The Cain Legacy

The Human Chronicles Saga

# 18

an Adam Cain adventure

by

T.R. Harris

_____

Book 2 of the

Alien Games Trilogy

mini-series

Copyright 2017 by T.R. Harris

All rights reserved, without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanically, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. ***

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Novels by T.R. Harris

The Human Chronicles Saga

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

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 George Wier…

The Liberation Series

Captains Malicious

Contents

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

Epilogue

Cast of Characters…

Adam Cain:

Our hero. When the aliens abducted a Navy SEAL, they had no idea they’d bitten off more than they could chew. Now freed from his captives, Adam has spent the past twenty years making the aliens pay for upsetting his comfortable life back on Earth, earning him the moniker of ‘The Alien with an Attitude.’ With Humans evolving on a heavy-gravity world, Adam discovers he’s faster, stronger and more coordinated than most of the aliens he encounters, making him—and his fellow Humans—the creatures to fear throughout the galaxy. And now, through a series of challenges and missions, Adam and his band of loyal warriors defend both the Earth and the galaxy against a multitude of threats, both alien and home-grown. Join Adam and his intrepid band of heroes for their latest escapades.

Riyad Tarazi:

Another abductee by the evil aliens known as the Klin, Riyad was once a high-ranking freedom fighter/terrorist back on Earth. Once free to roam an area of the Milky Way known as the Fringe, Riyad deftly uses his skills to climb the ranks of the Fringe Pirates, before becoming their feared and ruthless leader. Then he meets Adam Cain—first as enemies, then as friends—and his whole life changes. Throughout the years, the two friends have saved each other’s butts more times than they want to admit. Now they’re the most-deadly Human duo in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Sherri Valentine:

Once a young and carefree veterinary student Phoenix, Arizona, Sherri took a fateful jog one evening and ended up like the others—as an alien abductee. Yet once she escapes, she goes on to make a very good living as an alien assassin, working for various cartels and criminal organizations in the Fringe. After hooking up with Adam and Riyad, she’s gone on to become one of the ‘Big Three’ Human heroes, known and feared throughout the galaxy. She’s beautiful, pragmatic—and deadly.

Kaylor & Jym:

These two aliens were dealt a strange hand of fate when they rescued Adam Cain from certain death aboard a booby-trapped Klin starship. Over the years, the pair of galactic scoundrels have accompanied Adam and the Humans on many an adventure, and in the process become Adam’s closest alien friends.

Copernicus Smith:

Passing himself off as a pragmatic starship repairman—specializing in servicing the Milky Way’s criminal element—Copernicus hides a secret which makes him one of the deadliest Human operatives in the galaxy. Affiliated now with Adam Cain, he’s become a vital part of the team, helping to round out its lethal effectiveness.

Arieel Bol:

Recognized as ‘The Most Beautiful Female in the Galaxy,” Arieel is the quasi-religious leader of the planet Formil. She’s also the mother of Lila, an immortal, mutant genius, who was the result of an inter-species union between her and Adam Cain—something the specialists said could never happen. Now as on-again, off-again lovers, Arieel and Adam are the only two beings in the galaxy carrying Artificial Telepathy Devices (ATD’s) implanted under their skin. These brain-interface modules enable the control of electronic devices, such as lights, doors, computers—and energy weapons—as well as telepathic communications between the two. Arieel’s arrogant, spoiled—and drop-dead gorgeous.

The Human Chronicles Saga:

The Alien Games Trilogy:

Alien Games

The Cain Legacy

The Andromeda Mission

Adam Cain and his team face off against the Nuoreans—invaders from the Andromeda Galaxy—whose entire society is built around gladiator-like contests, between not only their own people, but alien races as well. Seeking new challenges, the Nuoreans find a way to link with the Milky Way through the use of a gigantic gravity-well, making jumps between the two galaxies in mere seconds.

Unlike any enemy Adam has ever faced, the Nuoreans revel in the challenge of combat and gamesmanship. They even welcome defeat, as this only means there’s a worthy opponent for them to out-maneuver and overcome. They have no fear or anxiety. To the Nuoreans, there is no such thing as defeat—just delayed victory.

Early in their plans to invade the Milky Way, the Nuoreans recognized Humans as their ultimate challenge—and Adam Cain as the top player (warrior) they must face. Now Adam and his team not only have to save themselves from the Andromeda invaders, but all the other advanced species in the galaxy.

And to complicate matters, Adam must also rescue his kidnapped mutant daughter Lila from an alien race over three billion years old who possess technology far beyond anything that exists today. The mission seems impossible…but it has to be undertaken. It’s just what heroes do.

Together, Adam and his band of intrepid warriors take on their greatest enemy—and journey to where no Human has gone before.

The Alien Games Trilogy of The Human Chronicles Saga is a thrill-a-minute space opera ride of galactic proportion…and only one in a series of multi-book adventures featuring Adam Cain—The Alien with an Attitude.

Check out the other mini-series within The Human Chronicles Saga:

The Fringe Worlds & Beyond

The Fringe Worlds

Alien Assassin

The War of Pawns

Tactics of Revenge

The Legend of Earth

The Human Enemy

Cain’s Crusaders

The Apex Predator

A Galaxy to Conquer

The Masters of War

The Sol-Kor War

Prelude to War

The Unreachable Stars

When Earth Reigned Supreme

A Clash of Aliens

Battlelines

Revenge & Redemption

The Copernicus Deception

Scorched Earth

The Alien Games Trilogy

Alien Games

The Cain Legacy

The Andromeda Mission

Enjoy one—or all—of the books in

The Human Chronicles Saga

…now available in convenient, bitesize mini-series.

Available exclusively on Amazon.com and Kindle Unlimited.

Chapter 1

“Of course it’s a wave; an oscillating wave with splintered modulation. That’s how the beam can affect a variety of species.”

“But why would you not—”

“Let me stop you there,” Panur interrupted. “You are attempting to modify my design based on your primitive understanding of physics and engineering. Even the mindless Sol-Kor could build suppressor platforms…because they didn’t question my plans. They simply followed directions.”

“Yet the power source delivery can cause splintering—”

“That’s covered on page nine-eighty-four, halfway down. All you need to do is read it.”

Adam raised his eyebrows. The mutant Panur was speaking to the engineers on Formil over a CW comm link while staring at the bulkhead in the Najmah Fayd’s pilothouse, yet still he could recall the exact location in his three-thousand-plus page set of plans where the splintering effect was addressed.

“The frequency modulation is a question—”

“Refer to addendum fourteen. It details how to build the modulation unit. It’s all there…as it has been from the beginning.”

“We understand that,” said the engineer. “However, the requirements—”

A loud squeal erupted from the speakers, followed by silence. Panur turned to Adam, his face displaying the frustration that had been building over the past twenty minutes of the link. His emotional state was exacerbated by the almost continuous series of communications the mutant had endured over the past two weeks with the scientists back on Formil.

“These are rumored to the brightest beings in your galaxy,” Panur barked at Adam. “I welcome this second disruption of the CW link.”

“The second?” Adam asked.

“Yes, there was a similar interruption three days ago—” Panur’s eyes grew large.

Adam was in the pilot seat, waiting patiently for the mutant to continue. Riyad was on the bridge as well. The two Humans shared a knowing glance, enjoying the frustration the often-pompous immortal mutant alien genius was experiencing.

“The last event was three days, nine minutes ago, to be precise,” Panur announced. “The prior interference was only a scrambling of the wormhole. This latest disruption caused a complete break.”

The tone of Panur’s statement made Adam take notice. He knew continuous-wormhole communication linked together two points in space by way of a microscopic wormhole. Such links were capable of sustaining integrity for just over an hour before the natural gravitational influences in the galaxy caused the points to fall out of alignment. Other than that, there was very little that could break an established link.

“What do you think caused it?” Adam asked.

“A gravitational wave of incredible strength, and this latest event was stronger than it was three days ago.”

Adam sat up straighter. “The Nuoreans?”

“The mid-point generators take three days to charge.”

“Why haven’t we seen this effect before?”

“Two reasons,” Panur began. “The original entry point was located far from the main part of the galaxy. And two, we were not within a CW link at the time we were close enough to notice the phenomenon.”

“That means—”

“We are close to their new entry point into the Milky Way.”

Riyad sent a star map to the forward viewscreen. They were just entering the Kidis Frontier after two weeks of travel from Formil—which was another point of contention for Panur. The journey to the planet Incus was taking twice as long as necessary, especially in his trans-dimensional starship. But CW links couldn’t be established between dimensions, so the ship had to stay in the Milky Way and under normal drive for the duration of the trip, just so the workers on Formil could subject the mutant to their constant barrage of inane questions. Incus was still two weeks out, if they maintained this schedule.

“The new entry point would be along the outskirts of the galaxy,” Riyad pointed out. “And if you follow how they did it in the Radis Spur it’ll be close to a projection from one of the major arms.”

Panur studied the map. “The gravity wave is created by the surge of incoming space as the continuum returns to normal. To work properly, the entry point needs to be away from any major gravity source at this end. I’ll analyze the strength of the wave and determine the direction, but from my initial estimates I would place the entry point at the edge of the Anxel Prominence.”

“Where’s that?” Adam asked. Although he’d spent a lot of time in space over the past twenty years, it was impossible for him to know every part of the galaxy. Who did—besides Panur?

The mutant tapped a keyboard at his station. A circle appeared at the outer edge of the Orion Arm, near the border of the Kidis spur.

“That’s pretty close to Earth,” Adam said.

“Yes, relatively; however it’s closer to Incus.”

“A coincidence?”

“Unknown.”

“We need to investigate,” Riyad declared. “The Formilians will need a definite location once the platforms are operational.”

“I will relay the information and let others investigate. I’m already far behind schedule in my quest to find Lila.”

Riyad shook his head. “The platforms are nearly complete, and if you’re right about this gravity wave thing, then the Nuoreans are already bringing in new units from Andromeda. We can’t waste time.”

“They may be testing the link,” Panur countered. “There is no evidence of warships coming through.”

“That’s why we need to investigate.” There was a moment of quiet on the bridge before Riyad finished his statement. “It’s on our way to Incus.”

Panur scrunched up his face. “At this rate we will never begin our search for Lila!” he growled. The CW link chirped; the mutant glared at the screen with fire in his eyes. The wave had passed the Najmah Fayd and now the engineers on Formil were calling back.

“I will not deviate, yet you may if you wish,” Panur said to Riyad. “Take the shuttle. Your journey is six days out.”

Riyad looked at Adam, not quite sure what to do next. “You coming?” he asked.

Adam shook his head. “I think I’ll stay with Panur. You can take Sherri and Copernicus. Just be careful.”

“Can I take one of the mutants?”

“Panur’s going to Incus, so that only leaves J’nae,” Adam pointed out. “Do you really want that?”

Riyad wrinkled his nose. “I see your point. Okay, I’ll take the two love-birds.”

Sherri Valentine was Riyad’s ex-wife from a marriage that had lasted all of four months. Even so, the two were good friends and worked well together. The variable in the equation was Copernicus Smith, Sherri’s latest love interest. Adam hadn’t noticed any resentment on Riyad’s part since the affair became public; in fact it was Adam who was having a harder time coping than Riyad. There was a natural competitiveness between the two Alpha-males, and not only with regards to Sherri, but everything else. Adam would welcome the reprieve for a few days.

“We’ll meet up on Incus,” he said. “Just get in and out quickly and quietly. There’s nothing you can do against the Nuor alone. Leave that to others.”

“That’s my intent.”

“I’ll plot the course in the shuttle’s nav computer,” Panur said. “Yet be forewarned: I do not intend to spend much time on Incus. Either you meet us there or else we’ll leave you behind.”

Riyad nodded at the short, gray alien and smiled. “Yes, Panur, I’ll be careful. And thanks for your concern and vote of confidence.”

“Sarcasm, as only a Human can deliver: blatant and transparent. Now leave, I have more important things to do than deal with your insecurities.”

Chapter 2

Third Cadre Spec-One Azon (1901) Kallen-Noc studied the alien groveling before him. The creature was nervous and reeked of fear, hardly the image of the invincible player the Humans were rumored to be. This was the twelfth test subject umanthe Cadre had examined. All prior subjects had died, and now there were only four left on Nuor.

The first Humans had simply been stabbed, sliced or broken, to verify their ability to die as normal beings. The Cadre had been cavalier with their earlier tests, expecting to inflict more damage to the subjects before they expired. Yet most died from single wounds, resulting in a faster reduction in the prisoner population than expected.

These initial results conflicted with the abundance of video evidence the Nuor had on the creature known as Adam Cain. In the alien’s immunity challenge with Master-Lead Daric (411) Kallen-Noc, the Human had been stabbed several times, yet showed no signs of injury. He also displayed supernatural ability of movement and evasion, as well as strength unexplained.

The video of the event resulted in a special unit of the Third Cadre being assigned the task of analyzing the Human enigma. As individuals, each Cadre member was an exceptional player of almost unnatural ability. Yet instead of partaking in individual challenges, they worked as a team, tasked with the evaluation of races that defied classification.

As a race, the Nuor practiced the art of Sandica—ritualized combat—for the acquisition of victory points, be they blood points without death, or immunity challenges against alien species which were always to the death. However, the Nuor were not without common sense. Occasionally they came upon races too dangerous to allow challenges, alien beings whose very existence could threaten the Nuorean race. These were classified as Jundac species.

The Cadre evaluated these potential threats, either on a technological or biological level, and helped render the final verdict. The options were stark: live or die, there was no other choice with regard to the Jundac.

Even before making the jump to their neighboring galaxy, the Nuor anticipated encountering such species. There had been a few in their home galaxy, which resulted in hard lessons learned and the initial formation of the Cadre. Now there was a process in place for dealing with such anomalies.

Yet the Humans were different from any potential Jundac race yet encountered. After intensive study, it was confirmed the race as a whole were exceptional players, but not supernaturally so. And their level of skill came in such variety that it was hard to assign challenge-factors, either as a race or individually. The trained players—the ones the Humans called warriors—were extremely challenging, even for the highest-rated Nuor. Yet for those untrained, it was almost embarrassing meeting them in immunity challenges.

And now Azon (1901) was quickly running out of test subjects, having failed to find even one who was a worthy opponent—and none even remotely close to the skills and abilities assigned to Adam Cain.

Perhaps that is what made the Human so special—he was one-of-a-kind—an oddity of nature. In fact, Adam Cain could be a mutant.

But now Azon had to deal with the Human before him, the physically undefined creature emitting waves of fear into the small test arena.

“What is your name?” Azon asked.

The Human nearly fainted when the Spec-One spoke, but then he gathered his composure. “I…I’m Phil Emerson.”

“And what is your life-skill?”

“My life-skill…I don’t understand?”

“What is your function within your society?”

“Oh…I’m a salesman, a territory director. I sell shoes.”

“Shoes?”

“Yes.” The Human pointed to Azon’s foot coverings. “Shoes. My company specializes not only in Human footwear, but we can make them for just about any species—any species that has feet, of course.” The Human bared his teeth at the Nuorean player, yet Azon sensed no threat. Humans were one of those races that displayed a wide array of expressions on their faces, often resulting in confusing interpretation. Azon had already noted this in his file.

“Have you combat training?”

“Heavens no!” The alien appeared to be proud of the statement, which Azon had trouble accepting. “I’m just a merchant, looking to make a living. The company I work for was late in reaching into space after the whole aliens-in-the-galaxy revelation about twenty years ago. But in order to compete, we had to open our markets to other worlds. I was on my way to the Canis system when you intercepted my ship. Honestly, I’m not a threat, to you or anyone. There’s no need for you do anything to me. I’ll tell you anything you want to know, whatever value that can have.”

Azon was frustrated. This Human was turning out to be like all the others that had been brought to Nuor for study, useless in the evaluation of the race.  To date, Azon had yet to find one with combat training. There had been two out of the prior eleven who did put up a fight at the end, but that was more out of desperation in the face of certain death than anything else. They were dispatched after only the slightest disruption.

This current Human—this Phil Emerson—would be no different. He would die without revealing anything substantial…unless Azon used a different tact….

“Have you heard of a Human labeled Adam Cain?”

The alien’s eyes grew wide. “Adam Cain? Of course, who hasn’t?”

“Out of all the billions of Humans, you have heard of this single individual?”

“Well, he is famous.”

“For what contributions?”

The fat alien hesitated, the fear even more prominent this close to the creature.

“Speak freely. All I seek is information.” Later, Azon would seek flesh.

“Don’t take this wrong, but he’s famous for killing…aliens.”

“So he is a skillful player—a warrior?”

“Yeah, like the best ever. He’s saved the planet Earth and the Human race several times over, almost single-handedly, as well as the galaxy, too…if you believe what’s in the movies and books.”

“Is he a super-being, possessing abilities beyond those of normal Humans?”

“You mean like Superman? Hell no, nothing like that. As far as I know he’s just one badass sonofabitch.”

Azon recoiled. “That did not translate properly.”

“He’s just normal, as far as I know,” the Human clarified. “He’s just really good at what he does. Of course, they do tend to exaggerate in the movies; however, he did just kick the ass of the Juireans—again. That I know for sure.”

“The Juireans you refer to are the leaders of the largest and oldest stellar empire in the Kac—in the Milky Way?”

“That’s them. About a year ago, Cain blew up most of their military command, along with a shitload of their rulers.”

“This one creature?”

“He does have Riyad Tarazi helping…and Sherri Valentine now and then. That Sherri’s really hot—but not like the alien Arieel Bol. Damn!”

“Please moderate your language to a more easily-decipherable level. All the beings you just mentioned are in my files. Yet referring again to Adam Cain, you believe him to have no unnatural abilities, nothing different from other Humans?”

“Not that I know of, but like I said most of what I’ve learned about him has been from the movies. I’ve never seen him in person.”

Azon was amazed by the myriad of expressions the face of Phil Emerson was capable of displaying. It was quite remarkable, and would naturally lead to misinterpretations by the uninformed. Yet as confusing as his expressions may be, Azon sensed the Human was not trying to deceive.

“Is it your belief, Phil Emerson, that Adam Cain can be killed?”

The Human now displayed a look of shock. “Killed? Of course, he’s just like the rest of us. He’s not immortal after all—not like his daughter’s rumored to be.”

Azon took up a databox and began to scan his files. Yes, he had read of this anomaly, of this creature labeled Lila Bol, the product of an interspecies mating between Adam Cain and the Formilian Arieel Bol.

“Do you believe these stories?” he asked his Human prisoner.

“You know, I’ve been coming out into space for the past few years, and I’ve seen some really weird shit, but when you think about, there’s nothing that can’t be explained. But the stories of Lila—and of Panur—well, who knows? Maybe not until I see them first-hand.”

“Who is Panur?”

“He’s a mutant from another dimension, the guy who helped the Sol-Kor build all their most-deadly weapons. He’s supposed to be immortal, too, just like Lila. Some say he’s over five thousand years old.”

Azon frantically scanned the data files for any mention of a creature labeled Panur. There was none. Now the Third Cadre officer had something new. How it impacted the Humans and Adam Cain’s apparent supernatural abilities, Azon did not know, but he sensed it was related somehow. Yet it also seemed his conversation with the Human had suddenly lapsed into the realm of fantasy, more myth than fact. That was understandable; most species believed such nonsense to one degree or another. Yet now he had a line of questioning to put before the remaining Human prisoners.

Phil Emerson had calmed down much since the start of the interrogation, with his scent of fear greatly diminished, but Azon was growing impatient. His team would embark for the Kac in two days, and once there, find many more Human test subjects. He felt this one had provided all the knowledge he could. Now it was time to return to the physical aspects of the species, which presented the Spec-One with an opportunity to settle first-hand a question that had been troubling him.

Azon stepped up to the Human. “I wish you to strike me.”

Fear returned to the alien. “Strike you…you mean like hit you?”

“Yes, in the face, but from the side.”

“Why?”

“I wish to experience your species’ natural strength.”

The Human stepped away. “I don’t think so. You’re just trying to find an excuse to hurt me.”

“I do not need an excuse to hurt you,” Azon replied. “Yet I do need one not to.”

“And hitting you will keep you from hurting me?” Skepticism was thick in the Human’s tone. Azon noted this. The creature was thoughtful and calculating, even when given the opportunity to strike his capturer.

“I could hurt you,” the Human Emerson continued. “Humans are known for being stronger than most aliens, and your gravity here is lighter than on Earth. Please don’t make me do this.”

“I absolve you from all consequence regarding my request. This interrogation is being recorded, so my declaration is official. Now strike me…and do not hold back. Nuoreans are the supreme players—warriors—in our galaxy. You cannot hurt me permanently.”

The Human considered his situation—and opportunity—for a moment before nodding. “You’re sure about this?”

“Yes. Proceed. I am ready.”

Phil Emerson studied Azon carefully. Then he shifted his footing, pulled back his right arm, and delivered a powerful balled fist to the side of the Nuorean’s head….

********

Azon lay unconscious for three days before waking. After another day of recovery, he was released in time to make the next jump to the Kac. He joined the other members of his team from the earlier transition, still wearing the full-head guard as the shattered bones in his face continued to heal.

The Spec-One had been admonished by his superiors for taking such a foolish risk. The Humans were a potential Jundac race and not to be taken lightly. If the hit had been half an inch higher he would have died from the single blow—something almost unheard of against a Nuorean. Yet his experiment did prompt the Grand Masters to intervene with regards to the remaining four Humans on Nuor. They were dispatched in private immunity challenges with the Grand Masters themselves. These matches were carefully monitored, and used primarily to provide the leaders of the Nuorean race with first-hand knowledge of this potential Jundac species. Yet they took care. One of the Humans managed to injure a Grand Master—not severely, but enough to warrant the alien’s immediate termination by the watchful Third Cadre.

After the challenges, the GM’s sent orders that the Humans should be segregated from the other races in the Kac, with challenges awarded only to the highest-skilled players and under controlled conditions. An evenly-matched contest would be allowed to continue to the conclusion, even if it meant the death of a Nuorean master. However, if the Human was judged to be clearly superior, then the challenger could continue to engage the alien to acquire experience, yet if faced with jeopardy, the Cadre would intervene. Skilled players were not to be wasted in clearly losing challenges; it took too long for them to reach such a level of expertise.

Chapter 3

Sherri Valentine was in the landing bay of the Najmah Fayd, still apprehensive about Riyad’s plan to intentionally go out looking for fleets of Nuorean warships in nothing but an unarmed shuttle craft. Their last such attempt had nearly left her and Coop stranded for eternity in the Andromeda Galaxy. She wasn’t anxious for a replay.

“C’mon, let’s load the shuttle,” she said to Coop and Riyad. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from past experience, there’s no such thing as a quick in and out, at least nothing that’s even remotely satisfying. So let’s just get this over with”

The two men looked at each other.

“Is she talking about you again?” Riyad said.

“I thought she meant you?” Coop responded.

“Men,” Sherri proclaimed. “Y’all think you’re the greatest lovers in the world, but I bet none of you could hold a candle to Trimen—and he’s three times your age.”

“I appreciate the compliment,” said a voice from behind the group.

Sherri turned, red-faced. Trimen was there, along with Adam. She lifted the first box she saw and carried it into the shuttle as quickly as she could.

Adam understood what Sherri meant about the Formilian. Trimen O’lac—the High Corusant, the highest ranking male in Formilian society—was an equivalent of over a hundred Human years old, yet he had the physique of a twenty-something romance novel cover model, tanned, buffed and square-jawed. He also had a habit of wearing shirts without sleeves, displaying his toned, muscular arms to the breathless enjoyment of the only true female aboard. The former queen of the Sol-Kor—the mutant J’nae—was classified female, but only on paper. With her ability to modify her cells, she could be anything she wanted to be.

“How are the preps coming?” Adam asked after Sherri had left.

Riyad smiled. “Doing fine, my friend, we should be ready in ten minutes. Sure you don’t want to tag along?”

“The three of you can handle this. Now, if you were going out to actually bash some alien heads, I might reconsider. But this is just a boring reconnaissance mission.”

Riyad nodded toward the entrance hatch to the shuttle. “It may not be that boring, considering the present company.”

Adam smiled. “Even so, be careful. Panur has pinpointed the source of the gravity wave. It’s in the computer. But if the Nuoreans are bringing in fleets, you should be able to pick up their signatures long before you come in range. If that happens, get the hell out of there. I’ll contact fleet command and let them take it from there. I’m pretty anxious to see if the suppressor beam strategy works.”

“Same here. If it doesn’t, we have one hell of an uphill battle.”

“Remember,” Adam said, turning serious. “In and out, and then beat a path for Incus. We can’t wait for long.”

Riyad studied Adam’s creased forehead. “I’m sure she’s fine,” he said to his friend, reading his concern. “If anyone can take care of herself it’s an immortal mutant genius.”

“One would think so,” Adam replied. “However, how easy it was for the Aris to take her, I’m worried.”

“I can see you are.” Riyad reached out his hand and they shook. “See you in a few days.”

Adam nodded.

A few minutes later, he left the landing bay and watched as the shuttle dropped out the back of the Najmah Fayd and streaked off into space. Call it a sixth sense or what, but Adam wasn’t feeling very confident about Riyad’s mission, possibly because he wasn’t going. After all, Adam Cain was kind of a serious control freak.

Chapter 4

Six days cooped up in a shuttle craft would try anyone’s patience and tolerance. So by the time the trio reached the location Panur had programmed into the nav computer, Sherri and Copernicus were on the skids, with Riyad ready to don a spacesuit and step outside to avoid the constant bickering. But things got serious as they scanned the empty space around them.

“These are the coordinates,” Copernicus Smith announced, “but nobody’s home.”

“That’s a good thing,” Sherri said from the seat next to him. “Just means Panur’s calculations were wrong.” As soon as she spoke the words, she regretted saying them.

“Panur wrong, yeah, right,” Riyad chimed in from behind her. “Maybe not wrong, just slightly off target,” he continued. “The gravity wave was real and it promulgated from somewhere around here.”

“Promulgated?” Sherri said. “Dude, you’ve been hanging out with geniuses too long. Now you’re beginning to sound like one.”

“And this is a bad thing?”

“Hey, there’s supposed to be a fleet of alien invaders out here,” Coop spoke up, getting the team back on topic. “The last time the Nuoreans came through they left a trail fifty light-years long, now nothing. Is that possible?”

The shuttlecraft only had two seated stations in the pilothouse, forcing Riyad to stand behind the others, looking over their shoulders or out the forward viewport at the blackness of space. He stood up a little straighter when a thought occurred to him.

“Unless they’ve learned their lesson,” he whispered.

Coop tensed. “Checking magnetic proximity sensors,” he announced, instinctively picking up on Riyad’s suspicions. If the alien fleet was in dark status, their energy signatures would be too dim to detect. Yet metal hulls created magnetic fields.

“We’d have to be right on top of one to notice,” Sherri stated.

“Cut power,” Riyad commanded.

“Don’t do it!” Coop countered. “If we do, that’ll broadcast the fact that we know they’re here, and I’m pretty sure they already have us pinpointed. It wouldn’t do us any good to go dark, not now.”

Sherri had the magnetics up on the main screen. She set the indicator to portray a grid of thin lines that would be influenced by any magnetic disturbances in the empty void surrounding the ship. The lines ran horizontal and vertical, with no deflection. But then they noticed a slight bending of a line along the right side of the screen. It wasn’t much—not until magnified—then the deviation became unmistakable. Something was invisible beyond their other sensors, and it was made of metal.

“Distance to anomaly…three hundred thousand miles,” Sherri announced. “It’s stationery, relative to our position.”

“But we’re not…we’re moving,” Coop said. “That means so are they, using gas jets for maneuvering.”

“There’s another deflection,” Sherri said. “This one’s to port, also matching course and velocity.” She took a deep breath. “We’re screwed.”

“Maybe not,” Riyad said. “They haven’t blown us out of the water—not yet.”

Coop sent a dotted red-line course to the main screen, showing the quickest way out of this part of space.

“You’re kidding me?” Sherri asked. “We’re in a goddamn shuttle craft, without a single exterior-mounted weapon. And that’s not to say we wouldn’t run smack dab into the heart of their fleet if we bolt out.”

Copernicus smiled. “Can’t blame a guy for trying, but if they don’t accept our surrender, running may be our only option.”

None of them questioned the mention of the word surrender. From past experience, raising the white flag often opened up more options, while maintaining the prerequisite of living beyond the next moment.

Coop cut the engines and turned up the internal energy signature, broadcasting to everyone in the area they were here and offering no resistance. Moments later, four small Nuorean attack ships appeared after igniting their gravity-drives. Another large craft made its presence known, just as one of the three-mile-long battle-carriers materialized. Coop was surprised that a vessel of that size would go dark to avoid their small shuttle. That would have meant shutting off gravity and life support to a crew of over ten thousand. The aliens must be serious about remaining undetected, which didn’t bode well for the Humans. With what they knew, keeping them alive would be too great a risk.

********

Thirty minutes later, the shuttle had been boarded and the three Humans transferred to another craft for the ride to the battle-carrier. The aliens let the Najmah Fayd’s shuttle drift off unmanned, rather than bring it aboard, apparently worried that it might be carrying a bomb designed to either damage or destroy the huge warship.

Once in the small Nuorean transport vessel, their images were scanned and transmitted, resulting in a waiting entourage in one of the huge landing bays of the carrier. Nuoreans didn’t display rank as brazenly as did the Juireans—or Humans, for that matter—so it was hard for Riyad and the others to distinguish between the dozen or so aliens in the group; however, one of the creatures did standout from the rest, by the plastic guard he wore over the bruised skin on the left side of his face.

Another tall Nuorean stepped forward as the trio disembarked.

“I am First-Lead Sanelis (314) Kallen-Noc, commander of Nuor fleets,” said the alien. “Facial recognition has identified two of you as Riyad Tarazi and Sherri Valentine. The other Human is unknown to us. Upon further research, our surprise was elevated when we discovered your histories. You are well-known within the Kac, and the chance of being innocently within this region of space cannot be a coincidence. You have come deliberately, which raises many questions.”

Sanelis turned to the Nuorean with the face mask. “Fortunately, we have aboard a unit of the Third Cadre tasked with the evaluation of Humans, especially with regard to the creature known as Adam Cain. It is indeed a small galaxy that I now have two of his legendary team aboard my ship. I will now turn you over to Spec-One Azon (1901) for interrogation and testing. He carries the primary authority over your fate, but I must remind him to hasten his investigation. The forces of the Kac may now be aware of our presence.”

