Battle Plan

The Adam Cain Chronicles #3

T.R. Harris

Set in The Human Chronicles Universe

THC

Tom Harris Creations

Copyright 2020

by Tom Harris Creations, LLC

All rights reserved.*

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Novels by T.R. Harris

The Adam Cain Saga

The Dead Worlds

Empires

Battle Plan

Galactic Vortex (Coming March 23, 2020)

Dark Energy (Coming April 23, 2020)

The Human Chronicles

The Fringe Worlds

Alien Assassin

The War of Pawns

The Tactics of Revenge

The Legend of Earth

Cain’s Crusaders

The Apex Predator

A Galaxy to Conquer

The Masters of War

Prelude to War

The Unreachable Stars

When Earth Reigned Supreme

A Clash of Aliens

Battlelines

The Copernicus Deception

Scorched Earth

Alien Games

The Cain Legacy

The Andromeda Mission

Last Species Standing

Invasion Force

Force of Gravity

Mission Critical

The Lost Universe

The Immortal War

Destroyer of Worlds

Phantoms

Terminus Rising

The Last Aris

The Human Chronicles Box Set Series

Box Set #1 – Books 1-5 in the series

Box Set #2 – Books 6-10 in the series

Box Set #3 – Books 11-15 in the series

Box Set #4 – Books 16-20 in the series

Box Set #5—Books 21-25 in the series

REV Warriors Series

Rev

REV: Renegades

REV: Rebirth

REV: Revolution

REV: Retribution

REV: Revelations (coming soon)

REV Warriors Box Set #1 – Books 1-3 in the series

Jason King – Agent to the Stars Series

The Enclaves of Sylox

Treasure of the Galactic Lights

The Drone Wars Series

Day of the Drone

In collaboration with Co-Author George Wier…

The Liberation Series

Captains Malicious

Available exclusively on Amazon.com and FREE to members of Kindle Unlimited.

Contents

The alien with an attitude is back!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue

Galactic Vortex

Author’s Notes

Sign-Up Section

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Contact the Author

Novels by T.R. Harris

The alien with an attitude is back!

The Adam Cain Chronicles

Moving to the tropical paradise world of Liave-3 was supposed to be a reward for twenty years of saving the galaxy from a variety of aliens with evil intent. But for Adam Cain, Sherri Valentine and Riyad Tarazi, it’s turning out to be anything but a reward. It’s turning into a disaster.

Besieged by gangster thugs, alien assassins and troublesome dinosaurs, the Humans are learning they’ll need all their skills and natural abilities to survive.

In this latest adventure…

A blast from Adam’s past is back—the indomitable Copernicus Smith. Part starship repairman and galactic super-spy, Coop has become involved in a prison break at one of the galaxy’s most notorious prisons. All this leads back to the planet Liave-3 and the re-introduction of some of Adam’s other past teammates, Summer Rains, Monty Pitts and the Juirean Tidus Fe Nolan. The gang’s almost all here and once again roping Adam into their troubles.

Adam Cain and friends are back! Let the alien ass-kicking begin!

1

“We do not get many Humans here,” said the warden. “We have had a few, yet none currently.” He grinned. “It is understandable why you have been sent here.” The alien reached down to a datapad and made an entry. “Your prisoner designation will be NT-4. You are no longer who you once were. From now on, you belong to the Panorius Confinement Center Number Eight.”

“I don’t even know why I’m here,” said the Human, holding up his shackled arms for effect. “There was no trial, no nothing. I was just scooped up and brought here.”

“I might be able to enlighten you as to the reason.” The warden scanned his pad again. “Let me see, the Human known as Copernicus Smith has been accused of assisting the Xaniz Cartel in their activities—”

“I’m not a member of the Cartel! I just repair starships!”

“Yes, you do; however, for the criminal element, allowing their crews to commit unspeakable acts of cruelty and mayhem, or the ability to transport contraband throughout this part of the galaxy. In the eyes of some, that is seen as aiding in their activities.”

“I was just doing the job I was hired to do. I don’t care who they are, so long as they pay.”

“Even if they are criminals?”

Copernicus shifted nervously in his seat. “I normally don’t ask who they are. But that’s not the point. I haven’t been able to defend myself, to give my side of the story.”

The warden nodded. “That is true; however, irrelevant. In some jurisdictions within the Expansion, local governments, business entities and certain individuals with power and influence are allowed to sponsor prisoners in our facilities. Your particular Benefactor has chosen to finance your stay with us—”

“Benefactor? You call someone who snatches you off the street and throws you in jail a Benefactor?”

“They are paying.”

“And I don’t I have any recourse; anyone I can call?”

“Not at the moment,” said the warden. “Your first opportunity to do so will be in fifty days—”

“Fifty days! You mean I’m stuck here all that time?”

The alien wasn’t upset with Coop’s constant interruptions; in fact, he was enjoying it. Copernicus was sure the fat alien had heard the same protests a thousand times before, and still, he reveled in the fear and frustration his victims displayed.

“From my experience, I would say you will be with us for much longer than that. Allow me to explain the procedures we have in place here at Panorius Number Eight.”

Earlier, the warden had introduced himself as Gradier Dansif, and now, the fat, pale-skinned alien leaned back in his chair and studied the Human for several moments before speaking again.

“The organization I work for maintains several such detention centers throughout the galaxy, each specializing in a particular type of inmate. Number Eight is reserved for the strongest and most dangerous of species, hence your presence here. As you can tell, we are on a moon with gravity one-third that of Juirean Standard. The location was chosen deliberately, designed to counteract any advantages you—and others like you—may have with regard to strength or other physical abilities. As you know, prolonged exposure to such low gravity produces deleterious effects within a body, and the longer you remain, the more severe these effects.

“To foster such reduction in the natural abilities of our guests, all are placed within a Conditioning Chamber for the first two hundred days of your incarceration. During this time, you will slowly lose much of your strength, stamina … and your will to resist. If you survive the Conditioning period, you will be released into the labyrinth below ground. There you may choose any unoccupied side cave as your own and live out a more or less normal life. You will be allowed to work in the various shops and factories Panorius runs, under contract with certain outside entities, and for this you will be paid a small wage. There are shops and eating facilities run by inmates which you may use. Once you reach this stage, you will find that there is very little crime underground, as the inmates are often too weak to commit any.”

The warden grinned, instinctively keeping his teeth from showing fully, a gesture signifying a death challenge in most alien cultures. “Every fifty days, you will be brought before the review board to have your sentence updated. It is then that your Benefactor may choose to pardon you. However, none of the inmates know the true length of their imprisonment. That will depend on those paying for the confinement. At any of these review sessions, you could be set free, meaning your time with us could be as little as fifty days, or as long as a lifetime. You will never know the duration.

“But I must warn you, Copernicus Smith, that since all Benefactors pay in advance for the two-hundred-day conditioning stage, pardons seldom occur during this period. It is only after being conditioned and moved below ground that most pardons occur since Panorius still charges a fee for your containment. Even though the fee is significantly lower than the first two hundred days—since we are compensated by your labor—many Benefactors do not see the need for continual funding. However, if you are pardoned after a fair amount of time on the moon, your body will undoubtedly have trouble acclimating to normal gravity. And very few of our former inmates have the resources for a more regimented reintroduction. Instead, many choose to forfeit their labor pay so they can remain in the catacombs. But death comes sooner in the moon’s gravity, even under the best of conditions.

“And one additional warning. The staff and guards are not subject to the damaging effects of the moon’s gravity. After each shift, we return to the orbiting space station, where we experience the healing effects of standard gravity. This means the guards and staff are much stronger and more durable than any of the inmates—even Humans, at least after the initial conditioning phase. This serves as an additional deterrent to violence or escape attempts.

“Until you are released below ground, you will have to fend for yourself in the Conditioning Chamber. There you will meet creatures with a variety of latent abilities, such as yours. You may survive; you may not; that is not our concern since Panorius survives on our initial payments and labor exchange. If an altercation does occur between inmates, we will make a determination whether or not the injured party—or parties—are worth repairing. If so, they will be taken to the medical ward. If not, then they will be left to die. In the view of Panorius, it is preferable for an inmate to die early within the conditioning stage, since it will be less expensive than servicing a live guest going forward. Therefore, as a general rule, the guards will not interfere. For your first two hundred days at Panorius, it will be survival of the fittest. Following that, it will just be survival.”

This time the alien smiled fully, displaying double rows of small, rounded teeth, unafraid of the sensibilities of his new guest. “That is why I have confidence you will be with us for a very long time since Humans have a tendency to persevere. I welcome that. It will only prolong your misery. Now, NT-4, welcome to the Panorius Confinement Center Number Eight.”

* * *

Copernicus Smith was taken from the administration building through a long transparent tube that disappeared into a rock wall ahead. Along the way, he looked out on the monochrome greyness of the moon and its airless terrain. The prison was set within a small crater, bordered by hills several hundred feet high. In the distance was the landing field, and next to it was another large building with cables and huge ducts running into the side of the crater wall, the life support center for the facility. Long shadows cut across the base of the crater, created by the nearby planet or star around which the moon orbited. Coop then noticed a bright object in the blackness of space above. That would be the space station where the guards and staff would return after each shift. He made a note of its location, undoubtedly geosynchronous. That was good to know. He wouldn’t have to go looking for it, if and when the time came.

As he walked, he counted his steps. Although his situation appeared hopeless at the moment, it was in Coop’s nature to always be looking for a way out. After all, he didn’t come to the Panorius Confinement Center to be a prisoner—at least not for long.

* * *

The Conditioning Chamber was a rather large, elongated cavern with relatively few occupants, maybe a couple of dozen or so, at least the ones he could see. The right side of the chamber was divided up into dozens of cubicles made of eight-foot-high concrete partitions. To the left was a dining area with free-standing tables and chairs, a lounge area with monitors mounted on the stone wall and what appeared to be a grooming station off in the distance. There were no cooking facilities nor food processors along the wall, meaning the meals had to be brought in from someplace else. Again, that was good information to know.

Copernicus was dressed in a standard tan tunic, too large for his short, Human body. Most aliens were taller than Humans, and the management of the facility didn’t see the need to have a variety of uniform sizes available for the prisoners. His shackles were removed and he was handed a bedroll made of three-inch-thick foam rubber and held tight by magnetic bands. A small pouch containing basic grooming tools completed the ensemble.

Two grubby-looking inmates spotted him immediately and sauntered over, towering over the smaller Human by a foot or more. They showed no fear of the guard and instead moved closer to block Coop’s way.

“Fresh meat,” said a yellow-skinned alien with a row of tiny horns projecting from his bony forehead.

“Yes,” said his slightly shorter companion, a grey-skinned creature of a different species. “And fresh meat need no sleeping pad.” He reached out and grabbed Coop’s bedroll. The Human held on, not letting it go.

“I believe I need this,” Coop said with a grin. “And I’ll be keeping it.”

“This is a Human,” horn-head said. “I’ve seen them on the broadcasts. This must be one of the smaller varieties, a runt. Give us the pad.”

Copernicus had his fist hidden under the bedroll, and when the smaller alien made another grab at it, Coop lashed out, with the speed and force Humans were known for, yet had to constantly demonstrate to a slow-learning galaxy. He caught the alien under the chin and drove splintered bone into his pea-sized brain. Without so much as a grunt, the creature’s eyes turned pale grey, and the alien timbered to the stone floor like a fallen tree, stiff and rigid, and dead on arrival. Horn-head staggered back, having not seen the hit that killed his companion. Coop turned to face him, a thin grin on his face, ready for round two. But the alien wasn’t biting. He attempted a look of defiance that fell flat before he turned and walked away, leaving his friend lying where he fell.

Coop looked up at the towering, silent guard and grinned. “You’re welcome,” he said. “Just doing my part to help Panorius save money on inmate upkeep.”

* * *

After the guard left, Copernicus checked the pouch to see if anything inside could be fashioned into a weapon. To his surprise, he found a scrub brush with a plastic handle that could be made into a decent shiv. The warden didn’t care if the inmates killed each other—in fact, he encouraged it—at least for the first two hundred days. After that, Copernicus conceded, he would probably be too weak to start a fight with any of the inmates. He’d been around the galaxy long enough to know how fast muscles atrophied in weak gravity, knowledge which instilled a sense of urgency in Coop’s planning.

The other item in the pouch was a washcloth. He looked around the room and spotted a row of small holes in the floor off to his left next to the lounge area. Steady streams of water flowed from pipes in the wall and traveled along channels in the floor before disappearing into the holes. A few inmates were in the area, some squatted over the holes while others used the recycled water to bathe themselves with the washcloths. Then one of the aliens at the holes stood up and used his cloth to wipe himself.

Copernicus looked at his cloth. It smelled clean, but it wasn’t new. And now it would have to serve dual purposes, which made his stomach turn.

After his initial initiation, the other inmates paid him little attention. If any of the others recognized him as a Human, they didn’t let on. Most were taller and stockier than he, with intense eyes marking them as predator species. They were all predators, just as was Copernicus. And it was in the Conditioning Chamber where the inmates retained much of their natural—and dangerous—abilities.

Coop wasn’t worried—not much. He knew there were other species in the galaxy stronger, quicker and tougher than Humans, but none combined these traits into a single creature that could legitimately stand against a Human. Even so, size and a healthy dose of armor-like skin and bone could go a long way in negating a Human’s natural advantage. And from the look of the aliens in the large cavern, some could do just that.

Copernicus walked past the dining area as he began the initial survey of his prison. Several aliens were sitting about, although there was no food or drink on the tables. He would learn the feeding schedule soon enough. He hoped it wouldn’t be a free-for-all. He noticed five black-skinned creatures huddled together. They noticed him and stopped talking as he walked by, watching him with unblinking eyes.

Coop recognized them as Gracilians, and as far as he could tell, their race was represented more than any other in the facility. Either that or they tended to cluster together more. He knew Gracilians quite well, having worked for them for a while several years ago. Although they were muscular and imposing creatures, they were known more for their intelligence than physical abilities, yet still, they were at Panorius Number Eight. He wondered what they’d done to be put here. Then he shrugged, realizing they could have done nothing at all—just like him.

He moved on, walking the perimeter of the chamber, checking for air ducts, doorways, cameras and guard stations. Only a few guards walked nonchalantly throughout the huge room, showing no fear or even concern for what was going on. He spotted two short-term fights take place while the guards stood by, appearing amused and talking among themselves as if betting on the outcome.

At the far end of the cavern, he came upon a double security door. There were windows in the panels and he gazed through. The tunnel beyond was more dimly lit and angled down at a decent slope. Two aliens were visible, each wearing dilapidated clothing and shuffling along with slow, defeated cadence. Their bodies with emaciated, their faces sallow, eyes vacant. These would be some of the long-term tenants, living their ‘more or less normal lives’ as the warden called it. Coop couldn’t see how they would have the strength to work the factories to earn any extra cash.

He snickered when he realized these two depressing creatures could end up as a future meal, part of the Panorius Luxury Resort and Spa recycling program. He bet they would taste just like chicken.

Copernicus moved on, now gazing into various cubicles, looking for one that was unoccupied. There were several, but he continued to make his rounds until he came to one with an inviting stack of three foam pads on the floor, with a fourth coiled up as a pillow. There was no one in the room, so he stepped inside and sat down on the bed. It was remarkably soft and comfortable, prompting him to recline fully, with his head on the foam pillow. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“I could get used to this,” he said aloud. It had been a while since he had decent sleeping accommodations.

Something cast a shadow over him, and when he opened his eyes, all he could see was a dark object looming above him, taking up much of the small space in the cubicle with its bulk.

“This mine,” said a baritone voice as if spoken through a mouth full of rocks. As the figure shifted position, more light was allowed in, and Copernicus saw that the mouth was more like the scoop on a heavy equipment front-loader than anything that should be on a living being. Then he got a better look at the monster hovering over him.

It was indeed a monster, easily ten-feet tall and four feet wide, and looking like an oversize version of the Incredible Hulk if that was even possible. Coop had seen a lot of aliens in his day, but this was a first. Everything about the beast was big and thick. Even his fierce yellow eyes were the size of drink coasters.

“This mine,” the creature repeated.

Coop slipped off the pad and stood up, confirming the size of the beast when his head only came to mid-torso on the monster. The alien was bare-chested, suffering from the same limitation in available prisoner tunics as did Coop, just in the opposite direction. The beast’s arms were five-feet long, made of a strange combination of three thick stalks, each four inches in diameter, and wrapped in a tight layer of blackish-brown skin showing the underlying bone structure, and with discolored plates of even thicker skin creating an ugly mottled effect. Each arm was twice as thick as Coop’s thigh.

“Sorry,” Copernicus said as he gingerly squeezed past the huge beast and into the open space between the cubicles and the dining area. The creature slowly turned his enormous body to face the Human.

“This mine,” the creature said for the third time. He may be as big as a mountain, Coop thought, but he’s also dumber than a pile of rocks. The Human watched as the beast clenched his fists, forming them in square hammers each two feet in diameter. They resembled Thor’s hammer, only made of flesh and attached to five-foot-long pendulums.

“I said I was sorry. Your bed looked so inviting. I had to try it out.”

The fiery yellow eyes blazed down at him. Coop wasn’t sure he could talk his way out of this one.

Copernicus then noticed that a small crowd of inmates was gathering, anticipating a show, something to distract them from their mind-numbing boredom. They stood back at a safe distance, each displaying looks of almost sadistic glee. This was a violent bunch, and they reveled in its many forms, whether giving or receiving. They were anxious to see the towering beast wreak havoc on the much smaller, pink-skinned alien.

It was at that point that Coop remembered an old saying, one whose origin he was sure was from an old movie he’d once seen. It went something like: The first day in prison find the biggest opponent … and then kick his ass. It will send a message to the others. Even though the logic was undeniable, the reality of the strategy was another matter. And looking up at the ten-foot-tall wall of muscle, Copernicus was about to disregard the advice and make a strategic, if undignified exit, when he remembered he was a Human, and Humans had a reputation to live up to.

“You know what?” he said to the alien mountain in front of him. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not sorry; in fact, I rather like your three-pad mattress. I think I’ll keep it. From now on—” Coop pointed past the alien and into the cubicle. “—this mine.”

2

The movement from the alien was like the parting of the Red Sea, as the long arms lifted to his sides before the hammer-like fists came sweeping back in toward the tiny Human, designed to catch him in a bone-crushing vice. The giant fists slammed together, just as Copernicus darted inside the arc of the limbs, able to easily avoid the slow-moving creature. Earlier, he’d watched the alien as he turned around. This creature was from a heavy-gravity world, just as were Humans; however, this beast evolved differently. Rather than conquering its environment to become strong, swift and coordinated, this mottled-skinned species surrendered to the oppressive gravity. They grew strong to counteract its effects; however, in the end, evolution chose sloth over speed, power over agility.

Copernicus moved to the belly of the beast and began pummeling the alien with powerful blows to the side of the torso, where most creatures were vulnerable. To his disappointment, his hits had very little effect on the huge body, and the coarse, blotchy skin was like striking a thin layer of crusty armor. He was still trying to make a dent in the alien when one of the pendulum arms whacked him from the side.

Even as he was flying through the air in the moon’s light gravity, Copernicus realized the gravity here was both a boom and a bust. It was a bust because it would eventually kill him as his body slowly withered away. It was a boom because it allowed his body to be flung to the side without much effort, diminishing the impact of the blow and saving him from any lasting damage.

He landed and skidded along the floor for several feet, crashing into the dining tables and chairs before coming to a rest. The mountain-size beast followed, as evidenced by the vibrations in the stone floor. Fortunately, Coop had been thrown far enough away to give him time to scramble to his feet before the alien was upon him.

The monster tried the clashing-fists maneuver again, and again the Human dodged them. Then Copernicus took a chair in his hands and scurried behind the lumbering beast, smashing it onto the creature’s back. All it did was shatter the plastic chair, leaving Coop clutching a two-foot long piece of plastic from one of the legs. It tapered to a sharp edge, forming a crude spear.

As the beast turned, twisting in what was slow-motion to the Human, Copernicus shoved the sharp piece of plastic into the leg of the alien, just below the knee and angled up. At that point, another saying came to mind, this one from another old movie he’d seen as a child on Earth: Take out the knees and the fight is over. Or something to that effect. Seeing that advice from one old movie got him into this mess in the first place, maybe another would save him.

The beast bellowed in pain, swiping once again with a pendulum fist, striking the Human on his right side. Copernicus lost his grip on the plastic spear as he was once again soaring through the air. This time, however, he smashed into one of the concrete partitions forming a cubicle. The wall crumbled, burying him in heavy chunks of sharp and dusty debris.

The wounded beast hobbled toward him, the wall having stopped Coop’s flight, leaving him only a few feet from the angry hulk. Coop’s hand fell upon a sharp piece of the wall, a chunk that barely fit his hand, and with a razor-sharp edge to it. As his opponent stepped closer, a giant shoeless foot appeared. There were no shoes large enough to fit the alien at the facility, and that was to be his downfall. Copernicus lifted the piece of broken concrete and brought it down on the alien’s big toe. Big was an understatement; the thing was as big as Coop’s head. The cut was deep and wide, eliciting another painful cry from the alien. Before the lumbering beast could react, the Human struck again, and again, until the appendage was nearly severed, held on to the foot by a few ragged pieces of sinew.

The beast stumbled backward to the floor, blood squirting out of the wound. The alien’s hands uncoiled and reached down, grasping the foot, placing a basketball-size palm over the cut to stop the bleeding. It didn’t help. That’s when another of the inmates got too close. The injured creature reached out and took the other alien in one of his hands, while the other ripped off his tunic. The monster then pressed the cloth into the wound, leaving the much smaller inmate naked and scrambling away, embarrassed.

Copernicus climbed out of the pile of debris and dusted himself off. He looked around the room at the stunned and silent faces of the unbelieving spectators. He gave them a smug smirk. Take that, you bastards, he thought. He’d done it; he’d bested the biggest, baddest creature in the prison. That should gain him some respect—at least for the time being—along with a comfortable bed to rest his weary head.

3

Copernicus spent the next two days getting used to his new accommodations, adding his sleeping pad to the bed to make it even cushier. The prior occupant of the cubicle had commandeered the extra pads from frightful and compliant inmates, and although the creature he now knew as a Vos was in the medical ward, no one dare approach the Human and ask for them back. That was fine. The warden said it was survival of the fittest in the conditioning chamber, and Copernicus was determined to prove he was the fittest of the fit.

He learned the dining schedule, which consisted of four feedings during each daily cycle. Every meal was the same, with only water to wash it down. He also learned that every five days, the inmates were required to be hosed down. He hadn’t been there for five days, but still, it was a routine in which he had to participate. It was done at the grooming area, with half of the inmates at a time gathered naked as ice-cold water was sprayed over them from hoses held by the emotionless guards. It was an incredible site, forty or so naked aliens—most of Prime form but with the wondrous variety the galaxy afforded—shivering and complaining. There were a few females in the prison, although in some cases it was hard to tell. But none seemed to be accompanied by any males of their species so there was no interspecies fraternization. After the first group was hosed down, the second was moved into position.

On the third day of his captivity, Copernicus was once again making his rounds, paying particular attention to the entrance to the underground labyrinth. A guard normally stood nearby, but like the others, he wasn’t particularly attentive, allowing Coop to check the latch. The door was unlocked, which made sense. None of those below wanted to go into the Conditioning Chamber, and those in the Chamber couldn’t care less what when on below. They would be down there soon enough; there was no need to rush things.

He moved past the doorway and began working his way toward the lounge area, where inmates were allowed to watch broadcasts approved by management detailing events taking place within the Expansion. It wasn’t much, but it was something to keep the prisoners from going stir crazy. That’s when he sensed he was being watched.

