The

Copernicus

Deception

The Human Chronicles Saga

#15

an Adam Cain adventure

by

T.R. Harris

Copyright 2016 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.

If you would like to be included on the master email list to receive updates and announcements regarding the series, including release notices of upcoming books, purchase specials and more, please fill out the Subscribe form below:

Subscribe to Email List

Email: bytrharris@hotmail.com

Website: bytrharris.com

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 (coming Sept. 15, 2016)

Jason King – Agent to the Stars Series

The Enclaves of Sylox

The Drone Wars Series

Day of the Drone

In collaboration with George Wier…

The Liberation Series

Captains Malicious

Coming attractions…

Now Available For Pre-Order

The Human Chronicles Saga
BOOK #16
Scorched Earth

by T.R. Harris 

Adam Cain is an Alien with an Attitude…
and this time he's really mad!

This time it's personal.

NOW AVAILABLE for PRE-ORDER
only $3.99

RELEASE DATE: September 15, 2016

(A 90,000-word space opera novel of revenge and redemption.
Nearly twice as long as the most recent editions.)

From international bestselling science fiction author T.R. Harris, here is the latest installment in his epic tale of Human superiority within the galaxy.

What happens when Adam Cain—the  Alien with an Attitude—gets really pissed off?
 Hint: It ain’t pretty.

The scorched earth in the title doesn’t refer to the Human’s homeworld. Rather it describes the path of death and destruction that Adam Cain and his team burn on their way from Earth to Juir, on a mission to avenge the killing of one of his closest friends and to rescue others held captive on the distant planet. The aliens may have thought Adam was dangerous before. Well they haven’t seen anything yet.

This is a no-holes-barred action adventure, devoid of PC sensitivities, and giving full display to the animal side of Human nature. The bottom line: The aliens pissed off the wrong guy this time. Now in the face of overwhelming odds, Adam and his team fight through every obstacle and vanquish every foe on their way to victory. But this time victory won’t come without a price …and a price almost too high to pay.

Take a deep breath. You’re going to need it. Because when Adam sets out on his scorched-earth campaign they’ll be no time to relax. This is military space opera at its best, incorporating all the thrilling space battles, hand-to-hand combat, tactical maneuvers and political intrigue you’ve come to expect from The Human Chronicles.

 This is the book where it all comes together.

This 90,000-word novel is available for Pre-Order for only $3.99, with a release date of September 15, 2016.

Place your order today by following this link, and be sure to receive the book on the day of release and for the discounted retail price.

Contents

Prologue

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

30

Epilogue

Prologue

A ten-point magnitude quake struck the planet Marix in the region around the city of Jendis, sending panicked natives located outside the reinforced buildings scrambling for the safety of the nearest survival-chamber.

Even though such violent rumblings were commonplace on Marix, this particular event was stronger than most. Overall, the death toll would climb to over nine-thousand, mainly victims of falling debris on the streets outside the buildings. Even with the life-saving composite shelters placed on every block, the population of the city had grown to such a level that even these were inadequate. As thousands of panicked residents dashed for the shelters, they encountered hordes of others with the same idea. When filled to capacity, the doors to the shelters closed automatically, leaving the slower-reacting to suffer the deadly shower of masonry, brick and metal raining from above.

The building where Nurion Massi was located was the singularly best-built structure on the planet—the best money could buy—so he rode out the quake with little concern for his own safety. However, he was concerned about his nearby manufacturing plants. He quickly brought up the damage assessment on his computer. There were sixteen facilities within the quake zone, yet only two had shut down. He read the data stream. The two affected plants sat directly over the epicenter, and even as the emergency protocols called for a thirty minute recovery rate following a quake of this magnitude, it was estimated these facilities would take an hour to come back online.

Nurion nodded. That was acceptable. He wasn’t an unreasonable creature, knowing that not all things were under his control, particularly the forces of nature on Marix.

He switched the view on his computer screen back the conversation he had been engaged in at the time of the quake, failing to even glance at the casualty estimates within the manufacturing plants. That was not a concern, since most of the facilities were seventy-percent automated. Flesh and blood creatures could be more easily replaced than expensive and sophisticated equipment. What he was concerned about was the estimated .012-percent drop in delivery rate the plant closures would produce. Quotas would have to be adjusted and the decline compensated for through increased production at the other facilities….

Nurion’s computer now showed the frowning face of a grey-skinned creature with a round head and wide, almond-shaped eyes. “Another shaking?”

“It is common here, the result of the three orbiting moons.”

“And yet you stay, even as there are innumerable worlds to which you may move your headquarters.”

“Marix is but one of fourteen hundred worlds where we have facilities, yet it was the first. Because of that fact it is a matter of tradition that I must maintain continuity; however, personally, I would move to another location if it were within my power to do so.”

The grey creature smiled, a thin stretching of the lips while partially concealing yellowing teeth. “And now my friend acts as if he is not the leader of the largest business operation in the galaxy. Nurion, if you wish to move your headquarters, you have the power to do so.”

Nurion returned the thin smile. “Power? You believe I have power from the position I hold?” He shook his head. “I am a puppet to forces greater than myself. Just consider, here I am speaking with you, Onix, a lowly political representative to whom I must not only listen, but also receive advice and direction. So who really has the power here?”

Onix chuckled. “We have been friends and associates for many standards, so there is no need to play such games. There is a symbiotic relationship at work here. An organization as large and wide-spread as MK Weapons Systems could not survive without government assistance and protection, while my employers could not exist without the weapons you produce. And the truth is—as we both know—a word from you and I would be replaced without a moment’s concern or hesitation.”

Only the slightest nod came from Nurion, acknowledging the validity of the statement. There were thousands of creatures who could take Onix’s place; yet only three were in a position to supplant Nurion. These were his immediate ranking counselors. In approximately twenty standard years, one would step into his position, but not now. For the time being, Nurion Massi was the Point-Operator of Marix-Kliss Weapons Systems, makers of the ubiquitous line of hand-held MK bolt launchers, the largest weapons manufacturer in the galaxy.

At least it was for the time being….

As an aftershock rumbled through the building, Nurion’s expression turned more serious. “I understand you have secured the artifact. At what point will it be forwarded to me?”

“We had once secured it,” Onix corrected. “But now the vessel transporting the device has been confiscated by local authorities of the Visidor Affiliation.”

“And you are having difficulty retrieving the vessel?”

“There are complications, as is common within the Kidis Frontier these days, ever since the Juireans began the process of annexation. Is there nothing you can do to influence them?”

“That process is underway,” said Nurion, “yet this new Elder is irascible. He is a throwback to a time before the Humans. He still believes the Expansion rules the galaxy.”

“His actions in the Frontier have made all the local alliances very nervous and subject to political influence—”

“I would imagine that would be your preferred method of operation,” Nurion interrupted.

“Normally, yet now the Humans are making overtures in the region as well.”

“Yes, I have heard. With the success of Adam Cain and the others in the Sol-Kor universe, the Humans are becoming more belligerent. There is movement along the Frontier. A new war is in the making.”

“Which should be very good for your business, I would imagine.”

Veins pulsed in the neck of the Point-Operator. “It should,” he said, undisguised frustration in his voice. “Yet the Humans are pursuing their own course, and as we have seen, their weapons are much more effective than ours.”

Onix shook his huge head. “I still cannot see how that is possible. Centuries ago, MK abandoned projectile weapons for energy devices. Now it seems as though the Humans wish to throw away all that progress, all that advancement, and place us back in a more barbaric time.”

“The truth is the Expansion—and regions beyond—have adapted to our energy weapons, developing strategies and defenses around them,” Nurion explained. “The Humans have upset that balance. For the time being, their weapons have no adequate defense, since none have been needed for a very long time. Unless they abandon their use of such devices, the rest of the galaxy will have to change, at least temporarily. In time, the Humans will realize the long-term inefficiency of their weapons, just as we did so long ago.”

“Yet they appear to be stepping up their activities, both in development and in distribution,” Onix countered.

“As I am well aware,” Nurion snapped. “Never before since the Xan-Fi Accommodation have we experienced such an aggressive competitor. And this is coming from several sources on Earth, not just a single manufacturer. As such, there are numerous entities all competing to provide the most-effective weapons for the lowest cost. The galaxy is taking notice and our market share is dropping.”

“That is the reason this cargo is so vital.”

“I am also aware of that, Onix, which is why I am frustrated at your lack of progress in delivering the prototype to me.”

“I say this only to reassure you that I, too, know the seriousness of the mission. All efforts are underway, even as the aforementioned complications present themselves.”

“And what says Copernicus Smith?” Nurion asked.

“The pressure I have place on him has had an effect. He assures us that efforts are currently underway to recover the transport vessel.”

“What efforts?”

“He did not elaborate, yet he did indicate it has something to do with Adam Cain.”

Nurion’s eyes grew wide. “Adam Cain! He is involving Adam Cain?”

“He says it is a necessity.”

“Adam Cain is the most notorious Human in the galaxy. He cannot be trusted.”

“Copernicus Smith is also a Human,” said Onix.

“Of Human origin, but hardly of Human loyalties,” Nurion countered. “Let us just hope our useful tool knows what he is doing. In the past, anything Adam Cain has touched has turned into a crisis of galactic proportions.”

“Be assured, I have safeguards in place against that happening again.” And then the thin smile returned to the gray face of Onix. “It is amazing what an unlimited supply of Juirean credits can buy.”

Now Nurion frowned. “For your information, the supply is not unlimited. As Point-Operator I have a responsibility to see that I get what I pay for. If not, then the credits could be easily redirected to other, more punitive measures.”

Nurion saw that his last statement—even as cryptic as it was—had been received and understood. The huge Silean, Onix Gru, swallowed hard, visible as a descending lump within his thick neck.

Even though the two creatures on the CW link had known each other for a very long time, Onix knew that one did not fail Marix-Kliss Weapons Systems, not without serious consequences.

For the Silean, the prospect of being replaced as the go-between with Nurion Massi suddenly took on a whole other meaning.

Adam Cain is an alien with an attitude.

His adventures continue….

Chapter 1

Adam Cain swore he’d never touch another drop of alcohol.

Of course, he’d made that same pledge at least a hundred times before, maybe more. But this time he meant it.

For the time being, though, both he and Riyad Tarazi were thankful they didn’t have to pilot the starship they were in, as they would be doing if Lila hadn’t stolen the Najmah Fayd. With hangovers of nuclear intensity, it was all they could do to keep from throwing up in the culled-together mess that was the vessel owned by Copernicus Smith. If they had, Adam was sure no one would have noticed.

 In addition to how shitty he felt, Adam had forgotten where they were going, except that it was somewhere to help spring his friends Kaylor and Jym from the clutches of a local police force. Now the pair of suffering Humans were in the common room of the starship, with the lights dimmed, and bunched up in near-fetal positions on a couch and chair respectively, and grimacing at every pop, whine and moan of the spacecraft’s metal hull.

Adam had never noticed what a constant cacophony of irritating noises a transiting starship made. There wasn’t a moment’s peace, and the meds Smith had given the pair had failed to take even an edge off the debilitating pain they were experiencing.

So when Copernicus appeared at the doorway, Adam could barely make out the figure in the bright light streaming in from the hallway. “Dammit, man, shut the door!”

Copernicus stood in the entryway, shaking his head. “Jesus Christ, are the two of you going to make it?”

“That depends on what your definition of it is?” Adam groaned. “And either come in or leave, but don’t stand there with the door open.”

Copernicus stepped into the room, and to Adam’s relief, the door slid shut. But then he stepped over to the lighting control and flicked the switch.

“Holy shit!” Riyad Tarazi cried out as the room exploded in a flood of brilliance.

But then the light dimmed considerably.

“What the hell?” Copernicus tried the switch a second time.

“Don’t bother,” Adam said. “It won’t work.”

Copernicus glared at Adam. “Don’t mess with my ship, Cain! I’ve heard rumors about some of the things you can do.”

“Your, eh, beautiful spaceship is fine, don’t worry. Just give us a little more time to recover.”

“Hey, my ship is a lot better that yours…oh, yeah, you don’t have a starship of your own.” Copernicus shifted his gaze between the two balled-up lumps of misery. “What the hell were you guys drinking last night?”

“Ask him,” Adam said. The slight motion of his head in Riyad’s direction ignited a spasm of pain on his face.

“Hell if I know,” Riyad grumbled. “Could’ve been yak piss for all I know. But potent yak piss.”

“Well you better get your acts together,” Copernicus scolded. “We’ll be at Visidor tomorrow afternoon.”

“Visidor—that’s the name of the place!” The moment Adam made the emphatic announcement, he regretted it…or at least the intensity of his spoken words.

Copernicus continued to shake his head. “Saviors of the galaxy…heroes of the Human race. Yeah, right.” Then he turned and left the room, leaving the door open wide in his wake.

Adam Cain—through his Formilian brain-interface implant—accessed the door controls. A moment later the room was once more cast in soothing shadows, a medicinal necessity for the heavily hung-over, heroes or not.

********

It was a gold statue representing some local idol, and being the nearest object in reach, Admiral Andy Tobias hurled it through the air with all the power of a major league pitcher. When the figurine hit the opposing wall and deformed into a barely recognizable replica of the original, everyone in the room were stunned into deathly silence. They knew this was not the time to speak of local customs or religious sensitivities.

“So not only is the TD ship gone, but so are Cain and Tarazi? Does that about sum up the situation?”

Lieutenant-Commander Tom Paulson—the admiral’s second-in-command—nodded. “They left this morning in a vessel owned by a Human named Copernicus Smith.”

“Yeah, I saw him at the spaceport with my two missing renegades.” Tobias looked to where Sherri Valentine sat on a couch, slumped to her left, a head of mottled blonde hair cradled in her hand. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she wore no makeup. “You met this Copernicus guy,” he stated. “What did he want?”

“It’s about Kaylor and Jym,” she mumbled. “Something about them being arrested and needing our help to get out.”

“You were supposed to go with them?”

She looked up at the Admiral. “Yeah…but do I look like I’m in any condition to go out in public?”

“That’s not the point. You agreed to go…and to take the Najmah Fayd, if that’s what you call it.”

“You got it right. Weird name, I know.”

“So you, Cain and Tarazi were going to take the only spaceship capable of independent trans-dimensional travel and skip on over to some alien planet and attempt to interfere with local law enforcement?”

“It’s Kaylor and Jym, Andy.”

“I understand that, but you do realize that starship is a lot more important than a couple of our old alien buddies?”

“Stop yelling; my head hurts.”

Tobias gnashed his teeth, his eyes wide, dark pupils surrounded by a sea of white. “Oh, I’m not yelling, Ms. Valentine—not yet.”

“Relax, Andy,” Sherri barked. “They didn’t take your precious ship…Lila did.”

The comment prompted Tobias to shift his attention to Arieel Bol, seated next to Sherri on the couch; her eyes were swollen and red, the result of over four hours of near-constant crying. “And you knew nothing of this?”

“Lila is gone—probably forever—and you think I condoned such an act?”

Andy blinked. “Forgive me, it’s just that if Lila would tell anyone about her plans, it would be her mother.”

“Oh yeah,” Sherri growled. “You can be nice to the hot chick with the big boobs.”

Arieel looked at Sherri briefly before returning her attention to Admiral Tobias. “She is now under the influence of the mutant. She has been convinced she does not belong among beings like us.”

“And no hint as to where she could be?”

“None, Andy. And with the ship she possesses, she could be anywhere by now.”

Andy looked to his small compliment of loyal military personnel, the five enlisted men and officers who had accompanied him—involuntarily—into the Sol-Kor universe and back. They stood near the far wall of the large living room, looking impatient and perturbed. Besides them, Tobias had no other resources available to launch a mission to bring Cain and Tarazi back to Panur’s planet, not with the TD starship gone. All he could do was wait for the escort squadron to arrive—so they could escort nothing back to Earth.

The Admiral had lost—or allowed to be lost—the single-most important starship in the galaxy, a quantum leap in technology that would have revolutionized space travel forever. In the meantime, his two top agents were off on some wild rescue mission without sanction or support. There was no telling what kind of trouble they were about to get into. And all the while, the Juireans were preparing to annex the entire Kidis Frontier, which would place Tobias, along with all the others with him, behind enemy lines, if indeed a war did break out as a result.

There were times when Andy wished he’d stayed retired, content to play golf twice a week at his country club in Phoenix, while sharing beers and war stories with his fellow retirees at the nineteenth hole. Instead, here he was stranded on a barely civilized planet four thousand light-years from Earth, and probably facing courts martial for allowing the TD-starship to be taken from his custody.

The one consolation—and a point that would play prominently in his defense—he probably couldn’t have stopped Lila from taking the ship even if he wanted to. She was an immortal mutant alien genius, with super-strength and abilities. Still, he was savvy enough to know that someone had to take the fall. He would have preferred it to be Cain and Tarazi, but they would probably skate by on their hero status. Andy Tobias was a second-tier hero. He could be sacrificed.

Screw it, he thought. He was almost seventy years old, so what could they really do to him? Take away his pension, cast him out of the service? He glanced around at the gold-lined walls of Panur’s palace. Maybe the Juirean—Benefis Na—had the right idea? Sock away several pounds of the precious metal, and Andy wouldn’t give a damn what they took from him. He’d survive his golden years just fine.

He shook off the discordant thoughts and returned his attention to the people in the room.

“Sherri, what do you know of this Copernicus Smith?”

“He said he owns a starship repair and towing service, and that Kaylor and Jym work for him. They were bringing in a tow when they were stopped, arrested and both ships confiscated.”

“Where did this take place?”

“I can’t remember, Andy. You know, all alien names sound alike.”

Andy turned to Paulson. “Did they file a flight plan?”

Paulson grimaced. “On this planet? Not hardly. All we know is that Smith landed here three days ago and then left around ten this morning. His initial course was…up.”

“Thank you for that, Mister Paulson,” Andy said sarcastically. “Do we have a link address for him?”

“Nothing we can find,” Paulson answered.

“Sherri, he has a business, do you recall the name?”

“Ah, man, ask me later. Maybe I’ll remember then—”

“Snap out of it, Valentine. This is important.”

“All I know is it didn’t have Smith in the name; that much I remember. Wait…C-S, yeah, CS something or another.”

Tobias turned to Paulson, who was already typing feverishly on a datapad. “Help me out, Sherri,” he said. “There are about a billion companies registered in the galaxy that start with CS.”

“It’s a towing and repair service.”

“Got it! Officially CS Systems  Repair and Hauling, registered owner, C. Smith.”

“That’s it!”

“Do you have a link number?” Tobias asked.

“Yessir. Kind of vital in his line of work, I would imagine.”

“Dial it!”

A moment later a female voice came over the speaker in the datapad. There was no image linked to the call. “CS Repair and Hauling, is this an emergency?”

“You could say it is. This is Admiral Andy Tobias, Supreme Military Commander of the Orion-Cygnus Union. To whom am I speaking?”

“I am Dora, an automated answering service for CS Systems.”

“Do you have cognizance reasoning?”

“Yes, Admiral Tobias. How can I be of service?”

“I need to speak directly with Copernicus Smith, do you have his location?”

“I can link to his vessel, yet I am unaware of his present location.”

“Please open a link immediately.”

“Mister Smith has placed restricted access to his personal vessel.”

“I just told you who I am. Does that not give me access?”

“Without confirmation, you could be anyone claiming to be Admiral Tobias,” the pleasant voice said without hesitation.

Andy’s jaw tightened.

“You’re arguing with a computer, Admiral,” Paulson warned.

“Then—Dora—can you send him a message?”

“That I can do.”

“Good. Tell him this is Admiral Andy Tobias and that I demand immediate communications with his two passengers, Adam Cain and Riyad Tarazi.”

“I am familiar with the names Adam Cain and Riyad Tarazi. They are quite accomplished adventurers within the galaxy. Do you know them?”

Andy’s jaw fell slack. Hero worship…from a computer?

“Yes, I know them. They are under my command. Please relay the message.”

“I will do so immediately. Have a pleasant day, Admiral Tobias, and thank you for calling CS Systems Repair and Hauling.” The link was cut.

“What if they won’t turn around and come back, Admiral?” Tom Paulson asked.

Tobias shook his head. “Oh, they won’t come back. That pair is insubordinate enough that that’s a given. But when they do…you better hope they’ve saved the galaxy once again from some unknown threat. Otherwise I’ll have their hides drying over my front porch in the hot Arizona sun.”

Chapter 2

The escort squadron consisted of a cruiser, two destroyers and four frigates, which crossed the border between the Union and the Kidis Frontier near the Luminis Cluster. They had left Earth two weeks before and bolted at full speed to reach this point, with still another week to go before reaching Worak-nin, the planet where Admiral Tobias was located, and referred to by the natives as Panur’s Planet.

The border between the Frontier and the Union was nine thousand light-years long and located within a vast void area between major and minor arms of the galaxy. The Luminis Cluster was a rarity in the region, with forty-eight habitable planets in the area. It was a way station for transiting vessels, and the Human presence there was substantial.

Several of the worlds within the Cluster were protectorates of the Union, with applications in for membership, so the path the squadron took was relatively safe and established. So when a contingent of nine Juirean ships began shadowing them, CW links were opened with Earth, asking for guidance…just in case.

Protests were subsequently lodged with Juir, which were quickly dismissed. The Frontier, they were told, was now technically Juirean territory, so the Human starships were in violation of sovereign Expansion space. They were instructed to turn around and return to the Union arm of the galaxy.

Along with this brazen demand, a force of a hundred Juirean Class Four’s and Five’s set course for the Cluster, giving the Union population there only ten days to evacuate the region before they would be rounded up and forcibly removed.

All along the border, both Union and Expansion units moved into position, as tensions stretched to the breaking point. Diplomats—mainly on the Union side—burned up CW links in a futile attempt to head off the inevitable.

Captain David Morris was in command of the small escort squadron. He understood his mission, as well as the significance of getting the TD-capable starship into Union space. But now he had just received news that the ship was gone. He tapped the arm of his command chair with impatient fingers, waiting for amended orders to come through.

“Are we going to let the mane-head tell us where we can and can’t go, Captain?”

The ship’s XO was a young commander who had distinguished himself fighting the Sol-Kor, receiving meritorious advancement beyond his years-in-service as a result. His name was Omar Said, and he tended to come down on the side of action first, negotiation second. Morris doubted if his young second-in-command could see the larger picture: the Juireans had just set in motion a path that would lead to war between the two galactic empires, and this coming on the heels of the bloody struggle with the Sol-Kor. It made no sense to Morris that the galaxy was about to be cast once more into a major conflict, and without even a moment’s rest.

Yet it appeared young Omar Said was itching for even more action.

“Relax, Mister Said,” the captain said. “I’m sure the Juireans are sensible enough to know that what they are doing here could set off another war. What creatures in their right minds would want that?”

“But they can’t go around grabbing entire galactic arms and making them part of the Expansion. The Cluster is as much Union territory as any place. And let’s face it, we have a lot more forces available near Kidis than do the mane-heads.”

“Let’s just wait for orders from Earth.”

“And what of Admiral Tobias? He’s well into the Frontier. I wouldn’t put it past the Juireans to place him under arrest, or even accuse him of being a spy. And this after what he and the others did in the Sol-Kor universe. It just ain’t right.”

“I’m sure the Admiral can take care of himself. Our mission was to bring the TD ship back to Earth. Now that it’s gone, we’ll probably be told to return to Union space and let tensions cool down some.”

“So the Juireans win?”

“Common sense wins. Now return to your station. You may get your war, Omar, but let’s just pray it comes later rather than sooner.”

********

The cluster of re-enforced buildings that made up the Juirean Military Center sat atop the Kacoran Plain, the revered table-top plateau that had served as the training site for combat personnel dating back more than four thousand years. Recently, the Center had had been rebuilt, following destruction of the original by Kracori forces seventeen years before. Today it was a study in high-tech design and function, as were most of the buildings that currently sat atop the mountain.

Synnoc Qriss was becoming a regular at the Center, having spent more time here than any Elder in recent memory. He had advanced through the ranks of the Juirean military, having been a section commander for many years before being appointed to the Council. Now in his tenth year as Elder, his military training was being called upon as he carefully maneuvered the galaxy closer to the much-needed war with the Humans.

Synnoc himself was housed in the new Malor Capital Building located eight kilometers from the military command station. Even though it was a replica of the one built on the site three thousand years before, the Juireans came to feel slightly self-conscious regarding the design of their primary structure.  It mirrored in many ways the pyramids of the Sol-Kor, and the last thing the Juireans wanted was to be compared in any way to the Sol-Kor.

Already there were grumblings within the Expansion regarding the status of the empire’s founding race. With the Humans serving as a buffer, many of the member worlds no longer feared the Juireans, and it seemed that at every turn the Humans were engaged in some new adventure that resulted in the betterment of the galaxy. The Sol-Kor threat was a perfect example.

The Humans had taken the lead in the struggle against the flesh-eaters, while the Juireans played a secondary role. And now the war was over and the Humans were getting most of the credit—and in particular, the pariah known as Adam Cain. With the recent return of his team from the Sol-Kor universe, it seemed that the media on Earth was saturating the galaxy with fantastic tales of his exploits, and how he—and a handful of other Humans—had single-handedly defeated the entire Sol-Kor Colony, all one-trillion of them. Of course, the stories downplayed the importance of another race called the Hal’ic who had played a part in the effort, or how only through the manipulations of the mutant Panur was Cain able to do what he had done.

Even so, countless worlds throughout the Expansion and Union were once again speaking his name, and as a consequence, Cain’s race of origin: Human.

The result was world after world within the Expansion asking what it would take to switch their affiliation to the Human-led Orion-Cygnus Union. A splintering of the Expansion was underway, and one based not solely on geographic location, either. Worlds halfway across the galaxy from the Far Arm were wondering how an alliance with the Union could benefit them.

Beginning seventeen years before, and lasting for seven beyond that, the Humans had ruled the Expansion, before abdicating control once again to the Juireans. They took such action to carve out a smaller, more manageable empire in the Far Arm. These days, however, the Humans appeared to be setting their sights far beyond their arm of the galaxy, as restless and ambitious leaders sought strength in numbers.  They were welcoming the overtures from Expansion worlds, and if Elder Synnoc did not do something to quell this growing tide, then he could go down in history as the Elder who presided over the final collapse of the Expansion.

This was the reason Synnoc was spending so much time at the Center. He was working on a master plan to bring the Humans to their knees, and to show the rest of the galaxy that the smooth-skinned creatures from Earth were not as powerful as perceived.

The first step in Synnoc’s plan would take place in the Kidis Frontier.

The Orion-Cygnus Union encompassed nearly the entire Far Arm of the galaxy. If viewed from the center of the galaxy, Kidis was the minor arm to the left of the Far Arm, separated by a thin void area a thousand light-years wide. The border between the two arms was nine thousand light-years long, and just like the Far Arm, until twenty years ago, Kidis had been mostly unexplored territory. Since that time, it had fallen through the cracks of civilization, being neither part of the Union nor the Expansion. As a result, most of the dregs of both empires settled there. It was largely lawless, ungoverned and dangerous. No fewer than seventy independent planetary affiliations existed, each with their own set of rules and militias to enforce them. Conflicts between these groups were common, with political loyalties switching back and forth almost on a daily basis.

Being so close to the Union, many of the worlds along the border had begun to seek the protection of the Humans. Petitions for membership were commonplace, and recently, the Humans had begun to entertain the prospect of expanding their reach into the region. This movement toward the Union had become a torrent in recent weeks, since the return of Adam Cain and his team. At this pace, the entire Frontier could be absorbed by the Union in short order, followed then by the entire Expansion.

And that was where the Visidor Affiliation came in.

Synnoc had convinced the eighteen-world federation to appeal to Juir for inclusion in the Expansion, citing increased violence and illegal activities within the region. They claimed that only through the governance of the Expansion could the population of the Frontier be safe. Having already moved a force into the region to assist the Humans in their pursuit of the mutant Panur, Synnoc had a strong presence in the region. He gladly pronounced an accommodation with the Visidorans, which began a snowball of similar requests, either for membership in the Expansion or the Union.

It was at this point that Synnoc decided to go for broke. He did not want peace with the Humans; he wanted war. Knowing that the Expansion vastly outnumbered the Union in warships and personnel, this advantage countered the relative proximity of the Frontier to the Humans in the Far Arm. In addition, Synnoc also had the two major weapons makers in the galaxy—MK Weapons Systems and Xan-Fi—located within the Expansion. Even so, he was under no false illusion that a war with the Humans would be easy. But this time—unlike the last war—he would know what he was facing.

The Juireans might not win all Synnoc hoped to win; undoubtedly the Union would still exist in some form at the end. However, by showing the Expansion that the Juireans feared no one, they would instill the necessary fear in their member worlds to maintain their rule—and their respect.

There was a secondary factor that had prompted Synnoc’s annexation of the Frontier: the trans-dimensional starship the Humans had brought back with them from Sol-Kor space. If that ship was allowed to make it to Earth, then the Humans would have a technological advantage over the Expansion. At last reporting, the ship was located on a planet called Worak-nin, under the care of Adam Cain and the Human military commander Andy Tobias. The recently-announced annexation of Kidis would prevent free travel across the Frontier. It was now Expansion space—at least in the eyes of the Juireans—and as such, subject to its rules and regulations. No Human ship would be allowed passage without clearance, including the TD vessel.

Of course, this would be the spark Synnoc needed to ignite his war.  He was ready, much more than were the Humans. They had depleted much of their forces fighting the Sol-Kor—a price they paid for enhancing their reputation. Now they would find themselves overwhelmed by a new enemy.

In reality, it was an old enemy, one that had only recently been resurrected.

Chapter 3

The emergency link came through the comm just as Commander Said returned to his station. He now accompanied his captain to the Combat Information Center at the rear of the bridge to receive the communique.

Although Captain Morris had been expecting an update to his orders, he was concerned when the classified link was required to be received in the SCIF—Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility—aboard the ship. Only Morris, Commander Said and a chief comm officer were present.

The face of Admiral Hollingsworth appeared, looking stressed, as Morris would expect under the circumstances. The admiral’s blue eyes scanned the occupants of the room aboard the starship, three thousand light-years from Earth.

“Things are really heating up, David,” the Admiral began without preamble.

Morris’s stomach tightened. War was an unpredictable thing, especially at the beginning.

“The Juirean fleet is moving to cut you off, and they have a hundred ships to make sure they succeed.”

