Free Cain's Crusaders by T.R. Harris

expense. Fortunately, it didn’t look like she was going to get over her anger with him before the time for levity had passed.
    Adam sat down and quickly began speaking.
    “The mission to Yaki was a success, as far as the primary objectives were concerned. The drug dealer Foruka was killed and it’s known that the New Expansion was behind it. There will be someone to replace him, but whoever that ends up being will hopefully confine their activities to the Triumvirate or other non-NE planets, otherwise they could suffer the same fate. There’s plenty of room for them to operate without infringing on New Expansion territory.”
    “It was foolish for him to do it in the first place,” Jamal Dawson said. As one of the two new members of the team, he was always anxious to get involved as quickly as possible. “But aren’t most of the criminals in that region becoming more aggressive?”
    “Yes they are. They appear to be more organized than before, which is very strange considering that most of the governments of these new independents are in complete melt-down. Leaving the Expansion may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now they’re realizing just how interdependent they all were. Take translation bugs for instance. Most of the outer systems are having trouble keeping their supply lines going. I’m sure they never even thought of that when those chose to break away.”
    “Yes, but in most of their cases, the governments had few options,” Riyad said. “The criminal element continues to drive the economies of most of the rebels, and the crime bosses prefer an environment with less regulation and authority rather than more.”
    “So this is just the beginning,” Lee said, quick to change the subject from his native-leader-riding escapades and get into the conversation. “With the crooks organizing more quickly and better than the governments, I don’t think they’re going to stay content to operate within their own territories for very long. Most of the independents are dirt-poor; the crooks will go to where the money is, and that’s to the nearest New Expansion world. Their governments may not overtly support them, but they’re also not going to do much to discourage their activities.”
    “You’re right,” Riyad said. “The Yakilian government sided with Foruka instead of us, claiming an invasion of their sovereignty. That’s how they’re going to support the criminals without actually backing them officially.”
    “Do you have anything to add, Sherri?” Adam asked, trying to smooth over the tension between them.
    “Nope,” came her terse reply.
    Adam took a deep breath and decided not to press her. “Okay, on to new business.” He looked down at the datapad he held and scanned through the entries. He had already looked at most of the news items contained in the readout, but then something hit him.
    “Well, damn!” he said. He looked up at Riyad and then down the table to Sherri. “It seems the planet Belson is planning a vote for independence.”
    Sherri leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. “Kaylor’s homeworld, they want to leave the Expansion, too?”
    “They have never liked the Juireans,” Riyad added, the omnipresent smile of his now vanished. “But still, this would be a major mistake on their part.”
    “The Expansion is no longer the Juireans,” Adam said. “Kaylor and his people have to know this. What are they thinking?”
    “The lure of independence is strong,” Riyad continued, “and the history of being dominated by an outside power is impossible to erase.” Riyad was of Lebanese descent, and as a young, angry Arab, had been very active in the terrorist movement in the nineties and after 9/11. He could relate to simmering feelings of resentment against any foreign entity which tried to impose their will upon others.
    Kaylor Linn Todd was the first alien Adam encountered after being abducted from Earth going on fourteen years ago. He had been an