Human Chronicles Part 2 Book 2: The Apex Predator (20 page)

Chapter 29

 
Riyad Tarazi …

T
he Dysion Shield lay directly ahead of them, with Ruszel at the controls. It was an impressive and mind-bogglingly huge cloud of gas and pre-stellar material forming a vast bubble over thirty light-years in diameter. In a far-distant past a gigantic star had exploded near here, sending out a thick cloud of debris and forming the Shield. Within the interior of the bubble, some stars had survived the massive explosion, while others were created from it. The space inside the bubble was the Dysion Void, virtually empty space except for these few rogue stars – one of which Riyad hoped was the star for the planet Elision.

“Even with the capabilities of your ship, the transit through the Shield will be slow,” Ruszel informed him. “Your additional array of focusing rings could cause a spontaneous overloading of the wells, so we must be prepared to dissolve at a moment’s notice. Canos will be constantly monitoring well-integrity and will have emergency authorization should he detect an overload.”

“I’m fine with that,” Riyad said as he strapped into a seat directly behind Ruszel’s pilot’s station. Even though he felt somewhat impotent where he sat, he felt confident in the abilities of his two alien companions. Yet once through the Shield, Riyad would be back on the stick.

“I will be cutting the internals now since I will be making some rather fast and radical course changes. This will help reduce our inertia reactions.”

Suddenly, the all-to-familiar feeling of vertigo swept over Riyad. He had experienced weightlessness countless times before, yet it was always these first initial seconds that one could never get used to. Ruszel was smart to place them in weightlessness, otherwise the constant jerking and roller-coaster-like ups and downs would surely have made him sick.

The circular star field before them suddenly began to swing back and forth and up and down in a wild display of streaking colors. Riyad tried to turn his eyes away as he felt an uncomfortable queasiness developing in his stomach, yet try as he might, his attention always returned to viewport.

Seconds turned into minutes, and before he knew it, the clock on the bulkhead showed an hour had passed – and still they weren’t through. The ever-presence knot in his stomach was now at the tipping point, which was his fault for looking at the forward viewport as long as he had. Another few seconds of this and Ruszel would be wearing Riyad’s breakfast on the back of his head….

Suddenly the buffeting ended and the space before them cleared up to reveal a clean circle of near pure white light. Gravity returned to the ship and Ruszel turned, displaying a wide alien grin.

“Great job, Ruszel!” Riyad said with genuine admiration, even as he still fought to keep the knot in his stomach contained. “Only you could have made that passage.”

“My … your ship made it easier than expected.”

“That was easy?”

“We have contacts!” Canos yelled. “Several of them!”

“It’s the Kracori!” Riyad yelled. He shoved Ruszel out of the pilot’s seat and slid in, activating the ship’s defensive screens as he did so.

“No, these are odd contacts,” Canos said. “Massive ships, larger than anything I have ever seen. And it is their mass I am detecting, not their drives.”

Riyad raised the outer shield to cover the main viewport and called up Canos’s navigation screen on the forward display. The young Tel’oran was right – these were massive structures all their own, clearly twenty times larger or more than even the largest Class-5 starship. And there were nine of them in the vicinity of the
Ifrit
.

Riyad cranked the control stick hard to port and sent maximum power to the focusing rings … yet nothing happened. Instead, well-integrity dropped to zero and the
Ifrit
entered normal space.

“We are in a dampening field,” Canos reported. “Singularities cannot be created.”

Riyad knew what dampening fields were, and he knew they covered only a small area and required tremendous amounts of energy to maintain. He watched his gauges for the moment their momentum would carry them beyond the field and he could engage the gravity drive again. As he waited, he activated the CW-comm array. The Earth had to be warned.

He worked frantically to focus the array, but every time it looked like he had it, the signal would degrade. “Ruszel, I can’t get the CW to focus. What’s happening?”

The Tel’oran was seated at the comm station and had noticed the problems Riyad was having. “I can’t get a signal, either. It must be the Shield. It contains swirling radiation pockets which are impeding wormhole creation. We may not be able to communicate with the outside until we leave the Void.”

This was not good, Riyad thought. He hadn’t planned on being mute while in the vicinity of Elision. And with these massive contacts he was encountering a potential game-changer in the Human-Kracori arena. The nine huge ships were larger than anything Riyad knew to have ever existed before in the galaxy. If the Kracori could build such ships, then what other surprises would they have in store for the invading Human fleet?

And so he waited, watching for the moment when he could attempt his escape.

