The Human Chronicles Saga : Boxset #2 (The Human Chronicles Saga Boxsets) Read online

“If I’m a goat-herder, then you are all my goats.”

  Sherri was still upset Adam had chastised her, especially in front of the others, so she refrained from any comment, even though Adam saw a complete chess set sitting on the table in front of her. What she had intended to do with it was anyone’s guess, but Adam knew it would have been at his expense. Fortunately, it didn’t look like she was going to get over her anger with him before the time for levity had passed.

  Adam sat down and quickly began speaking.

  “The mission to Yaki was a success, as far as the primary objectives were concerned. The drug dealer Foruka was killed and it’s known that the New Expansion was behind it. There will be someone to replace him, but whoever that ends up being will hopefully confine their activities to the Triumvirate or other non-NE planets, otherwise they could suffer the same fate. There’s plenty of room for them to operate without infringing on New Expansion territory.”

  “It was foolish for him to do it in the first place,” Jamal Dawson said. As one of the two new members of the team, he was always anxious to get involved as quickly as possible. “But aren’t most of the criminals in that region becoming more aggressive?”

  “Yes they are. They appear to be more organized than before, which is very strange considering that most of the governments of these new independents are in complete melt-down. Leaving the Expansion may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now they’re realizing just how interdependent they all were. Take translation bugs for instance. Most of the outer systems are having trouble keeping their supply lines going. I’m sure they never even thought of that when those chose to break away.”

  “Yes, but in most of their cases, the governments had few options,” Riyad said. “The criminal element continues to drive the economies of most of the rebels, and the crime bosses prefer an environment with less regulation and authority rather than more.”

  “So this is just the beginning,” Lee said, quick to change the subject from his native-leader-riding escapades and get into the conversation. “With the crooks organizing more quickly and better than the governments, I don’t think they’re going to stay content to operate within their own territories for very long. Most of the independents are dirt-poor; the crooks will go to where the money is, and that’s to the nearest New Expansion world. Their governments may not overtly support them, but they’re also not going to do much to discourage their activities.”

  “You’re right,” Riyad said. “The Yakilian government sided with Foruka instead of us, claiming an invasion of their sovereignty. That’s how they’re going to support the criminals without actually backing them officially.”

  “Do you have anything to add, Sherri?” Adam asked, trying to smooth over the tension between them.

  “Nope,” came her terse reply.

  Adam took a deep breath and decided not to press her. “Okay, on to new business.” He looked down at the datapad he held and scanned through the entries. He had already looked at most of the news items contained in the readout, but then something hit him.

  “Well, damn!” he said. He looked up at Riyad and then down the table to Sherri. “It seems the planet Belson is planning a vote for independence.”

  Sherri leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. “Kaylor’s homeworld, they want to leave the Expansion, too?”

  “They have never liked the Juireans,” Riyad added, the omnipresent smile of his now vanished. “But still, this would be a major mistake on their part.”

  “The Expansion is no longer the Juireans,” Adam said. “Kaylor and his people have to know this. What are they thinking?”

  “The lure of independence is strong,” Riyad continued, “and the history of being dominated by an outside power is impossible to erase.” Riyad was of Lebanese descent, and as a young, angry Arab, had been very active in the terrorist movement in the nineties and after 9/11. He could relate to simmering feelings of resentment against any foreign entity which tried to impose their will upon others.

  Kaylor Linn Todd was the first alien Adam encountered after being abducted from Earth going on fourteen years ago. He had been an independent merchant-hauler – a mule-driver they were called – who along with his partner and co-pilot Jym had rescued Adam from certain death aboard a derelict Klin starship. That fortuitous event had been the beginning of everything leading Adam to this very moment in time.

  Kaylor was Belsonian and had left Adam’s company over ten years before returning to his home planet to help his people make it through the turmoil that came with the fall of the Juirean Expansion. The bear-like Jym had returned to his homeworld of Fulcum to do the same.

  Adam and Riyad – but mainly Sherri – would hear from each of them now and then, calling just to give informal updates on how they both were doing. The aliens never seem that concerned about how the Humans were fairing, probably figuring that they could take care of themselves quite well.

  The two aliens had always felt more comfortable around Sherri than they ever did with the two Human males. Considering all they had been through – as well as many of the despicable things the aliens had witnessed Adam and Riyad commit – who could blame them?

  But now Kaylor’s world was preparing for a vote that would remove them from the protection and resources of the New Expansion. To a person, Adam’s team knew it was a bad idea.

  Adam turned to Riyad. “I think we need to make a trip to Belson, to talk with Kaylor and his people. They need to get another perspective on this before they vote.”

  “I agree –”

  “What about me?” Sherri called out from the other end of the table. “Kaylor is more my friend than he is either of yours.”

  “Of course you can come, Sherri,” Adam said, doing his best to sound sincere. “You would have the most influence on him anyway.”

  “Damn straight!” she said. “The two of you would probably go in with guns a-blazing if you didn’t get your way within the first few seconds.”

  Adam attempted a smile. She was probably right. There was no arguing with history.

