Battle Plan: Set in The Human Chronicles Universe (The Adam Cain Chronicles Book 3)

by T. R. Harris

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  12

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

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

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

  “You just did,” the tiny blonde fumed.

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

  The bounty hunting team prepared to leave.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  He continued past the monstrosity in earnest.

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

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

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

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

  And fortunately, he knew who had one.

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

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

  Kaylor unlocked the door.

  “You are back. What’s wron
g?”

  “I need to see Adam. Is he around?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  “He took his money?” Riyad asked.

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

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

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

  “And the shipyard?” Adam prodded.

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

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

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

  “Found what?”