Copernicus stopped at the side of the lounge and leaned against the rock wall. A few feet to his left stood one of the Gracilians. They spent most of their time in either the dining area or the lounge and always together. This Gracilian, however, was alone. He was staring at Coop with unabashed bravado. He recognized him as the leader, the one the others clustered around and whose every word they clung to.

“Do you want something?” Coop asked the audacious alien.

The creature shrugged with a very Human-like gesture. “I want many things. Do you have a suggestion?”

“I meant why are you following me?”

The Gracilian moved closer. He was about six-and-a-half-feet-tall, with shiny black skin and broad shoulders. His eyes were like black pearls that seldom blinked.

“I am curious about what you are doing.”

“What does it look like I’m doing; I’m looking for a way out.”

The alien’s eyes grew wide. “As in a way to escape. That would seem impossible. Where would you go if you could leave the facility? The vacuum of space awaits you outside.”

“Even so, I have some ideas. Let’s just say I don’t plan to wait around long enough for my body to give out.”

“You are a Human,” the alien stated.

“And you’re a Gracilian.”

The alien recoiled slightly. “I am surprised you would know that. We are not well-known beyond the Kidis Frontier. And now we are one of the hundred refugee species in the aftermath of Kracion’s attacks. Even fewer will know of us now.” The alien bowed slightly. “I am Aric Jroshin.”

“Copernicus Smith. Sorry about your planet. I’ve never been there, but I did work for some Gracilians a while back; maintenance work on a research facility you had out beyond the ecliptic.”

The alien frowned. “Copernicus Smith? Why is that name familiar?”

“I have no idea. The place where I worked doesn’t exist anymore. And I was just one of a thousand others who were there.”

“The dark matter research facility!”

Copernicus shook his head. “And how the hell did you know that?”

Aric grinned. “Before the unfortunate events surrounding the Mad Aris, I served as the lead scientific advisor to the Norina, the ruling body on Gracilia. The facility you speak of was under my ultimate supervision.” He narrowed his eyes, taking a moment to search his memory for more details. Coop knew Gracilians were geniuses, the scientific brains of the Kidis Frontier, a poor man’s version of the Klin.

Then Aric smiled again. “Yes, you and a companion absconded with the Dark Matter Collector. It caused quite a turmoil at the capital. The device was never recovered, and then the research facility was destroyed by the infamous Human Adam Cain if my memory serves me correctly. Do you know Adam Cain?”

“I’ve heard of him.”

“I find it amazing that I would find you here, and in a similar situation as I.”

“Yeah, about that. What are you doing here? This place is supposed to be for the most dangerous and violent races. I know you’re pretty tough, but you prefer to use brain over brawn, unlike some of the other creatures in here.”

“I agree. I witnessed your confrontation with the Vos,” Aric said. “That was quite impressive. You certainly identified yourself as one of the beings not to be challenged. I suppose that was the purpose of the demonstration.”

“Mostly it was just to stay alive.”

“You ask why I am here? I will tell you; it is all a tragic misunderstanding. After leaving the Kidis, the main Gracilian refugee group settled on the planet Aac’or. It would not have been our first choice; however, at the time, we had little choice. Over the years, some of my people began an effort to overthrow the local government and claim the planet as their own. There was enough prior suspicion of such an action among the natives that the coup attempt failed. Being an executive in the exiled Gracilian government, I was included in the roundup of the conspirators, although I had nothing to do with it. I, along with a few of my closest associates, were sponsored to Panorius Number Eight as punishment.”

“Damn, that sucks.”

The alien frowned, lost in the translation.

“That’s bad,” Coop clarified.

“It is. And it is only—”

Aric stopped talking in mid-sentence and stared at Copernicus, making him self-conscious from the intense, unblinking stare.

“What?”

“Do you sincerely believe you can escape?” Aric asked. “We have looked into it as well and have not found a solution. I suppose that is the pastime of all detention inmates, to be forever dreaming of escape.”

Copernicus smiled. “Dreaming is one thing; doing is another. I’m a Human, and I’ve escaped from four other prisons in my lifetime. I don’t see why this one would be any different.”

Aric’s face became animated.

“How, how would you do it?”

Coop shook his head. “I don’t know exactly, but I’m working on a few ideas.”

“Take me with you,” Aric blurted. “I will pay.”

Coop took a step back, shaking his head. “Wait a minute. It’s not that simple. One person may be able to get away, but you’re talking about all five of you coming with me. That’s a major jailbreak. Besides, I don’t even have a solid plan yet.”

“It would only be me you would need to take.”

Coop snorted. “You’d leave your friends behind?”

“They will be fine. I am the main reason they are here. If I escape, then the Benefactor will have no need to continue making payment for their confinement. They will be released; of that I am sure.”

“I still don’t have a plan.”

“Yet, as you say, you are a Human, and if my memory serves correctly, one of remarkable abilities. You managed to steal the most valuable artifact from the ancient Aris civilization. At some point, you will have to tell me what became of it.”

Copernicus thought for a moment. Then he said, “Pay, you said you could pay. How can you do that? You’re in prison, as is most of the Gracilian government.”

The smile on Aric’s face had a wicked tinge to it.

“Have confidence, Copernicus Smith, I have assets.”

“I’ll have to know what they are before I include you in my plans; otherwise, it’s not worth the risk.”

Aric was silent for a moment as he internally debated what to tell Copernicus. Then he made the Human-like shrug once again.

“Very well. As you know, Gracilia was the first world attacked by Kracion. It came as a complete surprise. At first, we thought we could reason with him, but that proved to be an error in judgment. At the time, we believed he intended to use conventional nuclear devices to lay waste to the planet, but as you know, he used radiation-intense weapons instead. In a desperate attempt to preserve at least some of the planetary treasury for future generations, a group of us decided to divide up the funds and leave the planet. My share was just over two billion Juirean credits. In the five years since Kracion destroyed Gracilia, most of the others have either had their fortunes stolen or confiscated by local governments. It was some of these credits that financed the attempted coup on Aac’or. Fortunately, most of mine is still intact.”

“Two billion!” Copernicus was in a mild state of shock. Juirean credits had a lot more value than Human money. Aric had to be sitting on a fortune comparable to twenty billion dollars or more. “Where is it?”

Aric shook his head and smiled. “Hidden away. It is safe, I assure you.”

Something wasn’t right, Coop thought. He frowned. “If you have so much money—credits—why don’t you just buy your way out of here? Panorius is all about the credits.”

“I cannot do that. The Aac’oreans are anxious to confiscate the wealth of Gracilia, as compensation for the recent coup attempt. And I would not trust others to have access to the funds, or further, to risk the Aac’oreans finding out about it. But as I said, it is safe. If you can free me, I will reward you most appreciatively.”

Now it made sense and being the unrepentant capitalist that he was, Copernicus saw no reason not to include Aric in his future escape plans.

“Okay, you have a deal. But as I said before, I don’t have a viable plan, not yet.”

“But now you have an incentive, even more than you did before. And I will double the fee if you can accomplish this feat within the next five days.”

Coop was staggered. “Double … five … why?”

“All I will say is that I have pressing matters to attend to. Before talking with you, I had all but conceded that I would play no part in upcoming events. But now there is a chance I may still be able to participate. And for that, I am willing to pay even more.”

“Participate in what?”

Aric’s grin was thin, his eyes intense. “That will have to remain a secret, even from you, my friend, Copernicus Smith. Now, put your creative and diabolical mind to work. Find us a way out of Panorius, and please do it quickly.”

4

With the pressure on, Copernicus began refining his ideas down to the most practical. It became obvious right away that Aric revealed his plans to his compatriots because they then whole-heartedly volunteered to help, acting as either lookouts or diversions while Coop tested some of his theories.

After a few days, he had the basis for a plan. It involved the catacombs and the factories Panorius operated underground. However, needing more information, he began chatting up the inmates who brought the food to the Conditioning Chamber. As he learned, the meals were prepared by inmates in a large, central kitchen below ground, the same facility that provided all the meals throughout the complex.

Normally, the workers remained quiet and didn’t socialize with the 200, meaning inmates serving their first two hundred days on the moon. And normally, the newbies didn’t converse with those from below ground, either. Coop, however, turned on the charm, asking the servers and clean-up crew what it was like in the catacombs. He explained how he would soon be joining them there, and he was curious. Where did they live? In small caves cut in the sides of tunnels and caverns. What did they eat? The same as the 200, although they could buy additional items from shops and street vendors once they began working in the factories. And what were these factories, what kind of work? Mainly rote assembly since they didn’t have heavy machinery in the catacombs. And other items, such as different clothing, household goods and the like, where did they come from? Some of the inmates make them. Other items are brought in with the factory ships. Exchange was allowed, including a vibrant black market. And finally, where are the factories? They must have their own entrance. Yes, they do, with loading bays and a landing field on the other side of the crater wall.

That could be the key to their escape, with the civilian spacecraft that serviced the factories. It was better than fighting their way out through the front door. After a few more conversations, Copernicus had a pretty good idea where to go once he entered the labyrinth. And remarkably, he didn’t think he and Aric would have much trouble getting there. Security throughout the facility was lax. Within the Conditioning Chamber, the guards were ordered not to interfere with inmate activities, and to only react in self-defense. Below ground, it was even worse. The inmates down there were a pitiful lot, and the guards knew they were no threat. There were some crucial security points, such as the exits from the factories, but the weak-muscled and brittle-boned inmates in that part of the facility weren’t anxious to leave the moon. Returning abruptly to normal gravity would leave them suffering and incapacitated. The guards were mainly there to keep the civilians from taking advantage of the inmates, not the other way around.

The only issue Copernicus could see was the two-mile hike through the catacombs to reach the factories and the landing field. He and Aric would stand out among the decaying subterranean population. They would have to go slowly and cloaked in ragged blankets to hide their vibrant and healthy physiques. But overall, the plan was simple and straightforward. The problem came from the fact that he had no first-hand knowledge of the terrain or the layout. He had verbal directions, but that was it. Once through the double doors leading to the underground world, they would be on their own and with no firm idea of what lay ahead.

And Copernicus would deal with stealing a starship when the time came. He wasn’t worried about that. It was more or less his stock and trade.

* * *

The escape was set to take place after the early evening meal. It was never a good idea to escape on an empty stomach, and it would also allow them to mingle with the kitchen workers as they returned to the catacombs below. Even still, the guard near the door would have to be distracted, and by something that he cared about. A simple fight between inmates wouldn’t suffice. As far as Coop could tell, the only thing that got their attention was a threat to their personal safety. He thought about that for a while. He had four willing Gracilians who could cause the distraction, but that would involve them attacking a guard, and it would be best not to attack the door sentry because that would only attract more to the area. It had to be someone farther away, but not so far that other guards could come to his assistance. And then Coop worried about what would happen to the Gracilians. That thought didn’t last long. They were aliens, and if there was one thing both Copernicus and Adam Cain shared, it was a cavalier attitude for the welfare of aliens.

At the appointed time, Copernicus and Aric sat at the table nearest the door. They wolfed down their meals and then waited for the attendants to come around and collect their plates.

One of the remaining Gracilians had two dirty and frayed blankets he’d scrounged up tucked into the front of his tunic. He would hand them off to the escapees as they passed.

The other three had a guard targeted. They were following him, hoping he’d make his rounds close to the doorway, but not too close. This was the most questionable part of the operation, hoping a guard would be in the right place at the right time. Most didn’t have set stations or routines and tended to meander through the huge cavern. The guards didn’t like to get too close to the inmates in the Conditioning Chamber; they were still dangerous and savage, and the three Gracilians began herding the eight-foot-tall, red-skinned alien where they wanted him, by blocking his path and scooting up behind him, causing him to shift away in the direction they wanted. It was working. The target guard was about fifty feet from the one at the doorway and clearly in his sight.

Once the meal was complete, and the workers began to leave the Chamber, pushing carts of dirty dishes back to the underground kitchen, Coop and Aric stood up, took the blankets from the other Gracilian and began mingling with a group of zombie-like workers. They tossed the blankets around their shoulders and slumped down; long-term inmates were noticeably shorter than their counterparts as cartilage shrunk and spinal disks compressed. The hopelessness of their existence also added to the look.

Moments before they reached the doorway, they heard a scream lift into the air and echoed off the stone ceiling high above. There was more commotion, as the residents of the Conditioning Chamber followed their instincts and ran toward the fight that had just started between a guard and two of the Gracilians. The crowd erupted instantly into a chaotic, near riot, something Copernicus couldn’t have planned better even if he tried.

The guard at the doorway rushed away to help his comrade, leaving the open doorway unguarded. But it wasn’t unoccupied. The nineteen service inmates from below ground made a mad dash for the exit, or as fast as their emaciated muscles could carry them. They were above ground, among the strong and dangerous inmates who had yet to succumb to the environment of the Panorius moon. It wasn’t safe for them to be here.

A moment later, the escapees were through the opening and slowing their pace on the downhill slope to not outrun the other workers. The passageway was wide—probably over thirty feet—and long, until it met up with an equally wide cross tunnel. Most of the workers went left toward the kitchen. Coop and Aric turned right, in the direction they were told would lead to lower chambers and the other side of the crater wall.

There were no stairs or elevators in the complex, just sloping passageways between levels. Copernicus found this to be an interesting incongruity. Over a thousand weak-kneed and broken-down inmates had to trudge up and down ramps. Because of this, he imagined most would stay on their prescribed levels when possible. Then he noticed metal handrails attached to the rock walls. Even now, most of the foot traffic on the ramps were at the sides, where the inmates used the rails to help drag themselves along.

He was glad he was on his way out of this Hell. He couldn’t imagine living like this. And once enough time passed, this was all the long-term guests of Panorius Number Eight could endure. Anything beyond the almost non-existent gravity of the moon would prove fatal. It was the perfect prison. At least it would be if Copernicus was planning to hang around. Which he wasn’t.

5

They spotted very few guards in the catacombs, and the ones that were there didn’t give them a second glance. From the look of the foot traffic, the factories must run around the clock, and this was shift-change. One mass of slow-moving aliens was coming, while another was going.

Copernicus took only a passing interest in what he saw along the way. Indeed, the tunnels were pockmarked with crude caves cut into the sides, then shored up with spray-on foam to steady the walls. Even then, in the moon’s light gravity, there were very few cave-ins. Some of the occupants of the caves had placed barriers across the entrances, giving them a modicum of privacy and a declaration of independence. Most, however, were open, revealing the filthy squalor the residents of the catacombs had to endure.

Along the way, they passed several larger caves that served as shops and the barest of restaurants. There wasn’t a lot of variety down here, mainly what could be smuggled out of the central kitchen or brought in by civilian spacecraft. Other inmates manned rickety street carts selling what looked to be meat on a stick. That’s when Copernicus realized he hadn’t seen any rat-like rodents or pets of any kind in the labyrinth, conceding that desperate people would do desperate things to survive.

Eventually, they reached the factory district, and this was where their mission became increasingly more difficult. Not only were there more prison guards stationed here, but also civilian sentries. All would be strong, suffering none of the long-term effects of the moon. Coop and Aric stopped at a street vendor and pretended to look over the one-item menu as they surveyed the entrance.

There were plenty of inmates coming and going; however, here they were being scanned. All the inmates wanted to work to earn extra cash, but not all could. There weren’t enough openings. So, only those authorized to enter factory row were allowed through.

There were four prison guards and two civilians, each of different races. Those working for Panorius were unarmed, while the two civilians had ubiquitous MK-17s holstered around their waists. Coop pulled Aric aside.

“I don’t see any other way around it; we have to take out the guards.”

“There are six of them,” Aric said. “And as you pointed out before, Gracilians are not physical fighters. I have never been in a physical confrontation in my life.”

Coop figured that. “Have you ever fired an MK before?”

“Yes, but never in anger.”

“Do you think you could kill someone if you had to?”

Aric looked at the guards, and then back along the wide corridor from which they’d just come. One direction led to freedom, the other a miserable life of prolonged decay. “If I must.”

“I’ll take out the civilians first, taking a weapon and throwing it back to you.” Coop took Aric by his tattered blanket shawl and pulled him within inches of his face. “I’m counting on you,” he growled. “Don’t leave me hanging out there.”

“I will do my best.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Now get ready. I’ll pull them onto the factory side of the entrance. The guards should have their backs to you. Don’t hesitate. Take them out.”

“Out where?”

“Kill them, Aric. You got it?”

Aric began to ask another question but bit off the sentence. He would be content not knowing what it was.

Coop mingled with the crowd going through security. The checkpoint was manned by the prison guards, while the two bored civilians leaned against a wall about ten feet away and off to the left talking amongst themselves. Two of the prison guards were working the line while the other two were on break.

It happened in the blink of an eye. As Copernicus stepped up to the guard on the left, he threw back the blanket and buried a clenched fist into the solar plexus of the guard—if he had a solar plexus. It didn’t matter if he did or not; he was thrown back in the light gravity, going airborne for a moment before landing on his back, his head snapping back and ricocheting off the stone floor. He was out cold. Coop now launched himself into the air, soaring Superman-like into the pair of civilian guards. Their reactions weren’t fast enough to save them. The Human scooped both of them into his outstretched arms and then slammed them together. His right hand swept down on one of the stunned bodies and pulled the MK from its holster. Coop glanced over his shoulder, spotting Aric standing among the stunned prisoners. He tossed the weapon over his shoulder using his best Magic Johnson hook-shot form. He didn’t see it land, as a pair of prison guards piled on him from behind. He hoped he didn’t throw it too far, misjudging the strength he needed in the moon’s gravity.

The thought didn’t occupy his mind for long. He now had five fully functioning guards pulling at him, hitting his body, and simultaneously trying to free themselves from his grip while others tried to pull him off.

He let loose with a cocked elbow behind him, aimed at a pesky prison guard who seemed to be the strongest of the bunch. As it was with most fights between Humans and aliens, it was one punch and out. Now there were only four.

A brilliant flash filled the room, and Coop felt more of the weight on his back fall away. Aric had come through, thanks to the targeting computer in the weapon. The guard hit by the flash bolt had been more or less stationary for the time it took the sensor to lock on. This was the first time Copernicus gave credit to alien technology concerning weapons design.

Now with half the guards out of the fight, it was a piece of cake for Copernicus to take out the others. A couple of accurately placed fists in the faces of the civilians, along with an open palm slap into a chin of the prison guard, and the fight was over. Coop relieved the second civilian guard of his MK-17 before standing. He flinched when someone ran up beside him. It was Aric.

6

“You were sensational!” the alien complimented.

“You weren’t so bad yourself.”

Coop looked at the still-stunned inmates. They had backed away, forming a circle around where the fight took place; however, with the guards taken out, they just stood there. None of them would take advantage of the situation. What would they do if they tried? Fortunately, no alarms were sounding, not yet. But they would at any moment, alerted by other guards or from the inmates themselves.

Coop took Aric by the arm, pulling him into what the kitchen prisoners called Factory Row.

This corridor was three times as wide as the others, having been carved out of the crater wall by huge excavating machines. Along the way, there were wide openings that led to the six main factories operating at the Panorius facility, all located on the right side of the corridor. That must be the way out, through any of the factories, and to the loading docks at the other side. Coop didn’t linger. He entered the first factory, and with Aric in tow, began racing through the huge open bay, filled with long tables and overhead hoses. A hundred inmates or more sat at the tables, each with an assortment of tiny objects laid out in front of them. Once an item was completed, they would place it on a conveyor belt that ran along the center of the table and off to packaging and then delivery stations. The scene reminded Copernicus of pictures he’d seen of forced labor camps in China and elsewhere.

The ruckus at the main entrance was filtering through the complex, and now inmates were rising from their seats to see what was going on. Civilian supervisors, alerted to the work stoppage, were moving among the rows, heading for the interior entrance.

Coop and Aric were halfway through the factory before alarms began sounding, and more healthy and armed civilians began moving along the factory floor. The escapees weren’t hard to spot; they were the pair running awkwardly in the light gravity, bounding up and down more than they were making progress forward. Copernicus had experienced this before, being too long ago for him to remember how he solved it. The gravity was so light, that instead of his feet propelling him forward they did more to push him up and down. The key was to lean forward radically as one ran, shifting the upward motion into a forward direction. With the gravity here equivalent to that of Earth’s moon, Coop recalled the hopping motions the astronauts made to get around. He did his best to emulate them.

Mostly, all it did was cause him to topple forward a couple of times, taking Aric with him. By then, Coop had the taller alien draped over his back, which at the time seemed like a good idea. But Copernicus wasn’t able to run at Human speed, so he didn’t need to carry Aric. He slipped him off his back and told him to hop. Now it became two creatures, hopping between rows of startled inmate workers, bounding along for a while before face-planting to the stone floor.

Fortunately, the pursuing guards were having just as much trouble chasing after the escapees. But they did have guns. Flash bolts began to streak by. The notorious bad aim of aliens saved Coop and Aric, and the targeting computers in their weapons were useless against moving targets. Still, someone could get lucky. If a level-2 bolt hit the Human, he would be pissed. If one hit Aric, he could die.

They were nearing the end of the assembly bay and about to enter another section of the factory where the finish products were boxed and then loaded onto starships. A phalanx of civilians stood in their path. Fortunately, not all were armed. As he ran, Coop focused on the four that were and blasted them without missing a hop. The rest of the defenders fell back or ducked for cover.

With one final push off the floor, Copernicus went airborne and cleared a work counter at one of the pressure doors leading to the loading dock. Behind it was a couple of civilians. One had a gun, prompting Coop to take both of them out from above. He landed and then rolled, coming up on one knee, scanning the interior of the room for hostiles. He only had four shots left; he had to make them count.

Aric came through the door a moment later, but rather than rolling with style and grace, he fell forward and smacked his face once again onto the floor. His nose and mouth were already a bloody mess from previous falls, making him appear as though he’d just come out of a bare-knuckle prize-fight.

Copernicus was relieved to find that very few of the civilian factory crew were armed. They didn’t need to be, at least not before today. Coop took the MK from Aric. It still had nine shots remaining. They would need them as they commandeered a spaceship.

The rear cargo bay to a mid-size freighter was stuck into the loading dock, airtight seals replacing the need for an airlock. These specialize membranes were common in land-based commercial facilities which required constant docking and undocking of vessels. A ship could be backed in and the material would fill every nook and cranny, forming the seam. When the ship departed, the material would reform. Coop was wondering how fast the sheet would reform because he would be leaving in a hurry. Hopefully, the factory had safeguards against catastrophic pressure loss. He wasn’t anxious to hurt any more of the pitiful inmates than was necessary.

Copernicus led the way into the cargo hold, instantly recognizing the vessel as a Type-L service freighter. Various planets manufactured the ships, and he’d spent many an hour working on their engines for a variety of clients. There were a few inmates inside the hold, securing cargo with ties. They were aware something was going on inside the prison, now they found out what.

The skeleton crew aboard had been alerted to the breach and were arming themselves when Copernicus entered the spine corridor leading to the upper decks and the bridge. Normally, a vessel like this carried a crew of twenty. With no rec facilities at Panorius, most would still be aboard.

“Here!” Coop said, pulling Aric into a chamber on the right. “This is the main engine room. We need to clear it of any crew.”

Only one creature was in the room, and he wasn’t armed. As Coop shot him dead, he was thinking the alien should have armed himself.

Then the pair left the room. Coop stopped at a control panel on the bulkhead and made a few adjustments to the controls. Aric looked at him with a question on his dark face.

“I’m locking out the crew. All we’ll need then is the bridge to be secure. We’ll be long gone before they can get into the engine room and shut down the drive.”

