Alien Games (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 17)

by T. R. Harris

  The two mutants stepped from the infamous TD-starship.

  Sherri and Riyad had a lot of experience with Panur—not so much with J’nae. Every prior encounter with her was only heartbeats away from impending death—and always theirs. There had never been a time when they didn’t know her as an enemy.

  Panur stepped aside, clearing the space between the Humans and the Sol-Kor mutant. “J’nae, you remember Sherri Valentine and Riyad Tarazi.”

  “Of course; I remember everything.” The towering alien female spoke in English without need of a translation device, the same as Panur. The mutants were fluent in every language in the translation database of the Milky Way.

  The Humans didn’t respond, nor did they offer hands to shake. They stood staring suspiciously at the deadly mutant.

  “I understand your trepidation,” J’nae spoke to fill the awkward silence. “Be assured my creator has weaned from my being all evil tendencies, allowing me to see the truth about the Sol-Kor, and even myself. I now exist to assist the efforts of my creator. At the present, that is to be of service to your galaxy during this current crisis.”

  “Very good, J’nae!” Panur exclaimed. “Now can we all be friends? There is so much to do and so little time.”

  Riyad leaned over and stuck his face only inches from Panur’s. “That was all sweet and well-rehearsed, however, it doesn’t change anything. But you’re here now, what’s next?”

  “First, I need to know all that has happened over the past ten days, ever since Lila’s celebration was so rudely interrupted by her uninvited guests.”

  ********

  It didn’t take long to brief Panur on what they knew of the Nuor, Lila’s abduction and Adam’s captivity, after which the mutant insisted on a link with Trimen O’lac aboard the Formilian flagship.

  “Adam said this three-billion-year-old orb told him where the Aris have been in hibernation?” Panur questioned.

  On a screen in the wardroom, Trimen shook his handsome face. “Zee helped build the hibernation pods, so she knows the location. She told Adam, yet he did not relate this information to me during the brief time we had together before he left Formil.”

  Panur drummed his long fingers on the table. “And Adam is currently being held prisoner by the Nuor, these beings we assume are from Andromeda?”

  “As much as we can tell—which isn’t much, just a bunch of assumptions.” Sherri offered. “We assume he’s still alive, since we got the impression they don’t like to waste good player stock, at least not before meeting them in formal combat.”

  “Adam would be a prime player in their games,” Panur stated. “If they’ve been monitoring the galaxy, they would have heard of him.” He turned to Douglas Davy. “Captain, do you have a track on the Nuorean fleet? There must be a staging area somewhere in the Radis Spur.”

  “We sent probes after them. Their standard gravity drives aren’t much better than ours—if at all—so we’ve been able to keep up. They now have six of those big ships. They’re all part of a larger fleet. We’re getting reports of raids at other locations within the galaxy.”

  “They come from Andromeda, yet their gravity drives are standard. There must be a jump portal somewhere near the edge of the galaxy.”

  “What’s a jump portal?” Riyad asked. “Is that like a TD-portal?”

  “No.” Panur looked to the ceiling as if deep in thought. “They must have discovered how to elongate a singularity.” He looked to J’nae for confirmation.

  “Yes, that would allow them to focus the effects,” she replied.

  “What does that mean?” Captain Davy asked. “A focused gravity-well?”

  “Exactly,” Panur answered, conveying respect for the quick-thinking officer. “I can see the benefits. They could build a massive set of generators, yet limit the effects on nearby space. By confining the effects to a narrow beam, they could draw in space from opposite ends and across incredible distances. It would be a variation on wormhole technology, yet much more refined and manageable. I give them credit for inventing such a device. The Nuoreans have been planning this invasion for quite some time. Captain Davy, I will need a small speeder.”

  “You’re not going after Adam without us!” Sherri protested. Riyad scooted closer to her, just in case there was any confusion as to who ‘us’ referred to.

  “Of course; the Nuoreans have undoubtedly heard of you as well. You will be the bait.”

