The Copernicus Deception (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 15) (11 page)

He peeked out the back of the truck to make sure no other traffic was coming, then jumped out and rushed to the front.

The driver’s side door was open, and when Adam looked inside, he found Coop sitting in the middle of the bench seat, one alien crushed against the driving column, the other spattered against the passenger side door.

“Any problem?” Adam asked.

“Hardly,” Copernicus relied. “But what a…mess.”

“Let’s get the bodies over to the forest, then get going. It’ll be light before we reach the spaceport.”

“Yes, sir.”

Chapter 14

Adam opened the back of the transport truck and Jym, Kaylor and Riyad climbed in.

“Is this an eye?” Jym cried out.

Adam looked at the gooey string he was holding up, with a bloody ball dangling at the end.

“Looks like it. At least I hope it is. The alternative would be…well, nasty.”

Jym dropped the offensive object and attempted to wipe his hand on the metal bench he was sitting on. It didn’t help; he just picked up more blood off the surface.

Jym stood up. “I can’t sit back here. This will make me sick.”

“It’s not any better up front,” Adam barked. “It’s either this, or you walk to the spaceport.”

Reluctantly, the tiny bear sat back down.

“How far to the spaceport?” Riyad queried. “I’m with Jym. I already feel sick enough without having to spend too much time in your playground.”

“Shouldn’t be more than a half hour, maybe less, depending on how many lights we hit.”

“Very funny,” Riyad said.

Adam shut the door and rushed to the cab. Copernicus was in the driver’s seat.

“Scoot over, sergeant; I do the driving around here.”

“Bullshit. I was here first. Besides, I need you concentrating on whatever it is you concentrate on when doing your magic act.”

He had a point. Adam ran to the passenger side.

There were a number of smaller transports and trucks streaming past, and the volume had only grown over the past few minutes, as the first light of day began to fill the shadows. Coop merged with the traffic, just moments before a huge, wheeled trimmer rolled by the spot where they’d dumped the bodies. Soon the green mulch would take on a reddish hue.

“We could cut through the city or go along the perimeter,” Copernicus said. “Can you get the local traffic report on your gizmo?”

“No, but I can monitor the number of electric motors nearby. Doing that, it looks like our fastest route will be outside the city.”

The truck ran on heavy tracks instead of wheels, and along the perimeter road they came in handy plowing through the watery mud that flowed from the jungle and crossed the highway at several points along the way. When they crossed these puddles, twin plumes of dark brown slush sprayed out behind the vehicle, something very few of the other transports were producing since they traveled at a much lower speed. Horns blasted behind them, as tailgaters were showered with blinding mud. Most of the trailing vehicles fell back to avoid these periodic baths. Others changed lanes and raced to the side of the truck to express their displeasure in more unambiguous ways.

Adam didn’t let them get too vocal before he disabled their motors with his ATD. The stricken vehicles drifted to a halt on the highway, blocking traffic and allowing Copernicus to put some distance between them and the irate drivers.

“You better slow down,” Adam said, “otherwise we could get pulled over. I’m sure they have some form of traffic control in a city this big.”

Coop complied, and ten minutes later the spaceport came into view.

Coop slowed down and merged with the parade of traffic entering the grounds. Most of the vehicles parked in one of two huge paved lots, saving them from having to traverse the overnight accumulation of mud farther out in the field. Large trucks towed massive rollers behind them, sweeping the field and soaking up some of the moisture, but it was still a losing battle. The field was already a mess and would remain so throughout most of the day.

The tracks of Coop’s truck churned a path through the field and ground to a stop next to the
Vivian
. Doors flew open, and driver and passenger plopped already wet and muddy boots into another eight inches of sticky goo. They struggled to lift their feet from the mud’s sucking hold.

Riyad poked his head around the back of the truck. “Is this some form of security goo, designed to keep us from moving?”

“Seems like it,” Adam called back. “Kaylor!”

The Belsonian came around the back, his lighter weight allowing him to move more easily across the field. “Yes, Adam?”

“Where’s your ship? We didn’t see it when we landed, but there’re a lot of larger Juirean ships around here. I could have missed it.”

“They left it in orbit, linked to the client’s ship with mag-lines.”

“Why would they do that?”

“It had something to do with legal jurisdiction, from what I understand. When linked, the ships are considered to be one vessel. It gave the Visidorans the right to search our ship as well.”

“Do you have anything aboard that could come back to bite you?”

“You mean something living? No, nothing. That’s a very strange question to ask.”

“So it’s in orbit—good.”

Copernicus managed to reach his ship and dial in the code to open the outer hatch. “Leave your shoes in the entry chamber.”

Riyad was the first to enter. “You’re kidding, right? Your ship is a piece of shit.”

