by T. R. Harris
They stepped out onto the surface of the landing bay, Adam in the lead, with Sherri close by his side. The line of aliens just stood there, weapons leveled at them, before a tall, thin creature dressed all in silver appeared from the left side. The Klin stepped up to Adam with a look of mild amusement on his narrow face.
“Adam Cain,” he stated confidently. And then he looked around at the others, “As well as Riyad Tarazi and Sherri Valentine. This is an unexpected bonus. We were only expecting Mr. Cain to be the prize.”
“What’s this all about?” Adam asked. “I thought we’re supposed to be on the same side.”
The Klin grinned. “Oh, I think we all know what the real truth is regarding that matter, Mr. Cain. And even though our two races are publically allies in the current war with the Juireans, you, and your companions in particular, have never fully subscribed to that belief, now have you?”
“So what do you want? You’ve gone through a lot of trouble to get us here.”
“All in good time, Mr. Cain. But first let me say this…” The Klin looked around at the rest of the creatures in Adam’s entourage, “We are all quite impressed with your escape from the Juireans. A Class-3 battlecruiser is not an easy target to assault, especially with so few combatants. Your companions are quite remarkable and capable, Mr. Cain. We were ourselves preparing to liberate you from your Juirean captors, either alive or dead. And now your friends have saved us the trouble.”
“You still haven’t answered the question, asshole,” Tindal said from behind Adam. “What are you going to do with us?”
The Klin considered the fiery young petty officer for a moment and with that same bemused looked on his face. “First of all, I’m taking all of you to a place very few Humans even know exists. Once there, my three prizes will meet with the Pleabaen – what you would consider the leader of the Klin.” And then he looked straight into Tindal’s eyes. “As for the rest of you, you are of no value to us. Your fates have already sealed.” The Klin turned to the guards. “Take them to their cells, and please put these three together,” the Klin said, indicating Adam, Sherri and Riyad, before abruptly turning away and leaving the landing bay.
Chapter 42
The cell the trio was placed in ended up being a two bedroom suite aboard the large Klin ship. Since their feelings had building for quite a while now, Adam and Sherri claimed one of the bedrooms for themselves, dispelling any pretense about their current or future relationship. This left Riyad with a room of his own, which was infinitely to his liking. There was small sitting area between the rooms, as well as a small grooming station – but no kitchen.
After they had surveyed their accommodations thoroughly, the three of them decided it was pointless trying to escape at this point. Even if they could commandeer the Klin ship, there were two others in the convoy to contend with. The fact once again surfaced that if the Klin had wanted them dead, they would have already done so. Sometimes it was best just to wait and see what happens….
They didn’t know how long the trip would take to this mysterious destination of the Klin’s, so the trio settled into a somewhat boring routine. Food was brought to them on a very precise schedule, and they kept themselves well-groomed in the restroom within the suite.
After a few days, Adam was allowed to see the others in his party and found that they, too, were also being treated well, being held in similar quarters. Even Kaylor and Jym seemed to be enjoying their forced vacation.
The Klin captain – Ludl Vizon – came to see the three of them after the first few days of their captivity. He was a little more talkative at the time around, actually appearing to be in a very good mood. He told them that the Pleabaen, a Klin by the name of Linuso Summlin, was very anxious to meet the three of them, and that that meeting would take place in three weeks’ time. Until then, the Humans should just relax and not cause any trouble. All would be revealed to them by the Pleabaen.
A week into the trip, Adam was allowed to visit Tobias and the other two SEALs again in their quarters.
“Any more news about how much longer we’re going to be cooped up here, Captain,” Petty Officer John Tindal asked as Adam entered the cabin. Adam knew the young sailor was more concerned about the thinly-veiled threat the Klin had leveled at him a week before. Although the journey was comfortable, Tindal knew that at its conclusion something very bad could happen to him and his teammates.
