Jason King: Agent to the Stars 1: The Enclaves of Sylox (45 page)

Chapter 21

M
oving quickly throughout the cargo hold, Adam looked for anything he could use to cut the bomb from his ankle. The cargo bay was filled with a plethora of tools, but most of them were robotic. From his brief time with the aliens, he had noticed that they weren’t very coordinated, and this carried over to their use of tools as well. Nearly everything was automated.

And then he found it ... a thin length of wire with a corrugated edge. Taking a length of the wire, he threaded it between his ankle and the strap and then gripped the two ends of the wire with a couple of cloth rags. With determination, Adam began to saw back and forth against the strap.

It wasn’t long before metal dust began to accumulate on the chair. After about a minute he could see the wire making progress, cutting into the edges to the strap. This was going to work!

So he stopped.

It was too early in his captivity to chance having Riyad learn he’d escaped from the ankle bomb. And besides, Kaylor and Jym were still wearing theirs. He’d have to make sure the two aliens were also free of their bracelets before he took any action against Riyad and his pirates. He would pocket the wire for now, and then formulate a plan later.

Adam returned to his room. The journey to the asteroids had taken five hours, so they should be arriving back at Nimor in another three. In the meantime, he had a lot of thinking to do.

Reclining on the bed, Adam began to run the conversation he’d had with Riyad back through his mind.
So we’re the Supermen of the galaxy?
Funny, he didn’t feel like one. Yet he did have to admit that any preconceived notions he had had about the great alien empire and their vast superiority to Humanity had been completely dashed by now. There was little out here that impressed him. Sure, they could travel between stars and they did have some pretty neat energy weapons, but beyond that, just about everyone and everything he’d encountered had been a big letdown, including the almighty Juireans.

So was it possible that Riyad could return to Earth and conquer the planet using the Juirean technology? Then he decided that
conquer
probably wasn’t the right word. After all, what good would it do him to inherit a planet ravaged by war?

Tarazi’s plan would be more subtle. All he really had to do was allow the Juireans to learn of Earth’s existence and its importance to the Klin. Then offering himself up as the most-qualified person to defend the planet against the alien threat, he could simply be appointed leader of the world. That would satisfy his ambition, but what of the fate of Earth?

Could one planet really stand up against the combined might of the Juirean Expansion? Not likely, even with the help of the Klin. In fact, Adam had no idea who or what the Klin really were. Were they friend or foe? Would they simply use the Humans as fodder to further their own need for revenge, and if so, were they any better than the Juireans?

These were serious questions for a 26-year-old sailor from California.

Again, Adam let out a laugh. Was he really taking this line of thinking seriously? Could the activities aboard this tiny spaceship over the next day or so really impact the entire future history of the planet Earth, possibly of the entire galaxy?

Damn! This is some heavy shit,
Adam thought.

He closed his eyes, and when he did a vision appeared, an image of his wife Maria, her dark eyes filled with tears, her bottom lip trembling. She had tried to remain strong on the day he left for Afghanistan that last time, but it was getting so hard on both of them. No matter how much you prepared mentally and emotionally for a moment like this, it was never as you planned. This time it had been especially hard….

Adam opened his eyes in an effort to make the vision go away; that line of thinking was just too painful to take.

He stared at the ceiling, having no idea how all of this was going to work out, but he did know one thing for certain:
He had to get home.
If there was any way possible, he would do it. And if Riyad had plans for involving Earth in a galactic war – which could bring harm to Maria and Cassie, as well as to everyone else who was important to him – then he would have to be stopped.

Just then an announcement came over the ship’s intercom, interrupting Adam’s thoughts: “General Tarazi, please come to the pilothouse immediately!” It was one of the terrorist’s guards calling him.

Curious, Adam left his room and went to the pilothouse as well. He arrived the same time as Riyad.

“What is it?” the pirate leader demanded, anger and disgust displayed on his face and in his tone.

“We just received a link from your command ship. The K’ly base has been attacked by the Juirean Fleet!”

Adam saw Riyad’s dark face grow a few shades deeper as veins in his neck began to protrude. Kaylor and Jym entered the room just then and Riyad spun to face them.

“See what your lies have done! The Juireans think we have the core so my base has been attacked. This is all because of you!”

Adam expected to see Riyad draw his weapon and shoot the aliens dead right there on the spot, but instead he turned to the guard. “Any word on the damage?”

The guard was listening on a headset. “So far, only five ships are unaccounted for. Your emergency evacuation plans were successful. The fleet is regrouping at the backup location.”

“Who did we lose?”

“Filor, Caporian, Jiden, Sim and Meldeon,” the guard reported.

“Jiden and Meldeon … good,” Riyad said aloud. Then to the guard: “Send Captain Angar’s ship to the rendezvous point with orders to coordinate all survivors. Backup supplies and weapons are to be distributed, and send out perimeter guards immediately. The Juireans will not rest until they have what they seek – and they did not find it on K’ly.”