“It runs, doesn’t it? Besides, once the mud dries the dirt will get sucked into the ventilation system and screw up everything. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about.”

Riyad snorted…then kicked off his boots. Everyone else followed suit.

Adam’s socks were just as wet and dirty as his shoes, so he left them in entry the chamber as well before making his way to the bridge barefoot. By the time all five of them were in the room, it smelled like a men’s locker room after a sweltering summer football game.

“Damn, I should have stayed in the back of the truck,” Riyad commented. “All the bloody body parts and feces smelled better than this.”

“You guys sure do like to bitch a lot,” Coop said. He sat in the pilot seat and began the pre-launch procedure.

“We call them like we see them,” Adam said. He leaned over Coop’s shoulder. “Will you be able to home in on the
FS-475
?”

“No, but I will the Gradis ship. I have its transponder code in the computer.”

“And you don’t have the
‘475’s
?”

“No need. It’s not my ship.”

“What if they have a breakdown?”

Copernicus looked up at Adam and frowned. “Then they can fix it. They’ve been doing it for something like thirty years already.”

“You are one cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch.”

“Pragmatic, that’s all. Now pick a station and get away from me. All this heavy breathing on my neck is turning me on.”

“You’ve been in space way too long, sergeant.”

“You got that right. Now, again, take a seat and strap in. I don’t know what kind of resistance we’re going to meet leaving the planet.”

Ten seconds later, the
Vivian
lifted from the surface, blasting away a shallow crater of superheated mud and water from the surface of the field. The debris carried far enough to splatter the shiny hulls of the closest Juirean Class Twos. Coop smiled as he scanned the image projected from the under camera. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Then he concentrated on the flashing beacon on his nav screen.

“The surface is calling,” Riyad said from the comm station.

“Stall them,” Coop ordered.

Riyad fingered the switch. “Swiv Control, this is Overlord Osama bin Laden of the Juirean high command.”

There was a pronounced pause on the link before a response came through. “Eh, you…an Overlord. But the ship is registered to CS Systems—”

“That I know,” Riyad growled. “Since it is owned by a Human, we are commandeering the vessel. Make whatever notations you must, but we are taking the starship. For the record, it is a miracle the craft can even fly. It is a soldered together hunk of scrap.”

“Solder…I do not understand.”

“Of course you don’t. You are a Visidoran. You would not be expected to understand. Now cut this link. I will contact you if I need your assistance.”

“Lucky it wasn’t a visual link,” Adam said when the line was cut. “Although you do bear a striking resemblance to the real Osama bin Laden

“Who is Osama bin Laden?” Kaylor asked.

“An infamous Human from the past, someone who did some pretty nasty things before the Klin and the Juireans came along.”

“And Riyad looks like him?”

“They could be twins,” Adam said, trying his best to suppress the smile, even when Riyad flashed him the bird.

“Don’t you two take anything seriously?” Copernicus scolded. “We still have a lot to do before we’re in the clear.”

Chapter 15

The
FS-475
—Kaylor and Jym’s Muleship—glistened in the clear void of outer space. The Gradis Cartel ship was located four thousand meters away. The pair were slowly rotating around a central axis.

“You can dock with the top hatch,” Kaylor announced. “Jym and Adam will go with me. Riyad is injured, so he should stay here. Copernicus has Human medicines aboard where we do not.”

“Sounds good,” Coop said. “Visidoran space extends for a hundred light-years from here, but with their affiliation with the Juireans, I have no idea how far they’ll be willing to chase us.”

“Assuming they chase us at all,” Adam said. “Riyad has the natives believing we’re a contingent of Juireans. Before they check with someone and learn the truth, we’ll be long gone.”

“Let’s hope so,” Coop said. “I only have a couple of twenty-year-old flash cannon aboard, and the Muleship is allowed only the minimum armament for self-defense.”

Twenty minutes later, the tiny three-ship caravan broke orbit with Visidor and entered gravity-wells. Coop’s shipyard was a thousand light-years away, in the Wokan region of the Frontier, and about four hundred lights from the Union border. Without any complications, the trip would take a little over three days.

Once out of Visidoran space, Adam took a portable comm unit to his stateroom and contacted Admiral Andy Tobias on Panur’s Planet—AKA Woraken-nin. He knew the admiral would be livid when speaking with him, but Adam had to face the music if he was to get the latest on the Juirean situation.

The admiral’s adjutant, Commander Tom Paulson, came on the screen first. His expression was unreadable, but his voice tense. “Stay linked, Captain,” he said quickly. “I will get the admiral. He’s been trying to reach you.”