“Sir, as much as I take pride in my Human heritage, I think that’s a little more than we can chew. But do you honestly believe they’ll fire on us? This is a lot larger than just the Frontier.”

“They’ve been getting a lot more belligerent recently. I wouldn’t put it past them to find some excuse to start the war, using you and your ships as the pretense. You’re not going to like this, but I’m ordering you and your units to proceed to the Luminis Cluster and set up a defensive line. Half the worlds there are protectorates of the Union. We have more right to be there than the Juireans.”

“And if they attack?”

“Then they’ll come off as the aggressors.”

Captain Morris smiled. “Glad we can do our part, sir.”

“Don’t worry. There are sixty ships in the area already, and I’m bolting another forty that way in the next day or so. You’ll have back up.”

“What about Admiral Tobias?”

“I’ll let him know what’s going on. With the trans-dimensional starship gone, there’s no urgency to reach him, not now anyway.”

“I’m sure the Juireans know he’s on Worak-nin. Do you think he’ll be safe? Capturing him and Cain’s team would be a major propaganda coup for the Juireans.”  

“I’ll have him go to ground. Besides, I wouldn’t advise the mane-heads to go up against Cain and his people…not again. It didn’t work out so well for them the last time they tried.”

“That was then, Admiral. They have a pretty good idea what we’re all about this time around.”

The admiral’s face contorted. “I was afraid you were going to say that. That’s what I’m concerned about, too. The Juireans are smart enough—at least they are now—not to start something they can’t finish. And after we carried most of the weight against the Sol-Kor, our forces are at a disadvantage, at least numerically.”

“Do you have something up your sleeve, sir?”

“If I did, I couldn’t tell you.” Hollingsworth’s face was a blank canvas. Morris thought how he’d hate to play Texas Hold ‘Em with the man.

“Very well, sir. Is there anything else?”

This time the admiral’s blue eyes bore into the junior officer. “Just this: We cannot shoot first. Understood?”

“Yes, sir. Perfectly.”

“Good luck gentlemen. Keep me informed.”

The screen went black.

Chapter 4

Adam staggered onto the bridge two hours later, his headache down to a somewhat tolerable level. Copernicus was seated in his pilot’s chair, a leg draped over the right armrest. He barely reacted to Adam’s arrival.

With a steaming cup of black coffee balanced in his grip, Adam sat at the comm station before swiveling the chair around so he could look out the forward viewport. The liquid in the cup was strong and bitter, and just what the doctor ordered.

“Back among the living?” Smith asked without looking at his guest.

“Got tired of wallowing in my pain. Figured a walk would do me good.”

“Go easy on the coffee. It’s the real stuff. I have it shipped in from Earth.”

“Thought so. It’s the best I’ve had in…well I don’t know how long.” He sipped at the contents of the cup.

Now Copernicus swiveled his own chair to look at his guest. “So…Adam Cain, universe-hopper, savior of the galaxy. I guess I should be honored by your mere presence aboard my ship.”

Adam frowned. “Hey, you came to us, remember. And I didn’t ask for any of this to happen to me.”

“Yeah, I know, I saw the movie. My girlfriend at the time dragged me to see it. She had a poster of you in her bedroom.”

“What was she, twelve at the time?”

“Something like that.”

“Dude, you’re not that much younger than I am.”

“As they say, it’s not the years, it’s the mileage. I’m twenty-six.”

Adam remained quiet. He thought Copernicus was in his forties. But then curiosity got the better of him. “So what’s your story? What’s a Human doing out here in the middle of the Frontier, and running a starship repair business? Isn’t there enough business in Union space?”

“As you surmised earlier, my primary customer base would prefer to avoid the Union—and the Expansion for that matter—if at all possible. And their reputations precludes certain, more reputable firms from doing business with them. But me, I get more business than I can handle, and at about twice the going rate.”

“How big’s your operation?”

“I have eight crews, plus three haulers and a planetside yard. Four haulers if you include the FS-475. I carry it on the books as a contract-for-hire.”

“And where is home?”

“A little no-name outside of Austin, Texas.”

Adam pursed his lips at Copernicus. “You know what I mean.”

“It’s actually a neat little place called Liave-3. You’d love it. My shipyard is right on the shore of a huge sea. Great waves, but I wouldn’t recommend surfing there.”

“Why not?”

Copernicus smiled. “The planet never had one of those giant asteroids crash into it, so there are still dinosaur-like beasts roaming around, along with fifty-foot-long sharks.”

“What about the natives?”

“Those are the natives. Off-worlders have come to the planet, though, so there’s a fairly large city nearby where I get my miscellaneous labor and parts from. Also, you’d be surprised how tasty T-Rex steaks can be.”

“Sound great. So how did you get your training? Military?”

“How’d you guess? But even before that I was always tinkering with cars and other things. That’s just what you did in Texas when your nearest neighbor was five mile away. Found a pretty good home in the service, though. Got to the rank of Tech-Sergeant before deciding to leave.”

“Why was that?”

“Partly because of you.”

Adam raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

“Yeah. I was in the Army at the time Earth ruled the Expansion; I was stationed on Juir when you made your little speech giving the galaxy back to the Juireans. By the way, thanks for that.”

Adam didn’t know which way to take that, so he let it drop.

Copernicus continued. “After that, me and a few buddies decided to stick around. We began to pick through the derelicts from past space battles—mainly places in your wake, I might add. It was pretty lucrative for a while. We not only had hundreds of ships to salvage, but all the spare parts were just drifting around in space. We’d fix up the ships and sell them off. Made some good coin, for a while. Then the big boys moved, including those MK assholes. You know they make more than just flash weapons, don’t you. They’re into just about everything now. Kind of the Amazon of outer space.

“Anyway, that’s how I came into contact with some of my current customers. They’re always looking for reliable—and cheap—transports. When word got out who we were selling most of our inventory to, things got a little too hot for me in the Expansion. So I took my skills and worked my way to the Frontier. It’s been about four years, and no regrets.”

“Any run-ins with the Sol-Kor?.”

“Fortunately, no. Not quite sure why. They did hit Kidis here and there.” Copernicus smiled. “But since they seemed to be attracted to more advanced civilizations, that more or less exempted the Frontier from the menu. I missed all the really juicy action.”

“You’re lucky, Copernicus…trust me on that one. It wasn’t pretty.”

Copernicus shifted in his seat. “I guess we should get something straight. Very few people call me Copernicus. Most call me Coop.”

“Not Cop?”

“No, Coop. It started about the time I got big enough to kick everyone’s ass in high school.”

Adam grinned, and held up a hand in surrender. “Fine, I’ll call you Mortimer if that’s what you want to be called. It’s your name.”

“Coop will do.”

There was a long moment of awkward silence before Coop spoke again. “So, what’s it like to be in another universe?”

“About the same as here. Supposedly there are countless dimensions. The one where the Sol-Kor live is just like this one. Don’t really know why there has to be so many?”

“So no universes inhabited by real-life Disney characters or creatures made out of Legos?”

Adam smiled. “None that I saw.”

“That’s too bad. At least that would have made it more interesting.”

There was another lull in the conversation until Adam changed the subject. “What about Kaylor and Jym? How did you meet them?”

Copernicus snorted. “I ran into them in the Fringe. I was over there for a series of meetings with my primary customers. You do know that the Sileans, Castorians and the Rigorians run most of the contraband throughout the galaxy? Kaylor and Jym were on Silea at the time. I’d heard of them, of course, and a meeting was set up. I have to say, the way they were portrayed in the movie was quite a bit different than in real life.”

“Sorry, I never saw the movie.”

“There have actually been three made so far. I guess after your latest adventure, a fourth will be in the works.”

“God, I hope not.”

Copernicus smiled. “Then stop going around saving the galaxy and killing grotesque bug-like alien queens…or having sex with gorgeous extraterrestrial females.”

“You know about that?”

“Hey, I’ve seen the pictures of that Formilian hottie” Coop’s smile turned into a lecherous smirk. He just nodded at Adam, approvingly. “Oh, and Sherri Valentine ain’t no slouch either. Is she seeing anyone these days?”

It was Adam’s turn to smile. “Go for it, dude. She’s free as a bird.” He decided he didn’t like Copernicus enough to warn him of all the baggage that came with dating Sherri. He wouldn’t believe him if he tried.

“So…you met Kaylor and Jym….”

“Yeah. They’re always looking for work, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt having a couple of celebrities on the payroll. I offered them a pretty good salary, plus a hefty share of the towing fees, since they’d be using the FS-475.” Copernicus snorted. “It also seemed that some people in the Fringe weren’t so enamored with their celebrity, and a change of scenery was just what they needed. They’ve been with me for about two years.”

“Do they know you’re bringing in me and Riyad to help get them released?”

“Nope. Haven’t had a chance to speak to them. The Visidorans are real assholes. They’ve sided with the Juireans in this whole annexation thing, so there are a lot of the mane-heads running around their world, calling the shots.”

Adam frowned. “If they’ve sided with the Juireans, then why do you think we can help get them out?”

“Because, like I said, the Sol-Kor harvested worlds in the Frontier, too, and some very close to Visidor. I’m banking on a little gratitude on the part of the Affiliation for what you did to stop the threat. Besides, Visidor society is run by the females, and we all know how well you do with alien women.”

Adam let the sour look on his face fester for a while. It seemed Copernicus had been grasping for straws when he contacted him and Riyad for help.

“And what if they won’t let them go?”

“I’ll deal with that at the time. I have a legal team on retainer who can bring up a whole array of issues about the liability of service personnel. But I really want you to try to the get the ships back, both the FS-475 and my client’s ship.”

“Who’s your client?”

“Sorry, Cain, confidential info.”

“What about the crew? Where are they?”

“Hell, the moment the ship broke down they hightailed it out of the area. Kaylor and Jym got there just ahead of the Visidorans. By then they knew it wasn’t a simple fix and had the ship under tow.”

“And you really don’t know what’s aboard?”

“How could I? I’ve never seen the ship. I just got the call about the breakdown. Most times the ships can be pieced together enough onsite to get them to the nearest safe harbor. This one was something even Jym couldn’t fix, and you know what a wizard he is with starships.”

Adam shook his head. “Like I said before, we’ll do what we can to get Kaylor and Jym released. But as far as your client’s ship goes, I can’t make any promises.”

“We’ll see,” said Copernicus. “Maybe I have more confidence in your persuasive powers than you do.”

“Don’t bet the farm on it.”

“Unfortunately, I already have.”

Chapter 5

Adam and Riyad watched the planet Visidor grow through the viewport as Copernicus’s ship—Vivian—approached. Adam hadn’t found the right moment to ask how the ship got her name; it could be sensitive subject, just as the Cassie I was for Adam.

“You’re going to like this place,” Copernicus offered, scanning the monitor he was reading. “The gravity is pretty low—just over half of Earth’s—so all that superman-like stuff you’re known for should come into play. It’s also hot and humid with an abundance of jungle vegetation, which provides an oxygen-rich atmosphere even with the low air pressure. The only thing we’ll have to worry about are some sinus problems and ear-popping.”

“I thought you said you’ve never been here before.” Riyad stated.

“I haven’t, but I can read an environment summary,” Copernicus replied.

Adam looked up from the monitor screen he was scanning. “So can I, and it says here that Visidor is on the far side of the Frontier from the Union and has only been rarely visited by Humans. But you still think our fame will be enough to get Kaylor and Jym released? ”

“Have faith, Mister Cain. I’ve spent quite a few years kicking around the galaxy, and you’d be surprised how well-known the two of you are. In fact almost every time someone finds out I’m a Human they ask if I know you, as if every Human knows everyone else.”

“I just hope you’re right. Hey Riyad, get a load of the natives.”

Riyad moved to where he could see Adam’s screen. “Is that a male or the female?”

“Does it matter?”

The image displayed on the screen showed a somewhat short creature with bulging muscles and covered almost entirely by coarse-looking hair. The thick head had a prominent brow jutting out above deep set eyes, reminding Adam of a Neanderthal. “Not very far up the evolutionary ladder, are they?” Riyad said. “They look tough.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Copernicus said. “Take us for example.”

Adam snorted. “You ever met a Diklakean?” he asked Copernicus. “They’re four feet of mean muscle with a temperament to match.”

“But they come from a heavy-gravity world,” Copernicus countered. “The Visidorans may look tough, but I’ll bet their bones are made of marshmallows.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t have to find out. Where are we going? The whole place looks like it’s covered by jungle.”

“I’m homing in on a place called Swiv. It’s in the northern hemisphere, close to the poles. Hopefully it will be cooler there. Prepare for landing; we should be making landfall in about ten minutes.”

********

As the Vivian dropped toward the surface, Adam got his first real glimpse of the dichotomy that was the planet Visidor. As details became defined, he saw what appeared to be a light coating of snow on the huge, fern-like leaves of the far-reaching jungle. Upon reaching the forest canopy, the snow would convert to a gas that fed clouds of steam wafting back into the atmosphere. Once airborne, the gas would immediately condense to fall back to the surface in the form of short-lived snow. The cycle appeared to be constant, with the process depositing a light mist of rain below the forest canopy. From his observations, Adam couldn’t tell if it was hot or cold outside the starship.

There was always something both familiar and strange each time Adam landed on an alien world. He had thought about this before, about how similar most of the worlds he visited appeared to be. Yet when put into perspective, it all made sense.

Throughout the galaxy, there are literally trillions of planets, yet to Primes—such as Humans—most hold little interest. Primes are interested in worlds compatible to Primes, so it makes sense that most would have similar traits. They would all be within a certain gravity-tolerance, with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, a magnetic field, a stable rotation and carbon-based lifeforms. The surface temperature would allow for the retention of liquid water, which just happens to coincide with the optimal survival range of Human-like creatures.

Even for mining, it’s easier to extract needed metals and minerals from the countless asteroids and uninhabited worlds scattered about rather than go to war over something that was more easily attained without all the hassle.

Of course, Earth-like worlds are few and far between, yet in a place as large as a galaxy, that still leaves a million or so perfect worlds for Primes to covet.

And it was from this coveting that conflict arose.

Now the empires of the Milky Way sought to consolidate as many of these Earth-like worlds into their fold, to stake claim to territory and to extract from the natives all the labor and treasure they could, before enough became too much for the population to endure. And no one was innocent. The Humans, the Juireans, the Klin—everyone was guilty of this overt coveting of other people’s stuff. It’s what kept Adam Cain—and others like him—fat and happy. Adam had once called it Human-nature, but now he had to amend that description. He realized this was how all living organisms survived.

********

The surrounding jungle had been cut back to provide for the growth of the city. As with most Prime-friendly worlds, the settlement was filled with box-like structures, some reaching several stories in height, with a grid-pattern of roads running between them. With open land scarce on Visidor, the natives took advantage of every square meter. The city was large, with a population of four million according to the Library, yet only one modest-size spaceport serviced the city, telling Adam that the Visidorans were not that much into space travel. Even so, when they set down on the muddy ground of the port, the place was packed to the gills with starships—and mainly of Juirean design.

“Looks like we got here just in time for the Annual Overlord Convention,” Riyad said. “Hey Copernicus—I mean Coop—I didn’t recognize the make of the your ship. Do you think the mane-heads will be able to tell we’re Humans just by looking at it?”

“I doubt it. I pieced this thing together from at least half-a-dozen models, none of which originated on Earth. Even so, it’s a good bet there aren’t a lot of people like us roaming around.”

“Just because the Juireans want to annex the Frontier doesn’t mean we don’t have a right be here,” Adam offered. “We can be here, right?” He directed the question to Copernicus.

“This is the Kidis Frontier. There are very few rules, but the last time I checked, there was no moratorium on Humans visiting the planet.”

“Let’s hope that hasn’t changed. But just to be on the safe side, I’m wearing a full-hooded cape and taking my trusty 1911 Colt .45-cal with me.”

“We’re not out to cause any trouble, Cain,” Copernicus snapped. “We’re here to schmooze the natives, not blow them apart, which I know is your usual modus operandi.”

“Don’t use big words around him,” Riyad said with a grin. “They make him nervous.”

“Thanks for the support, buddy!”

Riyad shrugged. “But seriously, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”

“Have it your way,” Copernicus conceded. “But before you start shooting up the place, try a little diplomacy first.”

Riyad shook his head. “There you go with those big words again.”

********

The three Humans departed the starship dressed in dark brown capes with hoods covering their heads. Fortunately, they fit right in with the rest of the population, who wore similar garments to protect against the near-constant rainfall. The capes also shielded them from the near freezing temperature. Obviously, the flora of Visidor had adapted to the cold, and in the light gravity grew to gigantic proportion, even in the coldest of climates. All around the spaceport, the towering jungle struggled to overtake the clearing, even as several huge rotating trimmers skirted the perimeter, cutting back huge swaths from the juicy green vegetation. The ten-meter high discs sloshed through mud and snow on dual tracks; even so, Adam could swear he saw the jungle grow before his eyes, invading cleared space almost the moment the trimmers moved by.

The sticky soil of Visidor caked their boots, making movement toward the line of waiting transport vehicles a chore, even in the light gravity. The relatively heavy weight of the Humans caused them to sink deeper into the mud than the natives, whom Adam saw wore a form of narrow cross-country snow shoe to traverse the muddy field. Arriving at the vehicles, he was relieved to see that at each door a water hose was provided to clean off the gooey mess before entering. Once inside, only the slightest increase in heat was felt. The temperature of Swiv was normal for the Visidorans, if not their visitors.

Copernicus gave the driver an address, and the dual-tracked vehicle lurched forward, plowing through the mud before reaching a paved road that led into the city. The ride was rough, from a combination of the heavy tracks and the coarseness of the pavement. Adam stared out the window, with only a passing interest in the scenery streaming by. This was just another alien city on another alien world. Outside, the natives huddled against the weather, shuffling from place to place, going about their daily routine on a never-ending quest for food, shelter and procreation. Those were the big three drivers of motivation for creatures like him. He could add power as the fourth motivator, yet that was usually the means most often used to acquire the other three. It was all the same, here on Visidor, or on faraway Earth.

Adam shrugged. Sometimes too much travel, too many experiences, served to take the wonder out of life. Jaded was the word that came to mind, followed closely by bored….

The transport jerked to a halt, shaking Adam out of his depressing reverie. “Are we there?”

“Yeah…and where the hell have you been?” Riyad asked. “You looked like you were in a trance.”

“Just trying to put things into perspective.”

“Oh, damn!”

“What’s wrong?” Copernicus asked.

“Nothing, really. It’s just that when Adam starts getting introspective, he begins to seek out surprises, challenges, something to get his juices flowing again.”

“Save it for another time, will ya? All I want to do is get my ships back.”

“And Kaylor and Jym,” Riyad amended.

“Oh, yeah, them, too.”

Chapter 6

They were outside the Visidoran Judiciary Building, a large, ten-story stone structure with a series of short steps leading to the front entrance, and barely above the flood plain from the stains on the concrete. The doorway was small and narrow, designed to accommodate the smallish natives while keeping the weather outside.

The trio entered the building, along with a crush of others all anxious to escape the weather and get about their business, including no fewer than have a dozen huge Juireans. The Humans were about a foot taller than the Visidorans, yet a foot or two shorter than the Juireans. That helped to keep them from standing out in the crowd, at least to a major degree. Still, they kept their hoods on, while blending seamlessly with the parade of natives.

As far as Adam knew, there was no reason to hide from the Juireans, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Even through a shaky peace that had lasted almost seventeen years, Humans and Juireans seldom mingled, not without consequences.

Copernicus asked for directions from an automated attendant and then led them to a bank of rotating platforms rising up from the floor around a central pole. Copernicus boarded one, while Adam and Riyad shared the next platform, each gripping the center pole for balance.

Five levels up, Copernicus stepped off the platform. Adam and Riyad followed suit. They quickly assessed the area, and seeing no Juireans, pushed the hoods from their heads.

“You were right. There are Juireans everywhere” Adam said. “Where to next?”

“I was told to ask for someone named Marshal Manis in the detainment section.”

“Really? Marshal Manis? I didn’t know we’d just entered the Visidoran version of the Wild West.”

“That was the translated title. Who knows what it refers to here.”

Adam smiled. “Let’s get on with it. Time to start being dip-lo-matic.”

“My friend is a quick study,” Riyad said, patting Adam on the back.

Copernicus turned toward the reception desk at the end of the hallway.

A moment later, Adam and Riyad shared an amused look with each other. Neither had seen hairy boobs before, until now. And it wasn’t that they weren’t nicely formed, adorning a female Visidoran receptionist with a narrow waist and slender legs. It was just that her breasts were fully exposed and covered in a coarse blanket of black hair. But it didn’t end there. Her face was also covered in hair, all except for circles around her eyes and thin strips of skin surrounding her lips. She eyed the three Humans with curiosity.

“We’re here to see Marshal Manis,” said Copernicus Smith.

“Do you have business before the Marshal?” came the voice in Adam’s ear, out of sync with the movement of her hair-lined lips, a side-effect of their imbedded translation bugs.

“Tell her Copernicus Smith is here to inquire about the confiscation of two of his starships. I have a docket number.”

After giving her the number, the receptionist pressed a comm link and spoke into a panel. She must have been wearing an in-ear speaker because all Adam could hear was the one-side conversation. “She will be out momentarily.” Then the young native frowned, or what Adam took as a frown through the layer of hair on her prominent brow. “Enquiry…as to your species?”

“We are Humans,” Copernicus answered.

“I have heard of you, but never met one. Do you always have such an offensive odor?”

Adam smirked. How many times had he thought the same about aliens?

“I apologize,” said Copernicus.

“Forgiven. I say to you that the odor is less offensive than that of the Juireans. But more, I was expecting you to be bigger, based upon your reputation.”

“We’re compact and tough,” Riyad said with a grin. “Just like the Visidorans.”

Adam saw the glint in the alien’s eyes as she looked at Riyad. Perhaps it would be his old friend doing the schmoozing here….

A much older and gruffer-looking native stepped up to the trio. She, too, had hairy, exposed breasts, just not with the same healthy prominence of the younger alien, not by a long shot.

“I am Marshal Manis. Come with me.” She turned on her heel and walked off without waiting for the Humans to react. She led them to a conference room and then waited impatiently for Adam and Riyad to enter before stopping Copernicus at the door. There was a brief huddled conversation before they entered the room and closed the door. There were two other Visidorans in the room, both females, each armed with bolt launchers. They stood guard at the rear of the room.

Adam and Riyad shared a glance as they took seats at the table. Under their capes they placed hands on the handles of their weapons.

“You have come regarding the disposition of your crew and vessels,” Manis stated as she sat and flipped open a data screen that was inset in the tabletop.

“That’s correct,” Copernicus said quickly. “I’m sure you know that confiscation of repair vessels and crews is highly unorthodox, even for the Frontier.”

“That depends on your perspective.” The alien scanned the screen before continuing. “Copernicus Smith, Human, operator of a repair and recovery service.”

“That’s right.”

“Primary assignments from the Gradis Cartel and the Rigorians.”

“I wouldn’t say primary,” Copernicus stammered. “I service vessels in need. I do not ask their affiliation before providing that service.”

Manis looked up at Copernicus and stretched her white lips wide. “We have a complete file on you and your operation, Human. That is the reason your ships and crew were detained.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You may deny that you are a contractor for the contraband smugglers moving throughout Affiliation space, but your record indicates otherwise. When word of your most-recent distress service came in, we moved to intercept the smuggler’s ship, with designs of providing evidence of your collusion.”

“I’m not responsible for what’s aboard a service call vessel. That’s standing law.”

“Whose law is that, Human? In Affiliation space, we make the laws. And in this case we deemed it legal for us to confiscate all ships and parties involved.”

“I’m not aware of what the distress vessel was carrying. How could I? I received the call and I sent my crew out to investigate.”

Adam saw a clouded look cross the face of the Visidoran officer. When she looked up, her eyes locked with Adam’s. “Are these also employees of yours”

“No, they’re friends, fellow Humans of some importance and notoriety throughout the galaxy, brought here to help plead my case.”

“Who are you?”

“This is Adam Cain and Riyad Tarazi,” Copernicus said before Adam could reply. “Perhaps you’ve heard of them. They just returned from the Sol-Kor universe after defeating our mutual enemy. They are responsible for saving the galaxy, including Visidor.”

“I have not heard of you, but I have heard of the Sol-Kor.”

“You haven’t heard of them? Surely there must be others here who have?”

Manis whipped her head around to stare at Copernicus. “Are you suggesting that I am ill-informed? I have been told Humans are arrogant creatures with extreme self-importance. Now you arrive with these two, claiming I should be impressed simply with their names.”

“I didn’t say that. All I meant was that Humans defeated the Sol-Kor—these Humans—and as such, they are due some respect.”

Adam blanched. He could tell by the expression on the Visidoran than all Copernicus was doing was digging the hole a little deeper with each comment.

“Forgive my friend, Marshal Manis,” Adam said, deciding it was time to speak for himself. “He’s a little overzealous with his love of race. I’m sure you can understand that. We are also friends with the repair crew. Is there any way they can be released, seeing that all they were doing was following orders?”

Again the clouded look.

“Has something happened to them?” Adam asked, sensing something was wrong.

“They are well. They are being detained at the prison of Fasnis.”

“And yet there’s something troubling you.”

“It is not a troubling, but a frustration.”

“Please explain.”

Manis closed the computer screen on the table and leaned back in the chair. “The frustration comes from the fact that we have investigated the smuggler’s ship and found nothing that would qualify as illegal cargo aboard.”

“Wha…what?” said Copernicus stammered. “You didn’t find anything, no contraband?”

Manis narrowed her eyes at the Human. “You seem surprised by the news. Is there something you know that we do not?”

“No…that’s not it. It’s just that if you didn’t find any contraband aboard the ship, then why is it still being held?”

“Along with the repair crew,” Riyad added, speaking for the first time.

“It is because we have just concluded another thorough search of the vessel. All we found were a few restricted intoxicants in the crew quarters. Those have been removed.”

“So I can get my ships back?”

“And the service crew?” Riyad added again.

“The documents are being prepared even now.”

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

Manis leaned forward, her eyes burning. “As I said, we have a complete record on you, Copernicus Smith. We know you are involved with the cartels. You and your crews are not welcome in Affiliation space, and neither are your so-called celebrities. You should be aware that I informed the local Juirean authorities of your presence here prior to our meeting. Although Visidor has no cause for incarceration, that is not to say the Juireans would not.”

“And why would they do that?” Riyad asked. “The Juireans and the Humans—”

“Are on the brink of war. Everyone knows that. And with recent actions by the Juireans, you are in Expansion territory without authorization.”

Adam blinked hard when the words sank in. “Authorization? What are you talking about? This is the Frontier; it borders the Union. We have every right to be here.”

“Now it is you who are ill-informed. The announcement has been made, and Visidor was instrumental in bringing about the annexation. The Kidis Frontier is now part of the Expansion.”

“Bullshit!” said Copernicus. The reaction by the Visidoran was like all other aliens when first hearing the translation of the word. “When did this happen?”

“Only two days prior,” answered Manis, shrugging off her confusion.

Riyad rose from his seat. “Then we best be leaving before the mane-heads arrive.” He locked eyes with Marshal Manis. “You’re not going to try to keep us here until they arrive, are you?” The implied threat was obvious.

“You stand upon my world, Human,” said Manis with a thin grin. “You arrived without interference; leaving it may not be as simple.”

Adam led the Humans to the conference room door. He threw it open wide—and ran headlong into the armored chest of a much taller creature. Looking up, he met the yellow eyes of a white-haired Juirean Overlord. A quick survey to the left and right revealed eight other Juireans crowding the hallway, weapons drawn.

“They are set on level-1, Human,” said the Overlord, referring to the power setting on the flash weapons. “You see, we have learned much since the last time Juireans and Humans were in conflict.”

Adam matched the alien’s look of amusement. “That you have,” he said. “But you still seem to have missed the most important lesson of all.”

The seven-foot tall Juirean frowned. “And what might that be?”

Adam smiled, exposing a full set of pearly-white teeth. “Just a very simple truth: You don’t mess the Humans.”

Chapter 7

Adam’s statement to the Overlord went over about as well as expected. With a wicked smirk, he allowed his guards to work over the three Humans in a rather rude and savage way before shoving the bloodied and bruised trio into the back of an armored truck for transport to the closest prison facility.

The Visidoran official had already mentioned its name: Fasnis.

The journey took two hours, and although there were no windows in the back of the transport, Adam could tell they had left the paved road almost immediately outside the city and were now slogging through mud and snow, traversing the Visidoran landscape.

Before leaving the Judiciary Building, each of the Humans had been fitted with thick collars, with a brief explanation that they were both trackers and restraints, capable of delivering a debilitating electric shock should they become unruly or try to escape. None of them were in any condition to test the effectiveness of the collars, at least not yet. Instead, they spent the bumpy ride nursing their wounds and trying to come to grips with the new paradigm the galaxy had apparently entered.

Being alone in the back of the truck, they spoke freely. “What the hell, it only took us two days to get here,” Riyad said. “And now we’re essentially at war with the Juireans?”

“Maybe we should have been watching the news during the trip,” Copernicus commented. “I saw this coming.”

“You did?” Adam queried.

“Yeah, ever since the mane-heads got serious about annexation. That started about the same time you and your buddies left on your all-inclusive Sol-Kor vacation. Since then it’s been pretty tense around here.”

“But annexation?” Adam countered. “Something more than a bunch of political maneuvering must have happened. Earth isn’t going to stand still for this.” He looked at his two companions. “Anyone seriously hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Riyad said. “Looks worse than it is.”

“I think I broke a fingernail,” Copernicus replied, while closely surveying his right hand. “The bastards!” Then he smiled. “I know for the two of you this is old hat, but that’s the first time I’ve had a fight with a Juirean.”

“That wasn’t really a fight, not with eight of them using us as punching bags,” said Adam. “Next time it’ll be different, that I promise.”

“So what’s the plan?” Riyad asked.

“I heard them say we’re being taken to the same place they’re holding Kaylor and Jym. The plan? Simple. We take over the place, free ourselves and our friends. Then we wreak havoc on the rest of the planet and make our escape.”

“So…standard operating procedure?” Riyad said as he slumped back on the bench and closed his eyes. “Good. Wake me when it’s time to go to work.”

Copernicus shifted his gaze between his fellow prisoners. “Of course, you’re not serious? Did you forget about the collars were wearing?”