The injured alien came forward. He studied the emotionless faces of his captives before addressing them. “I am indeed fortunate, as I may now be able to solve the mystery of Adam Cain. Take the prisoners to Section Nine, under Cadre guard. The evaluation will begin immediately.”

Riyad flashed his impossibly white teeth at the alien. A moment passed between them as the creature first tensed, then calmed. “That looks like our handiwork.” Riyad said, making a point of looking the plastic guard up and down. “Who did it?”

“No one of importance, simply a Human classified as a merchant…a shoe merchant.”

Riyad chuckled. “If a salesman did this to you—” his smile grew wider, more wicked, “—just imagine what I could do to you.”

The alien tried to return the ominous smile, but grimaced instead from the pain of his injury. “Aboard this vessel, our current interaction will be controlled. Yet because of your challenge, Riyad Tarazi, I will make it a personal goal to defeat that rebellious nature of yours in a most unpleasant manner.”

“Looking forward to it, asshole.”

“Take them away.”

********

 “Way to go, Riyad,” Sherri said once the trio was placed in a locked room with a thick glass door and guards outside, watching their every move. “Poke the bear when he’s holding all the cards.”

“You’re mixing metaphors, my love,” he replied. “Yet you must remember that an angry enemy is prone to act emotionally, often resulting in critical mistakes being made.”

“Or he may just step in here and slice off your head—problem solved.”

“Then I will leave it to you and Coop to avenge my death.”

Copernicus Smith sat on one of the three cots that had been crammed into the much-too-small room. “Is this how you guys always talk?” he grunted. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re in some deep shit.”

Riyad turned to the starship repairman. “Copernicus, my friend, you’re supposed to be this unbeatable super-spy, so I have every confidence you’ll figure a way out of our current situation.”

Coop looked at Sherri. “Maybe for Sherri and me, but you, buddy, happen to be the third-wheel around here.”

“The story of my life.”

Chapter 5

True to his word, the alien began the interrogation of the Humans only minutes after being placed in the cell. A force of guards came in and removed Sherri. There was some shoving and name-calling as the men protested, but Sherri calmed them down, saying this was just the opening salvo, so nothing to worry about.

She was taken into a large room with a long table and a series of monitors in the walls. The masked-alien—Azon—was there, along with four other Nuoreans all dressed in dark gray uniforms with a single yellow stripe on their left breast.

As she was shoved into a chair on the opposite side of the table from Azon, two of the aliens grasped her arm and held it against the tabletop. One then took a knife and opened a two-inch-long cut on her forearm. She let out a whimper before gritting her teeth against the pain, refusing to display any more reaction to the injury.

With a look of confusion and frustration, Azon watched the blood flow from the wound. After a moment, he nodded and a gauze bandage was provided. Sherri was released and took the swab, dabbing it on the cut, cleaning up most of the blood. She met the alien’s eyes evenly and without fear.

He looked flustered, even though he hadn’t asked a question or received a reply. Sherri found his reaction…puzzling.

“You bleed, just as the others,” Azon finally said.

“Just as you will…when I rip your head off your shoulders.”

The alien dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand. “There is no need for your bravado, Sherri Valentine; I was not insulting you. However, your commonality is what confuses me, adding to the evidence building regarding the Humans. The fact that you bleed may save your race from extinction.”

It was Sherri’s turn to be confused.

The alien activated a monitor on the wall using a small remote control. The image that appeared was of the security compound where Adam and the others had been held in the Radis Spur, before Sherri’s arrival on the planet and his subsequent rescue.

“Adam Cain was observed being attacked by other species of the Kac, and even subdued by Nuorean forces when he and a group of prisoners attempted an escape.” The video was taken from above the compound, with selective zooms where appropriate. Then Sherri and her people arrived, including the two mutants, Panur and J’nae, morphed into Human shape.

“Your associate did not seem pleased to see you,” Azon commented as the video played.

Sherri remained silent.

The scene shifted, to that of the Grand Arena and the challenge between Adam and the Nuorean leader—she’d forgotten his name. She watched, fascinated as the events unfolded, as Panur—disguised as Adam—fought the alien to the death, before escaping the stadium, leaving a bloodbath in his wake. Panur had given them a brief account of the battle, but obviously left out a lot of detail. Watching it on the monitor was much more impressive. The video ended.

“You can now understand my confusion,” said the Nuorean. “At once your Adam Cain is a submissive prisoner, quite mortal and ordinary. The next he displays skill and unnatural abilities that would have allowed him to escape at a time of his choosing. Such savage cunning—to maneuver himself into a challenge with the First-Lead just so he could completely humiliate the Nuor—is both admirable…and worrisome.”

Azon turned to Sherri, placing his arms on the table in almost a pleading gesture. “You must recognize my dilemma. The Third Cadre is tasked with the discovery and eradication of Jundac races, those species the Nuor deem too dangerous to survive. After observing Adam Cain, it should be undeniable that Humans would be Jundac.” He looked at Sherri’s bloody wound. “And yet you bleed—as have all the other Humans we have tested. With such an abundance of immunity races in your galaxy, I should simply order the destruction of your homeworld…as a precaution. And yet if your race is not Jundac, then it would provide a wealth of immunity points for the Nuor, which is why we are here.”

The alien looked at the blank video screen. “I must therefore conclude that Adam Cain is an anomaly, a mutated being of some kind and not representative of the Human race as a whole. It would explain much, such as his pronounced reputation throughout the Kac.”

Sherri was relieved. For a moment she thought the alien was going to decide on the destruction of Earth as a way to solve his Adam Cain problem. It was to her advantage to keep the Nuor believing Adam was a superman.

“Regrettably, I cannot definitively conclude that your world does not contain other such anomalies, in fact a possible sub-set of such creatures. The history I have studied of the Humans show that your race should not have achieved its status within the Kac in such a short time. Therefore, there must be other factors at work.”

“No, Adam is unique,” Sherri said. “You’ve seen Humans; we can die just like the next guy. We’re just mean. That’s why we’ve been able to achieve what we have.”

“I agree—you are mean. And it is this viciousness that worries me. Jundac races need not possess super powers to be a danger to the Nuor. And even as I face you, I am also aware of your deceptiveness. You may say Adam Cain is unique, yet why should I believe you? That is just what one would expect you to say if there was a segment of your race with the same abilities as an Adam Cain—”

“That wasn’t Adam fighting your leader,” Sherri blurted.  

The alien stopped speaking and stared at Sherri. He turned the video on again and replayed the battle in the arena, pausing and zooming in at times as Adam was repeatedly stabbed, yet with no blood or signs of lasting injury.

“That is not Adam Cain?”

“No, that was a mutant.”

“So Adam Cain is a mutant!”

“No, it was a mutant who looked like Adam. Adam was with the rest of us making our way to the spaceport while the fight took place.”

“I do not believe you.”

“Just think: it makes sense. You have video of Adam in the prison—and then suddenly he can’t be killed. That’s because a mutant took his place.”

“A mutant? Your galaxy appears rife with mutants. I have heard rumors of others—even within Adam Cain’s blood-team.”

“Yeah, his daughter Lila is also a mutant.”

“Yes, that is one of the myths. Yet if Adam Cain can birth a mutant, would that not make him a mutant as well? You have revealed your deception, Sherri Valentine.”

“Adam’s not a mutant, but he did help make one. It had something to do with an interspecies mating.” Sherri didn’t know if revealing the presence of the Aris at this time would make a difference; the alien was already skeptical enough of her story. If she threw in a three-billion-year-old race that manipulated budding species in order to produce Lila, that would be too much for Azon to accept—hell, even she found it hard to believe.

“Your story is fantastical. Do you think me stupid?”

“Of course not, it’s just that mutants are real.”

The alien referred to a datapad. “There was mention of another, a creature called Panur.”

“That’s right! He’s the one who impersonated Adam.”

Azon leaned back in his chair and smiled. He looked around at the other Nuor in the room. “Can you believe the audacity of these creatures? They expect us to believe such wild stories.” He looked again at Sherri. “Your race is insane…and definitely a threat. We seek competitive challenges where we can hone our skill and rise in status within our society. Facing insanity is not what we desire. It makes the outcomes too…unpredictable.”

He returned to his datapad and began to make entries. “I thank you, Sherri Valentine. You have helped in my decision-making. Although my recommendation must first be reviewed before acceptance, I am classifying the Human race as Jundac. You—and your companion Adam Cain—have just sentenced your species to extinction.”

********

Well that didn’t go exactly as planned, Sherri thought on her way back to the holding cell. Now she had to figure out how to tell the others that she’d spilled the beans on Adam…and in the process convinced the alien Azon to schedule the destruction of Earth.

Hell, she’d only been gone ten minutes.

********

 “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault if the aliens can’t handle the truth,” Copernicus said in her defense a few minutes later.

“Besides, the Human race has been threatened with extinction before and we came out just fine,” Riyad added. The men could tell how rotten Sherri felt following her interview.

After helping Sherri clean the wound in the grooming station, Coop tore off a strip of his shirt and tied the cloth around her arm to stop the oozing.

“And here I thought I was so clever using Panur to impersonate Adam back then.”

“If you hadn’t he’d be dead by now,” Riyad countered. “It was the right decision.”

The door opened again, and this time it was Coop’s turn to face the inquisitor. Sherri had told him that Azon and four other gray-uniformed aliens were present for her interview. For his, the fleet commander Sanelis was also present. Copernicus was placed in the same room as Sherri, evidenced by the trace of blood on the tabletop.

“Who are you and what is your relationship with Adam Cain?” asked Azon.

“I’m Copernicus Smith. I’m a starship repair technician. I have no relationship with Adam Cain.”

Sanelis turned to Azon, anger in his eyes. “This Human is of no value to us,” he announced. He rose from his seat. “I have more important things to do. Eliminate him—”

“Hold on a minute!” Coop said. “Yeah, I do know Adam Cain, quite well as a matter of fact.”

Azon shook his head. “Observe, First-Lead, the Human’s propensity of deception.” He leaned across the table toward Coop. “So truth, Human, or else I will follow my superior’s wishes.”

Sanelis sat down.

“Cain and I have worked together in the past. I guess you’d consider me part of his team now.”

“Is he a mutant?” Sanelis asked, curious and impatient after the briefing he’d received regarding the last interview.

“No, he just has a really bad attitude.”

“Yet there are multiple mentions of mutants in the Kac.”

“Yeah, they seem to be cropping up all over the place.”

“He lies,” Azon said. “He is only saying such things to intimidate the Nuor.”

“Get to the point,” Sanelis snapped at the gray-uniformed alien with the face guard.

Azon set his jaw, frustration evident. “What inspired you to enter this part of the Kac?” he asked the Human.

“Believe it or not, we were just out sightseeing.”

“Bullshit!” said Azon.

Coop was caught off-guard by the alien’s use of the word, as was the First-Lead. “It is a Human word used to express disbelief, in a rather crude form,” Azon explained. “I learned it from the prisoners on Nuor.” He glared at Copernicus. “Three members of the support team for the Kac’s greatest player do not just appear at the staging area for an invasion fleet. Now tell us the truth. How did you know we were here?”

“We’re not his support team. He’s no better than the rest of us.”

“Then why have I not heard of you?”

“I prefer to keep a low profile.”

Azon produced a hand weapon from under the table. “Perhaps you are right, First-Lead. This one provides no value.” He pointed the gun at Copernicus.

“Wait just a minute,” Coop said, holding up his hands.

“You do not have a minute,” said Azon.

Sanelis groaned. “How can you believe anything this creature says, especially under the threat of death?”

“These creatures appear to have a strong instinct for self-preservation. He will tell us the truth…or he will die.”

Coop eyed the threatening barrel of the handgun. He had no idea what type of weapon it was—or whether it could kill him—but he wasn’t willing to test it either.

“We’ve been surveying the outer edge of the galaxy, in areas we thought might be prime locations for your new entry point. We were expecting to detect your fleet long before making contact. That didn’t work out according to plan.” As a trained undercover operative, Coop knew the best way to pull off a convincing bluff was to provide just enough truth to go along with the lie.

“In a limited-range shuttle, which had to come from a larger ship?” Azon said.

“A number of small survey ships were dropped off along the route. We figured a shuttle wouldn’t cause too much alarm.”

“Where is the main ship?”

“It’s moved on. We were to head for the planet Visidor after the survey.” Visidor was the first planet in the Kidis Frontier that came to mind. Besides, if the Nuor attacked, it would be no great loss. He had nothing but bad memories of the place.

“Then it was a coincidence? I do not believe.”

“It’s the truth. How were we to know you’d be in dark status.”

“Dark status?” Azon asked.

“Minimal-output,” Sanelis explained. Azon nodded.

The Third Cadre officer leaned back in his chair, studying Copernicus with his black eyes. “I still doubt. It is the makeup of the crew that has me suspicious.”

“If this were a random survey, then it matters not,” said Sanelis. “This location is already obsolete.”

Copernicus focused on the word obsolete. He stored it away for future analysis, while shifting his most immediate efforts to finding a way of staying alive beyond the next few minutes.

“I’ve heard rumors the Nuor are great warriors—players you’re called,” he said.

“It is not a rumor!” Sanelis barked.

“And yet you fear the Humans? It’s obvious in your reactions to us.”

“You can smell fear?”

The statement drew the attention of the other Nuor in the room. Coop had to be careful with his answer. “It’s nothing conscious, just a sense we get. But you have to agree, otherwise you wouldn’t be planning our destruction.”

“That comes not from fear but prudence,” Azon said. “Some races simply pose more problems than they are worth.”

“And so you’ll miss all the glorious battles…for the sake of convenience?”

“It is not convenience—I do not know why I am discussing this with you!”

“Because you’re looking for an excuse to justify your fear of us.”

Coop may have gone too far this time, because all the aliens in the room were now agitated, their fiery eyes glaring at him with undisguised bloodlust.

“You seek to provoke us!” Sanelis exclaimed.

“Not at all; you mistake my observations for a challenge. All I’m saying is there’s so much opportunity in the Human race for you to face truly worthy adversaries, rather than the mock battles against soft races which you seem so proud of.”

“He does challenge!” one of the other Nuor in the room shouted.

“Why would I challenge you, when the Nuor set all the rules and control every aspect of the contest? That would be suicide.”

The Nuor grew quiet—and easy to read. They were considering his words. Yes, they did control the games, so why the uncertainty…the fear? Fighting the Humans would be great sport, and if the situation turned deadly, they could simply alter the outcome.

Sanelis turned to Azon. “Delay your recommendation, Spec-One. The fleet embarks for the interior in a day. Once the arenas are built, I would welcome the opportunity to face this creature in an immunity challenge.”

“Daric (618) felt the same, Master. He did not survive the contest.”

“If what the female said about that challenge is true, then that was an unfair contest. We will make sure future engagements are not so manipulated by the Humans…or anyone else.” Copernicus could almost hear the end of that sentence, left lingering in the air: …except for us.

He’d bought them time, but not much else. Riyad and he would be placed in an arena with the odds—and the outcome—stacked against them. He wasn’t sure how the others would react to his deadly gambit.

********

 “You did what?” Sherri yelled.

“You’re mad at me? After your interview, the friggin aliens were ready to destroy the Earth and every Human in the galaxy.”

“And now they’ll just fight us individually—and in rigged contests. What’s the difference?”

“It bought us time.”

Riyad cleared his throat. “You do know they’re probably listening in on everything we’re saying.”

“Screw them!” Coop said. “They had to know I was only trying to save our lives.”

“Like the lions were trying to do in the Colosseum? That worked out great for them.” Sherri added.

“Relax, sweetheart, I don’t think they let women fight,” Coop said.

“That’s not what that other Nuorean bastard said just before he went out to face Adam…I mean Panur.”

“Everyone just calm down,” Riyad ordered. “We need to spend what time we have trying to figure a way out of here.”

Coop lifted his arms and spun around in a circle. “You hear that, you alien assholes. We’re trying to figure a way to escape. What a surprise.”

Sherri laughed, which caused the two men to stop and stare.

“What’s so funny?” Coop asked.

Sherri smiled and looked at Riyad. “Hell, who knows what’s going to happen next? After all, Riyad hasn’t had his interview yet!”

Chapter 6

Adam had only been to Incus once before, and he’d left the place in quite a mess when he departed. That was when the Juireans occupied the planet, so his actions were justified. Now the Juireans had left the Kidis Frontier, including its most-industrialized planet.

The Najmah Fayd—the so-called trans-dimensional starship—was a non-registered prototype from the Orion-Cygnus Union’s military technology division and therefore carried no recognized transponder—not until Panur worked his magic and concocted one that passed muster with the natives. With Juireans, Humans and even the threat of the Nuor hanging over their heads, security had been beefed up since Adam’s last visit, making the transponder necessary.

After transmitting the code, the ship was given clearance to land at the Ennis Northeast field, the same one Adam and his team had used the last time they were here. It was the closest to Advanced Plasma Objects, the huge conglomerate that had first taken possession of the ancient artifact that would later become known as Zee or Pogo. It was the team’s objective to learn the location of the asteroid field where the Aris service module had been found.

A little over a year ago, Adam had left a graveyard of wrecked Juirean warcraft strewn about the spaceport. To his surprise, only about half of the demolished spacecraft had been cleared away, with the rest sitting like rusting monuments to a more turbulent time. A force of Port Marshals met them at the exit hatch, rather than in the distant passenger terminal.

The crew of the Najmah Fayd—the Star Panther, as Riyad had named her—was an eclectic mix. Humans and Formilians were fairly well-known, but not so the four-and-a-half-foot tall gray mutant Panur or the seven-foot-tall former Sol-Kor queen J’nae. As a consequence, Adam took the lead.

“What’s the problem?” he asked the grim-looking Incus native.

“Terrorist protocols,” said the s-shaped, five-foot tall creature with the face of a Shar-pei dog. “With Incus located near the edge of the galaxy, we are on alert for any intruders attempting to make landfall.”

“You mean the Nuor?”

“Yes—and others. We know not who they may be, but as you can see from the landing field, danger can come in many forms, even those familiar with us.”

“I’m a Human; you surely can’t count us as a threat?”

“It was a Human who caused this damage. Perhaps you have heard of him: Adam Cain.”

Adam grimaced. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for him to take the lead.

“I’ve heard of him; but didn’t he liberate the Frontier from the Juireans? And Incus was on the verge of economic collapse at the time, with the aliens stripping you clean of your resources and making you work for next to nothing. I would think you would be thanking him for his actions.”

“His actions left us without exterior customers willing to purchase our products, leaving us in worst shape than before.” The wrinkled face of the alien wrinkled even more. “You seem very well-informed, visitor. What is your name?”

“Denver. John Denver,” Adam blurted without thinking.

“And why are you here?”

“Indeed, we’re here to negotiate a sizeable purchase from Advanced Plasma Objects. You should find that welcoming.”

“It will help them, not me. I work for the port authority. Who else is aboard?”

“A Formilian and two others of minor races; I represent diverse business interests.”

The alien referred to the datapad in his hands. “Length of stay?”

“Short—maybe only a few hours to a few days.”

“You can conclude your major purchase in such a short time?”

“A lot has been pre-negotiated,” Adam answered. This Incus was sharp.

“Will you be staying in this vessel or in Ennis?”

“Here.”

“In that case, you and your party will need repeat-entry passes.” He worked on the datapad for a few moments. “You can pick them up at the pass kiosk in the terminal.” He looked down at the MK-47 flash weapon strapped around Adam’s waist. “No weapons allowed off-ship, especially not those made by our Maris-Kliss competitors.”

“Sorry. I’ll take it off and tell the others. Is there anything else?”

The Incus official eyed Adam suspiciously for a moment before slowly nodding. “No. That will be all for now. Enjoy your stay on Incus.”

The alien’s tone was less than welcoming. Adam didn’t care. Hopefully they wouldn’t be here very long.

********

 “I’m worried,” Adam said to Panur. “We’ve been on Incus for two days and still no sign of Sherri and the others. And no communications, either. Every outgoing CW link we send is met with static.”

The person they’d come to see on Incus—the scientist Dacus Zoffis—was not on the planet, but expected to return at any time. That left the crew of the Najmah Fayd bored and restless…and worried. Adam was worried.

“It’s apparent they have encountered some kind of tragedy; it’s the only explanation. Yet this is a good thing,” Panur replied.

“A good thing!”

“Yes. It means my calculations were correct. So even without actual confirmation, we do have constructive confirmation. You should inform your military command.”

The mutant was right, even if Adam didn’t want to admit it.

Panur saw the concern on Adam’s face. “It has been the practice of the Nuoreans to retain prisoners for their games, especially Humans. I have confidence they are still alive,” the mutant said.

“But for how long?”

Panur smiled. “The lifespan of Human prisoners is often considerably longer than others in the same situation. From experience, I can even say it is to the detriment of the capturers in some cases.”

Adam shook his head while thinking—again—that the mutant was correct. But how much longer would humanity’s lucky streak continue? He got on a link to Formil and gave them the destination coordinates for Sherri’s team. There was nothing else he could do now but wait. Wait for Dacus Zoffis to return to Incus, and wait for word concerning the fate his closest friends—and Copernicus Smith.

********

The next day, they were informed that Dacus Zoffis was back at Advanced Plasma Objects. The message came through an intermediary, with an inquiry as to the subject matter of the requested meeting. When the Humans and Dacus had first met, Adam and Riyad had left him and his assistants tied up in a laboratory, ostensibly to give them cover against a Juirean backlash for the help they provided. He didn’t know if it worked, since they left the planet shortly thereafter. The fact that the scientist was still alive was encouraging, but it may not tell the whole story. Adam could understand the alien’s reluctance to see him again.

He sent back a cryptic reply having something to so with a follow-up to the artifact the Incus had found. Just knowing the scientist was back on the planet was enough to set Adam’s team in motion. They were in a transport, heading for APO, before the alien had a chance to say yea or nay to the meeting.

Security at the entrance to the vast research and manufacturing facility was just as tight as it had been before, with the notable exception that no Juireans were lingering inside the guard shack. The native security detail scurried up to the odd alien foursome.

“Your business here?” one of the guards asked.

“We have an appointment with Dacus Zoffis,” Adam replied, anticipating that the scientist had sent a message agreeing to the meet while the team was in transit.

The guard returned to the shack and came out a moment later. “There is no notice on file, yet he did approve your entry verbally. My associate will drive you to his work post.”

Ten minutes later, the eclectic mix of aliens stopped at one of the dozens of identical buildings where only rudimentary designations were painted above the main entrance doors. A native met them and led the team to the office of Dacus Zoffis. The expression of the dog-faced alien was impossible to read through all the wrinkles and folds of skin, yet his words settled any questions Adam may have had regarding his feelings.

“I do not wish to spend much time with you, Adam Cain,” growled the scientist. It was humorous as his high-pitched voice tried to sound menacing. He cast his gaze on the others in Adam’s party. “Your Human companion is not with you?”

“No, he’s off causing trouble elsewhere,” Adam said, trying to block out the concern he had for his missing friend. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“The Juireans did not believe the ruse you employed last time. Only my status within the company spared my life. My assistants were not so fortunate, and for that, I hold you responsible.”

“I’m sorry about that, Dacus, but I see the Juireans are no longer a threat to your planet or commerce.”

The native recovered some from his anger. “That is correct, yet we are still reeling from the effects of their brief occupation.” He hesitated before continuing. “I should admit we have followed your recent exploits and I begrudgingly thank you for liberating Incus from the Juireans. Yet now I see we have other enemies, enemies of all the races in the galaxy, be they Union members or Expansion subjects.”

Adam nodded. “Yes we do, but that’s not the reason we’re here.”

Dacus looked again at the motley crew backing Adam. “What is it you seek?”

“We’re looking for the location where the artifact was found.”

“The Pogo Device?”

“That’s not what it’s called, but yeah, the Pogo Device.”

The mood of the scientist improved noticeably. “Do you have the object with you?”

“No…it has returned to its makers.”

Dacus looked at the other members of the team, cocking his head in a very dog-like fashion. “I do not understand. The artifact was estimated to be over three billion years in age. How could it return to its makers?”

“Because its makers are back.”

********

Adam didn’t see any advantage in keeping information from Dacus. The scientist had been a valuable ally before, he could be again.

“How is this possible?” the alien asked.

“They’ve been in a form of suspended animation all this time. Now they’ve kidnapped—taken—my daughter.”

“The being known as Lila?” The awe in Dacus voice revealed his knowledge of Lila, as well as her powers.

“That’s right.”

“But how, she is rumored to be…different?”

“She is, and that’s what has us concerned.”

Dacus looked to Panur and J’nae. “You move in strange company, Adam Cain. Am I to assume your new companions are not typical species?”

“That’s not important now,” Adam replied. “What is important is finding where the Pogo Device was found.”

“How will that help? That was a fragment of a world destroyed long ago. There has been great galactic drift since then.”

“You’re right, but we feel we can trace the drift back through time.”

“And locate the creators of the orb?”

“Exactly.”

“And then what?”

“Well…we’re still working on that.”

Chapter 7

Panur and the crew of the Najmah Fayd weren’t the only ones to notice the gravity anomaly. The Axel Prominence was more populated that the Radis Spur, so thousands of reports came in regarding broken CW links and other strange phenomenon as a result of the wave.

Allied forces on Formil had already concluded that it had something to do with the Nuoreans by the time Adam’s call came through. Panur had been able to pinpoint the location better than any of the techs working on the problem, so armed with this new data, a military response was hastily planned and units dispatched, including the two recently completed suppressor beam platforms.

The Axel Prominence was hundreds of light-years from any expected Nuorean entry point so there weren’t a lot of forces available in the region. Admiral Victor Ware was put in command and his hastily culled together force entered the AP thirty hours later with seven hundred twenty warships.

Six hours later they picked up the Nuorean fleet, under full gravity-drive and heading in-galaxy. Knowing the exact location of the entry point by this time, Admiral Ware sent a quarter of his fleet—and the beam platforms—to the coordinates, to set up a blockade. Then he set an intercept course for the main Nuorean concentration.

It had already been accepted that ship-for-ship, forces from the battling galaxies were pretty evenly matched. Enemy weapons and defensive systems were on par with allied systems, and vice versa. And once the Nuorean energy bombs had been countered with stronger circuit breakers, victory was now a matter of who could amass the stronger force and employ the most effective tactics.

The first contact between the fleets was awarded to the allies. Ware’s forces outnumbered the Nuoreans by a factor of five to three, which was enough to knock out seventy of the enemy ships compared to thirty-eight of Ware’s. Then the Nuoreans ran. They cranked their gravity-wells up to full and bolted into the galaxy proper. The admiral gave chase….

********

Admiral Ware stared at the captain not knowing what to say. That wasn’t good for a commanding officer, but he was truly torn by the report he’d just received.

“I understand, Captain Slater, but the suppressor platforms are lagging behind and will be there tomorrow. They don’t have the propulsion the rest of your units have. You’re to remain on station until their arrival and then assist with the deployment.”

“But Admiral, it’s been six days and still no jump from Andromeda. What if we’re sitting out here for nothing?”

That was Ware’s concern as well. He’d sent a hundred and fifty ships to the entry point coordinates nearly a week ago, expecting another alien force to enter a day after their arrival. Now a second time-period had passed, and still no invaders. The Nuorean mid-point gravity generator took three days to recharge, and from what the allies knew of their strategy, the aliens would send in a fleet around that time, with only a few minutes to an hour leeway. So far, the entry point was silent. This got Ware to thinking that the alien’s strategy may have changed, designed to upset any trap waiting for them at the other end. Just because the Nuoreans could send in a fleet every three days didn’t mean they had to. Once the seventy-two hours were up, they could launch any time after that.

This had the effect of heightening the tension within Captain Slater’s small fleet deployed at the entry point. In normal circumstances, the longer before an enemy arrived at a location, the better the chances he wasn’t coming. This wasn’t the case with the Nuoreans. Every minute that went by just meant one more nearer to D-Day.

“I understand your concerns, Cliff,” said Admiral Ware over the CW link. “We’re chasing a Nuorean fleet while you’re stuck out there twiddling your thumbs, waiting for an invasion force that could come at any second. But once the platforms are there, we’ll require a much smaller force to guard the entry point.”

“You’re right, of course, Admiral. We’ll do our part, but I have to tell you, this waiting around is taking a toll.”

“Keep your crews sharp, Captain.”

“Aye sir, Slater out.”

The link went dead as Ware checked his watch. They were closing on the enemy fleet, with the trailing units coming in range within the hour. This was the moment of truth. Victor couldn’t believe the enemy would let their rear ships be picked off a little at time as they fled. At some point, they would turn and fight. And that moment was fast approaching.

He returned to the bridge of the carrier USF Albert Einstein and took his place in the command chair. As a practice, he buckled the waist strap and scanned the huge room, making sure everything was in order. It was; his crew was well-trained.

“Commander Radcliff, time to intercept?” he called out.

“Seventeen minutes, sir. Shields to forward.”

“Very good. Set the fleet at General Quarters, all hands man their battle—”

“Incoming, sir!” a lieutenant cried out from the threat console.

“All energy to the forward shields,” Ware commanded.

“Sir, incoming approaching on our flanks, wide array, targeting the entire fleet.”

“Say again, lieutenant.”

“Bolts approaching on our flanks, first intercepts in fifteen seconds.”

“Realign the shields!”

“Underway, sir,” Commander Radcliff announced. “Fleet readiness at one-hundred percent.” What Radcliff meant by his announcement was that the fleet was ready for something they hadn’t expected.

“Strength of incoming Lieutenant Keller?”

“Sir, numbering in the hundreds.”

“Source?”

“Unknown.”

“Unknown?”

“Yessir. Bolts originating from ships in dark status.”

Admiral Ware had already surmised that, confirming that his fleet had run head-long into a trap.”

“Ships emerging from dark, count….” The young officer looked back at the fleet commander. “Sir, over thirteen hundred distinct contacts.”

The ship thundered and rocked as the first wave of plasma bolts contacted the Einstein’s diffusion shields. Some of the balls of energy impacting the ship were of the type designed to overload the shields. Although the Nuoreans knew by now that the allies could counter this weapon, they still used them to sap as much energy from the system as possible. By themselves they wouldn’t overload the shields, but they would shorten the battery life.

