by T. R. Harris
“For what?”
“Oh, this is not for you exclusively, but for your entire race. If you had not accomplished what you have the Juirean race would have continued along our same self-destructive path. We realize now that we did not have the Expansion to serve us, but rather we existed to serve the Expansion. That had never been our intention as a people. Looking back on the millennia, it seems we never were superior to any of our subjects, even though we believed ourselves to be. We were the servants, and everyone else the masters. As a result of your actions, we will now have a chance to live as a race of people again, interacting as all the other members of the Expansion have been allowed to do. That is why I thank you. You have given identity back to the Juirean people.
“May good fortune follow you, Mr. Cain. Maybe someday, when the Juirean race has recovered, Humans and Juireans will become friends.”
The screen went blank and Admiral Allen and Adam spent a long minute in silence staring at their reflections in the shiny black screen.
“Ain’t that some shit,” Adam finally said, breaking the silence. “Tell me you were recording that, Admiral?”
“Of course, and I will get this out to Earth right away.” Allen placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Good job, Captain. When he requested you personally, I didn’t know what to expect. This will come as welcome news back on Earth. Without the Juireans to worry about, it looks like we’re pretty much in charge of the whole damn thing.”
“Yes sir. But now that we own the galaxy, what are we going to do with it?”
Chapter 46
Adam pulled the furry hood of the parka tighter around his head and trudged a little further in the near-knee-high snow drifts. The velocity of the wind was high, yet one of the things he found about worlds with lighter gravity, lower air density meant weaker winds. The velocities may be the same, but rather than fighting to remain upright against the force, it was more like a soft breeze on his pink cheeks.
It had been two hours since the conversation with Lord Wydor, and afterwards Adam had felt a strong urge to get outside and experience some wide open spaces; the close walls of the flying saucers had suddenly felt more confining. Even though the weather outside the command complex was terrible, Adam welcomed the change. It helped him put things in perspective, something this mind had been attempting to do for several months already.
Adam could see where Malor Tower had once stood, marked by the few remaining metal frame elements still anchored securely in the massive concrete foundation, although now twisted and warped into something resembling a scene from an old black-and-white gothic horror movie. He moved between two twisted spires and made his way to where he estimated the center of the structure would have been, at the very spot where the Contact Monument had once stood. In a surprising flash of Jerry Seinfeld-type thinking, Adam thought the Juireans really had to work on naming their monuments and structures better, maybe use a little more imagination and flair. Contact Monument had never really done it for him. But that was a thought for another day.
The Kracori asteroid had done a real number on the planet, even though it hadn’t arrived with the tremendous velocity and punch of a traditional impact event. Adam looked out across the vast alluvial plain below the mountain and out to the Southern Sea beyond. He was sure the Kracori had been originally aiming for the very spot he now stood, however they missed. The massive rock of nickel and iron had instead struck almost a hundred kilometers out to sea; the hundred meter high tsunami sweeping in from the ocean, across the vast plain — where the still-smoldering remains of Juir City had once stood — and then reaching the very base of the Kacoran Plain itself. And then the waters receded, leaving the land below virginal, as it was before the first ancient Juirean had ever set foot upon its grasses.
He would be leaving for Earth in a few days and was not looking forward to twelve long months cooped up in a metal cocoon. But it would be good to get home. He had been gone for three years — four if you didn’t count the brief six-day stay just before the Juireans attacked. He was sure he would find things so incredibly different from when he left….
He stretched out a wide, cynical smile as the cold air struck the skin of his face. I make it sound as if I had a choice about leaving, he thought. That was hardly the case.
Indeed, very little that had happened to him over the past four years had been his choice, and he placed the blame for such circumstance squarely in one place: on aliens! Since his first encounter with these odd creatures, they had brought him nothing but pain, misery and heartache. They had disrupted his life and taken away his future.
Yes, a year was a long time to spend confined to a big metal disk, but Adam Cain swore — then and there — that after he got back to Earth it would be a cold day in Hell before he would ever return to space again!
Chapter 47
Seven Years Later…
It was a particularly cold day in Hell when Adam’s shuttle landed atop the Kacoran Plain, near the cluster of twenty-four buildings that now made up the provisional capital of the EU — the Expansion Union. He watched through the shuttle’s viewport as great clouds of snow were thrown back by the craft’s chemical landing ports as they settled onto the hard, icy surface of Juir.
He wasn’t surprised to see that the climate still hadn’t returned to normal on the homeworld of the Juireans in the seven years since he left. It would normally be winter in these latitudes, however, the temperature worldwide was still sitting about ten degrees below normal. Harsh winters covered more of the surface these days and lasted longer into the year, and the experts estimated it would still be another ten years or more before the planet would heal itself completely from the Kracori asteroid attack.
Adam felt the sudden shift in gravity as the internal well dissolved, leaving him suddenly about fifty pounds lighter than he was used to. It had been years since he’d experienced the sensation, and for a moment it made him smile thinking about all the amazing feats he had been able to accomplish back in the day.
