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Book: The Unreachable Stars: Book #11 of The Human Chronicles Saga by T.R. Harris
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Authors: T.R. Harris
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hauling illegal smokesticks around the Fringe after this, and all the pirates will be able to retire in luxury. Can you put me in contact with Angar?”
“Yes we can. However, he will need more detail before committing. Unlike the two of us, he is not your friend, and if you have Riyad Tarazi with you, that could be a problem as well.”
“Why’s that?”
“Your friend was not a very nice creature back then. Angar has spoken often of the abuse he suffered during his time with Tarazi.”
“Riyad’s mellowed since then. Besides, I haven’t spoken with Riyad in over a year. I’m headed for Castor. Can you arrange a meeting there?”
“He is headquartered on Nimor, but I will do my best,” Kaylor said. “We too shall meet you on Castor. Be cautious, Adam Cain, there are many forces looking for you.”
********
Adam’s history within the Fringe was limited yet eventful. He began his adventure among the stars here, and after his rescue from the Klin by Kaylor and Jym, he spent two years as a freelance assassin to earn enough credits to survive on. The job had turned out to be both easy and rewarding, as his SEAL training—coupled with the relative weakness of his targets—made fulfilling contracts a breeze. The money was great, allowing him to purchase his first starship, the Cassie I , named for his young daughter, who died in the first Juirean attack on Earth.
As a result of the variety of contracts he accepted during that time, he’d had the opportunity to visit all twelve habitable planets in the Fringe, including the homeworld of his main benefactor, the planet Castor. As the Pegasus II achieved a brief orbit before gaining authority to descend to the main spaceport above the underground city of Krune, he felt a strange foreboding looking down at the brown, dusty ball.
His last time on the planet, he’d come to collect his fee for a contract taken out on a minor crime boss by Seton Amick, his primary source of business at the time. Amick lived in a lavish cavern carved out of the side of a mountain, with a magnificent view of the outside world, one of only a handful of Castorians to be able to afford such luxury.
Adam liked Seton and considered him a friend—right up to the time he was himself killed by an assassin’s bullet—or flash bolt in this case—delivered by another top-notch alien assassin operating in the Fringe at that time—Sherri Valentine.
When he thought back over his twenty year history with Sherri, he felt a myriad of emotions, both good and bad. He knew he loved her, and he always would. Yet she was also the most difficult-to-get-along-with woman he’d ever met, the complete opposite of his deceased wife, Marie. At times Sherri had been a loyal and competent companion during his many adventures in the galaxy. At others she’d been an irritating thorn in his side.
They had permanently parted ways about a year ago, and she’d since married the real estate broker from the Bay Area who’d helped with the purchase of her home in Orinda. She was happy and content now—and expecting her first child. Her marriage had ended their frequent off-planet publicity junkets, during which they and Riyad would be paraded before adoring crowds, often at Joining Ceremonies for new members of the Union. That had come as a relief, as he’d never liked the pomp and ceremony of the events and needing to act the hero, especially when he knew the truth behind most of his celebrity— luck .
That’s all it was, luck, pure and simple. Adam Cain was the luckiest son-of-a-bitch alive and he knew it. So many times he had survived by seat-of-the-pants planning or an almost unbelievable set of contrived circumstances one could only find in some hack science fiction novel. That was why, in his mid-forties, Adam was satisfied with not pressing his luck much further.
Then the pale mutant alien had arrived at his door. And now he was up to his neck again in danger…and he didn’t know how much
“Yes we can. However, he will need more detail before committing. Unlike the two of us, he is not your friend, and if you have Riyad Tarazi with you, that could be a problem as well.”
“Why’s that?”
“Your friend was not a very nice creature back then. Angar has spoken often of the abuse he suffered during his time with Tarazi.”
“Riyad’s mellowed since then. Besides, I haven’t spoken with Riyad in over a year. I’m headed for Castor. Can you arrange a meeting there?”
“He is headquartered on Nimor, but I will do my best,” Kaylor said. “We too shall meet you on Castor. Be cautious, Adam Cain, there are many forces looking for you.”
********
Adam’s history within the Fringe was limited yet eventful. He began his adventure among the stars here, and after his rescue from the Klin by Kaylor and Jym, he spent two years as a freelance assassin to earn enough credits to survive on. The job had turned out to be both easy and rewarding, as his SEAL training—coupled with the relative weakness of his targets—made fulfilling contracts a breeze. The money was great, allowing him to purchase his first starship, the Cassie I , named for his young daughter, who died in the first Juirean attack on Earth.
As a result of the variety of contracts he accepted during that time, he’d had the opportunity to visit all twelve habitable planets in the Fringe, including the homeworld of his main benefactor, the planet Castor. As the Pegasus II achieved a brief orbit before gaining authority to descend to the main spaceport above the underground city of Krune, he felt a strange foreboding looking down at the brown, dusty ball.
His last time on the planet, he’d come to collect his fee for a contract taken out on a minor crime boss by Seton Amick, his primary source of business at the time. Amick lived in a lavish cavern carved out of the side of a mountain, with a magnificent view of the outside world, one of only a handful of Castorians to be able to afford such luxury.
Adam liked Seton and considered him a friend—right up to the time he was himself killed by an assassin’s bullet—or flash bolt in this case—delivered by another top-notch alien assassin operating in the Fringe at that time—Sherri Valentine.
When he thought back over his twenty year history with Sherri, he felt a myriad of emotions, both good and bad. He knew he loved her, and he always would. Yet she was also the most difficult-to-get-along-with woman he’d ever met, the complete opposite of his deceased wife, Marie. At times Sherri had been a loyal and competent companion during his many adventures in the galaxy. At others she’d been an irritating thorn in his side.
They had permanently parted ways about a year ago, and she’d since married the real estate broker from the Bay Area who’d helped with the purchase of her home in Orinda. She was happy and content now—and expecting her first child. Her marriage had ended their frequent off-planet publicity junkets, during which they and Riyad would be paraded before adoring crowds, often at Joining Ceremonies for new members of the Union. That had come as a relief, as he’d never liked the pomp and ceremony of the events and needing to act the hero, especially when he knew the truth behind most of his celebrity— luck .
That’s all it was, luck, pure and simple. Adam Cain was the luckiest son-of-a-bitch alive and he knew it. So many times he had survived by seat-of-the-pants planning or an almost unbelievable set of contrived circumstances one could only find in some hack science fiction novel. That was why, in his mid-forties, Adam was satisfied with not pressing his luck much further.
Then the pale mutant alien had arrived at his door. And now he was up to his neck again in danger…and he didn’t know how much
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