“I was told the trip would take a total of three weeks, so we’re about a third of the way there, John.” Adam tapped his right ear nonchalantly, indicating to the SEALs that the room may be bugged. Their eyes all relayed understanding. “I recommend that we all just kick back and enjoy the ride for now.”
Lt. Tobias nodded. “I agree. We really don’t have anything to fear from the Klin. After all, they are our allies against the Juireans.”
“That’s right, Lieutenant,” Adam said. “I believe they just misunderstood my concerns back on Earth. I was confused and didn’t have all the facts at the time. I’m sure that once we get to wherever we’re going, that all of this will be worked out.”
Adam had no idea if the Klin were actually falling for any of his bullshit; Riyad and Sherri had also been participating in the ruse, praising the Klin every chance they got within the confines of their suite. As he left the SEALs room to return to his own, he was feeling that the deception he was perpetrating took very little effort and yet could pay dividends at the end – if the Klin believed them, if even a little.
He was mildly distracted as he walked down the corridor, followed by two of the large-headed guards, heading for his room – so much so that he nearly collided with another creature as it emerged from a side door.
Adam stopped abruptly and looked eye-to-eye at the creature. It was about his height, with thin black eyes and a build of muscular fitness. Its features overall were very similar to Humans, but the skin was more creased, leathery and a dark grey in color. The guards didn’t move to separate the two of them, but instead seemed to recoil slightly at the sight of this new creature.
“Excuse me,” Adam said politely. “It looks like we almost collided.”
The creature stared at Adam with a look of undisguised contempt. Having first contact with an alien race, Adam knew that it wasn’t always wise – or accurate – to jump to conclusions regarding a species’ initial expressions and body language. Yet this creature’s feelings were almost impossible to misread.
“Collided – yes,” the leather-skinned being replied coldly. “I’m sure it was just a mistake on your part. Let us hope it doesn’t happen again.” And then the creature turned and walked past the guards and down the hallway. Adam watched it leave, also noticing how the guards went out of their way to open a path for the alien. They appeared to have forgotten entirely about their charge and continued to watch the dark creature as it moved away in the opposite direction.
“Hey guys,” Adam said, rousing the guard’s attention back to him. “Let’s go.”
Embarrassed, the guards followed Adam back to his room.
Chapter 43
The time eventually came when the small convoy of Klin ships made planetfall at their ultimate destination. Each of the craft affected surface landings, extending their thick, round pedestals from underneath, which the bulk of the vessels now rested upon.
Adam and the rest of this team were hustled out of their compartments by the big-heads and paraded out into the bright sunlight of this new world. The air was thick and humid, and the daylight burned his eyes after weeks of the subdued artificial illumination aboard the starship. Gravity appeared to be about standard for the Expansion, or about three-quarters that of Earth’s, and from what he knew of the Klin, this might be even a little higher than what they were comfortable with. The fact that they would have chosen this planet as the residence for their leader was a little puzzling.
There were open-air transports waiting for them, and soon a convoy of six cars was moving across the vast plain of the spaceport and hea
ding toward the skyline of a nearby city.
Once they passed through the spaceport gates, the convoy entered a complex maze of streets, wending their way among towering buildings easily reaching fifty stories or more in height. There were hundreds of creatures on the sidewalks, yet sparse traffic. As they passed, Adam studied the natives. They were Primes of average height, in a variety of weights and all dressed in a kaleidoscope of colorful and individually-tailored outfits; the scene was very similar to any large city back on Earth.
And yet he saw no Klin.
After about twenty minutes, the line of transports entered the grounds of a massive palatial estate, lined with tall wrought-iron fencing, soaring trees with green and purple leaves, and grounds of manicured green lawn. To the left, Adam could see the edge of a vast, shimmering lake that appeared to spread out behind the estate, with woods of green and purple climbing the gentle hills rising up on the other side of the water.
Adam’s jaw dropped slightly as he took in the entire scene. It was one of opulence – yet comfort – familiar to the Human to such a degree that it was unsettling. He looked at the others in his car. They all appeared mesmerized – as was he – by the beauty of the estate and its grounds.
