Human Chronicles Part 2 Book 2: The Apex Predator (22 page)

As the bindings were removed from the two aliens, Riyad breathed a sigh of relief; however, as he looked into Ruszel’s eyes, he saw something he’d not seen there before. Was it hatred? Had the Kracori’s impassioned condemnation of the Humans swayed the Tel’oran? Would he do Riyad the favor he had asked … or not?

As the Kracori proceeded to drag him from the room, and soon through the umbilical joining the
Ifrit
with a larger Kracori warship, Riyad had no idea if he would die in vain, or whether his last desperate request would be granted.

The Tel’orans would be released, that much he was certain; what they would do after that he had no idea. Riyad felt sick to his stomach. He had once had at his disposal the means of forcing the Kracori to end his life quickly in the vacuum of space. Now all he had to look forward to were months of unimaginable pain and suffering. And he would not even have the comfort of knowing that his last wish had been carried out to bring him solace.

In the end, Riyad Tarazi will have lived a life unfulfilled, and for that he would suffer indignation and disgrace throughout all eternity.

Chapter 32

Adam Cain…

I
t was frustrating for both the Humans aboard the
Pegasus
that they were not able to warn the Earth or even announce their impending arrival. Yet all they had for comm was traditional radio, which even if they were to send a message to Earth by this method, would not arrive for over a thousand years. Their only means of communicating outside the ship would only become practical once they reach the Solar System, and then only if they can relay the warning to another nearby ship with CW capabilities. Fortunately, there would be plenty of traffic surrounding the system that he could communicate with in real-time. All they had to do was get there ahead of the Kracori.

********

When they finally arrived at the Solar System, Adam cut the gravity-drive and simultaneously activated the radio microphone. “Earth forces, this is Adam Cain and Sherri Valentine arriving in-system, please acknowledge.”

Two small sentry ships had been altered to their gravity-wave by monitors outside the system and were waiting along their line of approach. From the signatures of the ships, they were nothing more than tiny five-man monitoring vessels, and not the KFV-A’s that would normally be stationed at the system’s perimeter. After a longer-than-normal delay, the speakers in the pilothouse of the
Pegasus
came to life.

“Eh, you’re on a
radio
; is that what you meant to do?” The voice on the speaker sounded like that of a teenager, unsure and untrained.

“We realize that. Who am I speaking with?”

There was another pregnant pause before the speaker responded. “This is Cadet Adam DePere … did you say
Adam Cain
?”

“That’s correct, and I have a very important message for Fleet Command. Can you patch me through using your CW-array?”

“
Adam Cain!
This is amazing. I was named after you, or at least that’s what they tell me. I don’t really think it’s true, since I’m seventeen and I think the Juireans attacked fourteen, fifteen years ago. I’ve looked it up before, so I think it’s all bullshit.”

Adam’s jaw dropped open. He looked over at Sherri and saw her smiling. “You’re getting to be an old fart, aren’t you?” she said.

Adam shook his head and returned to the microphone. “That’s … eh, I don’t, but I really need that patch. Can you do it …
Adam
?”

“Yes, sir!” came the enthusiastic reply. “Just give me a minute to look up the instructions. It shouldn’t be too hard; it’s just that you’re on a different system than the CW. I have to say, it’s a real honor to speak with you, sir, even if I wasn’t named after you.”

“Please concentrate, son—” Adam cringed when he spoke the word ‘
son
.’ He had never referred to anyone like that before. He heard Sherri burst out laughing.

He covered the microphone and sent her a stern look. “This is serious! Do you mind?”

Sherri held up her hands in a sign of contrition. “Sorry, sir, I’ll try to be more respectful … of my elders.”

With the microphone held in his left hand, Adam lifted his right to the side of his face and extended the middle finger in Sherri’s direction. He scratched a non-existent itch.

“Okay, sir, I think I have it worked out.”

“Good, just let me know when I can talk.”

“Oh, go ahead … you’re connected now.”

Adam pasted a sour look on his face and sighed deeply. “This is Adam Cain, who am I speaking with?”

“This is Tech Sergeant Javier Luna … is this really Adam Cain? Can I get verification?”

“What do you want, Sergeant, my social security number? You don’t go by those anymore. I need you to pass along a very specific message to your commander. This is the message: There’s a Kracori fleet of warships heading for Earth that I suspect will be here in two days. All necessary defensive measures are to be taken. They are carrying nukes. Did you get that, Sergeant?”

There was a pause before Luna came back on the line. “Okay, who is this
really
?” There was laughter in the man’s voice. “Is that you, Morgan? You dickhead; you had me going for a while.”

“Listen up, Sergeant! This
is
Captain Adam Cain, and not your friend Morgan. This is critical information. Are you following me?”

“Bullshit. This can’t be Captain Cain. He’s somewhere on the other side of the galaxy, has been for years now.”

