“But Daninf,” Kaddof began, forgetting the formal greeting for the head of the Ludif Council, “that would mean we must again prepare to evacuate.”
“Precisely, and not only prepare, but to execute.”
“We still have time to inflict great suffering on the Juireans here on the planet. I will double our efforts and still have time to pull the forces-”
“No!” Daninf said. “Begin the withdrawal immediately. All forces must be clear of the area well before the Humans arrive. We cannot leave any trace gravity waves that can lead them to us. Survival of our planet is more important than kill a few more Juireans. Pull your troops now, Kaddof.”
Kaddof sat staring at Daninf’s stoic face on the monitor. He knew there was no use in arguing; the Council had decided and now he must obey. He nodded slightly to Daninf.
Impatient, Daninf himself nodded and then cut the transmission.
Kaddof lifted himself from the seat slowly and made his way to the exit. Mininof, Jonnif’s aide — and now his — was waiting in the corridor. “The Humans are coming this way,” Kaddof mumbled. “Resume all evacuation procedures.”
“Why are they playing such games with us, these Humans?”
“I do not know, Mininof, but now the Kracori will lose our legend. It will be tragic.”
“Yes, my Ludif. I will send out your orders.”
Kaddof left the spaceship and returned to the edge of the cliff, very near where Jonnif had thrown himself off into the abyss. The remains of Juir City still smoldered far below, yet now he could see large concentrations of his ground troops clustered off to the left of the ruins. Soon the shuttles would start ferrying them back to their troop carriers for the long journey back home. They had only been on-planet for six days; they would not welcome being stuffed back into the giant spaceships, especially after not having accomplished their mission — or feasted much upon the flesh of Juireans.
In frustration Kaddof bent down and lifted a large rock from the ground. He held it in his hand, marveling at how light it felt for its size. With the gravity of Juir about one-quarter less than that of Eilsion, Kaddof felt an exhilarating physical strength on this planet of the Juireans. He would have welcomed the chance to kill a native with his bare hands, just to feel his superiority over the Juirean. His orders were to begin the evacuation immediately, but he was sure he still had time for one of the ground units to bring him a captive Juirean to kill. He would welcome that — and it would also make for an appropriate departing meal for him and his fellow officers.
As he peered over the edge of the cliff, Kaddof also thought of Jonnif and what joy he would have received from engaging in the same act. Jonnif Vinn had been Kaddof’s mentor, and more like a father to him than simply a commander.
Jonnif was of the Kiconnif clan and had been raised with all the political privileges that came with his birthright. And even though he had been born with the strongest of legends, Jonnif Vinn was also a very good commander, having proven himself in many a contest and through extensive advanced training. In addition, he was also related to the Langril, so when the time came to lead the finally assault upon the Juireans and the Expansion, it was Jonnif who was naturally chosen to command.
Kaddof, on the other hand, was from the Hilfoif Tribe, and as such had not shared the same path to his present rank as had Jonnif. Jonnif had met Kaddof seventeen years before and had immediately spotted an exceptional fire burning within the younger Kracori officer. It was also no secret that Jonnif enjoyed Kaddof’s almost Ludif-like worship of his commander. He had contacts and influence and he had traveled extensively off-planet. Kaddof had been more than happy to serve as Jonnif’s understudy.
But now the broken and mutilated body of Jonnif Vinn lay in a freezer aboard the headquarters ship, awaiting return to Eilsion where it would be undoubtedly cast into an unmarked grave without fanfare or regard for legend. The line of Jonnif Vinn would end with him and it would end with shame.
Kaddof had to admit that Jonnif’s actions would bring about the destruction of the Kracori Legend, yet he was also sure that Jonnif had not meant that to be the case. But now he would be cast as the destroyer of the Kracori, and all because of a simple mistake. It just wasn’t fair.
And now, in spite of it all, Juireans still lived on the planet Juir….
As the anger grew within him, Kaddof reeled back and heaved the large rock into the air, out far beyond the edge of the cliff, further than any Juirean could have thrown. He watched as the stone arched out over empty space and then began the long fall toward the surface below. It landed with a series of echoing pings far down the cliff face, ricocheting and chipping other rocks in the process. Soon a mini-avalanche had formed, but one that quickly subsided.
However, as he watched the journey of the stone, Kaddof suddenly had an idea. His chest welled up, and as his head turned toward the sky, he let out a loud, primal Kracori battle cry, the angry sound echoing off into the distance.
He turned and hurried back to the spaceship. Kaddof had a plan, but he only had so much time to bring it to fruition.
Chapter 43
They entered the Primus-Lur system two days later and immediately picked up a score of gravity signatures heading in the opposite direction.
“Any of these contacts Class-5’s?” Riyad asked.
“I have not detected any yet,” Jym said from his station. “And I have a question for you, Riyad. Since no Class-5 can make landfall, this action will have to take place in space. How do you plan on accomplishing this?”
Tobias and Sherri were on the bridge with the aliens; they looked to Riyad and raised their eyebrows.
For an answer, Riyad tapped the top of Jym’s console. “We use this. We’re in a ship belonging to the race of beings who have just conquered the almighty planet Juir. We just make contact and demand they stop. If they don’t, then we will blast them from space.”
“But that would defeat your purpose. You want the ship intact and undamaged.”
“We would not actually fire upon the ship, my little friend. They just have to believe that we would.”
“But a Class-5 is very fast. They may choose to run.”
“Let’s just hope they don’t.”
“Suppose you did not come off so threatening?” Jym offered. “Then the pilot may not run and risk being fired upon.”
“Great idea, Jym. I will certainly consider that — once we find a candidate.”
Jym always seemed to perk up when complimented by the Humans. He turned to his console and renewed his scanning, but now with almost a whistle in his movements.
He suddenly leaned forward. “I believe I have found such a vessel, possibly two, moving in tandem.”
The word went out throughout the ship and the crew began their preparations. The task of taking the other ship was made more difficult from the fact that they did not want to damage it. It would have to be boarded and the crew subdued.
The KFV-A did carry a small shuttle — a very small shuttle — which could only carry four passengers, plus the pilot. It wasn’t fast and didn’t have any docking hatch. If they used the shuttle to access the freighter, they would either have to do it through the ship’s main landing bay or evacuate the atmosphere in the shuttle and spacewalk to the surface of the other ship. They were prepared for either eventuality, with the four SEALs already in the shuttle dressed in spacesuits they had found in the KFV’s cargo hold. Luckily for them, the Kracori were of similar size and bulk as the Humans so the suits fit quite well.
Riyad would stay on the bridge and attempt to talk his way into stopping the ship and to gain access. Sherri was on the bridge as well, yet she was armed with an emergency kit containing all the generic medical supplies she could find in the Kracori ship, just in case.