“Fire at will, Mister Radcliff.”

The ship rocked again as the first bolts were launched from the Einstein’s cannon. The admiral was under no false illusion that he had the means to defeat a force over twice his size. And when word was received that the fleet they’d been chasing had just changed course and was headed his way, it left him will no other option.

“Comm, send word to the fleet: Scatter. Scatter the fleet. Take all evasive action to get clear and then contact the nearest allied command center. Do it—do it now!”

“Aye sir,” a voice called out through the din on the bridge.

Victor pressed a button on the arm of his console. “CIC, open a link to Juir.”

A moment later, an blue-haired Overlord appeared on the small inset screen in the arm of the chair

“I am Overlord Zonus, proceed, Admiral.”

“We’ve been lured into a trap by the Nuoreans. I’ve just given the order to scatter the fleet.”

The Overlord looked down at a datapad in his hands. “All Nuorean forces in the galaxy are accounted for, including the force you encountered six days ago. What force is this that is attacking?”

“Unknown, but it numbers over thirteen hundred. Lord Zonus, I’m afraid there’s a lot more of these bastards around than we thought.”

Juireans are not known for showing emotion, so the seconds-long pause from the Overlord was unusual. “Where did they come from?”

“A quarter of my fleet has been waiting at the entry point. Nothing’s come through. It’s my belief that the Nuoreans are not hanging around one entry point for long before switching to another. Even the slightest shift of the mid-point generator can mean hundreds, if not thousands of light-years between locations. This has to be their new strategy.”

“But the platforms—”

“Yes, Lord Zonus, that plan has just gone up in smoke.”

“Smoke?”

“It’s no longer valid. We can’t waste suppressor platforms waiting for something that probably won’t happen.”

“They are nearly on station.”

“I understand. What we have to do now is deploy a platform with each major fleet, as well as speed up the conversion of individual units into beamships.”

“There are only two completed platforms,” said the Overlord. He looked off-screen and conferred with someone. When he came back, he reported. “I am told that since we now have facilities in place to construct the platforms, a new one can be completed every ten days. And the beamships can be converted in sixteen hours once a vessel reports to a work center.”

“That’s good news, Lord Zonus.”

The fleet flagship thundered and shook again from a series of plasma bolts striking the hull. Lights flickered on the bridge as smoke oozed from between bulkhead panels. Alarms clanged with crewmembers engaged in a dance of organized chaos.

“What is your condition?” the Juirean asked.

Ware smiled. “Grim. Power is cycling down.” He nodded off screen to someone. “I’ve just given the order to abandon ship.”

“Then I shall not keep you any longer,” said the Overlord.

“No rush, my friend; I’m not going anywhere. There are many more among my crew to leave first.”

“Yet you are of superior position; you are more valuable to the command structure than are the lower ranks.”

“That may be true, but that’s not how we do things around here. I will wait until the bulk of my crew is safely away before I depart. It’s our tradition.”

“It is a foolish tradition, to waste talent and expertise when it is not necessary.”

“We will have to debate this at another time, Lord Zonus. Until then, get the factories working overtime. The only way we’re going to defeat the Nuoreans is through superior technology.”

The CW screen went blank as the receiving dish on the hull evaporated. That same bolt melted hull metal and entered the Einstein just aft of the bridge and directly into the Combat Information Center. The resulting explosion blew off the front quarter of the huge carrier, killing all who remained on the bridge—including Admiral Victor Ware.

********

The crews were ecstatic. A wealth of immunity points had just been awarded throughout the two fleets and spirits were high. Although this wasn’t how the invasion of the Kac had been originally planned, it would do for now. Once the unified forces of this alien galaxy were suppressed, then the practice of individual challenges would be introduced on a much grander scale.

The forces standing against the Nuor had been effectively outmaneuvered, and now it was only a matter of time before the enemy ships would be either defeated or confined to small, yet well-defended regions within the galaxy. At that time, the Nuor would have free reign of the bulk of the Kac and all the immunity worlds therein. The trouble spots would eventually be overrun, but that would not be the priority. Consolidating Nuor presence in the Kac was the most immediate goal.

As was the practice of any good gamer, fleet commander Sanelis (314) took a moment to place himself into the mind of his enemy. It was obvious they had underestimated Nuorean strength and would be questioning how they could have been so wrong. It would be a logical step to conclude that his forces were now entering through various points, and not just one static location. If he were of the Kac, what would he do to counter such a strategy?

He thought back to the conversations he had had with the three captive Humans—who oddly came from a planet with the translated name of Dirt. They claimed to be part of a survey taking place along the outer edge of the Kac comprised multiple vessels. To Sanelis, that would be the only way of detecting entry points as they became active, yet a very inefficient way. And by immediately transitioning to minimal-output—dark status, they called it—his fleets could be hidden from all but the closest survey vessels.

That was well and good; however, the operation of the transit generators was impossible to hide. It created such a disturbance to local space that even from ten light-cycles away the effect was noticeable. Even then, by the time an enemy fleet could be deployed, the point would be closed and another opened.

Sanelis smiled. It was fortunate he did not have to devise a defense against the strategy his people were employing. He very much doubted he could.

Chapter 8

Adam’s emotions were tied in knots when it came time to leave Incus. He had tried a dozen times more to reach Sherri and Riyad, still with no success. They were past due and out of communications.

If it wasn’t for Lila, he would be on his way to find his friends, rather than his daughter. Unfortunately, he could only do one rescue at time. And if he was able to save Lila, she would certainly come in handy in his search for his friends.

The Najmah Fayd lifted off and entered a conventional gravity-well ten minutes later. All the time on the planet, Panur had been bombarded with even more questions about his suppressor beam platforms from the engineers on Formil, until the time when the first ones were completed, tested and deployed. Even then, the Formilians still wanted to tweak his designs. A day out from Incus, the mutant put his foot down, declaring a stop to such communications. Just follow the plans…and then repeat. It was as simple as that. He would refuse to take any more of their links.

On Incus, they had learned that the personal service module—Zee—had been found embedded in an ancient rock wall, which was itself part of a small, metal-rich asteroid in the Zaniff Asteroid Field. As Dacus explained, the field was located in Cadonic space and the Incus had taken the huge rock illegally. Since then, the Cadons had fortified their border between the two planetary confederations. Rumors about what the Incus had found on the asteroid had filtered back to Cadon, launching a mini gold rush of sorts to find other ancient treasures within the Field.

Panur became concerned that the Cadons might disrupt the orbits of certain asteroids crucial to his calculations. Adam was more worried about the presence of Cadon forces in the Field who might not be anxious to have more so-called treasure hunter in their midst.

With the engineers on Formil no longer a factor, Panur hopped through space with his trans-dimensional drive, first entering a parallel universe, then reentering the Milky Way at another point hundreds of light-years farther along their course. They skirted the Cadonic border guards this way and ended up on the outskirts of the Zaniff Field fourteen hours later.

All four members of the team were on the bridge, studying survey maps of the Field.

 “I’ve been meaning to ask,” Adam said to Panur. “Since the Incus took the Aris asteroid away, how are you to trace its path back to their homeworld without the original?”

“Fortunately, the Incus miners kept a detailed recorded of where the original fragment was found within the field. But you are right. We cannot track its orbit to carry back our projections. However, since the original asteroid was made of exceptionally old material, I’m anticipating we’ll find other remnants that ended up in the field. By scanning the remaining asteroids, I hope to find another one that we can track.”

“That’s assuming a lot.”

“It depends. Once the orbits have been plotted, patterns will be revealed. Not every member of an asteroid belt is independent of the other. The majority originate from a common debris field, most often material from an unformed planet. Additional pieces entering the field would have come from outside, and making up only a fraction of the total. These rocks will stand out. We will then match their orbits with what we know of the location of the Aris asteroid and search for ancient rock along the same path.”

“Oh…is that all. And here I thought it was going to be complicated.”

Panur smiled. “Trust me, Adam, compared to some of the other things I’ve done, this is child’s play.”

“Cadonic ships in the vicinity, Adam,” Trimen reported from the pilot seat. “They are challenging us.”

Adam looked at the others on the bridge and smiled. “Well, looks like it’s time to see if my name carries any weight around here.” He sat down at the comm station and opened a link.

“This is Adam Cain, I wish to speak to your unit commander.”

A moment later the screen before him lit up. The alien on display was a Prime, but with almost glowing yellow skin and radiant red eyes. The face was extremely narrow and covering in thin scales. Adam recoiled slightly from the unexpected nature of the Cadon. He was even more surprised when the skin color shifted to a soft blue before settling on a light brown. He waited a moment for the color to shift again, but it stabilized at something very close to Human skin tone.

“I am Simic Lor, authority administrator for the Zaniff Field. What is your purpose here? I have no record of your entry into Cadonic space.”

“As I said, I’m Adam Cain. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”

“Yes…the Human. What is your purpose here? You have entered our space without authorization.”

“I just thought I’d pay a visit to your people, kind of a goodwill effort between the Orion-Cygnus Union and your confederation.”

“Under whose authority? The Cadonic are not supporters of your Union. We had wished to become part of the Expansion—until your intervention.”

Adam was taken aback. He hadn’t researched the political leanings of the Cadons, just assuming everyone in the Kidis Frontier had been against the annexation of the spur by the Juireans. Seems he assumed wrong.

“I understand, Simic Lor, and that is why I’m here; to patch up any misunderstandings and to offer assistance.”

“Your Union has sided with the Incus. As long as you support our enemy, you can expect no accommodation from the Cadonic.”

Adam was getting mad. Here was a lowly supervisor of a distance field of space rock making policy for his entire race.

“Forgive me, Simic Lor, but do you have authority to speak for your confederation? Perhaps I should seek a more-senior representative.”

The alien stretched out a wide grin, all the while keeping most of his yellowish teeth concealed. “Your arrogance is humorous and insulting, Adam Cain. Yes, I know of you and your reckless exploits, as well as your interference in the affairs of independent species throughout the galaxy. But what you do not realize is that the Zaniff Field is currently the most-important and valuable region within our confederation. As such, its security has been placed under the authority of the ruling family, of which I am a member. Within our hierarchy, I am the third-highest ranking Cadon. So when you ask for a more senior representative, only my mother and father are higher. Now, do you wish me to bother them with your arrogant attempt to subvert my authority?”

Adam had never been known for this diplomatic prowess or instincts. This just showed why.

“Please forgive me; my intention was not to insult.”

“Then what is your true intention, Human?”

Adam couldn’t see how being honest would upset the applecart any more than it already was. “All we seek is permission to survey the paths of asteroids in the Zaniff Field.”

“To what end?”

“It’s of scientific importance is all, not financial. We will remove nothing—”

“Unlike your Incus partners.”

“I had nothing to do with that.”

“It matters not,” said the alien, whose skin had now shifted back to the intense yellow. His original matching of Human skin tone must have been a courtesy. No such accommodation was now being offered. “I find satisfaction in denying your request and ordering you—the famous Adam Cain—from Cadonic space. Comply—or I will be known throughout the galaxy as the being who finally ended your reign of terror and intimidation.”

“I would recommend you reconsider—”

“More vessels closing,” Trimen reported. Adam saw that the mutants had taken up stations on the bridge.

“You have two Juirean minutes to comply.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that. We’re going to do our survey, whether you let us or not.”

“Weapons charging—they’ve launched bolts.”

“I thought we had two minutes?” Adam said to the grinning alien.

“I lied.”

Adam tried to imagine the shock on Simic Lor’s narrow face when the Najmah Fayd disappeared from his screens. Panur had sent the ship into an alternate universe and then made it reappear moments later behind the ring of Cadonic starships forming to destroy them.

J’nae released an array of flash bolts toward the alien ships, aimed directly at their strongest shield points. She hesitated launching a second wave until the first had contacted the diffusion screens and been absorbed, waiting for the intentions of the Cadons to become known. They didn’t want to kill the Cadons, just make a statement.

The aliens turned out to be more stubborn than smart. They changed course and unleashed another barrage of cannon bolts at the Najmah Fayd. After another quick transition, the ship was once again to the rear of the attacking ships, leaving the released bolts to dissipate in the emptiness of space as their maximum range was reach and then exceeded.

Adam opened the CW link again.

“Are you done playing around?” he asked the glowing yellow face of Simic Lor. The color was even more brilliant, probably the result of anger, fear or frustration—probably all three.  “Just let us do our survey and no one will get hurt.”

The red eyes bore into Adam’s. “Do I have a choice?”

“No you don’t.”

“A formal complaint will be lodged with the Union, although I doubt anything will be done to their most revered hero.”

“So…permission granted?”

“Proceed, yet you will be watched. Remove nothing, complete your survey, and then be gone.”

Adam winked at the yellow alien. This time when Simic smiled, it came with a full display of teeth—which meant something entirely different to the alien than a smile.

********

 “We’ve identified three asteroids with rock as old as the original fragment, and they follow the same general trajectory.” Panur didn’t bother to look away from his computer screen to make the report. J’nae was hunched over next to him, busily typing on a keyboard. “There are more variables to factor in, and then a smoothing of the findings, but we are very close.”

Adam had his eyes on a different screen. “The Cadons are getting close too. They’ve brought up more ships, and some biggies. I didn’t know they had such a sizeable fleet out here.”

“We’re almost done.”

“Can we not complete the calculations outside Cadonic space?” Trimen asked.

“Just a few more.” Panur looked at J’nae. She nodded.

“Very well, Trimen, you may take us away.”

The mutant had already programmed in a TD-jump to take them away from the Cadonic asteroid belt. Trimen fingered the controls and instantly a greenish glow filtered into the bridge through the main viewport. It remained for nearly a full minute before space outside returned to normal.

“We are now sixteen light-years from the asteroid field and outside Cadonic space,” Trimen reported with relief. “I assume this is the proper course toward the Aris hiding place?”

“Generally. As the calculations are refined, I will feed you course corrections.”

“How far do we have to go?” Adam asked.

“Hard to tell, since we only have an estimate of when the Aris star became unstable. The timeframe could vary by millions of years. As such we cannot accurately calculate the distance the fragments traveled. Yet as long as we follow this course, we should eventually find evidence.”

“But in round numbers, are we talking days, weeks or months?”

“We must remain in this universe to avoid missing clues, so I would estimate days, to perhaps a few weeks.”

Adam was afraid he’d say that. He was already fed up with the cramped conditions aboard the starship. He also had Sherri and Riyad on his mind. The longer it took to find and rescue Lila, the colder the trail for his friends would get.

And now that they were closing in the location of the Aris, the sixty-four thousand dollar question still remained unanswered: What would they do then? How do you defeat an enemy a million years more advanced, and able to abscond with an immortal mutant genius without batting an eye?

This is what kept Adam Cain awake at night, with questions that were also destined to change his life.

Chapter 9

Apparently, the mutants had the same concerns—at least about Lila—and now that they had a track on the region of space where the Aris may be hiding, the question had to be answered.

“I need to know more about how they were able to subdue Lila,” Panur said to Adam and Trimen. “I am not foolish enough to believe we can rescue her without first learning their secrets. The Aris possess technology beyond even my imagining. We must take them seriously.”

“We’ve told you all we know,” Adam replied. “There’s no more to tell.”

“I understand, but please indulge me.”

Adam looked at Trimen. “Well, let’s see. All the other guards were under the influence of some brain-dulling wave; I figured Trimen and I were immune to the full effects because of our ATD’s. When we entered Lila’s room, we were hit by a more intense beam that gave me one hell of a headache. Lila was encased in a shimmering blue bubble of light. We were alone until the pain went away, and then I saw the Aris.”

“They just appeared?”

“That’s right. They were also in blue bubbles, and when they moved, they seemed to glide along the floor rather than walk.”

Panur looked at Trimen. “My recollection is not as detailed,” the Formilian admitted. “My blindness to the Aris remained throughout. All I could see was Lila.”

“There is more here than you both realize,” Panur stated. “Your minds recorded data even if you cannot recall. If I’m to have a chance of developing a counter to the Aris powers, I will need to extract this hidden data.”

“Extract…like how?” Adam asked.

“I have been thinking on this, and have decided that a mind meld would be the most efficient.”

“A mind meld, like placing your fingers on my head and reading my thoughts?”

Panur frowned. “I don’t understand the reference.”

“Like Mr. Spock does in Star Trek.”

“Ah, the broadcast program you’ve referred to before.” The mutant smiled and looked over at J’nae. “I’m afraid it’s a little more complicated than that. I propose to blend our minds together…physically.”

Adam recoiled. “I don’t like the sound of that. How exactly would that be done?”

“As you know, I’m able to manipulate the individual cells in my body to take on other forms. This also allows them to interact with the cells of other living creatures—”

“You want to literally melt our brains together?”

“That is one way of describing it.”

“Well…let’s see. Not only no, but hell no!”

“It should be quite painless and leave no residual effects.”

“Our friggin brains will melt together. Just knowing that will be a residual effect.”

“Do you want to save Lila or not?”

“Don’t even go there. You know I do, but there has to be another way. Meld you mind with Trimen’s brain.”

The Formilian jerked his head in Adam’s direction. “Forgive me, but I, too, find the prospect abhorrent. However, I did not observe the Aris during any of my experience. Yes, my brain may have recorded events, but yours recorded events in more detailed. If anyone should have their brain scanned, it should be you.”

“I agree,” both mutants echoed.

“You’re overlooking one important factor: It’s my brain.”

Panur’s face turned sour. “One would think you’d jump at the chance to merge it with mine.”

“Why, because you’re a genius? I thought you said there would be no residual effects? What benefit would there be if I couldn’t tell it happened?”

“My statement was an unsuccessful attempt to enlist your cooperation,” Panur snarled. “I’ve never done this before, yet I can extrapolate much better than you. I can enter and leave without you knowing.”

“Bullshit…I would know.”

Panur’s eyes remained locked with Adam’s. “You would know, you say? Then observe your arm.”

Adam looked down. He gasped when he saw that his arm was fully merged with Panur’s. Neither hand remained, just one contiguous limb, with light grey skin merging seamlessly to pink.

Reacting instinctively, Adam pulled his arm back, dragging the smaller creature halfway across the tabletop. “Dammit, Panur, give me back my hand!”

“Calm yourself!” the mutant cried out. “Let me regain my seat.”

Adam was on his feet, his breath coming in quick gulps. He was connected to the alien, with his hand missing. He had feeling—in fact he had feeling all the way to Panur’s narrow shoulders. The thought almost made him vomit.

A moment later, the joined limb began to lose focus, as the mid-point swirled like a liquid. Panur pulled back his arm, and as he did, his hand began to take form, along with Adam’s. It only took a few seconds before everything was back to normal.

Adam wriggled his fingers and flexed his fist.

“See…no lasting effects, and you felt nothing. You must let me do this,” the mutant declared. “Without a means of countering the Aris technology, we will fail in our attempt to rescue Lila.”

Adam looked at Trimen and J’nae, hoping to find support for his concerns in their eyes. He found none. Instead, both appeared excited by the prospect.

“Dammit, you alien bastard! Let’s just get this over with,” Adam pouted. “But don’t hang around in there too long. Just get what you need and get out.”

“Trust me, Adam, there’s nothing in your mind that I would find of value…except this tiny thread of memory.”

With a growl, Adam flashed his teeth at the mutant. It wasn’t meant to be a smile.

“We should sit back-to-back,” Panur instructed.

Chairs were arranged, after which Adam and Panur took their places. The mutant increased his size until their heads were at the same level. “Now lean back,” Panur commanded. “I will do the same.”

Adam obeyed, feeling Panur’s head contact his. That was the last thing he felt.

To the observers in the room, the mutant’s hairless head appeared to lose its solidity, turning instead into a viscous grey liquid. It flowed back, over the bulk of Adam’s skull to be absorbed through his hair and directly into the skull. It took only ten seconds before the two heads were one.

Even if Adam couldn’t feel anything, he was still affected by the merging. His eyes rolled back in his head and his mouth fell slack, yet in his mind’s eye, he was fully awake and staring into a hazy darkness. Off in the distance, a cluster of sparking lights moved closer as he focused his attention on them. He remembered what was happening, knowing that somewhere in here Panur was rummaging through his brain. He felt a natural resistance taking place, but he didn’t know how to stop the mutant. And even as his mind fought the intrusion, his consciousness didn’t want it to stop. He wanted to save Lila.

The lights were closer now, almost upon him. He squinted against the flashes; they were painful. Panur said he would feel no pain, but that wasn’t true. There was pain, a lot of it. Within his mind, Adam squeezed his eyes shut, but the sparks were all around him now, burning his virtual skin with each flash. His breathing came fast as he drew his arms in around him for protection. It didn’t help. His body was on fire. He couldn’t take much more of this….

********

Adam’s eyes fluttered open. He was drained, struggling for even the energy to breathe. He was on his back, a soft light glowing overhead. He recoiled mentally from the light until he realized it was nothing threatening, just normal illumination in the real world.

As his awareness returned, it was accompanied by a growing anger. Panur had said there would be no pain, no lasting effects to the mind meld. That definitely wasn’t the case. He opened his eyes a little more and turned his head to the right. Panur was seated next to the bed, staring at him with emotionless eyes.

“You…bastard,” Adam managed to whisper.

“Yes, I was mistaken as to the impact the procedure would have on your primitive brain. I apologize, however, be assured your condition is only temporary—and the meld was a success!”

“You almost killed me.”

“You’re being melodramatic. At no time was your life was in danger.”

“That’s what you say.”

Panur nodded. “I have never done a meld before, so I was only working on theory. It seems my mind merged with yours more rapidly than I had anticipated. My mission was rather straightforward; separating our bodies, more difficult. However, it was a fascinating experiment.”

“Am I all right?”

“Perfectly normal, just drained of energy. Not physical, but mental. Your mind simply couldn’t cope with what it was experiencing and fought hard against the intrusion.”

There was an IV in his arm, feeding electrolytes and other stimulants into his body. Adam sat up, feeling another pair of hands helping him. It was Trimen.

“Easy, my friend,” he said.

Adam was recovering rapidly, feeling almost normal again. He looked at Panur. “Lila? You said the meld was a success.”

“Yes, I learned much. It was in fact Lila who provided the answers we seek.”

“What do you mean?”

J’nae entered the stateroom carrying a cup of hot tea. She handed it to Adam, who found it disconcerting that the evil former queen of the Sol-Kor was serving him tea. It was something he could have never imagined before this moment.

Panur watched as J’nae took a seat beside the bed. Adam got the impression that what Panur was about to say was the first revelation of what he’d found in Adam’s mind.

“When you and Trimen entered Lila’s chambers, she used the opportunity to quiz the Aris how she was being held. She spoke the words, knowing your minds would be recording the event. It would be the only reason she would have used words, since she and the Aris were able to communicate telepathically. She sent me a message.”

“She sent the message to you? But you were not present at the time of her abduction,” Trimen pointed out.

“True, but she knew I would come, then she used the verbal input in your brains to leave a clue.”

“What clue?” Adam asked.

“The Aris used dimensional interphase shields to subdue her.”

Adam nodded. “Well of course they did; I could have told you that,” he said with sarcasm. “What the hell are dimensional interphase shields?”

Panur frowned. “It’s obvious none of my genius transferred to you during the meld,” the mutant said with equal sarcasm. “The Aris have found a way to make finite shifts in the space-time continuum around a specific space, placing all within into a state of indeterminate positioning.”

Adam blinked several times.

“It means Lila was trapped outside our space and unable to interact physically with her abductors, or anything else. The Aris were also inside such void areas, making them impervious to any weapons, if any could have been brought against them. There was nothing you could have done to prevent the abduction.”

“That’s good to know, but I haven’t been feeling guilty,” Adam said. “If Lila couldn’t prevent her kidnapping, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t either. So what now? Do you have any idea how to counter their dimensional intercourse shields, or whatever you call them.”

“I do, at least in a preliminary stage. J’nae and I will work on the details as we make our way to the Aris hiding place.”

“So there is hope?” Trimen asked.

Panur nodded. “Yes…at least against this weapon of the Aris. It’s impossible to tell what else we’ll encounter once contact is made.”

Adam sighed. “Let’s worry about that later. Right now, I’d like to sleep off the rest of this weariness. I think I deserve it.”

“Deserve…why would you think that?” Panur asked. “All you did was sit there while I did all the work.”

Adam didn’t reply. Instead he took a last sip of the tea and set the cup on the stand next to the bed. Then he rolled over and rudely closed his eyes. “Be gone, all you scary alien apparitions,” he chanted. “I can have nightmares on my own without your help.”

********

He fell into a deep sleep moments later, but it was a different kind of sleep. He was aware of the room and the others in it, as they reluctantly left the cabin. His body rested, but his mind remained active.

Honestly, Adam was curious if any of Panur’s genius had rubbed off on him, but all he noticed was this strange duality of sleep and consciousness. Normally, the mind rested with the body, creating abstract dreams that helped make sense of the day’s activities. He couldn’t call this strange awareness a dream—it was too real. He was sure it was just the shock his mind had experienced with the addition of billions of alien brain cells merging with his—and then being withdrawn. His own feeble intelligence was trying to sort it out, creating this quasi-wakefulness, even as his body slept comfortably.

With some effort, Adam convinced his mind that it was time to rest. He began to lose the starkness of vision and awareness, feeling his mental eyelids flutter shut. He hoped this awkward conflict wouldn’t last. He had enough on his mind as it was.

********

 “A dimensional interphasing effect,” J’nae said with awe. “That would involve a time-shift interference at the quantum level.”

The two mutants—Panur and J’nae—were in the common area of the ship, while Trimen piloted the vessel and Adam slept. Immediately upon hearing the phrase—as relayed by Lila—both mutants understood the concept and the implications. They even had a rudimentary understanding of how it could be accomplished. Often it wasn’t the creation of a great invention that was revolutionary, but rather the vision that brought it to the fore. Knowing such a thing was possible now unlocked the genius of the mutants. If they could reproduce the effect, then they should be able to devise a means of countering it.

“Panur…did you hear me?”

“Yes…a quantum interference.”

“Are you all right?”

Panur looked up at his towering creation. “Yes, I’m fine. I suspect, however, that the mind meld may have been more draining on me than first suspected. I believe I’ll go aft and take in an energy infusion from the generators. That should cure me of my lethargy.”

“Yes, please do. I have never seen you like this before,” J’nae pointed out.

Panur disappeared down the spine corridor to the engine room. J’nae watched him go, her mind racing at a speed only immortal mutant geniuses were capable of. The mind meld had indeed impacted her creator, dulling his senses and the quickness of his thoughts. It was possible his incredible mind was simply fatigued by the complexity of the procedure. However, it was also possible that merging with such a primitive mind could have damaged Panur’s. In one way, that would be unfortunate; in another, advantageous.

J’nae would have to temper her reactions or else Panur may notice. Her plans were coming into focus, and this latest escapade only increased her confidence. Panur—her creator—would bear watching. He must not know…not until it was time.

Chapter 10

Four days later The Najmah Fayd slowed as it entered a dead star system. Long range sensors surveyed the region and displayed a graphic on the main viewscreen.

“There’s the brown dwarf remnant of the Aris star,” Panur pointed out. “And there—the third planet—is the charred remains of their homeworld.” The line of planets continued outward, very similar to that of the Solar System. There had once been five rocky inner worlds and six outer gas giants. The two planets closest to the brown dwarf looked more like moons, having had most of their outer crust blown off as the star expanded, before receding to its present size. The gas giants had lived on—for a while—until their own internal heat gave out. Without even the minuscule contribution of solar radiation from the distance star, they turned cold, their gases now compressed into dense atmospheres, as the lack of outward radiating heat was easily overcome by the effects of gravity.

The system was dead, and had been for nearly two billion years.

“There is another world above the ecliptic,” J’nae pointed out, “quite distant from the star remnant but of comparable size to the Aris homeworld.”

“I am not picking up a visual on the planet,” Trimen reported from his station. “A planet producing such a gravity-well should be visible to our instruments.”

“I believe the anomaly has just warranted our investigation,” Panur announced. “Please set the appropriate course, Mr. Cain. I believe we are very close now to our destination.”

********

It wasn’t so much the presence of the gravity signature that stood out, as the lack of any substantial object at the location. The readings were that of a normal size planet, yet from this distance, nothing was visible. But as they drew closer, something did appear. It was a large asteroid, approximately seven hundred miles in diameter with a strange, almost solid-looking ring around it, visible only from reflections of distance stars off the shiny surface. An object that small could not produce the gravity of an Earth-size world, not without help.

Panur was studying the readouts at his computer station. “There’s a gravity generator located at the core of the object, surrounded by a solid ball of metal, more than likely iron, or an alloy of iron, such as steel.”

J’nae was at another station. “The exterior is showing rock of assorted variety and density.”

“As would be expected,” Panur said. “I suspect over time the station has become encrusted with layers of rogue material drawn to the gravity source. This coating has provided a convincing camouflage, if one discounted the effects of gravity.”

“So this is it?” Adam asked the mutants. “This is the hiding place of the Aris?”

“It’s definitely an artificial structure,” Panur confirmed. “And a generator capable of creating a gravity field for such a large area indicates advanced technology. I would say we have indeed reached our destination.”

“I detect no signs of exterior radiation or detection sources,” Trimen said from his station.

“I would not rely too much on your instruments,” Panur said. “Undoubtedly the Aris know we’re here. Their world could not have survived all this time without some kind of detection and defensive system.”

The Najmah Fayd was about a million miles out from the object when they first noticed the three glowing lines running vertically in the space before them. Adam shifted course slightly, and the lines changed with them, effectively blocking their approach to the anomaly.

“That looks like some kind of defensive shield,” he said to the room. “Not sure if I’m willing to test it.”

“The lines appear to be areas of space-time disruption,” J’nae reported.

“Which in English means what?”

“They are similar to the interphase spheres you witnessed before, only on a much larger scale. There is only a single panel, yet it is maintaining its position relative to us.”

“So how do we get through?” Adam asked.

“By going around it,” Panur answered. He was at the nav console. He set to work on the keypad and a moment later turned to Adam. “I’ve plotted a very short trans-dimensional jump to an area beyond the shield. We’ll transit to another universe then instantly reenter this one at our predetermined location. The course is already entered into your piloting computer. You may engage.”