A long paved driveway circled around to the front of the massive and ornate four-story brick building, placed strategically at the focal point of the landscaping. The guards popped out of their cars and took up positions around the prisoners. Ludl Vizon climbed out the lead car and joined them near the carved, double entrance doors to the estate. He appeared to be in his customary jovial mood.
“This is where the Pleabaen lives, and is the symbolic capital of the Klin race in the galaxy.
Weeks ago, the Humans had decided not to antagonize the Klin, so Adam simply looked around and said, “Very impressive. The Klin and we Humans have very similar tastes regarding class and elegance. I can see why we have so much in common.” Adam wasn’t lying about how impressive was the estate.
“Yes, we are quite proud of this structure and the surrounding complex. It reminds us of our home, of Klinmon. Now follow me. It is time to meet the Pleabaen.”
They entered the massive building and were just as awe-struck by the absolute immensity of the room before them. Besides being four stories tall, the floor of the room dropped down through a series of steps and landings for another two stories, forming a spherical chamber of incredible volume. Below them, a number of hallways spoked off from the much smaller ground-level floor, and here Adam finally saw a large number of Klin, all moving about with deliberate and unhurried ease.
Ludl did not lead them down into the room, but rather to the right and up a wide stairway that wound its way up the side of the circular room. At the top was a-ten-meter-wide hallway leading further into the depths of the building. Here, too, Klin scurried about, all engaged in the various bureaucratic duties one would expect to find in the central headquarters for an entire race of beings.
At the end of the long hallway, Ludl pushed open a large, heavy door and they entered a smaller anteroom, lined with holographic pictures of what Adam recognized as scenes from the past on the planet Klinmon. They were similar to those that had been in the captain’s quarters of the Klin ship he had first been aboard, just over three years before. The Juirean Overlord Oplim Ra Unis had explained their significance, just moments before he had died in the nuclear explosion that had consumed the ship.
As Adam looked at the pictures, his mind raced back through the events that had shaped his life since then, a time when he’d first discovered that a whole new universe existed outside his own comfortable, myopic world. And now here he was, at the headquarters of the race that had started it all, who had begun the journey out from a single world, and who had provided the scientific imagination and brain-power that had made it all possible. Even though the Klin were now his mortal enemy, their achievements were not to be diminished….
His reverie was interrupted when Ludl instructed the few guards who had accompanied them to watch Lt. Tobias and the rest of the team.
“You and the others are to remain here,” he said addressing Tobias. “Misters Cain, Tarazi and Miss Valentine will follow me.”
They passed through another door and down a carpeted hallway to a room at the end. As they entered, Adam saw that they were now in a very large office, with an ornately-carved wooden desk set off to one side, with statures and wood paneling lining its walls. Yet most of all, he was struck by the brilliant light cascading through a wide and tall set of raked windows, and the shimmering blue beauty of the lake beyond.
And rising from a long couch facing the lake – were two other Humans!
They were both massive in size and build. One was shorter, with freckles, hypnotic blue eyes and light-colored hair atop his head that would have been brilliant orange if he didn’t have it cut so short as to make him almost appear bald. The other man was black, and towered over the ginger-haired man by a good six inches. Adam had spent a lot of time around top-notched examples of male physical perfection during his time with the SEALs, and this man would have easily ranked in his top ten. He could have been the starting linebacker for any pro NFL team, or a finalist in the Mr. World bodybuilding competition – the man was that massive and cut.
Both men approached Adam, the pale, freckled monster-of-a-man smiling warmly.
“Adam fucking Cain, at last,” the man said through a thick baroque English accent. And before he knew it, the man’s massive fist had impacted the left side of Adam’s face.
The blow was tremendous, sending the smaller man crashing to the floor, momentarily stunned. As lie on the floor, Adam could already tell that his left eye was swelling shut and his lips felt numb.
