by T. R. Harris
“The DEmon has entered the atmosphere,” Lila stated matter of factly.
There was a pregnant pause on the Ed Gibson. At Dasnon, the explosions—if the dark-matter events could be called that—occurred almost immediately after the attack vessels reached their target. It should come anytime now. The fate of Navarus—Adam’s most recent homeworld—was sealed.
A minute is a long time to hold one’s breath, especially if you weren’t planning to hold it. Two minutes was virtually impossible.
“What’s going on?” Riyad asked.
“Nothing,” Panur said. “No events have been recorded.”
“Where’s the ship?”
“We lost it as it slipped around to the other side of the planet. I’m attempting to access planetary monitoring systems, although Navarus doesn’t have many. Besides, anyone who would be operating the systems has fled, either off the planet or into the jungles. Even the military has shut down. It may take a while to track the rare energy signature of the dark-energy drive.”
“And in the meantime,” Lila said. “We still have a battle to conduct.”
“It should not last much longer,” Panur said. “Kanan has succeeded in getting a ship to Navarus. There will be no reason for him to prolong the attack, especially in light of the casualties he’s taking.”
“Tell that to the DEmons breaking past Dyreehs.,” Adam said. “There doesn’t seem to be any slowing of the battle. And there have been no explosions on Navarus,” he pointed out, unnecessarily. “What’s going on?”
“Kanan used five ships at Dasnon to plant the bombs,” Sherri offered. “They may have to go off simultaneously to have the most effect, and it takes time to place them.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Adam said.
“We have a tentative track for the dark-energy warcraft,” Lila announced. “It dropped low into the atmosphere and then skirted along the ocean before reaching land right around Balamar. After that, contact was lost in ground clutter, but there is no indication the ship proceeded further east. The Lakes would have allowed us to pick up a signal.”
“Balamar?” Adam said. “Why?”
Panur turned his grey face to Adam. “Do you not know what this means?”
“No, what?”
“It’s Kanan. He’s piloting the Gracilian warship himself.”
“Kanan? Why … why do you say that?”
“Because of the treasure,” Riyad offered before Panur could answer.
“Very good, Mr. Tarazi,” said the mutant. “Kanan has come looking for the treasure trove of Aris artifacts—as the Gracilian scientists called it—that Jroshin took from Gracilia.”
“If that’s the case, there must be something in there that he wants—or needs,” Sherri said.
“That would provide the motivation,” Panur said. “And he will not destroy the world until he has recovered it.”
“Well, good luck with that,” Riyad grumbled. “I’ve been looking for that stash for almost a year, as has Summer and her team. Still nothing.”
“Don’t you think Kanan might be better able to find said treasure than you and Ms. Rains?” Panur asked.
Riyad shrugged. “I suppose.”
“And consider this,” Panur continued. “He’s in the process of sacrificing his very limited fleet to buy time to locate this mysterious treasure. There must be something of extreme importance within the cache.”
“Like what?” Adam asked, before realizing his question was rhetorical.
“I have no idea,” Panur answered. “But whatever it is, it is more valuable than his fleet.”
“And you know what?” Sherri said anxiously. “It’s also probably the reason he came here before when he almost killed Adam and Coop.”
Panur nodded. “He tried subterfuge, but failed,” the mutant said. “And now, he is using the distraction of the invasion to accomplish his goal.”
“He hasn’t accomplished it yet,” Adam said defiantly. “He still has to find it first. There could still be time to stop him.”
Riyad jerked his head around to stare at Adam. “Eh, you’ve tried that before; a lot of people have. After all, this is Kanan we’re talking about.”
“We have to try. And we have time to save Summer and the others, too. I say we go for it.”
Riyad turned Panur. “Hey, eh, you don’t think you could break away from here and join us on the surface, now do you?”
“Is that an awkward way of asking for my help?”
“Always.”
Panur looked over at Lila.
“Go,” she said. “I can coordinate the battle. It is apparent now that Kanan has lost interest in preserving his units. The fighting will continue, and with the Lerpiniere Pods, we should have complete victory, if Kanan does not withdraw his forces. Go, save Summer, and stop Kanan. I fear for what he is after. For us, it would be more dangerous than his fleet. That concerns me.”
“It concerns me, as well. Okay, Mr. Tarazi, let’s make a hop down to Navarus. I’m anxious for a rematch with our Aris opponent.”
“I want to come, too,” Copernicus stated.
Panur turned to him. “Please, Mr. Smith, remain aboard the Ed Gibson. Your expertise is better served here. Take my seat. Combat experience, plus a master mechanic. Who better to assist Lila? You must serve where you are best suited.”
“But I—”
“No, Copernicus, you can’t go,” Panur said a little more forcefully. “Stay.”
Adam, Riyad, Sherri and Panur were out the doorway a moment later and running for the EG’s launch bay.
They had a shuttle aboard the ship, brought in for this very circumstance. It was a newer military class T-18, which Adam affectionally called the Ed Gibson, Jr. Riyad was at the controls five seconds after entering the spacecraft while Sherri, Panur and Adam strapped in behind him. Localized gravity was cut just as the atmosphere was dumped from the bay. Small reactive gas jets got the shuttle moving toward the slowly opening launch bay doors.