A flash bolt singed Coop’s back as he stood facing the control panel, having come from up the corridor. The Human ducked and aimed his weapon. Heads were peaking around a hallway intersection about thirty feet away. He placed the barrel of one of the MKs against the smooth metal wall and sighted to where he’d seen one of the heads. A moment later, it appeared again. Coop fired. The brilliant ball of plasma energy seemed to hug the bulkhead, elongating but remaining on course. It contacted the alien head a split second later, frying through thin skin and bone. The creature tumbled out in the central corridor. For good measure, Coop aimed more conventionally for the second crew member across the hallway from the other. He missed, but the alien got the message and ran away. No other shots came their way.

They were moving along the corridor now. At that point, the crew decided that discretion really was the better part of valor and chose to let Coop and Aric reach the elevator leading to the bridge. There was a circular ladder compartment on the right, but that would be even tighter and more confining for the escapees. The elevator was big and would afford them at least a little cover when the doors opened.

The bridge of a Type-L freighter took up a large bulge in the topside hull, with a forward curved design and a squared-off back. The elevator opened to a narrow pressurize lobby with the bridge entrance directly ahead.

Coop was crouched down on the left side of the elevator door, with Aric tucked in safely behind him. Undoubtedly, the crew would make their stand here. They knew Copernicus intended to steal the ship, and he could only do that if he gained control of the bridge.

As soon as the elevator door slid open, the interior filled with half a dozen plasma bolts. The problem with that many being dumped into such a small space was that the hot plasma had a tendency to splash around before it cooled and evaporated. However, although the flash was bright and impressive, the actual size of an MK bolt was quite small. Still, a drop of the star-hot plasma managed to land on Aric’s leg, burning through his tunic and scorching his skin. Aliens had a much lower tolerance for pain than did Humans, so even this small amount was enough to send him into mild shock.

For his part, Copernicus hunkered down against the wall as more bolts filled the elevator. He couldn’t go shooting into the white haze that was forming in the air outside the elevator. He only had a combined ten shots left in his two weapons. He would have to make them count. He decided to bet on another of his natural Human abilities to save them.

“Stop shooting!” he called out. “We surrender!”

The incoming bolts died off.

“Stop! We surrender,” he repeated.

“Reveal yourself!” said a voice from outside.

Copernicus stood up, holding the MK that had one remaining shot in his left hand and his right, the other with nine. He held them high above his head as he stepped out into full view of the bridge defenders. He left Aric in the elevator. He was too overcome with pain to either protest or to help.

Copernicus stepped into the lobby, taking a quick inventory of the defenders. There were six of them, all armed, three on each side of the portal leading to the bridge. Their weapons were aimed at the Human, yet Coop noticed half of them were waving them around, movements that would break any target lock they may have had. That left three with rock-steady hands.

“Come closer,” a blue-skinned alien in a maroon uniform ordered. The other crew was dressed in red uniforms. Coop smiled. Five red-shirts and one maroon colored. Close enough, he thought.

Concentrating first on the three aliens with steady grips, Copernicus brought the weapon in his right hand down in a flash and lit off three quick bolts, appearing almost simultaneous in their release time. Without needing a computer to sight his targets, each bolt found its mark. Then he turned his attention to the other three. They were frantically trying to line up their weapons. It would only take a second, but they didn’t have that long. Coop took them out with another lightning-fast barrage of ballistic gunfire.

With the opposition down, Copernicus ran onto the bridge, checking to see if anyone was hiding inside. It was empty. He then returned to the elevator and carried the semi-conscious Gracilian onto the bridge and placed him in a seat at the comm station, buckling him in before he took the pilot seat. With a flick of a button, the bridge doors closed and sealed. He initiated the security protocols, locking them inside.

Aric was coming to his senses.

“Can you fly this vessel?” he inquired in a labored voice.

“No problem. I cut my teeth on ships like this. Are you okay?”

By now, Aric had learned to ignore most of Coop’s Human colloquialisms. “The pain is subsiding,” he answered. “That was quite an experience. I have never been shot before.”

“And you still haven’t. That was just a fragment. Now brace yourself, we’re heading out.”

Certain pre-liftoff procedures were required before the ship could move. Besides that, the freighter had been manually positioned into place at the loading dock. The gravity generators were cold and the chemical engines required charging before they could be fired.

That was unless you were Copernicus Smith.

7

Copernicus knew the inner workings of most starships like the back of his hand. He knew all the shortcuts and workarounds.

First, he activated the manual fuel feed into the liftoff engines, flooding the combustion chambers with a small amount of fuel. Then he accessed the engine computer controls and ran a bypass around the ignition safeties.

“Hold on,” he said to Aric. “This is going to be a bit bumpy.”

He ignited the aft combustion chambers.

A Type-L service freighter is a huge, gangly metal cylinder over three hundred feet long and half as high. It wasn’t easy to convert alien weight into Human metric tons, but Coop did it for this type of vessel years ago, during an especially long bout with boredom. The craft came in at four hundred thousand metric tons, in Earth standard gravity. On the Panorius moon, it was considerably less. But it did have mass, and that mass took an effort to get it moving. And move it did.

The rear reaction rockets fired almost directly into the prison factory, vaporizing anyone in the loading bay and sending the spaceship scraping along the grey surface of the moon. Coop was thrown back in his chair, held in by the harness. Aric let out a screech before once again passing out. The Human pilot now had to be careful. He had the ship moving but in a straight line across the rocky and dusty moon. He couldn’t angle the aft nozzles down to give them lift because that would bury the nose of the ship into the ground. And to angle them up would plant the aft end of the ship into the surface and possibly scrape off the gravity generators. He needed to get the forward jets going—and before the ship slammed into the rapidly approaching hill of an adjacent crater sitting dead ahead.

He tried the same priming maneuver with the forward jets, but the ride they were experiencing was so bumpy that he couldn’t keep his fingers on the computer pad. They hit a particularly rough patch that knocked his hands completely off the control console. They weren’t going to make it. Even shutting down the engines wouldn’t stop their forward momentum.

Forward! They’re going forward. That was the key.

Copernicus was able to hold onto the small lever for the aft jets. He angled them not up or down, but to the side, steering the huge ship sharply to the left and into a clearer part of the surface between the craters.

The problem: It was too sharp of a turn.

The spacecraft began to roll sideways before Coop could correct the angle of the nozzles. When his hand slipped off the controls again, it was lost.

The ship rolled over completely, darkening the bridge as the bulge on top of the hull became the bulge at the bottom. Emergency lights came on, but sight was the least of their problems. The ship was still rolling, making a complete rotation before beginning another. The only thing that saved them from being crushed was the gravity of the Panorius moon.

Copernicus fought to grasp the attitude controls to the aft jets again. He had an idea, and it might work if he could get control.

As his body swayed from side to side, he managed to grab the control toggle with his left hand. He used his right to make sure it stayed there. Then he waited, feeling the roll of the ship until he had it timed right. Then he angled the jets down, but only slightly. The bucking stopped, although not the spinning. They were off the surface, but not by much. When the ship spun again, the grey dust that was obscuring the viewport fell away. They were upside down, and only about twenty feet off the surface. Coop angled the jets again, and the cigar-shaped ship began to rock back in the previous direction. He continued to tweak the controls as the ship gained altitude. At a point where they were more than the length of the ship off the surface, Coop sent the lifting exhaust straight to the rear. The ship was still spinning slightly, but it was climbing, appearing almost like a bullet rifling from a barrel in extreme slow motion.

Another thirty seconds and they were in space, at which point Coop was able to stabilize the ship. He began a quick system check, grimacing at what he found. Although both gravity generators were still attached to the ship, the port side unit was crushed and out of commission. They would have to get by on one generator, which meant a shallow well capable of barely entering an event horizon for faster than light speed. Also, the rear cargo bay was open when they shot out from the loading dock. The pressure door had sheared off and the chamber was now open to the cold of space. Other than that, most other compartments were airtight. At this point, he had no way of knowing how the remainder of the crew faired during the rough and tumble takeoff. He was sure some would have preferred an MK flash bolt to the head rather than what they just experienced.

He looked over at Aric. He was alive, and just now coming to. The damn alien seemed to faint a lot, which, when Coop thought about it, did spare him some pain and anxiety. At least temporarily.

“Welcome back,” he said when Aric’s eyes focused on him.

“Are we away?”

“That we are.” Coop raised his eyebrows. “Away to where is another question.”

Aric quickly recovered and turned to the console in front of him. With expertise, he initiated a communication link, placing the built-in earphone in his ear before speaking. Coop couldn’t hear what he was saying. When the conversation was over, he turned back to Copernicus.

“I just sent you coordinates. Take us there. We will be met.”

Copernicus was startled by Aric’s sudden change in tone. He was much more commanding than before. Even so, Coop programmed in the coordinates.

“Where is this?” he asked.

“Not far, just beyond the outer boundary of the system.”

“What’s there?”

“A ship, another ship.”

“One of yours?”

“Yes.”

“You had a ship waiting for you? Why?”

“In case I was pardoned or a situation such as this arrived. They were not to wait long. Fortunately, they are still there.”

Coop responded to a proximity alarm at his console.

“That’s good to know because we have company. I hope your ship is a warship. We have one closing on us fast.”

Copernicus activated the gravity drive, but with only one generator, it wasn’t much. He ran an intercept calculation at their current speed needed to reach the coordinates Aric gave him. Three hours.

“We’re not going to make it,” he said to the room. “And these ships have only minimal weaponry. And—” he looked at another monitor—“all of them were stripped off on the surface.”

Aric was too busy to acknowledge Coop’s report. He was back on the commlink.

“I have my ship moving in for a faster intercept. They will be here in fifteen minutes.”

Coop’s jaw fell open. When he made his calculations, he saw the distance to the intercept was half a light-year away. “You must be wrong. That’s too fast, especially within a star system.”

“I am correct,” Aric said evenly. “Keep us safe for that time, and we will have completed our escape.”

Coop checked the threat board. Aa starship was closing on them fast, coming from in-system. He pulled up a schematic of the ship; it was a standard security craft, with a two-person crew and armed to the teeth. The transponder code was assigned to Panorius. Being a small fighter, it had decent speed, but not over the long run. Even in its current condition, the freighter could beat it in a marathon, but not a sprint. Coop couldn’t outfight the ship, so he would have to out-maneuver it, all the while buying time for the Gracilian vessel to arrive.

Another quick calculation showed there was an eight-minute gap between the arrival of the two starships. Eight minutes was a lifetime in most engagements, even more so when only one of the ships had no active weapons available.

8

Coop racked his brain for any tricks he may have up his sleeve. He had extensive experience with Type-L freighters. There had to be something he could pull out of his hat.

Then he thought of the useless port side gravity generator. It was a huge piece of equipment secured to the hull by explosive bolts. Runaway energy generation was a constant threat aboard starships, and the units were made to be jettisoned if need be. But how would that help him?

He scanned the nearby space, looking for the ubiquitous asteroid belt most systems had. Apparently, this one was the exception. And there were no planets within range he could hide behind. He set to work on the computer, seeing if there was any scenario where he could throw the damaged gravity generator at the hostile craft. Possibly, if it was close enough. The question then arose: what were the fighter’s intentions? Were they there to recapture the prisoners, or were they tasked with eliminating them? The logical answer was recapture. Not only that, but they were aboard a commercial vessel owned by someone other than Panorius. The owners would be upset if the prison company indiscriminately destroyed a very valuable piece of equipment.

To buy them time, Coop began a series of radical course changes, like a wide receiver trying to avoid an incoming linebacker. Each change required a corresponding recalculation of the intercept path. But this would only buy them a couple of minutes. Then it dawned on Coop that the Panorius ship would get in close without firing if they intended to recapture the prisoners. That might allow him to use the generator as a weapon.

The comms lit up a minute later, with demands for their immediate surrender. The security vessel was authorized to use targeted fire to disable the freighter. They were just about in range. If they took out the starboard generator, Coop’s ship would be dead in the water.

“Strap in and cinch the harness down tight,” he said to Aric. “I don’t know if the compensators are going to be able to handle this.”

Copernicus had a graphic on the main screen; it was more basic, cutting through the clutter of an actual high-rez image of the incoming starship. He dropped out of light speed and slowed the freighter. When the security vessel was only ten miles out, he put his plan into effect.

He cranked the maneuvering jet to a one-hundred-eighty-degree angle, setting the cigar-shaped ship into a tight spin. He was right about the inertial compensators. They were commercial units, not military-grade, designed for combat. They couldn’t handle the stress. Both pilot and passenger were jerked to the left, their harness straps cutting into already tender and bruised flesh. Coop’s eyes crossed, which was something he wasn’t expecting. He needed to time the next phase of his plan perfectly and he couldn’t do that if he were blind. He took in several deep breaths, fighting against the increased g-forces. Then as the ship whipped around for the tenth time, he activated the explosive bolts on the port side generator. The ship shuttered as the unit broke loose and flew off into space.

In reality, he didn’t expect to hit the security ship with the free-flying generator, but it was on track to do that. Until the fighter changed course slightly. A minute later, the tumbling gravity generator flew past with a couple of miles to spare.

With a long-overdue sigh of relief, Copernicus stopped the spinning motion of the freighter.

The fighter hung off at a distance a while longer, the pilot intrigued by the desperate act.

“Interesting,” said a voice over a commlink. “Yet I doubt very much you are willing to do that again with your only remaining gravity generator.”

“Come closer, and we’ll see,” Coop answered. “I have more tricks up my sleeve than just that.”

“Your comment is confusing; however, I believe I understand the meaning. You are instructed to surrender your vessel immediately. You cannot escape. You will be returned to Confinement Center Number Eight. Failure to comply will require a boarding of your vessel and potential loss of life. What is your answer?”

“Was there a question in there?” Copernicus asked.

“Will you surrender or not?” said the exasperated voice.

Coop checked the intercept clock. Forty seconds, give or take a few, brought about by his recent course changes and the slowing of the ship.

“I will give you my answer in one standard minute. Please hold.”

There was a moment of silence on the link. “I … we … hold? I do not understand.”

“You will.”

The Gracilian starship appeared on the long-range sensors a moment later. It would be visible on the equipment aboard the fighter, as well. Coop scanned the readouts: medium size deep space vessel, various weapons batteries fully charged and active—and a one-hundred-percent energy signal. He leaned forward and reread the data stream. That can’t be right. No vessel had one-hundred-percent efficiency.

It only took a moment for the Panorius fighter to make contact with the incoming warcraft, asking about their intention. Copernicus wasn’t privy to the answer, but when the fighter abruptly activated a deep gravity-well and disappeared, it was obvious it wasn’t to their liking. What surprised Copernicus, however, was that the Gracilian ship set off after it.

It only took an additional twenty seconds, while both vessels were still on the screens before the fighter disappeared at the end of a bright energy bolt sent from the Gracilian ship.

Was that necessary, Coop thought? They were running away. It seemed Aric’s people were a lot more ruthless than first thought.

A few minutes later, the large, dark ship maneuvered above the bulbous bridge of the freighter and extended an umbilical. Magnetics secured the tube before it was pressurized, and workers passed through and began cutting through the hull above the pilot station. Coop joined Aric near the rear doors and waited for the shower of sparks and melted metal to stop before a round section of the hull fell inward with a loud clang. A ladder dropped through the opening and Aric rushed off ahead of Copernicus, who was a heartbeat behind, hoping Aric didn’t intend to leave him behind now that the escape was complete. To his relief, dark-skinned Gracilians in slick military-like uniforms helped him into the umbilical and the waiting warship.

Coop only got a brief glimpse of the spaceship through the bridge viewport, but what he saw took his breath away. As a starship repairman, he lived and breathed spacecraft. This one was one of the meanest looking things he’d ever seen. It was delta-shaped, with stubby back wings and a generally flat profile. The forward section formed a long snout, which flattened out at the focusing ring compartment. Along the snout were dual weapons batteries, two on each side. They didn’t look like any flash weapons Copernicus had ever seen.

That was about all he could see at the moment. But now he was aboard the vessel and with plenty of time to satisfy his curiosity.

The umbilical was detached, leaving a prominent hole in the hull of the freighter’s bridge. It would have to be sealed before any of the surviving crew could reenter the bridge. Then Coop snickered. After his radical spin maneuver, he seriously doubted if anyone not prepared would have survived. There was probably no one left to reclaim the vessel.

Copernicus followed Aric along a narrow corridor lined with conduit and screened-in electrical components. It wasn’t like any corridor aboard a starship he’d ever seen, reminding him more of an old submarine on Earth. It was smaller and more cluttered, with a lot of equipment crammed into a small area.

A moment later, the corridor met up with the bridge. As with the corridor, it was smaller than Coop anticipated, with a pair of command chairs crammed in against a bank of monitors sitting forward of the location. There was a narrow viewport lining the sides of the compartment, but not forward. The pilots would rely only on the monitors for line-of-sight maneuvering.

Aric began an intense conversation with another Gracilian, this one dressed in a cobalt blue uniform with a yellow swatch over his right breast. Copernicus moved to a side operations console and ran his fingers over the smooth surface. Everything smelled new and molded with perfection.

He thought about the recent history of the Gracilians. They had once had an advanced society of over eight billion individuals thriving at the far end of the Kidis Frontier, at the beginning of the long swath of civilized worlds that would later become known as the Dead Worlds. According to Aric, their population now numbered around a million, mostly scattered across the galaxy. These were the fortunate few who got off the planet at the last minute before the attack, or those who were off-planet at the time. The Gracilians were well-known in the Frontier and had business interests on hundreds of worlds. Once the surface of Gracilia was irradiated and left uninhabitable, most survivors clustered together to form part of the mass exodus from the region, the refugees seeking shelter on any world that would accept them. At the time, there were so many refugees from a hundred worlds streaming into other parts of the galaxy that local resources were overwhelmed. The survivors soon found themselves shut out of planets closest to the Kidis, having to seek refuge farther into the Expansion. The planet Aac’or—where the bulk of the Gracilians eventually settled—was fifteen thousand light-years away from Gracilia. Even then, it wasn’t a harmonious integration with the natives. And, according to Aric, the Gracilian’s attempted coup on the planet didn’t help.

All this made Copernicus ask where did the ship come from? As far as could see, it was manned exclusively by Gracilians. Had they built it as well? Or did they hire out the manufacture?

The pair of pilots now engaged the engines, and the warcraft moved away from the now-derelict freighter. Copernicus moved to a side bulkhead and placed his hand on the warm metal, feeling the harmonics in the hull. He had intimate knowledge of most space drives and could identify the make and model by the vibrations they produced. This was a hum, more of a sound than a feeling. It was like nothing he’d ever felt. He pulled his hand away quickly when Aric suddenly turned his attention to him.

“Copernicus Smith, I want to thank you for your efforts in securing my freedom. I will honor my promise of payment. I would also like to keep you around as part of my security detail until I am fully within the company of my people. I will pay extra for this.”

Copernicus acted excited and appreciative. And acting it was. At the moment, all he truly felt was apprehension. There was a lot more going on here than he realized.

“Thank you, Aric; I appreciate it. As you know, I have no credits or a job, and I’m sure there’s going to be a bounty out for us for the escape.”

“That is why I wish your continued assistance. Having a Human at my side could be advantageous.”

“So, where are we going? And I have to tell you; I’m really impressed with this ship. What’s the energy source. It doesn’t feel like anything I’ve experienced before. And the weapons I saw outside. They don’t look like conventional flash cannon.”

Aric’s face turned hard. He stepped in a little closer to the Human as the other three Gracilian’s standing on the bridge also crowded in a little more.

“Contain your curiosity. The functioning and capabilities of this vessel are of no concern to you. You are here exclusively for your strength and physical prowess, nothing more. Is that understood?”

“Yeah, sure. As I said, starship repair is what I do for a living. I was just asking.”

“Ask no more.”

Coop looked to the forward bank of monitors at the pilot station.

“So, where are we going?”

Aric sighed. “If you must know, we are heading for a small world you have never heard of. It will take us fourteen standard days to get there, so until then, you will have nothing to do. It is called Liave-3.”

Copernicus coughed to hide his reaction. “Eh, sorry, dry throat. All that excitement during the escape. Is this Liave-3 where you have your money?”

“More questions?” Aric asked. “Are all Humans this inquisitive, even when they have been told not to be?”

“Sorry; it’s just our nature.”

“Whether Liave-3 is the location of my assets or not is none of your concern. Be assured you will be paid at the proper time. Until then—”

He turned to another of the Gracilians in the room, this one wearing a red uniform. “Since space is limited aboard the vessel, provide sleeping accommodations for the Human in the cargo hold. And one more thing. Secure the engine room. He is not to have access to it under any circumstance. Pass my orders along to the rest of the crew.” Aric gave Copernicus an amused look. “Do not let your curiosity ruin our relationship. It may be your nature, but let it not become your legacy.”

9

Of course, Copernicus knew all about the planet Liave-3. It had served as his base of operations for six years until he met up with Adam Cain and his gang. He hadn’t been back there in—he had to think—ten years? He knew the place had grown exponentially lately, becoming the unofficial capital of the Dead Worlds, and he spent most of the next fourteen days accepting the logic in Aric’s journey to L-3. His homeworld of Gracilia was still mildly radioactive and not yet ready for resettlement. It was also well-known that several groups of Gracilians went to Liave-3 after the attack. He tried to imagine how big a stack of two billion Juirean credits would be? It had to be huge, and not something one could drag along with them as they hopped from planet to planet, looking for someone to take them in. It made sense that Aric would stash the cash somewhere out of the way. And at the time, there was no place more out of the way than Liave-3.

Copernicus was given free rein of the Gracilian starship—all except the engine room—and allowed to eat in the communal dining area. He had very little contact with Aric during the journey, although he saw him often. As for the rest of the crew, they were a decidedly non-social bunch, at least when it came to him. He didn’t know if they’d been ordered to be that way, or it was just how this particular group of Gracilians reacted. He’d worked with dozens of Gracilians before while at the dark matter research station, but they were mainly scientists and technicians who reveled in the sharing of knowledge. It was this openness that got them in trouble, as Copernicus and Sherri learned about the Dark Matter Collector, an ancient artifact left over from the Aris. The two Humans immediately saw an opportunity to make a quick buck by selling the collector in an auction to the highest bidder. What they didn’t realize at the time was that the collector was a potential bomb capable of producing a gravity singularity that could suck in a tenth of the galaxy. Not only that, but the gravity disruption that would cause would have been enough to destabilize the super-massive blackhole at the center of the galaxy, eventually bringing about the destruction of the entire Milky Way. That revelation was both startling and terrifying, that he and Sherri had been traipsing about the Kidis Frontier with a weapon of such devastating destructive power. He was glad when Adam took it off his hands and disposed of the collector.

But there was another, more immediate consideration at hand, as he lay on his bunk in the cold cargo bay or meandered through the narrow passageways. It was the ship itself. He knew the location of the Panorius Confinement Center, as well as the distance to Liave-3. Aric said it would take fourteen days to make a journey of around fifteen thousand light-years. That was approaching trans-dimensional drive speeds. But this wasn’t a TD-starship. That type of vessel had been outlawed once it was discovered what damage the TD drive caused to the fabric of space-time. So, whatever energy drive the ship was using, it was the most efficient in the galaxy.

He knew the Gracilians were a race of brainiacs; they’d proven that time and again with their contributions to the weapons industry of the Incus, or in their energy devices used throughout the Kidis, indeed, the entire galaxy. And now they’d demonstrated it with this starship.

And then there was their research into dark matter and dark energy. How far that research had taken them was unknown. But what was known—or at least one would think—all that progress came to a screeching halt the day Kracion attacked Gracilia. That was five years ago, and yet looking at the quality and sophistication of the warship, it appeared the Gracilians hadn’t skipped a beat in their technological know-how.