What is this crap? he asked. Am I feeling nostalgic?
He might have been in a way, he acknowledged. A lot had happened since his return to Earth so many years before, after an excruciating long and boring ride back to the planet. In fact, putting that in context, he had spent two out of the last seven years just traveling from Juir to Earth and now back to Juir again. Two years out of his life wasted aboard a giant metal Frisbee.
His tenure back on Earth had been a whirlwind, too, so much so that it seemed like only a blip in time looking back on it now.
He had been welcomed back as a hero, a role for which he was completely ill-prepared to play. The current president of the United States, Sean McLaren, had kept the promise of his predecessor and pardoned him — along all his cohorts — for any culpability in the Juirean attack on the planet. In fact, he was made out to be the lone voice of reason, unheeded by those in power at the time.
But it hadn’t ended there.
He was also given credit for stopping the Kracori attack as well.
The entire population of the planet was well aware of the nuclear plague the aliens had attempted to infect them with — the resulting EMP was something that couldn’t be hidden and had to be explained. What very few people knew, however, was that the Human defenders had had nothing to do with stopping the attack.
Within the enclaves of the powerful, it was decided that this particular bit of information would not have been welcomed among a race of people sitting on the brink of hysteria. If they had known the truth — that the Kracori had been only minutes away from irradiating the planet for generations, and that those they had entrusted to protect them had failed — that would not have done anything to instill confidence in their leaders. There would have been a complete breakdown in trust that their governments could keep them safe from all the disparate forces in the galaxy who — for some god-damn reason — didn’t like Humans very much.
So that part of the story was kept quiet, and after much
convincing, Adam went along with the deception. The new official version was that Adam had warned the authorities of the impending attack, and then through sheer skill and determination, the authorities were able to stop the Kracori.
It made the Human race sleep better at night knowing that their leaders could protect them, even if it was a lie.
And so now Adam Cain was considered the savior of all mankind.
He had gone on the lecture circuit — another thing he abhorred — before finally settling down in a genuine log cabin in the pristine, pine-shrouded mountains outside of South Lake Tahoe, California. At the time, Sherri Valentine was still with him, but that soon ended. It seemed that when two people are thrown together through some tragic or life-threatening event — such as spending three years being chased by aliens throughout the galaxy — then trying to maintain that relationship in light of the everyday and the mundane was very difficult to achieve. He had not heard from her for nearly three years.
Riyad Tarazi had faded away as well. He was semi-famous now — although nothing like Adam — and had made a fair amount of money off a book he wrote about his experiences in space. Adam hadn’t had the time to read it yet, but he was sure Riyad had glossed over some of the more unsavory parts of his adventures. Adam hadn’t heard from him in a couple years either.
Lieutenant Andy Tobias was now Captain Andy Tobias, still in the Navy, yet spending most of his time off-planet, as most of the military did these days.
Chief Geoffrey Rutledge had retired from the Navy and was now living in Key West, Florida, running a small fishing boat operation with his buddy John Tindal. Unknown to Adam before this time, the two of them were actually fairly accomplished musicians, and they moonlighted as a duo at the Hog’s Breath Saloon on Duval Street four nights a week. They were known by the professional name of Local Knowledge, meaning they knew their way around. In their case, that meant a lot of places — including the galaxy.
Yes, Adam was feeling nostalgic. But now he had a job to do, one that had brought him twenty thousand light years across the galaxy and to a planet he swore he’d never return to.
Adam was escorted to the main structure on the mountain, a building unceremoniously called NU-6. Aliens never were very creative at naming things — but neither were Human bureaucrats! It was a nine-story concrete structure, housing the Administrator’s offices and the primary diplomat corps for Earth. Most of the surrounding buildings housed the military headquarters for the galaxy, as well as various Human trade missions.
Below the mountain, and on land that had once been Juir City, a new city in its own right had sprung up: Consulate City. With a population nearing half a million — including an estimated thirty-five thousand Humans — this was where the diplomatic missions from nearly eight thousand worlds could be found.
And snuggled up against the base of the mountain were the buildings of the Union Assembly, where representatives from the twenty-three sectors of the Expansion held court.
Adam was amazed at all the changes that had taken place here in seven years, especially in light of the planet’s harsh weather. But when one has the resources of a galaxy at one’s disposal, then anything was possible.
Yes, it turned out that the Human Expansion was still run out of the planet Juir, at least officially. Most of the actual day-to-day operations, however, took place on Earth, a task made easier by the sustained-wormhole (S/W) relays invented by the Klin, which allowed for instantaneous communications between Earth and Juir. It seemed that in their haste to leave the Cluster, the Kracori had left an S/W relay station in orbit around Juir. Human and alien technicians had quickly learned the secrets of the device, and had actually improved upon it. Now most starships and planets within the Expansion utilized this revolutionary new technology.
Even though communications had improved greatly in the intervening years, travel time throughout the galaxy had not. Earth was still located much too far away to make an effective capital for the Expansion, and so it was decided that it served everyone’s best interest to keep the official capital of the galaxy at the same location it had been for the past four thousand years.
