Jason King: Agent to the Stars 1: The Enclaves of Sylox (47 page)

“The nuclear bomb that’s aboard the Klin ship,” Kaylor said, as he switched the screens to an aft view. The Klin ship was now about the size of the full moon and rapidly shrinking as the distance between the two craft increased.

“There’s a nuke aboard the ship? How do you know?”

“The core was hooked to a self-destruct mechanism,” Kaylor explained. “When I removed the core originally it activated the countdown. I was trying to disarm the bomb when you attacked me.”

“So, why is this a problem now? You obviously
did
deactivate it.”

“The lights,” Kaylor said, not taking his eyes from the view screen. The Klin ship had disappeared from view by now. “Before I removed the core, the lights were orange. When I removed it, the lights turned yellow and began to oscillate, just as they’re doing now.”

“But why would the self-destruct activate when the core was
returned
?”

“Because I
reversed
the controls. The device now thinks the core has been removed – again. We have about seven minutes to get to a safe distance.”

Without further comment, Adam joined Kaylor and Jym in their silent vigil at the view screen….

Chapter 25

R
iyad pulled the struggling Overlord through the side door to the command room and dragged him down a hallway. Although he was unarmed, Riyad did have the most valuable hostage in the entire Fringe. The guards would not risk hurting the Overlord in an effort to save him.

Riyad had planned for the ankle bombs to go off and take out most of the guards. Then in all the confusion he could have easily slipped away with the Overlord virtually unseen. But that didn’t happen, and now he had to come up with a new plan on the fly.

From the reactions of the two Juireans, he was sure they had learned the locations of both the Klin hideout and of Earth. Now key to his entire future was held firmly in his strong right arm. He just needed to have a few moments alone with the Overlord.

After that he could dispose of the Overlord and fight his way off the ship. A piece of cake!

Guards could be seen cautiously moving down the hallway toward them, safely keeping their distance, when all of a sudden the ship rumbled, and Riyad felt an explosion vibrate through its metal structure. Almost immediately, the sounds of plasma bolts filled the air; the guards seemed confused, as some stayed to watch the Overlord, while others broke off and disappeared down the hallway.

Just then a stream of high-intensity electric bolts shot over his head from behind and in the direction of the guards. The soldiers returned the fire, and Riyad now found himself caught in the middle of a firefight.

He dragged the Overlord through a doorway on his right and threw him to the floor. There was a battle going on in the hallway, and this could be his only opportunity to interrogate the Overlord. Riyad straddled the Juirean, grabbing him firmly around the neck. The eyes of the Overlord were wide and angry as he struggled vainly to escape, yet Riyad was able to keep the him pinned to the floor without too much effort.

“You found the location of Earth – give me the coordinates.” Riyad demanded, squeezing tighter on the alien’s neck.

The Overlord tried to shake his head, but Riyad’s grip restricted the movement.

“I will not,” the Overlord managed to say through gritted teeth.

“Then I will crush the life out of you with my bare hands. You have about two seconds to tell me!” He squeezed even tighter.

“Yes! Ecliptic plane … minus 4, section 21 …” While his heart began to race, Riyad loosed his grip slightly, allowing the Juirean to speak more freely. He almost had it—

Just then, Riyad heard a strange scraping sound on the metal floor of the hallway outside the room. The sound grew louder and Riyad looked over at the open doorway – just in time to see a small, puck-size disk come sliding up and stop at the doorway.

Riyad’s eyes grew wide – it was a grenade, like those his pirates used when boarding a hostile ship!

He rolled off the Overlord and further into the room … just as the bomb exploded.

A hot searing pain flash across his right side before being replaced by a cold, comforting blackness….

Counselor Deslor found the unconscious Overlord in a side room, bloody but alive. Guards swept in and helped their leader to a nearby couch, just as he was regaining his senses.

“Where are the Humans?” he asked the Counselor through the spasms of pain.

“I do not know. We are searching the ship.”

The Overlord reached up and grabbed the Counselor’s cloak. “Open a link to the Fleet Commander – now!”

“Of course, my Lord. But shouldn’t you receive medical assistance?”

“Only after I speak with Giodol.”

The Counselor spoke to a guard, who then hurried out of the room. Moments later, a tech arrived with a portable transmission unit. He placed the device on a table at the end of the couch, and after a few moments, stepped away so the two Juireans could operate the communicator. Deslor sent everyone out of the room.

********

The pain woke Riyad from his blissful sleep; he became aware of people around him, and he opened his eyes to find he was lying across a console chair in the pilothouse of a shuttlecraft. Through groggy and filmy eyes, he could see Angar seated at the controls, with the blackness of space displayed through the front viewport in front of him. Riyad’s entire body ached and suspected his right arm was broken from the throbbing pain emanating from that part of his body. He groaned and instantly several people were at his side, helping him to sit up in the chair.

Angar turned to face him, a large, satisfied grin on his face. “I’m so glad to see you’re awake, My General,” he said. “The meds should make you feel better.”

“Where am I?” Riyad managed to force out of his dry throat.

“You’re in a shuttle. We’re almost back to my ship.”

“How…how did I get here?”

“We rescued you.” Angar’s voice was proud and animated. “I brought a boarding party and pulled you out. You are safe now, My General.”

Memories began to surface in Riyad’s mind, and he soon remembered sitting atop the Juirean Overlord, hearing him recite the coordinates of planet Earth – and then an explosion!

“You idiot!” Riyad screamed at Angar, as loudly as he could manage.

Angar recoiled with shock. “My General, is something wrong?”