At one time, Copernicus thought the ship was a prototype; however, there was too much refinement, too many perfect fits, too much logic, for this to be an experimental vessel. This ship was the result of years of product development. It was perfect for what it was designed to do—and that was the question. Why would a race now numbering only a million individuals need a warship in the first place? Any warship. There were too few of them to wage war, even if they wanted.

But if they did, a ship like this could go a long way in making an impact.

* * *

Taking a chance that Aric wouldn’t kick him out, Coop went to the bridge for the landing, wanting to take advantage of the narrow windows to get a view of the planet Liave-3 from above. There were no other portholes in the Gracilian ship. Aric ignored him, instead appearing lost in thought.

From high up, Liave-3 didn’t look much different than he remembered, but as they dropped lower, the changes became apparent. There was a massive, disorganized settlement stretching from the shore to the foothills, with the Us’nor River dissecting part of it. Along the coast, his beloved Balamar was now all but incorporated in the urban sprawl. And just east of the town was a huge spaceport that was still in the process of expanding. Cleared sections of raw brown dirt lay to the south where more of the jungle had been cleared, and now awaiting improvements. And further to the south were two additional blotches on the landscape; the recently added military garrisons of the Union and the Expansion with their tiny spaceports. This wasn’t like anything he remembered. He struggled to get a glimpse of his old shipyard lying to the south of Balamar but couldn’t see it. He hoped it was still there. He hadn’t had contact with Sherri or Adam in over two years; maybe they sold the property and it was now part of an alien shopping mall. That would be a shame.

The fancy Gracilian starship landed at the main Kanac Spaceport. Even the landing jets were high-tech, producing only about half the traditional roar and exhaust gas as a conventional system. Although his job as a starship repairman was only Coop’s cover story, he still would have given his eye-teeth to spend a week going over this magnificent vessel. But that wasn’t going to happen. The moment they landed, Aric motioned for him to follow and led the Human to the aft section of the ship, past his makeshift stateroom, and to the open rear hatchway.

“You cannot stay in the cargo hold while we are here,” the alien told him. Because you have to fill the cargo hold with a shitload of Juirean credits? Copernicus surmised. “So, I have made arrangements for you to stay at a nearby temporary residence.”

“How long will we be here?”

“As long as it takes.”

“Then where are we going after that?”

Aric eyed the Human suspiciously. The Gracilian was not the same shrinking violet he’d been in prison. He had taken on a whole other persona. The crew accepted it without question, which made Copernicus believe this was the real Aric Jroshin and not the one from the prison.

“If you persist with these questions, you may not be going anywhere,” Aric stated firmly. “I will subtract the fee for the residence from what I owe you.”

“Which—if I may—we never agreed to an amount.”

“It is too late for that, Copernicus Smith. Suffice to say I will be paying you one hundred thousand JCs for the escape and an additional ten thousand per ten-day period of the guard detail. Before you speak, the security fee is much higher than I pay my other guards. I do this only because I have seen you in action. I sincerely hope you do not intend to negotiate with me. I am in a position not to have to pay you anything, either for the escape or to employ you in guard duty.”

Copernicus held up his hands. “No, no negotiation. I’m fine with that. Can I have a little now so I can go out and get something to eat, maybe a change of clothes.” He swept his hand over his dirty tan tunic. “I’m still dressed in Panorius prison garb.”

Aric appeared frustrated. “I will arrange to have some credits delivered to you. I do not have the need to carry them on my person. I will have to get them from the captain.”

Copernicus stifled a laugh. Here was probably the most senior member of a planetary race of genius beings, in control of the most advanced starship in the galaxy, and he couldn’t come up with a few bucks to help a buddy out without having to borrow them from someone else.

“That’ll be fine. I appreciate you helping me, Aric. Escaping was one thing. Having a life afterward is another.”

“From now on, you will refer to me as Si-Vad. That is my official designation within the Norina and the Gracilian government. Calling a person of my high status by their primary name is not allowed, except by other Si-Vads or in private.”

“Understood, Si-Vad. And I go by Mr. Smith.”

Aric gave the Human a long, steady stare. “Go along now, Copernicus Smith. A transport is waiting. I will call upon you in a few days when we are preparing to leave.”

Copernicus smiled then stepped out of the aft cargo hold and onto the surface of his old home. He had a lot to get used to—including Aric’s new-found arrogance. It was obvious that Coop’s job was far from over.

10

The hotel was only a few blocks from the boundary of the spaceport, meaning Copernicus had trouble sleeping through the constant take-off and landings taking place. That was fine; he didn’t sleep much. He also didn’t stay in the hotel, not long. After retrieving the four hundred Juirean credits left for him at the front counter, Coop spent most of his time at the terminal building of the spaceport, watching Aric’s ship. The alien would eventually make a move to recover his fortune, and Coop wanted to know when that happened.

During his vigil, he noticed others were taking an interest in the sleek alien starship. Aric’s ultimate destination hadn’t remained a secret for long, a testament to the investigative talents of galactic bounty hunters on the scent of a major score. Teams were arriving on the planet in small personal transports, hardened soldiers from a variety of races. They paid particular attention to the Gracilian ship before leaving one or two of them to watch the vessel while the others went to set up more long-term living arrangements. The bounty for Aric’s capture was set, and it was high enough to attract the heavy hitters from across the galaxy.

Coop had engineered the escape, so he wondered how high the bounty was for him? The thought made him more cautious about being out in public. He shrouded himself in an oversized bundle of clothing he bought in town and laid low.

The first two days passed without Aric leaving the ship, at least as far as Copernicus could tell. He began to think he might have missed him. He was bone tired by then and thinking about calling in the calvary to help. He wondered if Sherri, Adam and Riyad would be willing. The problem was he couldn’t tell them the truth, at least not all of it. He decided to wait another day to see what the Gracilians did.

* * *

It was nearing dusk on the third day when Copernicus noticed a cargo truck pull up to the open rear hold of the Gracilian starship. Supplies began to be loaded. Then in one of the shadows, he noticed how a stray crate suddenly appeared on the bed of the truck. After a while, the vehicle pulled away, with the extra crate still aboard.

A group of bounty hunters Copernicus had been watching saw it, too. They scrambled into action, one of them holding a communicator to his ear. The two lookouts sprinted for an exit gate to the spaceport.

Copernicus was on the move as well. At some point, Aric would leave the crate and enter a more conventional mode of transport. The Human had to know where and when. He also had to keep others from tracking the Gracilian.

The two bounty hunters ran to the side of the frontage road, looking in the direction of Kanac. A moment later, headlights appeared as a transport sped toward them. Copernicus slipped out of the terminal building and hugged the early evening shadows moving closer to the bounty hunters. He was unarmed. But he was also a Human, and with the element of surprise.

Perhaps it was a little reckless on his part, to take on four heavily armed bounty hunters by himself. But Coop saw this as a win-win. He needed to stop the bounty hunters from following Aric, and he needed a car.

The two alien sentries ran up to the transport and opened the back door. Coop was upon them a moment later, grabbing one by the collar of his shirt and tossing him ten feet away to the tarmac. He slid into the back and greeted the second sentry as he entered from the other side of the car with a clenched fist to his flat nose. The alien tumbled out the way he came. The two bounty hunters in the front seat were confused, unsure what was happening in the dim light of the backseat. Then Copernicus took both by their heads and smashed them together. It was effective. Each crumbled in their seats, unconscious.

Coop climbed out of the back and reached into the front seat, cleaning out the refuse before sliding into the driver’s position. He pressed the joystick speed/steering lever forward, following the dim taillights of the cargo truck as it sped away from the spaceport. It had exited the grounds and turned south, skirting the newer urban sprawl from the city of Kanac. Copernicus caught up to the vehicle and then slowed, keeping a respectable distance between the two. The truck turned left into the city and wound around a few city streets before sliding up to a sidewalk and a waiting transport.

Coop stopped at the corner and turned out his lights. As suspected, the lid of the crate opened, and Aric Jroshin climbed out. Two other Gracilians met him, handing him a small briefcase and a satchel. Then Aric moved to the car in front of the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. He was the only one who entered.

Copernicus laughed. The alien trusted no one else to know the location of his stash, so he was going alone.

There was quite a bit of traffic in the city, but Copernicus was able to keep up. Aric wasn’t going fast, being timid while navigating the congestion. There was a very good chance he hadn’t been back to Liave-3 since the time he hid his treasure here. The city of Kanac wasn’t there at the time, and neither was the spaceport. Copernicus could relate. It had even been longer since he’d been to the planet. Everything was all new to him.

Eventually, Aric reached more familiar territory, both for him and for Copernicus. It was a road heading south, an ancient roadway—not much more than packed dirt in Coop’s day—but now paved and twice as wide. It led to the mountains and the mining region that the inhabitants of Liave-3 had worked for a hundred years. With the rapid growth of the planet, he was sure the mines were popular now more than ever, as the need for raw materials escalated; however, there was little traffic on the road this evening.

After several minutes, the road began a long, gradual climb into the foothills. Here it straightened out, and any vehicle coming or going could be seen for miles. Coop turned off his headlights and slowed down, not wanting to run off the highway or strike some errant dinosaur in the dark. He could clearly make out Aric’s transport far ahead.

That’s when he noticed a set of headlights in his rearview mirror. They were approaching fast. Suddenly, the lights vanished.

It was another car following Aric. This complicated things. He didn’t want to become part of a parade leading to Aric’s secret stash.

If memory served him right, the mountain road only went to one destination, and that was the hundred or so active or closed mines. They were clustered together, which would help. Copernicus hoped he could locate Aric among them—after he disposed of this second set of bounty hunters.

He pulled off the road, thankful that alien transports didn’t have brake lights, just tail running lights, which he had long since extinguished. A few minutes later, a long, heavy transport raced by in the dark, not hesitating as it passed his position.

He pulled back out on the road and began to follow.

A little while later, the chase car pulled to the side of the road, just below a low rise in the highway. Anyone coming down the mountain wouldn’t see the other side until it was too late. Copernicus pulled over and watched as dark shapes began setting up an ambush, positioning themselves on either side of the road.

Dammit, he thought. He should have continued after Aric when he had the chance. Now he couldn’t get into the mountains without passing through the ambush. The one saving grace was he now had some idea where Aric had hidden his part of the Gracilian treasury, along with various other items the Human was after. But that wouldn’t be enough. He also had to keep Aric from being taken captive.

He sat in the dark for an hour, waiting for the alien to come back down the hill. He began to relax a little, realizing that the small transport Aric was in wasn’t nearly large enough to carry the fortune in Juirean credits the alien said he had. He could be a survey mission something to make sure the credits were still there. That gave Coop hope that Aric would eventually lead him to the hiding place.

Then lights appeared on the roadway, heading down the mountain. They were the right size as those on Aric’s car. They were also the only lights coming or going along the deserted mountain road. Aric was on his way back down and heading straight into a trap.

Copernicus pulled his car back onto the road and began to creep up on the ambush site. Aric was approaching quickly from the other direction, taking advantage of the downhill slope to pick up extra speed. He would hit the hill in a matter of seconds.

Copernicus gunned the motor, sending his transport racing forward. Then just as he reached the point of the ambush, he flicked on his lights, set on the brightest intensity.

Aric’s car shot over the rise in the road and directly into the high beams. The car swerved, slamming into the overgrowth at the side of the road. Coop continued down the centerline as gunfire erupted from both sides. Gunfire? That was unusual. He was expecting flash bolts.

Aric’s car regained its footing and fishtailed back onto the road. Copernicus caught a glimpse of it, speeding past the ambush site and accelerating down the hill. Coop then suddenly lost control of his car. Bullet holes perforated the siding and he felt the back tires explode. He jerked to the left as the car plowed into the jungle at the side of the road. Soggy leaves and branches slapped against the windshield, shattering it. Copernicus ducked down as glass rained down on him.

The car lurched to a stop, the motor still humming wildly with the rear tires whining in the dark. Then all fell quiet for a moment.

People were outside the car. To his amazement, the driver's side door was ripped off its broken hinges and tossed aside. A massive, fleshy arm reached in. There was an oddly familiar tattoo on the enormous bicep.

Copernicus was taken by the baggy clothing he wore and hauled out of the car with little effort. He was thrown to the muddy ground, as lights blinded him.

He heard audible gasps, then the lights moved away, giving him a ghostly image of his assailants. He raised his arms and smiled.

“Hi, guys,” he said. “How’s it going?”

“Copernicus! What the hell?” yelled the tiny blonde Human, Summer Rains. She lowered her weapon, as did her big bull of a father, ex-Navy Master Chief Monty Pitts. The Juirean bounty hunter Tidus Fe Nolan kept his M-102 rifle leveled on Coop. “What are you doing here … and screwing with our bounty?” Summer asked.

Cautiously, Copernicus climbed to his feet.

“It’s a long story. Why don’t we run down to Adam’s place in Balamar and I’ll explain it to you. It’s quite an amusing tale.”

11

A gaggle of three Humans and one Juirean was the last thing Adam Cain expected to see walk into his bar. Kaylor and Jym were also stunned, and soon, the center of the dining area filled with hugs, handshakes and loud laughter enough to draw Riyad from his office next door and Sherri from her hotel. When the two latecomers realized who was there, the cheerful greetings started up again.

By then, most of the remaining customers in the restaurant had decided to leave the raucous celebration, especially since the dangerous and unpredictable Humans seem particularly agitated. It was near closing time and most already had their fill of food and drink for the evening. The customers were made up mainly of the cleanup crew for the nearly-completed Maris-Kliss Resort down the street and would be content to wait outside for the shuttle and the final run back to Kanac.

Sherri and Copernicus shared an especially long embrace and full-on kiss. They’d been a couple for over five years, and obviously, the three years since they’d last seen each other hadn’t cooled the attraction.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sherri asked breathlessly through a far-too-wide grin. She glanced at the others. “Are you together? Are you working for PA now?”

“No, he’s not,” Summer Rains answered acidly. Adam noticed that the joy of the reunion didn’t last as long in the diminutive young blonde as it did for the others. She was one of the last to join Adam’s tiny band of renegades and galactic heroes, so her memories didn’t go back as far as Coop’s.

“Then what? Why are all of you together?” Sherri asked.

Copernicus smiled, albeit awkwardly. “Actually, we aren’t together. It’s also not a coincidence that we showed up here at the same time.”

“Now you’ve lost me,” Sherri said.

“Come, everyone, sit,” Kaylor prompted, interrupting Sherri’s question. He and Jym had pushed a couple of the tables together, and now they sat down, with the seven-foot-tall Juirean, Tidus Fe Nolan, dominating the gathering.

Adam shook Tidus’s huge hand. He didn’t like Juireans, but of the two he could call friends, one was dead, and the other was Tidus.

“You’re looking well, Adam, although I see you’ve put on some weight,” Tidus said. “Age is catching up with you.” He was the most Human-like Juirean Adam had met, an outcast from the Authority who’d spent twenty years in the galaxy among the natives and away from the rigid Juirean culture. He understood most Human slang and could feed it back as fast as given.

Adam looked behind the huge, elongated head. Most Juireans wore their hair in bouffant style, billowing high above their heads before cascading down their backs and dyed to match their occupation within the Authority. Tidus’s was nearly all grey and worn in a long ponytail down his back. There was nothing traditional about the alien.

“Look who’s talking,” Adam said. “When last I saw you, your hair barely had any grey in it. And look at that hairline! You know, I’ve never met a bald Juirean; you could be the first.”

Once they were seated and alien waiters served them drinks, Summer placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward, glaring at Copernicus seated across from her.

“I’m sorry, everyone, but this isn’t a social call. Copernicus just cost us a million-credit bounty. We came here so he could explain why. He clammed up in the car. Speaking for the rest of my team, I’d really like to hear what he has to say.”

The tall Juirean and Monty Pitts joined in the staredown. Copernicus leaned back in his chair appearing calm, if not a little embarrassed.

“Is this true?” Sherri asked, seated next to her former lover.

“It is,” he admitted. “But I have a good reason.”

“A good reason to take a million credits out of our pockets?” Monty growled. He wasn’t the kind of man you wanted to piss off. “We tracked Jroshin halfway across the galaxy. We had him dead-to-rights until you stuck your nose into our business.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, master chief. Jroshin isn’t your business; he’s mine.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Summer asked.

“The reason there’s a million-credit bounty on his head is because he escaped from a Panorius prison facility. I didn’t know it was that much, so, damn!”

“That is a pretty high bounty simply for escaping from prison,” Adam offered, knowing instinctively that there was more to the story. He’d spent time as a galactic bounty hunter himself, and he knew that amount was unheard of, except in the case of political fugitives wanted for genocide or the like.

Copernicus continued. “It’s so high because he’s the key to a fortune in stolen Juirean credits from the treasury of Gracilia, one of the planets in the Dead Zone.”

“How big of a fortune?” Riyad asked. He unconsciously licked his lips after asking the question.

“What I’m telling you is confidential,” Coop said. “I’ve been on Jroshin’s trail for a while now. It seems he and some other Gracilian governmental officials took off with over eighteen billion Juirean credits—”

“Eighteen billion!” Sherri exclaimed. “Holy shit!”

“That’s right. Aric and his partners split it up just as Kracion was attacking Gracilia. Jroshin’s share is a little over two billion. The thing is, most of the other money has been recovered, but not his. It became more complicated when the natives of the planet Aac’or paid to have him placed in the prison after the Gracilian refugees on their world tried to take over. They failed and most of the top Gracilians were imprisoned or killed. Jroshin’s escape was a big deal for political reasons, but I also think the size of the bounty has something to do with the money.”

“So why did you interfere with Tidus and his group?” Adam asked.

“Because I’m the one who helped Jroshin escape from the prison.”

* * *

“Why … how did you do that?” Summer asked, aghast.

It took Copernicus ten minutes to detail the highlights of his self-imprisonment on the Panorius prison moon and how he won the favor of Aric Jroshin before they made their escape.

“I thought I’d earned his trust, and that he’d lead me to the money,” Coop continued. “But he’s a suspicious son-of-a-bitch. He doesn’t even trust his own people with the information.”

“So, you’re after the big money, the two billion,” said Summer, “while the rest of us have to be content with a mere million. You may not know it, but the life of a bounty hunter isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” Adam noticed Summer give Tidus a scornful look. He’s the one who talked her and Monty into joining him as trackers for the galaxy-wide security company Priority Acquisitions. Before hooking up with Adam’s intrepid bunch of adventurers, Tidus had been an executive with the company. After the end of the Kracion affair, he returned to the company, bringing with him his two Human partners. Apparently, the reality of the business hadn’t lived up to the hype. Adam also knew what a million-credit bounty would mean to her and her father. Adam couldn’t blame her for being upset.

“I thought you’d gone back to work for Union Intelligence doing the deep cover spy stuff,” Adam said to Copernicus.

“I did, and I am. Aric Jroshin is my assignment.” Coop looked at Summer with pleading eyes. “Believe me, I’m not here for the money, at least not for myself.”

“You’re not?” Riyad said. “It’s two billion credits. That’s a lot of incentive to go rogue. I didn’t know you were so loyal to the Union cause.”

“It’s a job, Riyad. And I do it well. But the reason I’m looking for it is to give the Union leverage during the upcoming vote of the refugee groups. As you know, it’s looking as if the refugees from the Dead Zone are going to vote on which empire they wish to join, either the Union or the Expansion. Earth believes that if we can recover Aric’s money and give it back to the surviving Gracilians, it could buy their support in the coming vote.”

“You’re going to give it all to the refugees!” Summer gasped. “A couple of billion credits, just like that? Are you crazy?”

“As I said, it’s my job. And it could help tip the Dead Zone over to the Union. Wouldn’t you rather have that than let it go to the Juireans—nothing personal, Tidus.”

The big alien shrugged. “I don’t blame you. Juireans suck.”

“So, that’s why you broke him out of prison, “ Sherri said, “so he’d lead you to the money?” She looked at Summer. “Why not let Copernicus find the money first and then have him turn the alien over to you afterward? A win-win.”

Summer pursed her lips. “That won’t work,” she said. “You know why the bounty’s so high. How high do you think it will be after the money is found and turned over to the Union? Zilch, that’s how much. He won’t be worth jack shit if he doesn’t have his money.” Summer then turned to Adam, their unofficial leader. “What do you have to say about this? Shouldn’t he let us have Jroshin first? He can always break him out of jail a second time.”

“If it were only that easy,” Adam said. He looked at his friend, Copernicus. “You have to know Summer and her people aren’t the only ones tracking Jroshin to Liave-3. A million-credit bounty is going to do just what it’s meant to do, get every Tom, Dick and Harry into the hunt. I think Summer is the least of your worries. There’s a very good chance someone is going to snatch him before he leads you to the money.”

“That’s true. I stopped another group of bounty hunters earlier this evening.” Copernicus looked across the table at Summer. “And I wasn’t as polite as I was with you. But I still think there’s a chance I can locate his stash before someone grabs him. After all, I’m a professional super sleuth, a veritable Bond, James Bond.”

Adam noticed that Coop’s bravado fell flat with the others at the table. They’d known him too long to fall for that.

“It appears as if our friend Copernicus Smith is laying down a challenge,” Tidus said. The huge alien grinned. More than Summer and her father, he was a professional himself, a professional bounty hunter with a decade of experience under his belt. And he had resources, namely the largest fugitive recovery business in the galaxy. “We seem to be at an impasse. Copernicus will pursue his mission, as will we. There will be no convincing the other side as to the proper course of action since they are both proper.”

Copernicus was smiling at the green-skinned alien. “I’m glad you see it that way, my friend. So, they’ll be no hard feelings … when you lose?”

“If you feel none yourself … when you lose.”

Adam was about to make a statement, something to the effect of why can’t we all just get along, but he let it go. He knew these people. They were his friends—and bullheaded friends at that. Also, he couldn’t very well take one side over the other. All he could hope for is that they wouldn’t drag him into their internecine squabble.

Copernicus turned to Sherri. “I need to borrow a car. The one I stole earlier somehow got shot to shit. I need to get back to the hotel before Aric comes looking for me. He’s suspicious of me enough as it is.”

“Sure. Just don’t get lost,” Sherri said. “A lot has changed since you were here last.”

12

Copernicus and Sherri went out through the front door before Summer and her people left. There was a parking area across the street where Sherri had her transport. After they were gone, Summer got into Adam’s face.

“You can’t let him do this,” she said. “You’ve been on our side of the fence before; you know how hard it is to make a living chasing fugitives. Help us out and we’ll cut you in for part of the bounty.” She looked around the bar and wrinkled her nose. “Unless you’re so flush with cash from running this dive bar that you don’t need the money.”

Adam shook his head. “Sorry, but I’m not getting involved, and not over money. You are all my friends; I’m not going to pick sides.”

“You just did,” the tiny blonde fumed.

Monty took her by the shoulder. “C’mon, Summer. Let’s get back to town. I don’t blame Adam for not helping. Loyalty means something to all of us. But he is right about the other hunters coming to the planet. And now that Jroshin’s been spooked, it’s going to be a lot harder to catch him.”

The bounty hunting team prepared to leave.

“Listen,” Adam said. “After all this is over, and if you’re still in the area, stop by for a more cordial visit. Frankly, it can get really boring around here, nothing like the old days.” Adam’s smile was both sincere and sad.

Summer wasn’t in a sympathetic mood. “We’ll see. First, we have to make a living.”

She huffed and led the team out the door, after which, Riyad and Adam shared a knowing shrug.

* * *

Copernicus and Sherri were still in the middle of saying good-bye when Summer and her group left the bar. Copernicus caught his breath and then decided to give them a little more head start before he took Sherri’s car for the drive back to Kanac.