  “I demand to go as well,” Trimen said. “Lila is Formilian—”

  “She is a hybrid, neither Formilian nor Human,” J’nae corrected.

  “That does not matter. To me she is Formilian—and family.”

  “You may come, my friend,” Panur said with a smile.

  Sherri shook her head. “We may be able to get close, but how do you think they’ll react to the two of you?” She was referring to the mutants.

  “You mean the Human pilot and co-pilot for the spacecraft?”

  The mutant’s response left Sherri blinking her eyes in confusion. “What—”

  Slowly Panur’s smooth gray features began to change. He appeared out of focus for a moment until his face morphed in that of a Human male, in his mid-twenties, with light brown hair and brown eyes.

  “This takes considerable energy to maintain such a cell manipulation for long periods,” the mutant explained. “The features fight to return to their normal state. I can sustain such altered appearance for about four hours—J’nae approximately an hour—before the need for an infusion of direct energy. At that point we would return to normal. That should be long enough to pass any cursory inspections.”

  Sherri met Riyad’s wide eyes. “What do you think?”

  “I’m excited. I figured at some point we’d go after Adam and Lila. I never thought we’d have two of the most-powerful mutants in the galaxy—hell, any galaxy—helping us. I say let’s do it,” Riyad replied.

  Sherri was still nervous about having Panur and J’nae this close, let alone part of the team, but she couldn’t argue with Riyad’s logic. She’d rather have the pair on her side than not. She nodded. “Okay then, let’s go get our boy.”

  Chapter 8

  Adam didn’t complain when Daric kept coming to him with updates of both the recent battle, as well as their progress on reaching the holding planet he’d mentioned; it gave him operational intelligence he wouldn’t otherwise have. For some reason, the alien felt compelled to keep him informed. Of course, most of it was delivered in the form of boasting.

  He bragged on how thoroughly the Nuoreans had surprised the allied forces with the introduction of a force over three times their original estimates. He also gloated on how quickly the battle devolved into a rout, with enemy forces running for the hills as fast as they could. All this was according to plan, and a strategy worked out long ago through an understanding of game theory.

  He also told Adam they were nearing the holding planet. There he would be placed with the thousands of other species already collected so far, not only from the Formilian celebration, but also from hundreds of raids the bulk of his fleet had been making while Daric ran his first gambit at Formil.

  “So when does all this fighting start?” Adam asked just as Daric was leaving his cell.

  “The challenges?” The Nuorean turned back to him. “That is months away. First arenas must be constructed on the planet. However, I may allow some of the lesser players in your galaxy to be challenged, even on natural terrain. This will help maintain morale among my fellow beings, as they begin to acquire direct immunity points beyond those from space battles.” He laughed. “I fear your military forces may be reluctant to meet us head-on after their last encounter.”

  “Don’t count on that. Just like you, now we know what we’re up against.”

  “And that will give you more confidence to face us?”

  “No, but it will allow us to devise a strategy for your defeat.”

  Daric smiled. “At first I found your bravado entertaining. Now it is b
ordering on insanity. You must realize our strength is not only the vessels in this fleet. The entire Nuorean race has access to your galaxy. If you manage to destroy a portion of this force, there will be countless others to replace us. To defeat the Nuor you must destroy all of us, not just this exploratory contingent.”

  Daric left before Adam could come up with a witty retort. This was fortunate, because at the moment, he couldn’t think of one.

  Chapter 9

  Adam stepped out of the landing craft and into a blast of heat and brilliant afternoon sunlight. He squinted and sniffed the air. It was both dusty and dank, with evident humidity. As he stepped away, he could sense the gravity was not as strong as Earth. Looking around at the inhabitants of the massive compound, he could see why.