However, the moment never arrived, at least not before the
Ifrit
was surrounded by ten shiny silver disks carrying Class-4 signatures and operating on chemical drives. This was too much firepower for him to counter.

Riyad turned to Ruszel. “Get ready on comm; it’ll be up to you to convince them that we’re a Guild ship on a trade mission.”

“Me? I can’t do that.”

“Then they’re going to blast us to atoms; is that what you want? Do it now. We have nothing to lose.”

“Just our lives,” Canos added from across the room.

Reluctantly, Ruszel turned to the screen. He inhaled a deep breath and then keyed the switch.

“This is Senior Pilot Ruszel Crin of the Silvean Trade Guild. I was not aware there were any stations in this vicinity. We are on a trade mission to the Dysion region. Is there anything you require?”

After a moment, the screen before Ruszel’s station flashed to life. Riyad had hidden behind an equipment bank near the pilot’s station, yet he could still see the screen at an angle. He froze when the image came to life.

It was a silver-skinned Klin!

The slender creature on the screen considered Ruszel for a moment before scanning the pilothouse behind him. “Who is that behind you?”

Ruszel panicked and spun around, expecting to find Riyad standing within view. Instead he saw only a nervous Canos at the nav station. “That is my assistant, Canos. We are Tel’orans.”

“Are there any other beings aboard?”

“No … why do you ask? We are on scouting mission seeking out new markets. Others have come before us, yet we are just the latest. May I inquire as to your identity?”

The Klin did not answer immediately. Instead he locked his eyes on Ruszel as if trying to read his thoughts. Finally the Klin chose to speak. “No, you may not inquire. Who we are is of no concern to you. You will not find any new markets within the Void, certainly not enough to justify the danger of penetrating the Shield. You are to return to Guild space immediately.”

Ruszel nodded quickly and reached for the off switch; then he noticed Riyad out the corner of his eye shaking his head emphatically. “Pardon me, but we represent the Guild and we have every right to be here.”

The Klin had begun to turn from his monitor, assuming the Tel’oran would comply without question. Now he locked his gaze on Ruszel once again. “The Guild has no authority here.” The silver alien was handed a datapad. After scanning it briefly he looked back at the pilot. “Your vessel has an odd signature. It is very unique … and well in advance of what the Guild is capable of constructing. Where did you acquire such a vessel?”

Riyad saw Ruszel grow pale as his mind struggled to find an explanation. He began to stammer. “I traded for it … during a prior trade circuit … from a being who originated outside of the Nebula. I do not know the origin of the vessel.”

“I find your story highly implausible. A vessel such as yours would be worth a major fortune within the Nebula. It must have been an incredible trade you negotiated.”

“It was a fortuitous event, yet the seller was desperate for ruiens at the time. My family is of high status and helped with the fee.”

Riyad smiled; Ruszel definitely had a talent for improvisation. He was impressed.

“What is your trade route?”

“We do not have a set route. There are no accurate surveys of the Void to go by.”

“So you intend to wander aimlessly about looking for populated planets, with no knowledge of their technology level, language, customs or experience with off-worlders? That seems like a rather disorganized plan for a Guild pilot.”

“We do not wish to have any trouble with you,” Ruszel said, his voice on the edge of pleading. “I am not familiar with your race and I realize that the technological level of your colony is far superior to anything I have ever seen. We simply seek a trade advantage within a territory which has not been fully explored. May we pass?”

“Our colony – as you call it – is not indigenous to this region. We will be moving on soon. You may pass, yet not before you delete any reference to this encounter and not mention it in any reports. If I believe you will
not
comply, then we will board your ship and do it ourselves.”

“We will comply, you can be assured! We fear you and will do nothing to risk antagonizing you any further.”

“That is a very sensible approach, Ruszel Crin of the planet Tel’or. You should know we have an extensive information network operating within the Nebula. We can find you – and your bloodline – should we learn that you have deceived us.”

Riyad held his breath as he saw Ruszel hesitate before responding. He could literally watch the features on the alien’s face change as he worked through his internal decision. “I assure you we are simply on a trade mission.” Riyad began to breathe again.

“The dampening field will be removed. Proceed … and do not speak of this encounter – to anyone outside the Shield or within.”

“We will comply. Farewell, with our appreciation.” Ruszel quickly reached forward and cut the transmission. He collapsed in the chair, closing his eyes and rubbing his face with his hands.

“You did excellent, my friend,” Riyad said, patting the alien on the shoulder.

“Who are they?” Canos asked. “They exude power and intelligence.”

“They should, my young friend. That was a
Klin
.”

