by T. R. Harris
I smiled at the alien; I was actually beginning to like him, or about as much as any Human could like a talking, purple, bug-like thing.
I had to fight back a laugh; he was probably thinking the same thing about me.
“So who do you think attacked you?” I asked, not knowing if the subject was taboo or not. As a former Army Ranger, it was always a good idea to know who your enemy was.
“It could have been one of a dozen groups within the Janis Swath—the area you call the Third-Quadrant. I tried to warn others that the transition to members of the Union would not be a peaceful one. I saw the conflicts coming long before this. Yet your officials have a way of asking for a lot while promising even more in return. Many occupants of the Swath—the Quadrant—have fallen sway to the lure of great wealth and power.”
“Humans are also relative newcomers to the Union,” I said. “In fact, the whole galactic empire thing was a real shock to us. We hadn’t even developed star travel at the time we were contacted.”
Enic cocked his head in an almost Human-like display of confusion. “I was not aware that was allowed? I have read the guidelines prescribed for membership quite extensively. They are very specific.”
“I know, but an exception was made in our case. I don’t know why, but it was.”
Enic looked to where Lefty stood at my side. “Perhaps it is your skill at warfare that the Union values most.”
“Could be,” I said, “but so far Humans haven’t been involved in any of the conflicts taking place within the Union. Hell, there haven’t been any real wars to speak of.”
“Until now,” said Enic.
“I’m sure that will be resolved soon enough, perhaps even through this conference.”
“You may be correct, Jason, although it is not getting off to a very promising start.”
“Don’t let the bad guys get the best of you, Mister President. Disrupting the conference is their goal, trying to make themselves look bigger and more important than they really are. I’m sure this has very little to do with you personally.”
“Perhaps you have missed your calling, Jason. You seem to have a natural affinity for politics. What is it you do as a life-skill?”
“I deal in what we call real estate—land and homes. I help people buy and sell housing units, such as the one we’re in.”
“Ah, then you are skilled at politics…and at manipulation.”
I continue to smile at the big purple bug, not sure if I’d just been insulted or not. “As are we both, Enic.” I bowed. If being a good manipulator was a bad thing in Conn culture, I’d just thrown it back in the alien’s face—or whatever you call that oblong thing on top of his body.
Regardless, I was going to pull Lefty aside as soon as possible and get him to broach the subject of my compensation. The HOA president was right: There were no guarantees of Enic’s safety at my house, and I may need the money for repairs should his enemies prove to be more determined and resourceful.
All in all, the next couple of days were going to be…well, the word was still a mystery.
Chapter 5
A gaggle of Conn came into the house a few moments later and set up a complicated communications station in my living room. After talking with Lefty about getting paid, I wandered past the room and overheard Enic speaking with Kinness-Gok-Mor, the president of the Union. I could hear Kinness reassuring him that such behavior was not to be tolerated within Union territory. The empire was relatively peaceful, and the conflict within the Quad would not be allowed to spread to other regions. He was going on the broadcasts in a few minutes to make just that point, and that any race found responsible for promoting such aggression would be forever barred from entry into the Union.
I knew Kinness in passing. We’d been at several social functions together, before and after he became president. He was a native of Sylox—a Zorphin—and as such had weathered the shitstorm surrounding the complicity of several of his species in the Unity Stone Affair. One of my closest alien friends had been a mastermind of the conspiracy, which from his vantage point was designed to gain independence for Sylox after its forced annexation to become the new capital of the Union. Even with all the prosperity, power and fame the distinction provided, there was still a faction of natives who wanted their old world and old ways back again.
Kinness had a hell of time convincing others that he was not part of the movement, barely surviving a recall election in the process. And now an attack on a VIP within the capital would not look good on his resume. That was why he was making a point of zero tolerance for such things—not in his Union, not on his planet.
********
These proclamations and precautions all sounded good….
Right up to the point when the first drone-delivered missile struck my house.
The HOA president had been accurate with his prediction. The attack came from the air, and shattered the front left side of my home. Enic, Lefty and I were in the kitchen at the time, so we survived, yet two more of Lefty’s men didn’t, along with three of the Conn security force.
With my ears ringing and smoke burning my eyes, I fought through the thick haze filling my home to take Enic my one of his spindly arms and guide him to my safe room, while Lefty and two of his men forming a screen around us. Most homes of this caliber had safe rooms, especially when built on an alien planet. The Human owners insisted on it.
Mine was much more than simply a room. It was bank of three small chambers buried forty feet below the house and lined with four-inch-thick alien composite material as hard as diamond. I had supplies down there to last a month, although I had no idea what Enic would find edible.
With the president’s status—and the whole galaxy watching—I was sure we’d only be down here for a couple of hours before the entire Union army would be swarming all over the place. Even so, I slumped in a chair off by myself, feeling about as depressed as possible. A quarter of my home was in ruins and would have to be rebuilt, and at most I could only squeeze one day’s rent out of Enic. That wouldn’t even cover the cost of the furniture.
