by T. R. Harris
“Yes I did; I remember now.” The Kracori officer seemed to be in an ecstatic mood. He had seen the reports on the capabilities of the Human ship, and now the vessel was resting on the surface of Elision, and all because of his relationship with Ruszel. The delivery of the ship to the Kracori Military Command would be forever remembered and honored. Ruszel did his best to imagine what a boost in Dor’s Legend the Pegasus would bring. And then just as suddenly as he had formed the thought, it went away. Vice-Commander Furlon Dor was about to get the surprise of his life when he boarded the Pegasus. And it would do nothing to enhance his Legend.
********
“Any luck, Jym?” Sherri whispered from her position within the pilothouse.
“There is much chatter, mostly about the strange ship that has just landed outside the complex. I am also hearing that the Juireans have advanced to the opposite side of the Volseen Corridor and a large battle is commencing. Wait, I hear something!” Jym closed his eyes and concentrated hard on the telepathic messages filtering through his mind. “A group has been summoned to a place called the command viewing room. They are to be escorted under heavy guard, definitely not welcomed guests.”
“Where is the viewing room?”
“I do not know. The beings on the link already know and are not describing the location.”
Sherri leaned back in her chair and then looked over at Ruszel. There was a lull in the conversation between him and the Kracori but she knew Dor was probably right outside the ship and just waiting for entry. She motioned to get Ruszel’s attention. The Tel’oran jerked his head around faster than he should have out of nervous energy. Fortunately, the image of Furlon Dor had also looked away for a moment, speaking with the technicians.
Sherri rapidly nodded her head. Ruszel frowned back.
Frustrated, Sherri whispered, “Let him in.”
At first Ruszel didn’t understand her, but just as she went to whisper a little louder, the alien opened his mouth and nodded his understanding. She got up from her chair and sprinted to the rear of the ship and the landing bay airlock.
“I am here, Senior Pilot. Please open the hatch. I will enter alone first, yet the technicians must have access soon. As you may not be aware, we are engaged in a conflict at this time. The secrets of this ship must be learned quickly so they can be incorporated into our defense force.”
“Have the Humans attacked already?” Ruszel asked, playing his part of the uninformed local.
Dor’s expression changed suddenly, to one of dourness and concern. “No, it is the Juireans ... of all beings.”
“Juireans!” Ruszel exclaimed. He knew this fact already but he felt it best that he show his disbelief—which was not far off from his true feelings. He was still in awe of the idea that Juireans were here. The Nebula had never been part of the Expansion, although they did have peripheral dealings with it through trade. Yet even in the Silvean Nebula, Juireans were the creatures of myth.
“Not to worry, Senior Pilot. With the help of our brother races within the Nebula—yours included—we vastly outnumber the invaders. We will overwhelm them with defenders, and with their fleet deployed so far from their home base, they will be forced to withdraw once their own numbers reach a critical level. It is the Humans for which we must prepare, and your gift of this ship will be the weapon which will turn the war in our favor. Please open the hatch.”
“Oh, forgive me, Commander. I became so engrossed in our conversation regarding Juireans and Humans that I forgot.”
********
True to his word, the seven-foot tall gray alien, with the white sash across the chest of his blue uniform, entered the Pegasus alone, having not even drawn his weapon. The moment he was through, the hatch closed remotely and the lock engaged. The Kracori was too busy ducking his head to avoid an overhead support stanchion to notice.
He did, however, notice the much shorter figure with the yellow hair standing in the landing bay ... and with an MK-17 flash weapon aimed at him.
“It’s set on level-one, dickhead,” the creature said, even though the translation of dickhead was a scrambled mess and obscene to some degree.
Out of reflex, Dor withdrew his own weapon and leveled it at the alien. “You’re the Human, are you not?”
“That’s right. Welcome aboard my ship.”
Anger surged in Dor, and even though the Human may discharge her weapon just as he did, he pulled the trigger anyway.