The officer slipped out of camera view, and Adam spent the next six minutes staring at a shiny gold wall with shelves containing several decorative statues, also made of gold. Adam recognized the room as one of five studies located in Panur’s palace, and the one Tobias had claimed as his office when they first arrived back from Sol-Kor space. Yet something was off; one of the statues was now a deformed lump from what Adam remembered it to be. He was trying to figure out how that could have happened when the gaunt figure of Admiral Tobias slipped into camera view.

“Are you and Riyad all right?” Andy asked with genuine concern.

“Yeah, we’re fine. Riyad was shot with a level-2 bolt, but he’ll be okay.”

“What happened? I called the Visidorans and they said something about you being arrested.”

“We managed to get away, along with Kaylor, Jym and another Human named Smith.”

“Copernicus Smith?”

“That’s right. We’re on our way to his shipyard with his ship, the
FS-475
and a Gradis Cartel ship in tow. But Andy, what’s this bullshit about the annexation of the Kidis? Are we really on the brink of war…again?”

Tobias leaned back in the chair and let out a deep sigh. “It’s a clusterfuck of major proportions, Captain. The J’s
have
annexed the Frontier and demanded that all Humans leave. They’ve given us ten days to get out—eight now. Hollingsworth has left us here on Worak-nin, pending a resolution to the crisis.”

“And what if there’s no satisfactory resolution?”

“Then it’s back to war with the damn Juireans.”

“I mean, what happens to you…and Sherri…and Arieel?”

“We’re looking for a safe place to hide until we can be rescued. Holly doesn’t want us heading out in one of the local starships. The Juireans know we’re here, and he feels they may want to use us for propaganda, hell, maybe even as scapegoats so they can blame the coming war on us.”

“Well, damn, Andy, this really sucks.”

“And watch your asses, too. You’re three Humans traveling through what is now—according to the Juireans—Expansion space, and without authorization. They may try to set something in motion to make the three of you out to be the bad guys.”

 “We’ll be careful.”

“Our research shows that this Copernicus guy has a base on a planet called Liave-3. Is that where you’re headed?”

“Yes, sir. We’re about thirty hours out.”

“Liave is just over three hundred light-years from the border. If you think you can make it, go for it. We’re massing as many ships along the void as we can, without crossing the line.”

“They can’t do this, Admiral.”

“They’ve done it, and most of the Expansion is running scared over this new aggressiveness on the part of the Juireans. Not a lot of protests coming from their side of the line.” Tobias stopped and sighed deeply. To Adam, his commanding officer looked malnourished and drained. “Adam, it looks like this is going to happen. The Juireans have slammed the door on negotiations. They want this war—for whatever god-dang reason—and they’re going to get it. And it won’t be like last time. They know our strengths, as well as our weaknesses.”

“We know theirs, as well.”

“It’s not the same. Last time, they underestimated us and overplayed their hand. And they also had the Klin pulling their strings, even if they didn’t know it. And this new Elder is a real diabolical character. He’s studied us for the last twenty years. I don’t think he’d be doing this if he didn’t think he could win.”

“And this on top of the fight we just had with the Sol-Kor.”

“Now I see why the Juireans let us take such an active lead in the war. They wanted us to take the hit, while they sat back strengthening their hand.”

Adam tried to smile. It came across more as a grimace. “Hey, Andy, we just defeated the entire Sol-Kor Colony. What’s a little Juirean Expansion compared to that?”

“Don’t believe your own propaganda, Captain. We had help, and you know it.” Then Andy shook his head. “Where’s an immortal, mutant, alien genius when we really need one—” The look on Adam’s face made Tobias stop. “I’m sorry, Adam; you know what I mean.”

“It’s okay, Admiral. Any word from Lila?”

“Not a peep. She’s gone, and so is the
Najmah…ain’t-here-anymore.”

“Let me know if you hear anything, will ya?”

“Will do.”

Adam was feeling frustrated and impotent. It was not something he was used to. “We need a game changer, Admiral,” he stated, gritting his teeth. “ Something big to rock the Juireans back on their heels.”

“Got anything up your sleeves?”

“Wish I did, but right now I’m a little short of miracles, although Copernicus seems to think I’m some kind of magician with my Formilian implant.”

“Reading his jacket, I think it best if you keep him awed. He seems to be pragmatic to a fault. And I wouldn’t count on him to have your back just because he’s Human, either.”

“Way ahead of you, sir. Copernicus Smith bears watching.”

“And Adam,” Tobias began, “one more thing.”

“What’s that, Admiral?”

“When this thing is over, you and Riyad are still in a heap of deep shit with me over your little insubordinate escapade with this Smith character. Make sure you survive…so I can have the pleasure of keelhauling the two of you myself.”

“Do they still keelhaul these days?”

“They sure do, only now it’s done in spacesuits…if you’re lucky.”