At least it would remain so for a few more months, until Adam Cain concluded his assignment.
Inside the main administration building it was warm and cozy, with dark wood paneling lining the walls and with impressive statues of crystal and marble set about tastefully. The wide corridor that led to the Administrator’s office was floored with a thick, red-wine colored carpet with intricate designs subtly embossed in its weave. Adam followed the young Human aide down the hallway and up to the ornate double doors of carved wood. The doors looked familiar, and Adam knew why.
The aide opened the doors and Adam walked in. Behind the massive wood desk, the Administrator for the Expansion Union rose up with a wide grin across his face, his huge figure looking slightly less huge than the last time Adam had seen him.
“My friend, Adam Cain, it is so wonderful to see you again. It has been ages.”
“Yes it has, Kroekus, and I’m glad to see this meeting is on much friendlier terms than last time.” Last time was when Kroekus had attempted to have him, Sherri and Riyad all killed in the crime boss’s headquarters back on the Fringe world of Silea. “And I see you have imported the same doors from your old office.”
“Please have a seat, Mister Ambassador! And yes, I try to make myself as comfortable as I can wherever I go. Charm is a lavish life, so they say.”
Adam didn’t quite catch the Silean reference, but the meaning registered. Adam grinned as he took a seat in a richly-padded chair in front of the desk. “You look good, Kroekus. Have you lost weight?”
Adam noticed a frown appear on the alien’s forehead, but then the smile quickly returned. “Ah, your foreign ways,” Kroekus said jovially. “Your ignorance can be forgiven, but let me explain why that question is not a compliment. For Silean males our, ah, sex organ, grows with our accumulation of weight and mass. Therefore, the larger the male, the larger is his, shall I say — tool? It is a sign of sexual prowess and attribute to be of considerable bulk, and quite appealing to our females. But looking at you Humans, I see that does not apply to your race — or does it?”
Adam couldn’t help himself; he burst out laughing, exposing teeth and all. Kroekus did the same, however his laugh was like that of car engine trying to turn over in cold weather. The two of them laughing made for a quite a scene.
Once the pleasantries were out of the way, along with a little more reminiscing, the two diplomats got down to business.
“Your news will not be welcome, Adam.”
“I realize that, but it is a decision we’re going with. I hope you understand.”
“Oh I do, completely. It is just that it will throw the galaxy back into turmoil just as we were beginning to recover. It will not make my job any easier.”
Adam had often wondered why the former crime lord of Silea had taken the job of Administrator in the first place — he didn’t need the headache. Kroekus had capitalized on the retreat of the Juireans during the war by issuing gold-certificates to the hundreds — and then thousands — of worlds who had previously relied on Juirean credits as their currency of record. And then with the complete downfall of the Juireans and their money, Kroekus soon reorganized the entire financial structure of the galaxy, through a combination of gold-backed credits and an elaborate conversion program that allowed for individual worlds to use their own currency in intergalactic transactions.
Adam was in awe knowing that sitting across the desk from him, was the wealthiest creature in the entire galaxy.
“Kroekus, I’ve often wondered why you even bother with this job? You don’t need to put up with all the bullshit — I mean — trouble that goes along with it.”
The Silean had had drinks and snacks brought in and now he devoured a pastry-looking thing and then downed a long swallow of a brown liquid. “Adam, my friend, my family has controlled Silea for a thousand years; I was born into w
ealth, so credits mean very little to me. I enjoy the running of things, of seeing vast organizations operating under my direction, and I gain pleasure in seeing these operations work efficiently. When I saw the financial system of the Expansion collapsing, I simply offered a solution. That solution worked, and now I have more wealth than I could possibly use. But I had that already. Now it is the challenge I live for.”
“Then my announcement shall give you a challenge like never before.”
“Indeed. And speaking of the announcement, the representatives should all be assembled by now. Are you ready to turn the galaxy upside down, my friend?”
Adam suddenly felt knots twist in his stomach. He had never been comfortable with public speaking; his only consolation came from knowing that only about thirty beings would be present — and nearly all of them would be aliens.
Adam’s ‘announcement’ would take place in a room resembling a small college lecture hall. There were several rows of seats rising up to the back of the room and all facing a small stage. A lectern had been set up on the stage.
Adam had had a year to prepare for this announcement, even though he had long ago decided not to follow any formal structure. He wasn’t a public speaker, so instead he would simply state the facts as best he knew them and then play it by ear. For far too long he had made himself sick wondering how his presentation would turn out, but then one day, months ago, he came to a liberating realization: He didn’t give a damn what they thought! This was something the Human race was doing for their own benefit, and not for the Expansion’s.
If the aliens didn’t like it — then tough.
Adam and Kroekus entered the hall from a side door. There was a cacophony of alien chatter filling the room when they entered that quickly dropped to a hush as they were noticed. The Administrator took a seat off to the side of the audience while Adam climbed the three short steps to the stage and moved behind the podium.