And yet nothing happened. The yellow-haired Human stood patiently as Dor triggered the weapon several more times, before accepting the fact that he had been given a faulty issue. Of all the chances he would draw a defective weapon at the one time he needed it most....
“I suppose not killing me is your goal, since you have not discharged your weapon. You know you cannot kill all the Kracori on Elision with that single weapon, or even using this spacecraft, so I do not know what you have accomplished by coming here under such deception.”
“You will find out soon enough, Furlon Dor,” said the tiny creature.
Seeing his first Human in the flesh made him wonder just what made these creatures the equal of Kracori in strength and agility. He understood the origin of their evolution, however—they are such tiny beasts!
“Let’s go up to the pilothouse and have a talk.” The Human motioned with her weapon for him to move up the central corridor of the ship, and soon he entered a large room occupied by four other creatures, all of differing species. He immediately recognized the Tel’oran. He sent him a deadly glare.
“You are a traitor to your race and to the Nebula, Ruszel Crin of Tel’or—the first of this war and bound to be remembered as such. Your Legend will be that of pond scum.”
“I do apologize, Vice-Commander,” Ruszel said with passion. “I only do this out of a need for self-preservation.”
“They forced you to do this?”
Ruszel looked to the others in the room before answering. “No. But I have chosen to be a member of the winning team in the coming conflict.”
Trimen nodded his appreciation to the Tel’oran as the Kracori officer spoke again. “You have made a grave mistake, Ruszel. It will be the Kracori who prevail.”
“Commander, I believe it is you who are mistaken. For the Kracori to claim victory the Humans must be defeated, and from what I know of them and their capabilities, that is something the Kracori cannot do.”
********
“Enough chit-chat, aliens,” Sherri said. “We need to know where the command viewing room is inside the complex over there.”
The Kracori shook his head slightly, not to resist, but rather as a reaction to the sudden shift in topic. “The view room, why?”
“Because there’s a new Bradly Cooper movie playing there and I don’t want to miss it.”
Even in the pressure cooker that was the tension growing in the pilothouse, Sherri enjoyed the look of confusion on the Kracori’s face. “Just tell me, and don’t worry about why.”
“Are all Humans as rude and obnoxious as you?” Dor asked.
“No, not really,” Sherri said, batting her eyes at the alien. “I’m one of a kind. Now answer me.”
“I will not—”
Sherri dialed the MK down one level, and then without warning discharged it into the chest of the Kracori. The brilliant blue bolt splashed against his white sash, burning it to charcoal instantly, while the force of the bolt threw him against the side bulkhead and to the deck. An acrid, sickly smell filled the room, as a pale white vapor lifted from the perfect circle burnt in his uniform. The alien gasped for breath and clenched at his chest. Normally, a level-two bolt would have killed an alien, yet this was a Kracori. They were just as tough as Humans, and the bolt simply marked the alien with a second-degree burn, bordering on third-degree.
“I can mark every inch of your body with flash bolts,” Sherri said, now standing menacingly over the still-writhing body of the Kracori officer. “It will hurt like hell, but it won’t kill you. Now just
tell me where the viewing room’s located.”
To Sherri’s rather morbid admiration, it took two more shots from the MK before the Kracori finally told her what she needed to know. She then had the officer bound securely and moved to a rear equipment compartment. With that was coming, it was probably the safest place for him to be.
Chapter 26
The rattle of the locking mechanism unlatching roused everyone from their complacency, and instantly the three SEALs and Riyad were alert and on their feet. This was the moment they had been waiting for; whatever opportunity they’d have for escape would reveal itself with only a split-second to react.
A cadre of heavily-armed Kracori swept into the room. Adam was standing at the phalanx of this team and therefore was the first person the green-sashed officer approached.
“You are to come with us to the viewing room,” the steely-eyed alien said.
Adam’s heart skipped a beat. “What of the others?”
The alien looked past him to the others in the room. “They are to come as well.”