“I hope this works,” Adam said, turning to his controls. “This thing has survived for three billion years, so I’m assuming their defenses work.”

He triggered the dimensional jump.

The view outside changed to the greenish glow of a universe shift before only moments later resolving back to the familiar space of the Milky Way. There had been no sensation of movement, but move they did. The asteroid/planet of the Aris was now only a few thousand miles below, with the three bands of bluish-white light having vanished. Without an outside threat detected, the shield had been turn off.

Now all they had to contend with were any planetside defenses.

From his new vantage point, Adam could see that the large, shiny ring around the planet was artificial in its own right. It was solid and made of metal. It was also about five thousand miles in diameter and with a constant width of sixty-two miles. Adam rotated through the various exterior camera views, studying the massive object.

“It has to have a purpose,” he observed. 

“Undoubtedly,” Panur said. “It’s giving off a magnetic field. It could serve as a deflector for damaging cosmic rays, the same as magnetic fields around traditional planets with molten cores. Over the time this facility has been operating, it would have been bombarded by lethal doses many times over, even without being close to an active star. There would also have been gamma ray bursts over this time period which could have been harmful to the occupants. Very ingenious of the Aris.”

Adam turned the cameras on the surface of the asteroid, zooming in for a better look. It was as J’nae had said. Over time, any rogue lump of material in the area had been slowly drawn to the gravity source, where it was deposited on the exterior of the metal ball surrounding the gravity generators. This lightly-packed crust had built up until it was over a hundred miles thick in some places. In others, it was only half a mile or so, which allowed Adam to spot sections of the inner globe through crevasses in the rock. The supporting structure wasn’t solid, but rather a matrix of huge girders and beams measuring a half-mile in width by several miles long. It was an amazing feat of engineering, dwarfing anything Adam had seen before, even the huge Colony ships of the Klin. In fact, a hundred such vessels could easily fit within the interior of the globe created by the Aris.

“The world of the Aris would be within this grid-work,” Panur announced. “The gravity at that distance from the generators would be that of their homeworld.”

“We must set the ship down on the surface somewhere, since we no longer have a shuttle to make the trip,” Trimen pointed out. “Finding a safe landing area could be problematic.”

“The smoothest areas are where the crust is the thickest,” J’nae said. “That will hinder our access to the interior. We must either find—or clear—an area near the thinner sections.”

“We could use the gravity-well from the Najmah Fayd to form a landing zone,” Adam offered.

“Excellent idea,” Panur exclaimed with a smile. “Let us proceed. As I said before, the Aris know we’re here, so let’s not keep them waiting.”

********

The boulders, fragments and dust that had accumulated on the surface of the huge metal grid over three billions years gave way easily to the effects of the ship’s gravity-well. Adam made several passes, each time attracting great swathes of material before speeding away and cutting the well. The rock rained back to the surface in great eruptions, looking like a strafing run over enemy territory. Soon a section of surface was cleared all the way to the metal framework large enough for the Najmah Fayd to land and giving the team direct access to the metal shell of the Aris hiding place.

There was an atmosphere with an almost Earth-like chemistry and pressure, held in place by the massive gravity generators only a few hundred miles below the surface. Creating artificial gravity wasn’t unusual, just not for an object this huge. The Aris resting place was like a spaceship seven hundred miles in diameter.

Adam and Trimen strapped MK-47’s to their waists, with Adam adding an M-101 Human assault rifle and a MOLLI pack with extra ammo and other gear he might need. He found it amusing that he was stocking up with conventional weaponry to go up against creatures billions of years old. It didn’t matter; he felt better being geared up than not.

Panur and J’nae did nothing special, except give each member of the party a small box about the size of a cigarette pack. “Place these on your bodies somewhere. If I’m right, they should be able to negate the interphase affect when activated.”

Adam placed the box in a utility pocket on the right thigh of his fatigues. Panur placed his in a small pocket of the khaki jumpsuit he wore.

“If you’re right?” Adam asked. “You’re not sure these will work?”

“There was no way to test them without recreating the interphase affect, which I could not aboard the ship, but I have confidence they should work.” Panur surveyed Adam’s weapons pack and smiled. “You’re willing to carry such a heavy load knowing it would be ineffective against the Aris?”

“It’s a Human thing,” Adam replied. “You can never have too much firepower.”

Panur shrugged before leading the team off the ship and into the artificial atmosphere of the huge Aris space station. Adam found the air to be fresh and slightly intoxicating after the staleness of the Najmah Fayd. He stood on a steel platform, appearing to be a solid floor beneath his feet and extending below the mountains of loose rock rising up around them. He knew it was an illusion. The floor was just one face of the miles-long girders that made up the geodesic globe surrounding the gravity generators.

From above, the team had spotted an edge to the plate which they could access the interior, but without finding stairs or elevators, they had some climbing to do.

“Wouldn’t it be preferable to let the Aris come to us?” Trimen queried.

Panur began to lead them toward where he knew the edge of the plate was located. “From what we know of the Aris, they are curious creatures. I would assume most of our journey will be a test and observed by the Aris. They will make their presence known when it is to their advantage. In the meantime, I am quite anxious to explore this fascinating station. It is the most incredible construct I’ve ever encountered.”

“I concur,” said Trimen. “Yet we are not on a mission of discovery or exploration. We are on a mission of rescue.”

“Agreed, and getting to know the lay of the land is always advisable, my friend,” Panur said.

They made their way through gaps in the huge boulders until they reached the edge of this girder. Fifty feet away was another, with smaller structural members joining the major beams together. Huge rocks filled in the voids, keeping larger surface material from falling into the interior.

Panur gazed over the edge. About five hundred feet below was a metal screen, with most of its surface covered in finer rocky material. He looked left and right for a way down but found none.

“J’nae and I can jump, but I’m afraid the distance is too great even for you, Adam, and definitely beyond the capacity of Trimen to survive. So I suggest you each climb on our backs and let us carry you down to the next level.”

Adam moved toward Panur before Trimen could react. His past experience with the former Sol-Kor queen made hoping on her back not an option. She may be on his side now, but the memories of when she wasn’t were still there.

The drop to the next level of the structure was thrilling, to say the least. The station’s gravity was very close to Juirean standard, so they fell at an alarming rate. The thick framework of the structure was obvious as it blurred past, with Adam gripping the gray mutant around the neck and squeezing with all his might. He knew he couldn’t hurt Panur, but in a way, it still gave him a sense of satisfaction having his arms wrapped around the scrawny neck of the alien, strangling him.

Panur extended his legs for the landing and then pulled them back in, absorbing the force of the landing. It was smooth and uneventful, much to Adam’s relief. He released the mutant and stepped down onto loose rock resting on the top of the metal screen. There were larger rocks around, those that had fallen through the framework above, but other than that, this level was much more open and relatively debris free.

Adam looked off into the distance. With a structure seven hundred miles in diameter, he couldn’t notice the curvature of the globe from where he stood. The surface ran off in all directions, appearing like a flat landscape littered with rock. Thousands of columns rose to the level above, supporting the myriad of triangular sections that made up the outer surface of the artificial world. Adam was standing in what appeared to be an impossibly large room with a ceiling and a floor, yet extending to the range of his eyesight. He was awed by the grandeur and scale. Light was everywhere, yet came from no visible source.

“Where to next?” Trimen asked. His voice conveyed the same sense of wonder Adam was experiencing.

“There appear to be trails in the debris,” J’nae pointed out. “Most lead toward that stanchion to the right.”

The paths in the dust and smaller rock were obvious, yet they were very narrow, not like that traveled by creatures such as man. This got Adam wondering what mobile defenses the Aris might employ against anyone making it this far? Would they be passive or active, living or robotic?

The group set off toward the tall metal beam two hundred feet away, J’nae in the lead. Three distinct trails converged at the location, with a mound of rock ten feet high surrounding the column. They encircled the support beam, thrilled to find a door set in the shiny metal. Adam ran his hand along the surface. No signs of rust or deterioration, even after three billion years. This definitely wasn’t normal steel.

There was no knob or entry keypad on the door—

Adam heard a clicking sound behind him; he tensed, but didn’t turn immediately. He looked to the others. They had heard it too. Adam turned slightly to his left, while placing his right hand on the handle of his flash weapon. He heard the sound again, this time louder.

He dropped to one knee and turned, pulling the bolt launcher from its holster. He pointed the weapon at the top of a mound of boulders—and at the spindly metal creature sitting atop it.

It resembled a large dog, but one made entirely of metal and covered in a mesh of wire revealing the inner workings. The large head featured an elongated mouth with multiple rows of uniform metal teeth, all tipped with needle-sharp points. Black eyes stared down at him, unblinking and uncaring.

The creature sprang, its mouth now open impossible wide. Adam jumped to his side, soaring through the air twenty feet before rolling on his right shoulder and assuming firing position. The gravity of this artificial world must have been lighter than he assumed, because even for Adam, it was quite a leap. He fired his weapon.

The bolt struck the robotic attack dog while it was still in flight. The bolt penetrated the mesh skin before being absorbed by the various electronics within the body. Sparks flew and the creature shuddered before landing on the metal floor and skidding to a stop at Panur’s feet.

Adam looked behind and above the mutant, as another of the metal dogs appeared. It jumped, landing on Panur’s back. Four-inch long, needle-sharp teeth sank into his gray flesh, biting at his narrow shoulder and then onto his neck. Panur stood there, letting the mechanical beast have its way with him, even looking bored and annoyed. Eventually, he reached a slender arm over and grabbed the dog around the neck. He squeezed, collapsing the wire and metal frame as if it was made of cardboard. The robot didn’t make a sound as its body went limp. Panur tossed it aside.

There was clicking off to Adam’s right; he turned in time to see Trimen place a brilliant blue-white bolt into the mouth of another mechanical dog flying through the air toward him. The Formilian calmly stepped aside as the sparking robot flew by him.

The team circled the stanchion, looking for more threats coming their way. All was quiet and still.

“That answers the question regarding other defensive measures,” Panur said with little emotion. The bite marks on his shoulder and neck were long gone, the only trace of the attack being the ripped cloth of this one-piece uniform. The collar material was still intact, so the garment didn’t fall from his body. He turned his attention to the door in the support beam.

He rubbed his fingers along the surface and then the doorframe. Then he placed his hand at the center of the door and pushed. The panel recessed a couple of inches before sliding sideways.

He turned to Adam. “Why would they need locks?”

Adam shrugged.

Beyond the door was a simple room lined with metal. It resembled an elevator, if there had been floor buttons. Instead, the walls were smooth and seamless. Panur stepped inside, followed by the others, after which the door slid shut without any coaxing.

Chapter 11

The elevator began to move down, not fast, but slowly, methodically. It came to a stop without notice and the door slid open. They stepped out into a large receiving room. Adam was relieved to see that it had normal dimensions, along the line of fifty by fifty, rather than the vast expanse of the prior floor. They had reached the living level for the Aris.

A four-and-a-half-inch diameter, green-tinted orb floated in the air at Adam’s eye level.

Adam rushed forward. “Zee! I’m glad to—”

A ray of white light shot out from the globe, striking Adam in the head. He was blinded and staggered by the blast, tumbling back into J’nae’s massive body. Panur stepped between the orb and Adam.

“I assume you know that I will simply absorb the energy and become stronger as a consequence?”

The globe floated inches from Panur’s gray face; Adam got the impression it was staring at him even though no eyes were present on the green surface.

I am not Zee, Adam heard in his mind.

Then who are you? Panur asked mentally. Both Adam and Trimen carried Formilian brain interface devices, so they could hear the conversation with the orb. The mutants didn’t need ATD’s to do the same.

I am Ri, assigned to Jos. You have breached the outer layers. How?

Before Panur could answer, Adam heard a low hum in his mind. The Aris service module—Ri—seemed to pause, listening. Then its awareness returned to Panur.

You will follow me. My master wishes to speak with you.

The orb began to float away. J’nae lifted Adam up by his underarms and placed him upright on the floor. She slipped past him and joined Panur and Trimen as they followed the ball across the room.

Adam was the last to follow.

********

They entered through a vast portal into a chamber with a dome ceiling—or what Adam assumed was a ceiling. Above was a blaze of stars, appearing near and far at the same time. The entire skyscape was in motion. Being inside the huge space station meant this had to be a projection, a very life-like projection.

A frail looking figure stood off to the left, a gown of light blue covering the thin frame. The features were standard Prime: two almond-shaped eyes, a thin nose and a wide mouth. The head was hairless, while two small ears balanced out the face. Long hands extended from the sleeves of the gown, four fingers and an opposable thumb.

Adam had speculated why the Aris would look like Primes, concluding that they were probably the originals, with most advanced life in the galaxy modeled after them.

The alien’s eyes were piercing blue and they watched the visitors approach with a mix of curiosity and concern in the orbs.

Ri, the service module, landed on a small table next to the Aris. The globe had referred to its master as Jos; Adam assumed this was he. The alien stepped forward, walking slowly along the line of visitors to his world, starting first with J’nae, then Panur, Trimen and finally Adam. He peered into the eyes of the Human with an intensity that made Adam uneasy.

“You are the birth father, the one referred to as Adam Cain.”

“Where’s Lila?” Adam tried to sound unafraid and forceful. It didn’t work.

“In time, all will be revealed,” said the Aris. “I find it admirable that you have made it this far in the quest to retrieve your mutant offspring. The paternal instinct must be stronger than we anticipated.” He glanced to the others in Adam’s team. “Yet I see you had help.”

Jos stepped back, and a moment later all four of the visitors were enclosed in glowing blue bubbles of the interphase effect. None of them activated their countermeasures, however, content to let the Aris believe they were trapped in their shimmering blue prisons. Adam gave a mental shrug; none of them knew if Panur’s device would work, they would have to take it on faith.

Three more Aris entered the room through side portals. None seemed very upset with the intrusion, more curious than concerned. Unlike the last time Adam had seen them, they were in normal space and not encased in the blue bubbles. For his part, Adam didn’t feel any different. He could still sense the floor beneath his feet and see clearly through the thin film of the containment sphere.

To Adam’s surprise, he noticed each of the Aris had distinctive features. He’d been expecting a homogenous blending of features making each alien hard to distinguish from the other. One of the new Aris stepped up to Adam’s bubble.

“We meet again, Adam Cain,” said the alien verbally. His face was smooth and pale, yet this one had deep brown eyes with only a trace of wrinkles at the edges, giving him an almost jovial look. “You are taking time to realize now how similar we are in features,” said the creature. “You are correct in your assumption. Nearly all creatures you call Prime can trace their origins back to us. This is not because of one extensive seeding program, but from numerous experiments conducted over thousands of years by my kind.”

He turned to look at the others in the blue bubbles. “You can imagine how fortunate we surviving Aris are to see the end result of our many experiments, of which some have been more successful than others.”

He stepped over to Panur and regarded the squat gray alien for a moment. “I am called Nunki. If you wish to speak literally then you can use that name. Mentally, the thoughts you project will identify the subject.” He leaned in closer to the shimmering screen, separating him and the mutant by only inches. “You are not one of our creations. You are Panur; the Apex Being has spoken of you.”

“What has she told you?” Panur asked evenly.

“Do not be alarmed. She has not revealed anything that is not to your liking. In fact, it is because of her revelations about you that she still exists in a single form.”

The other Aris clustered around Panur and J’nae, ignoring the primitive Human and Formilian. Adam was okay with this, even though he was worried that the Aris could still read his thoughts, either directly or through his ATD. If they could, it would be very hard to plan the unexpected. He needed a definitive answer to his dilemma. It would be a risk, but without verification, any attempt to escape would be futile.

Without accessing his ATD, he let out an intense thought: I’m going to activate the interphase jamming device, pull my M-101, and waste every last one of you stinking aliens. It seemed like something he would be thinking. He reached into his pocket and found the control box. He waited for a reaction from the Aris.

There was none.

Next, he accessed his ATD and sent out a thought.

Can we see her? he asked mentally.

The Aris named Nunki looked down the line at Adam. “Do you not trust my assertion that she is well?” he said aloud.

“Can you blame me…we just met?”

The pale-skinned alien smiled. “Yes, you may see her.”

Adam had his proof. He could think freely, so long as he didn’t link his brain with the ATD.

His experiment had the added benefit of producing Lila. His mutant daughter entered through an open portal, unaccompanied and free of an interphase prison, and with a small, greenish orb held in both hands before her.

Zee? Adam asked through his ATD.

It is me, Adam Cain. I am both pleased and saddened to see you again.

Lila, can you hear me?

Yes, father. I, too, share Zee’s emotions. And Trimen has come as well. I appreciate the effort, yet I fear you may be helpless to save me…or yourselves.

Adam cut the link with his ATD. That’s what you think, he thought to himself. With Lila now present, what better time than now to initiate the rescue?

Adam pressed the button on the jamming device in his pocket, as his left hand gripped the stock of his M-101, ready to spin it around from his back and into firing position. The thin blue film separating himself from the Aris disappeared, and a moment later his weapon was leveled at the closest of the four aliens.

An invisible wall hit him hard, sending his body flying across the room and to the metal floor ten feet away. He was dazed, his vision blurry, with his arms extended to his sides, fingers gripping the air from involuntary muscle spasms.

The condition passed quickly and he was able to sit up. Two of the Aris were standing over him, wearing neutral expressions on their pale faces. One of them held up his right hand, palm facing Adam.

“We anticipated one of you taking such action once the Apex Being entered the room. There was a ninety-two percent probability it would be you, since you are the warrior of the group and carrying the most external armament, giving you a sense of confidence and power.” The alien glanced at his hand. “We have embedded in our hands a low-frequency sonic device. The signal cannot be heard audibly, yet it sends out a powerful sound wave that compresses the air into an almost solid moving force. It is non-lethal, yet can suppress an adversary, as you have seen. Now stop such nonsense. We do not intend you any harm. We only seek what is rightfully ours.”

Adam climbed to his feet. “Which is?”

“The end product of our experiments—immortality.”

Chapter 12

The Aris had dissolved the interphase bubbles after they discovered Adam’s team had a way of countering them. But they did confiscate the jamming controllers, so technically it was no longer possible for them to escape the effect if the bubbles were reintroduced. The Aris didn’t seem concerned. With the revelation of their sonic devices, it opened up the possibility that they had other tricks up their sleeve—or under their skin.

Nunki asked Panur if he was going to cause problems, to which the mutant promised to behave. He and J’nae seemed to have crossed a figurative threshold, from intent to rescue Lila to being more curious and amazed by the Aris. Adam and Trimen didn’t feel the same. They are so far removed from the level of the Aris—as well as the mutants for that matter—that all this awe and wonder was wasted on them. They wouldn’t understand even if the aliens took the time to explain their every invention.

Still, that didn’t stop the Aris from trying.

Adam had seen it many times before. The people—or aliens—in a position of power were often so enamored with themselves that they spent far too much time explaining to the captives what powerful and intelligent beings they were. Adam called it the James Bond Syndrome, where the bad guy would give Bond a walking tour of his facility, revealing all its secrets and purpose, and giving the secret agent time to work out an escape plan. The Aris were no different. In fact, they were going overboard.

“What do you think of our facility?” Nunki asked Panur. “It has survived for three billion years; only stars and rock last as long—in addition to threads of life.”

“It is amazing,” Panur agreed. “However, it could not have survived for all that time intact. It would require constant maintenance…and more.”

“That is true. Please, all of you follow me. As you can imagine, we get so few visitors that it would bring us great pride to provide you a tour.”

The entourage moved off, leaving the huge reception room and entering a long corridor. They passed through a portal on the right and into a huge room populated by spindly robots—most walking on two thin legs, and others on four wheels.

“The facility is seven hundred miles in diameter, comprised of six levels, all within a narrow range to provide a relatively stable gravity from the generators below. You have probably already surmised that our deflection ring is just that, a means of protecting us from the low-level radiation streaming in from the space around us. All of this requires the upkeep and modifications you mentioned. We employ a workforce of six hundred robots and service modules at any given time, which also require maintenance and replacement as necessary.”

Nunki held out his hand and Zee materialized in his palm. “My personal module is by far the oldest, having been placed in a protective layer of rock at the beginning of the encasement period. It is not as advanced as the others, only able to teleport over short distances rather than hover in space. Over time, there have been three million, eight hundred thousand other modules constructed, placed in service and then retired, but not my special Zee.”

The next chamber they were led to was a vast room with row upon row of huge blocks reaching five stories high. There were ladders running diagonally across their faces, along with a myriad of electronics embedding in the metal surface.

“These are our Encasement Chambers,” Nunki narrated. “There are one hundred twenty-four of them.”

“Is that all of the Aris that are left?” J’nae asked. Her tone sounded…panicky almost to Adam.

The alien turned to the mutant, a sad smile on his face. “At the end of our homeworld, there were only three hundred nine remaining Aris. They were the last born by natural means, with the oldest over eight thousand years old. When the encasement was first proposed, some of the Aris chose to not participate. One hundred twenty-four did, hence the chambers.”

“If your purpose was to cheat evolution, hadn’t you done that already with your extended lifespans,” J’nae asked. “Evolution primarily takes place through successive generations.”

“That is true, however there is still molecular and cellular modifications taking place within individuals. Yet this process takes time and is seldom observed during normal lifespans. With the enhanced life of the Aris, evolution was still occurring.”

“Enhanced?” Panur asked.

“Yes. The Aris have been able to extend our lifespan through the use of artificial methods, including organ replacements and other implants. Witness our ability to communicate telepathically. That is achieved by an implant vastly superior—yet similar too—that of the Formilian’s. And our sonic weapon is an implant as well, along with many others.”

The alien displayed sadness on his pale face. “It is from this fact that the search for immortality began.” Nunki walked up to one of the huge structures and ran his hand along the smooth surface. “We were encased in solid nitrogen, not only to suspend our bodily functions, but also to stop the molecular evolution that would take place over the term of our encasement.”

 “I do not understand,” said Trimen. “You had already achieved immortality through your replacements and enhancements—at least immortality in practicality. Molecular evolution must be such a prolonged process compared to birth mutations that your longevity would be measured in the millions, if not billions of years.”

“That is also true, yet place yourself within the minds of the Aris. Maintaining such a long life term requires almost constant upkeep of the body. One such as us aged five thousand years requires the bulk of his time to be spent undergoing operations and improvements, as well as a careful balance of a specific energy which only we can produce. A life such as that is hardly living, and the older the Aris, the less time was available for learning and exploration.”

“So you seek authentic immortality,” Trimen concluded.

Nunki stepped up to the Formilian, his eyes bright and his chest expanded. “Forgive me as I continue to marvel at your presence—and that of the Human. I am still in awe of the final results of our grand experiment.” He glanced at Lila. “Zee only sent the signal that the Apex Being existed a little over a year ago. It was at that time that the Aris began to be revived.”

He stood back and held out his hands. “Observe my perspective. One moment I am being encased in the nitrogen device. My eyes close…and a moment later they open again. In that brief interval—of which I had no awareness—three billion years have passed. Our delicate manipulations of primitive life on Earth and Formil—as well as thousands of others—have already journeyed along the long and dangerous path of evolution to become what you are today. Some of the lines survived, some didn’t. Some mutated beyond what we had anticipated, while other lines did not produce the results we planned for. Yet in what was a blink of an eye to me and the other Aris, the entire galaxy blossomed with life—our life—and with a singular purpose of producing the Apex Being.”

“How could you have calculated all the variables, all the uncertainties that would occur over such an extended time period?” Panur asked.

Adam had never seen the mutant like this before. He had finally met beings smarter than he, and it was showing. Adam got the impression that if the Aris wore rings and wished Panur to kiss them, he would. The prospect of escape was looking dimmer by the moment.

“We experimented over a vast range of worlds and methods, knowing that a small percentage of them would produce results. The Formilians, for example, were cast with a particular gene, which over time, produced the pheromones that would make them attractive to off-world species. That was the key to producing the Apex Being.”

“So any alien mating with a Formilian would produce—Lila?” Adam asked.

The Aris smiled at Adam. “No…that is not how it works. Contrary to your belief, there are multiple races joining with Formilians at this very moment, and have for many generations. It was designed that way. However, it is an exceedingly rare genetic combination—down to the individual level—that produced…Lila. What she is today is not only immortal, but other things, that being the result of her Human heritage. If her immortality had come about from a different paring, she would have other mutations.”

“But why me?”

“That is unknown, and irrelevant. The fact that your chemistry was able to overcome the differences in species—and that the Apex Being was created as a result—is what matters. We only need one.”

“One immortal?”

“That is true, however, we are fortunate that now we have three such beings. It will make our transition that much easier.”

“What transition?” J’nae asked.

“To becoming immortal ourselves.”

Chapter 13

The tour continued for another three hours, as their Aris guide showed them control centers, energy generators and scientific laboratories. None of the prisoners broached the subject of the transition to immortality again, probably because they knew they wouldn’t like the answer. At least that would be Adam’s reaction—although he had nothing to fear from that subject. Yet the mutants—all of them, including Lila—seemed excited about what the Aris were showing them, oblivious to the threat hanging over their heads. How the Aris expected to transfer immortality from one being to another was a mystery that didn’t seem to bother them.

After a while, Adam begged the tour to stop. He was tired, hungry and needed to take a piss. It took a moment for the Aris to understand his concern; the mutants could care less, and neither did the Aris. Eventually they capitulated and led the group to a large room with a rectangular table made of stone. Finding a bathroom in the place was another problem, requiring an army of robots to construct one over the course of five minutes. It was something to see, as they scurried about installing plumbing, walls and a makeshift toilet. Only Adam and Trimen took advantage of the newest addition to the Aris space station.

The non-Aris sat on one side of the long table, with everyone else on the other. Four of the tiny service orbs rested next to the Aris, with faint lines of blue energy streaming through the air and into the chests of the aliens. Adam knew they fed directly on energy, so this was their meal, while Adam and Trimen were served processed food based on their particular body chemistry. Lila, Panur and J’nae declined both food and energy. They could sustain themselves fine without any new infusion.

“You mentioned only one hundred twenty four Aris participated in the encasement program,” Trimen began. “What happened to the others?”

Nunki continued in his role as host. Adam had learned that it was he, and he alone, who had visited Earth and Formil, so the Apex Being—Lila—was his pet project and the crowning achievement of the Aris to date. This gave him a type of elevated status among his people.

The alien now reached out a hand and touched a finger to his service module—Zee. “They succumbed to the ravages of time.”

“I am confused,” Trimen continued. “Could they not have continued as before? Your civilization was a million years old at the time you began this grand experiment. You had the means to move to other worlds.”

“Your basic assumptions are correct, yet not your perspective. You ask what became of the Aris who did not participate in the encasing? They simply allowed their various organs and implants to fail. Once the process began, they died most conventional deaths.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because they had grown tired. Our race had very shortsightedly eliminated conventional reproduction abilities thousands of years before, and as detailed before, had elected to sustain our population through artificial means. This process—the constant need for more operations and enhancements—is quite wearisome and time-consuming. Some Aris did not see the value in existence under these conditions. And being the curious creatures that we are, many chose instead to explore existence on a different plane—if indeed that plane existed.”

“Yet you and your followers chose a different path,” J’nae said softly.

Nunki studied her for a moment before continuing. “Yes. Some of us believed there was a form of natural immortality, one which did not require the replacements and enhancements. At the time, we could not find any such immortals in the galaxy, so we set out to create them.” He looked at Lila. “Lila is the end result.”

“One hundred twenty-four of you exist?” Trimen asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Nunki replied. “Even the Aris are not perfect. Over time, some of our encasement units failed, killing the occupants. Others were revived early and decided not to participate any longer in the experiment. In the end, only eighteen of us remain to this day.”

“I still find it amazing how you were able to do this, and over such a long timescale.” Adam said.

“The calculations were extensive, even for us, yet the number of primitive worlds in the galaxy gave us hope that a few of our seeds would flower. Three billion years ago there was only the most-primitive life on Earth—and on Formil—and thousands of other worlds we visited. We extrapolated the results of our minor manipulations of genes and hereditary markers and found that it would take billions of years to produce the results we sought. And so we further extrapolated from there, seeing two paths we could take. One: We could initiate our experiments and then leave them to their own devices. In the meantime, the existing Aris would die off or evolve into other creatures, of which we could only speculate. This is what concerned those like me. Think back to your own evolution, Adam Cain. A million years ago, your race was locked in an evolutionary arm of semi-intelligent simians, without speech, tools or extended social structures. Look how you have changed over that time. Now imagine if your civilization continued for another million years and you had extensive records reaching back that long, to a time where—relatively—the first of your kind were like the primitive apes. The Aris of a million years ago—before the encasing and the time interval involved—were as primitive to us as your ape-like ancestors. We could see the change we went through in only a million years. Now multiply that three thousand times. If allowed to evolve, the Aris of today would be unrecognizable from the Aris sitting before you today.

“The other path we could take involved suspending our evolution while our experiments came to fruition. Some of us saw this not so much as an alternate course, but rather a postponement of the inevitable. If our experiments failed, then we would simply start anew, evolving into what we would eventually become.” He looked at Lila. “I still vividly recall everything about the universe of the far distance past. And now I am here, sitting at a table with not only the end product of our Human and Formilian experiments, but with the immortal being herself. The Aris may be ancient, yet we still retain emotions. This is a very exciting time for us.”

“Forgive me, Nunki,” J’nae said, “but I am still confused about the decision you made. Even though you could not foresee the outcome of continued evolution, surely you were excited about the prospect of changing, as you had over the million years of your civilization? During that time, you became more advanced, smarter and more powerful, than when your civilization was first founded. You would have become even more had you continued along your normal path.”

The Aris let out a very Human-like laugh. “You would imagine such,” Nunki said. “In fact, because we could look back over our evolution, we saw times when our race was stronger, more resourceful and more powerful than later generations. Intelligence doesn’t always mean progress, not unless that intelligence is focused in the right direction, which is impossible to do in hindsight.”

He looked back at Adam. “Many of you have wondered why the Human race has been able to accomplish what they have in such a short time? It is because we sped up the evolutionary process, while at the same time restricting some of the more traditional changes that take place. A normal species would require an additional hundred thousand years to reach the mental capacity of a modern Human. In the meantime, the physicality of that creature would diminish, as they modify their environment to become more accommodating. Humans reached their level of mental acuity sooner, even as their planet remained a very dangerous place to live. This has allowed Humans to become extremely intelligent—relatively—while retaining their animal instincts and advantage over their physical environment. It has made them both strong and smart, which in traditional species is often mutually exclusive. In truth, you were programmed to become such, just as the Formilians were endowed with a particularly strong and omnipresence sexual scent. As a result, we have produced the Apex Being, the first naturally-born immortal in the galaxy.”