Adam inhaled sharply as the Ed Gibson, Jr. shot for the narrow opening. He let out a deep breath when the ship cleared the doorway with only inches to spare, a testament to Riyad’s superior piloting skills.
Navarus grew in the forward viewport, but not as fast as Adam would have liked. The shuttle may be new and shiny, but it wasn’t very fast. Biting his bottom lip, he was furious with the slow pace of the Ed Gibson, Jr. He should have put a speeder in the launch bay instead of this sloth. But because of Dasnon, Adam was expecting a breakaway squadron from the main fleet to trigger his rescue of Summer and her team, not a solitary renegade warship zipping in past Liave.
He checked his instruments. They were still forty minutes from the planet, making it an hour or so before they would reach the mountains. Even knowing Kanan was on the surface, Panur’s words haunted him. What if they came in for a landing right at the time one of the bombs went off in the vicinity? And the vicinity for one of these things was something like a two hundred fifty-mile radius.
He shrugged. He’d worry about that when they reached Navarus. If Navarus was still there.
Chapter 11
On the way to the planet, Adam repeatedly attempted to open a link to Summer Rains on the surface of Navarus but received no answer. That wasn’t right. He’d talked to her only six hours before, and she was expecting his call to coordinate a rescue if need be. She should have been waiting with communicator in hand for his call. Something wasn’t right.
He had the coordinates to the team’s main base. It was high in the mountains, which at certain times of the year were capped with snow. There would still be a little at that elevation. Summer, Monty and Tidus had searched only about thirty percent of the two hundred mines that perforated the granite rock of the Zocor Range. They’d started with the ones closest to the area’s only access road. Snow and other weather conditions obliterated any evidence showing which mines were recently visited, leaving them no tell-tale signs of which excavations to explore. Another factor that m
ade their task difficult was the fact that each mine snaked back into the mountain for several miles and with dozens of offshoots from the main tunnels. They did find footprints in most of them, tracks left in the light dust. But it was almost impossible to tell their age. So, the going was slow. But at the end of this literal tunnel could be a fortune of two billion Juirean credits waiting for them. To the trio of treasure hunters, that was worth whatever time and effort it took.
And that was why they refused to leave. They knew Panur and Lila and trusted that they could come up with something that would prevent the destruction of Navarus. Besides, the possibility that the planet faced destruction only come about after Dasnon. Perhaps it was a fluke, an unintended consequence of several dark matter bombs going off at specific locations around the globe. The same thing may not happen on Navarus, even if the bombs did go off. The only thing that gave the trio pause was the fact that their mountain retreat sat within the two-hundred-fifty-mile radius of a dark-matter event. And Kanac would be among the primary targets should Kana’s forces make it to the planet.
Although the team desperately wanted to stay, they reluctantly agree to be prepared to evacuate if the time came.
And now they had gone radio silent. Adam could only think of one thing that would have caused that.
Summer, Monty and Tidus had built a camp fifty feet back in one of the larger mines. They’d been there for about a month, the latest in a long string of such encampments, this one among a cluster of eight shafts cut into this part of Mt. Zocor. The good thing about camping out in old mine shafts is they were well-protected against the elements and secure—if one didn’t venture too far into the mine. But they did play havoc with radio communications.
With a battle raging in space for the very survival of Navarus, Summer was making frequent trips to the mine’s entrance to check on link reception. They weren’t too far into the shaft to cut off all communications, but she couldn’t be sure. And this was one call she didn’t want to miss.
The air was cold and brisk at eight thousand feet elevation, sweeping down the steep slopes and chilled by the remains of the Winter snowfall. It was a little past mid-day, and another reason she came out was to look for intruders. For the past week or so, the mountains had been inundated by refugees from Kanac and Balamar, believing the mines would protect them against any attack Kanan may foist upon their communities; however, not as many people had shown up since the destruction of Dasnon became news. For those who couldn’t get off the planet, there wasn’t much point of heading for the hills for safety, not if the entire world would be destroyed.
Summer squinted against the bright sunlight, looking over the wide plateau outside the entrance. At one time, this mine was one of the major operations on the mountain, and a graveyard of rusted equipment lay strewn about. Beyond was a forest road that hugged a steep decline, covered in Navarean pine, or an alien variety of the conifer. They looked and smelled like pine, so to Summer, they were pine. Looking out on the all-too-familiar scene allowed her to forget the fact that she was on an alien world five thousand light-years from her home. And not having the towering, blue-haired Juirean Tidus around to remind her of where she was, that was helpful, as well.
A movement down the road caught her attention, something out of sync with the swaying of the trees in the mountain breeze. Summer sighed and shook her head. Another group of refugees from the city. Over the months, Summer had come to see the Zocor Range as her mountains. She lived most of her life here now, and usually, no one intruded on her sanctuary.
Frustrated, she went to investigate the intruders along the narrow dirt roadway, determined to use her Human abilities to let whoever was there know that they weren’t welcome.
She walked down the ever-increasing slope until she reached the road. The path was shrouded in shade, and although she dressed for the season, she still shivered from the sudden drop in temperature. The dark figure was hiking up the road, cast in shadow. Suddenly, Summer’s eyes grew wide, and then she pursed her lips.