“You’re beginning to piss me off, Sergeant. You better—”

Sherri pulled the microphone from Adam’s hand. “This is Sherri Valentine, Mr. Luna. Does that name ring a bell?”

“Eh, yes ma’am.”

“Then you know Adam Cain and I often travel together. Does that help you get a grip on reality of the situation?”

“Well, yes it does.” His voice came back more defiant this time. “But I can’t just accept an unsolicited communication without verification.”

“Then get your supervisor. Maybe he – or she – will have the balls to make a fucking decision.”

“I can patch you to Commander Garcia, but that’s probably about as high as we can go at this time, I mean with most of the top brass already gone.”

Adam took the microphone again. “Gone? Gone where?” The lack of adequate security at the system’s edge had made him suspicious.

“To fight the Jusepi … sir.”

“You mean
everyone
is gone? Wasn’t a reserve force left in place?”

“They took everything, sir.”

The Kracori commander had told him the fleet had been sent to the Jusepi system; he just couldn’t imagine that meant everything, even the security units for the system.

“Can you locate Admiral Andrew Tobias; are you familiar with the name?”

“Of course, sir, but isn’t he retired?”

“If you say most of the top brass are gone, then I need someone who can verify my identity and who will have the clout to get things done. Are you hearing me, Sergeant?”

“I hear you, sir. I’ll check the roster, see if he’s listed. It’s all on the computer … so give me a minute.”

“That’s all I’ll give you, Sergeant, before I fire up my ship and blaze a trail straight up your ass—”

Sherri jerked the microphone out of Adam’s hands – again. “Very well, Sergeant, just hurry. What Captain Cain said earlier about the Kracori fleet is true. We don’t have a lot of time … son.” The wicked smirk she sent back at Adam did nothing to calm his anger, but it did make Sherri giggle seeing what a curmudgeon he had become – in his old age.

Chapter 33

A
fter creating a very shallow gravity-well, the
Pegasus
was escorted by the two small monitor ships past Jupiter and Mars and in towards Earth. The tiny ships struggled to keep up.

By this time, the reality of the situation had hit Sherri hard and she was fighting back the tears. Adam wasn’t too far behind.
If small units like those piloted by Cadet Adam DePere were all the Earth had left to send against the Kracori then all their efforts to warn the planet had been wasted. The Kracori would crush whatever meager resistance could be thrown against them and carry out their mission … that of the destruction of the Human homeworld.

It took three hours to find Admiral Tobias and get him to a CW link. By then, the
Pegasus
was just about to enter the atmosphere, and they switched to conventional radio.

“Hot damn, it’s good to hear from the two of you again!” the Georgian yelled through the speakers. “But let’s cut to the gristle – what’s this about some Kracori attack? The youngsters who rousted me out of my retirement seemed mightily confused.”

“Andy, we’re really screwed if what we’ve been told is true: has the entire fleet left the area to fight against some minor-league aliens?”

“Worse than that, Adam, they also pulled most of the security force for the system as well.”

“I saw that. But
why
would they do that?”

“Shock and awe, Captain, that’s why. Command really wants to go up against Elision, so they figured that if they send all they’ve got against the pointy-eared Jusepi, then they’d finish sooner and head out after the real enemy. However, if what you say is true, it now looks like this will be a home-game against the Kracori, and all we have left on the team are the equipment managers and field crew.”

“Andy, this is serious!” Sherri was nearing hysterics. “There are three hundred Class-4’s and 5’s only two days behind us – what are we going to do?”

“Miss Sherri, I do understand. Please forgive my Southern attempt at lightening the mood. We’ll surely get everything up to meet them, and I mean everything.”

“Sorry, Andy, I’m just really freaking out. I thought by getting here before the Kracori we’d have a good chance of mounting an effective defense. We have thousands of ships to their three hundred. I couldn’t imagine it would be like this.”

“Kind of makes you suspicious of the timing, doesn’t it.” Andy Tobias may be a good ol’ boy from the South, but he had spent twenty-two years as an officer in the SEAL’s. At one time he had been Adam’s lieutenant and direct senior officer in SEAL Team Six. Later, he had volunteered to join Adam and his band of renegades as they took to space again after the Juirean attack on the planet and spent the next three years roaming the edges of the Expansion as part of Adam’s seek-and-destroy unit behind enemy lines. He’d returned to Earth eight years ago and was awarded a meritorious promotion to Captain. A year ago he had put on his first star.

It seemed now his leisurely – and peaceful – retirement had in fact lasted only a total of seven months.

“Just get down here as soon as you can. Land in the VIP section of LZ-5 at Phoenix Command; I’ll have a car waiting. And don’t worry, Miss Sherri. We’ll put our heads together and come up with a plan. As soon as I hang up with you, I’ll start blowing up the cell towers letting everyone on the got-damn planet know what’s up. See you in a few minutes.”