“We haven’t forgotten,” Adam said. “In fact, I kind of like the look. This could be the next big fashion craze back on Earth. After all, we are Cain and Tarazi. We’re famous!”

“You’re also crazy.”

“Yeah…that, too.”

Chapter 8

 “What is it with you men?” Sherri screeched. “Can’t you spend a week without declaring war on someone?”

“Hey don’t blame us,” Tobias snapped. “We didn’t start this. And we’re not at war…not yet. But now we have bigger problems.”

Sherri blinked. “What do you mean?”

“We’re stuck here, and Hollingsworth thinks we’re going to become high-value targets.”

“The Juireans will seek to kill us?” Arieel asked. “I am a Formilian, and to be re-appointed the leader of my people. They wouldn’t dare.”

“Their beef is with the Human, Arieel. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Their beef—I do not understand?”

“Their gripe, their problem.”

“I will protest!”

“I appreciate that, but it may be too little too late. The Juireans are in the process of rounding up and expelling all the Humans in the Frontier, or at least those that can’t be used for propaganda purposes.”

“So that leaves us stranded here on Panur’s stinking planet,” Sherri growled.

“Hollingsworth doesn’t want to risk sending a Human task force to get us, and he thinks us heading out in one of the small local ships would be too dangerous. He recommends we find someplace safe to hide and ride this out.”

“What about Adam and Riyad?”

“I haven’t heard from them,” Tobias replied. “I’ll make contact and tell them to stay put, at least until we know what we’re up against.”

“This is just great!” Sherri said, waving her arms in the air. “And here we made a bid deal announcing our return to the Milky Way, including where we’re staying.”

Andy was just as frustrated as Sherri, even more so. But he understood Hollingsworth’s caution. “We’ll stay in the palace until we find some place safer. The natives are on our side…for the time being. We’ll see how long that lasts if the Juireans come looking for us.”

Sherri shifted her gaze at Benefis Na, the flatulent former Juirean Overlord.

“Speaking of Juireans…what about him?”

“Me?”

“Benefis is cool,” Andy said.

“You expect me to betray you to by brothers?”

“You said it; they’re your brothers.”

“But not my friends. You are my friends.”

Andy watched as Sherri locker her fierce gaze on the Juirean. “We’ll see how long that lasts when they show up at our door,” Sherri growled.

“Chill out, Sherri. For now, Benefis is part of the team.”

Tobias looked around the room, sizing up his assets.

“Benefis, we still have CW communications, so get on the horn with your people and see if they know anything more about what the Juireans are planning.”

“You wish me to get on a…a horn?”

“Make a call, a link.” Tobias resisted adding ‘you idiot’ to the end of the sentence, needing the alien as an ally, not an enemy. He turned to the Formilian. “Arieel, it looks like you’re stuck here, too. Your ride back to Formil has been canceled. But call your contacts, as well. We need information, people. In the meantime, I’ll contact Cain and Tarazi.”

“What about me?” Sherri asked.

“You do…whatever the hell you want. You’re going to anyway.”

Chapter 9

 “So much for using Cain and Tarazi to free the cartel ship.” Nurion looked from the report he had been reading to glare at the face of the Silean on the CW comm screen.

Onix Gru was not his jovial self. Since his last conversation with the Point-Operator of MK Weapons System, he had reevaluated his place in the scheme of things and found it to be untenable at best. He let Nurion vent.

The room where Nurion sat began to shake.

“Another rumbling?” Onix asked.

Nurion gnashed his teeth. “To borrow a phrase from the Humans, fuck the rumblings! They are of no concern. Focus on what is important, Onix. It says here the Visidorans did not find anything aboard, at least nothing of note. We have been acting upon your intelligence. Where is the artifact?”

“My sources say it was aboard the ship when it departed Incus. It must be well-hidden.”

“That is one option. Or it is not aboard. You are the one who claims to be connected to the Frontier, to know all that goes on there. It was your reporting that even alerted us to its existence. Yet as far as I can tell, the prototype could be simply a fantasy within your mind, used to entice MK to lavish even more credits upon you. As a Silean, I would not put that past you.”

“It exists!” Onix defended. It was one thing to not be of value to the Point-Operator. It was another thing to be accused of defrauding him. “You have seen the evidence.”

“Evidence you provided.”

“What do you wish of me?”

“I wish you to recover the prototype and deliver it to me. Is that too hard to understand?”

“That is what I am attempting to do. The Human has been given ample incentive to recover his vessels. What has happened on Visidor is just a temporary setback.”

“And what of this coming war? How will that affect the Human’s chance of success?”

“He has not failed me in the past. The Humans have only recently been detained on Visidor. They are quite resourceful.”

“I am aware of that, yet if you are correct, and such a device exists, then I must have it. If not, then MK will suffer, and as a consequence, so will you.”

“I will report back as the situation evolves,” Onix said, only a moment before Nurion cut the link.

The huge Silean leaned back in his creaking chair. “Such an orifice,” he mumbled. Then he continued talking to the empty room. “He failed to mention that if MK suffers, he shall, too. He may try to blame me, but others will hold him responsible. At that point, even if he wanted to punish me, he would not be in a position to do so.”

But then he pursed his fat lips. “It is all up to Adam Cain now. And he is not even aware.”

********

 “Are you sure it was Adam Cain?”

“Yes, my Elder. I cross-checked all references. He is traveling with Rayard Tarazi,” Senior Overlord Daven Kri reported.

“It is pronounced Ree-odd,” Synnoc corrected. “You have them secured?”

“They have just arrived at the local prison facility.”

“Why are they on Visidor?”

“The native enforcement officer said it is to assist in the release of a service repair crew and the ship they were towing at the time it was confiscated.”

“What ship?”

“It was rumored to be a smuggler’s vessel belonging to the Gradis Cartel, yet no contraband was found aboard.”

Synnoc looked out the west windows of his office, which sat at the very pinnacle of the Malor Pyramid on Juir. His desk was located near the west side of the completely glassed-in room. An oddly-shaped conference table was placed at the center. The layout was a duplicate of the Elder’s Chambers dating back over two thousand years. Synnoc strove to maintain the ancient traditions wherever possible. It was important for the Juireans to regain the pride they once had, before the Kracori ravaged their home planet and the Humans racked up military victory after military victory on their way to defeating both the Juireans and Kracori in the battle of the Dysion Void.

That was years ago, when the tiny pink creatures had just made their appearance in galactic affairs. Since then, the Humans had gained even more respect with their efforts against the Sol-Kor. Synnoc’s predecessors had underestimated the Earthlings in the past. This time it would be different.

“Take possession of the ship, Overlord,” Synnoc ordered. “Conduct your own search. If nothing is found, then place a tracking device aboard the vessel.”

“I do not understand, my Lord. Cain and Tarazi are in custody. The ship is not going anywhere.”

“You must refresh your research regarding these two particular Humans,” Synnoc said. “I doubt highly if the Visidorans will be able to keep them restrained for long.”

“Then…should we not assist?” Daven asked.

Synnoc grinned. “No. Let the Visidorans learn on their own what it means to interact with the Humans. I understand they have had very little contact with them in the past.”

“You wish them to escape—and with the Gradis vessel?’

“It is not my wish, just my belief, that it will come to pass on its own. With the tracker aboard, we may eventually learn what importance the ship holds for the Humans, information I am sure they would not be willing to divulge if asked directly.”

“We could—”

“You could follow my orders, Overlord.”

“Yes…of course, my Elder!”

“That is better. Monitor the situation at the prison, yet do not interfere.”

“As you command.”

Chapter 10

With the collar restraints around their necks, the Visidorans felt confident enough in the security device’s deterrent abilities to leave the Human’s hands and feet unbound. When the rear door to the transport vehicle swung open, the trio climbed out without too much effort, except for the after-effects of the beating they’d taken, which seemed to have intensified the longer they sat immobile in the back of the truck.

It was nearing dusk, yet with enough remaining light for Adam to get a good look at the layout of the prison compound. Like the city of Swiv, the prison was surrounded by a series of tall towers with silver globes resting on top, electric deterrents against invading creatures from the jungle, if not the growth. However, the encroachment of the jungle vegetation—unlike in the city—was managed by physical labor in the form of prisoner work crews, made up mostly of natives with a few aliens thrown. They were waging a never-ending war with the aggressive growth, as guards sat in dual-tracked crawlers watching their sweating charges use hand-held trimmers to attack the stubborn foliage. But no sooner had a section of jungle been beat back, then a recently cleared area was once again overrun. The workers would then shift back to the first section and began the process over again. Adam reasoned that the jungle didn’t stop growing at night, so the process had to be a twenty-four/seven affair.

A squad of short guards began herding Adam, Riyad and Copernicus toward one of the many identical buildings located at the center of the clearing. There were no walls enclosing the compound, just a wide buffer of cleared mud between the structures and the jungle.

A loud growl blasted out from the jungle shadows. Everyone stopped in their tracks, including the guards. Without warning, the huge, fanged head of a savage-looking beast appeared from the fronds. The head was easily twenty feet long and ten high, with a tangle of long, white teeth—each measuring a foot long—jutting from an extended mouth.

In the blink of an eye, two of the native workers were snatched up by the beast. The massive head angled upwards as the mouth opened wider, sending the unfortunate victims sliding down the long throat, their cries of pain and panic cut off as the mouth suddenly clamped shut.

A series of brilliant flashes lit up the evening gloom, shooting out from two of the balls resting atop the thin towers. Crackling bolts of electricity converged on the head of the beast, causing its smallish yellows eyes to open wide, while a loud, painful roar erupted from its throat. The dinosaur stumbled and fell back into the jungle, the bolts of electricity still connected to the writhing body. But then it rolled over, regained its feet, and dashed off into the darkness.

Adam could both hear and feel the stomping of the creature as it fled deeper into the jungle, having survived the shock.

“That’s not something you see every day,” Riyad said calmly.

“Look at the guards and the prisoners,” said Copernicus. “It’s like nothing happened.”

He was right. After only a brief pause, the guards began ordering the prisoners back to work, as another cart raced off toward the building Adam and his group were nearing, ostensibly to collect replacements for the prisoners who had just been eaten.

“You will soon join the clearing crews,” said one of the squatty guards. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, as if the recent event had stirred her sexually.

Copernicus smiled at the guard. “Looking forward to it. Back home, I have a beast like that for a pet. You just have to let them know who’s the boss.”

The native blinked several times, not knowing how else to react to the comment. Eventually, she shoved the trio forward.

At the wooden landing of the nearest building, more prisoners sprayed water on their mud-caked boots before allowing them to enter, yet even with the quasi-cleaning, the inside floor was covered in a combination of wet mud and dried dirt. Two older Visidorans sat at a counter. The Humans hovered above the guards.

The supervisors wore dirty, once-white striped shirts, while the other guards wore uniforms with orange stripes. One of the seated officials had a red circle sewn onto the top stripe. She looked up from a computer screen and surveyed the new prisoners.

“This indicates you to be Humans?”

“That’s correct, we are Humans,” Copernicus replied.

“We have never had Humans here before. As a fact, I have never seen a Human before in true life. Are the markings on your face some form of camouflage?”

“No, those are bruises, a gift from your Juirean masters.” Copernicus threw out his chest in a show of defiance, wearing his injuries as a badge of honor.

The native guard huffed and glanced at her counter-companion. “Yes, the Juireans…but they are not our masters,” she said with a frown. Then she grinned. “As Humans, it will be entertaining to see if you are all your reputation claims you to be.” She looked back at Copernicus. “From my first analysis, I would say the stories have been…embellished.”

“We wish to cause no problems while here,” Adam said before Copernicus could reply. The starship repairman was angry and eager to boast about the superiority of Humans. Adam knew that was not the smartest tact to take in this situation. “We are not responsible for the stories you have heard. We are just simple creatures who wish only to get along with other species.”

The guard frowned. “Yet the Juireans fear you enough to have you sent here.”

“You know how the Juireans can be,” Adam said. “Always trying insert themselves into other people’s business.”

The native nodded, as did her partner. In their eyes Adam saw not only fear, but also contempt. The Juireans had that effect on people, no matter what species you were.

“That alters not the fact that you are to be held here until further notice. As you witnessed outside, there is a constant demand for laborers to maintain the facility. If Humans are as portrayed, then you will become an asset in our fight against the growth. You will be given quarters and then assignments; you begin in two standard hours. Rest…if you can.”

********

Beyond the check-in station the Human trio was led into a long open bay barracks with double rows of bunks ending at a door at the far end of the room. The cots were filthy, with brown stains on the fabric mattresses and dirt on the floors. There was a small, open shelving unit between the head of the bed and outer wall, were prisoners stored extra clothing and toiletries. Only about a third of the bunks were occupied at the time, although nearly all of them appeared to be claimed.

A guard directed the Humans toward the far end of the room.

“You two can take these,” said the rare male guard to Adam and Riyad. “One of the bunks has only recently become available.”

The two Humans looked at each other. Only recently become available—as within the past ten minutes?

A little further along, the guard assigned a bunk to Copernicus, this one also appeared to be occupied, yet possibly no longer.

“Shift change at night4. Wear what you have on, or scrounge through the prior occupant’s possessions. What you acquire there—or from others—is all you will have available.”

Adam and Riyad sat down on their respective cots, facing one another. “I didn’t see Jym or Kaylor in here,” said Riyad. “They could be in another building or on their work shift.”

“They shouldn’t be hard to find,” Adam said. “There looks to be about a five to one ratio of natives to aliens here. Our two friends should stand out—”

“What the hell! Leave that alone!”

Adam and Riyad followed the sound of Coop’s voice, seeing him standing chest-to-groin with a beast that towered close to ten feet tall. This was one of the other aliens in the prison, and of a species neither of them had seen before. Copernicus looked tiny compared to the huge creature.

A long and narrow head, sporting a menacing-looking snout, glared down at Copernicus. He was not only tall, but easily twice the width of the Human, with arms reaching nearly to his knees. The creature wore a surprisingly clean set of shirt and pants, and looking past where the two were facing off, Adam noticed a veritable oasis in the form of a segregated bunk area, obviously made to accommodate a being of gigantic proportions and elevated status.

When compared to all the other prisoners Adam had seen, this creature would be the natural apex predator, and as such, had staked out his territory with little resistance from the others—including the guards. Now he had taken an interest in what was in the open cabinet at Coop’s bunk.

“I will take what I want—Bordis is dead. His possessions are now mine,” the huge beast growled.

“That’s not how it was explained to me,” Copernicus countered.

The creature looked past the scrawny Human and at the four guards in the room. The natives turned quickly and left the room without a backwards glance. Adam and Riyad rose to their feet, noticing eight of the other prisoners slowly closing in on them. Only two of their stalkers were the shorter natives. The rest were taller, meaner-looking aliens.

Adam and Riyad looked at each other. “So much for trying to play it cool,” Riyad sighed, flashing his trademark grin.

Adam turned to the advancing aliens and held up his arms, palms out. The aliens stopped advancing. Then he swept his hands downward and turned, making a presenting motion to where the face-off between the giant and the Human was about to come to a head. The outcome of that confrontation would determine if Adam and Riyad had to get involved.

The giant was surprisingly fast for his huge size, managing to lift a tree-trunk size arm and wrap it around Coop’s slender body before the Human could react. Yet it was his smallish stature that allowed him to slip down and out of the grip with little effort. But then the second arm came swinging around like a bat, catching Copernicus off guard. The impact was tremendous, sending the Human tumbling to the other side of the room and into a series of bunks. Two prisoners were standing next to the beds; they grabbed Copernicus by the arms and shoved him back in the direction of the giant.

Using the prisoner-provided momentum-assist in the light gravity of Visidor,  Coop leapt from the floor, extending a bunched up fist ahead of him as he formed a Human-size dart in the air. The fist landed squarely on the tip of the giant’s long snout, crushing bone and cartilage upon impact. Then the full weight of the Human fell into the shocked alien. The pair tumbled backwards, the giant’s body crushing an adjoining bunk under his incredible weight.

Copernicus was now on top of the huge beast, delivering blow after furious blow to the creature’s head. The beast was dazed, yet still managed to clamp an umbrella-size hand over Coop’s head and pull him away. Then the creature stood, holding the Human by the head, his feet dangling a good three feet above the floor.

Adam was about to intervene when he saw Coop grab hold of a thick finger and bend in back. A loud snap was followed by an agonizing scream. The giant released Copernicus, who landed lithely on the floor, crouched and ready for action.

Yet the giant didn’t counterattack; he was preoccupied, cradling his broken finger in his good hand, eyes wide, a loud whimper escaping his mouth.

Copernicus didn’t hesitate. With a textbook spin-kick, he whipped around and planted a mud-caked boot into the alien’s left knee, a target that was just below chest-high to the Human. The force of the kick shattered the kneecap. The giant cried out again as he stumbled backwards, tripped over the broken cot and fell on his back onto two more prison beds. These, too, shattered under his weight.

Copernicus snatched one of the broken bunk’s metal support rods off the floor and hopped onto the remnants of the bed. He stood over the writhing beast, lifting the metal rod in preparation of the final blow—

Suddenly, Coop dropped the rod and grabbed at the collar on his neck.

Adam and Riyad mirrored the movement, as powerful electric charges rattled their brains and blurred their vision. All three Humans collapsed to their knees clawing at the rings.

The shock ended, leaving a deep burning sensation in its wake. Guards rushed up, flash weapons held steady on the Humans. The Visidoran with the red circle on her uniform walked up to Adam, who was just beginning to stand.

The supervisor surveyed the rest of the room, pausing as she did at the diminutive Copernicus Smith, now standing above the still moaning giant. She turned back to Adam.

“Truth revealed, so it seems,” she proclaimed. “Within the bay rules are set by the prisoners. We do not interfere unless it escalates beyond a certain point. Normally, we would have let your fellow Human complete his action, yet the Salken is a—how do I term it—an associate of ours. His presence maintains a certain order. Without a barracks hierarchy, chaos would rule. However, that responsibility must now fall on you.”

She reached out and tapped the collar around Adam’s neck. “Quite effective, are they not? No matter what happens in the barracks, let it be a reminder as to who has the authority here.”

She turned to the other guards, ordering them to remove the whimpering Salken giant from the room. Ten minutes later they were gone, leaving the three Humans alone to face the other prisoners.

Fortunately, none of them were anxious to follow in the footsteps of the fallen giant.

Chapter 11

With matching grins, the trio of Humans decided it was all together fitting and proper that they should occupy the giant’s oasis, at least until he was released from the hospital—assuming they even had a hospital in the prison. There was plenty of room for all three of them and additional cots were moved into the segregated area, and without a word of protest from the other prisoners.

Once settled in, they huddled together.

“That was some fancy spin-kick you made, Mr. Smith,” Adam said suspiciously. “They teach you that in Army motor-pool school?”

“A man picks up a few self-defense skills along the way, Cain. Don’t read too much into it. The bigger question is how are we going to get out of here with these damn collars around our necks?”

Adam looked at Riyad. “That won’t be a problem—when the time comes. But first we have to find Kaylor and Jym.”

Coop nodded. “Okay, you guys seem to think the collars aren’t an issue—that’s fine. But what if we do find Kaylor and Jym and manage to escape? It took us two hours by transport to reach this god-forsaken place. So either we steal a truck and try to make our way back to the spaceport over the only road through the jungle, or we go cross-country. You did notice that they have dinosaurs here, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, and I understand you have one as a pet back home, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Coop smirked. “Seriously, what’s your plan?”

Adam looked around the room to make sure no one was watching. Then he reached up and removed his security collar.

Coop’s mouth fell open. “How…how the hell did you do that?”

“The same way I manipulated the light switch on your ship. A little gift from the Formilians. Never leave home without it.”

“So it is true!”

“What’s true?” Adam replaced the collar and activated the latching controls through his brain-interface device.

“That you have—for lack of a better word—special powers.”

“It’s just technology, Coop, nothing more,” said Riyad. “I used to have one, too.”

“One what?”

“Never mind,” Adam said quickly. “Let’s focus on the matter at hand. In an hour we’re going to be put to work. Keep an eye out for Kaylor and Jym, while making sure nothing reaches out from the jungle and eats you alive. That would really screw up my plans.”

“I’ll do my best not to inconvenience you, Mister Cain,” Coop said.

“For the record…it’s Captain Cain to you.”

“In that case, you can call me Sergeant Smith.”

Both men looked at Riyad.

“Ha!” he said, flashing his trademark white smile. “I’ve got you both beat. They used to call me General Tarazi back in the days of the Fringe Pirates. So I guess that puts me in charge.”

“In your dreams,” Adam said with a smile. “In your friggin’ dreams…General.”

********

On cue, a gaggle of mud-caked and weary prisoners entered the barracks at the end of their shift, while guards rousted others from their beds and began to herd them out the back door.

The new prisoners took notice of the occupants in the small, segregated compound at the end of the room and mumbled conversations could be heard during the changeover.

 Two guards approached the oasis.

“You two…to work,” one of them said, pointing to Adam and Riyad. “You will remain in the barracks to maintain order.” She pointed at Copernicus.

“I want to go with them,” Coop protested.

The guards looked at each other with shock before turning stunned faces back to Copernicus. “You wish to work rather than remain here? That is not logical.”

“They are my friends.”

“That still does not make sense. Only one of you is required for security. You may rotate between yourselves, but two of you are going to work.”

“We’ll go,” said Adam. “But give us a moment with our companion to discuss the rotation schedule.”

The guards hesitated, but eventually moved on, guiding the other haggard prisoners outside.

The Humans huddled. “I didn’t see Kaylor and Jym come in with the shift change, so Riyad and I will go out and look for them in the other work crews. If we find them, I’ll make the power in the barracks flicker once. That will be your cue that we’re ready to go.”

“What about my collar?” Coop asked.

“I have it identified. When the time is right, I’ll neutralize it.”

“Just make sure you do. We may be supermen, but, damn, it really hurts when they turn these things on.” Coop grabbed Adam’s arm as he turned to go. “What if they’re in one of the other barracks?”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. We have some additional status here already. We may be able to intermingle with the other prisoners, especially at mealtime.”

“You make a lot of assumptions…Captain Cain.”

“It’s called contingency planning. You always need a backup for the backups, and so forth. Now just chill. We may not find them on our first work detail, but I’m sure we will, eventually. And one last thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t go killing anything without checking with me first.”

“I’ll try…but no promises. And you guys watch your asses. If you get eaten I may be here for the duration.”

********

It was deceptively cold outside the stuffy barracks, and Adam and Riyad were thankful the guards allowed them to keep their full-length capes. They placed the hoods over their heads and cinched down cords. It helped, but the frigid, biting wind still swirled in from underneath the garments.

What was surprising was that the other prisoners wore very little protective gear. The reason soon began apparent.

The two Humans joined a parade of prisoners headed for the perimeter of the compound, where they took turns picking up chainsaw-looking devices from several long tables. Watching the others around them activate the cutters, they found they were indeed a form of chainsaw, yet with tiny laser points instead of tines for cutters. Without being directed, the compliant prisoners formed a line at the imposing jungle and began to hack at the obscenely huge leaves and vines. In the eerie shadows, the jungle wall appeared to be encroaching on the cleared space at a rate of about a millimeter every few seconds. If one stood still long enough, the progression could be seen; stand long enough in one spot and you would become part of the jungle.

The saws were amazingly light for the Humans. The gravity of Visidor was .57 that of Earth, making Adam’s one-hundred eighty pound weight only one hundred three on the planet. Normally gravity that light also meant a greatly reduced surface air pressure and corresponding lack of oxygen in the atmosphere. But the abundance of jungle growth on the planet provided ample oxygen, and although both Humans suffered from irritating inner-ear pain, it was something they could tolerate, at least in the short term.

Adam and Riyad set to work, swiping their laser-tipped chainsaws back and forth against the jungle. Within minutes they were soaked to the skin in the watery spray from the cut vegetation. The physical activity forced them to pull the hoods from their heads and unbutton the front of their capes. Visidor was an enigma. The high humidly provided both a penetrating cold along with a profusion of sweat. Adam knew it wasn’t healthy to sweat in colder climes; that could lead to hyperthermia. So the Humans began to pace themselves, seeing that they were vastly more proficient at clearing than the other prisoners. They took the opportunity to scan the work line, looking for signs of their alien friends.

Kaylor was a Belsonian, with light blue, almost translucent skin. He stood about two meters tall, so he would stand out in the line of shorter workers, just as did Adam and Riyad. Jym, on the other hand, was about four feet tall and covered in a coat of fine black hair. Adam often compared him to a little black bear, walking on two legs. He would be even shorter than the native Visidorans. So Kaylor was the beacon they were looking for.

Lights from the inner compound were aimed at the jungle wall, creating long, deep shadows that seemed alive within the rapid growth. As rookies on the cutting line, the two Humans thought they saw creatures moving in the shadows every few seconds. The more-experienced prisoners had no such concern, either acclimated to the effect, or uncaring in the resignation of their fate. As a consequence, Adam and Riyad spent more time watching the jungle than they did the prisoner line.

That was why they failed to see Jym as he worked his way next to Riyad.

“Am I imagining things, or is this real?” said the tiny bear-like creature.

Riyad looked down, startled by the familiar voice. His eyes grew wide with recognition and joy.

“Jym! I’m so glad to see you, my friend!”

Adam heard Riyad. He stopped his cutting to look for himself.

“Where’s Kaylor?” he asked.

“He’s along here somewhere. We work the same shift. What are you doing here?”

“We came to rescue you,” Riyad said with a full-toothed grin. Adam noticed the brief look of terror fade from the alien’s eyes. Jym was used to the Humans’ habit of displaying facial death-challenges when they were happy.

“You…you came to rescue us?” Jym’s eyes began to glass over. “That is truly…appreciated.”

“We came with Copernicus Smith,” Adam added.

The Jym’s expression changed dramatically. “You did? He is the reason you are here?”

“We came when he said you were in trouble.”

“He cannot be trusted. He is only interested in his ships, and those of his clients.”

“We noticed,” said Riyad. “But we came for you and Kaylor. If his ships get recovered, that will be a bonus.”

“That is much welcomed. Let us move along now and seek out Kaylor. Do you have a plan of escape, Adam Cain?”

“Don’t I always?”

“No. Quite often you are simply creating strategies as you go,” Jym replied matter-of-factly.

Riyad looked at Adam and smiled. “Our little friend certainly has you pegged, Captain Cain.”

“Screw you, General. Let’s go find Kaylor so we can all get the hell out of here.”

“Sounds like as good a plan as any.”

Chapter 12

The guards seemed unconcerned as the trio began to thread their way down the line, as long as they hacked at the growth as they went. Five minutes later Kaylor was spotted, his skin seeming to glow as the powerful lights hit him from behind.

He was so engrossed in his trimming that he didn’t notice when Adam and Riyad moved up and flanked him. Adam then reached into the jungle with his chainsaw and took a huge chunk out of a thick vine. Riyad mirrored the motion, leaving the area in front of Kaylor clear of any growth. The Belsonian paused, looking at the huge cut.

“I thank you…but—”

He glanced to his left…and at Adam’s grinning face. He dropped his cutter in shock, before whipping around to find Riyad’s full-face grin staring back at him. Then his gaze shifted to a more-modestly grinning Jym.

“I do not understand?”

“I figured I owed you for saving my life aboard the Klin ship, way back when,” Adam said. “Time to pay up.”

Kaylor spun around. “You…have come to save my life?”

“That may be a little overdramatic. We’re actually here to rescue you. If that means saving your life, well all the better.”

“Resume your labors!” a loud voice boomed from behind them, projected from a loudspeaker on one of the guard carts.

Kaylor quickly picked up his chainsaw and the four of them began hacking at the jungle as they talked.

“They came with Copernicus,” Jym offered with a sour tone in his voice.

“He is the reason you are here?”

“No, the two of you are the reason we’re here,” Adam corrected. “He came looking for our help when you got arrested.”

“I thought you were in the Sol-Kor universe? That is the last we heard.”

“All done. You won’t have to worry about the Sol-Kor anymore.”

“You were victorious?”

“Of course, Kaylor. Could there be any other outcome?” Adam continued to take wide, powerful swipes at the jungle growth.

“You could have been killed. I suppose that could have been another outcome.”

“Didn’t happen.”

“Where is Copernicus?”

“He’s back at the barracks. We’re now the barracks kings.”

“Which barracks?”

Adam turned and pointed to the building.

“We are in the one next to it. What happens from here?”

“I’m going to signal Copernicus when it’s time for us to make our break.”

“Where to?”

“Thought you could help with that,” Adam said. “Would it be possible for us to make it all the way back to Swiv in a stolen transport?”

“There is but one road, and with clearing crews along its entire length. There would be ample opportunity to stop us during the journey.”

“Then overland?”

Kaylor stopped his cutting and stared at Adam. “Surely you cannot be serious?”

“I am…and don’t call me Shirley. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“I am confused.”

“Never mind. But I am serious. We saw the beasts that live in the jungle, but it may be the only way.”

“You saw only one of the beasts. There are many others.”

“Well, we can’t stay here. We have these cutters—and we are Human. That may be all we need.”

“How do you propose to signal Copernicus?” Jym asked.

“I’ll make the lights flicker in the barracks. That will be his signal.”

“With your secret Formilian device?”

Adam nodded.

“And our collars?”

“I’ll deactivate them.”

“You will have to remove them,” Jym said. “They have a battery backup in case of power failure. If that happens, then they produce a half-charge shock to keep the prisoners in line until power can be restored.”

“What about the towers?” Riyad asked.

“They have battery reserves as well.”

“Can you unlatch our collars?” Riyad asked Adam.

“I can for us here. You’re close enough for me to identify the locking circuits. But all I noted was the power supply on Coop’s, not the locking mechanism.”

“You have been warned,” said a voice from behind them. They turned to see two guards with angry looks on their faces. “Now you will have to be disciplined.”

The speaker reached for a small control panel strapped around her left arm. Adam took a step forward, lifting his chainsaw as he did so. The aliens reacted with remarkable speed, drawing their flash weapons, one pointed at Adam, the other at Riyad.

Adam lifted his free arm. “Wait, I didn’t mean to—”

The round eyes of the guard met Adam’s, and in that brief moment, Adam knew she was going to fire. As fast as he could, Adam mentally locked on the weapon’s fire control circuits and broke the connection using his Formilian artificial telepathy device—his ATD—preventing the weapon from firing. The guard was confused when she depressed the trigger and nothing happened.

