Galactic Empire (The Pike Chronicles Book 7) Read online

  “Second story window on your left, Sarge,” said Santos.

  Gilmour looked up, pointing his rail gun at the window. Something moved, but he couldn’t make out what it was. “Did you see a weapon?” he said.

  “No,” said Santos. “Just movement.”

  “Sending in a drone,” said Gilmour, highlighting the window through his weapon, and activating a drone.

  The drone swooped in, positioned itself directly in front of the window, and shone a powerful light. The feed from its camera, displayed on Gilmor’s visor.

  “See anything, Sarge?” said Blake.

  “Negative, just- Wait, there is-”

  A blaze of light surged through the window, burning into the floating drone. As the craft blew apart in a tiny explosion, small flaming fragments rained down toward the street.

  “Shit!” yelled Gilmour, as they opened fire on the window. “Activating drone swarm.”

  The remaining drones raced toward the opening, firing energy weapons. There was no return fire as they disappeared into the building in pursuit. Gilmour watched through his visor as energy bolts indiscriminately ripped through the room. But there were no Kemmar. Whoever had been there had fled.

  He was considering sending the drones to search the building, when weapons fired behind him.

  “I’m hit!” came Santos’s voice, over his comm.

  Turning, he saw Santos stumbling away as energy bolts bit at his heels. He joined his team in returning fire at a window on the opposite side of the street. He pulled up Santos’s vitals on his visor, noting to his relief, that the combat suit had suffered most of the damage.

  He found himself suddenly falling backward as his own combat suit took a direct hit. Energy weapon fire began to erupt from other windows. He and his men scrambled for cover. He ordered the drones to return to the street, and engage the assailants.

  In short order the drones shot out of the building, guns blazing. They split up. Each drone targeted a different window, sending a maelstrom of blue energy bolts ripping through it.

  Another drone blew apart as a blast came in from behind.

  “First attacker is back,” said Gilmour, spinning around to fire on the original window.

  “Shit, there’s more of them,” said Blake, as enemy fire shot out at them from more windows.

  “Fuck it, I’m calling in an orbital. Make sure you’ve got cover.”

  “You don’t need to tell me twice,” said Blake.

  “Valkyrie, hostiles have us pinned down. Requesting orbital strike,” Gilmour said through his comm.

  “This is Valkyrie. Identify the target.

  Gilmour pointed his weapon at the building across the street. “Hostiles are inside the building I am currently lighting up.” Doubling as a targeting device, his rail gun transmitted the location of hostile forces to the ships floating in orbit.

  “Target identified. Stand by for orbital strike.”

  “Understood,” said Gilmour. “Incoming!” he announced to his team. Soon a screeching sound tore through the street, as successive blue lightning bolts pummeled the building. They burned through the roof, and burrowed through each floor, before punching into the ground. The shelling continued until only the exterior walls stood, when one final strike reduced even those to rubble.

  “That there is a thing of beauty,” said Blake.

  “Sure is,” said Gilmour. “Deploying drones to original target, to flush out the remaining shooter.”

  The drones zipped across the street back through the window. This time they found their target. Gilmour watched the Kemmar inside futilely fire his weapon. The drones anticipated his fire, and evaded it. A split second later, multiple energy blasts tore through the Kemmar’s body.

  “Target is cooked,” said Gilmour, as the drone video feed displayed the Kemmar corpse. “Move out.”

  The UHSF soldiers stepped out into the open and continued lumbering up the street. The UHSF drones returned to their positions, hovering overhead, providing a lethal bird’s eye view. They had several more hours left in this shift. How many more Kemmar would try and take a shot at them?

  Chapter 5

  “Tallos says they were General Dathos’s men,” Jon said to Kevin, the two of them standing in front of the holodisplay in the mountain complex’s operations room. “It seems Dathos left a few behind when he escaped.”

  “Damn, Dathos took plenty of ships with him when he left,” said Kevin. “How many conspirators are there?”

  “I don’t know. We have to assume that we haven’t found them all.”

  “This is bad timing, with you leaving on this mission.”

  “Diakan Intelligence is taking a close look at everyone. If there is even the slightest bit of suspicion, they’ll act.”

  “Another purge?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “The Diakans don’t mess around.”

  “No, they don’t. At any rate, it should prevent any other incidents while I’m gone.”

  “How far away are these… what do you call them again?” said Kevin.

  “Antikitheri. Just call them the Builders. It’s easier,” said Jon, understanding Kevin’s frustration.

  “Right. The Builders. That is easier to remember. How far do you have to go to find them?”

  “Well, that’s the tricky part. The See’er didn’t give me an exact location. It was more of a region of space. But we’re talking a good ten thousand light years.” Jon activated the holodisplay, pulling up a holomap of the galaxy and zooming in on the region he was referring to. “It’s in this region here,” he said pointing to the three-dimensional display.

  “Ten thousand light years?” Kevin said wide-eyed. “That is just crazy. And that region is pretty big too.”

  “I know.” Jon had the holomap zoom out to show the jump gate network. He highlighted four gates. “We can shave about four thousand light years off the trip by using the jump gates, but the rest we’ll have to do with the jump system.” He then superimposed a line on the map, showing the most direct route.

  Kevin studied it intently. “Six thousand light years?” he said finally, shaking his head. “You do realize that that’ll take at least a month each way.”

  “At least,” Jon agreed. “Maybe longer. Nobody’s ever gone out that far, so we have no idea what we’ll find.”

  Kevin’s demeanor became heavy. “With all due respect, Sir, you can’t leave for that long. We need you here. Especially with this new threat.”

