Human Chronicles Part 2 Book 3: A Galaxy to Conquer (12 page)

Chapter 17

R
iyad managed to lift himself out of the wheelchair just long enough for Tindal and Adam to lower him to the floor of the cell. They positioned him so that the moment the door was opened he could be seen. Since the door was hinged and swung inward, there was a natural hiding place where Tobias and Rutledge stationed themselves.

Adam and John Tindal hid their metal rods along the side of the wheelchair, hidden from the view of the door. They would have only a split second to lift them as they moved toward the door.

Adam finally gave his nod, and Admiral Tobias began to bang on the door. “Help! Riyad Tarazi is having a seizure. He could die! Please help!” His voice echoed loudly off the concrete walls of the cell, surely loud enough to be heard outside.

Thirty seconds went by and still no one had come to the door. “It’s not going to work, Adam,” Riyad said. “They don’t give a fuck about us anymore.”

Tobias ignored him and yelled out again. Halfway through his call the latch to the door suddenly clicked. Everyone tensed.

The door swung open and two frowning Kracori took a step into the cell. “Be quiet. The medical condition of you Humans is of no—”

Tobias stepped around the door and brought the thin metal rod down hard on the arms of the lead Kracori, dislodging his flash weapon. Simultaneously, Chief Rutledge thrust his spear into the chest of the other guard. The rod didn’t penetrate the skin, but it did send the alien tumbling backwards into the outer corridor. Soon all four of the able-bodied Humans were outside the cell, having disarmed the two guards.

The hallway made a sharp turn to the right about fifteen feet away and two startled Kracori appeared just in time to have metal rods slash across their faces. Adam and Tindal grabbed the weapons from the two unconscious aliens while Tobias and the Chief went back in the cell to retrieve Riyad.

A moment later, the five Humans were turning the bend in the corridor ... when they encountered five more Kracori crouching with weapons at the ready. Adam and Tindal lifted their weapons and fingered the triggers. Nothing happened. Instinctively they did it again. Still nothing.

Immediately, Adam knew what was happening. He lowered his weapon and stood in the middle of the corridor, waiting.

A slow clapping sound was heard from behind the row of armed Kracori, and soon Nigel McCarthy was winding his way through the line of aliens. “Congratulations, Mr. Cain,” he said with a wide smile. “Seventeen minutes. Seventeen minutes since I left the cell and you have already managed to escape, acquire weapons, and probably would have made it out of the building if I hadn’t anticipated your move.”

He stepped up to Adam and jerked the MK-17 from his hand. “I also saw the cots, you bloody idiot,” he said with fire in his eyes. “I’m just like you, you seem to forget. I was checking the cell for weapons while you were doing the same.” He then reached inside his shirt and pulled out the silver medallion he wore around his neck. “And you also forgot I have one of these. I’m just glad I didn’t have to wait long for your escape attempt. Every extra minute I spend on this bloody planet is keeping me from starting my new life.”

A Kracori with a white sash across his chest stepped up next to McCarthy. “You were right,” the alien said with conviction. “But now the Langril wishes to speak to this one. I will be sure to include ample guards for the journey to his chambers.”

“That would be wise, my Ludif,” McCarthy said without taking his eyes off of Adam. “This one can be very slippery.”

“Slippery? I do not—”

“Never mind. Just take him. And Cain, this will be the last time we meet, so have a nice life, what’s left of it—”

Adam was knocked aside as John Tindal forced his way up to McCarthy. “You rotten son-of-bitch!” he yelled, as several Kracori rushed to restrain him.

McCarthy waved his hand at the guards. “That’s okay. Me and Mr. Tindal are old friends. He just wants to say goodbye in his own special way.”

“You’re such a coward, McCarthy,” Tindal said, his eyes fierce, his face only inches from Nigel’s. “Why don’t we just settle this once and for all—like men. You think you’re so tough—”

The flash of the MK lit up the hallway, along with a sharp crack as the level-one bolt entered Tindal’s chest. The petty officer’s face shuddered with a look of utter surprise, his eyes bulging and red. He stepped back slightly and looked down at the gaping wound just above his abdomen. He looked back at McCarthy’s face, just as his eyes rolled back in his head, and the body of John Tindal crumpled to the floor.