He didn’t realize how much he missed the passion of the fiery blonde from western Kentucky. And she seemed to be just as hungry for passionate backseat sex as he was. He laughed. She ran a hotel right across the street. But still, seeing the steamy windows of the transport gave him a thrill he hadn’t experienced since high school.

Eventually, he was on the road and following the directions Sherri gave him on how to get back to the main part of Kanac. Although the jungle between Kanac, the spaceport and Balamar had been cut down and buildings were going up, there was still only one major thoroughfare that ran past the landing field. It was almost impossible to get lost, and fifteen minutes later, Copernicus was passing the vast grounds of the spaceport on his right.

The field was packed full of spaceships of every description. Besides the growth the planet was experiencing, there were the on-going negotiations between refugee groups regarding how to proceed with the vote to join one of the empires. This was something relatively new, coming about after the galaxy nearly went to war again, this time over the right to govern the Dead Zone. That crisis was manufactured, but it was still a sober reminder of what was at stake.

That’s when talks began, and it was decided the refugees themselves—the only people with an absolute right to the Dead Worlds—should have a say as to which empire had authority over the region. Privately, both the Expansion and the Union weren’t happy with the decision, but publicly, they supported it. Now all that was required were the actual details. There was a major fight taking place over proportional voting, giving more power to those refugees with the largest populations. And that prompted smaller groups to band together to form voting blocks. It was turning out to be more complicated than it needed to be, which was the reason for a delay in the vote. A firm date hadn’t set, and it didn’t look as if the vote was going to take place anytime soon.

All of this meant that the Kanac spaceport was packed to the gills with visitors to the planet. The main negotiations were taking place at the huge Maris-Kliss Resort in Balamar. Contractors had rushed to finish most of the facility, at least enough to host the conference. MK was cleaning up because of this. And Capt. Cain’s Bar & Grill a mile away wasn’t hurting, either.

* * *

Going by his sixth sense, Copernicus decided to take a drive through the spaceport. He felt a need to confirm that the Gracilian ship was still there. He couldn’t imagine Aric leaving, not without his money. But the alien was already aware of the efforts to recapture him, as evidenced by the way he left his ship earlier. And then there was the ambush. Aric had to be running scared. But he’d come to L-3 for a reason and he wasn’t about to leave until he got what he came for.

Copernicus thought he was lost. He’d spent three days sitting in the terminal building, watching the starship. Now he drove along rows of parked spacecraft looking for the sleek, black-hulled vessel. He sighted back to the terminal. No, this is the place, he thought. But the damn ship was gone.

Coop slammed his fist into the forward dashboard. “If it’s not one thing it’s another,” he growled. “Fuck! Thanks a lot, Summer.”

He drove the transport out of the spaceport and back to the main road, turning left, heading back to Balamar. Luckily, there was no law on the planet, which meant no speed limits. And it was well past midnight, but still, Lan Road was packed with traffic, mostly concentrated around the huge MK Resort. He stopped complaining long enough to gawk at the brilliantly lit, towering, castle-like structure, with its multiple levels and a dozen fancy spires. It covered half a mile of coastline and changed the entire dynamic of his once-peaceful Key West-look alike community. He’d done a lot in the old days to make Balamar his personal paradise. That was gone now, replaced by the Disney World of the Kidis Frontier.

He continued past the monstrosity in earnest.

Eight miles down the road, he came to his long-abandoned shipyard. He was relieved to find it was still there, imagining at one time that it was now an alien shopping mall. Considering the frenetic pace of construction taking place along the coast, he knew the time was coming.

But for now, the crumpled coquina walls and graveyard of rusting derelict spaceships were still there. Copernicus parked at the main gate. It was sealed. He found that rather silly, knowing that the southeast wall surrounding the compound was broken down, having had a Juirean Class-3 warship land on it ten years before.

He stepped out into the cool night air, rich with the fragrance of the ocean only half a mile away. He skirted the mold-covered wall until he came to the breach. There was only one building on the grounds, his old combination office, workshop and residence. Unfortunately, when he got there, the building was locked, just like the front gate. But unlike the compound, there were some serious security measures in place. Metal plates covered the windows and doors, most taken from the derelict starships, many of which brought back nostalgic memories for the renegade starship repairman.

Out of desperation, Copernicus took up a metal bar and began smashing it into the security panels. Even using his inherent Human strength, he couldn’t break through. Then he set to work on the walls themselves, but he knew this wouldn’t work, either. He had the building constructed, designing it to be not only a workspace but a bunker. In his line of work, it paid to be cautious. Not only that, but with the danger associated with working on old starships, he knew the building could withstand a generator explosion as close as fifty feet away. There was no way he was getting inside, not without a key.

And fortunately, he knew who had one.

He returned to the borrowed transport, making his way past the MK Resort again, before parking it back in the lot across from Cain’s.

The lights were still on within all three businesses run by his friends, although the front door was locked. He banged on the door while looking up into the security camera covering the entry.

Kaylor unlocked the door.

“You are back. What’s wrong?”

“I need to see Adam. Is he around?”

“He is in his apartment. I will call him.”

Since the former members of Adam’s team no longer had Artificial Telepathy Devices to communicate with, Copernicus saw that Kaylor spoke through a throat mic—crude, but effective.

He wasn’t surprised when Adam, Sherri and Riyad descended the stairway from Adam’s attic apartment. They were too excited from the earlier visit by people from their past not to want to discuss it for a while.

Sherri looked at him with concern. “You here for seconds?” she asked without humor. She sensed something wasn’t right.

“Maybe later,” he replied. He looked at Adam. “I need to get into the office at the shipyard. Are you the one who barricaded the place like a bank vault?”

“I did,” Adam answered. “Too many bums were calling it home. Why do you want in there, and at this hour?”

Copernicus grimaced. “Jroshin’s ship is gone. We apparently spooked him enough that he took off.”

“He took his money?” Riyad asked.

“I don’t think so,” Coop said, shaking his head. “Two billion credits would take trucks to haul and load into his ship. He hasn’t had time.”

“What does this have to do with your shipyard?” Sherri asked.

“You know how I told you I stayed in the cargo hold during the trip to Liave-3? While I was there, I managed to fashion a crude tracking device on his ship. It’s pretty basic, made out of stuff I found lying around. The range is pretty short.”

“And the shipyard?” Adam prodded.

Copernicus hesitated to answer, but he had no choice. “I need the equipment in the building to track him.”

“What equipment, the stuff you have in that little back closet?”

“Actually, no,” Coop answered. “I guess you haven’t found it. I’m surprised.”

“Found what?”

“The underground operations center.”

“What operations center?” Sherri asked.

Copernicus smiled. “Remember, I was a pretty valuable asset for Union intelligence back in the day. I had ins with all the major cartels and other criminal organizations in this part of the galaxy. Because of that, I had a near-unlimited budget. There’s a fifteen-hundred-square-foot, metal lined, advanced security bunker under the building, complete with a weapons arsenal, sleeping quarters, CW communications equipment, and more. And all hermetically sealed and completely self-sufficient.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about that?” Sherri asked, her anger swelling.

“Need-to-know, sweetheart. You didn’t have any need for it.”

“How do you know? We might have.”

“Well, the bottom line is I need it now, to track Aric’s ship.”

“And once you know where he is, what then?” Adam asked.

“Yeah, about that. I’m going to need a starship, too.”

“No way!” Sherri said, finally letting her anger take over. “How can we trust you to bring it back in one piece.”

“If I don’t, I’ll get the Union to reimburse you.”

“All this for money?” Adam asked. He was watching Copernicus with one of those looks as if he could read his mind. Does he still have an ATD? “What’s this really about, Coop? The Union doesn’t give a damn about two billion credits. It spends that much on cigars back in D.C. You’re not doing this—including breaking some revolutionary leader out of prison—for a few billion JCs. Tell us, or you’re not getting into your underground command center.”

Well, shit, Copernicus thought. He knew it might come down to this when he found out Aric was going to Liave-3. He nodded.

“Okay, but remember, I’m not authorized to tell you this. I could get in a lot of trouble if they know I did.” He took a deep breath. “Think about who Aric Jroshin is.”

“Someone who stole part of a planetary treasury,” Riyad answered.

“From where?”

“Gracilia. Okay, he’s a Gracilian.”

“And what do we know about Gracilians?”

“They’re pretty fucking smart, for one thing,” Adam said. Then his eyes grew wide before narrowing again to slits. “This doesn’t have anything to do with dark matter, does it? Their research facility was destroyed, and then we hid the Dark Matter Collector. They haven’t found it, have they?”

“Not that I know of,” Coop said. “But it doesn’t matter. Yes, this has everything to do with dark matter and dark energy. Even before Kracion came on the scene, there were rumors that the Gracilians had continued their dark matter experiments. The facility they had out beyond the galaxy wasn’t their only research station. And from what we’ve learned, the Dark Matter Collector we took from them and hid away, that wasn’t the only one they found in the Zaniff Asteroid Field.”

Sherri’s eyes were round from fear. “There’s another collector? Holy shit. Do they know how dangerous it is?”

“I’m sure they do. The Gracilians know more about dark matter than anyone alive today. They’ve picked up where the Aris left off three billion years ago.”

“What are they going to do with it?” Riyad asked.

“I’m not sure, but I have an idea.”

“What?”

“That spaceship they have is being powered by something I’ve never seen before. Aric wouldn’t let me in the engine compartment, but I could tell. And then I saw the energy signature of it as it came to get us out of the freighter; one hundred percent. You know what that means. Nothing has a signature like that. I think they’re using dark energy to power their ship. And by the way, it made a trip of fifteen thousand light-years in only two weeks.”

“That’s TD speeds,” Riyad pointed out. “And without the damaging effects.”

Sherri shook her head. “Okay, so they have a fancy ship powered by dark energy. What’s so bad about that? There are only a few of the Gracilians left in the galaxy. What harm can they cause.”

“Again, I don’t know,” Copernicus admitted. “All I know is that they have more than one of those advanced warships. The design and construction are too refined. That ship was mass-produced. Can you imagine what a fleet of ships like that could do? All powered by dark energy and possibly even carrying dark matter weapons?”

“Still, there’s only about a million of them,” Adam said. “And they’re not all in one place. They’re scattered across the galaxy. Even if the Gracilians were planning something earlier, after Kracion, all their plans had to go up in smoke.”

“You would think so,” Copernicus conceded. “However, Aric said there was something really big taking place soon, and he wanted to be a part of it.”

“The vote?” Sherri said. “Maybe he was talking about the vote.”

Copernicus shook his head. “It sounded more sinister. He would have told me if it was just about being available to cast a vote. This was something else.”

“So now you want our help in tracking him down, to see where he goes and what he does?” Adam asked. “And you’ll need a starship to do that.”

Copernicus took a deep breath. It was late, and he hadn’t slept for more than six hours over the last three days. He was tired of all the questions. “Listen, I’ve been thinking about this. Aric took a trip into the mountains by himself. Then he turned right around and came back down. Then he left the planet.”

“He’s afraid of getting caught,” Sherri said.

“Maybe, maybe not. What if Aric got what he needed, and it wasn’t the money?”

“A collector!” Adam cried out. “You think he has a second collector?”

“It’s small enough to fit in a car, and when all is said and done, it’s worth a lot more than two billion credits. Maybe it’s part of this grand scheme he and some of the other Gracilians have cooking. If they’ve learned how to utilize dark energy in their machinery, and also to weaponize it, who cares if there’s a million of them left. At one time, there was only a quarter-million Klin left in the galaxy and look at all the trouble they caused. I need to find him, and if he does have the collector, we have to get it from him before something really bad happens.”

“You said we,” Sherri said.

Copernicus smiled. “It would be easier if we had the band back together. After all, we’re going after a race of evil geniuses bent on galactic domination. Sound familiar?”

Adam ran his hand through his short, blonde hair. “All too familiar, I’m afraid.”

Copernicus looked at Riyad and Sherri. Each was in some mild form of shock, but he could tell they’d already made up their minds.

“You say this bunker of yours has a weapons arsenal?” Adam asked. “Any bang-bang Human-type weapons there?”

Copernicus smiled wickedly. “They’re over ten years old, but yes, along with enough ammunition to eliminate what’s left of the Gracilian race.”

Adam bit his bottom lip before speaking again. “Okay, then. It looks as if it’s time to kick some more alien butt. Saddle up, my friends. It’s time to save the galaxy … again.”

13

The next priority was to find if Coop’s makeshift tracking device was working. Adam unlocked the front door to the old shipyard headquarters, and the team entered the cold, dark interior. A few months ago, a hostage situation took place here, followed by a firefight. Shortly after that Adam sealed up the building.

With flashlights in hand, Copernicus led the team to the rear of the building and into a bedroom. Within the closet was a secret door that led to the much smaller comm center the team knew about. But then Coop fingered another hidden panel, and a door slid open, with a ladder going down.

The four Humans climbed down before Copernicus turned on the lights. They gasped, the brilliant, even lighting revealing another world, one of shiny metal walls and floors and sophisticated electronic consoles. It was a single large room, with a caged weapons arsenal at the far end and a pair of utilitarian sleeping bunks set off in a corner. There were a refrigerator and food processor. Computer screens began to flicker on as a hidden internal power source rebooted the systems.

Adam moved to the weapons. The cage was unlocked. He opened the gate and pulled out one of the dozen old M-101 assault rifle standing upright on a rack. Yes, the weapon was old, having been replaced by the M-102 several years ago. But it appeared new and well-oiled. It would do nicely. Along another shelf were stacks of magazines, hundreds of them. There were enough armament and ammo down here to hold off a small army indefinitely. Fortunately, they wouldn’t be staying.

Copernicus took a seat at the central computer station. He was frantically tapping on the keyboard, shuffling through several screens to get what he wanted. Sherri leaned over his shoulder.

“I have to align the CW comm antenna first,” he told her.

“You have a CW antenna?” Sherri asked incredulously. “Where?”

“It’s buried underground, in a series of long conduits. I can focus it by making minor adjustments to the orientation.” He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. “The best money can buy.”

After a few moments, Coop had what he was looking for. “Okay, there he is. He’s nearing the edge of my tracking range.” The image zoomed out, taking in the outer reaches of the Dead Zone, out near the end of the Kidis Frontier. He snorted. “Looks like he’s heading for Gracilia. That makes sense.”

“But the place is still radioactive,” Sherri pointed out.

Copernicus tapped more keys on his board, and another screen came up. “This is from the galactic Library. It says the radiation level on the first planets attacked by Kracion has dissipated, almost to the safe level. Sure, the ground is still sterile and there are hotspots, but for the most part, you don’t need environment suits to move around. Aric is making a beeline for the planet, but there’s still no guarantee he won’t change course. I’m going to download a copy of the tracking program so I can transfer to the nav computer of the starship you’re going to let me use.”

“That will have to be the Ed Gibson,” Riyad said, regret thick in his voice.

“What’s the Ed Gibson?” Copernicus asked.

Sherri let out a deep sigh. “It’s a bloated freighter we have. It’s one ugly son-of-a-bitch, and it doesn’t have any armament to speak of. It’s the only spaceship we have left in our inventory. It will get us to Gracilia, but don’t expect it to help us in a fight against any of those advanced warcraft.”

“Wait, is that the Boens-4, Class-C freighter I once had here?” Copernicus asked anxiously.

“I believe so,” Sherri said. “We got it from the shipyard. Are you going to tell me it can transform into something badass with the flick of a switch?”

Copernicus grimaced. “Unfortunately, no. It’s just that it was one of the first ships I salvaged when I opened the shipyard. I find it funny that it’s still working.”

“Working is a relative term,” Sherri said.

Copernicus retrieved a data chip from the computer. “Hurry up, Adam. Let’s get the weapons and ammo loaded. Aric has a good head start on us and he’s in a faster ship. We don’t want him to get too settled in before we find him.”

* * *

The team set to work shuttling most of the armory into the transport. The car was loaded down and strained to move once the Humans climbed aboard, with most sitting on stacks of M-101 ammo. Then they set out for the Kanac Spaceport where the Ed Gibson bad been relegated to a back corner of the landing field. A lot of the major salvage work in the DZ had been taken over by big corporations who had their fleets of their own. Riyad’s outfitting business catered to smaller operations, ones that could get by with much smaller spacecraft than the Ed Gibson. He hadn’t rented out the huge vessel in nearly a year.

Adam, Sherri and Riyad transferred the weapons to the ship while Copernicus set to work priming the lifting jets and giving the gravity generators a quick check. He concluded the ship could still fly, but for how long, he wasn’t sure.

“Who’s been doing the maintenance on this thing?” he asked.

“Mostly Jym, when he has the time,” Riyad reported.

“I guess he’s been busy recently,” Coop said sarcastically. “Hopefully, we can hitch a ride back here from Gracilia. I doubt this ship could make the return journey.”

Adam patted Coop on the back. “That’s why we have our own certified starship repairman aboard. I have confidence in you, Mr. Smith.”

Copernicus scoffed at the comment. “Everyone strap in,” he said. “We’ll either lift-off when I fire the jets or we’ll be consumed in a ball of fire. The odds are about fifty-fifty either way. And then there’s the question as to whether or not the gravity generators can form a well.” He looked out the viewport and pointed to another spacecraft located a safe distance away. “Perhaps it would be better if we just stole that one.”

“Stop your bitching and just get us going, Coop,” Adam ordered, switching to his seldom-used command voice. It didn’t impress anyone on the bridge.

* * *

There was a moment when Adam thought Copernicus’s statement about the Ed Gibson ending up as a ball of fire was about to true. He’d never heard such a loud and prolonged lift-off sequence, and by the time the huge freighter was off the ground and speeding for space, half the Kanac Spaceport was engulfed in a gigantic cloud of acrid lifting smoke. But they made it into space, and the trusty old starship managed to form the first in a long series of miniature blackholes, propelling it forward and out of the Liave star system.

The planet Gracilia would take six days to reach, and Copernicus already calculated that Aric Jroshin would beat them there by three of them. Fortunately, once the Ed Gibson was up and away, the tracking signal on the dark matter starship grew stronger and well within range. They would be able to track it to the surface of Gracilia, and if Aric left again, they would see that, too.

Of course, Adam was still rather vague as to what they would do once they caught up with the alien. He had no idea how many Gracilians were on the planet and what force they would encounter once they got there. Besides that, they weren’t sure Jroshin had the second dark matter collector—or any dark matter collector for that matter. It was all supposition.

During the trip, Adam had time to reflect on the first time he’d met a Gracilian and learned of dark matter and dark energy to any great degree. A pair of the black-skinned aliens came aboard his Klin Colony Ship, bringing with them a pair of dark matter containment cubes and a wild story about how the microscopic particles inside the objects had the potential to destroy the galaxy. At first, he didn’t believe them, but later, he’d used a pair of the containment cubes to carve out a huge circular chunk of a spaceport and the surrounding town. And that was just two particles. A Dark Matter Collector could produce a constant supply of ninety of the cubes, whose accidental—or deliberate—detonation would have an exponential effect on surrounding space. One collector could produce a gravity singularity the size of one-tenth of the Milky Way. And something that big and powerful would be able to suck in far more than a tenth of the galaxy. Eventually, the Milky Way would cease to exist, and all from a device the size of a small suitcase.

During his time out in the galaxy, Adam had experienced a lot of strange things, but dark matter—and it’s twin sister, dark energy—was the most exotic, most mind-boggling concept he’d ever come across. And scientists on Earth had known of dark matter even before Humanity became part of the galactic community, although its properties were only theoretical. Reality—as always—was proving to be more deadly.

The Ed Gibson chugged along, performing a symphony of creaks and moans from the stresses faster-than-light travel placed on the hull. After a few days, the crew got used to the sounds, worrying only when the creaking stopped, which wasn’t often. Adam had an ace up his sleeve, that being Summer Rains and her bounty hunting crew. They had their own starship, and if need be, could come pick them up out of the void if the EG broke down. They would want something in return—that something being Aric Jroshin. Whatever it took, Adam thought. Turning him over to the bounty hunters would hopefully stop what the alien had planned for the Dark Matter Collector—if they found him in time. And if he had a collector. After a while, Adam retreated to the small observation dome above the bridge and stared out at the warped stars outside. He didn’t have any answers, only a lot of questions. He passed the time kicking himself over his chronic impulsive behavior. When would he learn not to volunteer—for anything?

14

As it was with all the Dead Worlds, the Gracilian star system was like a tomb. In most civilized systems, there was a plethora of traffic and comm chatter, evidence of a thriving, space-faring culture. Within the Dead Zone, entire systems were as quiet as a graveyard. Gracilia was no exception. The EG slowed and approached the planet cautiously, which was hard to do exposed as they were by the vast emptiness of space and giving out the only energy signature in the system. Jroshin’s ship was stationary on the surface, its engines shut down and giving out no energy readings. A quick survey from archived topographic maps showed it was in a desert, miles away from any of the abandoned settlements. It was also not visible from space, meaning it was now underground in a hidden bunker of some kind. This information only reinforced Coop’s view that the Gracilians were up to something, something sinister.

The Ed Gibson wasn’t the type of spacecraft that could leisurely enter an atmosphere and take the long way to the surface. It entered and dropped straight down, the incredible weight of the vessel sucking up gallons of landing propellant by the second. There was no time to linger. What was going to happen on the surface was going to happen. They needed to get there as soon as possible and set up a defensive perimeter.

Adam winced when the huge freighter semi-crashed to the ground. It was tough, but the rough nature of the landing was asking too much of the old guy. He scowled at Coop, who shrugged, embarrassed.

“Oops,” was all he said in his defense.

No one lingered at that point. Riyad and Sherri were already at the aft cargo bay door, each armed with two of the M-101’s and enough magazines to choke a rhinoceros. Coop and Adam joined them after arming up. Then Adam gave the nod to open the door.

The atmosphere had tested safe for toxic levels of radiation, at least in the short run. Prolonged exposure could cause problems, but that would take months, if not longer. Still, each member of the team carried small Geiger counters set for automatic alerts against hotspots.

A surface density scan had pinpointed a large metallic panel nearby. Adam surveyed the bright, desolate landscape, searching for it. It wasn’t visible, meaning it was camouflaged. They knew the precise location and set out to find it.

It turned out to be an elevator platform painted a yellowish-tan to match the desert sand. It was large enough to easily lower ten or more of Jroshin-like starships below the surface. There must be an enormous hangar below their feet. Adam cringed. A bunker large enough to hold dozens, if not hundreds of the dark-matter-powered spacecraft.

“There has to be a way to enter without taking the main elevator,” Sherri said. She had a density scanner with her and began walking the perimeter of the metal elevator pad.

“I got something here,” she called out. “A smaller panel.”

The landscape plunged into a shallow wadi, but one deep enough to support a doorway carved into the side of the riverbank. The seams of the door were obvious up close, the disguise more a function of design than necessity. There was a control panel on the door with active lights aglow.

Copernicus anticipated this and came equipped with a small electronic device he’d taken from his underground command center. He placed the small box next to the control panel, and lights began to flash on his device. A moment later, a pattern was displayed. He punched the pattern in on the control box and the door opened inward.

“I’ll go in first,” Adam said. “There’s no way we could have landed without them knowing it. They have to be expecting us.”

Riyad and Coop took up flanking positions while Sherri stood back, covering them. Adam flung the door open, flooding the dark interior with harsh desert sunlight. He rushed in, diving to his right and crouching down, his M-101 glued to his cheek. The barrel light was on, and he quickly surveyed the interior.

He was in a small anteroom with stairs leading down. He moved to the stairs and aimed the barrel of his rifle into the dark abyss. The stairs led down for quite some distance before ending at a landing platform about a hundred feet down. This had to be only the beginning. The underground bunker had to be deep to avoid their density scans.