Yet the other guard wasn’t confused, just trigger happy. He was a male, and he fired at Riyad.

The blinding plasma flash could be seen across the entire prison compound. It struck Riyad on the right side of his chest, slamming him backwards and to the ground, a perfectly round hole burned through his cape and inner garment all the way to the flesh. The Human’s thick skin kept the level-2 bolt from breaking the skin, but it did create near third-degree burns within a four-inch diameter circle. Riyad didn’t cry out, but he did groan and gnash his teeth quite a bit.

Adam reacted to the shooting of his friend by lifting the chainsaw and triggering the rotating laser points. The blade sliced through the alien’s arm without even a trace of resistance, sending the limb falling to the muddy ground with the MK flash weapon still held firmly in the hand. The Visidoran didn’t cry out, either. Instead, he held up the stump that was now his right arm and stared at it with disbelief. Then he passed out.

To Adam’s surprise, the other guard had produced a meter-long machete from somewhere—probably a necessary part of her gear while working in the jungle. She made a jab at Adam with the shiny blade.

Adam reacted with blinding speed, dodging the weapon as he swung the chainsaw horizontally at the guard. Again the flat, spinning tongue of the cutter found flesh and sliced through it like warm butter. The guard was cut in half, yet only when her feet collapsed beneath her and the body fell, did the two pieces separate.

All along the prisoner line, screams rose up and bodies fell to the ground—including Adam and his friends—as crackles of electricity filled the night air. Ignoring the cold mud, Adam rolled and clawed at the collar. His mind was frazzled by the shock, but still he managed to concentrate on the process for unlocking the device through his ATD. The shock ended the moment the collar fell to the ground.

He rolled on his stomach until he saw Kaylor and Jym, their bodies spasming from the continuous shock. With his mind now clear, Adam located the control mechanisms for their collars and unlocked them. The recovery time for the two aliens was longer than it was for Adam, so for several seconds their eyes remained rolled back in their heads.

Next, Adam looked for Riyad. He had fallen into the first layer of jungle growth and only his boots were visible, his legs jerking from the shock his body was experiencing. Adam projected his awareness into the jungle, locating what appeared to be a bright spot in the foliage. He commanded the ring to open and a moment later the spot was gone. Riyad’s legs were no longer jerking.

Adam crawled through the mud until he reached his friend.

Riyad’s face was a study in controlled agony. He had recovered from the shock well enough, but now he suffered from the burns of a level-2 bolt.

“Hurts, don’t it?” Adam said.

“You could say that!” Riyad grunted.

“You know, Kaylor shot me once? It was our official introduction.”

“And you’re still friends?”

“Best buds.”

“Well, I’m not about to bond with that fucking guard.”

“Don’t worry. There’s not much left for you bond with.”

“Copernicus…!”

“Yeah, let me get on that. Here.” Adam grabbed a handful of cold mud and slapped it onto Riyad’s burn. “That will help. Now, please excuse me. I have more important things to do than treat your minor scratches. You’re such a crybaby.”

Adam couldn’t make out Riyad’s reply as he crawled back to the tree line, not over the moaning of the prisoners and the sirens going off in the compound. But he was sure it was graphic.

He looked to the barracks building. Within it, he located the signature for the collar around Coop’s neck. He cut the main power to the ring, knowing now that the battery backup would kick-in. Even that would be enough to incapacitate.

He tried his best to maintain focus on Coop’s collar, yet failed to find the weak signal of the locking control through all the surrounding clutter. He was picking up hundreds of stronger signals, both from the full-power prisoner collars, and also from security lights, computers and dozens of flash weapons.

He had to figure a way to cut the main power. That would give Adam time to make it back to the barracks

The problem was he didn’t know where the cut off was for the entire compound. He could see the main line where it entered Coop’s barracks. Under the original plan, it would have been easy for him to interrupt the power momentarily, flashing the lights and signaling Copernicus. But with the back-up charge triggered within the collar, he still wouldn’t be able to move.

Adam followed the power line the other direction, away from the barracks. It ran underground and met up with trunk lines from the other barracks, before joining an exceptionally bright contact beam that descended deeper below the surface. All the power ran to what appeared in Adam’s mind as a big box filled with glowing light. With more concentration, Adam was able to identify several control servers within the box. Out of desperation, he began to sever them all.

It took nearly thirty seconds before the last of the bright spots disappeared from his inner vision. By then, the agonizing screams of the prisons had been reduced. They hadn’t gone away, but having the shock of the collars drop by fifty percent had to be an incredible relief. The main lights in the prison had gone off as well, replaced now by battery backups at about one-third the prior illumination.

The guards, who had flash weapons drawn and were advancing on the writhing line of subdued prisoners, suddenly stopped in their tracks and stared at the surrounding jungle. Even the moans from the prisons dropped several decimals.

All around the compound dinosaurs were appearing, slowly at first, testing the security lines. Then night erupted with streaks of light from the shiny balls atop the towers. Yet the flood of light lasted only for a few seconds, as reserve battery power fell to zero from the high number of simultaneous discharges. Then the beasts returned, again testing the line. They grew bolder when no corresponding flashes were produced.

Adam waited for the guards to begin firing their flash weapons, which they did with little effect.

Adam felt a looming presence near him, a rustling of the broad leaves along with radical movement of trees and vines. Then he heard heavy breathing—a deep, almost gurgling growl.

The jungle around him began to separate.

A huge beast resembling a T-Rex moved past on his right, not more than five meters away. It poked its huge head out from the jungle cover and sniffed the air with flaring nostrils. Then a thick, muscled leg lifted over Adam as the creature entered the clearing between the tree line and the building where Coop lay incapacitated.

The guards were busy getting killed, as half a dozen dinosaurs or more—primarily of two predator species—stalked the compound, roaming with impunity and snatching up both guards and prisoners at an alarming rate.

The animal near Adam focused on the barracks building, before taking a long step in that direction.

Adam was on his feet, grasping the handle of a laser-tipped chainsaw as he ran. He lifted the tool, triggered the controls and took a wide swipe at a knobby-skinned leg of the towering beast. As with the guards, the cutter sliced through the flesh, but with more resistance this time. Still, the effect was immediate and pronounced.

The mighty creature let out a deafening roar, while jerking its leg away from Adam and twisting its thick neck around to see what had caused the pain. The dinosaur turned in his direction, the huge mouth widening as it came.

Adam ran toward the thick torso and jumped. In mid-air, he swung the chainsaw above him, pointing the tip directly at the gray, leathery skin. The bar—with its rotating line of blue-light laser cutters—disappeared into the flesh of the beast, penetrating all the way to the forward handle. Then with Adam hanging on, the spinning chain of burning light began to open a seam in the side of the creature, extending toward the ground, using Adam’s weight to pull it downward.

This time, the anguished cry of the beast was even more pronounced and high-pitched. It literally jumped in the air, lurching toward the barracks. Adam was nearly to the ground when he felt a blast of hot, foul air on his back. He looked over his left shoulder and all he could see was the gaping dark abyss of the dinosaur’s throat, framed by twin rows of deadly teeth.

Without thinking, Adam yanked the still-spinning chainsaw from the side of the creature and pushed off with his feet. He flew through the night air, past the rows of razor-sharp teeth, and landed on a mat of soft, sticky flesh at the back of the beast’s throat.

A Human-size tongue slid toward him, attempting to locate the foreign object and guide it to its teeth. Adam lifted the chainsaw in a defensive move, and half the red tongue was sliced off.

The dinosaur let out a deafening roar while tilting its head upwards. Adam began to slide further down the throat. His brain was rattled by the incredible volume and vibration coming from the twin flaps of skin that were the vocal cords of the creature. Adam grimaced with pain, before swiping at the vibrating sheets of flesh with the chainsaw.

Immediately, the sound stopped, all except a sickly gurgling as blood flooded the dinosaur’s throat. The beast began to jerk its head back and forth. Out of desperation, Adam planted the bar of the chainsaw into the soft flesh of the throat to create an anchor. If not for this, he would have been thrown free, and through the gauntlet of the sword-like teeth.

There had to be another way out.

With the chainsaw still spinning, Adam braced his feet against the side of the throat and pushed, pressing the tip of the cutter further into the flesh. Rocking the tool up and down, Adam was able to open a long slice, which he shimmied into, using his knees and feet to press farther into the opening. Soon he was out of the throat and working his way deeper into the beast. He was operating blind, his eyes squeezed shut, protected from the torrent of blood filling the cut. He also held his breath. If he didn’t find a cavity somewhere soon, he would—

The tip of the chainsaw suddenly lost all resistance, and a moment later Adam spilled out of the belly of the beast and into a puddle of mushy mud. He took a deep breath and sat up, only to be showered by a cascade of gooey blood, infused with globs of yellow mucus. Adam wiped the discharge from his face.

The mortally wounded beast staggered forward, leaving Adam alone in the mud. But then it fell forward, crushing the front end of the barracks building with its massive body.

Adam scrambled to his feet. The back half of the building was still intact, barely. He ran to the back door, still clutching the cycling chainsaw.

He crashed through the door, past the bathrooms and into the main barracks.

Several prisoners, their collars still on, rolled on the floor, while some of the more hardy among them rushed past and out the back door.

Adam entered the segregated section where he’d left Copernicus Smith.

Coop was sitting on one of the bunks, a sheet stuffed between his collar and the skin of his neck. From the pained look on his face, it wasn’t helping much.

His mouth fell open at the sight of Adam, covered entirely in a coat of thick, dark blood.

“It’s okay,” Adam said. “It’s not my blood.”

Then he concentrated on Coop’s collar, able now to see the faint reading that was the locking mechanism. With a clunk, the thick, metal collar fell to the floor.

“Is this the signal I was supposed to wait for?” Coop said with a weak smile. He was drained from nearly ten minutes of constant electric shock of varying strength.

“I wanted to make sure you noticed.”

Coop nodded. “Subtle, but effective. I take it you found Kaylor and Jym.”

“They’re at the tree line, along with Riyad. He’s been shot.”

As the pair ran from the barracks, Coop asked, “Is he okay?”

“It was a level-2. Burns like hell and it will leave a scar, but he’ll be fine.”

They reached the spot where Kaylor and Jym knelt near Riyad, who was sitting up now. The light drizzle had washed most of the dinosaur blood from Adam’s skin, although his clothes—what remained of them—were now stained a dark burgundy.

Kaylor, Jym and Riyad didn’t seem to notice. They were too distracted by what was happening in the compound. Adam and Coop turned to look, too.

Only a couple of the emergency lights now lit the area, but it were enough to show a bloody feeding frenzy taking place. Dinosaurs rushed about, scooping up running guards or writhing prisoners, while two other beasts were now munching on the dead T-Rex Adam had killed, ripping huge sections of tough, bloody flesh from the corpse. More creatures emerged from the jungle, many making a beeline for Adam’s fallen victim, attracted by the scent of warm blood.

“Help Riyad. We have to get out of here,” Adam cried out.

“Were to?” Kaylor asked.

Chapter 13

“Into the jungle—” He raised his hand to squelch the coming protest. “It looks like most of the jungle creatures are going to be preoccupied for a while. It’s our only chance. Now move!”

Adam still had his trusty chainsaw, so he led the way. The glowing chain provided some light; Adam hoped it wasn’t enough to attract any of the dinosaurs. Kaylor and Coop helped Riyad, who was weak on his feet and grimacing with every step, especially when leaves or branches brushed across his angry wound. The mud helped, but now he ripped away a wet leaf from a passing plant and pressed it against the burn.

Adam glanced back and saw a look of relief cross his friend’s face…moments before his eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open. He jerked away from his helpers and dove face first to the muddy jungle floor. Adam stopped.

“What the hell?”

Riyad rolled over, the entire front of his body now covered in mud. “There was something in that leaf. And I thought it hurt before!” The others helped him to his feet “It’s better now.”

“Probably some kind of acid,” Adam said with a smile. “Let that be a lesson to you.”

“Oh yeah…as if you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”

“I’ve had jungle training, smartass. And if I’m not mistaken, I don’t think they had a lot of jungles in Lebanon.”

“Your training was something like a century ago,” Riyad countered.

Adam resumed slicing through the jungle growth. A few minutes later, he stopped again. “You notice anything unusual?” he asked.

“It’s getting thinner,” said Copernicus.

“What’s getting thinner?” Kaylor asked.

“The jungle,” Jym replied. He began to nod.

“Why are you nodding?” Adam asked.

“Just look,” said the tiny bear. “It is getting thinner, and it will only improve.”

“How do you know that?” Coop asked.

“It is because I come from a world similar to this. We also have aggressive forests. Don’t you see what’s happening?”

Adam could now see several meters to the front and the sides. The jungle had indeed thinned out, and the muddy ground had given way to a cushy mat of moss and fallen leaves. A near-constant drizzle of rain fell from the canopy over a hundred meters above them.

“What’s going on, Jym?” he commanded.

“The jungle is like a huge, living organism. As it is attacked, it strives to repair the damage, even to defend itself, against such attack. As a result, the jungle becomes thicker near where it has been cut back. The more you cut, the more it fights back. Yet the further from the damage, the more natural the growth becomes, as we witness now.”

They had stopped in a small clearing. Adam concentrated with his ATD and began to gather a small ball of negative ions from the atmosphere. They ignited to create a one-inch ball of light floating in the air above them.

“What…is…that?” Coop asked.

“It’s a static electricity ball,” Adam replied. “It’s harmless.”

“Won’t it attract attention?”

“It might. It might also scare off anything around here. This way we’ll be able to better see our way. And I still have the chainsaw.”

“So where are we going, oh great leader?” Riyad groaned.

Through the sparkling light, Adam looked around. It was clear where the jungle was the thickest; it was to their left. “The road is this way,” he said pointing. We’ll skirt along the thick growth. Eventually it will rise up in front of us when we reach the city. It took two hours of slow driving through inches of mud. We should be able to make good time on this mat, but we still have a four hour hike ahead of us, if not more. I’d really like to get back to Swiv before daybreak. Are you up for a brisk hike, Riyad?”

“With this gravity, maybe we should jog. I’m feeling better, really I am.”

“Kaylor, Jym, how are you holding up?”

“Surprisingly well,” Kaylor said. “The gravity here is weaker than even we’re used to—is this how you feel all the time?”

Adam smiled. “Okay, then a light jog it is. Remember to lean into your strides, otherwise you’ll just hop up and down in place. Coop, keep an eye on Riyad. He may not let on that he’s getting tired, until he collapses. I’d rather go a little slower than to have to carry his useless bag of bones.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“We’ll see. Now everyone form up on me. I’ll keep the light above and slightly ahead of us. Okay, let’s move out.”

********

The limiting factor in their journey ended up being Jym. Although he could run faster in the light gravity of Visidor, he was still handicapped by the shortness of his legs. As it turned out, for the Humans they moved along at slightly more than the pace of a brisk walk.

It was hard to tell time in the confines of the jungle, with no watch or even the stars to go by. After what seemed to be an hour’s march, they stopped to let Copernicus work his way through the thick bush to verify if there really was a road on the other side. He returned a few minutes later drenched to the bone from the water of the jungle.

“It’s there, all right,” he confirmed. “And there’s a whole caravan of vehicles headed for the prison. Even if we had taken a vehicle, everything’s moving in only one direction, away from the city.”

“Could you see anything that might tell us how much farther we have to go?”

“I did notice that most of the trucks are relatively clean, not like the ones that made the full trip. I’d say we’re about half way there.”

Everyone fell silent as they heard a low growl coming from the forest. Panicked eyes scanned the shadows.

“I told you that light would attract something.”

“There!” said Jym, pointing.

It was a pair of red eyes staring at them from the jungle depths. They appeared to hover about two meters off the ground.

Adam command the static ball to drop lower and close on the pair of beady eyes. The beast moved off to the left. Adam’s mind control matched the movements of the creature.

The beast stopped, fascinated by the moving light. Adam sent a command to the crackling ball of light, and it shot off toward the set of red, unblinking eyes. With just a glimpse, the group saw a slick coat of shiny black fur before the beast spun and ran away.

“Looked like a panther,” Riyad said. “A fayd.”

“Yeah, a fayd about the size of an elephant.”

“Luckily they scare easily.”

“Let’s move on,” Adam said. “The next one may have bigger balls.”

“I did not see any balls on the beast,” Jym said. “Are you referring to nodules of some kind?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“You must have had a better view.”

Adam shook his head. He brought the static electricity back to the clearing and then sent it out ahead. They resumed the journey.

********

The end of their journey came in the form of a dark wall of thick foliage rising before them. The city had been maintaining its area of dominance for generations, so the thickness of the jungle here had taken on a permanence, a balance of sorts.

Adam was sure the natives were aware of what they were doing. Unfortunately, they had little choice. Even without trimming, the jungle was too thick to settle. So they staked off their territory and dealt with the consequences.

Adam set to work with the chainsaw, and after about fifteen minutes, he paused to listen to the sound of the huge, automated trimmers that ran along the perimeter of the city. They were close.

He waited until the sound of the closest trimmer began to fade before he cut through the last layer.

He and Coop crawled up to the clearing. The city lay about a kilometer beyond. To their left was the main road leading out of the city and to the prison. In the soft glow of morning, transports were still heading down the road, bringing assistance to the overrun prison.

“You know, they may not realize we survived,” Coop said. “Why would they?”

“So let’s get to the spaceport before they do,” Adam said. “I’ll disable one of those trucks going by. Most appear to be troop carriers.”

“How do you know that?”

“By the number of flash weapons they’re carrying.”

“Your…thing…can tell you that?”

Adam nodded.

“Where can I get one of those?”

“Sorry, they’re on backorder. It could be a while.”

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“Relax, Sergeant Smith. It’s beyond your paygrade.”

“Fuc—”

“Here comes a truck. There are two readings in the cab, six in the back. I’ll take the ones in the back, if you can handle the two in front.”

“They have flash weapons.”

“I’ll have them all disabled.”

“Like you promised with my collar?”

“This is different, trust me.”

Coop opened his mouth to respond, but Adam was already up and sprinting toward the troop truck that had just coasted to a stop along the side of the road in front of them. He ran to the back of the truck, and without hesitation, flung open the rear door. Six, pudgy and hairy female Visidorans sat in the back, three on each side of the bed. They had MK’s around their waists and Xan-fi rifles in their laps. Adam couldn’t remember the last time he’d struck a female, alien or not. But when the natives identified him as a threat and began to lift their rifles, he reacted without a second thought.

The first Visidoran he hit was the female at the end of the row on the right. He didn’t know much force it would take to incapacitate her, so he swung with all his might.

He should have known better.

The natives evolved on one of the lightest-gravity worlds he’d ever been on, and their bone density showed it. His fist ripped through the alien’s soft face spraying everyone behind her in a soup of brains, blood and bone. When he was through, only the curved back on the soldier’s head remained.

It was like this for the other five. Adam swung his hands and arms wildly, even kicking out with a foot once. In a matter of seconds, the troops weren’t only dead, but they were barely recognizable piles of bloody flesh. And Adam didn’t look much better, splattered once again from head to toe with the innards of his latest victims.

He peeked out the back of the truck to make sure no other traffic was coming, then jumped out and rushed to the front.

The driver’s side door was open, and when Adam looked inside, he found Coop sitting in the middle of the bench seat, one alien crushed against the driving column, the other spattered against the passenger side door.

“Any problem?” Adam asked.

“Hardly,” Copernicus relied. “But what a…mess.”

“Let’s get the bodies over to the forest, then get going. It’ll be light before we reach the spaceport.”

“Yes, sir.”

Chapter 14

Adam opened the back of the transport truck and Jym, Kaylor and Riyad climbed in.

“Is this an eye?” Jym cried out.

Adam looked at the gooey string he was holding up, with a bloody ball dangling at the end.

“Looks like it. At least I hope it is. The alternative would be…well, nasty.”

Jym dropped the offensive object and attempted to wipe his hand on the metal bench he was sitting on. It didn’t help; he just picked up more blood off the surface.

Jym stood up. “I can’t sit back here. This will make me sick.”

“It’s not any better up front,” Adam barked. “It’s either this, or you walk to the spaceport.”

Reluctantly, the tiny bear sat back down.

“How far to the spaceport?” Riyad queried. “I’m with Jym. I already feel sick enough without having to spend too much time in your playground.”

“Shouldn’t be more than a half hour, maybe less, depending on how many lights we hit.”

“Very funny,” Riyad said.

Adam shut the door and rushed to the cab. Copernicus was in the driver’s seat.

“Scoot over, sergeant; I do the driving around here.”

“Bullshit. I was here first. Besides, I need you concentrating on whatever it is you concentrate on when doing your magic act.”

He had a point. Adam ran to the passenger side.

There were a number of smaller transports and trucks streaming past, and the volume had only grown over the past few minutes, as the first light of day began to fill the shadows. Coop merged with the traffic, just moments before a huge, wheeled trimmer rolled by the spot where they’d dumped the bodies. Soon the green mulch would take on a reddish hue.

“We could cut through the city or go along the perimeter,” Copernicus said. “Can you get the local traffic report on your gizmo?”

“No, but I can monitor the number of electric motors nearby. Doing that, it looks like our fastest route will be outside the city.”

The truck ran on heavy tracks instead of wheels, and along the perimeter road they came in handy plowing through the watery mud that flowed from the jungle and crossed the highway at several points along the way. When they crossed these puddles, twin plumes of dark brown slush sprayed out behind the vehicle, something very few of the other transports were producing since they traveled at a much lower speed. Horns blasted behind them, as tailgaters were showered with blinding mud. Most of the trailing vehicles fell back to avoid these periodic baths. Others changed lanes and raced to the side of the truck to express their displeasure in more unambiguous ways.

Adam didn’t let them get too vocal before he disabled their motors with his ATD. The stricken vehicles drifted to a halt on the highway, blocking traffic and allowing Copernicus to put some distance between them and the irate drivers.

“You better slow down,” Adam said, “otherwise we could get pulled over. I’m sure they have some form of traffic control in a city this big.”

Coop complied, and ten minutes later the spaceport came into view.

Coop slowed down and merged with the parade of traffic entering the grounds. Most of the vehicles parked in one of two huge paved lots, saving them from having to traverse the overnight accumulation of mud farther out in the field. Large trucks towed massive rollers behind them, sweeping the field and soaking up some of the moisture, but it was still a losing battle. The field was already a mess and would remain so throughout most of the day.

The tracks of Coop’s truck churned a path through the field and ground to a stop next to the Vivian. Doors flew open, and driver and passenger plopped already wet and muddy boots into another eight inches of sticky goo. They struggled to lift their feet from the mud’s sucking hold.

Riyad poked his head around the back of the truck. “Is this some form of security goo, designed to keep us from moving?”

“Seems like it,” Adam called back. “Kaylor!”

The Belsonian came around the back, his lighter weight allowing him to move more easily across the field. “Yes, Adam?”

“Where’s your ship? We didn’t see it when we landed, but there’re a lot of larger Juirean ships around here. I could have missed it.”

“They left it in orbit, linked to the client’s ship with mag-lines.”

“Why would they do that?”

“It had something to do with legal jurisdiction, from what I understand. When linked, the ships are considered to be one vessel. It gave the Visidorans the right to search our ship as well.”

“Do you have anything aboard that could come back to bite you?”

“You mean something living? No, nothing. That’s a very strange question to ask.”

“So it’s in orbit—good.”

Copernicus managed to reach his ship and dial in the code to open the outer hatch. “Leave your shoes in the entry chamber.”

Riyad was the first to enter. “You’re kidding, right? Your ship is a piece of shit.”

“It runs, doesn’t it? Besides, once the mud dries the dirt will get sucked into the ventilation system and screw up everything. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about.”

Riyad snorted…then kicked off his boots. Everyone else followed suit.

Adam’s socks were just as wet and dirty as his shoes, so he left them in entry the chamber as well before making his way to the bridge barefoot. By the time all five of them were in the room, it smelled like a men’s locker room after a sweltering summer football game.

“Damn, I should have stayed in the back of the truck,” Riyad commented. “All the bloody body parts and feces smelled better than this.”

“You guys sure do like to bitch a lot,” Coop said. He sat in the pilot seat and began the pre-launch procedure.

“We call them like we see them,” Adam said. He leaned over Coop’s shoulder. “Will you be able to home in on the FS-475?”

“No, but I will the Gradis ship. I have its transponder code in the computer.”

“And you don’t have the ‘475’s?”

“No need. It’s not my ship.”

“What if they have a breakdown?”

Copernicus looked up at Adam and frowned. “Then they can fix it. They’ve been doing it for something like thirty years already.”

“You are one cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch.”

“Pragmatic, that’s all. Now pick a station and get away from me. All this heavy breathing on my neck is turning me on.”

“You’ve been in space way too long, sergeant.”

“You got that right. Now, again, take a seat and strap in. I don’t know what kind of resistance we’re going to meet leaving the planet.”

Ten seconds later, the Vivian lifted from the surface, blasting away a shallow crater of superheated mud and water from the surface of the field. The debris carried far enough to splatter the shiny hulls of the closest Juirean Class Twos. Coop smiled as he scanned the image projected from the under camera. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Then he concentrated on the flashing beacon on his nav screen.

“The surface is calling,” Riyad said from the comm station.

“Stall them,” Coop ordered.

Riyad fingered the switch. “Swiv Control, this is Overlord Osama bin Laden of the Juirean high command.”

There was a pronounced pause on the link before a response came through. “Eh, you…an Overlord. But the ship is registered to CS Systems—”

“That I know,” Riyad growled. “Since it is owned by a Human, we are commandeering the vessel. Make whatever notations you must, but we are taking the starship. For the record, it is a miracle the craft can even fly. It is a soldered together hunk of scrap.”

“Solder…I do not understand.”

“Of course you don’t. You are a Visidoran. You would not be expected to understand. Now cut this link. I will contact you if I need your assistance.”

“Lucky it wasn’t a visual link,” Adam said when the line was cut. “Although you do bear a striking resemblance to the real Osama bin Laden

“Who is Osama bin Laden?” Kaylor asked.

“An infamous Human from the past, someone who did some pretty nasty things before the Klin and the Juireans came along.”

“And Riyad looks like him?”

“They could be twins,” Adam said, trying his best to suppress the smile, even when Riyad flashed him the bird.

“Don’t you two take anything seriously?” Copernicus scolded. “We still have a lot to do before we’re in the clear.”

Chapter 15

The FS-475—Kaylor and Jym’s Muleship—glistened in the clear void of outer space. The Gradis Cartel ship was located four thousand meters away. The pair were slowly rotating around a central axis.

“You can dock with the top hatch,” Kaylor announced. “Jym and Adam will go with me. Riyad is injured, so he should stay here. Copernicus has Human medicines aboard where we do not.”

“Sounds good,” Coop said. “Visidoran space extends for a hundred light-years from here, but with their affiliation with the Juireans, I have no idea how far they’ll be willing to chase us.”

“Assuming they chase us at all,” Adam said. “Riyad has the natives believing we’re a contingent of Juireans. Before they check with someone and learn the truth, we’ll be long gone.”

“Let’s hope so,” Coop said. “I only have a couple of twenty-year-old flash cannon aboard, and the Muleship is allowed only the minimum armament for self-defense.”

Twenty minutes later, the tiny three-ship caravan broke orbit with Visidor and entered gravity-wells. Coop’s shipyard was a thousand light-years away, in the Wokan region of the Frontier, and about four hundred lights from the Union border. Without any complications, the trip would take a little over three days.

Once out of Visidoran space, Adam took a portable comm unit to his stateroom and contacted Admiral Andy Tobias on Panur’s Planet—AKA Woraken-nin. He knew the admiral would be livid when speaking with him, but Adam had to face the music if he was to get the latest on the Juirean situation.

The admiral’s adjutant, Commander Tom Paulson, came on the screen first. His expression was unreadable, but his voice tense. “Stay linked, Captain,” he said quickly. “I will get the admiral. He’s been trying to reach you.”

The officer slipped out of camera view, and Adam spent the next six minutes staring at a shiny gold wall with shelves containing several decorative statues, also made of gold. Adam recognized the room as one of five studies located in Panur’s palace, and the one Tobias had claimed as his office when they first arrived back from Sol-Kor space. Yet something was off; one of the statues was now a deformed lump from what Adam remembered it to be. He was trying to figure out how that could have happened when the gaunt figure of Admiral Tobias slipped into camera view.

“Are you and Riyad all right?” Andy asked with genuine concern.

“Yeah, we’re fine. Riyad was shot with a level-2 bolt, but he’ll be okay.”

“What happened? I called the Visidorans and they said something about you being arrested.”

“We managed to get away, along with Kaylor, Jym and another Human named Smith.”

“Copernicus Smith?”

“That’s right. We’re on our way to his shipyard with his ship, the FS-475 and a Gradis Cartel ship in tow. But Andy, what’s this bullshit about the annexation of the Kidis? Are we really on the brink of war…again?”

Tobias leaned back in the chair and let out a deep sigh. “It’s a clusterfuck of major proportions, Captain. The J’s have annexed the Frontier and demanded that all Humans leave. They’ve given us ten days to get out—eight now. Hollingsworth has left us here on Worak-nin, pending a resolution to the crisis.”

“And what if there’s no satisfactory resolution?”

“Then it’s back to war with the damn Juireans.”

“I mean, what happens to you…and Sherri…and Arieel?”

“We’re looking for a safe place to hide until we can be rescued. Holly doesn’t want us heading out in one of the local starships. The Juireans know we’re here, and he feels they may want to use us for propaganda, hell, maybe even as scapegoats so they can blame the coming war on us.”

“Well, damn, Andy, this really sucks.”

“And watch your asses, too. You’re three Humans traveling through what is now—according to the Juireans—Expansion space, and without authorization. They may try to set something in motion to make the three of you out to be the bad guys.”

 “We’ll be careful.”

“Our research shows that this Copernicus guy has a base on a planet called Liave-3. Is that where you’re headed?”

“Yes, sir. We’re about thirty hours out.”

“Liave is just over three hundred light-years from the border. If you think you can make it, go for it. We’re massing as many ships along the void as we can, without crossing the line.”

“They can’t do this, Admiral.”

