by T. R. Harris
“Hold on a minute!” Coop said. “Yeah, I do know Adam Cain, quite well as a matter of fact.”
Azon shook his head. “Observe, First-Lead, the Human’s propensity of deception.” He leaned across the table toward Coop. “So truth, Human, or else I will follow my superior’s wishes.”
Sanelis sat down.
“Cain and I have worked together in the past. I guess you’d consider me part of his team now.”
“Is he a mutant?” Sanelis asked, curious and impatient after the briefing he’d received regarding the last interview.
“No, he just has a really bad attitude.”
“Yet there are multiple mentions of mutants in the Kac.”
“Yeah, they seem to be cropping up all over the place.”
“He lies,” Azon said. “He is only saying such things to intimidate the Nuor.”
“Get to the point,” Sanelis snapped at the gray-uniformed alien with the face guard.
Azon set his jaw, frustration evident. “What inspired you to enter this part of the Kac?” he asked the Human.
“Believe it or not, we were just out sightseeing.”
“Bullshit!” said Azon.
Coop was caught off-guard by the alien’s use of the word, as was the First-Lead. “It is a Human word used to express disbelief, in a rather crude form,” Azon explained. “I learned it from the prisoners on Nuor.” He glared at Copernicus. “Three members of the support team for the Kac’s greatest player do not just appear at the staging area for an invasion fleet. Now tell us the truth. How did you know we were here?”
“We’re not his support team. He’s no better than the rest of us.”
“Then why have I not heard of you?”
“I prefer to keep a low profile.”
Azon produced a hand weapon from under the table. “Perhaps you are right, First-Lead. This one provides no value.” He pointed the gun at Copernicus.
“Wait just a minute,” Coop said, holding up his hands.
“You do not have a minute,” said Azon.
Sanelis groaned. “How can you believe anything this creature says, especially under the threat of death?”
“These creatures appear to have a strong instinct for self-preservation. He will tell us the truth…or he will die.”
Coop eyed the threatening barrel of the handgun. He had no idea what type of weapon it was—or whether it could kill him—but he wasn’t willing to test it either.
“We’ve been surveying the outer edge of the galaxy, in areas we thought might be prime locations for your new entry point. We were expecting to detect your fleet long before making contact. That didn’t work out according to plan.” As a trained undercover operative, Coop knew the best way to pull off a convincing bluff was to provide just enough truth to go along with the lie.
“In a limited-range shuttle, which had to come from a larger ship?” Azon said.
“A number of small survey ships were dropped off along the route. We figured a shuttle wouldn’t cause too much alarm.”
“Where is the main ship?”
“It’s moved on. We were to head for the planet Visidor after the survey.” Visidor was the first planet in the Kidis Frontier that came to mind. Besides, if the Nuor attacked, it would be no great loss. He had nothing but bad memories of the place.
“Then it was a coincidence? I do not believe.”
“It’s the truth. How were we to know you’d be in dark status.”
“Dark status?” Azon asked.
“Minimal-output,” Sanelis explained. Azon nodded.
The Third Cadre officer leaned back in his chair, studying Copernicus with his black eyes. “I still doubt. It is the makeup of the crew that has me suspicious.”
“If this were a random survey, then it matters not,” said Sanelis. “This location is already obsolete.”
Copernicus focused on the word obsolete. He stored it away for future analysis, while shifting his most immediate efforts to finding a way of staying alive beyond the next few minutes.
“I’ve heard rumors the Nuor are great warriors—players you’re called,” he said.
“It is not a rumor!” Sanelis barked.
“And yet you fear the Humans? It’s obvious in your reactions to us.”
“You can smell fear?”
The statement drew the attention of the other Nuor in the room. Coop had to be careful with his answer. “It’s nothing conscious, just a sense we get. But you have to agree, otherwise you wouldn’t be planning our destruction.”
“That comes not from fear but prudence,” Azon said. “Some races simply pose more problems than they are worth.”
“And so you’ll miss all the glorious battles…for the sake of convenience?”
“It is not convenience—I do not know why I am discussing this with you!”
“Because you’re looking for an excuse to justify your fear of us.”
Coop may have gone too far this time, because all the aliens in the room were now agitated, their fiery eyes glaring at him with undisguised bloodlust.
“You seek to provoke us!” Sanelis exclaimed.
“Not at all; you mistake my observations for a challenge. All I’m saying is there’s so much opportunity in the Human race for you to face truly worthy adversaries, rather than the mock battles against soft races which you seem so proud of.”
“He does challenge!” one of the other Nuor in the room shouted.
“Why would I challenge you, when the Nuor set all the rules and control every aspect of the contest? That would be suicide.”
The Nuor grew quiet—and easy to read. They were considering his words. Yes, they did control the games, so why the uncertainty…the fear? Fighting the Humans would be great sport, and if the situation turned deadly, they could simply alter the outcome.
Sanelis turned to Azon. “Delay your recommendation, Spec-One. The fleet embarks for the interior in a day. Once the arenas are built, I would welcome the opportunity to face this creature in an immunity challenge.”