  “Then it’s settled; if nothing more pressing comes up over the next forty-eight hours the three of us will head out for Belson in the Pegasus.”

  “You got anything for us to do?” Lee said, looking over at Mark and Jamal as he spoke.

  “I don’t see anything here in the dailies, but I’ll check with Kroekus as soon as we adjourn. He may have something more covert he needs us to do.”

  The other three men in the room stretched out wide, devious smiles. Now you’re talking, and the more covert, the better, Adam could almost hear them thinking. Yes, if only he could read minds….

  6

  Sherri accompanied Adam to the secure comm-room in the Ops Building. This was the CW Center where an instantaneous-communications link would be established between Pyrum-3 and Juir, where the government of the New Expansion was located. Adam could tell she was still angry with him, if now distracted by the news of Belson.

  The CW room was small and dim, dominated by a single huge monitor placed against the far wall. There was a double row of padded cinema seats placed behind the operator’s console in the event there needed to be a more general briefing with any of the other CW contact stations, including Earth.

  Continuous-Wormhole communication was a relatively recent improvement over traditional intergalactic links, acquired from the elusive Klin when their former allies, the Kracori, had abandoned Juir, leaving behind a CW relay station in their haste. Human and Expansion scientists had quickly learned the secrets of CW technology, and now nearly every starship in the galaxy carried the upgraded modules.

  CW links provided for a long-term wormhole to be established between stations, allowing both ends of the link to send communications back and forth simultaneously. Traditional wormhole communications called for messages to be relayed from one established station to the next and only one-way at a time. Using the older technology, communications between Earth and Juir took over
four hours one way. With CW technology, once the link was established, communicating across the galaxy was like sitting across a couch from one another person and having a conversation.

  Even though physical travel between points in the galaxy hadn’t changed much in four thousand years, this new form of communicating was definitely helping to make the inconceivable expanse of the galaxy feel like a much smaller place.

  Kroekus’ official title was Administrator of the New Expansion, even though everyone knew he was more of a dictator than a bureaucrat. He wielded unimaginable power, if not by the force of his military, then by the traditions established over the four thousand years it had taken the Expansion to form.

  Adam often feared dictators, but in the matter of Kroekus, he knew this fear was unfounded. Kroekus was from the planet Silea, located in the region of the galaxy known as The Fringe. His family had controlled the planet through economics, criminal activity and political influence for over a thousand years and for his part Kroekus had always had wealth and power. So when he assumed control of the Expansion, he didn’t do it out of a quest for such things. Instead he did it for the challenge. His challenge was to see if he could resurrect the Expansion, indeed to save it from total collapse. To this end, he would employ whatever measures he deemed necessary, even if those measures called for him to assume dictatorial powers. Adam knew that if ever the Expansion reached a point of complete stability and prosperity, Kroekus would then give up control, bored with his success and now ready for other challenges.

  However, that time was nowhere in sight in the near-term – or even long-term. From no fault of his own, Kroekus was fighting a losing battle. As more and more worlds abandoned the Expansion, the strength of the tide building against the continued survival of the Expansion was undeniable. Unless something dramatic and unforeseen happened – and soon – the Expansion was destined for eventual extinction and the galaxy for a period of inconceivable chaos and violence.

  Adam and Sherri took seats at the operator’s console rather than in the gallery, as they were the only two in the room. Adam fingered the controls and soon the large monitor on the wall in front of them flickered to life.

  Kroekus was aware of Adam’s return to Pyrum-3, and also of the debriefing ceremony Adam employed at the end of each mission. He was expecting the link from Adam.

  The screen was soon filled – literally – with the bulky mass of Kroekus. Even though he was a Prime, meaning Humanoid in appearance (which was in reality a bastardization of the term which had originally meant Juirean-like) he would have easily weighed in at over six hundred pounds on Earth. But since Silea was a world with about two-thirds the gravity of Earth, his mass was less on his native world. Adam had also once made the mistake of thinking that Kroekus’ weight was something that was bad for the Silean. He had been subsequently informed that Silean males intentionally grew to such bulk because it also increased the size of their sex organ. Naturally, this was desirable among Silean females, and so the species had evolved with the males often growing to incredible size and bulk … just to be sexy.

  “Welcome back, Mr. Cain!” Kroekus announced with his usually jovial manner. Except for the dire condition the Expansion now found itself in, Kroekus was a creature in complete control of his life. He accepted the things he could influence and refused to dwell on those he could not. This put the supreme leader of the galaxy in an almost perpetual good mood.

  “I see that your mission has been a success.”

  “In the short-term, Kroekus, but it seems the crooks are becoming better organized and more ambitious.”

  “Yes, you would think they are being led by a Silean, or another creature of equal skills.” Kroekus smiled as wide as he dared. He was fully aware of the recent shift in the intensity of what would be termed organized crime in the galaxy. He and Adam had spent many a CW session musing about whether this trend was truly organized or just a consequence of the decay of any centralized authority in many of the rebel sectors. It was all too early to tell for sure.

  “If you weren’t sitting in the chair you’re in right now, I’d suspect you of being behind this new surge in criminal activity,” Adam said, returning the smile.