And still, no aliens were seen.

“Playing coy, I guess,” Coop said as he slipped in next to Adam. “Cover me.”

The spy/starship repairman began moving down the stairs slowly, hugging the right sidewall. When he reached the bottom, his barrel light swept both directions. He lifted his right hand and motioned with his fingers for the rest of the team to follow. They moved down one at a time, with Adam bringing up the rear.

“There’s another ladder to the left,” Copernicus reported. “It goes down about the same distance. Check out the floor. Virgin dust. No one’s been this way in a while.”

“They probably just use the big elevator,” Riyad said. “My turn to take point.”

He moved out and down the stairs. The team did this another two times, which placed them somewhere around four hundred feet below the surface. There were no more stairs, and the corridor widened to four times the width of the higher levels. There were also footprints and tire tracks in the thin coating of dust on the floor.

“Most of the footprints head off in this direction,” Sherri said, pointing to the left. That was in the direction of the topside elevator panel. They moved out again, with two of the team hugging opposite sides of the wide corridor with the other two trailing behind and watching their six.

“I’m feeling a slight breeze,” Sherri whispered through her throat comm.

They continued for another fifty feet before they came to a series of huge coils and braces, climbing up the sidewall and into a large, dark void reaching up. The equipment got more complicated the further they went until Sherri and Coop suddenly crouched down and turned off their barrel lights. Adam and Riyad did the same. The lead pair moved up a little more.

“Holy shit,” said Copernicus on the comm. “I think we hit the jackpot. Sherri, to the right. I’ll cover left.”

The dark pair disappeared ahead of Adam and Riyad, who rushed up to cover them. That’s when Adam understood what Copernicus meant.

They were at the edge of a vast underground chamber full of Gracilian black-hulled combat vessels. They rested under dim overhead and side lighting, which barely reflected off their surfaces. It was an ethereal scene, making the starships appear almost as holograms projected on the metal floor of the bunker. But they were real, and the sight of so many dormant killing machines sent Adam’s heart racing.

“How many do you think there are?” he asked.

The chamber was lit—to a degree—allowing the Humans to sight along the rows of the starships.

“There has to be a hundred—” Coop said.

“More,” Sherri countered. “A lot more.”

Adam was nervous. They’d made it far below ground and to the secret bunker holding the Gracilian war fleet. Why were they allowed to do so? Even if it was just Aric Jroshin and his single crew on site, there were enough of them to take out the four Humans, especially with the element of surprise and knowing the lay of the land. Something wasn’t right.

“Stay alert,” he said. “Don’t get distracted by what you see. Be on the lookout for what you don’t.”

“That’s easy for you to—”

Copernicus stopped in mid-sentence.

“What’s wrong, Coop?”

“We have company.”

15

The team collapsed on his position, following his gaze into the rows of silent starships.

There was nothing there, no movement, nothing.

“What do you see?”

“There, on the short forward wing.” He flicked on his barrel light, highlighting the spot.

And there, resting on the black metal hull, was a shiny, four-and-a-half-inch in diameter metal globe.

“It’s an Aris service module,” Sherri said a little too loudly. Her voice also trembled with fear. The tiny artificial intelligence devices could be friend or foe; she’d known them to be both. She also knew they could teleport short distances and with the ability to send out debilitating electric shocks if provoked.

“What are the Gracilians doing with a service module?” she asked rhetorically.

“They had them at the dark matter research station,” Copernicus said. “They obviously found more.

“Is the thing active?” Riyad asked. The globe hadn’t reacted to their presence or the four beams of light that lit it up.

“It has to be,” Adam said. “They wouldn’t leave it lying around on one of their starships.”

Adam began scanning the other nearby ships with his light beam. It only took a moment before he discovered three more of the globes, each resting quietly at various points on three more starships.

“Four of them,” Sherri said. “We’ve never seen four together. This isn’t right.”

“No shit,” Copernicus said. “None of this is right.”

“Movement!” Riyad called out. “I have movement! Off to the left, and it’s not Aris service modules.”

To punctuate his statement, a series of blinding flash bolts lit off and streaked their way. The team ran into the graveyard of starships, seeking cover within the undercarriage of the fighters. They sighted the points of origin for the bolt launches and sent return fire that way, in the form of deafening blasts from their M-101s.

The attackers separated, as witnessed by the dispersal of their flash bolts. The Human kept firing until the flashes trickled to a stop.

“Coop, Riyad, go right,” Adam ordered. “We’ll go left. Move!”

The team rushed under the starships, meeting up at the point where the flash fire had originated. They came upon a couple of dead aliens, but they weren’t Gracilians. A third alien was wounded but alive. They had to be mercenaries, which supported Adam’s belief that Aric’s crew was the only natives on the planet. Adam slid down on a knee next to the survivor, placing the warm barrel of his weapon under the alien’s chin.

“How many troops are in the complex?”

The alien grimaced in pain. Adam shoved the barrel a little harder into his skin. “How many?”

“Over a hundred.”

That wasn’t the answer he been hoping for. “Where are they?”

“Everywhere.”

“Why didn’t you attack earlier?”

“Orders.”

“Where is Jroshin?”

“Who?”

“Aric Jroshin.”

“I know not that name.”

“He goes by Si-Vad,” Copernicus said.

“Yes! The Si-Vad,” the alien answered. “He is here. Command center.”

“Where is that?” Adam asked.

The alien’s eyes shifted to his right. “I will not tell you.”

“You already have.” Adam pressed the trigger on the M-101, which probably wasn’t a good idea this close to his victim. He shrugged. Just more alien blood to wipe off his face.

“That way,” Adam said, making a chopping motion with his hand to the right.

“Did he say they were ordered not to attack until now?” Sherri asked.

“That’s what he said.”

“So Jroshin wanted us to find the spaceships—and the service modules.”

“Seems like it.”

Sherri snorted. “That’s not good. He’s pretty confident we’re not going to live long enough to tell anyone.”

Adam smiled. “Just another alien in the process of underestimating us.”

“I hope so.”

There was another opening leading away from the hangar. A fourth mercenary had succumbed to his injuries and was lying in a puddle of blood at the portal. But if there are a hundred of them in the complex, losing four of them wouldn’t make a difference.

They entered the new hallway, moving cautiously, expecting another attack at any moment. At one point, the corridor joined up with a large circular room with various doorways leading off in different directions. The room had tables and backless seating. The four Humans stopped before entering, not sure what to do. The sight was unsettling, to say the least, because resting on the tables were another eight of the Aris service modules. Adam realized they could be the same from the hangar—plus a few more—since the objects could teleport. But like the others, they sat inert.

Sherri played with her throat mic frequency, opening it to broadband, capable of picking up multiple signals. She then stepped up to the nearest module.

“Can you communicate with me?” In the old days, their ATDs allowed for direct telepathic communications with the units. Without them, she knew the modules could tap into available comm systems. She waited a moment while the men stood guard—still nothing.

Adam stepped up to her. “Do these things look different to you?” he asked.

Sherri nodded. “Yeah, they look new. They don’t have that greenish patina.”

“You don’t think—” Adam began.

16

“Yes, they are creations of the Gracilians.”

The voice startled the Humans, coming from a hidden speaker near the ceiling.

“Now, please lower your weapons,” said the voice of Aric Jroshin. “There is a force of twenty waiting through the doorways. I do not wish to kill you. If I did, I would have done it earlier. Do as I say. There is much to discuss.”

Adam nodded to the others. The moment they let the barrels of their M-101s point to the floor, alien troops comprised of a variety of races rushed in, cued by hidden cameras. The aliens were dressed in black armor tac vests. They moved with fluidity and quickly disarmed the Humans. Barrels of Xan-fi flash rifles began directing them forward, through one of the doorways and down another long corridor. Eventually, they were led into a more sedate room with a low ceiling and plush furniture. Aric Jroshin—or a person Adam figured to be Jroshin—was seated on a couch. Two older Gracilians sat nearby, appearing comfortable and in control. A trio of guards lined the walls, their weapons aimed at the Humans.

“Come in, Copernicus Smith. Sit, and your friends, too.”

They followed instructions.

Aric focused his attention first on Riyad and then on Adam. He leaned forward slightly. “I believe you are Adam Cain. I have seen vids. And of course, this would be Riyad Tarazi and Sherri Valentine.” The alien returned his attention to Copernicus and smiled. “You have powerful friends, indeed, Mr. Smith. Why did you not tell me? I have no idea how you tracked me to this location, but seeing who you brought, it seems plausible.”

Coop bristled. The alien had just given Adam and his people credit for what Copernicus had done. For far too long, the deep cover spy had lived in the shadow of his three more famous friends. It was continuing. But to his credit, Coop didn’t correct him, telling Aric that it was he who built the tracking device that led them here. They may need to track the alien’s ship in the future.

Adam let out a small laugh. Typical, he thought. I’m already planning beyond the capture, to a time when the tide will turn, the eternal optimist. One of these days, I’m going to be wrong.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t be today.

There was a shiny, new Aris service module sitting on a table to Aric’s right. He picked up the object and spun it around in his hands for a moment.

“You obviously recognized this,” he said. “It is a replica of an ancient Aris device they used to attend to their daily needs, including the infusion of energy.” Aric studied the faces of the Humans. “You are angered,” he said. “You wonder how is it that we have been able to achieve this feat, to duplicate the technology of the Aris, the beings who seeded the galaxy with advanced forms of life three billion years ago, creating the wondrous variety that surrounds us to this day? It is simple. It is because the Gracilians are the heirs to the Aris legacy. As it will be proven, we are to become the new Aris in the galaxy.”

“Do you have delusions of grandeur much?” Sherri asked. “What makes you think you’re the equal of the Aris. You forget we’ve met them; you haven’t.”

Aric laughed. “That is true. I have heard of your exploits. Yet you do not realize the link we have with the Aris.” The alien looked at Sherri with joy in his eyes. “In truth, even my name Aric is a derivative of Aris. That should be obvious.”

“All I see that’s obvious here,” Adam began, “is that your race is nearly extinct, yet you’re trying to act more powerful than you are.”

“Act? On the contrary, you have seen our fleet, and you, Copernicus Smith, you have guessed as to the power source we have employed.”

“Dark energy.”

“That is correct.” Aric leaned back, still lovingly stroking the service module. “Allow me a moment to explain.”

Adam grinned. Here it comes, what he calls the James Bond Reveal, when the villain would spill his guts, vomiting up information the hero would later use to defeat his foe. It never failed. The ego of bad guys was legend.

“We Gracilians have been scrounging the Zaniff Field and the surrounding Cadon region for a hundred years. Our planet is the closest to that of the ancient homeworld of the Aris. We discovered artifacts long before others and have been studying dark energy since then. Our efforts have produced astounding results, which I will demonstrate in a moment. But first, let me take you back three billion years ago, when the Aris first began their experiments with biological manipulation. Where do you think the Aris went to first? Earth, Formil? No, they came to Gracilia first. And what would the Aris be attempting to achieve? They would be on a mission to duplicate themselves within the genetics of other races. We Gracilians were the first, making us the direct manifestation of the Aris, their most direct descendants.”

“It didn’t go like that,” Adam said. “The Aris weren’t looking to make copies of themselves. They wanted something better, not the same. The same wasn’t working. They were looking for the Apex Being.”

“Yes, and I know it is rumored that person was your offspring, Lila Bol. Gracilia may be located far out on the Kidis Spar, but we are not without information. But what you say is immaterial. The Aris created most life in the galaxy, and it all started with the Gracilians. And now we have learned how to harness dark energy.” He held up the service module. “We have even recreated the Aris most important tool, the so-called service modules.”

“How did you do that?” Sherri asked, overcome by her curiosity.

“Humans have a quaint term for it: reverse engineering. We cannot improve on the concept. Having acquired a number of the ancient modules, we broke them apart and learned their secrets.”

“They also contain the sum knowledge of the Aris,” Sherri stated, dumfounded.

Aric laughed. “Unfortunately, the genetic memory we were not able to duplicate. However, we have learned the secrets of their artificial intelligence and energy production. Over time, the modules will contain the sum total of Gracilian knowledge.”

“What are you going to do with them?” Sherri persisted. “Those things are dangerous. They were designed primarily to supply the Aris with direct energy to keep them alive. That’s not how you live, so the primary function of the modules is lost on you.”

“That is true; however, these are devices with incredible abilities beyond simply their energy production. They can teleport; they can operate complex machinery by direct control; and their energy production—although not life-sustaining for us—can be channeled into weapons.” He smirked. “I did not need to send my troops against you. I could have simply had the modules stun you into unconsciousness.”

“Why didn’t you?” Copernicus asked.

“Because I enjoy watching Humans in action. I got quite a thrill watching you orchestrate our escape from the Panorius prison. I still have hope that at some point Humans could join with Gracilians, serving as part of our elite Guard.”

“Yeah, keep hoping, asshole,” Riyad said. “That’s not going to happen.”

“It is a vague hope. I will not be overly disappointed if it never comes to fruition.”

Copernicus leaned forward. “So, what is this all about, Aric? What have you and the Gracilians been up to all these years?”

“Ah, and now we come to it.” Aric grinned at the other Gracilians seated around him. “As you have surmised, the plans we’ve been working on started long before Kracion attacked Gracilia. I find it ironic that our plans to become the new Aris in the galaxy was interrupted by a rogue Aris. But that is one of the vagaries of fate. Our initial battle plans were not as ambitious as they have developed into. As the acknowledged superior intellect in the Kidis, Gracilia wanted to consolidate the Frontier into the third major empire in the galaxy, rivaling even that of the Expansion or the Union. We felt we had a more legitimate claim on our home territory than did outsiders. It was after the Juireans annexed the region—and the Humans chased them away—that we began to get serious about our plans. With the technological advances we were making at the time, we began assembling the underground fleet you have seen. We have nearly six hundred of the vessels. As Copernicus Smith can attest, they are the most advanced fighter craft in the galaxy. They also possess revolutionary dark energy weapons, making our six hundred the equal of ten thousand Expansion or Union vessels.”

“However, you must realize we did not want to use our fleet. Wars are not efficient events. Instead, we would use them as a deterrent against war as we make claim to the Kidis. Once that was achieved, then we would begin more subtle negotiations to expand our territory, with the ultimate goal being domination of the galaxy. You must admit, with our abilities and technology, we could do a much better job of ruling the galaxy than either the Expansion or the Union.”

“And then along came Kracion,” Adam said, cutting to the chase.

Aric pursed his lips. “Yes, then Kracion attacked. At the time, we were still manufacturing our warships and training the crews. The attack came so suddenly, and the crews still untrained, that only a few of our advanced vessels managed to escape the planet. Since then, our battle plans have been placed in suspension, pending a revision to allow for present conditions. In truth, our focus had shifted from the Kidis to another sector within the galaxy. We had planned on making Aac’or our new homeworld, beginning our expansion from there. I labored tirelessly on the effort, supporting the revolution while working on the technology that would make our domination possible. But, alas, the coup attempt failed, and once again, my plans were delayed.” Aric looked at Copernicus and smiled. “Until you came to Panorius. It has taken me five standard years to develop an alternative to our initial battle plan. Thanks to you, I can now put it into motion.”

“You’re still going ahead with your plan?” Riyad asked. “That’s crazy. There’s only a handful of you goatherders around. It would be impossible.”

Aric frowned at the term goatherder, but he’d been around Humans enough to let it go. He nodded. “At first, there were those who agreed with you, Riyad Tarazi. How could such a small residual population achieve what we have envisioned for our race? That is the solution I have been working on for five years.” He once again held up the service module. “Let me introduce to you our new flight crew.”

“You’re going to use the service modules to pilot your warships?” Copernicus asked.

“Correct. After Kracion’s attack, we lost nearly all our trained crews, and with very little population left to find more. We were in chaos, spread across the galaxy, and in a severe state of depression. Yet, a few of us persevered.” He looked to the other two Gracilians in the room. “My associates and I have continued, working in secret for years until we learned how to create the modules. You mentioned earlier, Sherri Valentine, that our modules do not contain archival information about the Aris. They do not need to. They are a basic functioning device, developed to accomplish one task, and one task only: to pilot our warships. And not only that, but they will be able to operate our starships far more efficiently, and without the physical limitations, than even our best living pilots.”

“So why now?” Copernicus asked. “You mentioned you had a deadline for escaping.”

“That is true,” Aric conceded. “And for that, I again thank you. Your assistance in the escape has allowed me to put our battle plan back in motion, and more along its original design. As you are aware, there is a vote taking place soon as to who will rule the Dead Zone, and consequently, the entire Kidis. We plan to give the region a third option, one born in the Kidis and one which will give the Frontier incredible power and influence, something the natives could never achieve under either Expansion or Union control. And all this has become possible because of your efforts, Mr. Smith.”

“Because I helped you escape,” Coop said sourly.

“Precisely. Not only from the prison but for your efforts on Liave-3. Yes, I know it was you who interfered a few days ago. And now, I will tell you how your efforts have been even more counterproductive to your desired results than you realize. Before the service modules can be activated for use in our warships, they must first be charged, and for that, I needed the Dark Matter Collector I had stored in the mountains of Liave-3. I sense you already guessed I had such a device. I had the collector in the transport when you foiled my capture. I suppose now you are regretting your decision to save me. None of what is about to transpire would be possible had you allowed the bounty hunters to have me.”

Copernicus was crestfallen. “As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.”

“I suppose if I analyzed your statement, I would find truth in its meaning,” Aric said. “But for now, I will be content with the sorrowful look on your face. But please look at this from a more practical point of view. The Dead Zone has been looking for an overseer for some time. Now it will get one, and from within. The refugees will welcome us, finding comfort in our strength. And the empires will not dare oppose us, not with our dark energy technology.” Aric looked at his companions. “And depending on how others react to our presence, the war for galactic domination may begin ahead of schedule, which in the end is the ultimate destiny of the Gracilians. It may be better to do it sooner rather than later, while we still have the element of surprise.”

“So, why are you telling us this?” Adam asked. “Why don’t you just kill us?”

“Again, because of Mr. Smith. I feel we developed a bond during our time at Panorius. I wanted him to know what an integral part he has played in the affairs of the galaxy, how one insignificant individual could be so vital. I was also curious who followed me from Liave-3. Believe me, if you were simply bounty hunters, I would have summarily executed you. Instead, I have had a chance to meet the famous Adam Cain and his cohorts. I will also have the distinct privilege of being the one who kills him and his cohorts. I believe I will have the event recorded so I may show it to others. Many will not believe me without evidence.”

Aric stood up, along with his silent partners. “It is now time for us to carry on with our arrangements. We have only now started the charging process for the hundreds of service modules we have built. And then they must be programmed. Fortunately, the vote is not scheduled to take place anytime soon. We will be ready by then.” He looked to his guards. “Take them to the security facilities. Be cautious; they are extremely dangerous. Pass the orders for the guards to shoot should any disturbance occur.” He turned to Copernicus. “You once told me you have escaped from four prisons in your lifetime. Panorius makes five. I will not let my compound become number six.”

17

As it was for most jails Adam had experience with this one appeared to have been constructed hastily out of a bank of offices with extra locks placed on the doors and guards outside. Very few places had official security cells; there was no need to have permanent facilities for the occasional crime. In most societies, officials would be called to take the perpetrators away. The hidden starship bunker was no different.

The thing that made Adam nervous was Aric’s unabashed orders to shoot-to-kill if they tried anything. The alien was pragmatic. One way or the other, they were going to die. Aric had his preference as to how that would happen, but he wasn't picky, just so long as it happened. The rest of the team understood this, and now they were each locked away in a separate office with no windows or ways to communicate.

Despite that, Adam wasn’t about to give up. He immediately began surveying the room, looking not only for a way out but also for cameras and listening devices. If he was going to figure a way out, he didn’t want people watching.

The room was stripped clean of everything except a couch, and being far underground, there were no windows. The air duct in the ceiling was about eight inches square, making it useless as a means of escape. He removed the cushions from the couch and checked how it was constructed. He could perhaps break it apart to get a club of some sort, but that would take time. He had no idea when Aric was going to make good on his promise to kill them. He said he wanted to record the execution—a record for posterity and fame—so maybe that would take a little time to set up, and longer if he wanted to make a spectacle of it.

Adam set to work on the couch, seeing that it was the only object in the room. It had a metal frame, rather than wood, and that was good. He stripped off the support fabric revealing the metal skeleton. It had welded joints and seams designed to tolerate the stresses placed on them in the Gracilian gravity and to accommodate the weight of native bodies. As it was with most Prime worlds in the galaxy, the gravity here was lighter than Earth’s, but not by much. Juirean Standard was 75-percent that of Earth. Gracilia’s had to be eighty to ninety percent, hardly worth mentioning. Humans had the most advantage in gravities sixty percent of Earth’s or less.

Still, he set to work on the frame, taking only a few minutes to bend the metal to a point where it broke apart. He worked the long seat beam until it snapped off at the other end. He now had a bar about eight feet long. It was something. Now, what was he going to do with it?

He was standing in the middle of the room, gripping the bar when the door suddenly opened inward. The hallway was full of alien guards, with only a single Gracilian among them. Across the hallway, another door was open. Riyad was standing in the middle of the room, holding a mirror copy of the bar Adam had in his hands. He didn’t doubt the same was true for Copernicus and Sherri. With only so much to work with, they had to make do with available materials.

Aric poked his head in the room and smiled. “You wasted no time. Unfortunately, your time is up. I have been told I have more important tasks to tend to than the planning of an elaborate execution. I will, therefore, carry out your sentence now. Come along. I will make it as painless as possible.”

Guards rushed into the room. Adam lashed out with the bar, taking out two of them before a flash bolt fired at point-blank sent him writhing to the floor. It came from an MK pistol, rather than one of the Xan-fi rifles, and it saved his life. The level setting was at two.

In his pain-induced stupor, Adam heard commotion throughout the other rooms. The Humans weren’t going away quietly, but away they did. Eventually, each was stunned by flash bolts and dragged from their cells.

They were taken to the hangar. The entourage found an opening between the starships and placed the four Humans on their knees in a line. Still suffering the effects of the flash bolts, they barely resisted when guards pressed their heads down, exposing the backs of their necks.

Aric stepped up to Adam. He looked at a pair of Gracilians operating small recording devices. “Assure a good angle,” he said to them.

He then took Adam by the chin and lifted his head. He was holding a short, blue-metal sword in his right hand.

“This is called a craymisn, a ceremonial sword used in an ancient purification ritual. We have long since done away with such practices, but I collect ancient artifacts, a practice I began after studying those of the Aris. I find links to the past to be stimulating, showing a continuation of consciousness through the ages. Be aware, Adam Cain, I have only killed one other person before, and that was during my escape from Panorius. I must say, I found it empowering. You will be my second, followed by your friends. It is a habit I may practice more often.” He looked down the line of prisoners. “I understand there is a rite that is often observed at times like these, that of a final statement from the condemned. Do you have any final words you wish to say, Adam Cain?”

“I do, but you’d probably misunderstand the meaning if I said, ‘fuck you.’”

Aric recoiled slightly as the translation sounded in his ear. “Of that, you are correct. That was the last statement I expected to hear from you. Humans do have a strange way of expressing your—is it displeasure? That is what I would expect in a situation like this. However, your expression of a sexual nature is in fact, confusing.”

Aric sighed and stepped away, letting Adam’s head fall.

“I offered, and since I am recording this event, the last words of the famous Adam Cain will forever be remembered as ‘fuck you.’ So be it.”

He raised his right hand, lifting the ceremonial sword above his head, taking careful aim at Adam’s neck. “Forgive me if I falter at first. I know not how hard to make the hit. It may take me several attempts before your head is severed completely. I am sure you will understand.”