“They’ve done it, and most of the Expansion is running scared over this new aggressiveness on the part of the Juireans. Not a lot of protests coming from their side of the line.” Tobias stopped and sighed deeply. To Adam, his commanding officer looked malnourished and drained. “Adam, it looks like this is going to happen. The Juireans have slammed the door on negotiations. They want this war—for whatever god-dang reason—and they’re going to get it. And it won’t be like last time. They know our strengths, as well as our weaknesses.”

“We know theirs, as well.”

“It’s not the same. Last time, they underestimated us and overplayed their hand. And they also had the Klin pulling their strings, even if they didn’t know it. And this new Elder is a real diabolical character. He’s studied us for the last twenty years. I don’t think he’d be doing this if he didn’t think he could win.”

“And this on top of the fight we just had with the Sol-Kor.”

“Now I see why the Juireans let us take such an active lead in the war. They wanted us to take the hit, while they sat back strengthening their hand.”

Adam tried to smile. It came across more as a grimace. “Hey, Andy, we just defeated the entire Sol-Kor Colony. What’s a little Juirean Expansion compared to that?”

“Don’t believe your own propaganda, Captain. We had help, and you know it.” Then Andy shook his head. “Where’s an immortal, mutant, alien genius when we really need one—” The look on Adam’s face made Tobias stop. “I’m sorry, Adam; you know what I mean.”

“It’s okay, Admiral. Any word from Lila?”

“Not a peep. She’s gone, and so is the Najmah…ain’t-here-anymore.”

“Let me know if you hear anything, will ya?”

“Will do.”

Adam was feeling frustrated and impotent. It was not something he was used to. “We need a game changer, Admiral,” he stated, gritting his teeth. “ Something big to rock the Juireans back on their heels.”

“Got anything up your sleeves?”

“Wish I did, but right now I’m a little short of miracles, although Copernicus seems to think I’m some kind of magician with my Formilian implant.”

“Reading his jacket, I think it best if you keep him awed. He seems to be pragmatic to a fault. And I wouldn’t count on him to have your back just because he’s Human, either.”

“Way ahead of you, sir. Copernicus Smith bears watching.”

“And Adam,” Tobias began, “one more thing.”

“What’s that, Admiral?”

“When this thing is over, you and Riyad are still in a heap of deep shit with me over your little insubordinate escapade with this Smith character. Make sure you survive…so I can have the pleasure of keelhauling the two of you myself.”

“Do they still keelhaul these days?”

“They sure do, only now it’s done in spacesuits…if you’re lucky.”

Chapter 16

Senior Overlord Daven Kri didn’t know whether or not the information warranted the Elder’s attention, yet he had been tasked with monitoring the situation on Visidor. The facts were still thin, and it could turn out that the situation had resolved itself.

Still, he was an ambitious Overlord, hoping to one day be appointed to the Council. The more time he spent in the presence of the Elder, the better chance he had of being remembered when the time came.

He requested an audience and was granted access.

“Is this about Visidor?” Synnoc asked even before Daven reached the Elder’s desk.

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Did the Humans escape?”

“That has yet to be determined, yet there was a major disturbance at the Visidoran prison.”

Synnoc grinned. “What kind of disturbance?”

“A major power failure that resulted in the compound being overrun my wild native beasts. There has been considerable loss of life, including most of the guards and over half the prisoners. The Humans are not among the survivors, yet they could have just as easily been eaten, along with the others.”

“And what of the ship the Humans arrived in?”

“It was commandeered by one of our Overlords.”

“Which Overlord?”

“The Visidorans were confused, but they believe his name was Osama bin Laden.”

“Do we have an Overlord in the area by that name? It does not sound Juirean.”

“I have checked, and we do not. But as I said, the Visidoran flight controllers were confused. They may have noted the name incorrectly.”

The Elder’s thin grin turned into a smirk. “No, they did not get it wrong. The Humans have escaped, and if you check you will also find the service vessel and the Gradis ship are also missing. You had a tracker placed in the distress vessel. Find its location.”

“I will, immediately.”

“Determine the destination of the ship then send Overlord Esketon Hann in a single ship to investigate.”

“A single ship?”

“Yes. I don’t want the Humans to panic. In addition, I have plans for this encounter.”

“I will follow your commands immediately. And, my Lord, I must compliment you on being right regarding the Humans.”

The smile vanished from the Elder’s face. “I only wish I could be right about the Humans in every instance. The galaxy is headed for a turbulent time, Daven. Even so, it is the unpredictable nature of the Humans that I worry about the most.”

Chapter 17

A strong case of homesickness swept through Adam as he watched Liave-3 grow in the viewport. The planet could be Earth’s twin, with large, shimmering oceans, wispy white clouds and just the right percentage of land to water with evidence of long rivers, snow-capped mountains and vast deserts. He could see why Copernicus chose this world for his headquarters, even if he did mention the existence of dinosaurs and fifty-foot-long sharks.

Adam had had his fill of dinosaurs recently.

Yet Liave-3 looked to be a tamer world than Visidor. Hopefully they had their dinosaur infestation under control.

Kaylor guided the FS-475 to a private landing field south of a large city that was nestled up against an azure sea. The community was sprawling, running along the shoreline for several kilometers. The buildings were painted in colorful pastels and the wide streets were lined with palm-like trees. Adam craned his neck to get one last look at the tropical paradise through the viewport before the ship landed. This was without a doubt the most anticipated landfall he’d made in years. He couldn’t wait to get to the town and sample the local cuisine. He could almost taste the fruity umbrella drinks already.

His impression of Liave-3 changed abruptly when he turned his attention to where they were landing. It was a repair yard for sure, full of rusting derelict starships scattered about willy-nilly through the huge, walled compound. From what Copernicus had told him, he got his start salvaging the remains of warships left over from battle. It looked to Adam like he’d brought most of them back here—and then left them to rust and rot away. There didn’t appear to be a working starship on the grounds.

Kaylor was aiming for what appeared to be a segregated section of the compound, pockmarked with the signs of several lift-offs and landings. The client’s broken down ship was lowered first by the mag-lines, then the ‘475 followed suit. When the dust settled, Adam got his first real look at the Gradis Cartel starship.

Like most of the contraband runners throughout the galaxy, the ship was an amalgamation of several spacecraft, pressed together to make something that could achieve star flight and not leak atmosphere. He knew the ship was no longer capable of flight, and he seriously had his doubts about the latter.

Yet that ship was the center of attention throughout most of the Kidis Frontier. It was the catalyst for all that had happened recently, even if the Visidorans had failed to find any serious contraband aboard. Adam sincerely believed they just didn’t know where to look.

“Are you coming?” Kaylor asked.

Adam turned. “Sorry, lost in thought.”

“We need to either stay aboard or clear the area. Copernicus is coming in for a landing. His ship tends to stir up a lot of dust and debris. Prepare yourself, I’m cutting internal gravity.”

Adam didn’t have to do much preparation. The local gravity appeared to be very close to Earth’s, and although he’d spent most of the past three days in his cabin with the gravity turned up, he still welcomed the constant and familiar feel of his real weight. He looked at the agony on the faces of his two alien friends.

“I bet this is torture for you?”

“We have grown somewhat accustomed to it,” Jym said. “Yet we will be spending most of our time in the FS-475 with the internals on. Hurry now, Copernicus is in final descent.”

When the hatch cracked and Adam stepped out onto the sandy surface of Liave-3 he took in a deep breath of fresh, humid air, traced with a scent of salt and the familiar fishy smell that came from the sea. He had grown up near the ocean, and as a Navy SEAL was never far from it. But those days were long gone. He’d moved to the mountains after settling down, and then with his recent re-entry into galactic affairs, had spent most of the past couple of years aboard starships or on alien worlds.

Liave-3 could be home if he ever wanted to escape the limelight he experienced on Earth.

The trio made their way to a single-story building made of thick wooden planks and painted in local blue pastel. They entered a large room containing a series of work desks, a bank of computer equipment and a couch. A computer monitor on one of the desks spun around toward them.

“Welcome back, Kaylor and Jym. I understood you were detained for a while during your last assignment.”

“Thank you for the greeting, Dora,” Kaylor replied. The monitor followed Adam as he moved further into the room.

“Dora, this is Adam Cain. He helped free us from the Visidorans,” Jym said.

“Yes, I recognize him from my files. It is an honor to meet you, Captain Cain. I am a great admirer of yours.”

Adam frowned as he stared at the blank monitor. “Eh, thanks, I guess, but you are a computer, right?”

“Yes I am, yet Mister Smith has programmed me to appreciate the finer things in life—including the heroic accomplishments of others.”

“Did he tell you about me?”

“Yes, initially. He had me do extensive research on you—as well as Mister Tarazi and Ms. Valentine. Are they with you?”

“Just Mister Tarazi. He’s with Copernicus.”

“I look forward to meeting him, too.”

So Copernicus had done extensive research on the group. Adam wondered how long that research had been going on? Coop had made it out as if his approaching them had been a spur of the moment thing.

“Do you have a form…something you project on the screen when talking with Mr. Smith?” he asked the computer…Dora.

“I do…why do you ask?”

“I would feel more comfortable if you had a face.”

“Forgive me, I should have realized.” The image of a middle-aged woman with short black hair and deep dark eyes popped on the screen. It was not what Adam had been expecting.

“Your expression is one of surprise.”

“I was expecting something…different.”

“Younger perhaps, more attractive?”

“Well, no, not exactly.”

“It is okay, Captain Cain. I am a replica of Mr. Smith’s mother.”

“No shit?”

“No shit.” The woman on the screen stretched a wide grin across her face. “Oh how I love Human speech. We will get along just fine, Adam Cain.”

“Call me Adam.”

“I am Dora. Dora Smith.”

“Well, Dora, how long has Coop had an interest in me and my friends?”

“It has been—”

The conversation was interrupted when Copernicus rushed through the doorway with Riyad trailing behind. His eyes narrowed as he looked first at the image on the computer monitor and then at Adam.

“I see you’ve met Dora?”

Adam grinned. “Your mother is delightful.”

“She’s not my real mother, you know?”

“You could have fooled me.”

“Welcome home, Copernicus,” Dora said, a motherly smile on her two-dimensional image. “Mister Cain and I were just having a conversation—”

“Resume generic image…restrict access,” Coop ordered. The woman disappeared, replaced by a stylized CS Repair & Hauling with the trail of a starship wrapping around the logo. “Little reminders of home never hurt anyone,” he said, tossing a duffle bag on the couch.

Riyad walked gingerly into the room, taking short breaths as he did. Adam took notice.

“Keep it moisturized, that will help.”

“Crashing on a bed with a fifth of Jim Beam would help more.”

“So much for your religious upbringing.”

“You know I gave up that part of it many years ago. Now, Coop, do you have any spirits around?”

He pulled a bottle of golden liquid from a desk drawer and handed it to Riyad.

“Not the real stuff, but close enough. They make it locally.”

“Now…about a bed?”

“There are four small bedrooms down the hallway. The big one at the end is mine. Don’t go in there. The head is…well, follow the smell.”

“Typical bachelor.” Riyad flashed everyone a wide grin and then disappeared down the hallway.

Coop turned to Adam. “The computer is off-limits, too. I have sensitive client information in there. And you know how paranoid my clients can get.”

“Just your clients?”

There was a moment of awkward silence until Adam spoke again. “Are you still going to repair the Gradis starship?”

“Of course, that’s what we get paid to do.”

“Aren’t you curious about what’s really aboard?”

“Nothing, according to the Visidorans.”

“You don’t believe that, do you? If the Cartel had nothing to hide, why would they put so much pressure on you to retrieve the ship, and why would the crew hightail it out the moment the ship broke down?”

“It was a Gradis crew, Cain. Each of them were probably wanted for other crimes. Besides, the normal procedure would have been to destroy the ship rather than have it fall into the hands of an unfriendly government.”

“But they didn’t know that at the time. They thought—or at least their bosses thought—that the ship was going to be repaired. So why did they skip?”

“Don’t have a clue, Sherlock. And now that we’re here—and your friends are safe—the Gradis ship is my concern, not yours.”

“They sure did want the ship back…along with it’s perfectly legal cargo. Aren’t you curious?”

“I may be, but it’s none of your business.”

“C’mon, Coop, let me take a look around. I may be able to see something the Visidorans missed.”

Coop spun around until he was face to face with Adam. “Fine, go take a look! Just don’t steal anything. We may not know what’s aboard, but you can sure bet the Gradis know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make.”

“They’re called links out here in the galaxy,” Adam said with a smile.

“What?”

“Phone calls…they’re called links—”

“I know that…!”

Copernicus was about to shout something more, but then he took a furtive glance at the computer screen facing him and thought better of it. He took up the duffle bag and stalked off down the hall, slamming the door to his room behind him.

“You guys want to join me,” Adam said to Kaylor and Jym, his voice edged with excitement and mischief.

The two aliens looked at each other. They had only spent a few hours aboard the Gradis ship initially—mainly in the engine room—before determining that the repair was beyond their mobile capabilities. There’d been no chance to explore beyond that, since the Visidorans showed up almost at the same time they did.

They nodded.

The starship was about two hundred meters long and fifty tall with a sloping bridge area at one end and the typical bulbous engine compartment at the rear. All along the hull, huge metal plates had been welded over previous breaches, or, as in the case of a comm unit, additions were placed where a few square meters of space could be found.

The ship also wasn’t a uniform color. Instead, it had huge swaths of rust, several black panels, and even a few a sickly mustard color. Whatever was available at the time had been duct-taped on, without regard for aesthetics. And this was the ship everyone wanted so badly.

Adam tried the entry latch; it wouldn’t move.

“Is it locked?” Jym asked.

“Looks like it. The Visidoran inspectors came in through the air locks.”

Through his ATD, Adam sought out any internal electronics, something he could trace back to the exterior lock. He didn’t find any—the ship was dead.

So he sought out the internal generators. Most had battery starters. He mentally activated a switch and was rewarded by a dull hum reverberating throughout the hull, as well as a faint glow of an energy signature within his mind. As the batteries primed the generators, he turned to the aliens.

“Was there power when you went aboard?”

“Yes, and life support,” Jym answered.

Since the major systems aboard a starship are linked to the gravity generators, he found this to be strange. Kaylor was a step ahead of him.

“It was strange. All the systems were firing, but still the well wouldn’t form. We did not have a chance to run a full diagnostic, but there are only so many things that would keep a well from forming if the generators are operating. So we placed grapples and headed out. The Visidorans appeared only minutes after we got underway.”

Adam nodded and then tried the entry latch again. This time it moved. A few seconds later they were inside the Gradis Cartel starship.

“We are still responsible for fixing the engines, but maybe with the help of Copernicus, we can solve the mystery.”

“Is he a good mechanic?”

Kaylor’s thin eyebrows climbed nearly to his hairline. “Honestly, he is something remarkable. Humans have had far less experience with starships and star travel than we have, but often I have to defer to his abilities.”

“So he’s the real thing?”

“If you refer to whether or not he is qualified to be a starship repair tech, then very much so.”

Jym snorted. “He is not that good,” the tiny bear grumbled, his status as the premier repair-being threatened by the comments.

Kaylor grinned. “He is good, but not nearly as proficient as you, my friend.”

“Of course not; he is a Human.”

Adam set off down the spine corridor, headed for the cargo hold. Kaylor and Jym fell into stride. “Humans are quite clumsy, normally,” Jym said, not letting the subject drop.

“I can’t argue with that,” Adam said, catching a glint in Kaylor’s eye.

Adam winked.

“Just like old times,” he said.

Kaylor nodded. “It feels good, Adam Cain.”

It was Adam’s turn to nod.

Chapter 18

Copernicus dropped the duffle bag on the floor of his room and rushed to the clothes closet. Yes, he knew it was a cliché, but it was the most convenient and logical location. He pressed on a rear panel and a small side door sprung open. He entered and pressed the panel shut behind him.

A bank of interior lights came on, revealing a glisteningly clean and sophisticated room with a facing comm center. Beyond that rested an extensive cache of weapons, some Human, most alien, and then a wall of computer servers and other high-tech equipment.

Copernicus slipped into a chair before an inset computer screen. He dialed an eleven digit code on a keyboard, pressed his finger into a reading box, and then leaned back, waiting.

The wait wasn’t long.

The round head of Onix Gru appeared on the screen.

“I see you have returned, and with the Gradis ship. Excellent!”

“And my pay?”

“A portion will be transferred momentarily.”

“A portion?”

“You have not completed your assignment.”

“The Visidorans didn’t find anything aboard,” Coop protested.

The Silean shook his head. “We both know that was their oversight. What about Cain?”

“He’s just gone aboard.”

“Again, excellent. The device he has imbedded in his side should allow him to accomplish what our Visidoran allies were unable to do.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Nobody does, Mister Smith. But allow him his space. If anyone can find the artifact, it will be him.”

Now Copernicus smiled. “And he won’t even know he’s doing it.”

“Thank the powers for gullible heroes.”

Then the smile vanished from Coop’s face. “And afterwards? He’ll know what we have. He can’t be allowed to spread the news.”

“He is a Human; you are a Human. I will leave it up to you to decide how to best deal with Adam Cain and his friends.”

********

The bathroom was across the hall from the room Riyad had claimed for himself. After downing half the bottle of golden native whisky, he wobbled out of the room and across the hall. He was going to take Adam’s advice and find a salve for the crusty scab on his burn. He looked under sinks and in wall cabinets but found none. Coop’s room was only steps away.

With liquid courage, Riyad went to the door and lightly tapped. If the repairman was asleep, he didn’t want to wake him. He listened for any response. He tried the doorknob. It turned.

Slowly, Riyad pressed the door open and peeked inside.

It was a fairly large room with a single bed and a chest-of-drawers against one wall—very Earth-like. There was another doorway—opened—at the far end of the room, and Riyad could see it was a bathroom.

“Coop, you in here?” Riyad whispered.

When no reply was heard, Riyad stepped inside.

He was confused. He’s seen Coop enter the room, yet he wasn’t here, and there didn’t appear to be another door to the outside, just an open closet along the right wall. Not wanting to get caught snooping around his host’s inner sanctum, Riyad slipped back into the hallway.

He returned to his room, leaving the door open so he could see Coop if he returned to his bedroom. He sat on the edge of the surprisingly comfortable bed and considered the remaining liquid in the unlabeled bottle. No salve…yet some liquid relief remained. He grasped the bottle and took a long swig. His eyes began to water.

Then Coop passed the doorway, coming from the direction of his bedroom.

Riyad ran after him.

“There you are; I was looking for you.”

Copernicus stopped and turned, his eyes narrowed. “You were…where?”

“Just around here. I’m looking for some form of moisturizer for my wound.” Riyad didn’t want to admit he’d been in Coop’s private lair.

After scrutinizing Riyad for a moment, Coop said, “Check with Dora. There should be something in a first-aid kit. We have several around. She can tell you where.”

“Dora? Who’s Dora?”

“Oh yeah, you came in after me. Dora is my autonomous computer system. She helps me keep track of things around here.”

“Dora? Why did you name it Dora?”

“That’s none of your business. Just ask her where the kits are. She’s in the workroom.”

Coop turned and strode down the hallway with purpose, with Riyad staggering behind him.

In the main workroom, he noticed Riyad had followed him.

“Dora, where do we keep the first-aid kits?” he asked the room, annoyance laced in his voice.

“There are several, Copernicus. You should be aware of their location,” said a female voice from the speakers.

“Send me a note. But for now, where’s the nearest one?

“In a box on the northeast side of the building.”

Coop turned to the half-inebriated Riyad Tarazi. “Did you get that?”

“Yessir, Mister Sergeant Smith, sir.”

“Where’s Cain?” Coop asked Dora.

“He, along with our friends Kaylor and Jym, are in the Gradis starship.”

“Are you taken care of?” Coop asked Riyad.

“Got it. Perfect. No problems here.”

Coop was shaking his head as he left the room, headed for the Gradis ship.

Riyad looked at the computer screen that had been following them since they entered the large office. It displayed the CS Repair logo and nothing more, although he could have sworn he saw the image of a woman when he entered the room earlier.

“Are you Dora?”

“Yes I am,” came the sweet voice through hidden speakers.

Riyad had heard Adam say something about Coop’s mother. “Are you Coop’s mother?”

The computer laughed. “No, I am merely a computer. Yet I have been programmed with many of the traits of Dora Smith.”

“So…a question.”

“I will answer, if my programming allows me.”

“Why did you name him Copernicus?”

“Do you not like the name?”

“Sure, I like it a lot. It’s just that he doesn’t much.”

“As I have been programmed to respond to such a question, I will answer this way: ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’”

Riyad laughed out loud. “That’s how I would classify most of the bad decisions I’ve made in my life. Now if you will excuse me Dora, I have to go find some medicine for my wound.”

********

 “Do you believe there’s something of value aboard this ship?” Jym asked Adam.

The trio was rifling through the complete mess that was the ship’s cargo hold. Not a single container remained intact, having already been unceremoniously dumped on the deck and gone through by the Visidorans. Mostly they were finding clothing, computer equipment, even several hundred boxes of alien dolls, all of which had been on their way to various parts of the Frontier or beyond.

As it was with most commerce throughout the galaxy, there were almost too many local regulations and restrictions to keep track of. Even for something as innocuous as dolls, reality became blurred. In one region, they were a necessary part of a child’s development. In another, they were considered heresy and false idols, and therefore banned from even passing through restricted space.

In the more civilized sections of the Expansion, uniform shipping regulations were being introduced, whereas even banned items were allowed to pass through local space as long as no landfall was made. Yet the Kidis Frontier hadn’t made the transition. Each of the seventy-odd stellar affiliations had their own set of rules. In fact, the restrictions weren’t set up so much to keep contraband out, but rather to extract taxes, tariffs and fines from the shippers, which helped fund the local governments.

This was the reason so many manufacturers employed smugglers to transport their goods. If anyone knew how to slip past local monitors unseen, it was them. And the Gradis Cartel was one of the largest smuggling operations in the Frontier. They ran a fleet of over seven hundred starships—many of the same category and general condition as the one sitting in the shipyard of CS Repair and Hauling. They weren’t much to look at, but they ran…most of the time. In fact it was rare that a ship would break down; yet with such a large fleet, it did happen, at least enough to keep Copernicus and his crews busy.

Copernicus had intimated to Adam that he had contracts with several of the other smuggling operations, not just the Gradis, so he wasn’t hurting for business. In fact, Adam wouldn’t have been surprised to find that these less-than-reputable shippers were his only clients, which helped create the reputation Copernicus had in Kidis. The Visidorans were right. If CS was taking a call, it was a pretty good chance contraband would be found about the stricken vessel.

The fact that the Visidorans couldn’t find any contraband aboard the ship didn’t mean it wasn’t carrying any. It was just that nothing it carried was illegal in Visidoran space. Adam had spent a fair amount of time dealing with smugglers during his early days in the Fringe. From this experience he knew that the cargos were the most important part of a run, not the ship. If the cargo was lost, then future business was lost. These old derelict ships could be easily replaced. New clients—clients who trusted the smugglers and paid on time—were much harder to replace.

So it was the concern for the vessel itself that troubled Adam so much. So far, he’d found nothing remarkable about it. It wasn’t exceptionally fast or well-armed. The cargo section was slightly smaller than normal, meaning it couldn’t carry a huge amount of high-value goods. And even the region the ship had been transiting was just normal Kidis Frontier space.

So why the focus on the ship itself?

Although Adam had never associated with Visidorans before, he still got the impression that Marshal Manis’s disappointment in not finding any contraband ran deeper than her failure to catch Copernicus in an illegal act. It was the way the two of them looked at each other, along with the brief private conversation, that had Adam suspecting there was a lot more going on beneath the surface.

Was Manis looked for something in particular? Was she disappointed when she couldn’t find it? Was Copernicus also disappointed that she didn’t find it?

Adam looked around the incredibly disheveled mess that was the ship’s main cargo hold. He’d never seen anything like it. Most of the time, inspections were conducted using portable x-ray machines or sniffers. Visual inspections were used, but not to this extent. Even some of the containers themselves had been disassembled. The Visidorans had torn the place apart, looking for something, something they said they hadn’t found.

Or did they?

Adam smirked. How perfect would that be? Find something everyone wants, then claim it wasn’t there even after you find it. He was sure they wouldn’t hold up the elusive item and yell out Eureka! if they had. Especially not a potential contraband item of immeasurable value.

“What the hell did you do in here?”

Adam spun around to find a red-faced Copernicus Smith standing open-mouthed at the door to the cargo bay.

“We did not do this,” Kaylor said. “This is how we found it.”

“The Gradis are going to be pissed—correction—their clients are going to be pissed. How are we going to put this back together?”

“Why is it your job to do that?” Adam asked. “You were just hired to repair the engines.”

“They’re going to blame us.”

“The Visidorans stopped and searched the ship, not you.”

Coop snickered. “Yeah, but they can’t sue a government. But they can sue me. It’s easier to claim we did this than the Visidorans. I’ve never seen anything like this before. What were they looking for?”

“You tell me.”

Copernicus cast an accusatory look at Adam. “Don’t start that shit again. I have no idea what the ship was carrying, so how could I know what they were looking for?”

“Maybe they did find what they were looking for—”

“No…they said they didn’t find anything.”

Adam noticed the slight warble in Coop’s voice, as he spoke quickly to defend the Visidorans before he thought better of it.

“And you believe them?” asked Adam, now suspicious of every word out of Coop’s mouth.

“Well, I don’t, for sure,” he said guardedly. “But they were going to let us take the ship, until your Juirean friends showed up.”

“And if they really were looking for something specific, and they didn’t find it, do you think they’d let you take the ship away? They could have just as easily kept the ship and let the Gradis fight to get it back. Instead, Manis was going to release it into your custody.”

Anger flared once again in Copernicus. “Just what the hell are you insinuating?”

“Nothing,” Adam said. “I’m just trying to figure out why this ship is so important to everyone.”

“It’s because of the bond—”

“I know. You signed a bond, making you liable for the ship and the cargo. I checked the Library. It said bond-agreements like this are very rare. Why would you sign something like that?”

Adam noticed a slight hesitation from Coop, as if he was deciding what to say next. “I’ll tell you why…four million reasons why.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means they were going to pay me four million Juirean credits to recover the ship and cargo.”

“Four million! That’s a little above the going rate, isn’t it?”

“You told us it was two million,” Kaylor joined in. “And we were to get twenty percent.”

“Sorry, but I’m the one who signed the bond, not you.”

“So what is the going rate for a standard repair or recovery?” Adam asked.

“About five hundred thousand,” Jym answered for Copernicus.

Adam smiled. “So, I ask again: what’s so special about this ship and her cargo that the Gradis would pay eight times the normal rate.”

Copernicus squared his jaw. “I don’t know and I don’t care. All I know is they offered me a lot of money and I accepted. But seeing the current state of the cargo, I can see a renegotiation in my future. And if there really was something of exceptional value aboard—and now it’s missing—I could be in a lot more trouble than simply losing a portion of my fee.”

With a look if resignation and defeat, Copernicus looked around the cargo hold once more. “The Gradis are coming here in a couple of days. I’ll see what I can do about the engines, while you guys try to get this cleaned up the best you can. I would appreciate your help, Adam.”

“Sure, a trade-off for room and board until Riyad and I can get back to the Union.”

Chapter 19

Adam was sure of it now.

There was something hidden aboard this ship, and he truly believed it was still here.

With his guard up, Adam helped Kaylor and Jym sort the cargo and place it back into appropriate containers. Most of the items had labels, along with electronic bills of lading attached to the containers. Even then, it was taking far too long, and Adam was sure they were making mistakes. People were going to be very upset when their orders eventually arrived.

The power surged in the ship as Copernicus managed to get the generators on line and tested the well.

“I told you so,” Kaylor said to Adam.

“We could have got the engines going, too, if we had more time,” Jym grumbled.

A rumbling of the ground followed shortly afterwards. Adam looked at Kaylor with a frown.

“That’s probably Krons and Flisher returning. They’re one of the other repair crews.”

A moment later Copernicus poked his head in the cargo hold. He nodded his approval.

“You’re making progress,” he complimented, to Adam’s surprise. “I’m going to check on my other crew. I’ll be back in a little while to help.”

Adam saw this as the perfect opportunity to take a break. He asked if Kaylor and Jym wanted to join him in the dining area of the ship but they declined, saying they had better food aboard the FS-475. Adam had just spent the past three days eating aboard the ‘475. He would take his chances with the food processors aboard the Gradis ship.

All processors work by taking a combination of basic materials and infusing them into a medium, either solid or liquid, depending on a particular programmed formula. Since only so much room aboard was allotted to the holding tanks, ships tended to limit the menu to items that best fit the taste buds of the crew. Ships belonging to a particular species tended to have more restrictive choices. Ships like this one, with their more diverse crew, generally had more variety.

In the galley, Adam scanned his blood, setting the parameters for the appropriate formulas. Then he asked the computer if it could produce something similar to pork chops. Within a millisecond, the computer had searched the language banks, found references to pork chops, matched the generic formula to what was available aboard and pronounced that his item would be ready momentarily. Ten seconds later, a slab of light brown meat-looking stuff came out of the dispenser on a square plate. It was hot, it smelled like cooked pork, and from his experience it would also taste something like pork, or how he remembered pork to taste.

When he sat at table and sampled the first bite, he found he was mistaken. The meat tasted just like paste—the medium which the chemical flavor and nutrients were supposed to have been injected. Yet the computer had verified his selection and the formula….

“Great,” Adam sighed. “Now I’ll have to go find another processor.”

He decided to scan the computer with his ATD first to see if he could identify the problem. Perhaps a simple tweak and everything would be back on par.

Almost immediately, he noticed a single blockage within the computer’s feed line. It was an intermittent signal, strange and faint. He attempted to clear the blockage with a mental command, but nothing happened. He didn’t think anything of this; he wasn’t the most proficient ATD operator, except when it came to disarming flash weapons and activating light switches.

Yet if it wasn’t responding to mental commands, then it could be a physical object impeding the flow of information. He went to the processor and mentally followed the trunk line below the counter and to a cabinet below. He knelt down and opened the door. The back panel in the cabinet could be removed to access the power lines and feeding tubes to the processor. He reached in, ending up on his belly, and pulled away the panel.

The comm line feeding the processor’s computer disappeared beyond the maze of other wires and tubes and under the dispenser. In his mind’s eyes, Adam could see the obstruction. It was a pale glowing light of a strange green color. This was odd; most power sources came in as just white of variable intensity.

He reached his hand around the corner at the back of the under cabinet and felt something small and round. And it was also warm, but not hot. His fingers closed around the object.