“Dammit, Adam, you scared the hell out of me!” She held up her communicator. “Why didn’t you call?”
Adam Cain frowned at the communication device while continuing up the slope.
“What’s happening with the battle?” Summer asked. “Is that why you’re here? Do we have to leave?”
“The battle, it’s proceeding. It has not concluded.”
“Okay, then,” Summer said with resignation. She turned and began hiking back up the road. “C’mon, let’s go tell the others what’s going on. We have our stuff ready to go.”
“The others?”
“Yeah, of course. What the hell’s wrong with you? Are you alone?”
“Yes, I am alone.”
“I didn’t hear the shuttle when you came in, but I may have been back in the mine. Hurry. It’s cold out here.”
Summer led Adam into the dark interior of the mine. The adit was wide, allowing for multiple rail lines and conveyor belts that once operated here. Like most of mining operations on alien worlds, their purpose was the search for base metals, such as copper, zinc and nickel, along with various minerals used in manufacturing and chemical processes. Seldom did alien mines dig for precious gems, gold or silver, although these, too, were important in manufacturing. The fickleness of what one race considered to be precious compared to another made value a relative term. Besides, when asteroids contained vast quantities of this material, be it gold, silver or even diamond, the value was depressed. The mines of Navarus had been used primarily to supply the needs of the early settlers before the planet became wealthy enough to buy them off-world. Most of the mines in the Zocor Range had been shut down for the past fifty years, making them excellent locations to store stolen items, as Aric Jroshin had discovered.
A large staging area had been carved out of the rock and formed an underground base just inside the mine, both for the former operators of the mine, as well as for Summer and her team. It was far enough from the exit to keep out most of the cold but not too far into the interior to risk cave-ins.
“Hey, look who I ran into,” Summer announced, her voice echoing off rough stone walls. Her tone betrayed the disappointment she felt. Adam would only be here if Navarus was in jeopardy, meaning their year-long-quest for Jroshin’s hidden treasure was coming to an end.
Numerous electric lamps were positioned along the perimeter, lighting the camp. Cots sat off to one side, with chairs, tables and a small cold-fusion generator placed haphazardly across the dusty floor. A glowing red heating coil was placed at the center of the room, radiating warmth that was held in by the granite walls of the chamber. After nearly a year of searching the mountain for Jroshin’s hidden fortune, the team no longer cared about aesthetics. Things tended remained where they were first placed until it came time to move them again.
Monty was on his cot with a tree-trunk-thick, tattooed arm draped across his forehead. Even in the cold of the mountains, Monty seldom wore shirts with sleeves. The Juirean, Tidus, was at a table, feasting on some brown mush from the portable food processor. They looked over at Adam as he came into the light.
Adam was wearing an Enforcer uniform and nothing else; no jacket or even a utility belt with his trusty hand cannon—the ancient .45 caliber Colt single-action Army revolver he carried with him most of the time. It was more for show than function. He said it helped him feel the part of the frontier Marshal when he wore it.
“Dammit!” Monty said. “If you’re here, then that means Navarus is about to become toast. And there goes our fortune.”
“Is that right?” Tidus asked. “Did Kanan’s forces get through already, or are they on their way?”
Adam surveyed the cavern, taking in the three occupants before responding. “Have you explored this mine?” he asked.
The question took the trio by surprise.
“Most of it,” Summer replied, frowning. “We’re mainly using it for a base while we check out the other seven along the ridge. But what d
oes that have to do with anything?”
Adam turned to the entrance, having produced a small electronic device he carried in his hand. Summer hadn’t seen it before.
“Yes, the signal is close to the east. You will come with me now. I will need your assistance.”
Monty and Tidus were on their feet a moment later. They didn’t know what was happening, but the one thing they were sure of this was not Adam Cain. Summer was the first to react, being the closest to the intruder. She dove away for her compound bow. It was leaning against the rock wall about ten feet away. She rolled in the dust, covering herself thoroughly while scooping up the weapon along with an arrow next to it. In one fluid motion, she rolled onto her back, notched the bolt and drew back the d-loop. The arrow shot out, striking the Adam Cain imposter in the left shoulder.
Whoever was pretending to be Adam reacted to the hit, but not in the manner Summer was expecting. He looked at the thin composite rod sticking from his body with almost amused detachment before gripping it with his right hand and pulling it from his flesh. The arrow was blunt-tipped and not one of her bladed hunting bolts. Even if it was, she doubted it would have made much of a difference.
Now Monty and Tidus reacted, going for their MKs. By now, it was obvious this was Kanan, having constructed a new robot body, but this one in the form of their old team leader, Adam Cain.
The robot turned to the motion, squinting his eyes in their direction. Following their sight, Kanan focused on the energy weapons on a table near the food processor. The bolt launchers weren’t something the team wore all the time. At the moment, that was a decision they regretted.
A brilliant flash filled the chamber, not from the MK weapons, but rather emanating from Kanan’s eyes. The blast of light struck the guns, scorching the leather holsters and frying the internal electronics of the pistols.
