by T. R. Harris
“I believe the time for caution has passed…” Benefis said, his voice trailing off.
They followed his steady gaze off to the left, to where what looked to be a dozen or more of the caveman-like natives were watching them from within the concrete concourse. They had appeared without a sound, holding thick wooden clubs in all their hands.
Benefis drew his weapon. Sherri stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, giving the Juirean his first experience of the natural strength of a Human, even a Human female.
“Don’t. Let’s not provoke them. Let’s see what they do first.”
Then the team noticed a second group had appeared behind them.
Both parties now stood still and silent, waiting for the other to react.
A movement came from in back in the first group of natives. Bodies stepped aside and a barrel-chested Hal’ic with a greasy, scraggly beard and an animal hide wrapped around his waist came forward.
Riyad squinted at the alien. He looked somewhat familiar, but then most of the natives had the same general appearance. Was this the leader he had met before? He couldn’t tell for sure.
“Sil-ka!” the creature spoke.
Riyad had been through this before. “No Sil-Ka,” he said, shaking his head. “Humans.”
The native leader pointed at Benefis, and then at Panur. “Sil-ka!”
Riyad shook his head. “No Sil-ka. Friends.”
The older native grunted, and then stepped in closer to Riyad. He studied him closely from head to toe, before turning back to those behind him. He barked something in their native language. Both sets of Hal’ic rushed forward.
“Don’t shoot!” Riyad said to Benefis. And the rest of you, just go along. It’s better than being clubbed into submission. Besides, I think I know this guy.”
********
To his credit—and Lila’s too—Panur allowed himself to be herded along, back down the steps, out of the arena and across a wide, cracked thoroughfare that hadn’t seen any wheeled traffic in five millennia. They descended into a musty subway station, lit only by long shafts of light penetrating through holes in a perforated ceiling. At the far end of an ancient boarding platform, the silent natives guided the team along the abandoned train tracks before reaching another set of steps leading even further below.
Riyad kept looking at Sherri, who would return his looks with curt nods. Her ATD was still experiencing some kind of interference.
Then one of their native escorts stopped at a side door in the tunnel and opened it. It was dark inside, lit only from the light steaming through the open door. Even still, Riyad could barely see ten feet into the room.
The barrel-chested native leader stepped into the room and then turned, motioning with his hands for the rest of them to follow.
Seeing that the native had entered first, Riyad followed him in.
A few second later, with all the creatures from the Najmah Fayd inside, the outer door was shut. Complete darkness filled the room.
Yet before any of them could pull out electronic lights from their utility belts, brilliant lights flashed on.
The light was painful, and Riyad had to cover his eyes with his hands momentarily to ward off the assault. But even before he could see again he realized these were electric lights shining on them, something these primitive creatures should know nothing about. Had he led them all into a Sol-Kor trap?
When his eyes did adjust, he squinted through the glare and saw that they were in a room within a room, inside glass walls and a solid ceiling. Outside he saw that the glass enclosure sat within a huge cavern and was surrounded by what could have been over a hundred heavily armed creatures—all carrying the same physical features as the primitive Hal’ic—yet they were wearing uniforms rather than animal skins.
Riyad didn’t pull his weapon. Neither did Sherri or Benefis.
Riyad caught Panur’s eye. He was grinning, with a mischievous look in his dark eyes. He seemed to be enjoying the moment.
The bare-chested native leader, who was also in the glass room, stepped up to Riyad. “Greetings once again,” he said, the English words seeming to emanate from the lips of the Hal’ic. “I did not properly introduce myself the last time you were here. I am Lun Szy.”
Riyad looked around the room before returning his attention to the native leader. “I suppose you have some explaining to do.”
The Hal’ic in turn took in each of the members of Riyad’s group. “As do you…my friend.”
His eyes now settled on Panur. “Our infamous son returns. You should know that this room can be flooded with liquid nitrogen at a moment’s notice, instantly freezing your body. I will die as a result, yet you will be incapacitated and better able to be…managed…would be a good word. Having said that, I hope you have come as a friend and not as an enemy.”
“You know who I am,” Panur stated—not asked—the thin grin still on his face.
“The face of Panur is well known to us, as is your history as it relates to my planet. I must say, I never believed I—or any Hal’ic—would ever meet you in person. None of us have wanted to, since that event would more than likely precipitate our deaths. I am hoping that since you are in the company of this Human, your status has changed from being the most notorious creature who has ever lived…to one of trusted ally. If that is the case, then something truly miraculous has happened during your association with the Humans.”
“I come in peace,” Panur said.
Sherri and Riyad exchanged quick looks, each conveying the same thought: I can’t believe he just said that.
“That is good to know, although it will be through your actions, not your words, where the truth will be revealed.”
“Of course.”
“You appear to be amused by this event. Had you prior knowledge?”
“I had my suspicions. It would only make sense that the ancestors of my genetic father would have recovered from the Sol-Kor attack well within the timeframe allotted. For you not to have done so would be the exception rather than the rule.”
“So…why are you here, Panur…along with your assorted companions?”
