The Unreachable Stars: Book #11 of The Human Chronicles Saga by T.R. Harris Read Free Book Online Page A

the equipment giving them that capability, right?”
    “Of course. The Sol-Kor by themselves are very low-tech.”
    Adam pulled up the navigation screen on his tablet. “Staying out here, without the means to communicate with anyone, is unacceptable. I need a base of operations, someplace we’ll be safe, yet with the resources to stay on top of current events.”
    “Where might that be?”
    “I know a place…or at least I did once. I may have to call in few favors, but it sure beats hanging out here in the middle of nowhere with an entire galaxy out gunning for us. Now show me how this new drive of yours works. You’ve screwed with my control board, so I don’t want to fly us through the middle of a star. That may give you something neat to talk about in the future, but it wouldn’t do my mortal body any good.”
    “Do not blame me for your shortcomings, Adam Cain. Not everyone can have the privilege of being immortal.”

 
    Chapter 5
     
    Two days later the Pegasus II was nearing the Fringe, and after having had time to think about how to overcome the Sol-Kor threat, Panur announced that he could build a device that could detect all the new portals operating within the Milky Way Galaxy. Adam saw this as positive step forward, the ability to shut down the aliens’ access. It wasn’t a quick fix, but it did hold promise, as long as the rest of the galaxy united to form an effective strike force against the existing Sol-Kor fleet.
    But now Adam felt his eyes cross as he scanned the material list for Panur’s portal detector. “I don’t have a clue what ninety percent of this stuff is. You’re going to have to be a little more descriptive.”
    “That’s understandable. If you were capable of identifying these items, you could build your own detector. As it is, I feel secure in knowing that I am the only one who can.”
    “We’re on the same side here, Panur. We need you to build the detector, but you also need the rest of us to destroy the portals and defeat the Sol-Kor in battle. So how about a little cooperation?”
    “Agreed. I will try to go slow so you can understand. My detector must be extremely sensitive, since transit through trans-dimensional portals sends out faint yet identifiable waves, interrupting the underlying harmonics of the universe. I need a material that can absorb these harmonics, and then a method of reading these disruptions. Your brain-interface device is a suitable reader, yet I will need four of them to form a zonal collector of the harmonic waves coming off the detector.”
    “Four of them? Will mine work?”
    “Yes, once removed from your body. I am fully capable of performing the operation. Shall we begin?”
    “Hold on a minute. Let’s wait until we figure out how to get the other three, along with all this other stuff. I may need the artificial telepathy device in the meantime.”
    “That is such an inadequate description of the device. The communications function is only a small part of its utility.”
    “Only the Formilians make the implants.”
    “I understand that. I also know you have a unique relationship with the leader of the Formilians. All I need is three more.”
    “Okay, let’s say I can manage to wrangle three more ATDs out of Arieel, what else do you need?”
    “For the device itself, I will need a naturally occurring material with the sensitivity to detect changes in universal harmonics.”
    “Naturally occurring? What does that mean?”
    “It means it’s not artificial, but rather a substance found within the physical environment.”
    “That sounds easy. Go on.”
    “I need a mass of this material approximately one thousand pounds in weight and with near-perfect uniformity.”
    “What kind of substance?”
    “That which is formed within a C-star. Its item is number two on the list.”
    “So just a little C-star material. You know, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Home Depot, but I’m pretty sure they don’t carry that stuff