The Legend of Earth

Chapter 14



After the first five days in the bunker, the explosions on the surface had ended, signaling to Adam the beginning of the second phase of the Kracori invasion – consolidation.

By this time, Adam had realized that cohabitating with McCarthy and his men was not going to work, and so a few days before he had claimed a secondary, smaller barracks for their own. Kaylor and Jym came too, and soon staked out a small corner of the new barracks as their own, pulling over a couple of cots and surrounding them with sheets hung from the ceiling for privacy. Except for the occasional contact in the mess hall, the two groups of Humans had not had any other contact over the past two days.

On the fifth day of their confinement in the bunker, a Guard commander had come to Adam’s barracks and summoned him and his top lieutenants to a meeting with Hydon. This would be the first time Adam would have been in the bunker’s command center, and he was anxious to learn the capacities and defenses the Juireans had available. At the end on a long corridor, they found a vast room full of banks of computers, monitors and about two dozen Juireans and handful of other creatures all chattering at once. The level of conversation dropped substantially when the Humans entered the room.

Hydon was hunched over a console, speaking with a technician, his omnipresent Counselor Yol-fin at his side. The technician stopped speaking when Adam approached.

Hydon looked perturbed. “Continue; they’re with us now.”

“Yes, my Lord,” said the tech. He pointed at the monitor. “You see here where the invaders have blocked off all three of the exits on the mountain side of the Plain. And here, on the city side, they have done the same. It’s apparent they had advanced knowledge of these locations.”

I knew it, Adam thought. I think we’re all screwed.

Hydon straighten up and turned to Adam. “Your race is very knowledgeable regarding military tactics,” he stated, no flattery intended. “What do you believe will be the Klin’s next move?”

Adam hadn’t had much time to think about it, but now that he was asked, he leaned forward and studied the schematic on the computer screen.

“I’ve been curious what defenses you have in place for the bunker.” Adam approached the monitor. “Are we self-sufficient down here, meaning do we have our own power, water and food supply?”

“Completely self-sufficient,” Hydon said. “And we are located within solid bedrock.”

Up until about a year ago, Adam Cain had been just an enlisted grunt in the U.S. Navy SEALs; the only true officer in the room, in his opinion, was Lt. Andy Tobias. He motioned for the officer to step forward. “What do you think, Andy? Anything stick out at first glance?”

“How many defenders do you have in the complex?”

“A little over three hundred,” Hydon answered without hesitation, “plus an additional sixty stationed in the tunnels.”

“And how many access points into the bunker?”

“Just one.”

“And any escape routes from underground.”

Hydon pointed at several locations on the map, exits from the labyrinth on either side of the Kacoran Plain. “The Klin have taken up positions at all the exits. There are several monitors keeping track of this at the entrances, as well as in the tunnels.” He looked at Adam. “This other race – the Kracori – appear to be the only military force the Klin are employing. We’ve not spotted any other beings.”

Tobias ran his finger along one of the long corridors leading to their present location on the map. “Could a nuclear device be brought through here, once the defenders have been cleared?” Adam remembered the various barricades and defensive positions he’d passed on the way to the bunker. As formidable as they appeared, in the long run, they would be overrun.

“Yes, but the tunnels can be sealed along their lengths with hidden explosives if we see an attempt to bring in such a device.”

“Then how would we get out?” Riyad Tarazi asked the Elder. “I mean if we ever have reason to leave such luxurious accommodations.”

“There is a way I can escape at any time.”

“How’s that?”

“There is a boring pod available. It is a mining device that can travel through bedrock. It will provide me and up to ten of my entourage a means of escaping, if I find it necessary.”

“That’s comforting – for you anyway,” Riyad said.

After another moment of studying the schematic, Andy straightened up. “I don’t see why they would want to blast us out of here. We are of no strategic value and the enemy has full run of the surface. They could simply wait us out and deal with us later once they’ve established a solid beach hold. And from the blocking of all the exits out of the mountain, they obviously know the complete layout of the complex, including the fact that you could collapse the tunnels if they make a move on the bunker.”