“Daric (618) felt the same, Master. He did not survive the contest.”
“If what the female said about that challenge is true, then that was an unfair contest. We will make sure future engagements are not so manipulated by the Humans…or anyone else.” Copernicus could almost hear the end of that sentence, left lingering in the air: …except for us.
He’d bought them time, but not much else. Riyad and he would be placed in an arena with the odds—and the outcome—stacked against them. He wasn’t sure how the others would react to his deadly gambit.
“You did what?” Sherri yelled.
“You’re mad at me? After your interview, the friggin aliens were ready to destroy the Earth and every Human in the galaxy.”
“And now they’ll just fight us individually—and in rigged contests. What’s the difference?”
“It bought us time.”
Riyad cleared his throat. “You do know they’re probably listening in on everything we’re saying.”
“Screw them!” Coop said. “They had to know I was only trying to save our lives.”
“Like the lions were trying to do in the Colosseum? That worked out great for them.” Sherri added.
“Relax, sweetheart, I don’t think they let women fight,” Coop said.
“That’s not what that other Nuorean bastard said just before he went out to face Adam…I mean Panur.”
“Everyone just calm down,” Riyad ordered. “We need to spend what time we have trying to figure a way out of here.”
Coop lifted his arms and spun around in a circle. “You hear that, you alien assholes. We’re trying to figure a way to escape. What a surprise.”
Sherri laughed, which caused the two men to stop and stare.
“What’s so funny?” Coop asked.
Sherri smiled and looked at Riyad. “Hell, who knows what’s going to happen next? After all, Riyad hasn’t had his interview yet!”
67
Adam had only
been to Incus once before, and he’d left the place in quite a mess when he departed. That was when the Juireans occupied the planet, so his actions were justified. Now the Juireans had left the Kidis Frontier, including its most-industrialized planet.
The Najmah Fayd—the so-called trans-dimensional starship—was a non-registered prototype from the Orion-Cygnus Union’s military technology division and therefore carried no recognized transponder—not until Panur worked his magic and concocted one that passed muster with the natives. With Juireans, Humans and even the threat of the Nuor hanging over their heads, security had been beefed up since Adam’s last visit, making the transponder necessary.
After transmitting the code, the ship was given clearance to land at the Ennis Northeast field, the same one Adam and his team had used the last time they were here. It was the closest to Advanced Plasma Objects, the huge conglomerate that had first taken possession of the ancient artifact that would later become known as Zee or Pogo. It was the team’s objective to learn the location of the asteroid field where the Aris service module had been found.
A little over a year ago, Adam had left a graveyard of wrecked Juirean warcraft strewn about the spaceport. To his surprise, only about half of the demolished spacecraft had been cleared away, with the rest sitting like rusting monuments to a more turbulent time. A force of Port Marshals met them at the exit hatch, rather than in the distant passenger terminal.
The crew of the Najmah Fayd—the Star Panther, as Riyad had named her—was an eclectic mix. Humans and Formilians were fairly well-known, but not so the four-and-a-half-foot tall gray mutant Panur or the seven-foot-tall former Sol-Kor queen J’nae. As a consequence, Adam took the lead.
“What’s the problem?” he asked the grim-looking Incus native.
“Terrorist protocols,” said the s-shaped, five-foot tall creature with the face of a Shar-Pei dog. “With Incus located near the edge of the galaxy, we are on alert for any intruders attempting to make landfall.”
“You mean the Nuor?”
“Yes—and others. We know not who they may be, but as you can see from the landing field, danger can come in many forms, even those familiar with us.”
“I’m a Human; you surely can’t count us as a threat?”
“It was a Human who caused this damage. Perhaps you have heard of him: Adam Cain.”
Adam grimaced. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for him to take the lead.
“I’ve heard of him; but didn’t he liberate the Frontier from the Juireans? And Incus was on the verge of economic collapse at the time, with the aliens stripping you clean of your resources and making you work for next to nothing. I would think you would be thanking him for his actions.”
“His actions left us without exterior customers willing to purchase our products, leaving us in worst shape than before.” The wrinkled face of the alien wrinkled even more. “You seem very well-informed, visitor. What is your name?”
“Denver. John Denver,” Adam blurted without thinking.
“And why are you here?”
“Indeed, we’re here to negotiate a sizeable purchase from Advanced Plasma Objects. You should find that welcoming.”
“It will help them, not me. I work for the port authority. Who else is aboard?”
“A Formilian and two others of minor races; I represent diverse business interests.”
The alien referred to the datapad in his hands. “Length of stay?”
“Short—maybe only a few hours to a few days.”
“You can conclude your major purchase in such a short time?”
“A lot has been pre-negotiated,” Adam answered. This Incus was sharp.
“Will you be staying in this vessel or in Ennis?”
“Here.”
“In that case, you and your party will need repeat-entry passes.” He worked on the datapad for a few moments. “You can pick them up at the pass kiosk in the terminal.” He looked down at the MK-47 flash weapon strapped around Adam’s waist. “No weapons allowed off-ship, especially not those made by our Maris-Kliss competitors.”
