by T. R. Harris
“I already know the location of the planet. I learned it from the databanks of the Klin.”
“Then why are you asking me? If you want to go, I’m sure no one could stop you.”
“It is your homeworld, Adam Cain. I will do it no harm, yet I feel compelled to get your blessing.”
“And after you’ve studied us, what then?”
“It will all go to help me make my decision.”
“What decision?”
“Whether I stay here or return to the Colony.”
“I thought you’d already made your decision?”
Panur laughed and stopped his walk. Several Klin had been following, just out of earshot. Now they stopped, too. “If I had to base my decision on my time with the Klin, I would be back with the Queen already. In fact, I’m grateful for your intervention. You have renewed my interest in your universe.”
“And if after all this you decide to go back to the Sol-Kor, will you work for us or against us?”
Again he laughed. “You truly do not understand me, Adam Cain. I have never worked for or against any other race, only for myself. As long as I can stay entertained I am happy. But to answer your question, I will not do anything out of my way to harm—or to help—the Humans if I return to the Colony. It will be what it is, that’s all.”
Adam frowned. “Well, Panur, I must say that was the most pitiful pile of bullshit I’ve ever heard. I suppose in your position you can afford to be as self-centered as you are, but I can’t. We aren’t one-of-a-kind and we don’t live forever. Every moment we spend alive is precious. Most of us try to fill it with purpose and not just entertainment. Now, I can’t stop you from going to Earth, and if my blessing will help get Riyad back, then you have it. But now I’m through playing games with you. I’ve had a pretty bad attitude for the past twenty years when it comes to alien bastards like you, so are you going to help me or not, you arrogant ass?”
Panur turned and looked down the passageway at the scared and silent Klin. Even from this distance they’d heard Adam’s tirade. Now they were waiting to see what Panur would do to the Human.
Panur looked back at Adam, and then in a gesture that surprised everyone, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head to Adam.
“Adam Cain, I pledge my allegiance to you, for now and forever. I will do everything in my power to protect and serve, against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” He then rose to his feet and leaned in closer. “I didn’t overdo it, did I? It’s just that I’ve been studying Earth history in the Klin files.”
Adam smirked and looked down the passageway at the gathered Klin. He smiled at them, a full-tooth display that was often misconstrued as a threat display by most aliens. They turned and walked away rapidly, glancing over their shoulders as they went. “That should save your life, my friend,” Panur said. “Now let’s see what we can do about saving Mr. Tarazi’s.”
Chapter 33
Sherri’s instincts had been correct, if even what she found at the end of the journey made her blood run cold.
Even from this distance the scanners were picking up the gravity interference from a truly massive trans-dimensional portal, larger than anything they’d seen so far. And if that wasn’t frightening enough, now a fleet of over a thousand Sol-Kor beamships filled space surrounding the planet where the array had been constructed.
The tracking squad turned a hundred and eighty degrees out and engaged the deepest gravity-wells they could, heading back to the main Union fleet. To Sherri’s relief, the mainships didn’t follow. Instead they consolidated their positions even as more ships passed through the portal to join their ranks.
The image on the screen of Admiral Andy Tobias was strangely calm. “A thousand? Are you sure?”
“We have some pretty good scanning equipment aboard, Andy. Only took a second to get the count. And they’re still adding to it. I think they’re serious this time. All I see are beamships.”
“Probably want to solve their Human problem before they get back to the business of brain farming.”
“What’s going on with you, Admiral? Are you medicated or something?”
“That’s a hell of thing to say to a superior officer.”
“I’m a civilian, dickhead,” Sherri replied. “But seriously, why aren’t you more upset, or scared, or something?” And then her eyes grew wide. “You’ve found a way to beat their beams, haven’t you?”
“To tell the truth, I just got word from Formil that they have, but we don’t have the time or the resources to retrofit the entire fleet before we engage.”
“Okay, then you are on drugs.”
“Not that. It’s just that we have a new secret weapon. And it’s tearing up the space/time continuum to get here in time.”
“Stop toying with me, Andy. What’s going on?”
“It’s your old friends the Que’l.”
“What about them?”
“You know those big, thick block heads of theirs? Well, it seems the blue beams can’t penetrate them. So instead of just three or four people who can withstand a beam attack, we’ll soon have hundreds, and all piloting our ships and manning the weapons batteries.”
Sherri’s shocked look quickly evolved into a display of wild joy. “And the fuckers won’t even know about it. I hope that’s how you’re going to play it, Admiral.”
“Way ahead of you. I’m preparing the normal crews to be bedded down and safe from injury when the beams hit, with the Que’l ordered to hold fire until we can see the whites of their alien eyes. Then we’re going to blast ‘em all to hell.”
Sherri suddenly turned serious. “Please hurry, Andy. If you can take out the screening units, maybe I can slip through the portal and go after Riyad before the battle’s over.”
“Don’t you dare, not until you get backup. You have no idea what you’ll find on the other side.”
“Then help me, Andy. I’m going through, with or without backup.”