“My companions are on a rescue mission, while I am here on a mission of prevention.”
“I do not understand.”
“I wish to prevent my creation, the new Queen of the Sol-Kor, from continuing with her reign. She is far too dangerous to be allowed rule over the Colony, and only I can stop her.”
********
Riyad and the others—with the exception of Panur—were moved from the glass room and given modest yet adequate accommodations within a huge underground complex—and without a security detail stationed outside their rooms. It seemed strange that the Hal’ic would grant them such freedom so soon after arriving, especially having arrived with their arch-enemy Panur, and having had very minimal contact beforehand. Even though Riyad knew he wasn’t a risk, there was no way the Hal’ic could know this for sure.
Sherri knocked on his door and then entered without waiting for an invitation.
“C’mon, I’m going to try to find someone who can tell me what just happened. And we still need to find a beamship. No matter how advanced these guys are—or if they have a whole fleet of their own—we’re not going to get too far trying to land one of their ships on Kor.”
“How’s Lila and Arieel? The Hal’ic obviously don’t know Lila’s a mutant.”
Sherri’s jaw fell open. “Well, they do now, big mouth…if they’re listening in.”
“Dammit!”
“Relax, they’re bound to find out eventually. And besides, she doesn’t have the history with them like Panur does.”
“Yeah, but letting her roam free may not be in their best interests.”
“We’ll see. Now zip up, Mister. There’s still the matter of Adam Cain to take care of.”
********
After only a few minutes of wandering the huge hallways and caverns of this particular Hal’ic community, it was apparent to the Humans that thi
s place was only a small slice of a much larger pie. There was just too much stuff around, stuff that required raw materials, processing, manufacturing and distribution—an entire civilization hidden completely underground, right under the noses of the Sol-Kor.
As they entered into an even larger cavern, a Hal’ic officer came rushing up to them. It took Riyad to a moment to recognize him as Lun Szy, since he was now clean-shaven and dressed in a dark blue one-piece military uniform.
“I am sorry, but I was not aware you were going to set off on your own. I must ask that you not do so without an escort.”
“No one stopped us,” Sherri said in their defense.
“It is not for security reasons, but so you do not get lost. As you can tell, this is a rather large complex.”
“How many more are there like this?” Riyad asked.
“Over nine hundred.”
“Just as big?”
“Some much larger, some smaller. This is the entire Hal’ic race we are talking about…Mister Tarazi.”
Riyad had introduced all his companions to Lun earlier, yet he was still impressed that the alien had used the formal form of addressing him.
“Now, let us head back to your quarters.”
“We need a Sol-Kor beamship,” Sherri blurted out.
“A beamship? I am not…oh, you refer to a mainship. That is the staple of the Sol-Kor fleet. They are equipped with suppressor beams.”
“That’s right. We need one. Riyad said that you sometimes capture stray Sol-Kor ships that come to your planet.” She looked around and smiled. “At first I thought it sounded like quite a feat, using wooden clubs and rocks to take down a starship. Not anymore.”
“We still put on appearances while on the surface in case we are being observed.”
“Do you have any of these ships in inventory?”
“I believe so, but that is really not my area of expertise. Why do you need it?”
“We need to get to Kor.”
Lun stopped walking and turned to face the two Humans. “That cannot be allowed.”
“Why not?” Sherri and Lun were about the same height, but there was something in Sherri’s tone that caused the alien to take a step back.
“You have become aware of our existence, that is the reason. Under interrogation, you could be forced to reveal what you know.”
“Don’t worry about that. We don’t intend to get caught.”
“No one ever does.”
“If you’re not going to lend us a bea—a mainship—then we’ll find one on our own.” She paused, distracted first by something she saw down the corridor, and secondly by a thought that came to her mind. “Are you saying we can’t leave at all, even in our own ship?”
“Not at this time.”
Sherri kept looking down the corridor.
Riyad stepped forward. “I appreciate your security concerns, Lun, but we are under a strict deadline here. We really…what the hell are you looking at, Sherri?”
“I’m not sure…but follow me.” She took off in a sprint.
Several Hal’ic stopped to watch, mouths agape, as the female alien sped past at incredible speed. Besides her unexpected quickness in the light gravity of J’nae, the natives weren’t used to seeing someone—anyone—running in the halls.
After an embarrassing moment, Riyad cocked his head and grinned at Lun. Then he too ran off down the hall.
There was no way Lun could keep up with the Humans, so he didn’t even try. He pulled a communicator from a pocket and barked orders.
Riyad caught up with Sherri outside a set of large metal doors. “In here,” she said.
“In here what?”
“I don’t know, but I thought I saw—”
Suddenly they were swarmed by a dozen armed Hal’ic. “Remain where you are. This is a secure area. No admittance allowed,” announced a uniformed alien with a large white patch on his shoulder, a plasma-type weapon aimed at the two Humans.
Lun arrived at the doorway a moment later, winded from his own rapid sprint down the corridor.