It came loose and Adam pulled it away from the comm line.

Immediately, Adam noticed a steady increase in the white light flowing along the line.

Anxious to see if he’d fixed the problem, Adam extricated himself from the cabinet and went back to the processor, setting the small round object on its flat base on the counter. He tried the pork chops again. This time they tasted just fine.

He wolfed down half of the pork steak and then rose to order a drink. That’s when he noticed the round object was no longer on the counter.

He was sure he’d left it there, and there was no place it could have slipped behind on the counter. Possibly it fell to the floor.

He bent down. Nothing. So he opened the cabinet door again.

There it was, resting on the bottom panel. For some strange reason, Adam sensed the object was embarrassed to be found.

He picked up the orb and took it to the dining table.

Upon closer examination, he found it to be more tear-drop shaped with a flat bottom for balance. It was made of metal, with a light green hue. There were markings on the exterior.

Adam lifted it closer to his eyes, trying to make out the design. That was when his ATD went crazy.

It started as a slight buzz, that grew quickly to a nearly unbearable level. His eyes began to water and he could feel heat coming to his right side, under his armpit.

He set the object back on the table and began to unbutton his shirt. This was the first time the ATD had done this.

But then the buzzing stopped and the burning sensation went away.

Slowly, Adam turned his attention back to the green orb on the table. Again, the thing seemed to be staring at him.

He placed his hand over the object and concentrated, probing the metal with his Formilian device. There was definitely energy coming from within, but it was like nothing he’d ever felt. He lifted the object and moved it close to his side.

The buzzing sounded and the burning returned.

He quickly set the object on the table and pushed away from the table.

“What the hell are you?” he asked the object aloud.

He hadn’t been expecting an answer…when he got one.

Of course he couldn’t understand it. The signal came to his mind in the form of a wave-like vibration. Then it faded away.

“What are you?” he asked again. Once again the vibration returned.

Was it trying to communicate with him?

“Are you alive?” he asked next.

This time the vibration came quickly then faded, as if saying yes…or no.

“Are you what everyone is looking for?”

The vibration was longer and more varied this time. Adam took that as a yes.

Adam heard a movement in the passageway outside the mess hall. He snatched up the orb and placed it in his pocket, on the left side of his body, away from his implant. The buzzing and heat did not return.

Copernicus walked past the doorway heading for the cargo hold. Suddenly he stuck his head around the corner.

“Thought I saw you in here. How’s it going in the cargo bay?”

“Fine, I just stopped to grab a bite.”

“Pork chops?”

“Something like pork chops.”

“I hear you. I’m going back to help sort through the mess.”

“I’ll be right with you.”

Coop took a moment to scan the room before ducking back into the hall.

Adam went to the processor. He ordered an intoxicant, figuring he needed a stiff drink after his discover. But his discovery of…what?

Chapter 20

The Incus were miners, builders and manufacturers and ambitious to a fault. Recently, they had begun building their own line of plasma bolt launchers, taking what MK Weapons Systems was doing with their line of flash weapons and attempting to improve upon it. They had met with only limited success.

The Incus were running into the same problem MK had, and that was the competition from the Humans and their projectile-type devices.

When compared to ballistic weaponry, the limitations of energy devices were obvious, and everyone admitted it. They lacked firing capacity and range. The Human’s weapons could fire hundreds of rounds between reloads, and the range was easily ten times longer than even the best hand-held bolt launchers. The only advantages energy devices had over projectile weapons were their light weight and the ability to recharge. Yet in combat, those advantages became irrelevant. The means to saturate a target with hundreds of rounds, plus at much greater distances, was what everyone wanted. In addition, projectiles could pass through standard energy shields with impunity.

So the Incus began an aggressive campaign to create their own line of projectile weapons. Of course, the Humans were light-years ahead of them in both design and manufacturing, and their reputation as the galaxy’s foremost fighting force didn’t hurt either.

Yet to even attempt to compete with the Humans, the Incus needed raw materials, and in this case, metal.

They began to scour the region around Incus for every source of the required material they could find. This included both inhabited and uninhabited worlds, plus asteroids, which proved to be the most efficient means of acquiring this raw material, and for the least cost.

When they ran out of fertile fields within their own space, the Incus began making illegal forays into surrounding territories, slipping into metal-rich asteroid fields and absconding with all they could before being discovered.

It was a six-ship fleet of Incus mining vessels illegally in Cadonic space that set the current state of affairs in motion.

The Zaniff Field was a rich source of heavy metals, and the giant rocks were just drifting there in space, asking to be harvested. Those objects that were small enough and with near-consistent content were grappled and pulled away, making a slow, yet steady getaway back toward Incus space. Mining operations didn’t stop during the journey; the Incus would take what they could get, even if discovered and the asteroid abandoned.

That was when they discovered The Wall.

It was definitely of artificial origin, yet when the surrounding rock was dated, the first revelation was made. It was over seven billion years old.

Since the creation of the universe—this universe—went back fifteen billion years, there had been at least four cycles where material was recycled through star creation and destruction. The oldest material was absorbed long ago by super-giant stars with short lifespans. Their unstable nature didn’t allow for long-term development before they grew to such proportions that they ended their lifecycle in tremendous supernovas.

The new elements created within these explosions flew out into space, only to congeal once again into new stars, followed by even more supernovas.  The early universe was a very chaotic and dangerous place.

Yet after three of these cycles, the universe had expanded enough that some stability came to the newly formed star systems. The plethora of planets surrounding these suns were given time to mature and for life upon them to evolve. Yet this stable period had begun only recently in galactic history, about five billion years ago. Most everything older had gone into the recycle bin of the universe long ago.

So when the seven billion year old rock was discovered—and within it the remnants of an ancient structure, the Incus began speculating as to what they had found.

It was commonly accepted that life had evolved to advanced stages within most of the preceding recycle periods, with each successive cycle creating more prehistoric civilizations than the one before. The universe is resilient. Creatures came and went without ever leaving a trace. By the time a race evolved, reached maturity and died off, a million years of civilization might have passed. By then, most species were ready to call it quits. They’d lived long enough.

The Incus reasoned they had found a very small chunk of an ancient civilization from either the late Third Cycle or the early Fourth, the one the galaxy was currently experiencing. The age of the surrounding rock didn’t necessary mean that was the age of The Wall, but it did place the civilization that built into within the three to five billion year range. The asteroid might be one of the last remaining traces from the parent planet, having miraculously avoided being drawn into a stellar fire over the course of billions of years. And not only was the age of the rock significant, it was also the discovery of signs of ancient intelligent life. It was a truly remarkable find, one that on its own would have made headlines across the galaxy.

Or it would have until they discovered The Artifact.

It was dug out of the alien wall, having disrupted electronic drilling equipment operating in the area at the time. The signal was powerful and distinct, leading searchers to it. Yet once discovered, the artifact fell silent.

The four-and-a-half inch diameter green orb was sent back to Incus, where scientists began to unlock its secrets. Inside the globe they discovered two thin rectangles of metal. The metals comprising these strips were common—nothing special, even in the galaxy of today. Yet infused on their surface was a pattern of complex circuits placed there by living beings that had died out long before any star currently ablaze within the Milky Way even existed. And when placed together at the right angle, these circuits did an amazing thing.

They produced power.

It was a hybrid kind of energy for sure, more than electricity, more than plasma. Some thought it to be dark energy, but that wasn’t correct, either. Whatever the energy was, the strips seemed to draw it directly from the surrounding space, whether in a vacuum or an atmosphere. And although it was found that the strips took some of this energy to keep themselves fed, they produced ample surplus power for external use.

The Incus began to speculate on the uses for such technology. As small and compact as the device was, the possibilities were endless. However, most civilizations in the galaxy didn’t have an energy shortage. Thousands of years before, the Klin had perfected cold fusion, so nearly everything these days ran on cheap and abundance electricity. Yet even with all the advances throughout the millennia, fusion reactors had never gotten smaller than a meter square in size. So from the perspective of the Incus, only one truly evolutionary use for such a small and sustainable energy source came to mind.

Flash weapons.

Here was the solution to how these devices could compete with what the Humans were producing. With a reciprocating power source—as the effect came to be known—flash weapons would have unlimited firing capacity. And the increase in power meant more concentrated beams, capable of maintaining integrity over a ten kilometer range or more. In fact, with rapid fire and sustainable beams, the Incus could envision the first true ray-gun in history, the dream of every weapons manufacturer since the dawn of time.

But then the artifact disappeared.

This event proved not to be that unusual. The orb appeared to have its own means of locomotion, at least over short distances. The orb would often vanish for days on end before being discovered in some innocuous location, appearing almost defiant in its independence.

It also possessed a form of artificial intelligence, although no one had been able to communicate with it.

The Incus were a realistic race. They knew they couldn’t keep this technology to themselves forever. Even so, they began work on power modules that were proprietary in nature, and that would destroy themselves if tampered with. Eventually, even these security measures would be breached. But until then, the Incus could see themselves taking over the entire weapons market throughout the galaxy.

However, their current conundrum came from the prolonged absence of the artifact during its most-recent sojourn. The Incus had the metal of the strips identified, as well as electron scans of the circuit design. They felt confident they could recreate the pattern. Yet even though they had met with some success, their knockoff devices did not have the full power of the original, barely producing enough extra to be measured. There was still work to be done before they could reveal their RPS—Reciprocating Power Source—to the galaxy.

But now the artifact had disappeared—and stayed gone. If they didn’t locate the original, then the Incus weapons—although still revolutionary—would be no more than an incremental improvement over current technology, and not the sea change they were hoping for.

What the Incus didn’t know at the time was that the orb had been stolen and secretly smuggled out of the system by agents for the Silean gangster Onix Gru.

Chapter 21

Adam returned to the cargo bay with the metal orb in his pocket. Through his ATD, he felt that he could hear the tiny object essentially purring as he went about his work, helping Coop, Kaylor and Jym reload the contents of the hold.

Coop wasn’t much help. Instead he spent an inordinate amount of time checking and double-checking everything before a container was resealed.

“The engines are repaired?” Jym finally ventured to ask.

“Uh huh,” Coop said. “There was a bus line break in the main generator actuator. Seventy-year-old engines tend to have that happen quite often.”

“We checked the bus lines when we came aboard,” Jym said.

“It was a floating break. Very hard to see. It tripped the actuator, causing a ripple effect along the motivators.”

Jym opened his mouth to say something more, but couldn’t think of a better rejoinder than: “Oh.”

“She’s fully functional now, which is good.” Coop looked at Adam. “The Gradis will be here tomorrow to take possession of the ship.” His eyes conveyed a desperate plea to his fellow Human. Adam may have been reading more into it than was there, but he got the feeling Coop was saying, help me find it.

Whatever it was.

Adam casually brushed his left pocket, making sure it was still there. The orb purred a little louder, at least in Adam’s mind.

Three hours later they called it quits. There was still a lot of miscellaneous cargo piled about which they hadn’t found containers for, not in the allotted time. It wasn’t as bad as it had been, so the Visidorans would have to bear the rest of the blame. Coop grumbled about the reduction in service fees he saw coming; but at least he wouldn’t be paying for the entire ship and its cargo….

Chapter 22

Nurion stared at the image of Onix Gru for several seconds before responding.

“They didn’t find anything? I can accept that as a testament to the effectiveness of the masking your agents did. However, now you raise the possibility that the Visidorans may have indeed located the artifact and are just not admitting to it.”

“It is but one possibility. That, or the Juireans have it. I know now that they also entered the ship and did an inspection. However, in both instances, all they were looking for was contraband. The artifact itself is quite small and appears to be a decorative item.”

“So they may not have known what they were looking at?”

“Would you, if you did not already know in advance?”

“Where is the ship at this moment?”

“It is on Liave, with Copernicus Smith.”

“And Adam Cain.”

“That is correct.”

“Yet you do not know if the artifact is still aboard?”

“I will not know until I arrive there tomorrow. I have a reader that will help locate the device, courtesy of the Incus.”

“My sources say they are still looking for the artifact on Incus. Let us recover the device before they begin shifting their efforts outward.”

“And what shall we do if the object is not aboard the ship? How do we locate it on Visidor or with the Juireans?”

“That, Onix, will be a challenge.” The Point-Operator then stared at the fat Silean, again with suspicion. “I still find it strange that your ship would break down during its journey here. Perhaps you should have selected a more reliable vessel for the assignment.”

“In hindsight, you are correct, however, I used one that was already on Incus at the time, so as not to arouse suspicion. Breakdowns do occur; this particular one was quite inconvenient.”

“Indeed…indeed it was.”

********

Onix cut the link. He suspects, he thought, yet he has no proof. And by the time he does, Nurion Massi will be an afterthought in galactic affairs and influence.

Also by then, Onix Gru hoped to have joined the long line of Silean elites, even possibly taking his place next to the great Kroekus as the wealthiest creature in the galaxy.

He checked with the ship’s captain. Nineteen standard hours and they would be on Liave-3. Copernicus knew he was coming and had made preparations.

Then Onix shuddered.

That is assuming the artifact is still aboard!

The suggestion that the Visidorans or Juireans may have found the device was something he said to divert attention from himself. Yet what if it were true? What if they had stolen the artifact from the creature who had stolen it originally?

It would be up to Adam Cain to tell him if that were so, since Onix did not possess the detection device he told Nurion he had. His so-called reader was the Human, and his singularly unique electronic implant, courtesy of the Formilians. If anyone could locate the device aboard Onix’ cartel ship, it was Adam Cain.

Chapter 23

Adam hadn’t claimed a room before he went aboard the Gradis ship, so now he took one next to Riyad’s, but further away from Coop’s. He wanted to spend time with his new friend and didn’t want to risk being overheard through thin walls. That still didn’t eliminate the possibility of hidden microphones and cameras. But that was one thing his ATD was good for, locating such intrusions of privacy. After a thorough scan, Adam felt confident he wasn’t being observed.

He took the orb from his pocket and set it on the bed next to him.

Again he sensed that the thing was looking at him. There was an intelligence here, just something he couldn’t define.

“What are you?” he whispered.

The familiar variable vibration could be heard in his mind.

“I know you’re trying to communicate, but I don’t understand.”

There was prolonged silence, followed by a series of vibrations. He still couldn’t understand what they meant.

He shook his head in frustration. The orb vibrated.

Can it see me? Adam questioned to himself.

More vibration.

That was a mistake, he thought. The orb was communicating through his mind, so no thought was off limits.

“I’m at a loss,” Adam whispered. “If we’re to have a communications breakthrough, you’re the one who’s going to have to make it happen.”

Two quick vibrations…and then silence.

He lay back on the bed, but not before returning the object to his pocket. Then he closed his eyes. He needed rest. Maybe in his dreams he would be able to sort things out.

********

Adam awoke with someone staring at him. He bolted upright.

“Relax, it’s just me,” said Riyad.

“What…what time is it?”

“Isn’t that a relative question? Just suffice it to say I think you’ve been asleep for about four hours. And you were talking in your sleep. That’s what brought me in here.”

“Talking…what was I saying?”

“Typical sleep-talk. Gibberish, mostly, with a few words like lineage and remnant, which I recognized.”

Adam tensed and grabbed at his left pocket. The orb was still there.

The look on Adam’s face must have been revealing, because Riyad asked what was in his pocket.

“Where’s Coop?” he asked instead of giving an answer.

“He’s in his bedroom, I think. I have to tell you, something’s not right around here. I went in his room a while back and he wasn’t there. Then a few minutes later he comes waltzing out like he’d been there all along.”

Adam was distracted. He could see through the shades of the bedroom window that it was dark outside. “You want to take a trip into town, check out the Caribbean vibe of the place?”

Riyad frowned. “I am feeling better—found some really good salve to put on my burn. But do you think it’s a good idea to leave the compound? Who knows what Copernicus is up to?”

“It’ll be fine. I noticed a number of open-air transports parked outside. We’ll take one of those.”

As they left the building, the two men skidded to a stop, frozen by the sight they saw outside the door. Adam’s Colt .45 had been confiscated on Visidor, and all the hand-held weapons aboard the FS-475 had been removed by the inspectors, as well. He—and Riyad—were defenseless against the fierce beast looking down at them.

It was another dinosaur. Granted, it was smaller than the ones they’d encountered on Visidor, but it was a dinosaur nonetheless. The creature was of the velociraptor variety, with a large head, elongated mouth, beady eyes, smallish arms and a menacing tail that swung back and forth as it stood ten meters from the building.

“Slowly,” Adam said to Riyad. “Begin moving back toward the door. Don’t make any sudden movements. They have very poor eyesight.”

“You learned that from Jurassic Park,” Riyad whispered. “Admit it, you don’t know anything about this creature.”

Together they took a cautious step toward the door.

“Ginger! Sit!”

The voice calling out from behind them, caused both men to nearly faint. They turned to see Copernicus standing brazenly in the doorway, with a big grin on his face. Adam and Riyad looked once more at the three-meter tall killer animal.

The dinosaur was leaning back on its hind legs, resting on the huge tail, its small, yet long-talon fingers opening and closing with a strange, almost hypnotic motion. Copernicus pressed past the two men and stepped up to the beast. It lowered its head so Coop could scratch the knobby skin.

“So….” Riyad began.

“Yep, I really do have a pet dinosaur.”

Adam tried to relax, but it wasn’t happening. People with pet monkeys were always getting their faces ripped off unexpectedly….

“Did I hear you call it Ginger?” he asked.

The beast perked up at the sound of her name and looked at Adam. The long mouth opened and a glistening pink tongue fell out, making the creature appear more like a huge dog on steroids than a relic from prehistoric times.

“Yes, this is Ginger,” Coop said proudly. “I found her abandoned by her mother when I first arrived on Liave. Raised her since she was only about three weeks old.”

“So what…a rescue dinosaur?” Adam said.

“Something like that. She’d be dead within a day if I let her out in the wild. Now she patrols the compound, keeping it free of rodents and other pests, anything smaller than a cow.”

“A cow?” Riyad questioned.

“Yeah. The rats around here are not something you want to deal with yourself. But don’t worry. She’s been trained to protect me against alien intruders. The rest of my crew try to avoid her at all cost.” Copernicus paused to scrutinize his two guests. “What are you guys doing?”

“We thought we’d go into town, check out the place,” Riyad said quickly.

Thanks, Riyad, Adam thought. “Yeah, I noticed it has a Key West kind of look to it as we were landing.”

“That it does. But I wouldn’t recommend it, not without a guide. I’ll go with you.”

“That’s all right. I’m sure we can manage.”

“But I know all the best places. Besides, like everyplace else in the galaxy, it’s not wise to wander around a strange town without backup.”

********

Ten minutes later they were rumbling down the coast road toward town in an open-air electric Jeep-like transport. It was a single lane road, and occasionally they would yield to larger vehicles coming from the town. The etiquette seemed to be: yield to larger vehicles. When two of the same size met, that’s when things got interesting.

Through it all, Copernicus managed to get them into town and onto the colorful, palm-lined main street without killing them. The place definitely did have a Caribbean feel, although Adam soon learned that having pet dinosaurs wasn’t all that rare on Liave-3. But the ones he saw in town—mainly on leashes—were much smaller than Ginger, about the size of dogs and cats, of which he didn’t see anything resembling the ubiquitous Human pets since his arrival. Small mammals like them were probably the staple of the carnivorous lizards.

The residents of the town came in such a variety that Adam had to get an explanation from Copernicus.

“The Humanoid natives are really primitive. They hide out mainly in the mountains to the south and rarely come in contact with us. Everyone here, as you’ve guessed, came from somewhere else. That’s why you don’t really see any one dominant species. It’s that way on a lot of planets in the Frontier. This is where the galaxy’s leftover coffee grounds settle out.”

“What brought them here?” Riyad asked. “What kind of commerce is there?”

“Not much, at least with the outside world. The residents mainly service each other. Local craftsmen build things they sell to other residents, who then run shops, restaurants and build homes. There’s a lot of fishing that takes place, if you know the safe places to go. The town was colorful to begin with, but when I came here I kicked it up a notch. I even went out in the jungle and brought in most of the palm trees.” And then Copernicus smiled broadly. “I’m kind of the unofficial mayor around here.”

“So what’s this place called, Key-Pernicus, or Copernicus Key?” Adam offered.

Coop laughed. ‘Nothing that exotic. It’s called Metland, but I like your ideas, Cain. I may mention them at the next city council meeting, see what they think about a name change.”

Several of the pedestrians waved at Copernicus as he drove by. He waved back, flashing full-toothed grins. He noticed Adam’s reaction.

“Yeah, at first they were frightened, especially with our habit of sending death challenges with every grin. But they’ve gotten used to me by now.”

Copernicus pulled off the barely paved road and onto a sand parking lot. There were an additional twenty or so vehicles there, lined up outside an open-air restaurant with a thick cloud of mouth-watering smoke rising up from behind the building. Coop stepped out of the car.

“I promised you T-Rex steaks. Well this place serves the best.”

“Really, T-Rex?”

“They look like a T-Rex. Locally they’re called grenics.”

“Is that what Ginger is, just a baby version?”

“No, they’re different. A baby grenic is about twice Ginger’s size.”

“How do they catch them?”

“Modern weapons can bring down anything on this planet. It’s really not that hard. Luckily the population—the non-native population—is so small that nothing’s been hunted to the point of extinction. Besides, one adult grenic would feed the whole town for a week.”

Without waiting to be seated, Copernicus took a table at the south end of a huge wooden deck, covered only by a canopy of wide palms ten meters above waving in a gentle ocean breeze. The combination of the salty air and the grilling grenic made Adam forget where he was, until the inevitable happened.

The waiter approached, a rotund creature with two dominant arms, along with a pair of minor appendages just below. This arrangement seemed to the second-most common Prime design in the galaxy, behind the two-legged, two-armed variety. The waiter also had four eyes—two large ones in front and two smaller ones placed along each side of his round head. It was the sight of the alien that jolted Adam back to reality. He wasn’t in Kansas—or Key West—anymore.

Adam really wanted to show Riyad the tiny orb he had in his pocket. That was the reason he suggested the trip out of the compound in the first place. But with Copernicus playing host, he would have to wait for another time.

Coop ordered for all of them, and Adam had to admit the grenic steaks were excellent. In fact, the three manly men ordered seconds and wolfed down the charred brown meat like the carnivores they were.

They also indulged in potent, fruit-flavored drinks, completing the whole Caribbean illusion.

Coop produced three fat and stubby cigars from a hidden pocket and passed them around, lighting each in turn. He explained that he had periodic shipments brought in from Earth at a cost he was embarrassed to reveal. “Hey, we sacrifice a lot being way out here from Earth. Any little pleasure we can import is worth the price.”

They toasted to each other, to Earth, to the ocean—even to grenic steaks and to Ginger—letting the intoxicating evening breeze and beverages wash away their worries and inhibitions.

That’s when Copernicus produced an MK-17 bolt launcher and set it on the table.

Adam and Riyad sobered up immediately.

“You know what this is?” Copernicus asked.

Neither one of them answered.

“It’s an archaic piece of crap, that’s what,” Coop announced.

Adam and Riyad relaxed…a bit.

He continued: “It can’t shoot accurately beyond fifty meters. You only get ten shots at level-2. Hell, a level-2 won’t even kill old smiley here,” he said, referring to Riyad. “At a level that will, you only get five shots. Five stinking shots! In battle you have to carry a shitload of power packs just to make things interesting. Now projectiles weapons, that’s the way to go. They’re powerful…and they make a lot of noise. Besides that, not too many friggin’ aliens can carry one, leaving Humans to dominate the scene.”

Adam smiled. “You got that right, buddy,” he said with a nervous laugh. “Humans kick ass. Now how about I take the keys and drive us back to the compound.”

Coop scooped up the MK and pointed it at Adam. Everyone froze.

“You know what some people are trying to do?” Coop blabbered on. He turned the weapon towards himself. “They want to increase the energy capacity so they can get more powerful bolts—and more of them—out of these things. By doing that they think they’ll be able to compete with us Humans and our Glocks and Sig Sauers. Yeah, right!”

Coop set the weapon back on the table, and Adam and Riyad visibly relaxed.

“This is big business—the biggest business,” Coop rambled on. “The fate of companies like MK and Xan-fi are in the balance. And you know what, my Human buddies—brothers—they’ll pay a lot of money to figure out a way to get an edge on us. A whole lot of money.”

Coop flashed a silly, drunken grin at his tablemates. Adam and Riyad mirrored the goofy expression.

Then slowly the grin faded from Coop’s face. He lifted the weapon and pointed it again at Adam. “And that’s why I need to know what you have in your shirt pocket, Mister Cain.”

“I told you…it’s Captain Ca—”

Copernicus shifted the MK and lit off a bolt, striking Riyad in the left arm. He screamed out and grabbed at the smoking sleeve.

“It was only set on level-3. Won’t even leave a scar.” Before Adam could react, Copernicus used his right thumb to deftly crank the bolt meter up to the highest level on the weapon. “Don’t even think about it. Now…your pocket, if you please.”

“How did you know?” Adam asked as he set the tiny green orb on the table.

“What the hell is that?” Riyad asked through the pain.

“That is what everyone has been looking for, General Tarazi.”

“That?”

Copernicus nodded. “Kind of a letdown, isn’t it? But to answer your question, Adam, I wouldn’t recommend you take up poker for a living. You’re too easy to read.”

“So what is it?” Adam asked.

Copernicus frowned. “You don’t know?”

“A paperweight for your desk?”

“A very valuable paperweight.” Then Coop smiled. “You’re looking at the next big thing in energy production, or so they tell me. An ancient artifact that will make weapons like these the toast of the town and something even Humans can’t compete with.”

“What are you going to do with it?” Adam asked, hoping he would say he was going to turn it over to the Union.

“I’m going to give it the Gradis Cartel, that’s what. They’ve gone through a lot of trouble to get it, and they’re willing to pay me a lot of money for its return.”

“And what about Earth?” Adam asked. “You said this thing could revolutionize flash weapons, making them superior to what we have. It that what you want to do, allow aliens the means to defeat us? You know the Juireans will use this technology to conquer the Union.”

“And I should care…why? I may be Human, but I haven’t been to Earth in ten years. The place is as alien to me as…as the Sol-Kor universe.” He reached out and picked up the object, turning it over in his hand while keep a watchful eye on the two other Humans. “With the money I make, I’ll be able to build a pretty nice living for myself here, and without having to repair starships anymore.”

“You’ll let your homeworld be destroyed just so you can spend your days playing with your pet dinosaur?”

“Earth never did anything for me, so why should I care? I’m never going back, not when I have a place like this where I can be king.”

“You really think the Gradis will leave you alone after you turn the orb over to them? Cartels don’t normally work like that.”

“And what experience do you have with the Gradis? I’ve worked with them for years. They know me, and I know them. We’re best buds.”

“We’ll see how long that lasts.”

The smile vanished from Coop’s face. “You’re talking out of your ass now, Cain, trying anything to stop me from doing what I’m about to do. Well, don’t worry, you won’t have to stick around to watch your precious homeworld get overrun by hordes of aliens with Buck Rogers ray-guns.”

“What are you going to do with us?” Riyad asked as he flexed his arm. Adam had never seen a Human shot with a level-3 bolt before. Apparently it wasn’t that bad.

“Oh, I have other plans for the two of you—the famous Cain and Tarazi. There are certain parties in the galaxy who would love to see the two of you again.”

“Like who?” Adam asked.

Copernicus snorted. “The list is long. I’m sure I could shop you around until I get my price.”

“I thought the orb was going to get you all the money you’ll ever need?” said Adam.

Coop wrinkled his nose and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll auction the two of you off…simply because I can.”

On cue, two burly aliens moved up to the table and placed Adam and Riyad in restraints.

“I don’t believe you’ve met,” said Coop. “This is Misters Flisher and Krons, two of my other repair crew. As you can see, I hired them more for their brawn than their technical abilities. Still, they know how to operate magnetic grapples to get a ship back to the yards. Now…let’s get going. I really have to take a piss.”

Chapter 24

Copernicus took Adam and Riyad to the Gradis ship and locked them in one of the crew cabins, explaining how he didn’t trust the wooden walls of his headquarters building to hold the pair of Humans.

He pointed at the ventilation grate. “Good luck trying to squeeze through there. And this—” he lifted a link of metal chain—“I got this at The Home Depot on Earth. Good luck trying to break through it. And the lock, it’s mechanical, with a key, so not susceptible to your magic gizmo, Cain. And if that isn’t enough…” he pointed to the alien named Krons, who was holding a very Human .9mm Beretta handgun. “And he’s  trained to use it.”

Coop moved to the door. “Just relax. I’ve put the word out on the galactic version of eBay. It shouldn’t be long before the bids start coming in for the two of you.”

Adam looked around the room. “Hey, we’ve been drinking, too. What if we have to go to the bathroom?”

Copernicus gave him a thoughtful look and nodded. “You’re right.”

He left the room and returned a minute later with a wastebasket. He set it on the deck. “Here, enjoy. Now please, don’t try anything. I may not get much for the two of you, but it could still cover the cost of my next shipment of cigars from Earth.”

He left, and moments later Adam and Riyad heard the heavy metal chain being threaded through the outer door handles, along with a snap of the lock.

Adam and Riyad looked at each other.

“How’s your arm?”

“It’s fine,” Riyad answered impatiently. “When were you going to tell me about that thing?”

“That’s why I wanted to get us into town, away from the compound.”

“So what is it, really?”

“I don’t know. All I do know is that there’s some form of artificial intelligence in it and that it was trying to communicate with me.”

“What did it say?”

“I don’t know. All I got were vibrations in my head through the ATD.”

Riyad sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his arm. “Do you think it can do all those things Smith said it could?”

Adam sat down on his bed. “If not, then people are going through a lot of trouble for nothing.”

Adam scanned the room before shaking his head. “It’s been a while since we were held captive by a Human. This ain’t lookin’ too good.”

Riyad laid back on the bed and closed his eyes. “Yeah, and you’re not the one who’s always getting shot. Don’t know about you, but I’m going to take advantage of my rum-buzz and try to get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?”

Adam followed suit, dimming the lights in the room with a command from his ATD. A rested warrior was an effective warrior. And Riyad was right: Tomorrow is another day.

********

Less than an hour later, Adam and Riyad were awakened by a loud scraping of metal on metal as the chain was removed from the door. Copernicus stormed into the room and planted a strong right cross on Adam’s jaw just as he stood up from the bed. Adam tumbled backwards, falling first on the bed and then rolling off the edge to the deck.