“They may not feel they have the luxury of time,” Adam said. “They know our fleet is on its way, so I don’t think they’ll be setting up any permanent outposts on the surface – or let any of the people down here survive so they can be rescued.”

“That’s true, but they have no reason to go through all the effort. In fact, they may force us to blow the tunnels just to trap us down here. Then whether the fleet arrives or not, eventually we’ll all starve to death. Problem solved. I say they’re going to sit on us. Besides, there must be hundreds of such shelters like this one around the planet. Trying to ferret out a few more Juireans from each one doesn’t seem like an efficient use of man – I mean – alien-power.”

Adam turned to Hydon. “I concur with Lt. Tobias; I think they’ll choose to wait us out. Even if we are eventually rescued, we’ll only be a handful of survivors. Compared to the damage they’ve already caused, we’re hardly worth the effort.”

“Unless they know you’re down here,” Riyad said, grinning at the Council Elder.

“Even if they did, my status is no longer significant. Within the Juirean hierarchy, we are all easily replaceable.”

Just then a loud, crackling sound screeched from the speakers embedded in the metal walls of the room. From the strong stereo effect filtering in from the nearby corridor, Adam could tell the sound was coming through all the nearby speakers, and probably throughout the entire complex.

The screeching continued for a few more seconds as technicians buried their heads in the consoles, seeking a source of the sound or a way to turn it off.

Finally, the screeching ended, but then a voice came over the speakers. “Your attention in the bunker,” said a strong voice, a command voice. “I am Commander Jonnif Vinn of the Ludif Kracori forces presently in control of the planet Juir, as well as all the surrounding systems.” The voice paused for a moment, as if the very mention of his name should elicit awe in the listener. “Our technicians have gained access to your communication network; your own technicians will find that on channel-17 you will be able to return the link to me. I will speak specifically with Elder Hydon Ra Elys.”

All heads turned toward Hydon, who appeared to be more disappointed than angry that his presence in the bunker had already been discovered. That didn’t take long, Adam thought.

Hydon nodded to the technician seated in front of him and the tech opened the channel. “This is Lord Hydon,” he said into the room. “I commend you on your rapid discovery of my presence.”

“You can thank the spies we’ve had in place on your world for years. The few prisoners we have taken so far have not been very cooperative. Not yet.”

“You will find that Juireans do not make good prisoners. What was your name? I was not paying complete attention when you spoke it earlier.” Adam didn’t know if Hydon was being intentionally provocative or not. Either way, he liked it.

“My name is Jonnif, and it is a name your people will long remember.”

“That may be so, but for now it is unimportant. What do you want?”

There was a long moment of silence before Jonnif replied. Adam could only imagine the look on the Kracori’s gray face. Adam was really beginning to like Hydon, even though he was sure the Juirean was just being a Juirean. Even still, it sounded like something Adam might have said….

“I want you, Lord Hydon; that should be obvious. We have control of your planet, as well as the Sector, with all the resources that have allowed your bastard race to maintain control over the galaxy for so long. It is all under the control of the Kracori—”

“And your Klin masters.”

There was another moment of silence. When Jonnif spoke again, Adam could almost hear the joy in his voice. “You appear to be misinformed, Lord Hydon. The Kracori no longer follow the dictates of the Klin. They served us as long as was necessary, but now it is only Ludif direction we follow. And it is our very own Ludif Council who will take immense pleasure in gazing upon the glorious being who is the Juirean Elder, be he dead or alive.”

Jonnif paused again, expecting some defiant retort from Hydon. When none came, he continued. “You are simply a symbol, Hydon, a symbol of Juirean dominance of the galaxy and how it has survived for far too long. The presentation of your body – living or dead – to the Ludifs will demonstrate to all just how unimportant you are – how unimportant all Juireans are from now on. Your end has come, Lord Hydon. Your legend has been broken. Many of your kind may still exist on other worlds, but without legend you have nothing left. You will all be replaced by the Legend of the Kracori.” Jonnif’s voice had climbed to an angry crescendo. Now he paused, letting his remarks settle so all the creatures listening throughout the complex could grasp their significance.

“If that time comes, Jonnif,” Hydon began, “I will not leave any of my physical being for you to present to your Ludifs – whatever they may be.”