“Yet Panur is also immortal,” Lila said, speaking for the first time.

“Which is a surprise—and a joy—to us.”

“And what of me?” J’nae asked. There was concern—almost fear—in her voice.

He looked to Panur. “First, I must give my compliments to you, Panur. In a blink of time you created what it has taken the Aris three billion years to achieve. However, you did have the advantage of a prototype to work from—yourself. And now with three immortals, we have more options.”

  “Such as?” Adam asked. “What are you going to do to Lila?” To Adam, this was the sixty-four thousand dollar question. He could care less what happened to the other mutants.

“The Aris are very patient creatures, so we have been studying her, attempting to discover the best way to utilize her special abilities to our advantage. Just as Panur had a prototype for his creation of J’nae, we now have…Lila. Yet we also have a dilemma. Whereas what Panur created was a near clone of himself, the Aris do not wish to create more Lila’s. Instead, we wish to transfer her immortality to us. Call us selfish, but the entire purpose for the experiment was so that we—the eighteen remaining Aris—can live forever, without need of the aforementioned procedures, which only mimic immortality.”

“And how do you expect to do that, to transfer Lila’s immortality to you?” Adam asked. He wasn’t comfortable with where the conversation was headed.

“That is what we have been contemplating. We have been studying the Apex Being since her apprehension and have developed procedures which—theoretically—could work. It conforms to the conservation of energy law within nature. Lila’s essence cannot be destroyed, yet it could be divided up and transferred, thereby retaining the balance of energy inherent with her unique existence. The models show this to be a viable course of action.”

“You’re going to kill her!”

“Did you not hear me, Adam Cain? She cannot be killed, yet her cells can live on…in a symbiotic relationship with the Aris.”

“And does she have a say it this?”

“The Apex Being was bred for a purpose; she is fulfilling that purpose.”

“She is a living, thinking being, with a mind of her own. Maybe she doesn’t want to be cut up into little pieces and transplanted into the Aris. Did you ever think of that?”

“This is much more important than a single being. At this time, there are only three true immortals in this galaxy. If we are successful, there will be eighteen.”

Adam turned to Lila. “You can’t let them do this to you.”

“I have attempted resistance since my arrival, yet we are under constant surveillance and others can place us into interphase status at a moment’s notice.”

“She is correct,” said Nunki. “I said before that we wish you no harm, meaning you and the Formilian. The mutants, however, we will retain for study and eventual assimilation.”

“So you’re going to let me and Trimen go free?”

“Of course not. You will be placed in a secure location on the station where you will remain until you naturally expire—or become too much of a burden to house.”

Before anyone could react, all the non-Aris in the room were encased in interphase spheres. They stood up and were coaxed by the moving balls of blue light down an adjoining corridor, to be placed in secure rooms with shimmering blue light dancing on the exterior walls, Trimen and Adam were put in one with a recently added bathroom, Panur and J’nae in another. The Apex Being—Lila Bol—was taken to another location. Adam hoped it wasn’t a laboratory where her assimilation would begin.

********

Father.

Lila! Adam cried out in his mind. Are you all right?

Yes.

Can the Aris hear us?

No, they are only able to read thoughts through artificial devices, such as your Formilian Gift. I am contacting you through true telepathy.

Adam was relieved and saddened at the same time. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to help more. It seems our rescue plan has been a failure.

To the contrary, the rescue is proceeding exactly as planned.

What do you mean? He was surprised he was able to contain the mental link and not blurt the sentence out loud. He was sure the room was being monitored.

He felt Lila smile as she continued. Panur anticipated that his jamming device would be good for only one use, after which the Aris would confiscate the controllers.

Which they did.

But what he did beyond that was make the units so they would act as a different kind of device once placed in close proximity to one another. By making them each only one fourth of this new device, it has been impossible for the Aris to detect their true purpose.

Which is?

To create an illusion of the interphase effect.

Adam looked over at Trimen. He was lying on the second cot, staring at the ceiling, oblivious to the mental conversation taking place. With all the startling revelations Lila was telling him, Adam hoped he could maintain his calm, exterior demeanor.

Remember, sweetheart, I’m just a dumb Human. You’re going to have to explain more.

When the Aris activated the shields a few minutes ago, all that was created was a blue halo around us. There was no true shifting of dimensions.

So we could have attacked them? Why wasn’t I told?

Because that is not the immediate goal; instead, we must secure a way for all of us to escape and not allow the Aris to follow or conduct a second abduction at a future date. Busting a few heads, as you would say, would not have achieved that goal.

Yeah…but it would have made me feel a lot better.

The mental smile of his daughter widened. Spoken as a true warrior, but now you must embark on a new mission, one which will hopefully be more stealthy than violent.

That’s fine, just so long as we can save the violent part for later. What do you want me to do?

We need you and Trimen to slip from your chamber and proceed to the control room for the Aris energy source. Do you recall the location from the tour?

I think so. But we’re locked in this room, with a blue light—oh…it’s just a light, and not a real interphase effect.

You are learning, father. The belief in the nature of the light is the only thing keeping you there.

It’s the same for you, right?

Yes, but we are under closer surveillance; you are not. To the Aris, they are done with you and Trimen. It is now time to make them pay for their indifference.

Okay, once we get to the control room, what then?

Follow this sequence. It will disable their energy supply and initiate the next phase of the plan. Once you are in the room….

Chapter 14

The allies knew where most of the Nuorean forces were in the galaxy, at least until this latest revelation concerning shifting entry points. But knowing the location of your enemy doesn’t always mean you were anxious to attack. Two thousand heavily-armed starships with well-trained crews was not something you took lightly.

Yet Captain Akira Tanaka had a secret weapon: a recently-completed suppressor beam platform and forty beamships, ranging in class from destroyers to cruisers. Even with knowledge providing the task force commander with a sense of confidence, he suspected the Nuoreans wouldn’t be anxious to engage if he took the initiative.

After the demise of Admiral Ware’s force, the enemy would know the allies were running scared, reluctant to engage even the smallest enemy force, expecting it to be a trap. So here was a fleet of slightly smaller size rushing to attack. Why? What gave the allies the confidence to believe they could win in light of recent events?

If Tanaka was in charge of the alien fleet, he would suspect the allies had a valid reason to believe they could win. As a result, he would perform a strategic retreat until he could assess the why of the allied attack.

So his challenge became how to make the aliens believe he wasn’t out looking for a fight, but just happened upon one.

The first thing Tanaka did was not head directly for the Nuoreans. Instead, he gave them a wide berth, while segregating a segment of his fleet consisting of Juirean ships. The leaders of the Expansion had protested fiercely when yet another fleet was placed in the command of their age-old enemy. That was the truth. Humans commanded two-thirds of all the fleets, which pissed off the Juireans and set up the coming conflict perfectly.

Next he initiated a running CW commentary between the two segments of his force—including their commanders on Earth and Juir—indicating the Juireans were threatening to break off from the main fleet and go it alone. As the fleet skirted the region where the Nuoreans were clustered, the argument came to a head and the Juireans split off, ostensibly to return to Juir.

The Human contingent came to a halt, awaiting further others. They knew it wasn’t safe to be sitting still this far from planetary support, but command was in turmoil, frustrated with the Juireans and unsure whether to continue with the patrol.

It was fairly well established by this time that most communications in the galaxy were being monitored by the Nuoreans. Hundreds of passive drones had been detected and many destroyed. It also meant many more were still out there. So when the departing Juireans just happened to engage a small screening force from the main Nuorean fleet, the fact that the Humans were ordered to come to their rescue became common knowledge.

The beamships were located two layers back in the fleet, with the huge platform vessel at the center. Unfortunately, to lure as many enemy ships within range of the beams required that the leading edge engage the Nuoreans with conventional weapons. However, as expected, the aliens didn’t stay in contact long before shifting course and running away. They had employed this same tactic against Admiral Ware and now they expected Tanaka to follow suit.

Without firm orders to the contrary, the headstrong Juireans set off after the invaders. They were vastly outnumbered and more than likely heading into a trap, which required Tanaka and his main force to follow, if only to rescue the surviving Juireans.

At least that’s what Tanaka wanted the Nuoreans to believe.

Everything went according to plan, and four hours into the battle, the secondary Nuorean fleet—the hidden fleet—made its presence known. Soon the space between the worlds of Deenen Sim and Rec So-em was filled with a blaze of brilliant plasma bolts, as over five thousand starships joined for a spectacular battle to the death.

That’s when the beams were switched on.

The effect was immediate and dramatic. Every enemy warship within range of the platform and the beamships ceased firing. Tanaka was ecstatic. He and others had been carrying a modicum of doubt whether the beams work on Nuoreans. Now they had their answer.

All the allied ships emitted nulling beams to protect their crews from the stupor effect of the beams—a weapon first deployed against them by the flesh-eating Sol-Kor. Now Tanaka gave the order, and within seconds a wholesale slaughter of over three thousand enemy vessels began. Never in the history of space warfare had so many enemy vessels been destroyed with so little loss on the side of the victor.

The Nuorean ships on the outer edge of the beam’s influence managed to escape. This was expected. But now the Nuoreans knew they were up against a galaxy that wouldn’t go quietly into the night. In fact, the Milky Way was about to become their worst nightmare.

********

Fleet commander Sanelis (316) received the report of the crushing defeat within minutes of the fringe ships clearing the area. His fleet—along with two others—were stationed near the border of the Kidis and Dunnon sectors, essentially midway between the major governing planets of Earth and Juir. He had over five thousand vessels in the area, plus another twelve thousand in other parts of the Kac, less the three thousand he just lost.

The reports came to him calmly and with detail. The Nuor were players; they didn’t let a sudden shift in strategy by their opponents fluster them too much.

“I wasn’t aware they had influencing technology,” said Sanelis’ second-in-command, Lead-Player Anns (432) Kallen-Noc.

“They have not employed it to date,” replied Sanelis. “I wonder why?”

“Only recently invented?”

“Techs have analyzed the data sent to us; the signature is highly refined, superior even to the beams we have developed. This is not something that just appeared. So again, I wonder why they are just now employing this weapon against us?”

Sanelis had observed the courage of his race many times before, knowing that when faced with a devastating loss, they would see this as a challenge, an opportunity. Indeed, this new level of warfare against the Nuor would elevate the immunity points awarded to the fleet. The Kac had just got more interesting, even without individual challenges being widespread. His crews would welcome this news, not fear it, especially knowing they had a counter to the enemy’s influence waves.

As if reading his commander’s mind, Anns spoke: “We do have countermeasures, and the fleet can be modified in a relatively short period, once refit centers are established in this galaxy.”

“This is true. Influence waves have not been used in hundreds of years, yet their nullifiers are well known. Do the leaders of the Kac suspect we are not that sophisticated to have an answer for such a simple weapon? They must be desperate.”

“What are your orders, Master?”

Sanelis hadn’t thought that far, at least not enough to develop a long-term game plan. But he knew what to do in the interim. “Let them believe their weapon is effective against us. Have our fleets avoid the enemy, appearing to be frightened of engagement. Have them congregate at a central location, as if huddling in fear. This will give our enemy confidence…even arrogance. Then once our ships are equipped with countermeasures, the forces of the Kac could be lured to our location, expecting to slaughter us in one glorious battle.  They will be surprised by the actual outcome.”

Anns smiled. He appeared both physically and mentally stimulated; the execution of a masterful game plan was like sex to a Nuorean. “And for now?” he asked.

“Send word to the fleets. Converge on the area around ND-12.” Then Sanelis himself grinned. “Many arenas are completed, more will come. We shall pass the time with individual immunity challenges for the senior players. There are Humans there, as well…a lot of them. The contests should be…entertaining.”

Chapter 15

Riyad’s interview with the Nuorean Azon went about as well as the others. But for some reason, the alien decided to beat on the Human for a while, even if the effort brought spasms of pain to his injured face.

The journey to where they were going was a week old, and Azon only visited the Human cell twice after the interviews. His face was healing rapidly, and the second time he came to the cell he wasn’t wearing the face guard.

“Damn, you’re a handsome devil when you’re not wearing the mask,” Sherri commented. “Be still my beating heart.”

“Your words are confusing, and irrelevant,” said Azon. “I have come to inquire as to your physical condition.”

Sherri stood up, thrust out her breasts in one direction and her hips in another in a very pin-up girl-like pose. “You be the judge of that, big boy.”

“Why are you acting so strangely?”

Sherri pouted. “Because I’m bored. When are we getting to wherever we’re going?”

“Two days,” said Azon. “And I assure you that once we arrive, you will not be bored. We are going to a location designated ND-12. It is a sparsely-populated world near the boundary of the Human’s stellar empire and that of the Juireans. We have constructed an array of combat arenas and begun rotating our ships and crews to the location for individual immunity challenges. I hope you recall my promise to engage you all in contests with my Cadre players.” The alien’s smile was sinister, while his eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Do you think you’re up for it?” Riyad asked. “The last time you went up against a Human shoe salesman, he nearly killed you.”

The smiled vanished from Azon’s face. “That was not a challenge; it was an experiment.”

“That went horribly wrong, I take it.” Copernicus added in his two cents.

“That will not happen again.”

“Because you’ll rig the games so you can’t lose. That’s really brave of you. You’re just a bunch of pussy gladiators.”

The Nuorean glared at Sherri. “There will still be sport. You will have your opportunity to make the contests entertaining. And you, Sherri Valentine, will not be exempt. Our lower-ranking players will have the opportunity to meet you in the arena as well. The combat won’t be too challenging, but the uniqueness of the contest will entertain the crowd—at least for a moment or two.”

“Like I said, real brave of you, dickhead.”

Azon smiled. “I will leave you now so you can resume planning for your escape. But please hurry. You only have two more days to come up with a winning strategy before we reach our destination.”

Chapter 16

Adam and Trimen opened the door to their room and passed effortless through the shimmering blue barrier beyond. Even after what Lila had told him, he still wished he had known about this earlier. There had been four juicy Aris targets sitting right across the table from him, their frail bodies no match for a rabid Human with a bad attitude. With only eighteen of the bastards around, it would have been a good start.

The Aris space station was huge for such a small population, even if you counted the hundreds of robots that serviced the facility. So the corridor outside the holding cell was deserted as the pair made their way toward the energy control room. As mentioned before, Adam wouldn’t have had any idea where he was going if it hadn’t been for the Aris employment of the James Bond Syndrome. Now he not only knew the location, but the Aris had been so kind as to explain how important the facility was to their wellbeing.

The Aris lived off pure energy, yet it was a refined form made from the background radiation of the universe. Adam had no idea what that meant, but it seemed important to the Aris. Beyond the control room was a vast chamber filled with rods and antenna that collected the ambient energy from the surrounding space. The energy was then fed into filtering devices that re-tuned the frequency to something that could be processed through their service modules and then delivered directly into their bodies. All Adam needed to know was that it worked for them, and without it they were up shit creek without a paddle.

The control room was located half an hour from the holding rooms, which was a long way to go without being spotted. Fortunately, the Aris hadn’t built the station with internal security in mind. Why would they? Sure, they had adequate defenses outside against intruders, but for the majority of the station, only the Aris and their servants traveled the hallways and chambers.

The going wasn’t completely without excitement. They did encounter three of the four-wheeled robots along the way, managing to scamper to cover before they passed. The bots made a distinctive hum that echoed in the hallway long before they appeared, and it was apparent none carried elaborate sensing gear because no alarms were sounded.

Another feature of the space station was that most of the main chambers and control rooms didn’t have doors. So confident were the Aris that no breach of internal atmosphere or air pressure was possible, they didn’t see the need for pressure doors in case of emergency.

When Adam and Trimen reached the control room, they simply entered through the open portal and ran to the proper station as instructed by Lila. The mutants had only spent a few moments in the room earlier—as had Adam and Trimen—but in that time they recorded every detail for later recall. Their genius also deciphered the purpose for most of the instruments and control panels, confirming once again the fatal flaw in the James Bond Syndrome.

Adam scanned the main control panel, desperately trying to recall the words and sequence Lila had conveyed to him. It wasn’t easy, but fortunately, telepathic communication seemed to have a more lasting impression on him than did verbal communication. He grasped the concept of the procedure and set to work.

“The energy is gathered and then fed into the re-tuners,” he explained to Trimen. “Lila wants us to channel the energy into the station’s main electrical system.”

“That sounds…dangerous.”

“It is. The only way we’re going to be able to escape is to stop the Aris for good.”

“By destroying the station?”

“Eventually. First we have to get away. That’s why the rechanneling has to be done quietly. Over time, the effect will multiply, making for one big ka-boom after we’re gone. Now take your place over at that panel to your right. I’ll feed you instructions as I work from here.”

There were no chairs in the control room—robots didn’t need them and the Aris didn’t bother themselves with the actual running of the station. So the saboteurs stood before the consoles and began to make adjustments.

“This is rather complicated; are you sure you have remembered all the steps?” Trimen asked.

He was right, but Adam felt confident he could remember. Besides, the more he operated the controls, the more sense they made. He was concerned, however, when he didn’t notice any change in the meters or the sound of the collectors in the chamber beyond. A large, plate glass window showed the interior of the gathering room, and everything seemed normal inside. But Adam had to trust Lila and Panur. This was their plan, to keep the sabotage secret until it was too late. It wouldn’t pay for everything to go haywire long before the explosion. The Aris were too smart to give them time to find a solution to the impending disaster.

“That should do it,” Adam said after about fifteen minutes of work. He looked over at Trimen, who returned his grin with an unusual display of white teeth for the alien.

But then Trimen’s eyes grew wide and his mouth fell slack. He looked down at his chest, to where a small black hole had appeared with faint traces of smoke rising from it.

Adam looked to his right, to where three of the spindly, two-legged robots stood. One carried a small object that looked like a flashlight, although it wasn’t a flashlight. It was a laser beam weapon.

Adam dove for cover, just as a small red beam sliced through the air next to him. It contacted the control panel, sending sparks along a black line in the metal. He crawled on his belly to his left, behind equipment blocks set in the floor. The clink of metal feet told him the location of the robots, which had never been designed to be stealthy. He stood up and saw them entering the room, heading for Trimen. Adam didn’t know if the beam had been lethal, but he wasn’t holding out much hope. The thought made his blood boil.

He climbed to the top of an eight-foot-high piece of machinery and launched himself at the robots. He didn’t bother with a high trajectory, but rather a more straight line path with the most force. Like bowling pins, he plowed them over, their tall, slender bodies not allowing for much leeway to retain balance. The rods, blocks and metal heads bruised his skin as he rolled over them. He didn’t care. He pulled on an arm made of three long rods, a maze of wires and a thin wire mesh covering. The limb didn’t break, but it did bend by ninety degrees.

The robots made no noise, and their black, stereographic eyes neither blinked nor showed emotion. Adam continued to grab pieces and parts from the three fallen mechanical beasts, finding their construction to be loose and easy to rip apart. He continued in a savage rage for several seconds, until only one head remained intact, the dark eyes of the robot watching him as he climbed to his feet.

He rushed over to Trimen, who had collapsed against the control console. His face was ashen, arms hanging limp to his side. There was life in his eyes, but barely.

“Trimen, can you hear me?” Adam said as he examined the injury. As was common with energy weapons, the heat of the beam had cauterized the wound, leaving only a slight trace of blood on the thin cloth of the shirt. The opening was about half an inch in diameter with an offensive odor filling the air around the Formilian.

“I…I am gravely injured,” Trimen replied. Air was drawn into the hole in his chest and exhaled, indicating a puncture directly to the lungs. Adam placed his hand over the wound, allowing Trimen’s breathing to come more evenly. Through his hand, Adam could feel the heartbeat. It was rapid, but slowing noticeably. It wouldn’t be much longer.

“Stay with me, Trimen.”

“I cannot. Even now my vision is going. Tell Lila I—”

And then he was gone, along with ten years of friendship and shared adventures. Trimen had been the first to train him on his ATD, and throughout the years, had shown up at the most opportune moments to help pull Adam’s ass out of the fire.

Firming his resolve, Adam knew there was one thing he could do to honor his fallen comrade, and that was not to leave his body on this godforsaken space station. He scooped up the lifeless body—light in the gravity of the Aris artificial world—and carried him back to where the last robotic head lay on the floor, the eyes still alert and following his movements. Adam bent down and picked up the laser weapon that had been used to kill Trimen. He looked down at the metal head watching him.

The laser would be too clean, too surgical. So Adam lifted his foot and smashed his boot onto what remained of the killer robot. The metal collapsed easily, and the dark eyes went still. It was a start.

Chapter 17

Adam carried Trimen’s body into the hallway outside the control room and turned left. He hurried down the passageway before coming to an intersection. He remembered from the tour that the robot maintenance room was down the adjoining corridor. He didn’t give it a second thought.

Outside the portal to the robot room, Adam set Trimen on the floor. After taking a moment to look at the body of his friend, he gripped the laser weapon in his right hand, turned and entered the room.

There had to be over fifty robots in the room, both of the two-legged and four-wheeled variety. Since very few were programmed for security, none of the ones who saw him enter registered him as a threat, at least not initially. He walked calmly to a workbench and picked up a heavy metal rod—part of the framework of the wheeled robots. With the rod in his left hand and the laser in his right, he approached the first cluster of automatons.

The red beam shot out, slicing easily through three metal frameworks with ease. The rod then swung in, crushing more metal bodies in the process.

The other robots now took notice. Without fear or anxiety, they came at Adam in a slow, yet deliberate manner, allowing the Human to key up on individuals with deadly efficiency. The sound was deafening, not from the robots, but from the crashing and clanging of metal parts as the machines were broken, sliced or otherwise shattered by the crazed living being in their midst. Two minutes later, nearly all the Aris maintenance bots in the room were destroyed.

None ran away, however, and were now being joined by re-enforcements from outside. Adam met them straight on continuing with only the metal rod once the battery in the laser weapon went dry.

Adam, what are you doing? The panicked voice inside his head was that of Lila.

They killed Trimen, he thought back.

There was a moment’s pause in his mind, with telepathic link allowing a wave of incredible grief to fill his brain. I am beyond words. I loved him on the level of you and my mother.

So to answer your question, I’m getting some payback.

The Aris are aware of your activities. You must stop and meet me in the dome room. You remember how to get there?

Yeah, but just a few more—

No, go now! There are other ways to reconcile Trimen’s death without sacrificing your own.

There were very few robots left to demolish. Okay, I’m on my way, but I’m not leaving his body here. I’m taking him with me.

I understand. But please hurry!

A few of the smashed robots had laser weapons; Adam now rummaged through the wreckage until he found one. Then he rushed out into the hallway and lifted Trimen’s body into his arms once again, the laser weapon aimed outward in his right hand.

He met a number of other bots on the way, dispatching them with the energy weapon. Then he heard a rapid clicking on the metal deck, coming up behind him. He turned, just as one of the mechanical dogs with the four-inch long needle-teeth leapt into the air.

Adam ducked, while lifting Trimen’s body above him. The metal dog sank its teeth into the corpse—rather than Adam—and began tearing at the dead flesh. Adam tossed both body and dog off him and to the floor. Realizing its mistake, the beast focused its red eyes on Adam…and jumped again.

Unable to bring the laser weapon the bear, Adam dropped it and crouched down, grabbing the dog by the neck with his right hand on its belly. He squeezed with his left hand and felt metal mesh collapse. Then he rose up and ran toward the nearest wall, slamming the dog against the surface. The body bent inward, causing internal mechanisms to jamb up or cease operating. Next, Adam slammed the security bot to the floor, producing a deafening clang as metal met metal. The body deformed even more. Then as before, Adam set about smashing the robot to pulp with his booted foot. Moments later, only the twitching of a back leg was left moving.

Out the corner of his right eye, Adam saw three other figures further down the hallway. It was the Aris, and they were raising their palms toward him.

He dove for the deck, sliding in behind Trimen’s narrow body, looking for any cover he could find against the incoming sonic wave. The wave hit, pushing Adam and Trimen along the smooth metal floor, but otherwise protecting him from the physical effects of the wave. The laser weapon slid along with him. Adam reached out for the flashlight-like device and then shoved it under Trimen’s body, pointing down the hallway at the Aris.

The beam appeared, but he was off target, aiming high above the aliens. But then he swept the red beam down—until it sliced in half the head of the middle Aris.

An ear-shattering screech echoed off the metal walls. Adam grimaced from the agonizing sound before looking down the corridor. The flanking Aris were staring aghast at their fallen companion, shock and disbelief on their pale faces. Adam figured they’d seen dead Aris before, but never one killed.

Adam grinned. If it was up to him, it wouldn’t be the last Aris killed this day in their tidy, artificial world. He triggered the weapon again, and soon the population of three-billion-year-old Aris was reduced from eighteen to fifteen. It was a start.

With calm returning to the hall way, Adam lifted Trimen’s body again and set off for the dome room, the chamber with the astronomical projection for a ceiling.  It wasn’t far, and he arrived without incident just as Lila, Panur and J’nae entered from the opposite side.

Lila rushed up to him, her eyes filled with tears as she stared down at the body of Trimen O’lac. She placed her hands on his face.

“Oh, Trimen, I am so sorry you sacrificed yourself for me. If I had the power, I would gladly trade my life for yours.”

Adam set the body on the floor and Lila knelt next to it. He walked over to Panur. “How much time do we have before the energy room explodes?”

“Plenty to make our escape—”

“I am afraid you are wrong, my creator,” said J’nae from behind them.

Adam and Panur turned, only to find four more Aris in the room, including the one called Nunki. Adam’s face turned red and his heart set to racing. He was going to kill these bastards with his bare hands.

Suddenly, everyone in the room was encased in halos of soft blue. Adam knew the truth of the interphase effect, so he stepped toward the aliens. But his movement was stopped. He lifted his arms and pushed. There was a tingling, but that was it. He couldn’t move beyond the shimmering wall. These were a real interphase shields.

“I did it, Adam Cain,” said J’nae.

“Did what?” was his natural reply.

“I have restored the interphase effect to full force. I have also reversed all the damage you did to the energy supply. There will be no catastrophic explosion destroying the station.”

Panur turned toward his mutant creation, he, too trapped within the blue time-shift prison. “Why would you do that?”

“For my own ends, Panur. I constructed another device as you worked on yours. Now I control the shields.”

“Again, I ask why?”

“Because I wish to negotiate a bargain with the Aris.”

“What bargain?” Nunki asked.

J’nae looked at the alien with intensity. “I know how to give you the immortality you seek.”

“And how is that?”

“Through a direct mind meld.”

“Don’t, J’nae,” Panur commanded.

She ignored the mutant and continued to address the Aris. “I can blend my cells with those of the Aris—”

“And in the process transfer your cells to our bodies,” said Nunki, finishing the sentence for her.

“Precisely. I have seen the process done, although at that time there was an un-melding of the cells. I will purposefully designate a portion of my brain cells to be transferred to each of the remaining Aris.”

“The process has been discussed, yet it could only be done with the cooperation of the immortal. You say you will agree to this?”

“Yes, with conditions.”

“Again, J’nae, don’t do this. It will mean the end of your existence,” said Panur.

“What conditions?” Nunki pressed.

“That you allow Panur and the others to leave, unharmed and to never pursue them in the future.”

“Bullshit!” Adam yelled. “You make them truly immortal and they’ll be all over us—all over the entire galaxy—like stink on shit.”

“To the contrary,” Nunki said. “We care nothing for the activities in which your galaxy engages. The only reason we interfered in the beginning was to produce the Apex Being.”

“You’re lying.”

“The Aris do not lie; we have no reason to lie to such primitive beings.”

“Hey, this primitive being just killed three of your buddies.”

The comment caused Nunki to pause and his mouth fall open slightly. He quickly regained his composure. “Yes, I am aware of that. Yet the ability to kill that which is superior to does not make you superior. You, too, can fall prey to any number of deadly threats, including mindless diseases and bacteria. The ability to kill instinctively is a trait of…animals.”

“Stop your bickering!” J’nae commanded. “I have made my offer. What say you?”

“J’nae, why do you want to give up something that the Aris have spent billions of years seeking?” Lila asked. “You are immortal, and now you wish not to be?”

“I did not ask to be immortal,” J’nae snapped back. “I was created this way, fully developed and with a purpose of which I had no say.”

“You were to save the Sol-Kor,” Panur countered. “You were to give them a different path that would not be so destructive of other lifeforms. Was that not a noble cause?”

“I was reviled by universes of creatures, simply for my status as Queen of the Sol-Kor. But that is not the only issue. It is also the lack of change I fear, the lack of evolution. I will remain as such for all eternity, with no prospect for advancement or transition to other levels of existence. Have not others like the Aris existed before? Where are they now? And where are the last of the Aris who stayed behind? Not all died. A few are somewhere else, experiencing another plane of awareness which I will never see.”

“Merging with the Aris will not give you that new awareness, will it Nunki?” Panur asked. “Once absorbed, her cells will have no individual identity.”

“That is correct. The dominate cells will reign.”

“Although I cannot argue against the will of the individual,” Panur said, “I wish you would reconsider.” He looked at Nunki. “You do not have to sacrifice yourself to save us.”

“It is not a sacrifice, rather liberation. Either I continue within an existence that will make me only more frustrated and angry through time, or I will have it come to an end, here and now. Yet with my way, I help the Aris achieve their goal, while saving you, Lila and…even Adam Cain.”

Nunki moved toward J’nae. The blue halo moved with him even though neither being could physically contact the other. “Of course the Aris agree. We have calculated that only a single immortal is needed for our transition. Be it the Apex Being—or you—it makes no difference.”

The halos disappeared from around Adam, Lila and Panur. They remained around the others, protecting them from harm—which Adam so desperately wished to inflict.

“Go now, Panur,” said J’nae. “You have fulfilled your mission and saved Lila. She has always been your priority, while I was only an experiment.”

“That’s not true,” said Panur. “Yes, you began as an experiment yet you developed a soul and a personality. You became a person to me.”

“I appreciate that, but now go. The Aris and I have work to do.”

Lila lifted Trimen’s body in one arm while leading Adam from the room. Panur joined them a moment later. “Nunki has shown me a quicker way to the surface,” he said. “We shall be away in minutes.”