In the meantime, Copernicus shoved Riyad against the bulkhead face first, then drew his MK-17 flash weapon and pressed it against the back of Riyad’s head.

“Three seconds to tell me where it is, or Tarazi’s brains paint the wall.”

“Where what is!” Adam scrambled to his feet. Coop pressed the barrel harder against Riyad’s head.

“You know! Where is it?”

“The orb? I don’t know where it is. The last I saw it you had it, and we’ve been locked in here ever since.”

“Bullshit. You have it.”

“It can move!”

Copernicus blinked. “Move? What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m telling you it can move.”

“Like on wheels, or with feet?”

“I don’t know. All I do know is that it can move from one place to another. I never saw the actual move, but it was also able to open cabinet doors somehow.”

Copernicus continued to press Riyad against the wall as his eyes darted back and forth. Then he released him.  “God dammit!” he yelled.

“Sorry you lost it, but we didn’t have anything to do with it.” Adam said.

Coop’s eyes were on fire, both from anger and from worry. But then he turned and rushed from the room. The door was secured again.

Riyad fell back on the bed. “That was close.”

“Look on the bright side,” Adam said.

“What bright side?”

“At least you didn’t get shot.”

********

It took a while for the two of them to get back to sleep. Adam was thinking what was going to happen if Copernicus didn’t find the orb. The Gradis would tear the place apart until it was found, and he could just imagine the interrogation he and Riyad would have to endure, even though he had no idea where the elusive object was.

Eventually exhaustion and alcohol did the trick and Adam fell asleep. But he didn’t stay that way for long.

Something nagged at him, and when he opened his eyes and looked out into the dimness of the room, he saw the tiny green orb resting on the table next to his bed, staring at him.

Adam sat upright, turning on the light in the room to full illumination with his ATD. He was staring at the object when the light woke Riyad. He followed Adam’s intense gaze to the orb.

“Copernicus will surely kill us both if he finds that here. How did—”

“I don’t know. Maybe it came in when he was here last.”

Adam Cain.

The words came through loud and clear, and Adam had to take a moment to figure out if he heard them in his ear or in his mind. He looked to Riyad. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Damn…it’s talking to me!”

Riyad came over and sat next to Adam. The orb was only three feet away. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“It must be communicating through my ATD.”

Riyad looked at the door. “Then keep it down. We don’t want alien Guido out there to tell Coop we’re up and talking.”

Adam looked at the orb. “Are you able to talk to me now?”

Yes.

“How can you do it now?”

I attempted to find language functions within your interface device and failed. Yet you have another device that contains such information. It was the same as the Incus, yet even after acquiring their language, there was no link to their brains. You are the only being since the awakening that I have been able to speak with. It is quite a revelation and a joy.

“Same here.”

“What’s it saying?” Riyad asked.

“It says it’s glad it can communicate with me. Apparently it was with the Incus—whoever they are—and couldn’t. Who are you?” Adam asked the orb.

I am not a who, but a what.

“Then what are you?”

I am a personal service module.

“A personal service module,” Adam repeated aloud for Riyad’s benefit.

“But you do have some form of artificial intelligence, don’t you?”

There is nothing artificial about my intelligence. The orb sounded insulted.

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

“What’s a personal service module?” Riyad asked.

“Can you hear my friend?”

Yes. He is Riyad Tarazi. I cannot communicate with him.

“You can through me. It can hear you, Riyad. So what is a personal service module?”

I am a personal service module.

“I realize that, but what do you do?”

I provide service to an individual.

“What kind of service and to whom?”

Service as required, and the last individual was….

Adam saw an image of a ghostly figure rather than heard a name. “Who is that?”

I showed you. They do not have names. Names are not necessary for the individuals.

“It showed me some wispy image of a figure,” he said to Riyad. “Said they don’t use names.” He turned back to the orb. “Do you have a name?”

No…a designation. Z would be the closest sound.

“Zee?”

Yes.

Adam shook his head. “I’m confused. Who are the people that you serve, the people with no names?”

The race has a name, it is Aris. The individuals do not need names because of the identifying quality of their minds.

“They communicate through telepathy?”

“They do. I do. They did. I did.

“What? Where are the Aris now?”

They are gone. Once their parent world was consumed in the stellar fire, what few of them that were left moved on. My Aris faded away and I was left with no one to talk to…until you.

“How long ago was that?”

“What’s it saying?” Riyad asked.

“Hold on.”

Relating time is difficult, yet from what I gather from the Incus, it was three billion of your years ago.

Adam’s mouth fell open.

“What did it say?”

“It—Z—said the last of the Aris race died off three billion years ago.”

Now Riyad’s mouth turned slack.

“How old are you? Adam mustered the courage to ask.

I was created toward the end of the Aris reign, as a ninth-generation device. So I am only a hundred thousand years older than three billion.

“You look good for your age,” Adam said with a grin. He didn’t know what else to say.

I sense humor in your remark. Since you are now conscious, I would like to search your databanks for more information about Humans. It will help me modify my language capabilities.

“Could I stop you even if I wanted to?”

Yes.

“Stop what?” Riyad queried, concerned.

“It wants more information about Humans. It says that will help it communicate better. Sure, go ahead.”

Adam felt a growing heat, but not in his side but behind his ear, where the translation bug was located. The orb—Z—was accessing the Library, drawing information about Humans from the galactic internet. Adam grew anxious as the heat continued to build, but then it cooled down abruptly.

I’m done. That was fascinating. I learned a lot. Thank you.

“So back to you—”

I can see now why you’re so curious, Z said. Your civilization is only a few thousand years old. The Aris were around for a million. They evolved beyond the need for vocal communications. Seeing the cumbersome nature of such, I can understand why.

“So what are you doing here?” Adam asked “What have you been doing for the past three billion years?”

The orb laughed, which took Adam by surprise.

Nothing, that’s what I’ve been doing! When Yolis went nova, Oss, the planet of the Aris, was destroyed. Shattered remnants drifted through space. Most were absorbed by newly forming stars. The fragment I was on did not. I remained dormant and inactive for a very long time, until the Incus discovered me.

“They say you create energy? Is that correct?”

Of course. How else can I provide service to the Aris?

“Forgive me, but you’re so small. How do you do that?”

Without warning, the top of the orb lifted off, gliding to a silent landing on the table next to the main object. Adam and Riyad looked inside.

There they saw two thin strips of metal, each about the size of a credit card and placed less than a millimeter apart. Z remained silent.

“Is this supposed to mean something to us?” Riyad asked.

Yes, Z replied in Adam’s mind. These are my absorption panels.

“What do they do?” Adam asked.

They absorb energy. What I don’t use, I give back in service. You must realize, to the Aris, energy was like food. It was all they needed to survive.

“You do know the Incus want to turn you into a weapon?”

They removed my top and the panels. I suspected they had such a purpose in mind, once I learned what a weapon is.

“What did it—Z—say?” Riyad asked. His frustration at being left out of the conversation was obvious.

“He says he’s aware of that. You are a he, aren’t you?”

I have taken on the persona most like my host.

“Your host? Am I your new host?

You’ll do until someone else comes along.

Adam laughed. He looked at Riyad. “Meet Z, my new Aris Personal Service Module.”

Riyad shook his head. “He gets some fantastic, super cool wonder assistant, and all I get is shot. So what happens now?”

Adam looked back at Z. He still had a million questions. “You can move?”

Yes. It’s through a form of superconducting, which I understand is in its infancy in this time.

“And you mentioned the Incus removed your panels. Do they know how to make more of you?”

They scanned my panels, yet their construction is beyond the technology of the Incus—and the Humans for that matter. They have created a rudimentary panel array, but nothing approaching my capabilities.

“That’s why everyone wants to find you.”

The Incus have evil intent in their minds, Z volunteered. So I left. But I would return when I grew…lonely. It had been so long since I had interaction, even with primitive beings such as yourself. But in Humans, I find something different.

“Good or bad?”

Hard to tell. It is a sense of destiny and of worth. It feels familiar, and as I have more interaction with you, I may come to identify this feeling in more detail.

“How did you come to be on this ship?”

I was taken from the Incus and hidden aboard. Of course, I did not like where they placed me, so I found more comfortable accommodations.

“In the food processor.”

Along a feed line. It felt soothing.

Riyad was fidgeting on the bed. “Look, Adam, I’m glad you have a new friend, but time is wasting. Can Z help us get out of here?”

I cannot, the orb replied. The top floated up again and rejoined the main structure.

“He can’t,” Adam answered.

“Then I come back to my original statement. If Copernicus finds him here, he’ll probably kill us both and put Z under lock and key until the Gradis arrive.”

Adam agreed. “Z, you’re going to have to go back to Copernicus. Can you move through the air vent?”

Why should I? I will simply return. Copernicus Smith has a good mind, just like you and Riyad.

Adam frowned. “Are we talking about the same Copernicus Smith? He’s an asshole, and a traitor.”

I understand there is much conflict between Humans, and that opinions may differ. Eventually you will evolve beyond such conflicts.

“If we don’t kill each other off beforehand—or allow aliens to do it for us.”

I will now return to Copernicus Smith. I would not want you be die, not after having just found you, Adam Cain.

The orb slowly faded away.

Besides being in a mild state of shock, Adam felt an incredible sense of loneliness come over him when Z faded away. It was always like this after a mental conversation. The intimacy, the emotions, were that much more intense. It was no different with a three-billion-year-old talking orb.

“Tell me everything your little friend said,” Riyad demanded. “Including if he sees a way out of this for us. I would be very interested in learning that.”

Chapter 25

Morning came too soon for the weary pair of Human heroes. After the late night visit from the talking orb, they both had trouble sleeping. Besides, Adam’s jaw ached from the punch he’d taken and Riyad’s arm kept having spasms as result of being shot with a level-3 plasma bolt.

And that was yesterday. Who knew what surprises this day held for Adam Cain and Riyad Tarazi.

********

Copernicus was in a better mood when he came into the room.

“Did you find your missing toy?” Adam asked.

“Yeah,” he answered. “It was in the last place I looked. Now turn around; you know the routine.”

Coop placed genuine handcuffs on his prisoners. “Sorry, Cain. I know you preferred the fur-lined ones from Adam and Eve. But these are all I have.”

“We’re in a comical mood this morning,” Adam commented.

“I get this way when I’m about to make a boatload of money.”

Out in the corridor, Copernicus and his two guards stopped at another doorway. This one they simply unlocked to let Kaylor and Jym out.

“Couldn’t risk their loyalties,” Coop responded to Adam’s unspoken question.

“Are you guys all right?” he asked the two aliens.

“We are fine,” Kaylor answered. “But it looks like we are no longer employed by CS Repair and Hauling Services.”

“They have a terrible benefit program, so no big loss,” Adam offered.

“Enough of the chit-chat. Move,” Copernicus ordered.

Outside the ship Adam found that the Liave star was fairly high in the morning sky, and already it was beginning to heat up. He looked around the compound and saw no sign of Ginger, Coop’s pet dinosaur, but he did spot two unfamiliar aliens driving small tractors and moving some of the numerous derelict starships to other parts of the compound, clearing more space near the landing field.

“Get inside the office building,” Coop said. “The Gradis will be here soon and the blowing sand can be a bitch.”

********

True to his word, two spaceships dropped into the compound, stirring up loose sand combined with the fire and smoke from the descent jets. One ship was much like the other Gradis cargo hauler, an ugly patchwork of mis-matched panels and nodes. The other, however, was smaller and in pristine condition. This was the ship of an executive, or a leader, the galaxy’s version of a G4 Learjet.

When the dust had settled, Coop paraded everyone back outside. Five gruff aliens, all of differing species emerged from the larger ship. They set about running fuel lines and taking a visual inspection of their vessel, leaving the business arrangement to the occupant of the executive starship.

Adam wasn’t surprised to the see a Silean squeeze through the exit hatch. They were the galaxies roaches, tenacious survivors who seemed to turn up in the worst possible situation. Adam’s friend-turned-nemesis Kroekus had been a Silean, so he had a pretty good idea of their motivations and capabilities.

The obese creature waddled across the sand toward the building, smiling as he did so with a full-toothed grin, even as sweat formed on his brow and his steps labored in the heavy gravity of Liave-3. Silean males were strong beings and purposely grew to such seemingly unhealthy mass because—unlike with Human males—their sexual appendage grew as well with their bulk. Silean females had adapted to this unique feature of the species, so to them size really did matter. The males were happy to oblige.

The Silean’s eyes sparkled as he approached the group standing outside Coop’s headquarters building. He looked first at Copernicus, then at Adam.

“Adam Cain and Riyad Tarazi,” he said with panting breath, eyeing the two handcuffed Humans with interest. “I have heard much about you. I am Onix Gru. My very good friend was Kroekus. He spoke often of you both, good and bad.”

“You do know we killed him, right?”

“Quite aware, and thank you. His absence allowed me to step into his spot. As a consequence, I now control the Gradis Cartel, along with many others.” Onix turned to Copernicus. “I was relieved to hear the news that the artifact had been recovered. And for that we have Adam Cain to thank. Yet the object has a nasty habit of disappearing. Is it still within your custody?”

“Safe and secure,” replied Copernicus. “Let’s go inside and make the transfer.” Coop turned to Krons and Flisher. “Take Kaylor and Jym to the ‘475. It’s going to be crowded enough in here without them.”

Onix laughed heartedly. “He is referring to my size, even if he won’t admit it. Thank you for the compliment. And yes, let us go inside. I must be seated soon.”

Copernicus was wearing not only an MK-17 flash weapon, but he also had a 9mm Beretta tucked in his belt. His eyes met Adam’s and the message was clear: I don’t need my two alien bodyguards, so don’t try anything.

Coop led the four of them into a back office Adam hadn’t seen before. It was spacious and modern, with a desk made of an ornate plank of carved wood resting on a pair of equally ornate pedestals. An oversize chair was sitting off to the right, which Onix naturally assumed was for him. Even so, the piece of furniture protested with a series of squeaks and groans as the Silean squeezed in.

Adam and Riyad sat in the two normal chairs facing the desk, their hands still cuffed behind their backs.

On the desk was a clear plastic box containing the metal orb.

Hello, Adam Cain.

Good morning, Z.

“You knew it could move?” Coop asked Onix.

“Yes, the Incus had mentioned that.”

“It would have been nice if you’d let me know.”

Onix smiled. “Fortunately, that was probably the reason the Visidorans and Juireans did not find it. Have you looked inside?”

“Inside? You mean it opens?”

Again, Onix laughed. “You are truly a loyal contractor, Copernicus Smith. You were tasked with recovering the object and that you have done, devoid of curiosity. Now I expect you want to get paid.”

“That would be nice. I ended up risking quite a bit to get this thing, including my life on Visidor.”

“Yes, things did not go as smoothly as planned.”

The computer on Coop’s desk suddenly sprang to life, displaying the image of the middle-aged woman Adam had seen on his first day on Liave.

“Forgive me for interrupting, Copernicus, but there is an urgent situation that demands your attention.”

Adam saw Copernicus flush red and his jaw tighten.

“What is it, Dora.”

“A Juirean Class-3 warship is on a landing path for the compound.”

The statement got the attention of everyone in the room. Onix began to speak into a wristband comm device to his people outside the building, while Copernicus turned his attention to Dora.

“Have they tried to communicate?”

“The first links are coming through now. Should I route it to your screen?”

Coop looked first at Adam and Riyad, and then at Onix. The Silean nodded, his expression clouded with concern.

“Yes, I’ll take the link. This is Copernicus Smith of CS Repair and Hauling. How can we be of assistance.”

The image of a Juirean Overlord came on the screen. “We will be landing at your facility in fifteen standards. Monitoring reveals you just received two vessels of unknown origin. Clear additional space for my ship.”

“May I inquire as to the purpose of your visit?”

“It is Juirean business by order of the Elder.”

“Then of course. I’ll have the space cleared.”

The screen went blank; Coop immediately contacted his field crew, telling then to move more derelicts from the landing area. Then he turned to Adam.

“I just put the ad up this morning.”

“What advertisement?” Onix asked, concern heavy in his voice.

“The one about having Cain and Tarazi for sale to the highest bidder.”

“You should have realized the Juireans would be most interested in your merchandise,” Onix scolded.

“They haven’t had time to see the ad and get here. They’re coming for something else. What’s the Gradis’ relationship with the Juireans?”

“It is…as expected. We accommodate each other as the need arises. Currently, there should be no animosity.”

“What about the artifact? Do they know about it?”

Onix hesitated before answering. “They should not, yet there is no guarantee.”

Copernicus took the plastic box from his desk and placed it in a bottom drawer of the credenza behind the desk.

He looked next to Adam and Riyad, before coming around the desk and removing their handcuffs. “Don’t do anything stupid. Getting in a fight in front of the Juireans wouldn’t work out for any of us. Same goes for you, Onix. Tell your people to stay frosty.” When the Silean’s mouth fell open, Coop amended his statement. “Tell them not to interfere with the Juireans.”

They moved into the front room.

“Dora, ETA?”

“Now—”

A deep rumbling rattled the wooden planks of the building, as clouds of smoke and blowing sand assaulted the windows facing the landing field. A Juirean Class-3 was the largest vessel that could land safely on a planet, especially one with the gravity of Liave-3. The other ships nearby would be taking a beating from the landing jets. Adam was sure the Juireans didn’t give a damn.

Krons and Flisher had appeared behind the group. They carried both flash and projectile weapons, as did Copernicus, their eyes focused on Adam and Riyad.

When the rumbling stopped and the dust settled, Coop led the parade out of the building and into the tropical sunshine.

The Juirean ship now dominated the compound. It was a no-nonsense warship, lined with panels Adam knew were the flash cannon ports. The craft was fifty meters tall consisting of three separate layers of successively shorter length, topped off by the command level. The ship was two hundred meters long, the tail end of which had crushed a section of the compound’s wall to the north.

The FS-475 had suffered the worst during the landing and now sat at a thirty-degree angle, with a sand dune climbing its buckled side. There was evidence of leaking fluid along the hull, and a control jet dangled on exposed wires. Kaylor and Jym were locked inside the listing starship.

The Gradis cargo ship was still on an even keel, although the landing blast had shoved it twenty meters to the south where it now pressed up against a stack of rusting starship fuselages, with a third of it buried under the wreckage. The Silean’s sleek and shiny-hulled executive vessel was in the best condition, although it would need a new coat of paint and a good buff job after this.

Onix’s crew were just now venturing out into the clear. They milled around their vessel, checking for any damage. They may have to make a hasty departure.

Coop spoke into a wrist communicator. “Dora, what’s the status of the other Juirean ships?”

“There are no other ships, Copernicus.”

“Only one?”

“Yes.”

He looked at Adam. Juireans always traveled in packs, especially when an Overlord was present.

A double hatch on the side of the Juirean craft slid open and two tall creatures emerged, one with a great mane of white hair rising above his head before cascading halfway down his back. He wore the ceremonial robe of a regional commander. In light of the recent annexation of the Frontier, the Overlord would have tremendous authority and discretion.

Next to the imposing figure was a green-haired Juirean Guard, more-than-likely the ship’s captain. Only these two Juireans approached, feeling confident in their status.

The Overlord focused his attention on Onix.

“A Silean. Who should you be?”

“I am Onix Gru of the Silean Trade Federation.”

The Juirean glanced at the ugly Gradis cargo ship to his left. “Among other affiliations, I am sure.” He turned his attention back to the gathering. “I am Overlord Esketon Hann, the senior governing official of the Kidis Frontier, which as you all know is a recent addition to the Expansion. Direct us to a meeting room. There is much to discuss.”

A stream of Juirean Guards poured from the warship, making a beeline for the Gradis ship. They know about the orb, Adam thought.

Back in Coop’s office, the Juireans sat in the chairs Adam and Riyad had occupied, as the Silean squeezed into his, with Copernicus behind the desk. Extra chairs were brought in for the other two Humans.

Coop began: “May I ask what this—”

“The Expansion is assuming control of this facility effective immediately.”

“On what authority?”

The Overlord stared at Copernicus with intense yellow eyes. “On my authority, Human. Union members were given ten standard days to vacate Expansion territory. You have failed to do so.”

“I’m not a member of the Union.”

“You are a Human.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m a Unionist. I’m an independent. I have been for years.”

“And yet you affiliate with notorious figures with long histories of abuse against the Expansion.” Esketon shifted his attention to Adam and Riyad, who were sitting next to the desk on the Overlord’s left.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Adam began, “there aren’t any outstanding warrants against us within the Expansion…not at this time.”

“That may be so, yet you surely are Unionists, rather famous ones at that. Being in Expansion territory without permission is a violation in itself. Yet we will discuss that further.” He looked back at Copernicus. “There is also the issue of your affiliation with and support of the smuggler cartels.”

“I take repairs calls and I service them, regardless of affiliation.”

“Enough with your denials, Human. We know you are currently engaged in a conspiratorial endeavor with the Gradis. That ship in your repair yard is proof of this.”

“It was brought here for repairs, that’s all.”

“Then you will not grieve when we take permanent possession of the vessel.”

“My Lord,” said Onix. “Mister Smith does not have ownership of the vessel.”

“You do—I know.”

“It is registered under title of the Trade Federation. We currently have contracts with the Expansion. Since the Frontier is now part of the Expansion, would not these contracts have precedent in Kidis, as well?”

“During the transition period nothing takes precedent over my actions, Onix Gru. Your legal maneuverings may ultimately prevail, yet not before that ship out there has been completely dismantled. There is something aboard that many people are quite anxious to acquire. I will learn what that is, unless you are willing to be forthcoming with me.”

“I do not know what you are—”

The head of the Juirean Overlord suddenly exploded, spraying tuffs of blood-stained white hair on Adam and Riyad. There was a moment of shock and confusion, until the Juirean Guard rose from his seat, a flash weapon held steady in his hand. He waved the deadly weapon at the other stunned occupants of the room. There was a thin grin on his face.

He lifted his left wrist and spoke into a communicator. “This is Guard Captain Annoc. The Humans have killed Overlord Esketon. Inform Juirean Command. Take control of this facility immediately and dispatch anyone who resists.”

“We didn’t kill anyone?” Adam yelled. He went to rise from his chair, but the Juirean’s flash weapon aimed at his mid-section gave him second thoughts.

“That is not how the official report will read, Adam Cain. It will be you—along with Riyad Tarazi—both agents of the Union, who will be charged with the assassination. It will be the provocation needed to declare war on the Union.”

The blast from Coop’s Beretta was extraordinarily loud in the close confines of the office. He fired from under his desk, in the opening between the two pedestal legs. The slug ripped into the upper thigh on the Juirean’s right leg. The second shot, delivered a fraction of a second later from a standing Copernicus Smith, was center mass.

Adam had the alien’s flash weapon in his hand a second later.

The Beretta was now aimed at him.

“What now, Coop? Does it all end here?”

“No, but it might be a good time to start thinking about options. Seeing that the Juireans have effectively shut me down, I need to shift my retirement fund to a new plan.” He turned and opened the drawer of the credenza and removed the plastic box. The orb was gone.

Adam reached into his shirt pocket and removed the orb.

“You son-of-bitch!” Copernicus yelled, pointing the gun back at Adam. “Give it to me—”

“Okay,” came the reply to Coop’s right.

Riyad’s shoulder slammed into Copernicus, dislodging the Beretta and sending both of them tumbling to the floor. Adam jumped over the desk and landed on the heap, before rolling Coop over on his back and pressing the flash weapon against his temple.

Click

“Level-1, buddy,” Adam said. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“It’s a little late for that,” Coop said. “The whole compliment of a Class-3 will be in here any second.”

Riyad and Adam hoisted Copernicus up and threw him onto the desktop. Onix sat in petrified shock, unable to move at the sight of the dead Juireans and the fighting Humans.

“Is there another way out of here?” Adam asked Coop.

“Always.”

“Get with it!”

Copernicus came off the desk and stepped to the interior wall next to where Adam and Riyad had been seated. He shifted an ornament on the credenza and a door-size section of the wall popped open, following the lines of the wood planks. Adam shoved Coop through the opening with Riyad close behind. Once through, Adam pulled the panel shut, leaving the Silean alone in the office with the bodies.

Through the wall, they heard a commotion, then yelling…followed by the discharge of a flash weapon.

Turning his attention to the room they were in, Adam found it be a high-tech command center, with comm equipment, computers—and weapons. Lots of weapons.

He looked at Copernicus and cocked his head. “So, just a simple repairman, huh?”

“A person has to keep up on affairs. This is my sanctuary for doing so.”

Riyad was already raiding the weapons cache, concentrating on the M-97 assault rifles, the .45 cal handguns, along with clips of ammunition.

Copernicus had his back to Adam, watching Riyad, when the butt of the MK-17 slammed against the back of his neck. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

“I was wondering what you had in mind?” Riyad said.

“We’ve got enough worries without having to keep an eye on him.” Adam moved over to the weapons rack and began arming up. In seconds the two Humans had more firepower on their bodies than the entire crew of the Juirean Class-3 had with their flash weapons.

‘This must have been where he went when he disappeared in his bedroom,” Riyad said. “There’s another door by the comm equipment.”

“There’s one over here, too. This one will lead outside.”

Adam was right. Behind the weapons racks was another doorway, operated by a latch. They moved to it and then carefully turned the handle.

Brilliant tropical light poured into the room from outside. The sound of flash weapons discharging was all around, as the Gradis crew and troops from the Class-3 were engaged in a pitched fire fight. From this vantage point, Adam and Riyad could see the smugglers’ position near their ship was about to be overrun by the vastly superior number of Juirean Guards. The outer hatch of their ship had been blown away, so there would no escaping into space. The fight was just about over.

“Kaylor and Jym,” Adam said. “We have to get them.”

“Roger that.”

The pair raced through the doorway, running for the FS-475. The fighting was at the other end of the landing field, so they reached the ship without being spotted. The outer hatch was unlocked and the sentry who had been posted there was nowhere to be found. Adam stood guard as Riyad ran inside to recover their two alien friends. An agonizingly long twenty second later the three emerged through the hatchway.

“What now?” Riyad asked.

Adam had been surveying the battlefield. The Gradis ship where Z had been found was too far away and covered with derelicts. Coop’s ship was on the other side of the headquarters building, shielded from view. The closest vessel with the most horsepower was the one belonging to Onix Gru.

Adam smiled; the Silean wouldn’t be needing the ship any longer.

“Follow me,” he ordered.

But no sooner had they left the side of the FS-475, than two Juireans appeared in front of them, Xan-fi rifles at the ready.

“Stop and surrender,” one of them cried out.

Adam’s trigger finger stiffened.

Just then, a large shadow next to Kaylor’s ship reached out and snapped off the head of the lead Juirean. A split second later, Ginger had pounced on the other Guard, with her huge head ripping at the neck of the alien.

“Good girl!” Adam called out.

Ginger looked up at him with a mouthful of bloody Juirean flesh. Her tail began to wag.

“Hurry!” Adam said, leading the foursome past the feeding dinosaur and toward the executive starship.

The hatch was closed, but Adam managed to locate the door controls with his ATD. They streamed inside without breaking stride.

Turning to the right, they all entered the small yet lavishly-appointed pilothouse. Adam slipped into a leather-padded pilot seat. “Damn, this is nice,” he mumbled.

‘Nicest ship we’ve ever stolen,” Riyad added.

Kaylor took the co-pilot seat, with Riyad and Jym taking places at nav and weapons.

Even though this was an executive starship, it still came with an impressive inventory of defensive weapons. VIP’s demanded security when traveling through the galaxy. The ship gave it to them.

In fact, the vessel had top-of-the-line everything, and the cycle time between generator startup and liftoff was measured in seconds rather than minutes.

The launching starship interrupted the battle on the ground, as jets of fire scorched the sandy soil and sent deadly heat and smoke blasting into the Juirean and Gradis fighters. Very few survived. The ones who did lost their enthusiasm for fighting.

“According to Dora, there’s only one Juirean ship in the area. Let’s make sure it can’t follow us,” Riyad suggested.

Adam slanted the ship to the left, sweeping around to the rear of the mighty warship where the gravity generators were located.

“Have you got the weapons figured out?” Adam asked.

“They are standard arrangement,” Jym confirmed. “Generators targeted. On your command, Adam.”

“Fire!”

The tiny ship jerked as the flash cannon erupted. At this range, and against unshielded metal, the aft section of the Juirean ship imploded from the hits, moments before the resulting interior explosions reversed the affect. Adam had the small starship racing for the clouds when the Class-3 blew up, sending yellow and red flame billowing over the entire compound.

No one could have survived.

Adam snickered. The only loss of life he mourned at the compound was that of Ginger the dinosaur.

Chapter 26

Once safely in space, Adam felt his pocket. The orb was gone!

He panicked, feeling his other pockets and looking around where he sat. That’s when he noticed the object resting in the control panel before him.

“Stop doing that!” he cried out loud.

Everyone on the bridge looked at him.

“Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you.”

Kaylor, seated next to him frowned. He noticed the orb.

“What is that?”

“It’s what everyone has been looking for,” Adam said. “But it has a nasty habit of bouncing around from place to place without warning.”

“It can move? But how?”

“Don’t know, but trust me, it can.”

Z, you have to let me know if you’re going to transport yourself from place to place. I almost had a heart attack thinking you were back on Liave-3.

Forgive me, Adam Cain. I was not aware of your concerns.

“What does it do?” Kaylor was asking.

“It creates energy, very efficient energy, energy that can be used to make flash weapons about a hundred times more potent and effective.”

“Really…that tiny thing?”

“How does it work,” Jym said as he moved over to get a closer look.

Should I demonstrate?

No, Adam thought. The less they know the better.

“Let’s not worry about that now, Jym,” he said aloud. “We need to get into Union territory before all hell breaks loose. If the Juireans are going to blame us for the death of the Overlord, then there’s going to be war, and both sides will be blaming us—me and Riyad—for starting it.”

“An Overlord is dead? And you killed him?” Jym’s voice was a screech.

“No, we didn’t kill him. But the Juireans are going to claim we did,” Riyad explained. “It’s what they need to declare war on the Union.”

“But youb pid not fill—”

Kaylor’s words turned to gibberish and his voice slurred. His eyes rolled back in his head and seconds later his head fell forward against the control panel.