“Why the hell doesn’t anyone follow my orders anymore?”
Sherri laughed. “I’ll wait as long as I can. Any word on Adam?”
Now it was Andy’s turn to grow serious. “The Klin came and took him away. We couldn’t follow, and that was seventeen hours ago.”
Sherri grew weak. She knew locating Adam and the hidden Klin colony would be even more difficult than finding Riyad in another universe. The Klin would remain hidden for as long as they wanted.
Unfortunately, Adam was on his own.
Chapter 34
For some reason, the Klin in the colony ship stood in absolute fear and awe of the small, pale alien. Adam figured he must have done something to scare the hell out of them, because even the Pleabaen was now slobbering over the Human.
“We have considered your proposal, Mr. Cain, and although we are uncomfortable with many aspects of it, we feel it is the wisest course of action for the Klin at this time.”
“So it’s a yes?”
Kreasu blinked. “Eh, yes.”
“Good. Now go unlock my ship so I can make contact with my superiors. They’ll want to know this as soon as possible. I will also need your location.”
“We are in section thirty-six, z-plane eleven-point-nine-one.”
All eyes turned to Panur.
“How did you know?” the Pleabaen asked.
“I looked outside. It’s pretty obvious.”
Adam shook his head, something he did quite often in the presence of the mutant. “I won’t even ask. Now how about Riyad? Can you build us another portal, a two-way one like we destroyed on planet-x?”
“You want something that big? That would take far too long to construct.”
“Then get us to one that’s completed.”
“Why not a personal module? They’re much more compact and will take far less time to construct.”
“What’s a personal module?”
“It’s a single person transit portal.”
“You have those?”
“There are a few in my univ
erse. Of course, to make them work they need mates in different locations. They are used for both trans-dimensional, as well as inter-dimensional travel. Makes zipping from one galaxy to the next a breeze.”
“So these things don’t dump out into space?”
“Oh, no. They are planet-based. There is one at the military directorate, at the harvest registry…and one in the Queen’s chambers.”
“Are you saying you could beam us right to the Queen’s bedroom?”
“Her chambers, not her bedroom.”
“Riyad will probably be somewhere near the Queen, so that’s perfect! How long will it take you to build one?”
The Klin scientist Molison Jons was in the room with them, and his look of absolute shock was priceless. Panur looked at him. “I assume you have an advanced CW link station onboard?”
Molison nodded.
“Good, I will need access.”
“So how long, Panur?” Adam asked.
“Give me a day, maybe a day-and-half, considering the primitive equipment I have to work with. Will that do?”
Adam stared at the pale alien for several seconds before answering. “Yeah, that will do just fine.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, Adam,” Panur warned. “The Queen is the most heavily guarded creature in the universe—in any universe. And since the Sol-Kor are not affected by my beam, the entire complex of buildings where she lives is bathed in it constantly. If Riyad is anywhere on the grounds, then your immunity to the beam means only you can go find him. I fear for your life if you go alone. It could involve some rather violent fighting if you’re discovered.”
Now it was Adam’s turn to smile. “Relax, Panur, I won’t be going in alone. I just happen to know some pretty tough hombres I can call upon for help. And bashing heads is right up their alley.”
Chapter 35
A day later an express gravity speeder from the Union fleet arrived at the Klin colony ship. Adam was in the arrival bay when the passengers began to disembark.
Adam grasped the hand and forearm of the huge, square-headed Drunage captain. “You made good time, my friend,” he said.
Dravis Hurr leaned over the much smaller Human. “We were actually in space headed to a match when your ship intercepted us. I was not aware vessels with such speed existed.”
“Just be glad they do. We’re working under a deadline here.”
Dravis looked around the huge landing bay and at the abundance of silver-skinned aliens busy with their chores. “So these are Klin?” he said with obvious disgust. “Weak beings who only thrive because of their technology.”
“Relax, they’re on our side now. And thanks again for agreeing to do this. You know it will be dangerous.”
“Four of my teammates died during our last match, and that was just a game. We welcome the opportunity to fight for a cause that is real.”
The pair walked off, followed by Dravis’s entire forty-five member Que’l Drunage team. “You know, as much as I respect your strength and toughness, this fight will involve the use of flash weapons as well,” Adam said.
“I understand. All Que’l—male and female—are required to serve a term in our military. Many choose to maintain their proficiency ratings even after our terms, especially Drunage players. The tactics taught by our military are very similar to the tactics we employ on the field.”
“That’s a relief. I got a sense of that back on Unisid.”
As they entered the wide corridors on the way to the CW section, scores of startled Klin made way for the massive eight-footers, all of whom glared at the Klin with undisguised contempt.
“Am I correct in my understanding that we are to travel into another dimension? I apologize for my lack of technical knowledge, but what exactly does that mean?”