When I heard the second explosion from above, I nearly threw up. I had a lot of very expensive things up there, not to mention all the life-long mementos and documents. Luckily, the really important papers were in my wall safe. But what good did that do when the whole wall was demolished? I was also pretty sure my homeowners insurance didn’t cover acts of terrorism. Maybe it did. Of course, the policy was in my wall safe….
Sensing my mood, Enic scurried up to me. “I’m terribly sorry for the fortunes that have befallen your home, Jason. Please be assured that I will see to it that my government covers the expense of any necessary repairs.”
I fought the urge to jump from the chair and dance a jig. Although this was the best news ever, I didn’t want Enic to see my relief. Instead, I wanted him in my debt. I thanked him while remaining morose. He needed to feel guilty, responsible. It would pay dividends when I came asking for his personal endorsement of the realty company I was going to open in the Quad.
Just then a sour thought crossed my mind: With how determined his enemies appeared to be, there was a very good chance Enic Jor wouldn’t live long enough for me to call in the favor.
That sucked.
********
It was worse than I imagined.
My once magnificent home was in ruins, and all the furniture, pictures, mementos, clothing and more were nothing but smoldering heaps of black soot.
We remained in my safe room for three hours, until the fire crews extinguished the flames and Union forces secured the area. If my neighbors were pissed before, they were absolutely livid now. Houses on both sides of mine suffered superficial damage, even though the lots were an acre in size. Wind-blown embers set Hank’s house on fire, although it had been quickly contained. The Chapman’s weren’t so lucky. Their house was hit with a fragment from the second explosion and a section of roof collapsed, giving their nine-year-old daughter Amy a slight head injury. He
r parents didn’t see the injury as slight and they had to be restrained by Union guards when I surfaced from the safe room. David Chapman was ready to tear my throat out.
Stephen Arsenault was granted access to my property, and told me in no uncertain terms that our friendship was over. He’d reassured all the neighbors that there was no danger in what I was doing. Now he had egg on his face.
At that point I nearly lost it. My entire home—everything that was me—was in ruins, and Stephen was more concerned with his status as the head of a rinky-dink homeowner’s association than he was about me. To his credit, he recognized the killer glint in my eyes and backed off. I was in no mood to apologize, not to anyone.
The only person offering any condolences was the alien Enic Jor. He showered me with apologies and was sick with remorse for my loss. He joined Lefty and me in a military transport vehicle for the trip to the Union security compound, while the three surviving Humans from Lefty’s security detail took a second vehicle. None of the Conn guards survived.
“As I said before, you will have all the resources necessary to either rebuild or purchase anew,” the alien said with conviction.
“I appreciate that, Enic, but right now I’m in shock over the loss of all my personal belongings. I never thought they meant that much to me, but damn, I was wrong.” This time, my moroseness was sincere. Little things, like yearbooks, pictures from my Army days, my discharge papers—even my souvenir first commission check—were all gone. Now as the car wound its way through the manicured lanes of the Enclaves, heading for the main highway into Sylox City, my mind was filled with even more once-trivial items I would miss and could never get back. They were the accumulation of a lifetime, a composite of who I am.
Sure, I could replace the house, but my home was lost forever.
I turned manic eyes on Enic. “I told you before that these attempts on your life weren’t personal, well I’m going to amend that. They aren’t personal for you, but they are to me. I need to know who these bastards are who just destroyed my home.”
“As I told you, it could be one a dozen subgroups.”
“But one of them is more determined than the others. Who’s that?”
“The Suf-D’s are fully invested in becoming the leaders of the Quad. They will do what they must to make sure I don’t secure that honor for the Janis Coalition, the group I represent.”
Lefty leaned forward. “But killing one creature would hardly change the outcome. In fact, it may garner more sympathy for your side.”
It was impossible to read Enic’s bug expression, especially with his wobbly eyes. But I sensed something deceptive in the way they both shifted to look out the window. He didn’t speak for several seconds.
“What is it you’re not telling us?” I growled at the alien. Decorum was gone. All I wanted were answers.
The weird eyes looked back at me and Lefty, one assigned to each of us. “This is information that must remain confidential, although a fair amount of it will become public very soon. As you know, not all the activities of the conference are made public. In fact, most of the observable events and speeches are for show only, while the real work is done behind the scenes.” I was startled when Enic’s eyes suddenly switched targets, and for no apparent reason. The movement caught me off guard.
He continued: “There are negotiations already underway that will guarantee the supremacy of the Coalition in the struggle for the Quad. The Suf-D’s are not happy about this.”
I could see Lefty’s muscles flexing under his shirt, tense beyond belief. He wasn’t the one who had just lost everything, but he was acting like it. That was a loyal friend.
“I say again, how can killing one creature stop that?”
“That is because I am the key to what the Coalition is offering in order to guarantee our success at the conference.”
“Offering?” Lefty asked. “You have something to give to the Union?”
The edges of Enic’s beak curled up; I didn’t know they could do that.
“Some would call it a bribe, we call it an incentive. Yet in the long term it will be safest for all parties concerned.”
I shook my head. “Now I’m confused. What is it you’re offering…as an incentive?”
“Have you ever heard of the Galactic Lights?”
