Hydon met Adam’s stare straight on. “I do not know why Humans do what they do. You may not cherish life as much as we do. I do not know.”
“Well here’s your answer: It was the Klin who controlled those ships in space. It was the Klin who could have stopped your attack and didn’t. And it was the Klin who allowed you to kill a billion people — a billion Humans.”
“Why would they do that,” asked the other Juirean seated at the table, the one who had not spoken to this point.
“To make us mad, that’s why. They did it so we would hate Juireans with every ounce of our being. They did it so we would want to go to war against you. Then right after the attack, the fucking Klin and their Human surrogates came down to Earth and offered to help us rebuild, while telling us god-awful stories about the evil Juireans and their desire to kill every last person on Earth. They gave us technology and spaceships and helped us train for the coming war with the Juireans — with you.”
“Again, I ask why would they do this? And why your race?
“Because they couldn’t do it themselves. As you’ve seen, we are pretty awesome fighters. We may be primitives compared to you technologically, but that’s probably what makes us so good at what we do best. We’re stronger, faster and tougher than even you. We’re god-damn supermen. Why wouldn’t the Klin use us in a war with the Juireans?”
None of the Juireans spoke for a full minute, instead their eyes locked on Adam. Finally Adam could take it no longer. “Can’t you see? The Klin have set this whole thing up. They made you believe that we were your enemy, while at the same time making sure that all of Humanity would hate the Juireans as much as they do — by allowing you to kill a billion of us.”
“Again, I ask why? What do they hope to gain from a war?” This other Juirean seemed to be more contemplative than the others, his tone softer. “Your planet is positioned much too far away to be an effective capital of the Expansion and your resources are limited. In addition, any victory would be a Human victory, not a Klin victory.”
Adam looked over at Overlord Anawar. “When you first picked us up, we had just escaped from the Klin headquarters on a planet called Marishal. While we were there, we watched the attack between the Humans and Juireans that took place a couple of months ago. We found out then that all the Klin ever wanted from this war was for the two of us to reduce our forces to a point where their fleet — and their true partners in crime — could then step in and take over. Fortunately for us, we tricked them — and you — and came out much stronger than they had anticipated.”
“You say there is another fleet?
“That’s right. It’s three hundred ships strong and manned by the Klin and another of their patsy races, the Kracori.”
Adam watched as Relion entered data in one of the computers embedded into the top of the conference table. He looked up a moment later. “The Kracori are a race of beings from the planet Eilsion. It’s somewhere near the Juddle Nebula, my Lord, although there is no definite location noted for the planet.”
“I have not heard of these Kracori,” Hydon said. He then took a moment to look out at the panorama beyond the bronze glass of the conference room. Darkness was a little closer now, with the last rays of daylight creeping across the landscape.
“You say there is another fleet, a fleet of Klin and Kracori?” he asked, not looked from the window.
“That’s right,” said Adam. “And if I’m right, it’s not the Humans who are your most immediate problem, it’s them.”
“My Lord,” said Relion, “the Human fleet delayed their departure for Juir by two months after the attack as they awaited the arrival of their second fleet. What if this other fleet — if it exists — did not hesitate?”
“Then they are due here in less than two months.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Adam agreed. “So you can evacuate all you want, but you won’t have time to do squat before the Klin arrive. And you know the kind of grudge they have against you. They called it a Reckoning of their own. I’m sure you get the meaning.”
Hydon continued to stare out the window for what seemed like an eternity, as everyone in the room watched him. Adam was content to let the Juirean digest everything he’d just heard.
“Relion,” the Council Elder began, “deactivate the collars.” He then turned to face Adam. “They can be reactivated at any time. We will investigate your claims, to see if we can detect any mass of ships approaching the Cluster. Fleet Marshal, cease all evacuation efforts and prepare a defense. If what the Human says is true, we may be able to repel a force of three hundred ships with the forces available.”
Adam could see the other two Juireans grow visibly excited. Relion began to bark orders into seemingly empty air, knowing that others were watching and listening.
“Then Juir can be saved!” Overlord Anawar said to the room.
“If what the Human says is correct, it is a possibility” said the nameless Juirean at the table.
Hydon did not speak, but rather locked eyes with Adam. Adam grinned. “That’s right,” he said cryptically to the Elder. “Even if you do stop the Klin fleet, you have a much larger and meaner group of very mad Humans arriving right behind them. So you can use your ships to defend against the Klin, and then you have none available for the evacuation. When the Humans arrive, you will have lost nearly all your defenders fighting against the Klin and have nothing left for the Humans. Juir is lost, as is nearly everything else.”
Adam’s words put an immediate damper on the spirits within the room. Relion and the nameless Juirean had risen from their chairs, but now they dropped back into them, dejected.
After a few moments, Adam figured he’d let them suffer long enough. “Of course, I might be able to contact the Human fleet and get them to call off the attack.”
“How can you do that?” Relion asked.
“Well, thanks to you guys, I’m pretty well-known to those in charge of the fleet, and a lot of us already know the Klin have been responsible for everything that’s happened up till now. I might have a shot.”
“A shot?”
“A chance at making them stop.”
“You would do that?” It was Hydon asking the question.
Adam leaned in closer across the table, making sure not to cross the imaginary dividing line down its center, just in case the collar had not yet been deactivated. “Don’t get me wrong. We are not friends, buddies or allies. I still have the image of the charred and smoking remains of my wife and daughter etched in my mind from your attack on Earth. These so-called mating bonds may not mean much to you, but they do to us. I’ll do this to save as many Human lives as possible.”
“Including your own,” Hydon said, his tone matching that of Adam’s.
“That’s right, along with the others who came with us. But already too many lives have been lost in a war that should have never been fought.”
“On both sides.”