Canos’s mouth fell open, while Ruszel just shrugged off the startling revelation without reaction. So many other startling revelations had come his way over the past week; this was just one more.

Riyad was standing behind him when the alien twisted around in the chair and looked up at the Human. “I suppose it is too late to resign our affiliation with you, Riyad Tarazi? I do not know how much more of this I can take.”

Riyad smiled. “It’s all downhill from here, Senior Pilot. I should be wrapping up my mission within a day or so, after which the credits and ship will be yours – after you drop me off at a safe location, of course.”

“That moment cannot come soon enough. And if it is indeed a safe location where we leave you, Canos and I may elect to remain there ourselves – at least until what is to happen has passed.”

“That sounds like a plan. And if we can find a tavern along the way where the three of us can ride all this out, then the first round of drinks will be on me.”

Ruszel frowned. “You elect to bathe in intoxicants rather than consume them? I see now why Humans have the reputation you have. You are indeed a strange and confusing race.”

“No argument there, my friend.”

Chapter 30

W
hen the dampening field dissolved, Riyad engaged the array and shot off in a deep-well – although he kept the energy level at a modest rate. He didn’t want to alert the Klin to the full capabilities of the
Ifrit
. The technologically-curious aliens may want to analyze the engines before releasing them, and that would be unfortunate. Once he was about a light-year from the Klin colony, he applied full power to the engines and sped off into the eerie emptiness of the Void.

The McCarthy Coordinates lay thirty-degrees to starboard and at a range of about nineteen light-years. Making a beeline for the suspected location of the Kracori homeworld probably wouldn’t be the smartest action to take, Riyad thought. So he would continue his current track, while trying to detect any fringe elements of the gray aliens, anything that could seal the deal concerning the accuracy of the coordinates.

But now Riyad had to consider the Klin as well. Finding them had come as a complete surprise. Riyad had intercepted the data concerning the Klin colony of gigantic space stations before Ruszel could delete it – yes, the alien fully intended on complying with the Klin’s directives. The data wasn’t very extensive, yet it did help Riyad build a scenario.

For centuries, the Juireans – and others within the Expansion – had speculated as to how the Klin had remained hidden from the galaxy for four thousand years. Only recently had the previous-believed-to-be-extinct aliens chosen to reveal themselves, yet the small, land-based colonies that had been discovered weren’t large enough to support an entire race of beings. The nine huge disks could theoretically house a population of ten to twenty-thousand each. Riyad found that mind-boggling. Ninety- to one hundred eighty thousand Klin; the thought was frightening.

During the seven years that the Humans had ruled the Expansion, they, too, had conducted their own extensive search for the elusive silver creatures, but to no avail. At the time, experts estimated that the entire population of the exiled aliens couldn’t be much more than a quarter-million, taking into consideration all the data that was available. If that estimate was accurate, then Riyad had just stumbled upon over half the population of the Klin race.

The case for the authenticity of the McCarthy Coordinates was almost sealed. Finding the Klin added another piece of critical evidence. And if the Humans came prepared, they could effectively kill two extremely dangerous birds with one massive stone.

But then something came to mind that the Klin had said: Do not speak of this encounter to anyone outside the Shield …
or within
!

Could it be possible that the Kracori were not aware of the Klin colony? In a way this made sense; the last he’d heard the Klin and Kracori were still enemies. So why were the Klin here?

Riyad shook his head. This was far above his pay grade – if he had a pay grade. He would give the search one more day before heading back to the Shield. He was already ninety-nine percent sure the coordinates were correct, and if the CW-array was working, Earth would already be informed. The presence of the Klin was just another riddle for the military geniuses back on his homeworld to solve.

On the main display screen in the pilothouse, Canos had placed a red dot representing the location of the McCarthy Coordinates. Riyad moved the dot to the center of the screen, and now the
Ifrit
was skirting along the left side of the dot, while he gradually adjusted the course to move them ever-closer to the center. To fulfill his mission, it wasn’t necessary for Riyad to view the planet directly, just the obvious traffic that should be surrounding the Kracori star system. And with sensors at max, it could be only a matter of minutes now before contact was made – if the coordinates were accurate.

“I have faint gravity-signatures to our right,” Canos said, almost in a whisper. Riyad smiled. He and the two aliens shared the same feeling – as if they were sneaking up on a star system – so the whisper seemed appropriate, if unnecessary.

“Can you give me the course heading?” Riyad asked in a whisper of his own.

Canos went to answer, but then stopped abruptly and smiled. Soon the pilothouse was filled with Human and Tel’or laughter, and in the process, a hell of a lot of pent-up tension was released. Much of the laughter came not from humor, but from nerves. They were fast approaching the moment of truth, and if Riyad was correct, then it would like discovering the entrance to Hell … and with very few options for retreat.

