“We all do not have the pleasure of serving here, commander.”
The Guard simply grunted softly before turning to lead them to an elevator door set in the far wall of the gallery. There were two more Guards flanking the elevator; they nodded slightly to the lead Guard and opened the door for him.
The elevator was spacious and Adam could feel it move upwards, then sideways, before resuming the climb to what Adam guessed would be the very top of the pyramid. This is where the Council Elder would hold court.
To his disappointment, the elevator dropped them off at a very pedestrian-looking room filled with scurrying bureaucrats and an ample supply of Guards. The procession moved down a long corridor until it met up with another doorway with a stairway leading upwards.
Without a word, the lead Guard began to climb the stairs, followed tentatively by Anawar and the Humans. The other Guards did not follow.
The stairway led them to an opening in the ceiling and they stepped out into a large conference room with radically sloping walls that met at a point about thirty meters above. At the very top the bronze glass walls gave way to a clear, almost crystalline cap — the very peak of the great pyramid building.
The outer walls of the vast room were lined with counters with various monitors sitting atop them, some active, some dark; Juirean Guards stood at the four corners of the room, each wearing full body armor and cradling flash rifles in their grips.
A massive, freeform conference table made of polished stone took up a good third of the room on the other side of the opening in the floor that marked the stairway in and out. The table flowed like a stylized ‘S,’ with large padded chairs placed at intervals around its circumference. Numerous low-profile monitors were built into the surface of the table.
Adam looked around and gasped when he gazed out at the view the room provided. It was a 360-degree panorama, with the shimmering sea to the right, and to his left majestic, snow-capped mountains off in the distance.
Adam looked at his companions; they returned his gaze, raising eyebrows and nodding. Looking at the Overlord, Adam could see he, too, was equally impressed.
The lead Guard motioned for Adam and the Humans to stand next to the far end of the conference table, just as another Juirean rose up from the stairway in the floor, followed by two others.
The first Juirean walked purposefully to the opposite end of the conference table, flowing a long purple cape behind him. He carried the white hair of an Elite, the highest in the Juirean caste system, and just from the air of confidence and power he exuded, Adam was sure this was the so-called Council Elder, the leader of the known universe.
As he sat — flanked now by the other two Juireans, one with white hair, the other green — he dropped an ornate short-sword onto the hard surface of the conference table. The blade was highly polished with a slight curvature, the hilt made of wrapped leather of various colors. In light of the high technology the Juireans commanded, the weapon appeared to be very basic and primitive.
“I am Council Elder Hydon Ra Elys,” the Juirean said abruptly, barely acknowledging the presence of the Humans. “Since we have heard stories concerning the tenacity of your kind as far as physical strength and resistance to flash weapons, the collars you now wear have been fitted with molecular blades of titanium which we assume will sever the nerves running through your spines.” He finally looked up at the Humans and took notice. “And from the thickness of your necks, there is a good chance the blades would separate your heads from your bodies with minimal effort.”
He looked down at the datapad he’d carried into the room, and then without looking up, he continued, “If you approach me closer than half the width of this table, the blades will be activated. In addition, the room is being constantly monitored. Any attempt to attack me or any of the guards will result in activation of the collars. My time is limited, so after a brief discussion, I will use this ceremonial blade from the time before
The Elder finally finished scanning the information on the datapad and set it down on the tabletop. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at Overlord Anawar standing about three meters to Adam’s right.
“Lord Anawar, I am very grateful that you have brought these outlaws to me personally. Your file will be noted. And the prize of the Klin spacecraft is even now being loaded aboard another ship for transport so it can be properly analyzed out of the area. As well, the ten ships you have delivered will serve an important function during the evacuation.”
“Evacuation? My Lord, I do not understand. What of the defense?”
“Of course you are not aware; the decision has only recently been made. Juir, as well as several other important facilities throughout the Cluster, are to be evacuated to safer territory as a result of the impending attack by the Human forces. It has been determined that any defense we may mount in the time available will be inadequate, therefore we are evacuating so as to preserve Juirean artifacts and records, along with as many lives as possible.”
“Forgive me, my Lord, but
“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,
“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:
“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. “
