T. Harris - The Legend of Earth

“Forgive me, my Lord, but Juir is to be abandoned … to the barbarians?”

“Overlord Anawar, this is not a decision we have come to lightly. Unfortunately, at this time it is the only one that will preserve Juirean culture. And even though the Humans will occupy the Cluster for the time being, we do have ample reserves to repel them at a future date. It is more important at this time to save our heritage, if not our homeworld.”

“But there are over a billion Juireans on the planet. There certainly cannot be enough ships available to save them all.”

Adam could tell the Elder was growing impatient with his subordinate’s questioning. This latest revelation also explained why Hydon seemed to be so distracted.

“We will be able to save over half, according to our estimates. There are still four months before the Humans arrive.”

“Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?” Sherri said, the first of the Humans to speak.

Hydon looked at her for several seconds, his eyes scanning her up and down. “You are the female. Although it has been millennia since Juireans practiced the traditional mating bonds, the vast majority of our Member races still do. In fact, in some societies females play the dominant role. I respect that. I will address you as an equal with your male counterparts.”

Sherri pulled her chin down into her neck as her eyes grew wide. Adam could almost hear her thinking, “Oh no, you didn’t just say that!”

“You are the one known as Sherri Valentine. You have accompanied the males during their terrorism activities, so you will share their fate.” Hydon then turned his attention to Adam. “You must be Adam Cain,” he said quickly. “The three of you are the first Humans I have met in person. It is good to actually see the enemy in the flesh. There have been so many rumors circulating regarding Humans, many I am sure initiated by you and your kind. Although all of you in this room will die quickly and soon, the others you came with will not be so lucky. They will be tested and their bodies analyzed to reveal your secrets. Once Fleet Marshal Relion and his technicians are done with them, we will know what it takes to efficiently kill the Humans.” Hydon nodded to the Juirean seated at his right.

“Now, before I kill you, I want to know the answer to a question I have not been able to fathom: Why? Why has your race elected to wage war against the Juirean Expansion? Besides the sheer audacity of the act, you must know you cannot prevail, not against the entire Expansion.”

“We didn’t start this — you did!” Sherri took a step closer to the Juirean; Adam and Riyad grabbed her arms and pulled her back.

“As to your point of us starting this conflict, you are gravely mistaken. The Juirean Expansion had no knowledge of your race until you began hostile activities against us. And the attack upon your homeworld was simply a defensive move to counter your aggressiveness.” He looked directly at Adam. “And as we have learned, it was you who played an integral role in leading our forces into the trap. And now, in our most recent encounter, your race has once again displayed an almost pathological obsession with deception. You cannot be trusted. You are a race of savages and criminals.” With the last statement, Hydon looked at Riyad. “ Pirates and barbarians, feeding off the misfortunes of others. Yes, Riyad Tarazi, I am also aware of your contributions to this entire affair.”

He looked again at Adam, “So answer me: Why have you embarked down this fruitless path?”

Adam took a deep breath. He eyed the sword resting on the table, knowing that he would have only one chance to save their lives, and, unlike the evil villains in a James Bond movie, the Juirean leader appeared to be in a hurry. He wasn’t going to take the time to gloat.

But still, his comment about an evacuation gave Adam the opening he was looking for.

“Sherri’s right: we didn’t start this, and as it turns out, neither did you,” Adam said. “Everything that has happened up until now has been the result of the Klin screwing with both of us.”

Hydon looked confused, either from Adam’s use of the word screwing or from his comment about the Klin.

“You are partners with the Klin, however, I was not aware there was also a sexual component to your relationship. Regardless, that is not an answer.”

“I mean we’re not partners; it turns out we never were. We are just as much victims of the Klin’s treachery as you are. It’s been the Klin all along who have maneuvered us both into war.”

“He lies, my Lord,” said the Juirean to Hydon’s right, the one he referred to as Fleet Marshal Relion. “They have used Klin warships and technology all along, and are even now producing many more.”

“I do not have time for your games,” Hydon said to Adam. “If you expect this silly diversion to delay your execution, you are mistaken.”

“I can prove it.”

Adam could feel Sherri’s and Riyad’s heads whip around in his direction, and he could also see the narrowing in the eyes of the Juirean as a slight trace of curiosity entered his mind. “How can you prove what you say, here and now, in the short time you have left?”

Adam moved closer to the table and pulled out a chair across from Hydon. The Elder pushed back from the table slightly as Adam came closer. “Do not come much closer; I do not want to miss the satisfaction of killing you myself.”

Adam stretched a grin in the Juirean’s direction as he sat down, a gesture that caught Hydon by surprise. “Let me set the stage, if I may?” Adam said, resting his hands on the cold stone surface of the conference table. “Let’s go back to the attack on the Earth — my homeworld. It was there that your fleet was destroyed by a surprise attack by the Klin ships. Before this, very few people on my planet knew of the existence of the Klin, or of the Juireans, or any other real aliens for that matter. Many believed there was other life in the galaxy, but we had never encountered it before. We were simply a one-world race, divided up among a couple hundred countries — and all fighting against each other. Sound familiar?”

“It is like ancient Juir, before the Contact. But you are wasting my time.”

“Not really. In a few moments, I’m going to tell you how you can save your precious planet from destruction.”

The three Juireans seated at the table exchanged looks of confusion, but none spoke.

“Your fleet was destroyed by Klin ships sitting in dark status within your ranks, is this correct?”

“That is correct. But they were Human ships.” It was Relion who answered.

Adam shifted his attention to the head of the Juirean military. “How do ships maneuver while in dark status?” he asked.

“Usually with gas jets; using chemical or gravity would make the ships detectable and defeat the purpose of being dark.”

“Good. How soon after your ships arrived did you begin your attack?”

“Immediately,” Relion answered, frowning.

“And your attack continued for about three to four hours.”

“Correct.”

“Don’t play your games with us, Human,” Hydon said. “None of us have time for this.”

“That’s right. Time is the key, my Lord .” Adam gritted his teeth as he spoke the words my Lord . “So from the time you arrived until the time the Klin attacked was about three to four hours.”

“Again, correct.”

“My question to you is how could the Klin ships have arrived in dark status, to be within your fleet, in that short of time?”

“They came in undetected, in dark status, as you said.” Even Relion was growing impatient with this line of questioning.