Adam’s knees grew weak and he slumped against the wall of the corridor. Rutledge and Tobias rushed past him to where John had fallen, scooping up the body and checking his vitals. When they realized he was beyond saving, the two of them glared up at McCarthy, held in check only by the still lethal weapon held firmly in the hand of the Brit.

“What the hell did you do that for?” Adam queried, too much in shock to react more.

“He has always challenged me, thinking he was more a man than me.”

“And he just proved it!” Rutledge yelled. “You sadistic bastard!”

“But I’m still standing, Master Chief.”

“You killed him in cold blood. What kind of soldier are you?” It was Andy’s turn to face McCarthy. He stood and thrust his chest against the barrel of the MK.

Adam took Andy by the arm. “Don’t, Admiral,” he said. “He’s liable to take the coward’s way out with you, too.”

McCarthy smiled, not allowing the insults to faze him. “I’ve been kicking around this galaxy for over twenty years—longer than any of you—and I have to say the only thing I have truly feared is another Human. Maybe it’s because I know what we’re capable of. So as long as any of you live, you’re a danger.” He looked down at Tindal’s inert body. “Now there’s one less. Don’t tempt me into eliminating
all
my threats.”

“This one is summoned before the Langril,” the white-sashed Kracori reiterated.

McCarthy nodded without taking his eyes off Adam. “Don’t worry, Commander, I won’t spoil Nomar’s fun. You can take him ... and return the others to their cell. But this time don’t let your guards fall for the oldest trick in the book.”

“What book?”

McCarthy shook his head. “Never mind, just do your job.” He then addressed Adam. “Goodbye Mr. Cain. May you rot in Hell.”

“Right alongside you.”

“No doubt, no doubt.” McCarthy turned away and pressed himself through the rush of Kracori guards coming down the corridor.

Adam watched the ginger-haired man until he disappeared around another bend in the hallway.
I swear we will meet again, if I have to make it my life’s mission,
Adam chanted under his breath.
I will kill you Nigel McCarthy. I will kill you dead!

Chapter 18

T
he position of
Langril
was that of supreme leader of the Kracori race, an elected title granted from the Ludif Council. Daninf Kicon was the most-prior Langril, having served for over forty years in that position. As such, he had inherited the Kracori affiliation with the Klin, as had the last fifty-plus office-holders before him, spanning a timeframe of over eight hundred years.

Daninf had also personally groomed his replacement, and when the time came, had fully endorsed Nomar Polimic for the position. The former Langril now served as an unofficial advisor to the Council and the new Langril, and even though Daninf had lived through the tense years since McCarthy’s disappearance from Elision, he had also recommended that Nomar accept the terms the renegade Human was offering. Adam Cain was a much larger prize than was McCarthy.

Daninf had been informed that Adam Cain was now in the custody of Kracori guards and would be arriving in the Langril’s private chambers at any time. Nomar didn’t resent the fact that the former leader wanted to be present for the interview with the Human, it was just that he wanted to make sure Cain knew who was in charge.

Nomar chuckled when he considered the absurdity of his thoughts. Adam Cain’s life expectancy was now measured in hours, so why should the Langril be concerned with what the Human believed or did not believe? If it was completely up to Nomar, he would simply have the Human and his companions put to death immediately. However, out of deference to Daninf’s long support for Nomar’s career and position, he had agreed to this conference. He knew Daninf had a personal grudge against the Human and this was his way of finding satisfaction. If the roles were reversed, Nomar would have insisted on the same.

When Adam Cain was brought before the two most-powerful Kracori leaders, Nomar took a moment to study the Human.

He was smaller than the average Kracori, with pale pink skin with a smooth texture. Physically, he was a Prime; two legs, two arms, hands with five digits, stereoscopic eyes—the same as thousands of other races throughout the galaxy. However, Nomar also knew that the Human was unique among those thousands of races. They shared many of the same characteristics that set the Kracori apart from the rest as well. They were both heavy-gravity beings, which in itself was not unique. And yet on their planets the two brother races had evolved to be swift of feet, strong and coordinated. To counter the gravity of their homeworlds, their bone and muscle systems had developed to be much tighter and durable than others. Heavy-gravity beings were certainly not unique in the galaxy, but it was an almost strange mutation that made it appear as if both Kracori and Human alike were not of their planets of origin. They developed
beyond
their worlds, to dominate them through strength, quickness and intelligence. And when placed on the thousands of normal worlds throughout the galaxy, Kracori and Humans excelled.