“Your attempts to insult me are not working,” Jonnif said. Adam saw a genuine look of shock cross Hydon’s face. So he wasn’t doing it intentionally. Damn! “And your reaction has been anticipated. That is why I’m making this offer to all your fellow captives within your death chambers: Present to me the body of Hydon Ra Elys, either dead or alive, and I will guarantee that all the rest of you in the bunker will be set free, and that applies to all the Juireans as well. While others of your kind will be relentlessly hunted and eliminated by the Kracori, you will all be given amnesty. All you need do is surrender Lord Hydon to me.”

Adam was closely watching Hydon’s face as Jonnif made his offer; he detected no concern whatsoever. And none of the other Juireans in the room were showing any signs of shifty eyes or furtive glances Hydon’s way. Finally, Hydon chose to speak.

“You do not know Juireans very well,” he said. “The preservation of our own selves is of little concern to us. The offering of bribes has no effect on Juireans. I’m afraid this strategy will not provide the results you seek. You will not get my body.”

When Jonnif’s voice came once more through the speakers, his tone was softer, more cadenced. “That is what you think now. Once your people have been confined in their metal grave for more time, you may find that self-preservation can be a very effective motivator.”

“You may believe you are gaining leverage, Jonnif, but I know my people. Do what you must, but you will never lay eyes upon my intact body. In addition, your time on my planet is limited, so you will not gain any long-term advantage from your actions this day. All you have done is shown yourselves for what you are: animals fit only for extermination.”

“It is your race, Hydon, which is in the process of being exterminated. And speaking of our tenure upon your world, it may be permanent, or it may not. That remains to be seen. With regards to the Humans, I also have knowledge that there are some there with you, a circumstance I find curious, yet not concerning.”

Hydon looked at Adam, who raised his eyebrows in a display of surprise. The intel the Kracori had on the operations of the Juireans, including right in the very heart of their capital, was impressive.

Jonnif was continuing: “Since I personally have never met a Human, I will amend my offer. Bring me the Humans, especially the one named Adam Cain, and I will include a sizeable monetary bonus along with the offer of amnesty. This Adam Cain is the only Human name I have heard, and I am curious to see just how imposing he truly is, along with the others of his kind. They will be sport for me and my Ludifs, so only live Humans will satisfy the amendment.”

“Jonnif, your bombast is becoming boring. I will now end this conversation; it has become pointless and immature.”

“As you wish, just let it be known that my offer of amnesty will last for only ten Juirean days. In summary, for all who are listening: for Hydon, amnesty for all; for the Humans, credits for whomever brings them to me personally and alive.

Hydon tapped the technician on the shoulder and the channel was cut. He stared at the floor for a few moments before turning to Adam.

“With the provisions we have, the occupants of the bunker can survive for more than a year—”

“Aren’t you concerned about a revolt down here, about someone taking Jonnif up on his offer?” Riyad asked.

“Juireans will not betray other Juireans simply to save their own lives. However….” Hydon nodded to the Guard Commander who had led them to the command center. The Juirean drew his weapon and leveled it at the Humans. “.…with your people I am concerned.” He turned to Adam, who looked at Hydon with a look of sickening resignation.

“I apologize for this action, Mr. Cain; I’m sure you understand. You Humans are the unknown variable here. I cannot risk leaving you armed as we await your fleet. Apparently, we are under no threat of attack while in the bunker, so your weapons will not be necessary. If that changes, then I will reconsider my decision. Until then, I will ask that you surrender your weapons without resistance.”

Adam and the others were wearing only MK’s holstered around their waists, having left the larger flash rifles in the barracks. Adam understood Hydon’s position, and with McCarthy being the loose cannon that he was, it made perfect sense. At least this way, Adam wouldn’t have to disarm Nigel and his men himself….

As he surrendered his MK to the Guard, Adam looked over at Tobias and Riyad, who were in the process of doing the same. “McCarthy’s not going to like this,” he said to them. And then he turned to Hydon. “How many Juireans did you say you had down here?”

“Three hundred. Why?”

“I hope it’s enough.”