T. Harris - The Legend of Earth

“This situation does not change our status to any great degree. The Humans may be leaving, but it is still not safe for us to venture beyond the nebulae.”

“But Daninf, soon the Humans will be ensconced in their own territory and may not wish to embark on another long-distance military campaign. We may still be able to emerge,” said another of the Kracori in the room.

“That may be so,” Daninf agreed. “But for the time being, we are still foremost on their mind. With time, what you say may be true, but not in the short-term. Until that time we must assure that we remain secluded — which brings up the subject of our Human guests.”

“No Kracori will reveal the location of Eilsion, and all the Klin have been eradicated. You are correct, Daninf: only the Humans are a variable,” said the other Kracori.

“I see no reason to continue with this accommodation, Linof,” Daninf said. “And with this new emphasis on casting the Kracori as outlaws, McCarthy and his fellow Humans may seek to trade their own forgiveness for our location. The Humans on Eilsion are few, but they are shifty and resourceful. We cannot risk keeping them around. Do what you must to remedy this situation, Linof.”

“Yes, my Ludif. I will begin to make the arrangements.”

Nigel had just stepped outside the tall, gray building when the conversation in the conference room concluded. He climbed into the back of the transport for the trip back to his apartment with a small grin on his face, an expression that went unnoticed by his driver.

So, they intend to snuff us out, the bloody bastards, Nigel thought . How predictable. He pressed the button on a small communication device he carried in his pocket, sending out an alert to the rest of his team. After all these years, his men would be ready for some action.

Just as Nigel McCarthy had done back on the Klin world of Marishal, he had long planned for all contingencies. Years back, while still in favor with the Kracori leadership, he had secretly secured an old, yet reliable flying saucer and stowed it away where it could not be found by the Kracori. In addition, he and his men maintained go-bags, packed constantly, just waiting for the word.

Nigel McCarthy had just sent the word.

While he enjoyed the rest of the ride back to his flat, he began to reflect on what the future may hold for him. With the Humans pulling back, there would be chaos and confusion, and Humans would be few and far between throughout the galaxy, except in the distant Far Arm. This could offer Nigel and his men an opportunity. With their skills and superior physical abilities — and no one around to challenge them — Nigel and his team could have their run of the place, something that had always been denied them.

Yes, there was opportunity in chaos, and Nigel McCarthy was ready to be set free within the galaxy like he had never been before. In the past, he had either been a puppet of the Klin or the Kracori. Now he was going to be his own boss and the master of his own destiny. He also knew there was not a single race of bloody aliens in the entire galaxy who could stop him.

Adam Cain was feeling melancholy. He had kept busy for the past five months preparing for the departure of the Humans from the Expansion, which had helped to distract him from his demons. But now that he was scheduled to depart for Earth in three weeks, it was getting harder to keep them at bay.

The trip to Earth would indeed be painful and agonizing beyond belief. Even though he had been on many a Navy deployment in his career, with his particular rating, he had never spent that much time confined aboard a ship. For him it had always been about the action. So, even though the year-long trip back to Earth was contributing to his mood, it was not all that was bothering him.

It was also the uncertainty. He did not know where his future would take him. He had mustered out of the Navy years, as his fame and adoration would not allow him to simply do his job anymore.

And what about his fame? Upon his return to Earth he would now be credited with bringing home the troops, along with saving the Human race from following the same destructive path as the Juireans. He would find no peace. Instead it would be same old dog-and-pony show he was involved in before he’d left, constantly having to flash his fake smile to all the cameras and adoring masses. If they only knew how screwed up their hero really was!

Kroekus had requested that Adam come see him in the Silean’s working office down on the surface of Juir. Adam had just recently returned from a trip to Pymilia, where the Humans had set up their main military base. The base was now a virtual ghost town, but still the few remaining troops he’d encountered had showered him with such embarrassing praise that now he did his best to avoid the rank and file everywhere he went. They were going home — and Adam was getting all the credit.

And it would be no different back on Earth.

He decided that he would truly welcome the diversion with the hefty alien. At least the aliens didn’t treat him as a hero.

“Come, my friend,” Kroekus said in his typical jovial manner. “Have a seat on the couch; you look awful, as far as I can tell for a Human — you all look awful to me!”

Adam was in awe of the Silean. Even though he had been drafted into the role of absolute leader of the Expansion, he never seemed to show any stress or concern for the job. He just continued to function on a perfectly even keel, day-in and day-out. Adam didn’t know how he did it.

“I will serve you a strong intoxicant; maybe that will relieve some of the lines on your face which I have not seen there before.”

“Thanks, Kroekus, but I would imagine that by now you’d be ready to call it quits, as well. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Doesn’t anything bother you?”

“Of course, my Human friend. I have so many concerns jumbling up my mind that I find it hard to sleep for more than two hours per night, which is not normal for my people. But it is the challenge of the job that keeps me going.”

Adam accepted the drink from the Silean and downed a long swallow. He wasn’t lying when he said strong drink as Adam’s eyes began to water. Another swig and the drink didn’t seem as potent. One more should just about do the trick….

“So Kroekus, what did you want to see me about?”

“I wanted to see you one last time before you left. I will be busy and so will you. We may not get the opportunity.”

“I appreciate that, my friend,” Adam said, and he meant every word. He had met a lot of aliens in his day, but only a few that he could accept as friends. Kroekus was one. Kaylor and Jym were the only others still living.

“But I also have a favor to ask of you; I need your advice.”

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll help, if I can.”

Kroekus downed his own drink and then retrieved two more for them. Then he popped one of his omnipresent pastries into his mouth. “It has to do with Expansion security. With the withdrawal of the Humans, there will be no unifying military or police authority in the galaxy. Everything will resort back to the local systems.”

“I thought the one-ship-per-planet thing was going well?”

“It is. We are building a space fleet that now numbers over four thousand ships. Yet even with a fleet of this size, there is no unifying command. With each planet supplying its own crew, every ship is attempting to operate independently and not accepting any centralized authority. And then there are the more powerful systems who insist on supplying more than one ship, just so they may exact more control over the fleet.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t anticipate these problems. I thought the members of the Expansion more or less just followed orders.”