Chapter 18

The trip back to the Najmah Fayd was quicker than the journey to the interior of the space station. The trio quickly entered the ship, and with a fair amount of reverence, placed Trimen’s body in the aft service bay. Then they rushed to the pilothouse and lifted off, Panur at the controls.

Adam slouched at the weapons console, his head resting in his right hand. He had lost another of his good friends; not the level of an Andy Tobias, but close enough. This was becoming commonplace, possibly a consequence of his reckless lifestyle, as well as the passage of years. The odds were stacking up quickly against him and his friends.

The mutants left him alone, but after a few minutes, Adam noticed Panur hadn’t entered a light-speed gravity-well. Instead, he was blasting through space in a shallow well until even letting that evaporate. The ship was coming to a stop.

Adam turned to Panur and Lila. They were in the pilot and co-pilot seats, respectively. He was about to ask them what was going on when a bright light began to filter in through the forward viewport.

Adam left his seat and went to investigate. Through the viewport he saw one of the glowing Aris starships heading for a rendezvous with the Najmah Fayd. With having been left out of so many plans and strategies recently, Adam saw this as just one more surprise he wasn’t going to like.

“What the hell’s going on?” he asked the mutants, in no uncertain terms.

Lila came up to him. “I am sorry father, but Panur and I will be leaving you here.”

“What does that mean? Where are you going, or more correctly, what are you going to do with me?”

“You are to stay here, aboard the trans-dimensional starship, while Panur and I take the Aris ship.”

“To where?”

“That I cannot tell you.”

Adam looked past his daughter to the grey mutant in the pilot seat. “This is all your doing, isn’t it? You’re trying to take her away from me again.”

“It was my choice, father,” Lila countered.

“Why? You were in charge of a galaxy, respected and admired. Not only that, but we need you, more now than ever. You can’t just run off again, especially not when we’re fighting the Nuoreans. I’m counting on you—and Panur—to help get us through this mess.”

“The mess is yours to solve, Adam,” Panur chimed in, which only made Adam more upset.

“How can you be so callous? You know what a serious situation this is, and the two of you are vital to helping us save the galaxy from the Nuor.”

“It’s not our problem,” Panur snapped back.

Adam looked at Lila. She was born in the Milky Way, and the two bloodlines she shared were in serious danger from the invaders from Andromeda.

“We need you, Lila. We need your strength, your stability and your intelligence.”

“The galaxy has all it needs to defeat the Nuor,” she stated. “And as far as the galaxy needing me, they do not. Even in the short time I reigned, I was taken for granted. As an immortal, my counsel was institutionalized, a crutch for all to use. That may have been what you wanted, but it wasn’t what I wanted. Imagine how mundane my life had become dealing with the trivial concerns of the bickering races? The challenge was far below my capacities, definitely below my level of interest.”

“You’re the one who assumed that position. You insisted.”

“I was needed at the time to bring peace to the galaxy and a new level of cooperation. That has changed now with the introduction of the Nuor. The galaxy is united against a common enemy, and united you will defeat them. What happens after that will be up to you.”

“But you could rule again. The galaxy will follow you.”

“The galaxy only followed me because of fear. They knew of my powers and the futility of direct action against me. That is no way to lead. It is a false type of leadership.”

Adam knew Lila had made up her mind, and if there was one thing he knew about mutant geniuses, you couldn’t win an argument with them.

“What will you do?” he asked. “Go on to start your race of immortals? I think the Aris have a head start on you.”

Panur answered. “The Aris have been driven mad by their obsession. Every race survives through evolution, through growth. It’s called progress. They are setting themselves on a path of stagnation and even more insanity.”

“By becoming just like you—and Lila. Does that mean you, too, will stagnate, become insane?”

“Possibly, yet natural-born immortals better understand the realities of our existence. We can be patient, whereas the Aris are not, contrary to what they say. Yet even true immortals need projects. I chose to help the Sol-Kor, and it filled my time for the first five thousand years of my immortality. Lila and J’nae are both relatively new to immortality. J’nae couldn’t cope with the possibility of never changing. Lila…she has me to help guide and comfort her. Together we will find our path. Granted, it will be only temporary within the overall scheme of things, after which we will seek other challenges. Who knows, eventually we may chose a destiny similar to J’nae. But that is tens of thousands, possibly millions of years in the future.”

“And father, that is another reason I must go. All I know now will eventually wither and die before my eyes. My mother and you—even the world of Formil—will eventually die. For my own sanity, I cannot be around to experience such loss.”

“But that’s in the future. Don’t you want to enjoy life while you can?”

“It is inviting, however, my memories—and sorrows—last forever. To involve myself even more with the affairs of the galaxy—and with the loves I know or will know—would be counterproductive. I would only have those sorrows to carry with me…forever.”

“You’d also have the memories of love and joy.”

Lila reached out and took Adam by the hands. He felt an unnatural warmth, knowing that microscopic layers of skin were melding together, making the contact more intimate than would be possible between two mortals. “I left once before, yet came back when I was needed. I am still young and not as firm in my resolve as Panur, so who knows? I may come back at some point. After all, nothing lasts forever.”

“Except me, Lila and a few Aris,” Panur added in a lame attempt at levity.

“What about me? Surely you have some grand plan for me.”

“You will continue being Adam Cain, the reckless and noble scoundrel with more luck than any one man can expect or deserve. If anyone, the galaxy needs you. You will go find your friends and save the day. It’s what you were born to do.”

Adam was weak with grief and sorrow. He had rescued Lila just to lose her again. And now the weight of responsibility for the galaxy pressed down on upon his shoulders. Sure, he shouldn’t feel as though resolving the Nuorean crisis was his task alone. But someone had to take responsibility, and Adam always seemed to be the one in the front row with his hand held high saying, ‘Me, me!’

“Any hint as to what I should do next?”

Panur had maneuvered the Najmah Fayd next to the Aris ship and mated with the transfer hatch. He stood from the pilot seat and stepped up to Adam and Lila. “It’s time to go. As for you, Adam, find Riyad and Sherri. Once you do, your path will become clear. Come, Lila.”

Lila fell into Adam arms and hugged him tightly. Then abruptly she broke away and rushed from the room without looking back. Panur and Adam looked at each other before Panur spoke.

“Like she said, nothing lasts forever. Situations change and priorities get rearranged. Until then…later, dude.”

And then it was Panur’s turn to leave.

A minute later the glowing Aris starship streaked off into the vacuum of space, leaving a trail of light that quickly faded. Adam turned back to the silent control room and sighed.

“Now what?”

Chapter 19

Adam was pretty adept at the controls of the Najmah Fayd—the famous TD-starship capable of transferring between universes with the press of a button. It also meant he could travel vast distances by first jumping to another dimension then re-entering the Milky Way at another point. The whole thing took a couple of minutes, and he could find himself thousands of light-years away in another part of the galaxy.

His first priority was to get as far away from the Aris—and the memories—as he could. He plotted a jump, and a few minutes later he was at the entrance to the Kidis Frontier near the planet Woken.

He’d been out of touch for a while, so the first thing he did was tap into galactic news broadcasts to the get the latest on the war with the Nuor. A lot had happened over the past two weeks, most of it good. The allies had recently defeated a Nuorean fleet using a suppressor beam platform and now the aliens were running scared, avoiding every engagement they could. Maybe the crisis wasn’t as serious as he thought. But then he heard how the invaders were consolidating their forces as they reworked their strategy. And they were all headed for the Fringe.

Adam knew a lot of people in the Fringe, including his two best alien friends Kaylor and Jym. He scanned the CW links for their location, and after several tries, found an old acquaintance who knew of the relationship and wasn’t afraid to give him their contact information.

Soon, Kaylor’s pale face, with the faint tracks of purple veins just below the skin, was on the screen. He didn’t seem excited to see the Human, but it wasn’t because of anything Adam had done.

“We are being inundated with Nuorean warships,” the Belsonian reported. “At first, there was talk of resisting, but then the numbers became so great.”

“How many do you think?”

“I have heard as many ten thousand warships, maybe more.”

Adam whistled, which made his alien friend frown. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever whistled before in Kaylor’s presence. “Where are you now?” he asked.

“Castor. The underground cities here seem safer than those on the surface of other worlds.”

“You’re not in the FS-475?”

“No, there is very little space travel now, not with the Nuorean’s practice of stopping ships and commandeering their crews for their games. Even Angar and his Fringe Pirates are grounded to a certain degree, even though they have sided with the locals and are helping to provide guidance and warnings concerning fleet movements.”

“The Nuor are doing their games again?”

“Yes, in fact on a much larger scale. Do you remember the planet Qidos?” Kaylor asked.

“Yeah, one of the minor worlds in the Fringe, towards the edge, if I recall. Not much there. Why?”

“The Nuoreans have taken it over and built hundreds of their combat arenas. They have the fights going day and night. That is where the main concentration of their forces lay.” Kaylor’s expression turned even more serious. “And Adam, they appear to be particularly interested in Humans, searching local worlds for all they can find.”

“What are they doing with them?”

“Castorian labor crews—and others—are rotated to Qidos for the construction on a daily basis. They come back to report that the Humans are simply being warehoused. Very few are scheduled for the arena, although special facilities appear to be under construction near where others of your race are being quartered.”

“Have you heard anything about Sherri, Riyad or Copernicus?”

“Copernicus? Why would I hear of him?”

Adam smiled, remembering how Kaylor and Jym had been caught up in the spy’s nefarious activities a couple of years ago. He went on to explain how Coop was really a deep-cover operative working for the Union and was tasked with locating the elusive Klin when all the shit came down. Now he was working with Riyad and Sherri to locate a new Nuorean entry point into the galaxy.

“I find that hard to believe,” said Kalor after Adam was through. “He sold us to the Klin. It was not until ten days later we were rescued, making it quite possible we would have died within that time. Even if he was looking for the Klin for noble purposes, it seems we were expendable in his efforts.”

“So true, my friend,” said Adam, “but right now he’s on our side and with Sherri and Riyad.”

“A fleet just arrived from the Kidis, which you say is where the entry point was rumored? A battle was lost there a short time ago, before the one employing the Sol-Kor suppressor beam. This fleet may be the victors, now joining the others.”

“They could be with them, and being moved to where the other Humans are being held.”

“It would make sense.”

“I’m coming to Castor. Don’t leave.”

“We have no intention of leaving; it would be too dangerous. Yet you are weeks away. By the time you arrive, the situation may have changed.”

“I’ll be there in two days.”

“How?”

“I have the Najmah Fayd, the trans-dimensional starship.”

“The one which allows travel to the Sol-Kor universe?”

“One and the same.”

“Are Jym and I to join in your latest adventure?”

“That’s up to you. But I could always use the help, especially from people I trust.”

“I appreciate your confidence, Adam. Please include us. We do not want to sit idle as others fight our battles. I will contact Angar, if you wish.”

“Having a force of notorious space pirates on our side couldn’t hurt, either. Thanks. See you in two days.”

Chapter 20

“It’s a massive force, Admiral, which seems concentrated around one planet in the Fringe. With the three completed beam platforms, plus a hundred beamships, we should be able to cover enough space to make a pretty big dent in their operational strength.”

Admiral Nathan Smith looked at the Lt. Commander with skepticism. “What kind of strength of our own could we muster if we attacked at the soonest?”

“Six thousand ships…possibly.”

“That’s it?”

“Fighting units are at the lowest they’ve been in years, sir. After Cain’s crusade, the Juireans were just about depleted, and we weren’t that much better. Then for the year afterwards, there wasn’t any great urgency to replace them, not with Lila Bol preventing all major conflicts in the galaxy. When the Nuoreans showed up, we weren’t prepared. And they’ve also taken a toll on what reserves we did have.”

Smith looked at his datapad. “Six thousand would be about seventy-five percent of our existing units—and that’s across the entire galaxy. That’s a lot to risk in one engagement.”

“But with the beams we wouldn’t need even that many. Look at the last engagement, sir. We could have done the same with only a hundred ships—after the beamships got through with them. It was just a matter of moving throughout the battlefield and destroying enemy ships. I wish I could have been there.”

“That was the first engagement, Commander, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Nuor, they don’t make the same mistake twice.”

“How can they stop us? It’s only been a couple of weeks. There’s no way they could have figured out what happened and then done anything about it. I say we strike now before they do.”

His young adjutant was right. But so was the admiral. There was a narrow window of opportunity to act. The Nuoreans were master game players, strategists of extraordinary ability. So it wasn’t a matter of if they would find a counter to the suppressor beams, but when.

And yet with all his respect for the Nuoreans superior tactics, they did appear to have made a mistake. The strategy of avoiding allied contact had been working. And by dividing their forces, they took advantage of the small number of beam platforms available for deployment. Now they’d consolidated all their forces in one location, allowing the relatively few platforms available to be brought to bear against their entire Milky Way contingent.

That didn’t make sense.

But the enemy did have over ten thousand ships. That would instill any area commander with a sense of strength and security.

Smith looked at the beam-spread analysis readout again. The platforms had been originally designed to subdue planets from orbit. Because of the nature of such large, round objects, it usually took three platforms to cover the surface area adequately. But the range of an individual platform in clear space was impressive, extending out a quarter a light-year before losing strength. Three of them, positioned properly, could dominate a considerable area. And then as one section was cleared, the beam could be shifted.

Yes, it was possible that their existing three platforms—and accompanying support units—could eliminate the bulk of the Nuorean concentration, if the Nuoreans cooperated. And so far they had.

“Very well, Commander,” Smith said. “Contact Juirean Command and the Formilians. Tell them to get the platforms to us ASAP. I’ll begin assembling the attack fleet. We go in ten days.”

Chapter 21

Theoretically, it was possible for Adam to jump the Najmah Fayd five thousand light-years or more at a time. The problem came with the landing. The longer the jump, the more likely he could materialize in the middle of a star, a gas cloud or an asteroid belt. So shorter jumps—those with more reliable data—were the general rule. Still, going from the edge of the Kidis to the Fringe in only two days was remarkable.

Once in the region, Adam contacted Kaylor again and got his exact location. Adam smiled when he heard the name of the city Krune. When he was active as an alien assassin, the city had been his home base. His primary source of business—the gangster Seton Amick—lived there, up until the time he didn’t live anymore. His unfortunate demise was precipitated by another freelance alien assassin—one Sherri Valentine, Human.

The homecoming should have been more nostalgic, but with the Fringe flooded with dangerous alien warcraft, Adam had to be careful he didn’t attract too much attention. He made shorter and shorter jumps as he approached the planet, and once on the outskirts of the Castorian system, he engaged the conventional gravity-drive and made a beeline for Krune. There were Nuorean ships lingering within the system, and it wouldn’t pay for him to be challenged and for the aliens to attempt a boarding. He’d have to split before they could, and that would set off the alarms.

Castor is a mining world, which hundreds of years before the natives had stripped nearly all vegetation from the surface in their quest for their precious raw materials. This had the effect of dropping the oxygen in the atmosphere to unhealthy levels. Although the natives adapted, they still utilized the vast network of abandoned underground excavations to move the population underground, where they could better regulate the oxygen content. Adam would still have to wear a nose mask when not within an enclosed structure such as a house or a hotel room where the O2 content could be adjusted.

He didn’t like leaving the Najmah Fayd outside in the commercial spaceport, but he had no choice. On the way to Castor, Adam had developed a thread of a plan, based on something Kaylor had told him. He initiated the first phase while still hopping through time and space on his way to the Fringe.

He took a plastic locking wedge from the hangar bay and drilled a half-inch in diameter by two-inch-deep hole into it. Next, he filled the hole with silicone sealant and once it set, he repeated the procedure. He found a marking pen with light blue ink and traced fine lines on his face, after which he glued his silicone creations to his earlobes. After shaving all but a trace of hair from his head, he surveyed image in a mirror. Not perfect, but passable.

Upon landing, Adam contacted Kaylor and Jym and had them meet him at the Najmah Fayd. As the hatch slid open and Kaylor entered, the alien’s shocked reaction wasn’t what Adam was hoping for.

“No! It will not pass,” said the Belsonian.

“Why not?”

“The under-veins are much too prominent, and the capens are—well, they are just not right.”

Adam assumed his ear dangles were called capens. He never knew they actually had a name, even though it made sense that they would. “Sure, I may not fool a Belsonian, but the Nuor don’t have that much experience with all the species in the galaxy. All I want to do is not look like a Human.”

“It is risky, my friend.”

“It’s the best I could come up with.”

What followed was a quick welcoming, both for the Belsonian and for Jym, his four-foot-tall Falqin companion. After the rescue from the Klin colony ship, the pair had been nursed back to health aboard a Human medical ship before being released. They recovered their precious Muleship—the FS-475—and returned to the Fringe. Adam hadn’t spoken with them for over two years.

This homecoming was bittersweet, coming at such a time and under dire circumstances.

“I am to suspect the disguise is part of your plan?” asked Jym.

“It is.” Adam turned to Kaylor. “Tell me more about the work crews and how all that works.”

“The Nuor learned early on that the Castorians were master with ground work and other such construction. About four months ago they enlisted a force of forty thousand to help build their combat arenas on Qidos.”

“But you said they rotate this work force between planets. Why would they do that?”

“Rather than build facilities to house such a large force—plus feed and care for them—the Nuor simply transport half the force between the planets twice a day. They have a large compound not far from Krune where they first dropped the crews, without food or shelter. The natives arrived with tents and supplies, all at their own expense. The Nuor allow this since it provides them with a massive work force without any of the expense of caring for them. All they do is load twenty thousand at a time into huge troop transports and shuttle them back and forth. They have figured it is cheaper to do it this way.”

“But the natives are allowed into the compound to deliver the supplies?”

“That is correct. They are given passes which allow them to leave the compound. However, every thirteen hours the area is cleared of all occupants and placed aboard the transport ships before the current work shift arrives. Anyone still in the compound at that time is taken to Qidos and their passes voided. They become part of the work force from then on.”

“You mentioned others are taken to Qidos as well.”

“Yes, specialists.”

“Like engineers?”

“Correct.”

Adam smiled. “I’d like you to meet the newest construction engineer assigned to the Human facility.”

“Who is that?” Jym asked, confused.

“Me, Jym, it’s me. I’m the new engineer, recently recruited from the local Belsonian population.”

“I was not aware Belsonians were known for their engineering expertise.”

“Well they are now, and that’s all the Nuoreans need to know. Now listen up; here’s my plan.”

********

Adam spent the next two days training Kaylor and Jym on the operation of the Najmah Fayd. Both were excellent pilots and had flown just about every type of starship in the galaxy, so the job was relatively easy. Next, he used his ATD to create a ghost image of the device in the ship’s computer. This would allow for much longer communication between the ship and himself. He added a homing feature into the computer as well.

“Once I’ve found Sherri and the others, I’ll contact the ship and have it home in on my position. I can jump it remotely, but not all the way to the surface. That would be too dangerous. I can get it about ten miles above the surface, and from there you’ll have to manually pilot it the rest of the way. Once we’re all onboard, we can jump from there out a few hundred light-years to make our escape.”

Kaylor frowned. “You mentioned when we are aboard. Does that mean you, Sherri, Riyad and Copernicus?”

“Well…yeah. Who else?”

“There are several hundred Humans where you are going, according to the reports. What about them?”

Adam hadn’t thought about that. All he’d been concerned with were his friends. “We can’t take everyone aboard the Najmah Fayd. Maybe a few others, if it works out.”

“I was just asking.”

“It was a good question. I’ll think on that a little more, see if there’s anything else we can do for them. Otherwise, I’m sure allied military command is working on a plan. I wouldn’t expect them to be sitting around letting the Nuoreans colonize the Fringe. They have to have something in the works.”

Chapter 22

Admiral Smith still wasn’t happy. All he’d managed to assemble was five thousand seven-hundred ships. The Nuoreans now numbered close to eleven thousand, which was five thousand more than they should have had, meaning they were still bringing new units into the galaxy. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even consider going up against a force nearly twice his size. If he lost, that would open up the bulk of the galaxy to the invaders. But with the not-so-secret-anymore beam platforms, he felt he had the advantage. Or at least he hoped he did.

The fleet was assembled between the Fringe and the planet Hyben. Smith already had one platform on station; the other two were on their way. In three days they would arrive and then it would be off to the Fringe, with another four days of travel. A fleet his size would be hard to hide, and if the Nuoreans scattered again, he could only pursue three of their fleets. Any of his squadrons without a platform would be fair game for the invaders’ run-and-trap strategy. Honestly, Smith had no idea how many other Nuoreans were in the galaxy, just waiting to ambush any non-platform-protected allied forces.

The antacid he’d taken an hour ago wasn’t helping. He still had the burning in his stomach thinking of the near future. If he got it wrong, the galaxy could be lost. If he was right, the invaders would be badly crippled, but not defeated. They still had ways to enter the galaxy and with no viable plan to stop them. If the Nuoreans wanted to shut down for a while as they developed a counter for the suppressor beam, they could, just to resume the invasion again when ready.

But first things first; Admiral Nathan Smith had to gain the upper hand. If he could produce a respite, then possibly the allies could come up with a more permanent solution to the crisis. If not, then the Milky Way was in for a long, hard slog to the finish line.

Chapter 23

Adam eventually capitulated and let Kaylor modify his disguise. He didn’t see how the changes made that much of a difference, but to the Belsonian they did.

“There, that is better,” said Kaylor. “Yet beware the surprise on the face of another Belsonian if you encounter one.”

Adam had seen the huge worker’s compound from space when he landed but didn’t know what it was. It was located about twenty miles southeast of the spaceports in the middle of an arid desert made up of abrasive red sand. There had been no rhyme or reason why the Nuoreans had set up the camp there; it just seemed like a good place at the time to dump the workers. Since then a wide road had been cut in the desert which the natives used to ferry supplies back and forth.

Using the rotation schedule Kaylor had given him, Adam set off in the early afternoon for the camp. He took a paid transport to the main security gate and stepped out into the hottest part of the day. It was sweltering, with a steady ten-mile-per-hour breeze whipping up dust devils and other huge clouds of ruddy sand. Adam was dressed in a dark blue, one-piece work outfit with a multitude of pockets and an elastic waistband over which he’d placed a small utility belt. He carried no identification or weapons, just the Belsonian disguise he was worried would melt away in the intense heat.

It was nearing the shift change so most of the foot traffic was headed out of the compound. Anyone not out when the transports arrived would be scooped up and hauled away, with all exit privileges revoked.

Adam walked up to the huge guard shack and flagged down a stern-looking Nuorean. The alien was tall, stocky and without a bead of sweat on his head, which made Adam believe the weather on Castor was much like that of Nuor. For his part, Adam wore a full face mask made of clear plastic that shielded his face and eyes from the abuse of the blowing sand, while also feeding a trickle supply of oxygen from a small canister he had clipped to the utility belt.

The guard looked him over, focusing on the dangling appendages from his earlobes. The added scrutiny made Adam mentally thank Kaylor for the time he spent attaching the capens to his ears, otherwise the crude method he’d first used would have been a dead giveaway.

“I am a new conscript,” Adam shouted through the mask. “I am a construction engineer assigned to the Human compound. I was told to report here.”

“How long will you be on Qidos?”

“Maybe three days.”

The alien worked on his datapad. After a moment, he produced a plastic badge from a unit under the computer. “Proceed to the landing area. Any transport will do; they all land at the same spot. Show the badge to a Nuorean guard and you will be directed to the proper ground transport. When leaving, you will return here, yet go to the tech gate for exit. The badge is good for only one exit, three days from now. Proceed forward.”

Adam stepped through the gate and into the compound, surprised by the ease of the entry. But then he snickered. Who would infiltrate a massive compound of conscripted slave labor? Getting in was easy; getting out was a whole other affair.

Early on, thousands of tents had been brought in by the natives. They remained, creating a massive city of canvass in the middle of the desert. This was home to the workers. And when their numbers began to run low, the Nuoreans would simply draft another thousand or so from the native population.

Masses of Castorians—along with a smattering of other species—were gathered around a huge landing field at the far western side of the camp. They moved in slow motion, dejected, with very little talk. These were the workers who had been following this same routine for over four months: transports would land, load up twenty thousand conscripts, and then lift off, leaving the compound empty. Three hours later, other transports would land and deposit the first work crew, comprised of another twenty thousand-strong work force returning from Qidos. Thirteen hours later the transports would return and the process repeated, around the clock, every day. All sleep, meals, and medical care had to be done within this thirteen-hour period. Fortunately, caring volunteers would flood into the prison once the workers were offloaded, with food, water and other supplies and help their fellow natives recover as best they could from their latest shift at hard labor.

Adam mingled with the crowd, ignored for most part until an old Castorian with a craggy face took note.

“You are a new addition,” the native observed. “I have seen your kind, yet I do not recall the name.”

“Belsonian,” Adam answered. “There are not too many of us in the Fringe.”

“Are you a tech?”

“Yes, an engineer, assigned to the Human section.”

The old looked a little sadder. “Your first trip?”

“Yes.”

“The facilities you are constructing are some of the largest. They appear to be many, so I am afraid your time with us will be prolonged.”

“I return in three days.”

The alien snorted. “If you are good, you will not leave. There are places on Qidos where the techs are kept. You will have more value to the invaders than Castorians like me and be treated differently.”

Adam studied the old face. “What is it you do?”

“I am too old for the dirt crews, so I control a mover, huge piece of equipment used to clear space for the arenas. They are building thousands. Many will die, both in the arenas and in the work crews. Many have already.”

Thunder was heard above and Adam looked up to see a line of small black dots descending from the cloudless sky.

“The transports,” said Adam’s new friend. “They carry five thousand each. They arrive empty to load us first. Then the prior shift arrives. The invaders do not want all forty thousand workers merging—too much confusion. This way they clear all from the compound and worry not for identification. If you are here, you go.”

As the ships approached they grew larger until Adam could see they were truly gigantic spacecraft. They would have to be to carry five thousand troops at a time. They landed in a blinding cloud of stinging sand and hot chemical exhaust, before several huge panels opened on each face and the compliant workers began to board.

“Hurry,” said the Castorian. “If we are among the first on, we can enjoy the cooler air inside longer than the later entries.”

Adam followed the old creature. They entered the nearest transport—still radiating intense heat from the landing—and headed for one of the wide stairways leading to the higher levels. The interior of the ship was one large open bay, divided by five floors made of thick metal screen. At the top of the ladder, the old Castorian led Adam to the far back wall. There were hundreds of supports placed between the floor and ceiling on each level—looking like subway poles—along with thousands of canvass loops hanging from the ceiling. The Castorian claimed a spot and took hold of a strap. Adam did the same.

Within five minutes, all five thousand workers for this transport were aboard, and crowding Adam and the old Castorian. One of the natives came up to Adam and stared at him with contempt before moving off. This was probably his spot, but he didn’t have time to make a fuss. The ship lifted thirty seconds later.

Adam’s new friend was right about the air conditioning. The slight drop in temperature—as compared to outside—came as a relief. Even the oxygen level climbed to the point he could remove the mask. However, the stench was almost unbearable.

It was a four-hour journey to Qidos. Four hours cramped into a closed space with five thousand aliens, without any restrooms or places to sit. The floor was a heavy metal grate, and Adam could imagine what it was like on the lower levels, where refuse, sweat and piss filtered down to the unfortunate thousand or so aliens too slow to reach the higher floors. The conditions were horrific, and this was just the ride to the planet. He could hardly imagine how it could get any worse.

********

Adam had threaded an arm through the canvass loop and was literally dangling there half asleep when the transport began its landing approach. The hum of the generators changed and the gravity shifted to that of Qidos, which was slightly less than Castor, which in turn was right at Juirean standard—three-quarters that of Earth. His new friend had said taking the higher levels would give them more time to enjoy the cooler temperature aboard the ship. He was right, but the sickening odor overrode that benefit. Once the ship was down, Adam gave a quick nod to his companion, and then shoved his way across the floor, down the stairs and out into the bright sunshine of Qidos.

And he thought Castor was hot….

Adam had spent a lot of time in the Fringe, yet he’d never set foot on Qidos. Very few did. It was a blistering ball of red sand, looking much like Castor, yet without all the charm and natural beauty. It was dry, windswept and barren. The Nuor had selected the planet because it would be easy to claim vast stretches of flat land and construct hundreds of combat arenas. There was a salty sea covering about a third of the planet, and one of the first things the Nuor did was set up a series of huge desalination plants to supply their burgeoning colony with drinking water. They brought in processors and vast quantities of food paste to keep themselves fed, and Adam understood immediately why they chose to shuttle the work crews back and forth. There just wasn’t enough food and water on the planet to support them.

What vegetation there was on the planet bordered the sea or was to the north and south, at the poles, providing the planet with an atmosphere right on the edge of Human tolerance. Adam wouldn’t have to wear the mask while on the planet, which was both a blessing and curse. Everyone he passed seemed fascinated with his capens, and without a mirror nearby, he had no idea what they looked like in the heat of Qidos. He measured them with his fingers, glad to find they hadn’t stretched much beyond their original two inches in length. He was expecting the silicone appendages to be down to his shoulders by now.

Even with the heat, Adam was now free of the gagging stench of the transport, yet still pressed into a throng of Castorian workers disembarking from the ship. But that all changed in less than five minutes. All the workers knew where to go, and go they did, leaving Adam—along with a dozen non-Castorians—standing alone on the dirt of Qidos, looking lost and confused.

Several Nuoreans approached, checking badges and giving directions.

The alien checking his badge did a double take.

“Human,” he said. Adam’s stomach tightened. “I’m told they are master players. I look forward to joining them in the arena once the fields are complete. Are you familiar with the species?”

“I have met a few.”

“Are they as formidable as rumored?”

“From what I have seen, they are the most vicious, savage, deadly creatures in the galaxy. No creature, here or elsewhere, can stand against them.”

At first the Nuorean appeared defiant, but then his features softened. “Then perhaps they will be classified Jundac.”

“What is Jundac?”

“Too dangerous to challenge, a threat to the Nuor.”

“What happens then?”

“They will be exterminated.”

“Yet arenas are being built to fight them?”

“Special events, with pre-determined outcomes,” said the Nuorean with a smile. “Or there will be mass slaughter demonstrations, using a variety of methods, all very entertaining.”