I was taken aback. Of course I’d heard of the Galactic Lights, just like I’d heard of Klyigon’s Horde and Sinic—The Diamond Planet, along with Blackbeard’s treasure and El Dorado back on Earth. Once you started making your rounds throughout the galaxy, you picked up literally dozens of rumors, legends and old wives’ tales about mythical treasures and lost planets. The Galactic Lights was one of them.
“What about them?” Lefty asked.
“I’m offering the Lights to the Union for a favorable outcome at the conference.”
“You’re saying they’re real?” Lefty’s mouth fell slack. “No way, they’re just a myth.”
“I assure you, Mister Rodriquez, the Lights are real.”
“You’ve seen them?”
“Indeed. I hold the distinction as being the current Keeper of the Light. Members of my organization have been their guardians for a thousand years.”
“Wait a minute,” I blabbered. “The Lights can’t exist. I’ve read stories about how they go against all the laws of physics and nature and every other kind of law you can think of.”
Enic didn’t respond. He just stared at me with one of his eye stalks while continuing to wear that silly grin.
Something in the alien’s confident manner set my heart racing. “They’re real?” I whispered.
“If they are not, that I am the Keeper of…nothing.”
Lefty fell back in the seat. “It can’t be. If the Lights are real, then they would be…be—”
“Impossibly rare and incredibly dangerous,” Enic finished for him. “That is why we have decided to relinquish control of them to the Union. We gain in status, while the Lights are placed in safekeeping away from our rivals operating within the Janis Swath.”
“What makes you think they’ll be safe with the Union?” I asked sarcastically. “There’s plenty of turmoil taking place right here, just like everywhere. Are you saying they aren’t safe now?”
“That’s very astute of you, Jason. With the conflict raging in the Quad—and the perceived power and influence to the victor—the Lights have become endangered. I may be the Keeper, yet I am not the only creature who knows of their existence. There is a desperate effort underway to keep me from completing my task.”
“You have the Lights with you, here on Sylox?” Lefty’s voice trembled.
“Of course not, Mister Rodriquez.” I noticed a visible slump in Lefty’s shoulders. “They are safe for the time being. Once negotiations are complete, I will arrange for their transfer—if they remain in my possession at that time.”
“Is it that critical?” I asked.
“Where the Lights are now stored is at the center of the heaviest fighting in the Quad. I believe this is not by accident. Opposing forces may be closing in, and I must say there are others—even within my own Coalition—who do not wish me to succeed. They do not trust the Union.”
“I don’t blame them.” I had my own reasons for not trusting the Union. “And that’s why someone destroyed my house, because of this mythical treasure?”
“The Galactic Lights are hardly a myth, and only I know their exact location. Without me, they would not be given to the Union, and the opposing forces would have more time to locate the treasure for themselves.”
Lefty’s brow furrowed. “You said the heaviest fighting is taking place near where the Lights are hidden. So they’re not on Annoc-Conn?”
“That much I can confirm, however, that is all I will say. Mister King, you asked why I am being targeted? Now you know. I hope this information provides you with at least a little understanding as to why your home was destroyed.”
“Understanding, sure, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting t
o rip the spine out of every last one of the bastards who did it.”
Chapter 6
I’d been to the huge central security building in Sylox City only once before, after I was arrested for stealing the Unity Stone. Now I was being hustled through a guarded entrance and pressed into a cold elevator before moving to a bank of small holding rooms several stories below street level. Enic couldn’t stay here long, certainly not for the duration of the conference. That would appear to be providing favoritism to the Annoc-Conn, even in light of the attempts on the president’s life. But he would stay here until new accommodations could be found. Considering the events surrounding his last two residences that task might prove problematic.
For my part, I wouldn’t be offered any special treatment since I hadn’t been the primary target. I was termed collateral damage, along with my house. After a debriefing, I would be released and dumped out on the curb to fend for myself.
Fortunately, I wasn’t poor. My house may be gone but my bank account was still intact. Quint would be along to take me to one of the more luxurious hotels in the city. The only drawback was I had no idea how long I would have to stay. I knew of three vacant and furnished houses my property management division had for rent. I could crash in one of them for a while, maybe even committing to something long-term, at least until Enic made good on his promise to cover my loss. Then I would have a whole household of furniture to replace, all the way down to the silverware and hand towels. I wasn’t looking forward to that. I hate shopping.
Lefty was Enic’s shadow, something the alien authorized and encouraged. He had lost six of his ten-man unit in just over a day since arriving on Sylox, and guarding the president was now a matter of principle for my old Army buddy. From the stern looks on the faces of his surviving team members, they also shared his determination.
I was in a room with Lefty and Enic when Union president Kinness-Mok-Gor strode in. In reality, he hopped in. The natives of Sylox looked something like kangaroos, only with flatter faces and reverse knee joints. He glared at me as he came in. He may not have been part of the Unity Stone conspiracy, but I got the distinct impression he would not have been sorry if the coup had succeeded. Even though he was the current president of the Galactic Union, I felt he preferred to have his homeworld back and run by Zorphins, instead of a coalition of a hundred different powerful races.