Adam gasped for breath. He saw Jym fall to the deck, and beyond, at the nav station, Riyad’s eyes were open wide as he clawed at his throat.

Attempting to lift out of the seat, Adam’s vision became blurred and he lost his balance. The next thing he remembered was falling over Jym’s unconscious body…before everything went black.

********

Copernicus Smith entered the pilothouse with a clear plastic mask over his mouth and nose, connected to a small, silver bottle of compressed gas clipped to his belt. He surveyed his handiwork, before beginning the task of moving the unconscious bodies to the back staterooms and binding their arms and legs.

Once that was done, he restored full flow to the ship’s atmosphere and removed the mask. Then he triggered the comm line.

It was a voice-only transmission.

“I have them.”

“And the artifact?”

“That, too.”

“Although only Cain and Tarazi were mentioned originally, the inclusion of the device within the transaction is an unexpected and welcomed bonus. We have many uses for such technology.”

“That’s what I thought. Where should we meet?”

“I will send coded coordinates. As you can well understand, our location must remain secure.”

“Of course. All I care about is the money.”

“You shall have it. Proceed with all haste. We are anxious to settle our business.”

You’re not the only one, Copernicus thought as he cut the connection. Then he looked at the tiny metal globe on the control console. He felt as if he was being watched.

“Now, my little friend, I have to figure out a way to keep you from jumping around on me.”

********

Copernicus knew it was a risk, but he felt the orb had made some kind of connection with Adam, possibly through his Formilian implant device. So he set a laser on the orb, with the controller on the other side attached to the trigger of the Beretta. He aimed the barrel at Adam’s leg.

Coop had emergency medical supplies aboard which would save Adam’s life should the orb move, triggering the weapon. He wasn’t too concerned about delivering damaged goods to his customer; he was sure Adam wouldn’t live much longer after the transaction was consummated anyway. Besides, the big payoff would come with the sale of the orb to these very same buyers. They had been completely unaware of the artifact until Coop explained it to them. After that, the orb became their center of attention.

Yes, that was where he’d make the really big bucks.

********

Adam awoke confused and lightheaded. He was on a table in the ship’s dining area, and when he went to move he found he was strapped down, with his right leg held particularly tight. He craned his neck to get a look. Sure enough, four straps on that one leg alone.

You’re conscious, a voice said in his mind. That is good.

“Where…what happened?”

The ship lost breathable atmosphere, replaced by an inert gas to maintain pressure.

“Why?”

Copernicus Smith orchestrated the event.

“He’s aboard!”

Yes.

The problem with Adam’s ATD was that it didn’t feed information to him unless he sought it out. That was why he hadn’t detected the electronic signature of a small, passive voice monitor in the room, not until it was too late.

Copernicus strode in with a wide grin on his face.

“So it talks to you,” he stated. “That explains a lot. Is it alive?”

“Fuck off!”

“Now Mister Cain, let’s be civil.”

“It’s Cap—”

“I know; that joke’s getting old. Now tell me about it, or I may have to put a slug into your leg just for shits and giggles.”

“I thought we left your burning corpse back on Liave?”

“We’re Humans, Adam. We tend to think alike, especially when it comes to survival. Now please….”

“It’s not alive, but you couldn’t tell.”

“It’s obviously smart enough to know it can’t move without triggering the nine-mil. That says a lot. It communicates through your implant?”

“Yeah.”

Copernicus shook his head. “I have really got to get me one of those things. Go on.”

“Not much to tell. You already know it produces energy. I have no idea how, but the Incus were working on figuring that out when your Silean friend stole it. That’s about all I know.”

“You offered that up much too easily, Mister Cain. Now tell me something I don’t know.”

Adam let his head fall back on the hard table. He sighed. “It’s old, really old.”

“Like how old?”

“At least three billion years.”

“Damn, that is—” Then Copernicus took a deep breath. “Who made it?”

“I don’t know. Obviously a race of beings who are long gone by now.”

“How do you know?”

“Dude…I said three billion years.”

“Creatures that old—and advanced enough to create a device that would last that long—would find a way to survive.”

“Is that really what you’re curious about? I have no idea if they survived or not. What are you going to do with us now?”

Copernicus walked over the food processor and came back to Adam’s table with a drink in his hand. He lifted the glass in a toast. “Here’s to the power of advertising. You will interested to learn that we are currently on our way to meet the highest bidder.”

“You’re going to sell the orb?”

Coop snorted. “It started out just being a negotiation for you and Riyad. But when I told them about your little friend there, they were quite interested.”

“Who are they?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

“It’s the Klin, isn’t it?”

“I’m impressed, Mister Cain. But I guess you, better than anyone, would know who hates you the most.”

“Don’t trust them.”

“Oh I don’t, not in the least. I’ll be careful. All I want is my money and then I’m out of here. You’ll never see me again.”

“My god, you’re the greediest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever met.”

Coop smiled. “Haven’t you heard: Greed is good. Just relax; we’re almost there. A nice neutral meeting place where everyone will feel safe.” Then he laughed. “I can almost hear it from here.”

After a pause, Adam’s curiosity got the best of him. “Hear what?”

“Cha-Ching! The sound of money.”

Chapter 27

If invited, Copernicus would not have met the Klin on one of their Colony ships. To be the only Human among twenty-thousand vengeful aliens would not have been a wise move. Instead, he would meet a single Klin ship in the middle of the vast expanse of space, devoid of any stars, planets or asteroids where additional forces could hide. He had the sensors of the Silean’s very expensive starship out to the maximum. Only one ship was approaching. Any more than that, and he’d be a hole in space, making a hasty retreat.

The Klin ship wasn’t much larger than the Silean’s, a long-range cruiser that looked to be able to carry a crew of five or so. Copernicus really had no idea. He’d never met a Klin before, although he’d seen pictures.

They were tall, thin creatures with pale skin that was often referred to as silver. Their hair was white without any variation that he’d seen. They had very Human-like features otherwise; two arms, two legs and two, large, almond-shaped eyes.

The Klin were an enigma in the galaxy. Over four thousand years ago they maintained a thriving, high-tech society made up of peaceful, intelligent beings. There had never been a history of war on their homeworld of Kinmon; instead they devoted their time and energy to developing new and useful technologies.

One such invention was the gravity space-drive. Already the leaders of a small alliance of nearby worlds—one of which would later come to be called Juir—the Klin expanded their tiny empire to forty surrounding civilizations using their new star-drive. The future looked very bright for the Klin, who, as a result of their intelligent, peaceful and innovative nature, where destined to become benevolent leaders of the entire galaxy.

That was until the Juireans attacked unexpectedly, destroying their empire, their world, as well as their destiny.

For the next four thousand years, the surviving Klin worked behind the scenes to bring an end to Juirean rule and domination of the galaxy. Yet their numbers were few, and they lacked the killer instinct of the warrior races. So they set about manipulating numerous wars and confrontations between these more aggressive creatures, even going so far as to enlist a few of them as partners in their campaign against the Juireans.

The Humans were one such race, as were the Kracori.

Unfortunately, all their efforts failed miserably until only a fraction of the already depleted Klin race survived, hiding in small clusters of twenty-kilometer in diameter space stations called Colony Ships; giant globes holding the last best hope the Klin had for attaining their rightful place in the galaxy.

Copernicus knew their history. He always thought they got a bum rap at the beginning by trusting the Juireans in the first place. But then they started a war between Earth and Juir that resulted in a billion Human dead. Later, they sent the Kracori against the planet. That time the body count was over two billion.

Yes, the Klin hadn’t had all the breaks fall their way. But the way they went about seeking justice made them pariahs throughout the galaxy, and especially on the planet Earth.

But that was all politics and emotion. Copernicus Smith was of a more singular focus. All he cared about was Copernicus Smith.

********

 “We will come to your ship on the condition the gravity is set to Klin standard,” said the silver-skinned creature on the viewscreen.

“I have no problem with that. I’m sure you wish to inspect the merchandise.”

“Of course. We will be accompanied by certain other beings we have enlisted as guards. I am sure you can understand why.”

“Another surrogate race?” The moment he said the words, Copernicus regretted them.

“Not in the sense you are suggesting,” said the Klin representative, unfazed, a being called Senior Fellow Hinnaes. Coop always thought Klin titles belonged more in the halls of a prestigious university than in the halls of government. “They do not have the intellectual capacity of our past affiliations, although I must warn you they have been selected for the singular purpose of protecting us from Humans.”

“Sounds like something I could use, too, especially after we conclude our business. There’s an airlock coupling on the starboard side.”

“Starboard?”

“Sorry, the right side. You’ll see it. Do you have the money?”

“All you have requested. Unlike other races, credits—money—has little intrinsic value to us. We acquire it to facilitate transactions, this one included. That is all. There is no need to question our integrity.”

“I wasn’t. You just have to remember I’m a Human. We question everything and trust no one.”

********

Adam felt the gravity lighten and knew instantly what was happening. The Klin were coming here.

Moments later Copernicus, two Klin, and two huge, thug-like aliens came into the dining area. The Klin seemed particularly amused by Adam’s predicament.

“I recognize you as the famous Adam Cain,” said one of the Klin. “I am Senior Fellow Hinnaes Simnon. I was living aboard the 89-N when you and a team of raiders boarded the ship to gain access to the Sol-Kor trans-dimensional portal. I lost friends in the battle aboard my home.”

“I lost my wife and child when you tricked the Juireans in attacking Earth. I’d say let’s call it even, but I’m not going to.”

The Klin stood over Adam, strapped to the table, with a gun aimed at his leg. “Your defiance in the face of complete defeat is embarrassing, for you and your race. It is the sign of a weak mind when you cannot accept reality.”

‘Let’s get on with this. The sooner I’m untied, the sooner I can kill every last one of you sorry sons-of-bitches.”

Hinnaes looked at Copernicus. “I wish to conclude this transaction quickly. The sooner he is in our custody, the sooner we can begin.”

“Begin what?” Coop asked.

The Klin actually smiled, full-toothed and unabashed. “If you could only imagine, it would still not be horrific enough.”

********

Adam didn’t see the money change hands, but he did see the effect on Coop. He was red-faced and beaming with excitement. His voice trembled somewhat and he appeared to want to kiss the very ground the Klin walked on.

When he was eventually released, one of the huge goons clamped a particularly strong, three fingered hand around his arm. The fingers interlocked, and Adam had the feeling he would be attached to the giant for the duration. Even in the light Klin gravity, Adam could barely cause the creature to wobble as he tested the strength and balance of the beast.

At least Z was going with them. Having a three billion year old energy-generating friend on his side gave him at a ray of hope. Unfortunately, all he was hoping for at this point was a quick death, rather than the agonizingly torturous one the Klin had intimated at earlier.

Is there anything you can do? Adam asked Z.

I cannot think of anything. Your brain interface will be able to influence the workings of the Klin vessel.

I know, but one of the Klin already felt my right side for the device. They’re aware of it, and I doubt if I’ll have it very much longer.

Then we will not be able to talk anymore. Z’s thoughts sounded panicked, desperate.

Don’t worry, buddy, we’ll think of something.

********

Eventually Adam and Riyad—along with Kaylor and Jym—were transferred to the Klin ship. Adam stayed in touch with Z, knowing that he was also aboard but locked in a metal case with an electrical current running through it.

Does the current stop you from teleporting?

No, but I will not let them know that, not until we have a plan.

Adam smiled. His little Personal Service Module was on the job.

The Klin named Hinnaes came up to Adam a while later. “I am aware of your interface device. I should let you know that the Klin are also interested in that technology. This transaction has not only given us you and Mister Tarazi, but also the ancient energy device and the interface. This is a glorious day for the Klin. Not only will we get revenge on two of the most notorious creatures in Klin history, but we will soon be able to produce the most-powerful weapons in the galaxy while fitting all Klin with the device you carry under your flesh. With all of that, we will no longer need surrogate races to fight our battles for us. The Klin will reign supreme, and only the Klin.”

“Yes, mein fuhrer.”

“The translation device still functions when you speak German. And I do understand the context, having studied Human history. In a way, the reference is appropriate. I only wish you could survive long enough to see the Human race bow down to the Klin as you have to others throughout your history.”

“Go ahead. Make my day.”

This time the reference was lost on the Klin. After a moment, he continued regardless. “You will retain the device until it can be properly removed surgically, being aware of any security measures it may contain. We do not wish to the destroy the interface, just its carrier.”

“You’re really trying your best to come off all diabolical and shit, but it ain’t working. You’re still just a pasty-skinned pansy who can’t do anything on your own.”

The Klin laughed. “There is something I can do, and that is shut you up.” He lifted a short metal tube and pointed it at Adam. “You may not have seen one of these before, yet you have felt its affects. This is the device we used to subdue Human targets on Earth when we would abduct you to help build our army, you included. Good night, Mister Cain.”

All Adam remembered was the bright white light and the moment of intense burning. The pain didn’t last long, replaced instead by a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 28

The Klin knew Humans beings better than any race in the galaxy. For a hundred years before Adam’s abduction they had been coming to Earth and removing members of mankind for experiments, breeding and training, as they sought to build an army capable of  defeating the Juireans.

In time, they had a million Second Generation Humans—the 2G’s—who had never set foot on the planet of their ancestors and who worshipped the Klin as their masters.

Adam helped lift the vail, revealing the Klin evil plan for all to see. But now, after all these years, he was sickened to find himself back where it had all started, a prisoner of the Klin and with no chance of escape.

The two Humans—Riyad and Adam—where placed in separate cells next to each other and not allowed to communicate. The Klin knew Humans craved interaction with their own kind and drew strength from associations. Kaylor and Jym were also placed in separate rooms, although they were mostly ignored, having come to the Klin colony ship essentially as part of the luggage.

Their cells also had the unique feature of using keys to unlock the doors. This was a deterrent against Adam using his ATD to set them free.

For the first few days of his captivity, Adam was treated with indifference as the Klin devised a program to deal with their most-prized prisoner, who only days before they had no idea they would be hosting. But then it began.

The aliens employed a two-prong strategy.

First they poked, prodded, x-rayed and scanned his Formilian brain-interface device, trying their best to determine if it had an internal self-destruct function. This process was more or less painless—yet intrusive—and lasted approximately seven days from what Adam could determine, based on the number of barely life-sustainable meals they provided.

The second part was much more violent and sadistic, and was conducted in conjunction with the first part.

For a race that had started out peaceful and compassionate, the past four thousand years of exile and humiliation had turned the Klin into monsters. Besides the normal mental and physical torture inflicted by trained professionals, young Klin where brought in—mainly teenagers—to use him as a punching bag. No Klin had ever struck a Human before, so dozens of them signed up to get the chance. Their blows weren’t that painful, but the totality of them took a toll. Sparing the regions around the ATD, his face and groin, the slender and weak silver-skinned creatures would come to where he was suspended from the ceiling by chains and have at it. When he would pass out, the young Klin would continue beating on him until their elders told them to stop, saying that if Adam couldn’t feel the punishment, then it wasn’t punishment any longer.

The light in his room never varied; it was always at an almost blinding intensity that penetrated his closed eyelids. At first he used his ATD to counter this, but the Klin programmed the lights to simply reboot a millisecond after Adam’s efforts. After a while he gave up.

He was given just enough food to keep him alive and received no medical care for the build-up of injuries he was experiencing.

In the few quiet moments he had back in his cell he wondered how Riyad was holding up? His friend didn’t have an implant which the Klin valued, so anything was fair game with him from day one. Adam knew he was still alive, as they would occasionally pass each other either coming or going from the latest torture session,. Each time they did, Riyad looked more battered and gaunt than the time before. Adam was sure he looked the same to Riyad.

Adam had stopped communicating with Z after the first few days of his captivity, depressed by the energy orb’s inability to help. Add to that the fact that Z could look into his mind and experience first-hand what Adam was going through and the communications moratorium was a mutual decision.

Adam was disgusted and frustrated that after all he’d been through over the past twenty years that he would end up back in the hands of the Klin. When all this started, he had no idea what was happening, and Kaylor and Jym had freed him of his captivity even before he knew he’d been a prisoner. This time it was different, and the Klin appeared to be in no hurry to bring it to a close.

They didn’t need to learn anything about Human military strategies and tactics. They knew them already. They didn’t need to study Human physiology or tolerances. They knew these as well.

What Adam and Riyad were going through was simply a cathartic cleansing the Klin needed for vengeance against the two Humans who they felt were directly responsible for sabotaging their chance at becoming the supreme rulers of the galaxy.

After ten days of this treatment, Klin doctors traced surgery lines on his skin, preparing for the operation to remove the implant. After that, Adam knew the end was near. He heard his Klin tormentors speaking of how the Pleabaen—their leader—was coming to the colony ship within the next few days. Adam had no illusion as to why. There was to be a grand spectacle where the two Humans would meet their fate.

Adam was anxious to get it over with.

********

Adam was hunched up on the hard cot in his room, bare-chested and his eyes open in the bright glare of the lights, when the first explosion occurred.

He was so numb to the sound of this tormenters as they would arrive to escort him to the latest torture and intimidation session that he didn’t realize what it was at first.

But then explosion after explosion rocked his tiny cell. There was nothing to hold onto, so he tumbled to the hard, cold metal deck and lay on his belly, his mind barely able to comprehend what was going on.

There was noise and confusion outside his cell, until there came a pounding.

“Captain Cain, are you in there?”

Adam didn’t answer at first. It sounded like English, but then so did the Klin language through his translation bug.

“Captain Cain, if you can hear me, move away from the door. We’re going to blow it.”

The words were just beginning to register when a smaller explosion rattled the door to his cell. Then it slid open and two figures dressed in black combat gear rushed in. They didn’t hesitate. They wrapped a thick cotton blanket over his shoulders and then lifted him to his feet.

He was taken into the corridor, where he saw more of the dark figures, each wearing full face masks and thick, armored vests. Then Riyad was at his side. Neither men said a thing to each other, confused and bewildered by what was happening.

“Kaylor…Jym?” Adam finally managed to ask.

“We have them, too,” came an urgent voice.

Strong, guiding hands then led them down the corridor.

They came upon a long, black dart-like obstruction filling the entire corridor. All around it was damage, from buckled walls to electrical conduit and sparking wires in the overhead.

A clear canopy was open on top of the object, and Adam and Riyad were lifted up and ceremonially placed inside. They were buckled into the three-seat compartment, Adam in the middle, Riyad to the rear, while another of the black figures sat in the front. The canopy was lowered.

“Clear the area! Clear the area!” Adam heard someone yell.

Then he felt the flow of air on his face and his ears popped.

That was when all hell broke loose.

The long, cylindrical container they were in suddenly accelerated down the corridor, scraping the metal walls with an ear-splitting squeal. The roar of rockets was deafening as well, and Adam’s eyes grew wide with panic as he saw a metal bulkhead racing toward them.

A brilliant flash then erupted from the pointed tip if the craft. By the time Adam’s vision recovered from the flash, they were in space, gravity provided by the incredible thrust of the tiny, dart-shaped spacecraft.

With painful effort, Adam turned his head slightly to the rear and was rewarded with the view of the huge, metal surface of the Klin colony ship racing away behind them. He was coming to his senses, understanding now that this was a rescue mission.

“Are you all right?” asked the pilot.

“Yeah, okay.” Adam mumbled. He hadn’t spoken in about a week, except to scream.

Behind him, Riyad grunted.

“Good,” said the man in front. Then the rockets quieted and the craft experienced zero gravity. Adam threw up.

“Sorry,” he said, as the discharge drifted around him.

“That’s all right, Captain. I was expecting it. I’m glad we found the two of you alive.”

“Who are you?” Riyad asked.

“Delta Force rescue team, out from the Abraham Lincoln.”

“How…?”

The pilot tapped the side of the small spacecraft.

“The latest entry vehicle, the YK-9. Dart-like craft that are launched in dark mode to approach a target. Then we employ either flash bolts or our diamond tips to penetrate hulls, driving deep into the target before deploying assault troops.”

“How did you know where to find us?” Adam asked. His mind was sparking now as the realization of what just happened was sinking in.

“Not really sure, Captain, but scuttlebutt has it we’ve been tracking you through some super-secret device you have in you. Gotta be honest, I’d heard rumors about this before, but never really believed it.”

“Good, you shouldn’t believe everything you hear—eh, what’s your name?”

“Lieutenant Brian Young, UMS, special forces, sir.”

“Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant,” said Adam. “And thanks.”

“My pleasu—”

The conversation was interrupted when a blinding light filled the cabin. Looking behind, they saw a gigantic ball of fire and light where the colony ship had once been.

“Hold on!” Lieutenant Young cried out.

A fraction of a second later, the tiny craft was hit by the force of the explosion, causing it to tumble and accelerate. Adam was jolted and twisted, the straps around his waist and shoulders the only thing keeping him from being smashed against the canopy. Then the shock wave passed in silence outside the tiny ship, even as all three occupants cried out in pain.

The g-forces were incredible. It was probably from that, plus the accumulation of his injuries, that caused Adam to pass out.

Chapter 29

He became aware of soft light and equally soft music filtering into his consciousness. He opened his eyes to find he was in a room with a plethora of tubes and wires supported by thin racks and booms above him. Above the music, a rhythmic beeping was heard.

He was in a hospital bed, and when the revelation hit him, he closed his eyes again and squeezed out a tear. He was alive, and apparently in good hands. Anything beyond that would be a bonus.

There was a presence next to him. He opened his eyes again and through the pain turned his head. Two men dressed in khakis were looking down at him. One had a white medical lab coat over his uniform.

“Welcome back, Captain, how are you feeling?” asked the man in the lab coat.

“Where am I?” The words felt like sandpaper over an open wound as they escaped his dry mouth.

“You’re aboard the Abraham Lincoln, heading for Earth.”

“Riyad…the others?”

“They’re safe and sound. Tarazi is in about the same shape as you, while your two alien buddies came out with nary a scratch.”

“Nary?”

The officer laughed. “Sorry, my British upbringing coming through. I’m Commander James Kittery, your primary care physician.”

Adam wriggled his toes and fingers. His body seemed to reach to the extremities. That was good. “What’s the prognosis, doc?”

“To be honest, you took quite a beating, both at the hands of the Klin and from the explosion.”

“What happened? What happened to the Klin ship?”

The doctor stepped aside and let the other officer move into Adam’s view. “I’m Ryan Cox, captain of the Lincoln. About the explosion, we’re not really sure. Maybe they blew it up so we couldn’t take control of the ship and learn the location of the others. Or maybe a reactor went crazy. We just don’t know.”

“Were any of the rescue party still aboard.”

The officer’s expression said it all. “At that point it was beyond a rescue mission. It was an occupation. We had about hundred darts in the station at the time, over three hundred men. Another couple of hundred assault vessels were in route and were consumed by the explosion.

Adam squeezed his eyes shut.

“Don’t blame yourself, Captain. When we learned the location of the Klin ship, our goal was to gain control of the vessel. Rescuing you and your party was only part of the mission. That part was a success. And, by the way, there’s about twenty-thousand fewer Klin we have to worry about.”

Then the Captain turned serious. He looked at the doctor, who acknowledged the unspoken order by leaving the room.

“Captain Cain, I know you just woke up, but I need to ask you a few questions.”

Adam nodded.

“The artifact, the energy globe. Do you know what happened to it?”

Adam shook his head about as much as he could without too much pain.

“We know the Klin had it aboard. Do you think it could have survived the explosion?”

“I don’t know,” Adam answered honestly. “It survived a supernova explosion and then drifted through space on a rock for three billion years. I wouldn’t say no to the possibility.”

Captain Cox nodded. “We have units out with metal detectors searching the space around the explosion, but we’re not having any luck. Trying to find something the size of a snow-globe among all the debris from a Klin colony ship may be an impossibility, even if it survived. But we’ll keep looking, until the Juireans find us.”

“The Juireans?”

“Yes, Captain, we’re at war. And yes, they tried to blame it on you and Mr. Tarazi. It didn’t work, however. We have too much intelligence showing how the Juireans have been planning for this war for quite a while. We were hoping the energy device would help us out in that regard. Instead, it looks like we’ll have to rely on good ol’ fashion conventional hardware. It’s worked well up to this point.”

Adam’s eyes began to flutter.

“Take it easy, Captain Cain,” the officer said. “Get your rest. We’re still three weeks out from Earth. You’ll be up and running marathons by then.”

********

The Captain’s prophecy didn’t come true, although after a week, Adam was up and moving around the ship, if gingerly. He saw Riyad, who was recovering at about the same pace as he was. Kaylor and Jym where excited to see him, as well, and Adam was relieved to find that the Klin hadn’t done much to them during their captivity. They were minor characters in the play and the Klin essentially ignored them.

Adam made his way to the hangar deck and recovered the blanket his rescuers had wrapped around him on the Klin ship. He considered it a good luck charm.

Beyond that, Adam Cain’s body continued to heal…if not his mind.

Chapter 30

Two weeks later the Union Starship Abraham Lincoln achieved orbit above the Earth. Adam was getting around better by this time and went to the observation deck, wrapped in his good-luck blanket. The ship was abuzz with activity, as homesick crewmembers scurried about readying for shore leave, change of shift or duty rotation.

They were home.

So was Adam Cain.

The shining orb below him was still the most beautiful planet in the galaxy. Of course, he may have been biased, and his prolonged absence only served to strengthen it.  Two years had passed since he’d last gazed upon her shimmering oceans, fleecy white clouds and ruddy continents. Between then and now he’d traveled to a foreign universe, assassinated a five-thousand-year-old queen, fought an evil immortal mutant and helped bring down a trillion-member empire of flesh-eating aliens. Add to that, he’d recently made friends with a three-billion-year-old ancient relic, fought Juireans and dinosaurs, and finally been held captive by the Klin.

Yes, his last two years had been action-packed for sure, and about as much as his forty-seven-year-old bones could stand. But now he was home. Tears of joy were difficult to hold back.

He reached under the thick, cotton blanket he had draped over his shoulders and pulled out another orb, this one reflecting the bright light of Earth off its greenish metal surface. He held it up to the window.

“This is my home,” Adam said aloud. “This is Earth.”

It is beautiful, Adam, worthy of your love and devotion. It reminds of me Aris, long before its star grew old and unstable.

“It does? You never told me that.”

I never told you either that your race bears a striking resemblance to the ancient Aris, before they evolved beyond the need to care for their physical bodies. They still retained them, but they became mere vessels for their intellect.

“Did they all die off? Or—as Copernicus suggested—were they smart enough to figure a way to survive?”

I can only say the effort was underway when the star went nova. After that I lost contact with my creators. Some may very well have survived, but for how long? Eternity is a very long time. Even immortals grow bored.

“So I’ve heard,” Adam said with a smile.

Yet your race is still young and vibrant, full of energy and wanderlust. Your people have a long way to go before they become bored with existence. There is still much growth and glory for the Human race to experience. And you are a testament to that glory, my friend, Adam Cain.

Epilogue

Copernicus Smith was about to vomit. He couldn’t believe what he was doing.

“Can’t I keep some of it?”

“We’ve given you enough to get your cover business going again. Anything beyond that and you’d stand out like a sore thumb.”

He watched the uniformed official cart away the stacks of credits. The other man in the room placed a hand on Coop’s shoulder. “You did a great job, Commander, above and beyond the mission parameters.”

“Yeah…but that was one hundred million credits. That’s like a billion Earth dollars.”

“And the money will help fund the war with the Juireans. Look, you’ve cemented your reputation not only with the cartels and the Juireans, but also with the Klin. You’re going to have access like we’ve never had before. And in a time of war, your efforts will help save countless lives. You’re going to help us win this, Coop.”

“I’ll also be operating behind enemy lines. There won’t be much mercy for me if I’m found out.”

“Just make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“And what about Cain and Tarazi? They’ll come looking for me. Can’t you let them in on our little secret?”

“Even they can’t know. Currently, there are only three people in the galaxy who know your true identity and mission, and that doesn’t include any elected officials. They’re temporary at best, and can’t be trusted.” Again the man smiled. “Relax. We’ll keep Cain and Tarazi off your back.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“We’ll give them a new assignment, something challenging enough to keep them occupied for a while.”

“And what will that be?”

“Not sure right now, but we’ll think of something.”

The End

If you would like to be included on the master email list to receive updates and announcements regarding the series, including release notices of upcoming books, purchase specials and more, please fill out the Subscribe form below:

Subscribe to Email List

Email: bytrharris@hotmail.com

Website: bytrharris.com

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 (coming Sept. 15, 2016)

Jason King – Agent to the Stars Series

The Enclaves of Sylox

The Drone Wars Series

Day of the Drone

In collaboration with George Wier…

The Liberation Series

Captains Malicious

Coming attractions…

Now Available For Pre-Order

The Human Chronicles Saga
BOOK #16
Scorched Earth

by T.R. Harris 

Adam Cain is an Alien with an Attitude…
and this time he's really mad!

This time it's personal.

NOW AVAILABLE for PRE-ORDER
only $3.99

RELEASE DATE: September 15, 2016

(A 90,000-word space opera novel of revenge and redemption.
Nearly twice as long as the most recent editions.)

From international bestselling science fiction author T.R. Harris, here is the latest installment in his epic tale of Human superiority within the galaxy.

What happens when Adam Cain—the  Alien with an Attitude—gets really pissed off?
 Hint: It ain’t pretty.

The scorched earth in the title doesn’t refer to the Human’s homeworld. Rather it describes the path of death and destruction that Adam Cain and his team burn on their way from Earth to Juir, on a mission to avenge the killing of one of his closest friends and to rescue others held captive on the distant planet. The aliens may have thought Adam was dangerous before. Well they haven’t seen anything yet.

This is a no-holes-barred action adventure, devoid of PC sensitivities, and giving full display to the animal side of Human nature. The bottom line: The aliens pissed off the wrong guy this time. Now in the face of overwhelming odds, Adam and his team fight through every obstacle and vanquish every foe on their way to victory. But this time victory won’t come without a price …and a price almost too high to pay.

Take a deep breath. You’re going to need it. Because when Adam sets out on his scorched-earth campaign they’ll be no time to relax. This is military space opera at its best, incorporating all the thrilling space battles, hand-to-hand combat, tactical maneuvers and political intrigue you’ve come to expect from The Human Chronicles.

 This is the book where it all comes together.

This 90,000-word novel is available for Pre-Order for only $3.99, with a release date of September 15, 2016.

Place your order today by following this link, and be sure to receive the book on the day of release and for the discounted retail price.