her hand. “Besides, we know that old pirate. He has a knack for survival. If anything, he’ll convince the Queen that he has more long-term value than just a single meal.”

  “So if the two of you get your way, she’ll have three playthings instead of one.”

  “There is another option,” Adam said.

  Sherri jerked her head around into his direction and frowned. “Is this something you just made up on the spot?”

  “No, it’s been on my mind for a while.”

  “Go on,” Tobias prompted.

  “Panur,” Adam said. “I’m almost positive he’s still in this universe and hiding out with the Klin.”

  “How’s that going to help us?” Sherri asked.

  “A couple of ways. First, if there are other arrays in the galaxy, he would know where they are.”

  “And he’d just volunteer the information?” Sherri asked, her voice oozing sarcasm.

  “I’m sure we’d have to do some negotiating, but he seems to get a kick out of that.”

  “And two?” Andy asked impatiently.

  “He can build us a new array—and a two-way portal, unlike the Klin’s one-way gadget. If he builds us one, then we’ll have more control entering and exiting the universe of the Sol-Kor.”

  “Again I ask, why would he do that? This is wasting our time.” Sherri turned to Andy, shaking her head. “Let’s get tracking the Sol-Kor. They led us to this array, they’ll lead us to another, if one exists.”

  “Sherri, you heard Panur himself say how bored he is with the Sol-Kor. He’s looking for new challenges, and what’s more challenging than helping an entire universe fight off the Colony? That could be the reason he’s with the Klin now. He may have already made his decision to leave the Sol-Kor.” He smiled. “And you know we’re a lot more fun than the Klin.”

  Andy nodded. “If Panur is with the Klin, what makes you think we can find him? Those silver-skinned bastards are masters at staying hidden, even when an entire galaxy is out looking for them.”

  “I got the sense the Klin realized what deep shit they were in during the joint meeting at the array camp. Vosmin didn’t know when to shut up, and I could tell by the expressions of the Klin that they’re worried. They may have been looking for allies to fight against the Juireans and us, but now they realize they’re in as much trouble as we are.”

  “So you’re saying the Klin will let themselves be found, or possibly come out of hiding as some grand gesture of galactic cooperation? Here’s how I see it,” Andy began. “This is the Klin thinking: If we find them, they’re dead. If the Juireans find them, they’re dead. And
if the Sol-Kor find them, they’re digested. Any way you slice it, they’re dead if they reveal themselves.”

  “Don’t you think helping us rid the galaxy of a ravenous horde of brain-eating aliens would go a long way to normalizing relations among old enemies?”

  Andy bristled. Brain-eating aliens is my line! But aloud he said, “So the whole ‘strange bedfellows’ line of thinking, eh, Captain?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Contact would have to be established first,” Captain Garcia pointed out, “and so far I don’t see the Klin making any overtures in that regard.”

  “Let’s test them,” Adam said. “Start broadcasting open messages requesting a meeting. We know they monitor our unencrypted comm links, as well as news broadcasts.”

  “They’ll just think it’s a trap,” Chief Timmons said.

  “Then make them an offer they can’t refuse.”

  Sherri frowned. “And what would that be?” She already knew the answer.

  “Me. Let me be the emissary offering to negotiate an agreement and to meet with Panur.”

  “They may just snatch you up and say Thank you, ma’am,” Timmons said.

  “I’m willing to take the risk.”

  “Of course you are,” Arieel said, speaking for the first time. “You’re always the hero in situations like this. I think it is too dangerous. The Klin cannot be trusted.”

  “I hear you, sister!” Sherri said. “I can tell by the look in his eyes he’s already made up his mind. Don’t let him do it, Andy.”

  All eyes turned to the admiral. “I hate moments like these,” he said honestly, “but decisions have to be made. The threat is too great not to cover all our bases. Sherri, I want you to lead the tracking team. Follow the retreating Sol-Kor and find out where they’re headed. Adam, we’ll test the Klin. Send your messages and see if they even respond. You may end up wasting your time.”

  “And if Sherri finds another array, I’ll be all over it at that time. But you don’t need both of us to do the tracking.”

  Sherri looked at him with sadness. “You’re breaking up the band?”