Free Cain's Crusaders by T.R. Harris Page A

independent merchant-hauler – a mule-driver they were called – who along with his partner and co-pilot Jym had rescued Adam from certain death aboard a derelict Klin starship. That fortuitous event had been the beginning of everything leading Adam to this very moment in time.
    Kaylor was Belsonian and had left Adam’s company over ten years before returning to his home planet to help his people make it through the turmoil that came with the fall of the Juirean Expansion. The bear-like Jym had returned to his homeworld of Fulcum to do the same.
    Adam and Riyad – but mainly Sherri – would hear from each of them now and then, calling just to give informal updates on how they both were doing. The aliens never seem that concerned about how the Humans were fairing, probably figuring that they could take care of themselves quite well.
    The two aliens had always felt more comfortable around Sherri than they ever did with the two Human males. Considering all they had been through – as well as many of the despicable things the aliens had witnessed Adam and Riyad commit – who could blame them?
    But now Kaylor’s world was preparing for a vote that would remove them from the protection and resources of the New Expansion. To a person, Adam’s team knew it was a bad idea.
    Adam turned to Riyad. “I think we need to make a trip to Belson, to talk with Kaylor and his people. They need to get another perspective on this before they vote.”
    “I agree –”
    “What about me?” Sherri called out from the other end of the table. “Kaylor is more my friend than he is either of yours.”
    “Of course you can come, Sherri,” Adam said, doing his best to sound sincere. “You would have the most influence on him anyway.”
    “Damn straight!” she said. “The two of you would probably go in with guns a-blazing if you didn’t get your way within the first few seconds.”
    Adam attempted a smile. She was probably right. There was no arguing with history.
    “Then it’s settled; if nothing more pressing comes up over the next forty-eight hours the three of us will head out for Belson in the Pegasus .”
    “You got anything for us to do?” Lee said, looking over at Mark and Jamal as he spoke.
    “I don’t see anything here in the dailies, but I’ll check with Kroekus as soon as we adjourn. He may have something more covert he needs us to do.”
    The other three men in the room stretched out wide, devious smiles. Now you’re talking, and the more covert, the better, Adam could almost hear them thinking. Yes, if only he could read minds….

 
    Chapter 6
     
    S herri accompanied Adam to the secure comm-room in the Ops Building. This was the CW Center where an instantaneous-communications link would be established between Pyrum-3 and Juir, where the government of the New Expansion was located. Adam could tell she was still angry with him, if now distracted by the news of Belson.
    The CW room was small and dim, dominated by a single huge monitor placed against the far wall. There was a double row of padded cinema seats placed behind the operator’s console in the event there needed to be a more general briefing with any of the other CW contact stations, including Earth.
    Continuous-Wormhole communication was a relatively recent improvement over traditional intergalactic links, acquired from the elusive Klin when their former allies, the Kracori, had abandoned Juir, leaving behind a CW relay station in their haste. Human and Expansion scientists had quickly learned the secrets of CW technology, and now nearly every starship in the galaxy carried the upgraded modules.
    CW links provided for a long-term wormhole to be established between stations, allowing both ends of the link to send communications back and forth simultaneously. Traditional wormhole communications called for messages to be relayed from one established station to the next and only one-way at a time. Using the older technology, communications between Earth and