He turned to face Adam, fire in his eyes. “If you – or your alien friends – give me even one more problem, I will kill all of you without a second thought.” He then stormed out of the room.

Chapter 22

A
dam spent the next couple of hours with Kaylor and Jym in the common room, sipping on carbonated drinks and chewing on some sort of granola-tasting cake. The aliens were scared to the point of incapacity; Jym had even vomited a couple of times, sending such an incredible stench into the air that Adam almost followed suit.

Although Adam could sympathize with them, he was also a little disappointed in their total lack of courage in the face of danger. Were these the same aliens who had scared the pirates away from the Klin starship? He knew a showdown was coming with Riyad and his guards, and he dreaded the thought of having to rely on these two for help of any kind.

A guard appeared at the door and summoned them to the pilothouse.

“Take your seats,” Riyad demanded of Kaylor and Jym. “We’re at Nimor. Now take us to the Klin ship.”

Kaylor seemed to be fighting the urge to say something. Finally he summoned the courage to speak. “The Ministry and the Juireans are probably going to be looking for us here. We haven’t been gone very long,” he said nervously.

“That’s why we can’t waste any more time. Just get us in and out as quickly as possible.”

Kaylor and Jym got very quiet and very serious. Through the open port, Adam could see the planet sweep into view, still impressed by the sight of another planet from space. But then he noticed the aliens begin to frantically work their controls, while repeatedly checking the view screens.

Riyad noticed this, too. “What’s wrong?”

“The Klin ship … it is not there.” There was panic in Kaylor’s voice.

Riyad moved closer, until he was looking over Kaylor’s shoulder. “What do you mean it’s not there?”

“These are the coordinates. It is where we left it in orbit by direction from the Ministry.” Kaylor was near hysterics. “Honest! This is where we left it.”

Riyad straightened up and stared out the viewport. “The Juireans have taken the ship away,” he stated flatly.

Adam spoke up, “Where did they take it?”

“Probably to Melfora Lum,” Riyad answered without turning. “That’s the Juirean headquarters for The Fringe.” Adam could tell that the terrorist was working multiple scenarios through in his head, as was Adam. They had the core, but it would do them no good without the Klin ship. And now that ship was headed for the Juirean stronghold for the region. How difficult would it be to get in and out of there unscathed? Adam was the rookie here; he had no idea.

Riyad turned to one of his guards. “Have the core transferred to my ship.” He then turned to Adam: “I don’t like you, Mr. Cain, and I certainly do not trust you. But I’m also not going to leave you here either. You’re coming with me.”

“What about us?” Jym asked, a little too loudly.

Riyad glared at him with a look that sent Jym recoiling back into his chair. “The two of you are the reason I’m in this mess in the first place. I’m afraid I don’t have very good news for—”

Just then, a brilliant blue light filled the pilothouse. Everyone turned toward the viewport and saw three spacecraft appearing in front of them just as a massive blue bolt of energy deflected off one of their hulls. An elongated craft sweep into view from behind the
FS-475
and cut across the bow, just as another bolt of energy erupted from a point just above its pointed tip, targeted at the three approaching warcraft.

Almost simultaneously, three return bolts shot out from the attackers, striking the side of the elongated ship. Adam could see two of the bolts slide off the hull, while the third one scorched a path across the forward third of the ship.

Riyad turned to Kaylor. “Do you have any weapons on this tub?”

At first Kaylor didn’t understand the question, but soon it dawned on him. “Only a 45-ML launcher. It cannot puncture a battle hull.”

Adam knew the fourth ship was Riyad’s ride, and he also knew the ship was doomed. It had sped off to the right and was still barely visible when the three attackers changed course towards it, letting loose with another barrage of blue balls of electricity as they turned. This time all three bolts penetrated the hull, and the ship exploded in a giant ball of yellow and green fire. Adam was astonished by the sudden evaporation of the explosion, as the great fireball flared briefly, and then vanished, as if sucked up by a giant vacuum. Yet even at this distance, Adam could see pieces of the ship flying off in all directions.

Riyad stood stoically watching the scene before him unfold, while the guards in the room appeared visibly shaken. That had been their ship, and now all of their shipmates were dead.

The three attackers changed course again and Adam could see bright flashes erupt from their sterns as they maneuvered closer to Kaylor’s ship. It was apparent from their approach that they did not intend to fire.

A buzz sounded in the pilothouse; Kaylor reached forward on his console and threw a switch.

“This is the Nimorian Ministry Forces,” a voice announced through hidden speakers. “You will cease resistance and prepare to be boarded.”

All eyes turned to Riyad. “Do as they say,” he commanded.

“What about the core?” Adam asked. “Are you going to let the Juireans have it?”

Just then a mischievous expression crossed the pirate’s face. “Don’t worry,” he said, as the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly. “We’ll just have to take this fight to another venue.”