Adam tried not to show his relief. Without the rest of his men, escape would become proportionally more difficult. He wouldn’t go alone, so he would have come back for them—and that could prove disastrous.
The Kracori officer seemed genuinely confused when Riyad refused to sit in his wheelchair. “I’ll walk.” He was stronger now, yet still very weak and unsure of his footing. Chief Rutledge stepped up to him and offered a shoulder. Riyad accepted the help with a nod and then flashed a white, toothy grin at the stone-faced Kracori.
Seemingly a whole army of Kracori awaited the four Humans in the corridor. The lead officer pushed his way through the ranks, heading off to his right, the same direction where the last escape attempt had taken place. They were herded down the hallway, only to defiantly stop at the point where the tile floor still carried the traces of John Tindal’s blood.
The officer noticed the stoppage of his entourage and returned to the Humans. His gaze locked on Adam. “The same fate awaits you and all your spies. I am surprised I have not received the order to terminate your lives by now.”
“It’s because me and your Langril are tight—best friends. Watch what you say to me, or I’ll have you terminated.”
The alien’s mouth dropped open and he looked nervously at the troops nearest him. Adam could tell he was confused. Adam had earlier been called into a conference with the supreme Kracori, and yet still he lived. And now all of them were summoned to the viewing room, not the executioner’s chambers. Adam risked a thin smile as he saw that the Kracori—at least for a moment—actually believed what he said.
“Don’t resist,” the officer finally said. “You are expected.”
“I’m not resisting. Does it look like I’m resisting?”
The green-sash blinked his eyes several times, then to nearest enlisted soldier said, “Bring them, and accept no more delays.” The officer then returned to his position at the head of the entourage.
Adam looked at the others and smiled. Even faced with imminent death, they couldn’t help but smile back.
The viewing room—supposedly the place where Adam and his men would watch the final victorious battle between the Kracori and Juireans—was located two buildings over within the Citadel complex from the prison dome. It was the largest structure in the complex and Adam only got a glimpse of it when they passed through an enclosed causeway with a glass canopy.
The viewing room itself turned out to be a terraced amphitheater with seating to accommodate a hundred Kracori or more, all in a semi-circle facing a viewscreen easily measuring a hundred feet across and thirty tall. The large screen currently displayed several images and data streams at various locations on its surface, with a large, blank grid dominating the center.
The auditorium was sparsely populated at the moment, with not more than twenty Kracori all crowded into the seats nearest the huge screen. Another cluster of Kracori was standing to the right and turned when the parade of guards entered the room with Adam and his team. Adam immediately recognized Langril Nomar Polimic among the group. And so was Daninf. The elder Kracori’s hate-filled glare could be seen from across the vast room.
A Kracori guard shoved a Xan-Fi rifle barrel in his back and pushed, herding Adam down a steep succession of stairs until he and his men reached the Langril.
“Is the war over?” Adam asked. “Did you ... lose?”
“Why do you try to antagonize me, Human?” Nomar asked. “Nothing that has transpired between your race and mine has been of a personal nature. We are all simply following our destinies within the scheme of galactic politics.”
“And your destiny called for you to kill billions of innocent men, women and children on my world?”
“It was required to assure our security. But I did not bring you here to replay our last meeting.” Nomar swept a hand out indicating the vast screen dominating the room, and which looked positively gigantic this close up. “I said I wanted you to witness the destruction of the Juirean invasion fleet.” He paused to cast a furtive glance at Daninf. “The battle you are about to witness may not spell the end of the Juirean presence in the Nebula, yet it will serve to show that their defeat is inevitable. My colleague here has convinced me that keeping you alive until our final victory is no longer a necessity for me to receive the satisfaction I seek. This victory will serve my purpose ... and will hasten the time when former-Langril Daninf can take out his vengeance on you and the rest of your Humans.”
Daninf’s face appeared to light up with the mentioned prospect of his revenge on Adam. For the hard-faced aliens, Adam had never seen a Kracori look happy, and he couldn’t allow the moment to last. He puckered up and smacked a loud kiss at the gruff old Kracori.