Riyad and Sherri began to rush to his aid, but the hulking black man stepped between them and Adam, blocking their way.
Just then the ginger-haired man smiled even wider and extended a helping hand to Adam. “Sorry, mate,” he said. “It’s just that I’ve been waiting such a long time to meet you.”
Regaining his senses, Adam wiped the blood out of the corner of his mouth. “You have a funny way of say hello … mate!” he replied. Reluctantly, Adam extended his right hand.
The large Brit grasped Adam’s hand with his left and pulled, easily lifting Adam from the carpeted floor – and promptly laid another massive blow to the same side of Adam’s head. He tumbled to the floor once again, this time rolling on his side and moaning from the pain.
“Stop it!” Sherri yelled, looking around the barrier that was the giant black man. “You’re killing him!”
“I’m afraid not, Ms. Valentine,” said the blue-eyed man.
“Enough!” Ludl yelled. “Leave him alone Mr. McCarthy.”
McCarthy nodded and stepped away. Adam dizzily got to his feet, just as Sherri and Riyad came to his assistance, each holding him up by an arm.
“I’m Nigel McCarthy, British SAS,” the man said crisply. “And this is Mr. Carter Thomas, formally of your U.S. Army Rangers. We have been tracking your progress for a very long time now, Mr. Cain. And…” McCarthy began, looking directly at Sherri, “…if it were up to me you’d all be dead by now.”
“Well, it is not up to you, Mr. McCarthy,” another voice from off to Adam’s right said. He painfully craned his neck, and through his right eye – the only one still open – he spotted another Klin, this one older than Ludl and wearing a long silver cape over his broader-than-normal shoulders.
McCarthy grunted something and then moved away, joining Carter Thomas by the large bay windows. The Pleabaen approached Adam, scrutinizing the damage done to his face by the large Brit. The entire left side was now swollen and almost beyond recognition, rapidly turning an unnatural red and yellow in color. His left eye was completely shut, with blood dribbling from his mouth and nose.
“Oh my, Mr. McCarthy, you sure have made a mess out of your fellow Human. You see, Mr. Cain, we Klin would never have caused such pain to one of our own. That is what makes us superior to
you and your kind.”
“On that, I will agree,” Adam said feebly, the entire left side of his head one throbbing mass of pain.
“Please sit him down before the desk,” the leader of the Klin said. Sherri and Riyad obliged, much to Adam’s relief. He was still quite dizzy.
The Klin moved behind his desk and took a seat, while Sherri and Riyad sat in the available chairs to either side of Adam. Ludl remained standing near the edge of the couch where McCarthy and Thomas now sat.
“I am Linuso Summlin, the Pleabaen of the Klin people. I am their supreme leader at this time. I would like to welcome you all to the planet Marishal – even though Mr. McCarthy here has already taken much of the majesty out of the moment. My welcome would have been much more cordial.”
“What’s this all about?” Sherri inquired, anger in her voice. “And who is this fucker McCarthy in the first place?”
The Pleabaen smiled. “Misters McCarthy and Thomas are the supreme representatives of your race here on Marishal, helping to coordinate all the activities of those whom you call the Converts and the 2G’s.” He turned to address the two Humans seated on the couch. “And I will now ask that you both leave and give me some private time with our new guests. I will meet up with you again later. Please leave us now.”
Adam, through his one good eye, could see the reluctance in both McCarthy and Thomas – especially in McCarthy – to grant the request. There was a power struggle going on in the room, and Adam and the others were going to win this round. As the two hulking Humans got up to leave, Adam painfully flashed a bloody grin at McCarthy. The ginger-haired Brit simply returned a glower of his own before leaving the room.
Chapter 44
The Pleabaen now turned his undivided attention to the three Humans seated on the other side of his desk. “You have all arrived at a very opportune time – at an almost magical moment. You are here at the culmination of a journey that has taken the Klin nearly four thousand years to travel, and you and your kind are playing a major role in this upcoming event.”