Riyad managed to stand, cradling his broken right arm in his left. Between gritted teeth and spasms of pain he answered the question, “Of course something’s wrong. I was about to learn the location of my homeworld – until you interfered!”

Angar’s jaw went slack and his eyes wide. He didn’t know what to say, so Riyad stepped into the silence. “Turn around; we have to go back.”

“But General, we … we can’t—”

“Do it, damn it! Do it
now
!”

Angar sat back down in the pilot’s seat and cranked the stick over. The star field changed ahead of them, but they were so far out that the Klin ship was not yet visible. Riyad stood weakly behind the pilot seat, overflowing with anger. He was so close! The Juirean had been in the process of telling him where his home was located. He had half the coordinates: Ecliptic minus 4, sector 21. Another second and he would have had it all.

********

The link to the Fleet Commander was established and Giodol watched his screen as Oplim and the Deslor crowed together so they could be seen by the Fleet Commander. “Are you injured, My Lord?” Giodol asked, seeing the bloodied and battered Overlord. This was unheard of. No one in his memory had ever even struck a Juirean, let alone injured one as badly as his Overlord.

“Listen to me, this is important.” the Overlord said.
“The Klin exist!”

The Commander’s mouth fell open as his eyes grew wide. “Are you sure?” He was so shocked by the statement that he abandoned all decorum with his superior.

“Yes Commander, it has been confirmed. They have a secret base in the area. But that is not our biggest threat.”

“What … what could be worse?”

“It is a race of beings called
Humans
. I will give you the coordinates to their home planet. Then Commander, you must assemble your fleet and—”

Giodol’s screen went completely blank, no static, no ghost images. He pressed the controls to regain the link, but nothing happened. After a few more tries, he called in a technician. Another few minutes went by while the terrified technician tried in vain to reestablish the connection. Finally, he had to tell the Commander that there was nothing wrong with his equipment.

There was simply nothing left to link to….

********

The blast first appeared as tiny, yet brilliant dot against the distant star field. Adam and his two alien companions watched in horror as the dot grew almost instantly to fill half the sky. They turned away to shield their eyes, before the view screen darkened to lessen the light intensity within the pilothouse.

Chapter 26

R
iyad cradled his shattered right arm and fought the wave of nausea flowing through his body. He had no idea what just happened to the Klin ship. Had it been destroyed from the outside, maybe by the Klin themselves? Or was there a bomb aboard … a booby-trap of some kind? Either way, he was beyond anger, literally shaking from hatred for all things alien.

His vision had been so real – and he had been so close.
Riyad Tarazi, ruler of the planet Earth!
And now his vision had evaporated in an instant, along with the computer core and the Klin ship, all in a fireball of splitting atoms and radioactive debris.

Through the viewport, he watched as the last of remnants of the explosion dissipated into the nothingness of space above Melfora Lum – sparking ribbons of blue and yellow radiation. And then there was nothing, just the myriad of steady lights dotting the blackness of space.

But that’s not exactly true,
Riyad thought, as a glimmer of an idea swelled up from his gut
. I know that the Klin exist, and they not only know the location of Earth, but I sincerely believe they’re building an army of Humans, probably somewhere right here in The Fringe.

With a new-found determination borne of hatred – as well as his lust for power – Riyad swore then and there that he now had a new purpose in life. He would round up the scattered remains of his pirate fleet, and then spend every waking hour, every ounce of his being, on the singular quest of finding the Klin hideout and their Human army.

Riyad Tarazi
would
make his vision come true. He knew now that it was possible. He would find the Klin, and he would return to Earth. And from that moment on his homeworld would never be the same….

********

On the other side of Melfora Lum, Adam stood at the viewport of the
FS-475
, watching as the last remnants of the nuclear blast evaporated into ribbons of sparking blue and yellow electricity. He couldn’t believe it. He had been so close to finding his way home – and now nothing.

In reality, he didn’t care what happened to the Klin – or to anything else for that matter – in this nightmare universe he now occupied. All he’d ever wanted to do was get back home.

And now what was he to do….

Kaylor and Jym stood behind him, not knowing what to say. Adam finally spoke without turning, “Well, my friends, I guess I’m really stuck here now. There will be no joyous homecoming for Adam Cain in the foreseeable future.” He turned to face the two aliens. “But it looks like the two of you are off the hook for now. The Juirean did say no one else knew about the ship and the Klin other than a small handful of people. Now most of them are gone – all except us.”

There was an awkward moment of silence before Kaylor asked: “What will you do now, Adam Cain?”

Adam just shook his head. “Good question. If I’m going to be here for a while, then I guess the first thing I need to do is find a way to make a living. The two of you can’t keep carrying me forever.”

Kaylor nodded vigorously, much to Adam’s surprise. “What were you trained to do on your planet … on Earth?”

Adam thought for a moment. He knew the long answer, but the time didn’t seem appropriate to go into detail. Finally, he simply said, “I was a trained killer.”

Both Kaylor and Jym recoiled slightly from the answer. They had held their suspicions and now it had been confirmed.

Seeing the disgust on the faces of the aliens, Adam explained further, “I was in the military … a warrior I guess you could say.”

This seemed to appease the aliens, but then Jym blurted out, “Maybe you can go to work for the gangs –
as an assassin
!”

Kaylor jabbed him in the ribs, shooting him a stern look.

But Adam wasn’t offended. In fact, he gave them both a sly smile and said, “So … I could kill aliens for a living? I like that idea.
That’s something I could get used to!”

The End

of

The Fringe Worlds