18

The sound was distinct and lasted only a split second. It was a swoop, followed by a blood-curdling scream. Adam was surprised to see the metal blade clang to the floor, initiating a cacophonous explosion of both flash bolts and automatic gunfire. The guard holding Adam’s head was blown away as a huge arm with an anchor tattoo scooped the Human up and carried him away.

Bodies were bumping into him while guns fired only inches from his head. Flashes assaulted his vision, blinding him momentarily until he was rudely tossed to the cold metal floor and a weapon shoved into his hands.

“Dammit, do something to help!”

Adam recognized the voice. It was that of Monty Pitts.

Adam rolled over and sighted along the barrel. He let off with a couple of quick bursts. There were so many aliens scurrying among the black starships that it was hard to miss. A flash behind him brought a loud cursing torrent from Monty’s throat. He’d been hit, and from the other two circular burn marks in what remained of his shirt, it wasn’t his first.

“Take cover, you dumb ox,” Adam yelled. “Even level-2s can kill if you’re hit with enough of them.”

“I’m okay, Captain. I feed off the pain. It only makes me stronger.”

“And dumber. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Just following your lead. When we saw that Jroshin left the planet, we figured Coop would go after him. And he would need a ship. So, we followed that big ugly thing you call a starship.”

“Why didn’t we see you?”

“Some of the latest stealth technology, courtesy of Priority Acquisitions. It seems our green-skinned friend has connections in the technology department.”

Adam squinted through the haze of the flash bolts and gunfire, spotting Aric just before he ducked out of the hangar. He was holding his right hand in his left, an arrow conspicuously embedded in the middle of his palm.

“That was some fancy shooting on Summer’s part,” he said. “Glad to see she’s staying in practice.”

“Yeah, my girl’s a prodigy. But we’ll talk about that later. We need to get out of here first.”

Adam and Monty took off running, dodging more bolts, heading for the edge of the vast field of alien warships. The rest of the team was there, huddled at a side passageway. Tidus and his people hadn’t come with enough extra weapons, but Summer had surrendered hers to Sherri while she used her trusty compound bow to its highest and best use. The problem she was running out of arrows. She used them on only select targets, those with a bead on the others.

In the meantime, Copernicus, Tidus, Sherri and Riyad were blasting away with the weapons they had. It was an awesome display of Human firepower, using the more advanced M-201s. Adam wasn’t surprised to see the Juirean Tidus had stocked his ship with Human rifles. Although the galaxy had long ago adopted bolt launchers as their weapon of choice because of their ability to be recharged, Humans retained the preference for ballistics because of their unmatched killing power. Anyone experiencing the difference would make the same decision.

“How are we going to get out of here?” Sherri yelled through the din.

“I have an idea,” Copernicus answered. “Cover me.”

As the others opened fire again, Coop ran to one of the huge coils at the side of the hangar. There was a large and elaborate control console on the inside wall. He took a moment to study it, then began pressing buttons. At first, nothing happened. Then suddenly, a long, blinding shaft of light stabbed down from above. There was a lull in the fighting as everyone looked up. The overhead panel was sliding aside. At the same time, the floor of the hangar began to vibrate. The coils began rotating and soon, the elevator was lifting a section of the fleet of black starships toward the desert sky.

Most of the guards were caught in the side passageways and didn’t catch the ride up. The few left hidden among the starships remained frozen in place. The Humans quickly overcame their shock at the rising floor and began firing again. Aliens were dropping like flies.

The open sky was in full display now, even as the elevator moved with sloth-like speed. Adam could imagine the alien troops scrambling up stairways or entering other elevators and beating them to the surface.

“Do you think you could fly one of these things?” he shouted at Copernicus through the roar of the elevator machinery.

“Possibly, if the engines are charged. You heard what Aric said.”

“He was talking about the service modules. Maybe these ships are ready to go, just waiting for the pilots.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to find out. Besides, it will be safer inside the hull of a spaceship than standing out here in the open.”

There was a black warship twenty feet away. The team sprinted for it, searching the undercarriage for an entrance hatch. Copernicus had no experience with entering or exiting one of the vessels conventionally. He entered through an umbilical tunnel the first time and then exited through the cargo hold. There had to be another entrance.

“Got it,” Riyad said. It was under the ship and operated by a simple pull out lever. The hatch fell open, and the six Humans and one Juirean scrambled aboard. Adam buttoned up the hatch and then followed the rest of the team deeper into the starship.

“What the hell is this?” he asked.

“Yeah, they’re not too much into open spaces aboard their ships,” Coop said. “It’s kinda cozy if you ask me. Follow me; the bridge is this way.”

19

Copernicus slipped into the pilot seat with Riyad taking the one next to him. They were the two most-experienced pilots in the group; even so, they sat for a moment studying the controls.

“I saw the pilots operate a ship like this. The controls are basic. I just need to figure out how to get the engines working.”

“Chemical liftoff, right?” Riyad asked. “That should be standard. The dark energy won’t come into play until we engage the gravity drive.”

“Good point. This looks like a standard lifting console.”

“And what the hell is this?” Riyad asked. He was staring straight ahead at the bank of monitors. “No forward viewport?”

“They’re on the sides. Gracilian pilots rely only on the monitors.”

“And the service modules wouldn’t even use that,” Riyad stated. “This will take some getting used to.”

Not everyone could fit in the cockpit. Adam and Monty were behind the pilots, while Tidus, Summer and Sherri crowded in the passageway outside. From what he could see through the narrow side viewports, Adam could tell the elevator was almost to the surface.

“There’s no need to wait,” he said to Coop. “Light us off.”

A second later, the view outside was filled with a wisp of exhaust smoke. The hull vibrated slightly as the ground slipped away below them. The command monitors showed various views, including the expanse of the elevator and the dozen or so menacing looking starships on the pad now exposed to the full light of the Gracilian sun.

“There’s another ship lifting below us, and another,” Riyad reported.

“I see it. Whoever’s not strapped in, you better grab hold of something. I can’t find the inertial compensator controls. We may have to make some radical g-force moves.”

There were another two seats behind the pilots, reserved for the captain and XO. Adam took one, while Monty shoved Summer into the other. Then he, Tidus and Sherri threaded their arms through conduit lines in the passageway.

Copernicus gave the starship a few quick test moves, getting a feel for the controls. They were still climbing on the efficient and eerily quiet lifting jets. He grinned, reveling in the chance to fly such an advanced starship, all the while knowing that two more of them, with more experienced pilots, were on their six.

“I’m going to try out the gravity drive,” he announced. “I think I know where it is.”

Copernicus fingered another control, and the lifting jets shut down. Nothing took their place.

The inadvertent maneuver was fortuitous, as at that moment, a strange spiraling blast of blue energy passed above them as they began falling back toward the surface.

“What the hell was that?” Riyad asked.

“It must be one of their dark energy weapons. But right now, I’ve got to get us moving up again.”

Riyad was surveying his console. It was different than Coop’s, looking more like a weapon’s console than for navigating or piloting. There was a set of six panels on the left, each flashing red. He began pressing them. A graphic display appeared on his screen, showing defensive shields encircling the ship. They were more than simple diffusion screens, which normally consisted of static plates with gaps between them. This was more of an electrified shroud covering the entire ship.

“Way to go, Riyad!” Sherri yelled from the passageway. “That should help if the shields are designed to ward off dark energy weapons.”

“We’re going to find out soon enough,” Copernicus said. He had the lifting jets working again, but now he was competing with a pair of alien spacecraft utilizing extremely shallow gravity wells in the atmosphere. They were infinitely faster and more maneuverable, and a moment later, the ship rocked from the impact of four direct hits on the shields.

Riyad’s screen lit up, showing red marks along most of the hull. But they didn’t stay red. Most switched to yellow a moment later.

“We seem to be intact,” he said. “But that was a lot to absorb. Get the damn gravity drive going, Coop.”

“I’m trying, asshole. I was pretty sure I had it the first time. But now I’m getting a reading. That may have been enough to prime the engines. I’m trying it again.”

A scream, along with a pair of heavy grunts, came from the passageway behind Adam. He looked around to see that those in the hallway were gone, having been thrown aft by the sudden acceleration.

“Is everyone okay?” he called back.

“Yeah … I think,” Sherri replied. “Give us a little warning next time. And find the damn inertial compensators!”

Riyad was probing the controls at his station. Even if Copernicus could master the gravity drive of the starship, without the compensators working, the movements would prove deadly, even to the strapped-in passengers. They needed the internals working, and the computers adjusting for the incredible inertia experienced at faster-than-light speeds, especially in a warship under attack.

Riyad began flicking control toggles. At one point, everything changed. Adam felt a surge of weight in his legs and a yelp came from behind.

“Thanks,” Sherri yelled. “That’s better, even without a warning.”

Coop looked over at Riyad and grinned. “Now, let’s see what this thing can do.”

He had the gravity drive activated and the basic controls down. He could turn, accelerate, dive and climb. He also had the ship in space and free of the confining friction of an atmosphere.

“Don’t get too fancy,” Adam warned. “Just get us out of here.”

“My thoughts exactly, especially since Riyad hasn’t figured out how to fire the weapons.”

“I’m working on it.”

“Try the set of controls on the right, along the side of the console. They look like firing triggers.”

“You want to trade places, smartass?”

“Why are you calling me names all of a sudden?” Copernicus asked with a grin. “Is it because I had sex with your ex-wife a few days ago?”

“I knew it!” Riyad blurted out.

“Knock it off, you two,” Adam ordered. “Concentrate.”

“Incoming … again!” Riyad announced, surveying his monitors.

“I see them.”

Copernicus whipped the black starship into a tight spiral. Adam watched the screens, marveling when a roiling blue mass of … of something passed down the center of the spiral, missing the ship by only feet. Adam chalked that one up to luck on Coop’s part. No one was that good to steer a circle around a flash bolt.

The ship lurched slightly, but not from a hit from one of the dark energy weapons, but rather from Riyad finding the firing controls. They were on the right side of the console, just where Coop said they would be. The two men exchanged silent looks.

“Gear up, man,” Coop said. “Let’s take the fight to the enemy.”

“Go for it, my friend.” Riyad’s brilliant white smile lit up the cockpit.

Copernicus whipped the ship over in a tight loop, bringing it back in the direction of the pursuing warcraft. They were surprised by the aggressive move and sheared off, one to each side. Riyad could fire the weapons; he was still unsure as to how to aim them. Still, he lit off a barrage. The blue flashes shot off to the sides of the ship to avoid the miniature blackholes ahead of them. This was standard practice for warships, and now Copernicus corrected his course, sweeping across the path of one of the vessels as Riyad let loose with another round.

Remarkably, two of the bolts hit the Gracilian starship, but just like when their ship was hit with the bolts, the enemy shields glowed and the warship moved on after suffering little or no damage.

“There has to be a weakness,” Adam called out from behind the pilots. “I have an idea. Let set ourselves up for another attack. See where they aim. But be ready to bug out as soon as they fire.”

“You know that’s a crazy idea,” Copernicus said.

“I’m open to others.”

“I said it was crazy, not that it won’t work. I just hope my reactions are quick enough to get us out of the way in time.”

Copernicus straightened out his course, ending all of his wild gyrations. The enemy spaceships jumped at the chance and moved ahead before spinning around and coming at them on either side. They had to be careful to avoid the gravity well of Coop’s ship, and he theirs.

“They’re coming at us from the front. That doesn’t make any sense,” Adam said.

“It does when you look at the coverage of the shields,” Riyad said. He enlarged the image on the screen, showing the glow around the ship. There was a break, two of them in fact, one on either side where the focusing rings sent the gravity waves forward to the point of origin for the singularities.

“That’s it!” Adam called out. “A weakness in the shields. The screens can’t close around the transmission lines to the wells.”

“I’ve seen enough,” Copernicus said as he angled the ship up and away. He was only a breath in front of the four bolts the enemy craft fired, that slipped harmlessly to the rear. “Now, the trick will be getting into position to fire our own weapons.”

“How about one of those patented spiral moves of yours?” Adam suggested. “They’ll think you’re trying to avoid them, while Riyad times the shots as best he can.”

“Impossible timing for impossible shots,” said Riyad. “Sure, no problem.”

“Just make a good show if it. If we can get some separation between them and us, we might be able to stay ahead of them all the way back to L-3.”

“And then what?” Riyad asked. “Call ahead to the garrisons and get them up to cover us? I don’t think they’ll have any more luck with these dark matter starships than we’re having.”

“Always with the negative thoughts, Mr. Tarazi. Just aim straight, and we won’t have to worry about them.”

“Get ready, Riyad,” Copernicus said. “I’m coming back around. I’ll get us spinning right between them.”

It was at this point that Adam was glad for the forward monitor screens rather than a viewport. The computers corrected for the spin, keeping the images relatively stable, whereas a live view would have been like looking into a kaleidoscope on steroids.

“This is never going to work,” Riyad mumbled. His fingers were on the triggers, and as the target vessels approached, he released all six rounds he had under his control. He would have to wait a few seconds for the batteries to recharge before firing a second round.

The blue, dark matter energy bolts flared out, achieving perfectly straight trajectories immediately after being released. Four of them impacted the screens of the passing starships but causing no damage. However, another bolt managed to strike the starship on the port side, just below the bridge. The screen glowed here as well, but not as strongly. A small energy discharge was detected coming from the vessel and it began to slow precipitously. But it wasn’t dead in the water. The craft angled away and sped off, knowing it was damaged and wanting to get away before it could be targeted again.

But Coop was already on the scent. He cranked the ship over and gunned it, closing on the rapidly slowing vessel. The enemy ship was hit in the snout-like forward focusing ring compartment, knocking out a couple of the devices, which were crucial to the operation of the gravity drive. The remaining rings could still form singularities, just not as intense as before.

“Watch this,” Copernicus said as he closed on the stricken Gracilian starship. He approached from directly behind, coming at them at full speed. Adam knew what was about to happen.

A moment later, the enemy vessel disappeared, being sucked into the blackhole forward of Coop’s ship. It was an effective use of the gravity well, and a constant threat to spacecraft everywhere. The most dangerous place to be during any close encounter with another starship was directly in front of it. The problem was that to make the strategy effective, one had to be only ten miles or so from a starship under full gravity drive. At the speeds involved, that was next to impossible to achieve, unless one intended on vacuuming up the other ship.

“The other one is still on our tail,” Riyad reported. “He’s going to try the same thing on us. He’s firing.”

Copernicus had maintained a steady course as he closed on the damaged vessel, allowing the other craft to get a bead on him. Now a stream of six incoming bolts cast an unavoidable spread along their path. Coop twisted the ship, but three of the bolts still struck the underbelly of the spacecraft.

“This is good to know,” Riyad said almost nonchalantly. “At least for future reference. But it seems our shields are faltering. The Gracilian system can take only so many direct hits. It will take several more before they drop, but it is possible to disable them.”

“I just wish we weren’t the test subject for your study, Mr. Tarazi,” Copernicus said. “Coming around for another run. Hopefully, the pilot will think the kill shot on the other ship was just a lucky shot. Get ready.”

Copernicus Smith was one hell of a pilot, even in a starship he’d never flown before. He had a sixth sense about these things, not only understanding tactics but also with an instinctive feel for what a ship could do. Adam prayed for the three members of the team who weren’t strapped in as Coop began a wild series of gyrations that the inertial compensators could barely handle. His reactions were fluid and instant, and a moment later, Riyad was sending another powerful barrage at the passing starship. He didn’t hit any critical areas this time, but all six of the bolts impacted the enemy ship, while Coop’s vessel took only one direct hit.

Once again, the ships spun around and came at one another, a prolonged bullfight between matadors, each delivering a measure of damage to the other with each pass.

Finally, the enemy vessel had enough. Knowing their shields couldn’t withstand another pass, the ship turned back toward Gracilia and shot away. With equally matched starships—at least with regard to speed—Copernicus had no chance of using his gravity well again as a weapon. So, calling the day a victory, he turned the vessel and set a course for Liave-3.

20

The stolen Gracilian starship was twice as fast as the Ed Gibson, so, it was only three days before they entered the Liave system. Tidus, Sherri and Monty were pretty bruised up from the beating they took during the space battle, with the Juirean suffering a broken arm, his more fragile alien bones unable to withstand the punishment the Humans could.

“So, Copernicus, you really screwed up, didn’t you?” Summer said when Riyad spelled him at the pilot’s station, and he went to the galley for something to eat. Sherri was on the bridge with Riyad while the rest of the team was in the dining area, the largest open area on the ship except for the cargo bay.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“You should have let us have him. If you had, none of this would be happening.”

“How can you say that? You don’t know,” Coop said in his defense. “Aric may have eventually sent someone else to get the dark matter collector. It would have been better than letting their plans die because one person couldn’t get to what they needed.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“You see now that this mission was bigger than just recovering some money.”

“It’s two billion credits,” Monty mumbled.

“I’m sorry, but this mission has been in the works for years. And now that we know what the Gracilians are planning, what do we do about it?”

That was the question, and the next three days were filled with arguments seeking an answer. They had plenty of time to consider the situation from all angles, including one where what the Gracilians were proposing was a good thing, at least for the Kidis Frontier. Why not have locals govern the region, and locals with enough power to withstand the military might of two huge galactic empires? If that was all there was to it, Adam conceded, why not? But there was more to it.

The Gracilians were power-hungry, seeing themselves as the heir apparent to the Aris. They wouldn’t settle for just the Kidis; they wanted it all, the entire Milky Way galaxy. And from the brief encounter the team had with their technologically superior warcraft, it was possible they could do it. But no one was going to simply roll over and surrender. This wasn’t like Kracion and his brand of galactic blackmail. Galactic forces could counter the Gracilians, and now that the allies had a dark matter starship, the technology could eventually be duplicated, including the use of dark energy. Contrary to the Gracilians’ high opinion of themselves, they were not a million-year-old civilization as the Aris were at the time they chose their particular path to immortality. The Gracilians were just smart people who copied someone else’s tech. Any number of other races were capable of doing the same thing, including the Humans, Formilians and even the Juireans.

All this led to the conclusion that the galaxy was about to become engulfed in another bloody and prolonged war, and this new technology—if not handled properly—had the potential to destroy everything. Granted, at this time, no one aboard the stolen starship knew how the dark energy generators worked. Was there the potential for catastrophic accidents as there was with the dark matter collector and the tiny containment cubes? Hopefully not. Hopefully, the Gracilians were using the same level of technology that powered the service modules. No one ever considered them too dangerous to have around.

That still left the dark matter collector Aric admitted to having. Adam had to trust the Gracilians not to be suicidal if their plans couldn’t come to fruition. And they had more experience handling dark matter than anyone, other than the Aris. And consider that: At one time, the entire Aris civilization had been based on dark energy. Surely they learned how to use it safely.

All this discussion came to an end once they reached Liave-3.

21

Copernicus figured out the CW comm in the Gracilian warship and called his headquarters on Earth. He gave them a detailed debrief before being instructed to contact Colonel Todd Oaks at the Human garrison on Liave-3. After he did, he received permission to land the stolen warship at the far end of the garrison spaceport. Immediately upon landing, large tarps were tossed over the starship and ground crews set up tents nearby. Scientists and technicians swarmed aboard, all appearing to be in a frantic rush.

A personnel carrier took the full team to the headquarters building, which itself bristled with nervous energy. Col. Oaks greeted them before pulling Copernicus and Adam aside. Of the people in the group, they were the only ones still considered under military command. The rest of the team bitched and moaned but settled down as they were directed to a decent mess hall with real Human food. The Juirean Tidus made do with what was available.

The building was one of those basic military pop-up structures built in a few hours by the reconfigured Corps of Army Engineers. It had multiple stories, and Adam and Coop were escorted to the top floor and a spacious office with a view of the spaceport.

Col. Oaks led the way, and as they entered a Navy commander and a civilian stood up to greet the newcomers.

“I’m Commander Ian Brennan,” said the trim, thirty-something-year-old officer. “I run the intelligence operations here in the Zone.” He turned to the civilian. “Jack Brown, Consolidated Intelligence Station Chief.” The officer grinned. “Yeah, we’ve come up in the world; we now have our own station chief.”

The men shook hands.

“Take a seat, gentlemen,” Oaks said. He sat behind his desk.

Copernicus turned to Jack Brown. “You’re my direct contact, is that right? We don’t have much time. Aric Jroshin could launch an attack at any time. The ships he has can be defeated, but they will take some major firepower to do so. We have to hit him before he gets his service modules charged and programmed. He may have done that already.”

Brown raised his hand to stop Coop’s outburst.

“Calm down, Mr. Smith. We’ll deal with the Gracilian situation the best we can and at the proper time. But first, we need to assess the situation.”

“Assess the situation? What the hell for? I told headquarters there are six hundred super starships ready to take flight, and they’re coming this way. Jroshin estimates his ships are equal to ten thousand of our warships. Hell, we don’t even have ten thousand in the whole fleet, do we?”

“That’s not what he means, Mr. Smith, about assessing the situation,” said Commander Brennan. “What he means is there are more sensitive matters at hand, and if we don’t handle them properly, we could lose even the small advantage we have.”

“What does that mean?” Adam asked, joining the conversation and sharing in Coop’s frustration. “It doesn’t sound like you guys are taking us seriously.”

“That’s not it, Captain Cain,” said Colonel Oaks. “By the way, I’m glad to meet you finally. I came in at the end of the Quanin crisis a few months ago. We dodged a bullet there. We could be at war with the Juireans if you didn't do what you did. Thanks. I never thought you were involved in the assassination in the first place.”

“Thank you, sir, but what does that have to do with the Gracilians.”

Oaks raised his eyebrows. “That’s the point, Mr. Cain. It doesn’t have anything to do with the Gracilians. You have to realize, Gracilia is a sovereign world in the Kidis Frontier. Not the Union—nor the Expansion—have any formal authority here. Independent planets are free to build whatever fleets they want. We can only get involved if we come under direct assault. Hell, they could attack Liave-3 head-on, and as long as they leave our garrison alone, we could do nothing about it. That’s what this upcoming vote is about, who’s going to be in charge.”

Adam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He and Copernicus had just warned the Union about a major threat to the galaxy, and from the looks of things, they were going to ignore it.

“But Jroshin intends to launch a war against the galaxy, against both the Union and the Expansion.”

“And when he does, we’ll respond. But until then, we can’t go invading a sovereign world simply because they’ve built some fancy starships.”

“But they’re powered by dark energy,” Copernicus pointed out. “That’s the most dangerous stuff in the galaxy.”

“So, you say, Mr. Smith,” said Commander Brennan. “We’ve checked with our scientists. They don’t know enough about it to decide either way. But we do know the Aris used it extensively. It can’t be that dangerous.”

“Believe us; it is,” Adam said.

“And that’s why we have teams inside the dark energy starship as we speak. But again, you have to realize how precarious our position is here.”

“Why don’t you enlighten us, commander?” Adam said.

The officer looked to Col. Oaks as if saying, ‘Are these guys really this stupid?’

“Here’s the reality of the situation,” Brennan began. “You are in possession of a very expensive warship belonging to an independent government. You have admitted to stealing the craft and flying it out of Gracilian space. If we make a big deal out of having the ship, the Gracilians could very well demand that we return it. And guess what, we’d have to.”

“You, you wouldn’t,” Copernicus gasped. “We risked our lives getting it here.”

“From reading your report, it sounds like it was more a target of opportunity rather than some planned intelligence operation.” He held up his hand as both Adam and Copernicus nearly came off their seats in protest. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad you got it. But we only have so much time to learn its secrets. At any time, the Gracilians could make a call to Earth, and we’ll have to give it up.”

“They’re going to use their warships to conquer a wide swath of the galaxy,” Adam said.