The Nuorean suddenly changed his tone. “Enough talk. You can board the blue transport over there and it will take you to the Human section. Check in at the watch building. You may already be late. Now go.”

********

Adam did as he was told and boarded the six-row, open-air electric transport. There was no driver, and once Adam joined the other four creatures in the cart, it set off along a road formed in the hard ground.

The journey took him through a maze of completed arenas, as well as many more still under construction. The place reminded him of the Wimbledon tennis complex, yet on steroids. There was easily a ten-to-one ratio of small challenge fields with spectator rows numbering only five, compared to the huge multi-field stadiums like the one he’d been in on the first Nuorean prison planet in the Radis Spur. All the smaller fields he passed were filled with Nuoreans, either watching the contests or as challenge participants. The cart moved slowly enough for him to see several conclusions to the battles taking place, many lasting only a few seconds. An occasional Nuorean would fall, but over ninety percent of the losers were aliens from the Milky Way. The invaders had a fleet of around ten thousand ships in the Fringe, full of Nuoreans anxious to earn immunity points, and their leaders were giving them what they wanted.

The cart dropped off the other four occupants at various locations before finally arriving at a segregated area about a mile from the main cluster of arenas. It stopped, and as soon as Adam jumped it, it took off to locations unknown.

About forty feet away was a strange looking building. It was made from a huge excavated pit covered over by slabs of marble leaning against each other at radical angles. The rock ceiling covered the pit, with the gaps filled with glass windows. A door was set in a rock wall down a series of stairs.

Before Adam entered the building he took a look around. There were several of the stadium structures under construction and one that was ready. There were none of the smaller fields, just the grand arenas. Six contemporary buildings sat off to the left, looking like barracks and made of either pre-fab material compressed from local rock and sand or shipped in from off planet. Sherri and the others would be there—if they were here at all.

He entered the watch building.

Light filtered in through the window making the interior bright, but not as bright as outside. Adam found it refreshing. The air inside, however, was only slightly cooler than outside. Normally heat like this would sap his energy, but Adam was feeling great, enthused about the prospect of finding his friends…and anxious to start busting some heads, if it came down to that.

He frowned and checked his emotions. Down boy, he thought. You’re on a planet full of deadly aliens, you don’t even know if the others are here, and you’re completely on your own. Hardly the time to get all gung-ho.

Three Nuoreans sat at desks on the other side of a four-foot-high counter. Adam walked up to the barrier and one of aliens came over to him. Adam handed over his badge.

Without a word, the guard went back to his desk and began making entries in his computer. He returned a few moments later.

“There is no record of an engineer tech arriving today.”

Adam’s face lit up. “Does that mean I can go? I can go back to Castor?” He turned to leave.

“Stop!” commanded the Nuorean. “I did not say that.”

“But if you have no record, then I should not be here.”

“The badge gives this location.”

“But I am not in your computer.”

The alien looked at the badge again, the one created for him by the Nuoreans back on Castor. “No, you will wait while I investigate more. Sit over there.” He pointed to a long bench seat made of native stone—wood was a rare commodity on Qidos.

“For how long?”

“Until I tell you otherwise,” the Nuorean growled.

Adam acquiesced and took a seat.

********

Three hours later Adam was still seated on the rock slab. He kept adjusting his position, and every time he did, the Nuorean guard would frown at him. He was wondering how long this could go on when he heard a rumbling coming from outside. A shuttle was landing in a clearing near the building.

A few moments later a group of huge Nuoreans entered, each wearing a distinctive dark grey uniform with a yellow stripe on the breast. They were serious and stern-faced and passed Adam without a second glance.

The local guard then stepped up to him.

“I still have not been able to find your assignment log,” he began, “but because you are a tech, you will not be allowed to leave. Techs are always needed.”

The door to the building opened again, yet Adam was so engrossed in his conversation with the Nuorean guard, that he almost missed Sherri as she walked by.

But she didn’t. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open the instant she saw through Adam’s weak disguise. She turned her head away as fast as she could, as a hulking Nuorean in a grey uniform behind her gave a shove.  He frowned and turned an eye on Adam, who quickly shifted his attention back to the guard. Riyad and Copernicus entered next, followed by another six grey-suited aliens. His friends were hassling with their escorts and didn’t notice Adam.

Adam’s Nuorean guard took him by the arm and led him to a doorway on the right. As he entered, Adam glanced back and saw the huge officer with Sherri looking back at him, the frown still pasted on the alien’s forehead.

Adam was placed in a chair in front of another Nuorean.

“You are a construction engineer?”

“Yes.”

“What is your race?”

“Belsonian.”

The alien worked on his computer. “You will be assigned to lodge six-nine. Your work duration shall be twenty-three ND-12 days.”

“What are ND-12 days?”

“Days on this planet, as designated ND-12.”

“I thought it was Qidos?”

“Not any longer.”

********

The Cadre escort placed the three Humans in plastic chairs while Azon stood by the closed door, wondering why he felt strange. Something had just happened, and he was disturbed.

The Nuoreans were extreme players, and one of the most important skills to master was that of awareness—awareness of surroundings, environment and even the subtle changes in an opponent. The Human Sherri Valentine had reacted strangely to the alien outside the room. There was something, a form of recognition. The blue-veined creature had reacted in kind. Yet what was most compelling…they both tried to hide their reactions.

Azon stared at the Human female; she was avoiding his eyes. Why? He continued to stare, as she took furtive glances his way. Finally their eyes locked and the Human’s mouth fell open.

Azon ran from the room.

“No!” the female cried out from behind him.

Azon flung open the door at the end of the stone bench. The alien was seated at a desk, but he jumped to his feet when Azon entered. The jaw was set, the blue eyes staring at the Cadre player with a warrior’s intensity.

Four more Cadre entered the room, having followed their leader without knowing what was happening. They had weapons drawn, now locked on the alien with the strangely shaped ears.

Azon reached forward and grasped one of the soft appendages…and then he pulled. The two-inch long finger of skin came loose in his hands, yet left no blood or signs of distress from the alien.

“I am humbled…and impressed,” said Azon. “You made it here, through our entire fleet, and never detected.”

“I have skills.”

“As I have heard.” Azon removed a small kissil knife from his uniform and ran the blade lightly over the alien’s left cheek. A thin line of red blood appeared. “So, this is the real Adam Cain, and not some mutant surrogate. Very good. Now let us see how well your mortal skills serve you while under my care and custody.”

The alien grinned, producing a full array of long white teeth. “Let the games begin—asshole.”

********

Adam was moved into the lobby of the building as Sherri, Riyad and Coop were brought from the other room. Sherri tried to run to him, but was restrained by the Cadre troops.

“I’m so sorry!” she cried. “I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s not your fault.”

The foursome was led outside and across the parched landscape to one of the barracks. They entered a building without air conditioning or anything else for that matter except for row upon row of mattresses placed on the floor and bathroom comprised on just holes in the stone floor. Nearly all the mats had an emaciated Human resting on them, watching with vacant eyes. Yet as the new prisoners moved along the open central corridor, faces began to light up with recognition. Some of the prisoners sat up, while others stood. Slowly sporadic clapping began, followed by a growing chorus of cheers. By the time Adam reached the end of the building, it was filled with raucous celebration.

The Nuorean guards at first tried to quell the outburst but then gave up. At the end of the room were a dozen empty mattresses. They nodded to Adam’s group and then turned and left.

Adam turned to face the throng, raised a hand and smiled. “Thank you, thank you,” he said, barely heard through the cheering.

“Are you here to save us?” someone shouted.

“We’re working on it,” Adam called out. “Please, let us have some time to assess the situation.”

“You’re…you’re a prisoner, just like us.” another voice pointed out.

“They captured all of you too?”

The cheering was dying down at an alarming clip as the reality of the situation sank in. Adam Cain and his famous entourage were not there to rescue them; on the contrary, they were in the same boat as the others. Depression swept through the barracks and the prisoners turned away.

Adam hated to be the object of their disappointment, but he did welcome the privacy it offered. He plopped down on one of the thin cushions. Sherri sat next to him. She tore a strip of cloth from her already tattered blouse and ran it across her wet forehead, before wiping the thin blue lines from his face. He pulled off the remaining capen, returning his look to that of the classic Human. Riyad sat on a pad across from him.

“Did you bring any playing cards?” he asked. “It looks like we may be here for a while.”

Copernicus Smith wasn’t so nonchalant. “The mutants—are they with you?”

The sick grin on Adam’s face told the story. “No…they’ve left again. This time we’re on our own.”

“How about fleet command? Have you been in touch with them?”

“Negative on that too.”

Coop let the stare linger. “You came here alone, into the very heart of the Nuorean fleet. So what’s your plan?”

“I thought we’d go on the offensive…and kill every damn Nuorean we see.” He looked around at his friends. “Who’s with me?”

They didn’t see the humor in the comment, having just spent two weeks in the custody of the aliens. Hope had abandoned them long ago, and Adam wasn’t doing anything to help bring it back.

“They’re setting up some team challenge against us and the guys in the grey suits,” Sherri reported. “Now that you’re here, I’m sure it will be a really big deal.”

“Who’s the dude with the big mouth?”

“He’s called Azon,” Sherri began. “He’s in charge of a special unit of Nuoreans who analyze dangerous races—”

“Jundac?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“I heard it through the grapevine. Go on.”

“I think they’ve pretty much decided on destroying the Human race, but they want to have some fun doing it. This huge challenge match will be the start.”

Adam looked at his companions. “Are any of you hurt?”

Riyad shook his head. He had some bruises on his face, but they were healing. “We’re fine.” He looked down the length of the barracks. “Which is more than I can say about these poor souls. It looks like the Nuoreans don’t want any real competition.”

“It’s all fixed anyway,” Sherri said. There was long moment of awkward silence before she spoke again. “What are we going to do?”

This time the light-hearted humor was gone from Adam’s voice, replaced instead by almost a growl. “We’re going to win…that’s what we’re going to do.”

Chapter 24

“Admiral, there’s an urgent message coming in for you from Earth. It will be in the SCIF,” said the voice through the speaker in the officer’s away cabin.

Nathan Smith rose from the bunk and headed for CIC. Communications received through the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility aboard the flagship had to be important. Recently, Smith had been deluged with a flood of seemingly priority messages coming from the Juireans and the Formilians that were anything but. The aliens hadn’t yet grasped the concept of the words important and secret.

However, this message was coming from Earth.

Once settled in, a security officer opened the link.

Admiral Morton Hollingsworth, commander of Union military forces was on the screen, along with Rolf Kushner, another admiral who ran the Military Technology and Development Division.

“I hope you’re about to pull a rabbit out your hat, sir,” Nathan said. “I have a very bad feeling about our upcoming engagement.”

“The feeling’s mutual, Admiral,” said Hollingsworth. “We have some intelligence that has us worried.”

“What’s that?”

Kushner took over. “We’ve just received reports that the Nuoreans have acquired fifty thousand Formilian circuit controllers. They raided a planet where they were stored and that was all they took.”

“Controllers? What for?”

“I’ve had my people trying to figure that out. The only thing they can come up with is they’re for some kind of electronic device which they can’t get the parts in from Andromeda.”

“You think this has something to do with beam nullifiers, don’t you?”

“We can’t think of anything else they would need so quickly and so desperately.”

“So the mission’s an abort.” Smith stated without emotion.

“On the contrary,” said Hollingsworth.

Admiral Smith shook his head. “Pardon me, sir, but how can we go up against a force twice our strength knowing they may have a way of countering our so-called secret weapon?”

“Because we have something new,” said Kushner, with a thin smile. Smith let him talk. “Remember the nuclear torpedoes Captain Cain used during his campaign against the Juireans?”

“Tell me you’ve solved the energy problem,” Smith said with urgency. “The after-action report said he was able to make them work with the help of that energy ball he had.”

“We don’t have an energy ball, but we’ve been able to solve the problem—sort of.”

“Sort of?”

Now the grin grew into a full-blown smile. “We basically bypassed the problem.”

“Dammit, Rolf! Get to the point. I’m launching in nine hours—maybe.”

“Sorry, Nate. What we’ve done is build an entire starship around the torpedoes and packed it with batteries and generators. It’s not as elegant a solution as Cain came up with, but it will work—once.”

“Go on.”

The smile was gone from Kushner’s face, replaced by a serious, professional demeanor. “We still have a power problem, but in order to overcome it we had to go big. The ship is one huge power station, designed to first jump to a location—again only once—and then to power the torpedoes. But then we went a step further. Instead of launching the torpedoes individually, they will all be fanned out at once, forming one gigantic nuclear bloom. And where the most torpedoes Cain launched at a time was six, this weapon will launch forty at a time.”

Smith whistled. “And each with the same yield as Cain’s torpedoes?”

“That’s right.”

Smith locked eyes with Admiral Hollingsworth. “Where’s this ship?”

“We have it stationed on our side of the Barrier,” Hollingsworth replied. “Since the energy requirements are so enormous, it can only do a short trans-dimensional jump, not more than fifty light-years. And remember, Admiral, this is a one-time-use weapon.”

“But it could be a game-changer.”

“If the Nuoreans do have beam nullifiers,” said Rolf Kushner. “Let me warn you, Nate, this is a powerful weapon, more powerful than anything ever detonated before. We’re not sure what affect it will have on the Fringe. Use it only as a last resort.”

“Am I to have operational command?”

“Yes; access codes will be transmitted soon.”

Admiral Smith frowned. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Hollingsworth looked to Kushner, both faces serious. “The impact zone, it’s unknown,” he said. “But estimates predict that with the effective range of the beam platforms, they may be at risk should the weapon have to be deployed.”

“That means so will most of my fleet. So I’ll sacrifice a large part of my force to destroy a large part of the enemies’?”

“The classic definition of a tactic tradeoff.”

That didn’t make Nathan feel any better, knowing he’d achieve a Pyrrhic victory in the end. “But the Nuoreans are still bringing in fresh units from Andromeda. Do have an answer to their buildup?”

“We have the resources of an entire galaxy behind us, Admiral,” Hollingsworth said with venom. “We better have an answer…if we expect to survive.”

Chapter 25

If there was one thing Adam Cain had learned about the Nuor it was that they didn’t procrastinate. When they said they were going to have a major team challenge with the Humans, they meant it. Three hours after entering the barracks, the four prisoners were led out and taken to the completed stadium half a mile away.

They entered through underground tunnels, past holding cells and even a well-stocked armory, yet even then, they could hear the roar of the massive crowd of spectators filling the Grand Arena. Preliminary matches were taking place, and from the joyous sound of the audience, the weak Humans selected for these bouts weren’t fairing very well.

Each of the four Humans assigned to the main event were given matching white uniforms—one piece with no pockets or flaps where weapons could be hidden—and designed to show blood more easily to the distant audience. Rubber-soled, soft-sided shoes were placed on their feet and they were given shin protectors. That was the only armor they were provided.

Finally, weight-belts were locked around their waists, ostensibly to overcome the Human’s physical advantage in the light gravity of Qidos. It seemed the Nuoreans were once again one step ahead of Adam and his team.

Adam had heard the stories of Panur’s fight with the Nuorean leader, so he had some idea what to expect—the most troubling being that the alien had placed poison on his sword. If it had been Adam in the challenge instead of Panur, he would have surely died, if not from the blade, then from the toxin. The same held true for the coming conflict.

Once dressed, the Humans were paraded out into the harsh Qidos sunlight.

The blast of heat was incredible; even the breeze blowing outside was blocked by the towering walls of the stadium, providing no relief. Still, Adam felt energized, confident. When he noticed his emotions, he frowned. This was unusual, even for him. Unfortunately, his teammates weren’t feeling so confident.

This field of battle didn’t have all the blocks, walls, pits and barricades as the one he’d seen before. This was just a flat area with a small pond filled with brackish water and a few small boulders embedded in the hard ground.

Adam looked across the arena and saw an entrance that looked like a baseball bullpen. Nearly a dozen of the grey-uniformed Nuoreans were packed inside, some standing, others seated. There were a lot more than four of them, and Adam sincerely hoped this wasn’t going to be tag-team event. If it was, he had no other players to tag.

The Humans were placed at the center of the field and given three-foot-long, double-sided blades, with metal pommels and four-inch cross-guards. The grips were made of a leather-like material, providing decent tackiness for a firm hold. They were quality weapons, but it wasn’t the Humans’ swords Adam was worried about.

Four of the Third Cadre players marched to the center of the arena. The crowd erupted with deafening cheers. As they approached, Adam studied them. They had distinct features, but not radically so. Even then, their leader—the one known as Azon—stood out. He was six inches taller than the others, with broad shoulders and rippled muscles straining under the form-fitting uniform. The outfits they wore had only very short sleeves, revealing powerful arms, down to the point where forearm guards were strapped in place. They also had shin guards and breastplates—hardly matching the scant protection afforded the Humans.

The huge alien was smiling as he walked up to Adam.

The cut he’d made on Adam’s cheek was only a thin red line. “You heal quickly, Human, yet not fast enough.” He looked over at Sherri. “As you see, I have decided to include you in this team challenge. Your affiliation with the males is the reason. You may not be as strong, yet you may be cunning. We will find that entertaining.”

Adam stepped away suddenly and raised his sword. “Greetings spectators to this glorious event!” he cried out. His voice carried easily to all levels of the stands.

“What are you doing?” Azon asked.

“Just keeping it interesting,” Adam whispered. Then turning again to the crowd, he continued to shout. “As is the custom of people, we wish to offer our weapons in exchange for those of our challengers. In our combat contests, we ritually provide our opponents with the means to kill us, and they to us. It is a time-honored tradition we ask to be observed by the great Nuorean players.”

“There is no such tradition,” Azon growled. “Otherwise the other Humans would have evoked it.”

Adam continued to speak to the crowd. “The Humans before us were not warriors—players. They did not come with advanced skills and training. We do. And it is the legacy of the player that we bring to this contest today.”

Azon leaned in close. “I know what you are doing. There will be no trading of weapons.”

Adam danced away from the alien. “Ah, I have been informed by your combat leader that he will not honor our tradition of weapons exchange. Then I beg him to accept one small courtesy.  Allow us the washing of blades—the purification—so we may meet our deaths with metal of sterility.”

The crowd began to chant.

Azon smiled. “Clever, Human,” he said softly.  “Yes, I will grant you this. I did not feel the need for such handicap in the first place. We do not need tricks to defeat you.”

The Nuorean turned to his adoring crowd. “Yes, we will allow the purification of the metal before the contest begins.”

With guarded steps, all eight combatants approached the stagnant pool. The Nuorean submerged their swords up to the cross-guards and then presented the blades to the Humans. Not sure what to do, they stepped forward and used the cloth from their uniforms to dry the metal. The other three members of Adam’s team looked him, worried. They knew of the poison blades; they just didn’t know how helpful a quick dip in dirty water would be. Neither did Adam, for that matter, but it couldn’t hurt. It was better than the alternative.

“If you are done with your games, let us begin with mine,” said Azon.

The Nuorean set his fighters back at the center of the arena. Adam did the same.

His heart was racing, excited about the coming fight with the cocky alien. But he was also worried about the others, especially Sherri. She was fronting the shortest of the Nuoreans, but even then, this was a strong, extremely well-trained sword fighter. None of the Humans could say that, not even Adam Cain.

As he was ruminating about their current predicament, the contest began.

In unison—and without a word—the four aliens lifted their swords high above their heads, swung them behind their backs and stepped forward. The whole thing was beautifully choreographed and caught the Humans by surprise.

Fortunately, this first move was not an attack, but more ceremonial. The blades remained locked behind their heads as they marched forward. Adam and his people fell back, shuffling their feet in the thin topsoil, their own blades held out in front of them beckoning for the aliens to stay back. Then the aliens separated, forcing the four Humans to shift their defensive positions. Moments later, they were surrounded and standing nearly back-to-back with each other.

Adam had had enough of this. He lifted his sword and charged. Even with the weight-belt around his waist he was upon Azon in a flash. His sword whipped from left to right and back again several times in a flurry of clanging metal, as the Nuorean fought to achieve some kind of reprieve from Adam’s relentless attack. From behind came more meeting of metal on metal, as the battle was joined between all participants. Azon was retreating in practiced foot slides, expertly parrying each of Adam’s savage swings. The look on his face displayed calm, with just the trace of concern. He had not been expecting this.

But then Adam retreated. In fact, he turned and ran, in Sherri’s direction.

She had stumbled back and fallen, with probing stabs coming at her from the circling alien. Sherri was knocking each of the thrusts—barely—as she shifted her position in the dirt.

Adam was there in a second, feeling his muscles surge as he ran. He jumped, smashing a shoulder into the side of the unsuspecting Cadre fighter. The impact was incredible, sending the alien flying through the air before landing on the dusty ground and rolling into the filthy pond. Adam helped Sherri to her feet.

Azon hadn’t followed as Adam ran away. Instead he was studying the battlefield and the Human’s fighting techniques. Adam took the opportunity to check on Riyad and Copernicus.

His old Lebanese friend was holding his own against his Nuorean opponent. In fact, he seemed quite comfortable with the sword in his hand. In the barracks, he’d told Adam that his people still practiced with sharpened blades, a tradition going back a thousand years. Sure, he was out of practice, but his natural Human strength and coordination was making up for it. The weight-belt slowed him some in his movements, but it didn’t affect the muscles in his arms and shoulders. He was beating the Nuorean back with each thrust of his blade, yet requiring the alien to parry a little more out of line with each response. This is known as the tactics of mistake in fencing, where an opponent is maneuvered out of position a little at a time and without their knowledge. Then you strike

And Riyad did, stepping into the defensive sphere of the Nuorean and impaling his blade completely through the chest of the alien. As the body slipped off Riyad’s blood-slick sword, Adam looked to the bullpen. Sure enough, another Cadre fighter was racing into the fray. So it wasn’t just four Nuoreans they had to defeat, but closer to a dozen.

Adam looked to see how Copernicus was doing against his opponent. The spy was taking a different tact, using others skills he had. As he swung the sword with one hand, he was also actively engaging with other parts of his body, smashing his fist into the alien’s head, or lashing out with perfectly-executed martial arts kicks. Then once the advantage was his, he stepped in close and planted the sword’s metal pommel into the face of the Nuorean. Eyes rolled back in the creature’s head, but he didn’t get the chance to fall. Before he could, Copernicus twisted and brought the leading edge of the blade slicing through the unshielded neck of the alien. The head wasn’t completely severed; it didn’t need to be. Coop was already balanced and ready for the next Nuorean by the time he came running at him from the side of the arena.

Azon was still standing off to Adam’s right, watching the battle unfold, rather than participate. His lips had formed into a thin line, the edges curved up slightly.

Adam turned back to Sherri. Her Nuorean had climbed from the pond, sword still in hand and was fast approaching. Sherri slipped again and fell, her own heavy sword held out to her side. Adam ran to her rescue.

Before he could get there, the alien jumped, landing only a few feet away from Sherri. A look of terror filled her face as the Cadre warrior raised his sword to drive the tip down into her unguarded chest. But then she rolled toward her assailant, bringing her sword across her body at the same time, and planting it into the back of the Nuorean’s knee. He screamed and fell to his knees, dropping his sword while grasping at the bloody wound. Sherri was on her feet a moment later—and with only the slightest hesitation—lowered her blade edgewise onto the alien’s back. The metal cut through cloth and skin, sinking to a depth of three inches or more. The Nuorean fell on his face, still alive but not for long.

Adam arrived at Sherri’s side. “Relax, sweetheart,” she said. “I got this covered.”

And then another Cadre fighter dashed from the bullpen.

There were still a lot of damn aliens to kill, and no matter how much Adam was enjoying himself, he knew he had to put an end to this, soon. He looked at Azon and snarled. It never hurt to take out the leader.

He stepped forward, his eyes focused on the huge alien The Nuorean waited patiently for his arrival.

“Your team is fighting well, Adam Cain,” said Azon. “Yet time—and numbers—are on my side.”

He whirled around, bringing his blade in low and swift at Adam’s midsection. Adam sucked in his gut and parried, avoiding the tip of the alien’s weapon by a fraction of an inch. Azon came at him again, this time with more confidence and style.

“You lead from outside, Human,” Azon said. “Your strikes come after much preparation, hoping to use your superior strength to defeat my defense.” He stepped back and twirled his sword, bringing it down hard on Adam’s blade, causing him to stagger back from the impact. “You see. Speed need not come from exaggerated arcs. A simple twist of the wrist can have the same effect.”

The alien struck again. Adam spun around in time to block the edge, but then his own blade was forced back against his skin, opening up a wound along his back.

Azon smiled. “You bleed, Adam Cain, just like all of us. You are not special, not immortal. I will prove that to you today.”

He struck again from Adam’s left, then quickly again to his right. Adam didn’t have time to balance himself for the second riposte and the alien’s blade opened a wide gash in Adam’s right forearm. Blood gushed from the cut.

Azon stepped away, smiling. Adam knew why.

His right hand was growing numb, with the strange tingling climbing up his injured arm.

“You believe I agreed to your silly purification ceremony because of the mood of the crowd. You were wrong. I agreed because it would make no difference. The toxin is fused with the metal, making it impervious to dirt or moisture.” Azon looked at the wound. “And you should know, there is also no counter to its effects in the arena.”

Adam transferred his sword to his left hand and wiped the blood from the cut on the leg of his uniform. He flexed his fingers, feeling them going stiff. He glared at the smiling alien. “Get it over with, you bastard!”

“No. I prefer to let the poison run its course. It is quite slow…and painful.”

Adam gripped the sword tight in his left hand, gritting his teeth, ready to jump—

He stopped when an ear-piercing alarm sounded throughout the stadium, echoing off the towering walls. But it wasn’t only coming from inside. It was coming from everywhere.

The Cadre fighters stepped back from their opponents, looking to Azon for orders.

Adam could see throngs of Nuorean spectators rushing for the exits, as a voice bellowed through the loudspeakers, instructing them to get to their assigned shuttles. He looked at Azon, who still carried his confident grin.

“It must be your unfortunate fleet is attacking, Adam Cain.”

Adam stood up a little straighter, a ray of hope filling his mind.

Azon shook his head. “Change not your feelings, Human. The attack has been expected…and prepared for. Yes, we know of your influence beam, and more, we know how to counter it. Such weapons are ancient to the Nuor. The surprise your forces produced with the prior engagement was temporary. This time the surprise will be on you.”

Azon turned to his waiting troops, both in the arena and on the sidelines. “Kill the Humans in the lodges. Hurry, before the guards are recalled.”

Adam panicked. He turned to his own team. “Go, help them!”

Sherri took a step toward him. “What about you?” She noticed his bleeding arm, hanging limp at his side. Her expression conveyed the fear she felt.

“I’ll be all right. Just let me take care of this asshole first and then I’ll be along. Now go. Get to the others before the Cadre.”

Azon didn’t make any effort to stop them. Sherri, Riyad and Coop ran off toward the entrance ramp to the arena, as the Cadre force left the stadium from the other side. Adam faced the Nuorean and smiled.

“Now it’s just you and me.”

Chapter 26

The USF Neil Armstrong was located in the back third of the advancing fleet, just crossing the parallel with the planet Silea. Qidos was four light-years ahead, and already they were encountering the leading edge of the huge alien fleet. Flash cannon were firing and the enemy was retreating.

Admiral Nathan Smith was hoping they would. If they did, then it was a pretty good indicator they hadn’t found a counter to the suppressor beam. But with their next move, that belief was put to question. The enemy fleet began to spread out. This could be either strategic or defensive. If they believed the allies only had one beam platform, they could preserve their force by placing their units beyond the spread of the beam. These units could then sweep in from the flanks and hopefully take out the weapon.

Or they could just be lining up for a counterattack, ready to activate their nullifiers on command.

But there was one thing Smith was pretty sure the aliens weren’t expecting. He had three beam platforms in his fleet.

Admiral Smith scanned the threat board at the forward section of the bridge. It was a chaotic mess of red and white lines, along with green and blue dots. To the untrained eye it would mean nothing. To the Admiral, it meant he was in some deep shit.

The enemy had so many ships that herding them all into the range of the beam platforms was impossible without committing half his fleet to the battle. Even if he took it a step at a time—suppressing part of the enemy fleet before moving to the next—there was still a problem. He had to maintain the beam on the suppressed ships until they could be destroyed, and if he only affected half the alien fleet at a time, that left five thousand enemy ships still in the battle. It would take his entire fleet to fight them off, leaving no units available to destroy the suppressed Nuorean vessels. His only option was to bring in all his units and have them engage as many of the enemy as possible, drawing the alien fleet into the relatively narrow spread of the beam platforms.

He couldn’t wait any longer. He looked to the Weapons Officer and nodded. The lieutenant at the station turned back to his panel. Smith could see the man’s shoulders rise and fall…and then he engaged the platforms.

Through the storm of plasma balls filling the battlefield, it was hard to tell if the beams were having an effect. It took several moments for the bolts currently flashing through space to reach their targets before any difference could be seen. Then the crew on the bridge of the Neil Armstrong let out a collective cheer.

Enemy fire had ceased, at least from those units within the beam spreads.

Smith checked the numbers. Almost three quarters of the Nuorean fleet was within the spread. The other quarter was still firing, but when allied forces broke off from attacking the bulk of the alien fleet to concentrate on them, the will to fight quickly evaporated. They began to retreat.

Admiral Smith looked down at the small box resting on the arm of his command chair. It was the trigger for the nuclear torpedoes. It looked like it wouldn’t be needed.

“Captain Drake,” the admiral called out. “Send in your units. Make it quick. Blast every last one of those dormant ships back to the hell they came from.”

“Aye sir!”

********

The enemy fleet was scattered across a quarter of the Fringe, and the allied ships began a methodical weave within it, sending plasma bolts into defenseless hulls and causing tremendous explosions. Fifty, then a hundred Nuoreans ships disappeared from the threat board, followed by another hundred. The phrase ‘shooting fish in a barrel’ came to the admiral’s mind, replaced immediately by another: ‘Thank God!’

Unfortunately, the celebration was premature and misplaced.

With thousands of his ships ensconced with the Nuorean fleet, it came as a shock when the supposedly defenseless ships opened fire. It came nearly in unison, the enemy ships waiting patiently until the allies were within point-blank range. A third of Smith’s fleet disappeared, while the rest began a pitched battle for survival, resembling hand-to-hand combat between starships. There was no organization, no lines of defense. Ships on both sides were being obliterated at an astonishing rate, yet with the enemy still holding a two-to-one numerical advantage.