The gesture had the desired effect. Before he could be stopped, Daninf stepped forward and laid a strong backhand across Adam’s face. The blow was powerful, snapping Adam’s head over to the right. Absorbing the blow, Adam looked back at the Kracori, just as a tiny droplet of blood fell on his upper lip. He ran his tongue across his lip. “Yum … nothing better in the galaxy than Human blood.”
********
Kaylor had lifted the blastshield on the forward viewport once they touched down on Elision so that inquiring eyes would not be able to see into the pilothouse, yet he still had the remote cameras to see outside. Sherri came to huddle next to him.
“Zoom in on the dome in the center,” she commanded, an electric excitement now in her voice.
The color image on the screen grew in size as the vivid details of the ornate building became clear. The central dome of the government complex had a huge spire rising up out of it, with a curious double-circle ornament attached to it about two-thirds of the way up. It didn’t appear to be a communication array, so Sherri reasoned it was some kind of icon representing the Kracori race. The spire itself looked fragile. That was good; she may have to knock it down to get close enough to the main dome.
“He said the viewing room is in the middle of that building. Being in the middle should protect it from what I have in mind.”
“Won’t the upper floors fall down upon the room, killing all inside?” Kaylor asked.
Sherri grinned wickedly. “Hopefully that’s not going to happen. Remember, the upper part of the building is going to falling upwards, toward the gravity-well.”
Genuine surprise crossed Kaylor’s face. “Of course! I was confused.”
“Join the club. Now I have another idea, something to let Adam and the others know we’re here.”
Jym crowded in next to Sherri and Kaylor. “That is wonderful; what is it you have planned?”
“You can help with this, Jym. See if you can find the power controls for the building. There has to be central line that comes in, and everything here is controlled by mircoprocessors. Let me know when you’ve found it.”
Jym moved to the co-pilotseat and closed his eyes as he began a probe of the building along one of the comm lines he had linked to p
reviously. Trimen walked up to him. “You do not have to close your eyes to access the gift—the ATD.”
The diminutive creature cocked his head upward slightly and opened one eye. “I realize that, Trimen. It just works best for me—so that I can eliminate all distractions.”
The Formilian caught the not-so-subtle meaning of the statement and backed away, slightly embarrassed. As it was with most times Trimen moved about a room, Sherri had been watching him. She smiled, both at the blushing hunk of male virility, as well as the new cockiness Jym was exhibiting. They were truly a diverse yet competent team. For a moment, Sherri actually believed they could pull this off....
“I have entered the computer controlling the power within the building. What now?”
At the moment, Sherri really wished she knew Morse code; the SEALs held prisoner within the domed building undoubtedly did. It would have made the task much easier.
“Begin shutting down the power and then rebooting it, but do it following this pattern: off/on, pause, then off/on, off/on, off/on, pause off/on, and then a longer pause and then off/on, off/on. Wait a minute and then repeat.”
“That seems complicated.”
“It’s meant to. It has to look like a pattern.” But only one a Human would recognize. ‘Shave … and a hair … cut … two bits!’ Something her father used to say way too often as she was growing up.
Jym closed his eyes again and began to follow Sherri’s instructions. It was a gamble on her part, but if Adam and the others knew she was in the area—and close enough to use the ATD—then when the fireworks started they could be ready. It just might save their lives.
********
“Daninf!” Nomar cried out. “Your time will come soon enough. Do not give in to his childish taunts.”
The Langril stepped between Adam and Daninf and pushed the Human down into one of the nearby seats. He looked at the others in Adam’s group, who stood glaring at him, appearing ready to strike. “All of you sit and do nothing foolish. If you wish death to come now, simply say so and I will forgo the presentation. If I will not gain your acknowledgment as to the fate of the Juirean fleet, then I see no reason to continue with this demonstration. I will be disappointed, yet that will quickly pass.” He looked down at Adam. “Which shall it be?”