And according to the Klin—who had searched the galaxy for thousands of years looking for just this strange type of mutated creature—the Kracori and the Humans were unique, an entirely separate class of being beyond Prime: Super-Prime; or as the Klin called them, Prime-D.

Comparing the Kracori directly to the Humans—as Nomar was now doing—he found the designation to be confusing at best. The Kracori were much more massive, taller and with a toughness to their skin that made them perfect examples of what Prime-D’s should be. But not so the Humans. They appeared smaller and weaker than the bulk of races making up the galaxy. Yet Nomar was wise enough to know that looks are deceiving. These tiny pink creatures had once conquered the galaxy, defeating the combined forces of the Juireans, the Kracori and the Klin. And they did it as newcomers to the galactic community.

No matter what impressions they exuded, the Humans were not to be underestimated nor discounted. They were every bit the equal of the Kracori, even if the pride of most did not let their
Legend
s admit such.

Daninf was the first to approach the alien. He stood from his chair and walked up to the Human, who wore a bloodied green cloth around his bare chest, while displaying a prominent and angry gash on his forehead. Nomar had already received the report of how the Humans had escaped their cell moments before, only to be recaptured with the help of Nigel McCarthy. Indeed, the Humans were a dangerous species, and according to all indications, the one standing in the room with him was one of the most-lethal of them all.

“I am former-Langril Daninf Kicon. I was the Langril at the time of our foray to Juir and the time of the Human-Juirean War.”

“Nice to meet you,” the Human said. “How’s your day going?”

Both of the Kracori blinked their eyes rapidly, at a loss as to the incongruent tone of the alien. “My day is going well, especially with the capture of you and your associates.”

“I imagine it would. You should be congratulated. We are not that easy to catch.”

Daninf looked to Nomar with an expression of confusion. Nomar simply shook his head.

The former Langril turned back to the Human. “Would you care to take a seat? We have had very little interaction with Humans and our curiosity is heightened, yet it is
your
particular contribution to Kracori-Human relations that is of most concern to us.” Nomar noticed that Daninf’s tone had grown more severe as his sentence progressed, his demeanor now returning to normal.

The Human sat at the end of a long sofa, while Nomar remained seated in his large status-chair with Daninf pacing the floor.

“This sofa is very soft and comfortable. Needless to say, I have had a very rough few hours and this is truly a relief.”

“Stop what you are doing!” Daninf cried out.

“I’m not doing anything, just sitting here. My apologies if I’ve upset you in any way.”

“No, I mean stop being ... pleasant. You are a Human, the enemy. I know that your species does not normally interact such as this. You are trying to confuse us.”

The Human shook his head. “How do you want me to act? I am your prisoner, on your homeworld ... and you are the Kracori. You are not some inferior race like so many others throughout the galaxy. Our two races should be brothers—allies—instead of enemies.”

“We just attacked your homeworld and killed over a billion of your kind!” Nomar said, speaking for the first time.

The Human considered him for a moment before responding. “As I see it, we left you little choice. If we had found Elision before you came to Earth, we would have done the same to you. It’s simply what we do to survive.” The Human grinned. “We haven’t been introduced. I am Adam Cain.”

“I am Langril Nomar Polimic. And I know who you are. I don’t know what you hope to accomplish with this direction you are taking, but it will not work. Your fleet is due to arrive here in a few short months. Humans are the enemy of the Kracori race and no amount of silly conversation will change that.”

“That is correct,” Daninf confirmed. “And it was
you
, personally, who convinced your fleet to forgo its return to Earth and to continue to Juir. It was
you
who stole the Kracori
Legend
as rulers of the Expansion, making us appear weak in the eyes of the galaxy.”