“Sorry. I’ll take it off and tell the others. Is there anything else?”
The Incus official eyed Adam suspiciously for a moment before slowly nodding. “No. That will be all for now. Enjoy your stay on Incus.”
The alien’s tone was less than welcoming. Adam didn’t care. Hopefully they wouldn’t be here very long.
“I’m worried,” Adam said to Panur. “We’ve been on Incus for two days and still no sign of Sherri and the others. And no communications, either. Every outgoing CW link we send is met with static.”
The person they’d come to see on Incus—the scientist Dacus Zoffis—was not on the planet but expected to return at any time. That left the crew of the Najmah Fayd bored and restless…and worried. Adam was worried.
“It’s apparent they have encountered some kind of tragedy; it’s the only explanation. Yet this is a good thing,” Panur replied.
“A good thing!”
“Yes. It means my calculations were correct. So even without actual confirmation, we do have constructive confirmation. You should inform your military command.”
The mutant was right, even if Adam didn’t want to admit it.
Panur saw the concern on Adam’s face. “It has been the practice of the Nuoreans to retain prisoners for their games, especially Humans. I have confidence they are still alive,” the mutant said.
“But for how long?”
Panur smiled. “The lifespan of Human prisoners is often considerably longer than others in the same situation. From experience, I can even say it is to the detriment of the capturers in some cases.”
Adam shook his head while thinking—again—that the mutant was correct. But how much longer would humanity’s lucky streak continue? He got on a link to Formil and gave them the destination coordinates for Sherri’s team. There was nothing else he could do now but wait. Wait for Dacus Zoffis to return to Incus and wait for word concerning the fate his closest friends—and Copernicus Smith.
The next day, they were informed that Dacus Zoffis was back at Advanced Plasma Objects. The message came through an intermediary, with an inquiry as to the subject matter of the requested meeting. When the Humans and Dacus had first met, Adam and Riyad had left him and his assistants tied up in a laboratory, ostensibly to give them cover against a Juirean backlash for the help they provided. He didn’t know if it worked, since they left the planet shortly thereafter. The fact that the scientist was still alive was encouraging, but it may not tell the whole story. Adam could understand the alien’s reluctance to see him again.
He sent back a cryptic reply having something to so with a follow-up to the artifact the Incus had found. Just knowing the scientist was back on the planet was enough to set Adam’s team in motion. They were in a transport, heading for APO, before the alien had a chance to say yea or nay to the meeting.
Security at the entrance to the vast research and manufacturing facility was just as tight as it had been before, with the notable exception that no Juireans were lingering inside the guard shack. The native security detail scurried up to the odd alien foursome.
“Your business here?” one of the guards asked.
“We have an appointment with Dacus Zoffis,” Adam replied, anticipating that the scientist had sent a message agreeing to the meet while the team was in transit.
The guard returned to the shack and came out a moment later. “There is no notice on file, yet he did approve your entry verbally. My associate will drive you to his work post.”
Ten minutes later, the eclectic mix of aliens stopped at one of the dozens of identical buildings where only rudimentary designations were painted above the main entrance doors. A native met them and led the team to the office of Dacus Zoffis. The expression of the dog-faced alien was impossible to read through all the wrinkles and folds of skin, yet his words settled any questions Adam may have had regarding his feelings.
“I do not wish to spend m
uch time with you, Adam Cain,” growled the scientist. It was humorous as his high-pitched voice tried to sound menacing. He cast his gaze on the others in Adam’s party. “Your Human companion is not with you?”
“No, he’s off causing trouble elsewhere,” Adam said, trying to block out the concern he had for his missing friend. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
“The Juireans did not believe the ruse you employed last time. Only my status within the company spared my life. My assistants were not so fortunate, and for that, I hold you responsible.”
“I’m sorry about that, Dacus, but I see the Juireans are no longer a threat to your planet or commerce.”
The native recovered some from his anger. “That is correct, yet we are still reeling from the effects of their brief occupation.” He hesitated before continuing. “I should admit we have followed your recent exploits and I begrudgingly thank you for liberating Incus from the Juireans. Yet now I see we have other enemies, enemies of all the races in the galaxy, be they Union members or Expansion subjects.”
Adam nodded. “Yes we do, but that’s not the reason we’re here.”
Dacus looked again at the motley crew backing Adam. “What is it you seek?”
“We’re looking for the location where the artifact was found.”
“The Pogo Device?”
“That’s not what it’s called, but yeah, the Pogo Device.”
The mood of the scientist improved noticeably. “Do you have the object with you?”
“No…it has returned to its makers.”
Dacus looked at the other members of the team, cocking his head in a very dog-like fashion. “I do not understand. The artifact was estimated to be over three billion years in age. How could it return to its makers?”
“Because its makers are back.”
Adam didn’t see any advantage in keeping information from Dacus. The scientist had been a valuable ally before, he could be again.
“How is this possible?” the alien asked.
“They’ve been in a form of suspended animation all this time. Now they’ve kidnapped—taken—my daughter.”