Adam smiled. “I felt the same way until it was explained to me. I noticed back on Unisid that the Que’l still use a lot of paper. Well, image a stack of paper on a table and each individual sheet is a complete and separate universe, like the one we exist in. Just like an infinitely tall stack of paper, there are an infinite number of universes, all packed closer together than even the thinnest sheet imaginable. Turns out, there’s a way to open a door between the pages, allowing us to walk from one universe to another. The Sol-Kor—you know who they are now—come from the universe we’re going to.”
“And that is where Master Tarazi will be found?”
“That’s the hope.”
“Another example of technology making life more complicated,” Dravis said under his breath.
Adam shrugged. In this case, the huge athlete was right.
Chapter 36
The Union fleet had backed away from the gathering Sol-Kor forces, waiting for the Que’l to arrive. Sherri, in the meantime, returned to the Abraham Lincoln with her small tracking squadron and tried to wrap her mind around the task to come.
The doorway into the universe where Riyad was being held was sitting not more than a light-year away, and all she had to do to access it was run the gauntlet of a thousand enemy starships. Fortunately, she believed in the plan Andy Tobias had devised. It would certainly disrupt and confuse the Sol-Kor, hopefully enough for her to make it to the portal.
The issue that was causing her the most concern, however, was the fact that Tobias was planning on vaporizing the planet-side array that was creating the doorway. There was a good chance she could get through, the problem would be getting back.
The only solution she could see—or hope for—was something that did not bode well for the Milky Way. That was the possibility that even more trans-dimensional portals were being constructed within her universe and hidden from detection. If that were the case, then after she had Riyad, the two of them could hide out in a vast new universe until given the opportunity to pass through one of these new portals.
And the war with the Sol-Kor would continue.
The other alternative would be for her and Riyad to remain on the other side and wage a clandestine resistance movement against the Sol-Kor, knocking out new and existing portal arrays if they could. She knew that was a pretty farfetched proposition, seeing it would only be the two of them, and with the resources of a single Human starship.
A better choice—if they couldn’t find their way back—would be to find a quiet corner of the Sol-Kor universe and live out the rest of their lives as best they could. But the realization of what she’d just thought confused her to no end. Was she choosing Riyad over Adam—again? Maybe. After all, she pretty much knew where things stood with Adam. They had a certain connection, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their many personality clashes. She could continue with him, yet remain single for the rest of her days—if that made any sense.
She decided the root of her current confusion was the guilt over the sacrifice Riyad had made for her and Adam. She felt an obligation now to do all she could to save Riyad. In reality, there probably wasn’t much she could do. A thousand deadly Sol-Kor starships between her and the portal gave her a pretty good excuse not to worry about it too much. But that wasn’t Sherri Valentine. That wasn’t how she rolled.
She would give it an effort, the best she could muster. Hopefully it would be enough. If not, then at least she tried.
********
A day later, the Que’l arrived at the fleet and were dispersed among all the ships, all except the small jump-ship Sherri had commandeered for herself. She stocked it with weapons, food and other supplies—as much as the tiny ship could hold—in anticipation of her plan succeeding. Then she launched and sat off a short distance from the main fleet, waiting for the game to begin.
The Sol-Kor forces had grown to over twelve-hundred ships by the time the Union fleet made its move toward the portal. The enemy ships no longer remained on station, electing instead to engage the Humans, while leaving a buffer zone between them and the portal.
When Sherri saw this happen, she took off, angling high above the plane of the battlefield, hoping to make it to the other side before Andy’s
plan could succeed. The rear approach to the array planet and the portal were lightly guarded, and it was imperative that she reach the portal before the Union ships could reach the planet and destroy the array. She was praying for a Union victory—just not too soon for her purposes.
********
“Listen up, everyone!” Admiral Andy Tobias said to the fleet. “We should be in range of their suppressor beams in a couple of minutes. All crew should be in their safety positions by now. Our Que’l allies—even though courageous and willing—have not been fully trained in starship operations. Their primary responsibility will be to allow the beamships to penetrate our lines as far as possible before lighting them up. As soon as the beams go off, standard crews are to take over and finish the job, including maneuvering and other offensive actions. The lead units—the ones closest to the array planet—should not bother engaging enemy units upon recovery, but instead bolt toward the planet with their nuclear armament. The priority of this action is to destroy the array and close the portal, it is not to spend too much time taking out individual Sol-Kor units. All right, everyone, any second now. See you on the other side of the nap.”
********
If the Sol-Kor sensed any deception on the part of the Union fleet, they didn’t show it. They welcomed that this time their blue beams seemed to be working on the crews of the enemy ships. Hundreds of them swept in and through the Human starships, taking up positions where their beams would have the most effect—as close to the Union ships as possible.
The Que’l pilots ended up having very little to do. Once the beams hit, and the regular crew spread out on cushions on the deck fell into a stupor, all they did was shut down the engines and let the ships continue on momentum alone.
The gunners had more to do. The weapons batteries of the fleet had already been thoroughly charged, so they got busy lining up the multiple targeting dots on the Sol-Kor mainships sitting not more than a thousand miles away. At this distance, even schoolkids could lock the dots on target.