  There were literally thousands of aliens of a greater variety in one place than he’d ever seen before. Generally, they were Primes, which would make them oxygen-breathing, carbon-based lifeforms who existed within a narrow gravity range for effective motion. The Nuoreans would have selected this world as a happy medium for the majority of the races, favoring the lighter gravity creatures over those accustomed to more. Species like Humans could function just fine in lighter gravity, while the opposite wasn’t true. At least Adam had that going for him.

  Armed Nuoreans prodded Adam and the rest of the prisoners from the shuttle and through a gate into a guarded and walled compound before releasing their shackles. Then they hustled back aboard the ship and departed, leaving the twenty-five new arrivals standing awkwardly near the wall of the compound, wondering what to do next.

  Adam was surprised to see that the boundary of the holding area extended from the arid, almost desert-like terrain he was on, all the way to a thin jungle at the far end, and beyond. The barrier wall disappeared into the growth, giving him the impression that the compound was huge. It would have to be. Daric had said recently that the Nuoreans had collected over two thousand species, many of which had multiple members, although not much more than five or six of any one kind, as Adam could tell. That would be well over ten thousand creatures within the compound.

  Looking out at the amazing variety of life before him, Adam was overwhelmed by the graphic enormity of the galaxy and all it had to offer. And this was only the beginning. The Nuoreans would continue to abduct races until they had all the advanced species in the galaxy under their control, or at least rated. The invaders were here for the long-haul, and unless something was done to stop them, indigenous intelligent life in the Milky Way would become nothing more than pawns in the largest series of gladiator games ever imagined, and lasting thousands of years. All advancement would end. All independence and aspirations by individual species would vanish. They would exist only to supply fodder for the Nuoreans, as a means for them to advance and acquire material wealth within their society

  Adam couldn’t let that happen.

  Another Human came running towards him. It was a man, about forty, with a torn shirt, dirty jeans and tennis shoes without socks.

  “Another Human! Damn, am I glad to see you!” The man spoke English with a slight French accent. He took Adam’s hand and shook it vigorously. “I’m Pierre, Pierre Savoy.”

  “Adam Cain.”

  The man’s mouth fell open and his eyes wide. “No shit! You’re Adam Cain?”

  Adam nodded.

  Then the animated look on Pierre’s face vanished. “Do they know who you are?”

  Adam nodded again.

  “They got you too. I guess now we’re really screwed.”

  “Where did they get you?”

  “We were hauling parts to Hyben from the Union when these bastards showed up. They fired a bolt of some kind at us and blew out the entire electrical system. Then they just sat out there for about nine hours. At first we thought they were waiting for us to die, but then they came aboard. I have to admit, we didn’t put up much of a fight. The air was getting low and it was freezing by then.”

  “There are more of you?”

  “Three total, the other two part of my crew. We got here five days ago; staked out a patch of dirt with one of the few shelters on it. We’ve had to fight off about a dozen aliens to keep it. Do you know what’s going on?”

  Adam looked around at the rest of the aliens from the shuttle. Most had wandered off, while some were met by others of their kind, just as Adam had. A few were standing back, watching Adam, looking to him for guidance, including the solitary Que’l. The huge-headed walking battering ram could come in handy.

  Adam nodded for him to follow.

  “Take me to the others,” he said to Pierre Savoy.

  Adam was aghast at the conditions in the compound. As Pierre had intimated there were very few of the thatched-roof shelters to protect the prisoners against the intense heat and light. What there were of them were being constantly fought over. During the ten minute walk the Human’s encampment, he witnessed nine brutal hand-to-hand battles taking place, often between small clusters of aliens against other gangs. The solitary aliens without strength in numbers sat or were sprawled out on the ground in the blazing sun, some appearing dead, while others barely alive.

  There was a definite hierarchy already established. The two Juireans in Adam’s group were joined by four more. As they walked to their designated area, other species deferred to them. It was the same for Adam and Pierre. If the reputation of the Humans wasn’t known before entering the compound, Pierre and his cohorts must have schooled them on it—with often bloody consequences.

  Having the hulking Que’l walking behind them didn’t hurt either.