“Pardon me, captain, but Agent Smith’s report stated that the Gracilians intend to put their name in the hat for control of the Dead Zone. We can’t stop them from doing that. That’s a political act and not a military one. And according to people I’ve checked with, they will probably win the vote.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Copernicus asked, dumbfounded.

“Whether I approve or not is immaterial,” Brennan snapped. “No, I don’t approve, but there’s nothing we can do about it. First of all, the refugees would be all up in our shit if we didn’t allow the Gracilians to be considered in the vote. And besides that, the Expansion would be pissed, as well.”

“The Expansion wouldn’t support the Gracilians if they knew what was going on.”

Brennen leaned back in his chair. “And how do you suppose we should approach that; tell them about the dark-energy warship and share everything we learn? No way. That would just start an arms race between empires.”

“An arms race we’ve already lost, commander,” Adam said. “All we’d be doing is playing catch up with the Gracilians.”

Colonel Oaks was shaking his head. “I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this, Captain Cain. There is only a handful of Gracilians left. Sure, with their technology, they could cause some problems. But in the long run, there’s just not enough of them to have any lasting effect on the galaxy.”

“Tell that to the Klin, sir,” Adam said.

Oaks blanched. “That was different.”

“Why, because the Klin never possessed the power of dark energy? Colonel, the Gracilians are even more dangerous than the Klin.”

“The Klin were acting as an entire race,” Commander Brennan countered. “From what you report, Agent Smith, it appears there’s only a small group of Gracilians leading this effort. We looked into the revolt on Aac’or. Most of those Gracilians have been captured or killed. There wasn’t a lot of them involved. They just threw a lot of money at people and expected to walk into positions of power. It didn’t work. I think this whole threat of yours is overblown.”

Copernicus grunted. “They have Aris service modules to make up for the lack of manpower.”

“Again, from your own report, Agent Smith, they are Gracilian service modules, not Aris service modules. All they are is an advanced form of AI. Artificial intelligence can be defeated.”

“And that’s the point, commander,” Adam said. “We have to start planning on fighting and defeating the Gracilians. Whether you believe it or not, the time is coming.”

“And that is why we are examining the Gracilian warship,” Col. Oaks said. “We’ll learn what we can and then make our plans from there. Until then, we put a lid on this thing. Your Aric Jroshin may not even be thinking about demanding that we return the warship. Eventually, however, he may realize he has a legal right to get it back. Right now, he thinks he’s been found out, and he has. But found out about what? About building a fleet of warships that he has every right to build. We have to be careful here, gentlemen. If we start getting bombastic, he may realize he holds all the cards and that we’re just bluffing.”

Adam and Copernicus shared a look, one of mutual defeat. The conversation was one-hundred-eighty degrees out from where they expected it to go.

Adam turned to Colonel Oaks. “So, you’re not going to do anything until if—

or when—he attacks?”

“My hands are tied. And captain, this is coming directly from Earth. I’m sorry, gentlemen, truly I am,” Oaks continued. “But first, let’s learn all we can about that starship down there and wait to see what this Jroshin guy does next. We’re not letting our guard down. We're just being more judicious with our actions.”

22

The two officers stayed in the office as the CI station chief escorted Adam and Coop into the corridor.

“Thanks for backing me up in there, Mr. Brown,” Copernicus snapped. “I was on the mission because of you guys. I learned the truth, and this is the thanks I get.”

“These things have to work at their own pace, Mr. Smith. But I may have a temporary solution, one I didn’t want to broadcast in the other room.”

“What’s that?” Adam asked, leaning in as the trio huddled.

“If I recall, there are two privately-owned starships still on Gracilia, one belonging to you, Mr. Cain, and the other property of Priority Acquisitions. Well, just as Jroshin would have a right to get his property back, you should, too. I can authorize a small Union force to escort you to Gracilia to retrieve the starships.”

“Okay, so, we retrieve the ships,” Adam said. “Then what?”

“More information, Mr. Cain. See what Jroshin is up to, maybe more.”

“You mean provoke an incident?” Copernicus asked.

“That would not be my first choice.”

Coop shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anxious for a fight with the Gracilians. At this point, I’m pretty sure they could kick our butts. I was just expecting a little more support in there.”

“It was what I’ve come to expect. The Union is walking on eggshells in the Zone at the moment, afraid to piss off any of the refugee groups for fear they’ll vote for the Expansion. And now with Gracilia soon to play a role, things could get even more confusing. We need to know what Jroshin has planned next. My way will get you back in the area and with a small military escort. Are you interested?”

Adam leaned in closer to the spymaster; determination painted on his face. “Just to emphasize the point,” Adam said, “we don’t want to fight the Gracilians again, and especially not in Human warships. But if we go back and have an opportunity to take out Jroshin and his clan, we’re going to do it. I don’t give a damn if it causes an intergalactic crisis of some kind. We know what he intends to do. Can I count on you and your people to back us up?”

“If you get the opportunity, sure. But we’ll only have five support vessels and about twenty-five Marines. That’s all I’ve had assigned to my mission here. I’m not going to risk them on a suicide mission.”

“I don’t do suicide missions, Mr. Brown.”

“I understand, Captain Cain. Have your people ready tomorrow at 0600. Do what you can. We’ll deal with the consequences afterward.”

“That’s the way we like it. Ask for forgiveness rather than permission.”

Coop and Adam shook hands with the head spook on Liave-3 and then went looking for the rest of the team. Adam wasn’t sure how the others would react. Maybe they wouldn’t want to jump right back into the fire. He was about to find out.

* * *

Everyone gathered back at Capt. Cain’s Bar & Grill to discuss their options.

To Adam’s surprise, Tidus—broken arm and all—was anxious to go. It was learned that the stealth starship he’d gotten from Priority Acquisitions was borrowed. It was also a very expensive piece of equipment, and Tidus was in a state of panic trying to figure out how to tell his bosses that he’d left the vessel on Gracilia. Getting it back was the only thing he was worried about. Summer and Monty merely shrugged and said okay. They even floated the idea that maybe—somehow—they might be able to capture Jroshin and return him for the bounty. They didn’t sound too sincere with the prospect. But they did like the idea of going in with a military escort, with the possibility of crippling the Gracilian effort.

Riyad—and particularly Sherri—were also excited with the prospect of recovering the Ed Gibson. It was the only starship the Big Three Partnership owned—and considering the quality of the derelicts left at Coop’s old shipyard—it was likely to be their last. It wasn’t much, but at least it was something—if it could make the return trip to Liave-3. For that, they recruited the little bear-like alien Jym to come along, tasking him with gathering up all the repair tools he thought he might need. Between him and Copernicus, they had a good chance of getting the old freighter back to the planet.

Of course, this was all contingent on whether or not Jroshin would let them even get close to Gracilia. He may see the approaching squadron and decide to launch his fleet at the invaders. Because of that, a neutral third party in the form of a starship captain would make a plea over a CW link, requesting permission to recover the abandoned starships. If refused, the captain had instructions to turn tail and head for home. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but considering what Oaks and Brennan had told them, it was the best they could hope for.

23

The journey back to Gracilia was uneventful, at least until they reached the boundary of the system. There’s an unwritten rule that a system’s territory extended to a distance of a light-year beyond the farthest official planet in the system. Anywhere within that sphere and they would be considered trespassing. The Navy captain leading the small squadron approached cautiously, expecting a reaction to come from within the system at any time.

Copernicus was frustrated that the tracking monitor for Aric’s ship was still on the Ed Gibson. At least with that, he might have an idea if the Gracilian leader was leading a fleet their way or not. Instead, everyone sat on pins and needles as they swept in-system, past a couple of ubiquitous gas giants and into the inner rocky planets.

The Navy captain was named Adina Wilson, and Adam learned she was as much a spy as she was a naval officer. Jack Brown’s small complement of starships was packed full of recording and survey equipment, designed to gather intelligence everywhere they went. Because of this, she had a plethora of detection equipment that could give them more advanced warning of an impending attack than even the top-of-the-line warships in the fleet. This knowledge provided Adam with a modicum of security, knowing they could bug out at a moment’s notice. However, he was torn over the prospect. He really wanted another crack at Jroshin, especially now.

Captain Wilson got on the horn and called out to the distant planet, using a wideband signal. Jroshin would be able to hear it. And if not, he would certainly detect the energy signals entering his system.

Wilson made several attempts to make contact, but all failed. Adam didn’t think too much about it. Jroshin did the same the first time he came to the Gracilian system. The alien would answer if and when he wanted. But for now, the five Human starships continued on a direct path for Gracilia.

“This isn’t right,” Sherri said as she watched the desert landscape of Gracilia sweep by below her from the bridge of the Human Bainbridge Class frigate Bonaventure. “Nothing.” They came in with two of the Human warships, carrying Adam’s team plus a contingent of twenty-five Marines. The other three ships pulled sentry duty in orbit.

“He did this the first time we came here,” Adam said. “Either he’s inviting us back down, or he’s waiting to launch his fleet once we land. But there’s some good news; our two ships are still there. I hope he hasn’t booby-trapped them.”

The frigates Bonaventure and Corsica dropped to the surface using a combat insertion maneuver, taking only three minutes from orbit to ground.

“We’ll set down next to that ugly freighter and disburse troops,” said Captain Wilson. “Then we’ll dust-off and take up positions about ten miles away with engines primed. Can that thing still fly?” she asked about the Ed Gibson.

“We’ll see,” Sherri said with a scowl.

The ships landed, and even before the exhaust smoke cleared, Adam’s eight-person team, along with the twenty-five Marines, ran out from the rear loading ramps and sprinted for the huge, rusting freighter a hundred yards away. A small electric cart joined them, carrying Tidus and a Marine driver. They veered off and headed for the stealth spacecraft owned by Priority Acquisitions. With his broken arm, the Juirean would be useless in a fight. His time was better served getting the small vessel off the planet.

Copernicus and Jym carefully entered the Ed Gibson, aware that explosives may have been placed aboard for this very occasion. After a moment, they gave the all-clear and disappeared inside the vessel. Adam had a hell of a time convincing Coop that he was more valuable getting the EG going than simply adding another gun hand to the assault force. Reluctantly, he conceded the point.

It was midday in the hot Gracilian desert, with a stiff breeze blowing in from the south, making it even hotter. Adam and the assault group wore thin armor vests, designed to absorb most effects of even a level-1 flash bolt. However, the ambient heat set everyone sweating even before they reached the huge elevator panel. They were armed with M-201s, while Summer had her trusty compound bow slung across her back. She never went anywhere without it.

“This is something new,” Sherri said, having stopped at a point in the desert while looking down. “It’s another entrance.”

She was right. Exposed under a thin layer of sand was a circular metal hatch leading down into the bunker. Exhaust from one of the super starships must have blown away the sand, revealing the entrance.

The Marines spun the release wheel, and the hatch slowly fell open, operated by hydraulic hinges. Adam shined a light into the hole. A ladder led the way into the bunker.

“Let’s go this way,” he said. “It’s different; they won’t be expecting us here.”

The plan was simplicity itself. Adam knew there was once a combined force of one hundred defenders at the facility. After their last visit, that number was down to around eighty. Most were mercenaries, with only a crew or two worth of Gracilians among the mix. Adam had his people, plus twenty-five combat Marines. By all rights, it shouldn’t even be a contest. The Humans would make short work of the aliens. And that was the key. Jroshin may have six hundred warships, along with hundreds of Aris-like service modules to pilot them, but they were useless in a ground operation, especially underground. The only question he had was what would Jroshin do if he saw the battle was lost? Would he use his dark matter cubes from the collector to form a singularity bomb? If he did, it would not only wipe out the invaders, but also his precious fleet. Adam was hoping he was more pragmatic.

The parade began, with a long line of combat troops filing down the ladder. The Marines practically jumped down to the first landing, using the side rails simply as guides. After that, the team spread out, finding more ladders and even stairways deeper into the complex. As before, they encountered no defenders. They would show up when they were ready. They had to know the assault team was on the surface and now in the complex. Their arrival was hard to hide.

“Didn’t we just leave this party?” Sherri asked as she slid up beside Adam and Riyad. “Why are we doing this again?”

“The bull by the horns, my dear,” Riyad said. “However, this Aric Jroshin is a very confusing individual. First, he allows us entry and then tries to make a spectacle of killing us. And now he’s letting us back in again, and this time we have backup. I wish he’d make up his mind.”

“Quiet,” Adam ordered. “This way. I see light up ahead.”

The Marines led the way.

“Anything happening outside?” Adam whispered over his comm.

“That’s a negative,” Captain Wilson answered in his ear. “All’s quiet.”

“Good. We’re just about to the main hangar level. That’s where we should meet resistance. We’ll make a quick look-see and then report back.”

“Adam,” said Monty Pitts. He was on point with one of the Marines. “You’re not going to believe this.”

“What is it?”

Adam rushed forward, to where Monty and the Marines were standing in the middle of a wide portal, disregarding the need for cover. The moment he joined them, Adam saw why.

They were at the hangar, the cavernous chamber which could hold six hundred super starships.

At the moment, it held none.

24

The place was empty and eerily quiet, with a strong scent of lift-off gas in the air.

“Where did he take them?” Sherri asked the deserted room.

“I have something over here,” one of the Marines called out, not bothering with his throat mic. “Bodies. Lots of them.”

The team ran to the left, along the edge of the hangar to one of the large portals leading into the complex. There were half a dozen of the mercenary aliens sprawled out on the deck; their bodies twisted into almost pretzel-like positions. Sherri examined the nearest body.

“Some kind of intense electrical shock, from what I can tell. Boiled his blood. They’re all like this.”

Adam snorted. “Looks like Jroshin got rid of the excess baggage before he took off. But you know what this means. He’s charged and programmed the service modules. He’s probably moved his fleet to a planet with more of an infrastructure to help maintain the ships. This isn’t the last we’ve heard of him.”

“More bodies, captain,” said another Marine. They were probing the corridors beyond the hangar.

“You’ve got to see this, Adam,” Riyad called out.

Adam and Sherri rushed up to him. He was standing over a dead Gracilian, killed by the same intense electrical discharge.

“Why would he kill one of his own?” Riyad asked.

“Follow me,” Adam ordered. He set off down the hallway, following his memory to the meeting room where he’d first met Jroshin. The door was open, and inside were three more Gracilians—including Aric Jroshin.

He was alive—barely—a gurgling sound coming through his gaping mouth.

Adam bent down next to the alien, lifting his head.

The dark, beady eyes of the Gracilian recognized the Human. He blinked once.

“Cain,” he struggled to say. “You? Here?”

“What happened, Jroshin? Who killed your people?”

A thin, pained smile came to the alien’s dark face. “Who? Destiny…”

The eyes remained open as the alien’s last breath escaped from his burning lungs. Adam didn’t know where to check a Gracilian for a pulse, so he took it on faith that the alien was dead.

“What the hell happened here?” Sherri asked, panic in her voice.

Adam knew what she was feeling. Aric Jroshin and the Gracilians were the enemy, the lords of the underground bunker. Now they, along with their mercenary guards, were dead, slain by an unknown force. And not only that, but all six hundred of the dark energy warships were gone. Whoever did this had to have control of the service modules, as well. But who were they? And what plans did they have for the fleet of super warships?

Adam stood up and looked at Summer and Monty. They were standing off to the side, shocked looks on their faces, just like everyone else.

“If you still want him, you can have him,” Adam said to the bounty hunters. “Maybe you’ll get a finder’s fee.”

“You think that’s funny,” Monty said. He stepped forward and scooped up the dead alien before flopping him over a broad shoulder. “But I’m going to find out. Sure, we’ll take him.”

“Captain Wilson,” Adam announced over his comm. “Get the ships ready. We’re going home.”

Epilogue

Eight days later, the team was back at Capt. Cain’s Bar & Grill, this time seated at tables on the sand and under large, colorful umbrellas. Bar-b-que dinosaur sizzled on the grill and the tables covered with empty glasses which once held the finest non-beer this side of the Fringe.

They’d found no answers since leaving Gracilia. The dark-energy warships were still missing; the question of who killed everyone at the underground bunker was still a mystery, and Summer Rains was still her bitchy self.

“So, what are you guys going to do now?” Adam asked the tiny blonde bounty hunter. The alcohol she’d consumed hadn’t changed her mood, although there was still hope. “Are you going back out on another hunt?”

She shook her head a little too emphatically. Perhaps the beer was having an effect.

“No way. We’re sticking around here for a while,” she announced. “Going up into the mountains in search of a fortune in lost treasure.”

“Aric’s billions,” Copernicus said with a smile. He and Sherri were snuggled together, their romance having been rekindled over the past few days. The rest of the team hadn’t seen much of them after they got back to L-3, not until they decided to take a breather and join the others for BBQ and beer.

“It’s up there,” Summer slurred. “You know it; I know it. Let’s keep it that way. With Jroshin dead, most of the other vultures have left the planet.”

“Vultures?” said her father. “Watch it; I resemble that remark.”

Adam looked at Tidus. He seemed content wearing his arm sling and knowing he wouldn’t have to suffer the wrath of PA executives for the loss of the stealth starship. And he was fine with doing a little prospecting in the mountains of Liave-3. Who knows, they might even strike it rich.

“I’m right there with you,” Riyad said to Summer. “Anything you need, I got it. And don’t get greedy. There will be plenty for all of us.”

Summer laughed. “Welcome aboard, you sexy slab of sexy brown beef.” Summer leaned over and gave Riyad a sloppy, full-mouth kiss. Riyad was shocked, although he wouldn’t take it seriously, not much. The girl was drunk.

“What about you, Coop?” Adam asked with a wicked grin. “I suppose you’ll be sticking around.”

“For a while. I’ve been given me full access to the dark energy ship. I’m not leaving until I’ve probed every last nook and cranny of her hot, sensual interior.” He was looking into Sherri’s eyes as he spoke.

“Are you still talking about the dark energy ship?” Monty asked.

Coop bounced his eyebrows.

“And what are you going to do, our fearless leader?” Copernicus asked.

Adam laughed. “I’m stuck here for a while. Dal Divisen and Lion/El have me neck-deep in this Constitutional Convention thing. We’re forming a government here on old Liave-3. Going to bring some sense of law and order to the frontier. We’re even going to change the name of the planet.”

“You are?” Tidus asked. “Why?”

“Because Liave-3 is simply a navigation designation; the third planet in the Liave star system. Nothing sexy about that. Without an advanced indigenous species, the planet never got a name. We need an identity of our own, something to set us apart.”

“What are you going to call it?” Copernicus asked. “How about Sherri’s World? I could go for that.”

“Me, too,” Sherri purred.

“I’ll keep it in mind. But actually, we’re having a Name-This-Planet contest. The winner gets a full week at the luxurious Maris-Kliss Resort in beautiful downtown Balamar, all expenses paid. But I’m supposed to say: The contest is open to the general public, except for employees and/or immediate family members of Maris-Kliss Industries or its affiliates. Other than that, enter often, and good luck.”

Copernicus laughed “What I meant was about the missing fleet. You know this isn’t over, not by a long shot. Whoever has the ships will use them. And without the fleet, the Gracilians are backing away from trying to take over the Dead Zone, or anyplace else for that matter. That changes things.”

“Frankly, Coop, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Adam answered as he stretched out a wide grin. “But fortunately, we never have to wait more than a month to find out. Thanks, T.R.”

The End

Galactic Vortex

Be sure to pick up the next exciting

Adam Cain novel.

Galactic Vortex

Releasing March 23, 2020

Available for pre-order

Book #4

of

The Adam Cain Chronicles

Author’s Notes

Thanks so much for reading book #3 of

The Adam Cain Chronicles,

Battle Plan

Next up is

Galactic Vortex

(Available for pre-order)

Well, we’re off and running with The Adam Cain Chronicles. You just finished book #3, with book 4, Galactic Vortex, coming out in March 2020.

There will be a new Adam Cain book every month throughout 2020, maybe longer, depending on whether this publication schedule kills me or not. Since I write all my books, I’m not able to crank out three, four or even more books a month. Truthfully, very few people can, not without help. So, keep checking your email for publication announcements. A new book will be out around the 20th of each month, depending on the day of the week the 20th falls on.

This new writing/release strategy is designed so I can keep my loyal fans fed with more Adam Cain adventures, while also freeing me up to explore new series and story ideas. These new books/ideas include more volumes in my REV Warriors series, as well as the misadventures of galactic Realtor Jason King. I’ll also be introducing new series along the way, including a set of fantasy books I’ve been working on for a while (with a science fiction twist to them). They should appeal to readers of both sci-fi AND fantasy. At least that’s the plan.

In other news, I’m currently working on getting all my books into paperback. With 47 books on the market—including boxsets—and with only a handful of them in paperback at this point, this isn’t a simple task. But I’m determined to get them all done by the end of the year, as well as having all the new releases for the year in paperback so I don’t fall behind—again.

Also, I currently have the last two REV Warriors books—REV: Revolution and REV: Retribution—being made into audiobooks, along with the first three books in The Adam Cain Chronicles. Each new book in the Adam Cain series will also be produced in audio with a couple of months of publication. Getting all my books into audio is another goal of mine for 2020. At the moment, I only have eight books in audio, with another five in the works. Again, an ambitious goal, but something my readers have been asking for.

And while I have you here, I want to make another pitch for you to 1) Sign-Up for my Email List and 2) Join my private Facebook Fan Page. Both are free to join and are great ways for me to stay in touch with my fans. I love the interaction on Facebook. (And I often use the names of my Facebook fans in my books. That’s always fun.) Just click on the links provided to get things going.

And if/when you sign up for my email list, you’ll have the opportunity to get three free books as a bonus. For those who are on the list, you know I don’t spam you, only sending emails when I have something important to say, like when I have new releases out or other key information about my various series and writing projects. I encourage everyone to sign up. I don’t sell or share the list with anyone, so you won’t get inundated with emails from other writers. Again, follow the links in the Sign-Up Section to get on the list.

That’s it for now. Be looking for the next Adam Cain book coming out in March, and every month after that, along with all the exciting new stories I have lined up for the new year.

T.R. Harris

February 2020

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Novels by T.R. Harris

The Adam Cain Saga

The Dead Worlds

Empires

Battle Plan

Galactic Vortex (Coming March 2020)

Dark Energy (Coming April 23, 2020)

The Human Chronicles

The Fringe Worlds

Alien Assassin

The War of Pawns

The Tactics of Revenge

The Legend of Earth

Cain’s Crusaders

The Apex Predator

A Galaxy to Conquer

The Masters of War

Prelude to War

The Unreachable Stars

When Earth Reigned Supreme

A Clash of Aliens

Battlelines

The Copernicus Deception

Scorched Earth

Alien Games

The Cain Legacy

The Andromeda Mission

Last Species Standing

Invasion Force

Force of Gravity

Mission Critical

The Lost Universe

The Immortal War

Destroyer of Worlds

Phantoms

Terminus Rising

The Last Aris

The Human Chronicles Box Set Series

Box Set #1 – Books 1-5 in the series

Box Set #2 – Books 6-10 in the series

Box Set #3 – Books 11-15 in the series

Box Set #4 – Books 16-20 in the series

Box Set #5—Books 21-25 in the series

REV Warriors Series

Rev

REV: Renegades

REV: Rebirth

REV: Revolution

REV: Retribution

REV: Revelations (coming soon)

REV Warriors Box Set #1 – Books 1-3 in the series

Jason King – Agent to the Stars Series

The Enclaves of Sylox

Treasure of the Galactic Lights

The Drone Wars Series

Day of the Drone

In collaboration with Co-Author George Wier…

The Liberation Series

Captains Malicious

Available exclusively on Amazon.com and FREE to members of Kindle Unlimited.