The Unreachable Stars: Book #11 of The Human Chronicles Saga by T.R. Harris

Author:T.R. Harris [Harris, T.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2015-12-22T23:00:00+00:00

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When the connection was severed, Adam lay on the bed for a moment longer. He didn’t feel much like a hero at that point. In fact, he felt sick to his stomach. He barely made it to the head in time before he vomited.

As he recovered, he cursed under his breath: “You better be able to do this, Panur. Otherwise we’re all screwed.”

Chapter 14

“It’s about damn time he made contact with you, Admiral.”

Michael Osbourne, the fifty-seven-year-old President of the Orion-Cygnus Union, was seated at his desk, with his scientific attaché, Jack Hardy, sitting on a couch across the room. On the coffee table in front of the scientist was a scattering of papers and two laptop computers. Before being interrupted by the arrival of Andy Tobias, the two officials had been busy studying technical data.

Andy nodded at Hardy. They were acquaintances but not friends. Tobias had always found the scientist/politician to be uppity, and condescending at times. They had interacted at social events around Phoenix on a number of occasions, but never had the opportunity to bond. Now Hardy set some papers down on the table and leaned back on the couch, not bothering to disguise his frustration at being interrupted.

Osbourne motioned with his hand for Tobias to take a seat across the desk from him. “Is he going to give up the alien?”

“He says it’s not that simple…”

“What the hell does that mean? God dammit, we’re running out of time! Tell him, Jack.”

Tobias shifted his chair so he could see the scientist.

“Two Sol-Kor fleets have moved into the Union. They’re right at the outskirts, but we believe they’ve identified a couple of target worlds they intend to harvest.”

Andy turned back to the president. “I thought we had a moratorium from attack? They have to give us at least some time to catch Adam and Panur.”

“I don’t know where you got that idea, Admiral?” Osbourne said. The stress was apparent in his voice. “There have been reports of six worlds being attacked in the last week. Follow-up surveys after the fact have shown they’re going in and grabbing only about a third of the population before moving on.”

“What happens to the rest of them?”

“After the SK leave, they recover from the effects of the beam, but by then many are sick or dying from exposure and lack of food or water. And with such a major disruption of the basic workings of society, most can’t survive without the trappings of civilization, like heat and electricity. Half of the survivors die within a day or so of the aliens leaving.”

“And they’re stepping up their attacks,” Hardy said. “There’s a fifth harvest fleet operating in the galaxy now.”

“They have to give us time!”

“No they don’t, Andy. But what they have given us is incentive. So where is that traitorous bastard?” Osbourne was red-faced with anger.

“I don’t know, he didn’t tell me. He said the Sol-Kor will not honor any immunity agreement. He said Panur’s done this before, and every time the Sol-Kor have reneged.

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