  Adam turned back to the square-headed alien. “I’m Adam Cain.”

  “Andic,” said the Que’l. “I was in the stadium when you and Riyad Tarazi took on our greatest Drunage player, Dravis Hurr. I was both impressed and upset.”

  Adam smiled. “Dravis and I became good friends after that.”

  “Yes, I heard of his exploits against the Sol-Kor.”

  “I’m glad to have you by my side,” Adam said. “It increases our chance of making it out of here alive.”

  “As I fully intend to happen.”

  The area claimed by the Humans was twenty feet round, consisting of a raised platform about two feet off the ground, protected from the sunshine by a thatched awning, at least during the hottest part of the day. The other two Humans sat on the edge of the wooden platform in the shade of the awning. They had stationed themselves on each side, backs to one another, on guard. An alien with purple skin and a long, spiked tail lay dead in the dirt about ten yards away.

  “Trouble?” Pierre asked as he joined his crew.

  “Always,” said one of the men. He was staring at Adam, his eyes wide. “Aren’t you Adam Cain?”

  “Yep.” He reached out his hand to shake. The man took it enthusiastically.

  “I’m Manny Brown, from San Francisco. Goddamn, they got you, too.”

  “I took a few of them with me beforehand,” said Adam with a grin.

  “I’m Billy Kring, Corpus Christi, Texas,” said the other man.

  Adam shook his hand as well before introducing Andic to the Humans. They accepted him into the shelter without question. If he was with Adam Cain, then he was okay.

  “Not exactly the Ritz, is it?” Adam commented, looking around the shelter—if you could call it that.

  “Back in the forest, some of the aliens have started to build better shelters,” Pierre explained. “Some of the stronger species wait until they’re done and then take over. It’s pretty cutthroat around here. The bastards with the guns have begun to string lines with what they term fresh water on a drip system, which just sets up another battlefield. Oh, and for toilet facilities, you just dig a hole and go. It’s going to get pretty rank around here real soon.”

  “Yeah, not much thought was put into this place,” Billy added. “A lot of the aliens can’t take the heat or they need a lot more water to survive than we’ve been given. Other groups go at each other like cats and dogs, pr
obably instinct or something. Bottom line, they’re dropping like flies around here.”

  “What about food?”

  Manny snorted. “That’s the worst of it. They drop bundles of crap from drones and then everyone just dives in. The strongest get some, the others don’t. It’s a real shithole here, Mr. Cain. What the hell’s going on? Who are these guys and why have they brought us here?”

  “I’ll tell you what I know. It won’t be encouraging, but at least it will put things in context.”

  The three other Humans and one Que’l huddled in closer as Adam filled them in. When he was done, they leaned back, most with their mouths hanging slack, vacant looks in their eyes.

  “We are to compete with the—you called them Nuoreans?” asked Andic. “I would welcome that.”

  “It’s to the death, buddy,” Adam cautioned.

  “Is there another way? I would welcome the chance to kill as many of these creatures willing to face me.”

  “I’ve fought them,” Adam said. “They have skills, and a lot higher than basic. It won’t be easy, especially for the bulk of the species in the galaxy.”

  Three stocky-looking aliens with leather skin and three-inch-long claws on stubby hands approached the shelter, eyes unblinking and steady on the gathering of Humans and Que’l. Adam looked at Pierre. “You’ve gotta be kidding? Do they really intend to attack?”

  “Desperate people do desperate things.”

  Adam stood up and faced the leather-skinned aliens. “Don’t do it,” he called out. “We’re Humans, and this is a Que’l. You won’t win. What we have to do now is stick toget—”

  One of the aliens rushed forward, kicking up a small cloud of dust behind him. He was incredibly swift, probably the product of a heavy-gravity world. He landed on Adam before he could react, throwing him back onto the wooden platform. Sharp claws tore through Adam’s dark green uniform top, the one he still retained from his adventure aboard Daric’s ship. Adam cried out in pain as the claws dug into his chest.