“And it was
you
, personally, who issued the death-veil upon our race,” Nomar continued, “keeping us from even revealing ourselves to the rest of the galaxy when the time for doing so was at hand. For eight hundred years we had waited for that moment, promised by the Klin that if we waited we would share in their domination of the Expansion. While other races were traveling the galaxy, building empires and alliances, we remained hidden in the Dysion Void, known only to a few members of the Nebula community.”

The alien looked back and forth between the Langril and the former-Langril. “To me, this has all been the fault of the Klin. They’re the ones who devised this entire crazy scenario of replacing the Juireans. They couldn’t do it on their own, so they used both our races for their own purposes. My race had suffered over two billion deaths because of that, and your race is about to possibly meet its end, all because of the Klin.”

Nomar found the opportunity to smile for the first time since the Human entered the room. “I am pleased to see that you are still under the misguided impression that the Kracori are in danger. I assure you we are not.”

“McCarthy said you are aware that the Juireans are fast approaching the Nebula. They will arrive before the Humans.”

“Yes, we know this. As a matter of fact, we have known this even before McCarthy came to us with the news. You see, there are factions within the Expansion who do not wish to see the Juireans return to power—including the current Administrator of the Expansion.”

“Kroekus!”
the Human exclaimed, for the first time breaking his aura of confidence.

“Yes, Kroekus. He informed us of the impending Juirean invasion weeks before McCarthy. He has even helped enlist mercenaries to help in our effort to repeal the attack.” Nomar looked to his associate. He knew that Daninf would find more pleasure in revealing the truth to the Human, as a way of diminishing his
Legend
before his final demise.

Daninf stopped his pacing in front of the alien. “You may have noticed that Elision is extremely difficult to reach. We are protected by the Dysion Shield as are few places. Ships of war cannot pass through without their gravity wells disrupting the very essence of the Shield. Simply passing through the barrier makes all the prior charts obsolete. That is why Guild navigators are so sought after in our society.

“The only reliable passage is through the Volseen Corridor between the planet Volsee and here, and that passage is located twenty-three light-years within the boundary of the Nebula. The Kracori currently have thirty-one of the forty-two Nebula races contributing defensive forces against the Juireans—and against the Humans. The others are supplying material goods to assist in our effort. In addition, we are enlisting the help of mercenaries from outside the region, many with the blessing of Kroekus, as mentioned before.”

“I can’t believe Kroekus is helping you.”

“I ask what happens to his power base if the Juireans are successful in reestablishing their position within the Expansion? He will lose all he has and will have to return to Silea, if the Juireans do not arrest him for high treason. He may not like Kracori, but he fears the Juireans even more.

“So you see, Adam Cain, Elision is very safe, from both the Juireans and the Human fleet.”

It was now the Human’s turn to look confused. Gone was his relaxed demeanor, replaced by a look of anger. “So when McCarthy revealed the coordinates to Elision it wasn’t such a tragedy after all?”

“We have always been prepared to reveal ourselves—until the time
you
made that dangerous for us to do so. Yet when the time did come, we welcomed it. We are now allowed to put our defensive strategies into action. And when the Juirean fleet is destroyed—and need I say it, the Humans as well—then the Kracori will finally be free to assert our control over the Expansion.”

“Was McCarthy part of your plan all along?”

“No, he was not, yet he did play a part in helping to speed up the timetable. However, it is the Kracori who are well-prepared for the defense of our world, unlike the cobbled together elements of the invasion fleets.”

“Are you going to let him go?”

It seemed to Nomar that the Human was more concerned about the welfare of Nigel McCarthy than he was about that of his fleet—or even of himself. “Yes, we are honoring our commitment. It is a small price to pay to have a traitorous Human working for us. But he will leave within a few hours, never to be heard from again.”

“Where’s he going?” The Human’s tone had suddenly turned as cold as ice. Again, Nomar was confused.

“He is leaving to meet with Kroekus. It is my understanding they have a new business venture they are pursuing as partners. Kroekus knows that if the Kracori are victorious, then it will be we who assume control of the Expansion, replacing him. However, in our case we will allow Kroekus to retain much of his wealth, as long as he agrees not interfere with the politics of the galaxy henceforth. He and McCarthy will be gone and nevermore a concern for the Kracori.”