The bridge crew was frantically going about their duties, but the senior staff would occasionally cast a furtive glance the admiral’s way. They knew of the weapon of last resort. The question was would Smith choose to use it.

********

First-Lead Sanelis (314) watched the readouts with an even temperament—at least outwardly. Inside he was ecstatic. The forces of the Kac had once again fallen for superior Nuorean tactics. In fact, it was even better than anticipated. His decision to let a few hundred of his ships be destroyed by the prowlers had given the enemy even more confidence that their plan had worked. After all, if the Nuorean did have a counter to the influence beam, would not a sensible commander employ it before allowing his ships to be needlessly destroyed?

The keyword was needlessly. To Sanelis, the loss of the ships and crews was a necessity to bring about the greatest victory.

“Master, we have been able to detect the enemy’s lead vessel.”

“It is still intact?”

“Yes. Their remaining forces are clustered around it.”

“Command the fleet. Close on that position. Do not let any ships escape. Squeeze them tight, Lead-Player. It is not often we get such easy victories. Let us make this one count.”

********

 “They’re coming, Admiral,” said Commander Edward Guthrie. His voice conveyed a solemn sense of resignation.

“Very well, Commander. Let me know when they’re within optimal range.”

Admiral Nathan Smith fingered the small control box. It was linked to the CW comm and would send out a signal that could reach halfway across the galaxy in a matter of milliseconds. It was an amazing feat for such a small device.

It wasn’t necessary to sacrifice his entire fleet. He could disperse the fleet, allowing some units to live to fight another day. Yet by any military standard, it was considered a victory when you could defeat an enemy twice your size, with both forces eliminated and unable to continue the fight. This was the decision Nathan Smith was about to make.

He flicked open the cover over the keypad within the small box. His commanders back on Earth had made the code simple to remember. He punched it in: 666.

********

Twenty-four light-years away, a series of massive generators spun up. These weren’t normal gravity generators used for propulsion. Instead, they were stronger, more concentrated. They tore at the fabric of space and time, opening a hole that revealed another universe only the width of a helium atom away from the Milky Way. The ship slipped into this otherworld, and then quickly repeated the process. It all happened in less than thirty seconds.

********

The object appeared three hundred thousand miles off the starboard quarter on the contact board of the Neil Armstrong. Programming the location had been simple for Admiral Smith; just send it to his location.

Once the ship stabilized in the universe of the Milky Way, it immediately opened forty launch ports. Almost before they were clear, long cylinders erupted from the openings, streaking off in all directions using miniaturized gravity-drives. Within two minutes they had reached operational distance.

All forty torpedoes exploded at once.

Chapter 27

Adam had dropped to one knee, his weight resting on the sword he had planted in the ground. His right arm hung limp at his side, blood still streaming from the poisoned wound. Azon had made no attempt to strike him, content to the let the deadly toxin do the work for him.

The alien shook his head. “I truly regret the opportunity not to join you in unblemished competition. Your name has been prominent through all our preliminary plans for the Kac. Yet even as I say these words, I revel in watching you die slowly before my eyes. Refer to me as a complicated being because of my conflicted feelings.”

Adam used the sword to help him struggle to his feet, wobbling slightly as he gained his footing. The blade was now a crutch, not a weapon.

“Well, asshole,” Adam strained to say, “I would really hate to disappoint you.” He pulled the sword from the ground and made a feeble attempt to wave it at the alien. “En garde.”

Azon frowned. “That did not translate. What is the meaning?”

“It means your ass is mine.”

Slowly, Adam Cain straightened his back and squared his shoulders. He shifted his head back and forth, hearing the neck crack. Then he lifted his right arm, using the thumb to crack all the fingers in his hand. Finally, he transferred the sword from his left hand to his right and squeezed hard on the grip. He whipped the blade around using a twist of his wrist—as Azon had done earlier—then brought it straight up in front of his face.

The silly grin vanished from the alien. “I do not understand what has happened, but matter it does not. You will die, if not by the toxin, then by my sword.”

He came at Adam, using exquisite steps like those of a dancer. His blade came down in perfect union with his approach. Adam parried the strike, stepping back as he did. Azon continued forward, the arcs from his sword creating circles of light from the reflection off the metal blade. Adam countered each blow, with almost ridiculous ease.

Still Azon did not lose his composure. He continued his dance with hypnotic and fluid motions, his blade now merged with his body and movements. Adam wasn’t so graceful, but he was effective. He didn’t produce any counter strikes during this latest engagement, content to the let the alien wear himself down. After a minute of constant strike and parry, Azon backed off, breathing heavy, a shine of sweat now on his gray face.

“I admit you are stronger and faster than I, of which I’m perplexed. Yet I see you bleed, so you are not a surrogate freak of nature. You can die.”

“That’s right…just not today.”

Now Adam took the offensive. His technique left a lot to desire, but it was effective. The alien was forced back, but unlike Adam earlier, he didn’t simply defend. Every other parry was followed by a strong counter-strike. Adam may be stronger and faster, but Azon was more skilled.

The match was quickly becoming a draw, unless one succumbed to exhaustion before the other. Adam seemed to have the most stamina, even in the heat of late afternoon on Qidos. It was just a matter of time.

The contest continued for another two minutes, before both adversaries lifted their arms to shield their eyes from a blinding flash from above. They looked up to see a brilliant swatch of light covering almost the entire expanse of the sky. The light grew for a moment before slowly shifting from white to red.

The artificial lights in the arena went dark, and an eerie silence fell across the stadium. Azon continued to look upward, his mouth slack, expression conveying confusion.

But Adam knew what had happened. He’d seen it before.

The alien looked at Adam, surprised to see him smiling.

“Well, well, how things change,” Adam said.

“What is it?”

“That, my friend, is a nuclear bloom, a little something I’ve actually had the pleasure to use in the past. It looks like there’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

“I do not understand. What does that have to do with the flash of light?”

“It means we had more up our sleeve than just the beam platforms.”

“Up your sleeve?” Azon shook his head. “It seems the toxin may have finally reached your brain. You are speaking gibberish.”

Adam let out a deep sigh. He’d been looking for a clever way to tell the alien how screwed he was, but it wasn’t working. “Your fleet’s just been consumed by a gigantic ball of nuclear fire. Does that translate?”

“That is not true.”

“Do the Nuoreans have a weapon that can produce such a large explosion?”

Azon’s silence told Adam the alien had finally got the message.

“It matters not. It was but one fleet.”

“Dude, it was over ten thousand ships! I don’t care who you are, but that’s gotta hurt.”

“You do not understand Nuoreans, so I will explain,” Azon began. “I have studied Humans—as well as many other races in the Kac—and I see the same thing. Yes, you have a player class; however, the vast majority of your populations are not fighters. So even though you outnumber us, you do not have the players to match what we have. You fail to realize that, although we are a single race, the Nuoreans live for combat. Every Nuorean is a player—a warrior to you. We have vastly more resources than just those we have brought into the Kac, vastly more.” He waved his sword at the glowing sky. “You may have achieved victory during this one challenge, but we will not stop. Nuoreans accept defeat—just as we do victory—as a challenge unto itself, as an opportunity to create new game plans, new strategies. In fact, without defeat we would not learn and progress. You think you have scared us with your nuclear game plan, and that we will flee. All you have done is firmed our resolve to win the larger game.”

Adam had heard enough of the alien’s bloviating. Sherri and the others were somewhere else nearby, probably in need of his help. Azon was just wasting his time.

Adam came at him, stabbing with deadly thrusts of the blade. Azon reacted quickly, returning to combat mode. During his short speech, he’d recovered from the fatigue and was more effective with his parries and attacks.

That changed when Adam smashed down with a powerful two-handed hit with his sword. Azon’s grip on his weapon broke away and the sword flew off to his right. The alien shuffled back, assuming a defensive hand-to-hand combat posture—or at least what he thought was a defensive hand-to-hand combat posture.

Adam laughed, his long-held suspicions now confirmed. The Nuoreans—both in their personal challenges and immunity contests—fought only with swords…or spaceships. They didn’t have any experience with fist-a-cuffs, since all animosities were settled in the arena, assuming there were any animosities between the Nuoreans. He hadn’t heard of any. This was great. Riyad had told him about Azon’s encounter with a Human shoe salesman. Now he was about to find out what it’s like going up against a SEAL—yes, an aging SEAL, but still a SEAL.

Adam tossed his sword aside.

Azon straightened up and cocked his head quizzically. Then he reached behind his back and withdrew the small, curved blade he’d used to slice Adam’s cheek. The alien assumed a different stance, this time one featuring the deadly knife.

Adam wasn’t expecting that. He looked to where he’d thrown his sword, but Azon jumped before he could find it.

The Nuorean was easily eight inches taller than him and with an arm reach clearly beyond Adam’s. But Adam was quicker and stronger, even with the weight-belt locked around his waist. The combatants came together, with Adam slapping away Azon’s knife hand, just as the alien laid a shoulder into him. Adam was knocked off his feet, but he continued to roll backwards and popped back to his feet just in time to avoid another swipe of the Nuoreans’ blade.

Adam stepped in and grasped the wrist of the alien’s knife hand. He brought his other hand onto the forearm and turned, forcing Azon onto his back. Then Adam bent over, sending the Nuorean tumbling over his shoulder and to the ground. Adam maintained his grip on the wrist as he placed a foot on the alien’s chest, and continued to twist his hands until the knife fell away.

Azon closed his body, bringing his long legs up planting a pair of huge shoes into Adam’s face. He stepped back, barely maintaining balance; but still held onto the wrist. Adam began dragging the alien through the dirt, until he managed to regain his footing and ran forward, tackling Adam around the waist. Adam clasped his hands together and brought the balled fist down on Azon’s back. The alien’s body was ill-prepared for the impact. He dropped to the ground, stunned.

Adam took Azon by the shoulder and flipped him over. He straddled him, knees pinning the alien to the ground. A quick right cross rattled the Nuorean, while another sent eyes rolling back in his head.

Adam Cain was feeling no mercy at the moment. He reared back with his right fist and slammed it straight into the center of Azon’s face. As had happened many times before, alien bone succumbed easily to Human power, allowing the fist to break through to the depths of the Nuorean’s skull. There wasn’t much recognizable when Adam withdrew his fist. No amount of reconstructive surgery could fix the mess Adam just made.

********

Adam climbed to his feet and stared down at the dead Cadre player. It took a moment for him to draw his attention away from the body, but when he did he noticed two things.

First, there were explosions and the sounds of flash weapons being discharged coming from the direction of the barracks. Someone was putting up resistance, hopefully under the leadership of his friends.

The second thing he noticed was the ethereal glow shimmering in the early evening sky. The Qidos sun had set only minutes before and now a waving wall of green, blue and red light painted the heavens. Radiation from the massive nuclear explosions in space were creating aurora the likes of which had never been seen on the planet before.

And with all the lights out in the arena, it was a good bet that a powerful electromagnetic pulse had impacted Qidos, along with the beautiful lightshow in the sky.

Adam let out a sigh of relief. He was fortunate he wasn’t trying to land a spaceship at the time. Having all your electronics shut down—if even momentarily—was never a good thing when making a landing approach….

Chapter 28

“Regain power!” Kaylor shouted from the pilot seat. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. There was nothing he could do until then.

“I cannot override the emergency protocols,” Jym cried out. The air in his lungs was being pulled out from the sudden drop the Najmah Fayd was experiencing. Although the ship was the most-advanced in the galaxy, it still fell like a rock when the power went out during the landing approach to Qidos.

Their only hope was that the automatic trigger responses to an electromagnetic pulse would disengage before they hit the ground. All their screens were down, and all the two occupants could see was the brown landscape racing toward them.

In that fleeting moment, Kaylor thought maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go out looking for Adam Cain after all.

********

With no message coming from Qidos, Kaylor and Jym had grown restless. They were in the Najmah Fayd at the Krone spaceport, waiting for the telepathic link from Adam, calling for the ship to come pick him up. The hours passed, and still no launch.

Then news came of a major battle taking place in the space between Castor and Qidos. Every vessel in the spaceport bolted for space, either to assist in the battle or to run away. And still the Najmah Fayd sat.

It was Kaylor’s idea to use the confusion of the massive space battle to slip into Qidos space and search for Adam. The ship could leapfrog the battle and appear unscathed in the atmosphere, ten miles above Adam’s monitored location. And then if the area was too hot to land, they could jump out without too much effort. It sounded like a good idea at the time.

When the trans-dimensional starship materialized in the upper atmosphere of Qidos, all hell broke loose. It was hit with a massive pulse of electricity. EMP’s are common in space, so all ships are equipped with automatic shut downs to protect vital circuits from overloading. Once the EMP passed, the systems would reboot.

Normally, a momentary burp in energy supply wasn’t a problem. For ships in space, the worst that would happen is they would fall out of a gravity-well, but then re-enter a few seconds later. The only time an EMP shut-down became serious was when a ship was in an atmosphere and under the influence of a planet’s gravity.

Such was the case at Qidos.

Starships—including the Najmah Fayd—were not designed to be aerodynamic. They didn’t need to be, so the ship was falling through the atmosphere, rocking back and forth, subject to the air currents it was experiencing. Kaylor’s fear was that the ship would tip over and begin tumbling. At that point it would be impossible to regain stability, even if the power came back on.

They’d reached the point where individual buildings could be resolved on the surface, these being the huge grand arenas of the Nuoreans. If they were getting this close, it wouldn’t be long now….

The screens suddenly flickered on and the hum of the generators vibrated through the hull.

“Power!” Jym cried out.

Kaylor didn’t respond. Instead he activated the chemical landing jets at the same time he created a small gravity-well above the ship. His actions had the desired effect…times two.

The ship screamed to a stop, every joint and weld straining to stay together. With the compensators slow to reboot, the two aliens were slammed into their seats, with every last iota of breath forced from their deflated lungs. Blood rushed to their eyes, blinding them temporarily.

Then the ship was moving again, but this time up, not down.

Kaylor still suffered from the effects of the sudden stop, lacking the awareness to control the jets or the gravity-well. As a result of both systems being engaged, the Najmah Fayd was now racing for the heavens, and heading out into space toward the distant roiling mass of radioactive debris racing at the planet.

The massive nuclear bloom had covered an area of two million miles in diameter, but that wasn’t the full story. All the explosions that created the gigantic sphere had taken place along the outer edge and were expanding outward, as well as inward. Several of the huge explosions occurred only eight hundred thousand miles from Qidos, which meant the light took a little over four seconds to reach the planet. The EMP took a little longer, and the radioactive cloud would take weeks to cover the distance.

But Kaylor and Jym were well beyond the atmosphere by now and speeding at near light-speed toward the mass of deadly radiation.

Jym was the first to recover. He was in the co-pilot seat, and barely able to see through his blood-shot eyes. At first the screens made no sense; he was dazed and confused. But then something made him take notice. His senses returned…along with the panic.

“Kaylor, wake up! Wake up!”

Kaylor moved in his seat. “What happened?”

Jym didn’t answer. Instead he reached over to Kaylor’s panel and shut down both the chem and gravity drives. The gas cloud was still hundreds of miles away, so that crisis was averted. However, now they were sitting in space making them an easy target for any Nuorean warship in the area.

Jym took the controls and sent the ship bolting for the surface, this time under control and with full power.

“What happened?” Kaylor repeated.

“EM-pulse, long one,” Jym answered.

“From what?”

For an answer, Jym switched the forward viewscreen to a rear view. A thin line of yellow and white stretched across the expanse of space. “That is what happened.”

Kaylor studied the line. It was too far away to make out any movement, but it was definitely not normal. “Is that a nuclear explosion?”

“More than one, maybe hundreds.”

“What caused it?”

“I would place a bet that the Fringe is now clear of Nuorean invaders, at least for the time being. It would also be clear of allied forces, as well. Nothing could have survived that.”

“And Adam?”

“I do not know, not until we reach the surface.”

Kaylor’s senses returned. He checked his screens and found the beacon for Adam’s ATD. Most of the landscape below was dark, having had circuits tripped by the EMP. Automated systems had come back on, while those requiring manual operation were still down.

There was a huge building below; one of the grand arenas. Kaylor used the camera to zoom in on the area below. His attention was drawn to flashes off to the right of the stadium, with tiny dark dots moving in chaotic fashion. There was a battle taking place, and it seemed to be moving toward the huge arena. Kaylor should have guessed Adam’s presence would initiate such an event. Anytime aliens and Humans mixed there was bound to be trouble.

He shifted the camera to the interior of the arena. There were four beings laying prone on the surface, with only one was still standing. As the ship dropped lower, the solitary creature looked up and waved.

A speaker on the bridge cracked. “Kaylor, what are you doing here?” Adam’s voice was being received through his ghosted ATD aboard the ship and then feed into the comm system. Kaylor flicked on a microphone at his station, not knowing if Adam would hear him.

“Can you hear me?”

“Yep, just fine.”

“We took a chance and came looking for you. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Do you see the battle taking place outside the stadium?”

“Yes; it is headed your way.”

“Thanks. There’s an area beyond the set of four white buildings. Set the ship down there and wait. Don’t let any Nuoreans get near you.”

“Were you able to locate Riyad and Sherri?”

“And Copernicus?” Jym added.

They heard Adam laugh, a mental expression translated by the computer. “Yeah, all of them. They’re in the fight outside the stadium.”

“Of course they are, where else would they be?” said Jym.

Chapter 29

Riyad, Sherri and Copernicus raced off for the ramp leading to the tunnels under the huge stadium, leaving Adam to face off against the huge Cadre officer. They’d passed an armory earlier, and if the Humans in the barracks were to have any chance of survival, they would need firepower.

The corridors were empty and the trio found the armory without a problem; however, they couldn’t carry enough weapons to arm even a tenth of the prisoners.

“We need one of those electric carts,” Copernicus yelled. “Everyone stock up. There has to be something around here we can use.”

They loaded up with all the flash weapons and power packs they could carry, plus a few long blades which they slipped through the weight-belts around their waists. The belts were locked on, so until they could figure a way of breaking the locks, they were on for the duration.

They ran to the stadium exit and stared off into the fading light of early afternoon. In the distance, they saw the barracks; to the left, the main office building. There were only a few aliens rushing across the dusty ground, while dozens of shuttles streaked for space on columns of white and black lifting exhaust.

There was a hum behind them, and when they turned, all their prayers were answered. Or they would have been if the occupants of the six-seat electric cart weren’t firing at them with flash weapons.

The team split apart, with Sherri diving to her left while Riyad and Coop jumped to the right. They took cover along the tall exterior wall. Sherri reached around the wall and fired into the dimly-lit corridor. Return bolts slashed against the wall or zipped past into the outer staging area.

Riyad and Coop joined the firefight, although none could see what they were firing at. After a moment they stopped shooting and listened. The hum of the electric motor could still be heard, but it was a light, steady sound. The cart was active, yet stationary.

Coop dashed into the tunnel, disappearing into the thick darkness a moment later. Sherri and Riyad waited.

A flash blinded the pair momentarily, followed by the hum of the cart growing louder.

“Don’t shoot—it’s me,” Copernicus shouted. He pulled up in the cart, the front two seats soaked with blood. “Get in; we have to go back to the armory.”

Riyad and Sherri climbed into the seat behind Coop, not anxious to sit in pools of fresh alien blood—even though their once-white uniforms were covered in the stuff. Coop turned the cart around and headed back down the tunnel.

He was leaning forward, looking for something, when he scrapped the side of tunnel with the cart.

“Watch where you’re going, dumbass!” Sherri yelled.

“I would if I could!” Coop shouted back. “Where the hell are the lights on this thing?”

He was right. With all the lights off in the complex—and the Qidos sun about to set—it was almost pitch black in the underground tunnels. Suddenly, a single ray of powerful light shot out from the front of the cart.

“Way to go, Coop, my hero!”

“So now I’m your hero again, and not your dumbass?”

“I didn’t say that. You can be both.”

They arrived back at the armory and Coop angled the cart so the light lit the interior. A minute later they had the back seats filled with flash weapons and power packs. There were two hundred Human prisoners, and even taking everything in the armory, it wouldn’t be enough to supply them all. But it was a start.

********

Five minutes later they pulled up to the first of the barracks. The place was dark. Riyad and Copernicus burst through the doors—and were tackled by a dozen crazed Humans who pressed them to the hard floor with the mattresses and began kicking and punching them with savage fury.

“Stop it!” Sherri yelled from the doorway. “It’s us.”

The mugging quickly subsided. “What the hell?” Riyad said.

“We thought you were Nuoreans,” said one the prisoners. “When all the shuttles started taking off and the lights went out, we thought it was now or never to make a break.”

“You’re right about that,” Copernicus said. “We have weapons outside to help you. There’s a Nuorean force are on their way to kill you. Arm up; we need to warn the others.”

The prisoners poured from the barracks, rushing to the cart and grabbing every weapon they could. Sherri hoped in the driver’s seat and sped to the next barracks, and the next. She was out of weapons by then, although it wouldn’t have made a difference if she wasn’t.

The forth barracks was engulfed in fire, with screaming prisoners racing from the doorway only to be cut down by flash bolts fired from three huge armored vehicles. Someone in the lead truck spotted Sherri on her cart and opened fire. She slid out the passenger side, painting her face and upper torso in a bath of alien blood. She ducked behind the cart as it was buffeted with bolt after fiery bolt.

And then the flame-lit scene was illuminated even more with return fire, a lot of it. It wasn’t completely dark, not yet. However the rain of white-hot plasma bolts lit the place up like Times Square. The Humans were on the march, and they outnumbered the Cadre Nuoreans ten to one. The sheer volume of flashes striking the armored trucks turned the black metal red with heat, forcing the aliens out the back. Many were cut down, but some began lobbing hand grenades toward the Humans to cover their retreat.

More of the desert landscape lit up as the battle began to move away from the burning barracks building and toward the huge arena complex. Fleeing Nuoreans entered the stadium, dodging streaking flash bolts. A dozen ran into the grand arena itself, tossing bombs and firing bolt launchers until other new packs had to be snapped in. The Humans were entering the arena, as well. They still outnumbered the aliens, but not by as much.

A few lights were coming back on, providing graphic context to the horrific scene. The gaunt-faced Humans were reckless in their assault, and paying a price. But they didn’t care. All they wanted was some payback for the abuse they’d suffered under the Nuoreans.

Adam looked around the field and spotted the two swords from his earlier fight with Azon—his and the alien’s. He went to Azon’s.

The retreating Cadre fighters were more focused on the mad rush of Humans coming through the entrance ramps than they were Adam. This allowed him to position himself behind them, poison sword in hand.

A Nuorean came within range and Adam laid the blade across his back. Another turned toward the scream of his companion; Adam knelt and slashed the creature’s unprotected thigh. Two more came within range and tasted the tip of his sword. That was all it would take. After that, Adam was running across the field, dodging flash bolts as he searched for non-existent cover.

The battle lasted a few moments more, until only three Nuoreans managed to make it across the open field and to the exits on the other side of the arena. The Humans were content to let them go. Now they gathered over their fallen comrades or in small groups, helping the injured to the ground to rest.

Adam’s once-white outfit was almost entirely soaked in blood—all of it his. But he was still standing and happy to see his three teammates and best friends cross the arena towards him.

Riyad looked around at the litter of dead aliens, some with their uniforms on fire from contact with the flash bolts. “How do you like your Nuorean, regular or extra crispy?” he asked.

“No preference,” Adam replied, “so long as they’re dead.”

Sherri took his injured right arm and examined the cut. “Are you all right?” The tone of her voice asked the more important question.

“Yeah, I’m fine, really.”

She didn’t seem too convinced. “I can’t believe a little rinse was all it took to clean the swords. I really thought we’d come back here and find you dead.”

“No such luck. You’re stuck with me for a little longer.”

She looked off to the main entrance ramp to the arena. “Med-kits are in the armory,” she said. Then she snorted. “I’m sure they’re only for injured Nuoreans; they wouldn’t waste them on any of us stinking aliens.” She and Riyad rushed off to retrieve the kits.

Copernicus Smith was limping badly, his formerly white uniform now sporting a leg of white cloth, the other almost completely red. He smiled at Adam.

“You’ve done well—for an old man,” he said. Then the smile vanished from his face and he looked to the sky. “What the hell happened up there?”

Adam shook his head. “The high price of victory, that’s what.”

“A fleeting victory, Mister Cain. They’ll just keep sending in more ships.”

The blazing aurora cast a flickering, greenish glow over the arena and the faces of the victors. Adam made a quick count: twenty-two prisoners were still standing, with another six being cared for by others. They could be packed in the landing bay, corridors and staterooms of the Najmah Fayd and evacuated to Castor. After that, Adam would be free to continue with his mission.

Sherri was back, and she cleaned and dressed the deep cut on his forearm. Then she and the others rushed off to help the others.

“Kaylor, how’s the ship?”

The answer came back through his ATD. “No issues. Very few Nuoreans left in the area—at least live Nuoreans.”

“Good. We’ll be packing the ship with survivors. Should be around thirty. Clear out what space you need. Sherri’s patching up those she can and then we’ll start loading.”

“Understood. And how are you, my friend?”

The computer couldn’t translate Adam’s mental shrug. Instead it only conveyed his words. “Same as usual.”

But Adam knew that wasn’t true.

********

Adam replaced the bandage on his forearm when he saw Sherri making her way towards him. Her forehead was creased, her long blond hair now a tangled, soot-strained mat on her head.

“Let me take a look—”

Adam took her hand as she reached for his arm. “Relax, babe, I’m okay,” he said with a smile. “You need to concern yourself with your more critical patients.”

She looked at the trace of blood that had oozed through the gauze. Seeing that it hadn’t spread from the last time she checked, she looked back at the glum of the body-strewn battleground. There had been two hundred Human prisoners when the battle began. Now fewer than thirty remained.

“So this is what victory looks like?” she asked in a whisper.

“From my experience…it is.”

Her questioning eyes turned back to him. “What now? This was just a battle, here and in space; there’s still a war to win.”

The weak smile vanished from Adam’s lips, replaced by a fierce, stony look of determination. “I think we both know what has to be done. It’s the only way.”

A moment of quiet acceptance passed between them before Sherri nodded. “And we’ll lead the charge, of course.”

“Who else can we trust to get the job done?”

The pair looked though the shimmering green light to where Copernicus was moving between the survivors, helping them onto carts for the ride to the Najmah Fayd. Without looking at Adam, Sherri said: “You’ve always been the one, you know?” Then she laughed. “I just never knew how long you’d last.”

 “Yeah, I have managed to beat the odds. But hey, you know me—I’m indestructible.”

Sherri took his face in her hands and kissed him hard on the lips. As she drew away, she smiled. “I’m beginning to believe that.”

Adam laughed. “Now, go, tend to your flock. They need you more than I do.”

The sad look returned to Sherri’s face. “I guess that’s always been our problem; you could get along fine without me.”

He didn’t have a response, so all Sherri could do was hang her head and walk away into the lingering haze. When she was gone, Adam turned his attention back to the cut on his arm, his own words echoing in his mind. He pulled back the bandage.

The wound was still there, only now it was an angry red line in his skin—fully closed—where thirty minutes ago it had been an open cut a quarter-of-an-inch deep. He replaced the bandage and he let out a long, breathy sigh. He stared off into the distance, contemplating an unknown future.

“Wouldn’t you know it,” he said aloud. “I’m turning into a damn mutant.”

Epilogue

They ended up jumping the Najmah Fayd to Silea instead of Castor; the atmosphere was more suitable for Humans and they had better medical facilities for the injured. On the planet, they also got the news about the space battle with the Nuoreans. It was bittersweet.

An estimated nine hundred enemy ships escaped the nuclear bloom, while only twenty allied ships survived. A makeshift fleet of defenders joined the survivors after that, led by General Angar of the Fringe Pirates. Although the fleet never exceeded three hundred ships in total, the Nuoreans decided not to stay and fight to the last ship. Instead, they bolted away, headed for the edge of the galaxy.

Adam knew word of the battle would make it back to Andromeda, and then the invaders would devise a new game plan. That’s what they did, what they would always do. The Milky Way had become the Nuorean’s ultimate challenge match.

They had to be stopped, and for Adam, there was only one way to do that.

********

Once all the passengers aboard the trans-dimensional starship had been offloaded and cared for, the small crew met on the bridge to decide their next move.

“We don’t have a choice,” Copernicus said. “They won’t stop otherwise.”

“Agreed,” said Riyad.

Four-foot-tall, bear-like Jym looked from one Human to the other, his expression one of shock. “You cannot seriously be considering this?”

“You don’t have to go, Jym,” Riyad said.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t participate, just that the concept is beyond belief.”

“Like Coop said, we don’t have a choice,” Adam stated. “We have to destroy the mid-point generator—”

“And all the others leading to it,” Sherri added.

“They’ll just build more,” Kaylor pointed out.

“True, but it’ll take a couple hundred years, like it did the first time,” Adam countered. “In the meantime, the Milky Way will have time to prepare. We have the Najmah Fayd; we might as well take advantage of her while we can.”

“Silly name,” Jym whispered.

“What name, the Najmah Fayd?” Sherri asked.

“No…Milky Way. My people call the galaxy Zandon-Zur. That is a much more noble and majestic name for a galaxy.”

Sherri smiled and nodded. “On that we agree, sweetie.” She petted his fur-covered head. He didn’t stop her.

“So it’s agreed” Adam said. “We take the fight to the Nuoreans, all the way to Andromeda, and put an end to this war once and for all.”

Sherri let out a snort. “Yeah, this war. But then they’ll be another and another after that.”

Riyad laughed. “That’s the way it has to be, my love. There’s a small, but dedicated group of people out there who keep track of everything we do. Without more challenges to overcome, more quests to embark upon, no one would give a damn what we do.”

Adam added his laugh to Riyad’s. “That’s right, dude. We have to keep the readers happy. And if that means going all the way to the Andromeda Galaxy to kill a few aliens, that’s just what we’ll do.”

The End

Be sure to pick up book 3 in the

Alien Games Trilogy

(book #19 overall)

The Andromeda Mission

An Adam Cain Adventure

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Novels by T.R. Harris

The Human Chronicles Saga

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

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 George Wier…

The Liberation Series

Captains Malicious