********

As Riyad continued his slow spiral in toward the Kracori system, they began to detect more and more space traffic, even as far out as five light-years from the outer border.

This raised a potential issue for Riyad. With the sensors scanning to their maximum range, and with the sparse information the Guild had concerning the Void displayed on the screen before him, Riyad began to get the distinct feeling of having his ass hanging out for all to see. Nowhere on the screen were there other worlds detected, at least not on the circuitous route he was following. His strategy of taking an oblique path past Elision was now making the
Ifrit
stand out like a sore thumb.

Just then an extremely-intense gravity signature was detected off their port quarter and at the maximum range of the scanners. Riyad suspected it wasn’t one massive object, but rather a sizable grouping of transiting starships. And if he could detect them, then it was a sure bet they could detect him.

It was too late to turn away; that would only make any observer suspicious as to why he would be avoiding a squadron of Kracori spaceships. A challenge would soon arise. Riyad just hoped Ruszel was up to the task – again.

The distance between the
Ifrit
and the squadron of Kracori continued to shrink with no apparent change of course from either party. Things really got tense in the pilothouse when another group of contacts appeared behind them and following roughly the same course. The orientation of the two sets of boogies had the effect of squeezing the
Ifrit
in closer to the Elision system, closer than Riyad had wished to go. But he no choice; it was too late to cut and run, even in the
Ifrit
. Often angles of attack could overcome superior speed, and the Kracori now seemed to be everywhere.

“Ruszel,” Riyad said, causing the pale-green alien to nearly faint when the first word in over a half-an-hour was spoken in the pilothouse. Once the Tel’oran regained his composure, Riyad continued. “I think it would be best if we make the first contact. After all, we’re just innocent merchants, and they already know we’re here.”

“If you believe so; what should I say?”

“Play dumb. Say you are seeking new trading partners and that their system is not on the old Guild charts you have. Ask who they are and request a dialog to discuss future trade options.”

“What if they say yes, and invite us to Elision?”

“Trust me, they won’t. Instead they’ll warn us away, and then we’ll be free to bolt out of here without raising suspicion.”

‘We shall see.” The green alien turned to his console and sent out a general CW-link to any ships willing to join. Riyad once again assumed his position behind the pilot’s station, out of sight of the comm’s video camera.

Immediately a light flashed on the console indicating that a link was coming through, yet it was audio-only, not visual.
That makes sense
, Riyad thought.
If these are Kracori, they certainly don’t want their faces plastered all over the ship’s monitors and recording devices.

Ruszel completed the link.

“Identify yourself.” The words blasted from the speakers.

“I am Senior Pilot Ruszel Crin of the Silvean Trade Guild. And with whom am I speaking?”

“Senior Pilot you are not to be in this region. You should be aware of this.”

“I know of no such restriction, Speaker. Although our charts are antiquated and incomplete, nowhere is the Dysion Void classified as restricted space. I’m sure I would have been aware if this was widely known.”

“What is your business here?”

“Trade, Speaker. We come seeking to expand our trading routes to areas not previously utilized. I am surprised – and pleased – to find such a large, untapped market flourishing within the Void. May I be placed in contact with your planetary trade representatives?”

“You are to return the way you came. We seek no new trading partners. Obey or we will take action to protect our security.”

“As you wish, Speaker; we are leaving now.” Ruszel abruptly cut the link and turned to Riyad with a wide grin. “We can leave now!”

Riyad didn’t share Ruszel’s enthusiasm, and even though the Tel’oran had done well once again, he wished he hadn’t ended the conversation so abruptly. A true trader would not have taken no for an answer, at least not initially. But Riyad was now extremely confident of the intelligence he’d gathered, and although he hadn’t journeyed to Elision itself, he now had a working knowledge of the Void, the Dysion Shield and the approach to the region itself. The Human fleet would have its work cut out for it, especially navigating the tumult of the Shield. But once inside, they should have plenty of operating room. Still it would have been nice to survey the Kracori planetary defenses first-hand….

Reluctantly, Riyad cranked the control stick over to his left and made a one-hundred-eighty degree loop. He would leave Kracori space, yet head for a different section of the Shield to make his exit from the Void. He wasn’t looking forward to encountering the Klin colony for a second time. He engaged a deep gravity-well and was comforted by the clear circle of white that appeared in the viewport. A quick nine-hour sprint and they’ll be through the Shield and in the safety of Guild space once again.