  “And you would be justified in your suspicions, my friend. And how are you this day, Miss Valentine?”

  Kroekus’ attitude was contagious, and even the sullen Sherri managed a smile. “I’m doing fine, Kroekus, thanks for asking.” Then her tone turned serious. “You are aware of the situation on Belson?”

  “Yes, I am. This is very unfortunate. Belson is one of the most-stabilizing factors in the sector. If it should decide to go independent, it will create a multiplying effect involving hundreds of additional worlds.”

  “That’s why Riyad, Adam and I are heading there to speak with Kaylor and his people. We want to see if there is anything we can do to change their minds.”

  “That is very sensible, and I do appreciate the effort.”

  “We were also wondering if you have anything my other agents need to tend to while we’re gone?” Adam asked.

  “Actually, I have a very grave situation which I believe the two of you should personally handle first even before going to Belson. The vote on Kaylor’s planet is still six months or more away. This other matter is of a more immediate concern.”

  “Can Lee or the others handle it?”

  “I would not feel comfortable entrusting them with this assignment.”

  Adam looked at Sherri and they simply raised their eyebrows. Adam looked back at the image of Kroekus, looming large on the screen. “Sure, whatever we can do to help.”

  Kroekus nodded his massive head, sending ripples through his numerous chins. “This involves the planet Formil and their supreme leader, a creature referred to as The Speaker. Have you ever heard of Formil before?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Adam answered. “What’s the story?”

  “Formil is probably the single-most important planet in the Expansion outside of Juir; I’m surprised you’ve not heard of it. It is on Formil that all the translation devices are manufactured, as well as nearly all the micro-processors that control the electronics throughout the galaxy.”

  “No shit?” Sherri said, impressed. “I can see why you thought we should have heard of the place.”

  “Yes, the technology that has come out of Formil over the past two thousand years has helped shape the Expansion. The Formilians, and the planetary Coalition they influence, are the foremost builders of electronic devices to be found. Their technology and science is the basis for nearly every device in operation in the galaxy today.”

  “I’m surprised the Juireans let them keep that much technology for themselves.”

  “The relationship between the Juireans and Formilians go back two millennia. The Juireans allowed the Formilians to run their society more or less unfettered in exchange for the exclusive rights to their technology. They also allowed the Formilians to worship their religion as they pleased, but since the fall of the Juireans, the natives have been under assault by a variety of other interests, primarily from their neighboring planetary affiliation called the Omphly Federation. It had been to counter the growing influence of the Federation that the Formilians began to expand their own Coalition over the past fifty years or so. But while the Coalition has grown to around thirty-five worlds to date, the Omphly Federation numbers over fifty. And since the Formilians are now longer protected by the Juireans, the responsibility has now fallen to me and the New Expansion.”

  “Sounds familiar, my friend,” Adam said, trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

  “All too much I’m afraid.”

  “So what’s happening now? It sounds like the situation has gotten worse?” Sherri asked.

  “Indeed,” said Kroekus. He leaned in closer to the screen, a movement which caused Sherri and Adam to lean back in the opposite direction, even though Kroekus was only an image on the screen. “An event has taken place which will soon bring the two entities to war.
If this happens, then the galaxy, and primarily the New Expansion, will lose our access to the science and manufacturing centers of the Formilians. As a consequence, this could be the final blow it will take to destroy the Expansion. If the Formilians fall, so does the Expansion.”

  “I can see why this would take priority over Belson,” Adam said. “Go on.”

  “As I said, the Juireans allowed the Formilian’s to practice their religion as they saw fit. This protection shielded them from the Omphly Federation, whose population has been appalled by the Formilian beliefs for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The Juireans, and now us, have been the only thing keeping the Federation from attacking – plus of course, the fear.”

  “What type of sick religion do these people practice?” Sherri asked.

  “And what do they fear besides the Expansion?” Adam added.

  “It is nothing as sinister as you believe, Sherri,” Kroekus answered. “The entire Formilian religion is built around the worship of electricity, of all things. That is what has made them so proficient at the invention, development and manufacture of all things electronic. It goes back thousands of years, even before Formil was discovered by the Juireans. In fact, Formil and Juir have been affiliated since the time of The Mass, even before there was an Expansion. When the Juireans retreated during the time of the Reprieve, Formil was the only world outside the central core planets that Juir included in their empire. And when the Juireans came out again, this time to form the Expansion, it was the promise of the advanced electronic technology – most of which originated with the Formilians – that was so enticing to the new members of the Expansion. If it were not for the Formilians and their technology, the Expansion may never have formed.”

  “So what’s so bad about worshiping electricity that these other people – the Omphly’s – would hate them so much?” Sherri asked.

  “It’s not so much the subject matter that the Omphly resent, as the means with which the Formilians represent their worship. As I mentioned earlier, the supreme leader and religious figure in Formilian society is a creature called The Speaker. The Speaker is rumored to be able to control the very nature of electricity itself, able to accomplish increased feats with the power of her mind alone. She can control all electronic devices around her and even create bolts of electricity out of thin air. She can summon lightning from the sky and has been rumored to be able to draw the life out of her enemies.”