“I am confused,” he said to Sherri. “You simply cannot go off like that, not around here. Such movements can cause panic since they are unwarranted except in times of emergency.”
“Sorry, but I thought I saw—”
The double doors swung open.
“What the hell’s going on out here?” a voice called out. “Wait—Sherri?”
********
“Adam!”
What followed was unrehearsed and spontaneous. All three Humans turned into a screaming mass of tears and hugs, backslaps and sloppy kisses. Lun Szy dismissed his troops with a wave of his hand and let the reunion continue, until, exhausted, the trio separated, although Sherri would not take her arm from around Adam’s waist.
“What…how…I can’t believe it,” Adam said, his own eyes glassed over with emotion.
“This is your rescue mission, Captain Cain,” Riyad announced proudly. “How are we doing?”
“Excellent…if I still needed rescuing. That part was taken care of by my Hal’ic friends. I see you’ve reunited with Lun.”
Riyad turned to the alien. “Why didn’t you tell us Adam was here?”
“You did not allow me the time. And in light of the diversity of your entourage, your intentions had to be determined first, as well as the impact such news would have on Veritis Cain.”
“Veritis Cain?” Riyad said. “What does that mean?”
“It refers to—”
“I’ll take it from here, Lun, thank you.”
Sherri frowned at Adam. “Why all the mystery?”
Adam smiled. “It’s because I’m a little embarrassed, that’s all.”
“About what?”
Adam took both his friends by their arms and pushed his way back through the swinging double doors. “I’ll show you.”
They entered a massive cavern with a ceiling that rose all the way to a series of rollway doors, supported by an awesome array of gears and pulleys. Stepping further in, Riyad and Sherri found they were on a wide, metal observation deck extending out from the rock wall of the vast chamber. Stairs led down from each side, and as they neared the railed edge of the platform, they looked down.
Covering an area extending into the dark reaches beyond their vision rested hundreds, if not thousands of starships of various shapes and sizes. They sat in neat rows, tended to by tens of thousands of dark blue uniformed Hal’ic.
Adam beamed a wide, full-toothed grin at his two stunned friends.
“What…what is all this?” Riyad asked.
“This, my friend…is my army. It seems I’m their new Veritis—their supreme commander.”
Sherri gawked at the incredible scene. “And I thought we were here to save you. Seems you’ve done just fine on your own.”
Riyad also couldn’t let the moment pass without comment. “Look at all those toys. Some guys just get all the luck.”
********
Lun Szy now stepped up to the trio. “Forgive me, Veritis Cain, but your attention is needed immediately at the monitoring center.” The tremble in the native’s voice made Adam’s stomach tighten.
“Is there a problem?”
“Long range detectors have picked up a foreign ship nearing the system.”
“Relax,” said Riyad, “that’s just Andy Tobias.”
“Andy’s here, too?”
“Not intentionally. He was kinda sucked through when Panur turned on his TD-drive.”
Adam’s mouth fell open and his head wobbled. “And Panur?”
“You’ll also be glad to hear this,” said Sherri with a sour smirk, “but so are Arieel and Lila.”
“Oh, and we also picked up a Juirean Overlord along the way, too. But he’s cool,” Riyad added.
Adam staggered back against the railing. “Anything else you want to tell me before I pass out?”
Sherri smiled. “Only that Jackie Evancho just got a divorce. I know you always had a crush on her. This
could be your big chance, stud.”
“Please, Veritis Cain, they need you in monitoring.”
“Yes, of course.” As they passed through the double doors once again, Adam turned to Sherri. “You know I got her autograph once.”
“Who, Jackie’s?”
“Uh-huh. So what do you think, could a classical-crossover singer like Jackie Evancho and a guy like me—”
“No way! I’m sure she would prefer a guy who won’t go jetting off across the galaxy at the drop of a hat. You know, someone a little more reliable.”
“Like Ricky? By the way, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you put all this behind you?”
“So did I, until you went and got your ass captured.” She rolled her eyes. “If only I’d known…”
********
“Yeah, that’s Andy all right,” Riyad said. He turned to Lun. “This is some pretty high-res equipment you have here.”
“Yes, we have extensive monitoring surrounding the system. It has been crucial that we stay aware of any activity that could potentially reveal our presence.”
“Sorry about blowing up at you earlier,” Sherri said. “It’s just that we needed the mainship so we could go rescue this dumb lug here. Looks like you saved us the trouble.”
Lun was blinking rapidly, trying to work through the terms blowing up and dumb lug as they referred to people. The translation devices the Hal’ic employed hadn’t had time to absorb all the variations of Human language. No device had been able to, not even the sophisticated Formilian computers. With the nasty Human habit of making up words as they went, there was a chance the Human language would never be fully translated and cataloged. It was in a state of constant flux and reinvention.
“What are you going to do about him?” Sherri asked, referring to Andy Tobias.
“You say he’s trying to destroy you? That doesn’t sound like Andy.”
“It’s all because of Panur.”
“Of course. In what way?”
“Your little buddy went and modified Riyad’s ship, turning it into its own portable trans-dimensional portal.”