  “Sure I can.” Jon smiled. “That’s why I’m putting you in charge.”

  Kevin stumbled backward hooking his thumb toward his chest. “Me? You’re leaving me to run the UHSF?”

  “Relax Kevin, you won’t be alone. First Colonel Brock remain, as will General Kallos.”

  “General Kallos? Who the hell is that?”

  “A Diakan. Tallos left him in charge of the Diakan fleets while we’re gone. From what I understand, he has a tremendous amount of experience. Anyway, between the three of you, you’ll figure things out.”

  “I don’t know what we can do against these black ships. Our weapons are useless against them. Even AI was helpless.”

  “All the more reason that I have to go find these Builders. They’re our only hope. And if what the See’er showed me is correct, we should have some time. When Tallos nuked their city, it triggered the Erinyie intervention. They ignored our invasion of the Widow’s Triangle and Meybaris, because they were only occupied systems, without large Juttari populations. They took back the Widow’s Triangle, and I fully expect them to take back Meybaris. But then they will likely sit back and let the Juttari fight. It should give us a window of opportunity to find the Builders.”

  “You mean they’re just going to disappear again?”

  “No. They’re here to stay. What I mean is they prefer to let other races do the fighting for them. It’s like a game to them. We’re too easy for them. There’s no challenge. We were beating the crap out of the Juttari,
so they stepped in to even things out.”

  “What’s the point of all that? It makes no sense.”

  “Who knows? I don’t understand how their brains work? The Erinyie are much older, and ridiculously more advanced. Is it any wonder the Juttari think they’re gods?”

  “I don’t know. I guess not.”

  “Look, I don’t know how accurate the See’er’s vision was, but if she’s wrong and the Dark Ones come for all of us, it won’t make a difference if I’m here or not. If she’s right, then we just have to worry about the Juttari for now.”

  “We’ve beat them before, we’ll beat them again.”

  “Don’t be so sure. The Erinyie will likely enhance their technology to even things out more. We have to be ready for anything.”

  “And you think they’ll take Meybaris next?”

  “I do. I’m surprised they haven’t done so already. I’ve advised all ships in Meybaris to retreat the moment the Erinyie show up. They can’t hurt the Erinyie, and there’s no point in losing more lives.”

  “Agreed. Speaking of ships, are you sure you don’t want to take a few more with you?”

  “No, I’m already worried that eight ships are too much. If we find these Builders, I don’t want them to think we’re a threat.”

  “If they’re as powerful as you say, I doubt that will happen.”

  “Yeah, they may very well just ignore us.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find a way to get their attention, Sir.”

  “I’ll do my best,” said Jon. “There’s just one more thing. If you’re going to run things while I’m gone, you’re going to need a higher rank. As of this moment, I’m promoting you to the rank of Rear Admiral.”

  Kevin’s eyes grew wide for a second time. “Thank you, Sir. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just don’t take any shit from any of those colonial generals.”

  “Yes, Sir. Uh, I mean no, Sir.”

  Jon laughed, thrusting out his hand. “Congratulations, Rear Admiral St. Clair.”

  Kevin took Jon’s hand. “Thank you, Sir. I won’t let you down.”

  Chapter 6

  Chief Engineer Singh was working with on the jump upgrades, when Jon approached. “How does it feel to be back on board The Freedom, Chief?”

  “It feels good, Sir. Are you sure you don’t want me to come along with you on this mission?” said Singh.

  “I’m sure. I have every confidence in Chief Engineer Simmons,” said Jon, glancing at the Freedom’s Chief Engineer, who stood beside him, quietly watching Singh. “I need you back in the lab, Singh. If these Builders refuse to help us, we’ll need to find a way to hurt the Dark Ones, and you’re just the man to crack that puzzle.”

  Singh silently stared back at Jon for several awkward moments. “Yes, Sir,” he said finally, turning back to his work.

  Jon rolled his eyes at Singh’s usual quirkiness. “Will your upgrade fix the problem?”

  “I believe so. As I had said, it was an issue with how the jump system interacted with the jumpspace recognition engine. The problem was intermittent, making it more difficult to find. But this should resolve the issue.”

  “Should?”

  “Yes, well, ideally I’d like to run more tests, but we don’t have the time for that.”

  “That’s right, Chief. We don’t.”

  “As I said, the issue should be resolved.”

  “Thank you, Chief. Your confidence is reassuring,” Jon said sarcastically.

  “You’re welcome, Sir.”

  “I’ll leave you to it then. Let me know when you’re finished.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Chief Simmons, a word,” said Jon.

  “Yes, Sir,” said Simmons, following Jon out of Engineering.

  “Are you comfortable with this upgrade, Chief?” said Jon, once they were far enough away from Singh.

  “I don’t think it will do any harm, if that’s what you mean,” said Simmons.

  “But will it fix the scattering issue?”

  “The Freedom has never scattered, so it may not be affected. If it does have the bug, I don’t think this upgrade will fix it.”

  Jon liked Chief Simmons. She had a no bullshit attitude that you couldn’t help but respect. “Why not?”

  Simmons took a breath. “The problem began after the jumpspace recognition engine was installed. Before, there were zero instances of scattering. This clearly points to the jumpspace recognition engine, as the culprit. Chief Singh’s upgrade modifies the interaction between the two systems in the belief that this interaction is corrupting the execution of jump commands.”

  “And you don’t think that is what’s happening?”

  “It may be, although I haven’t seen any evidence. I’m not discounting that there is some data corruption. There might very well be. But I don’t think corruption is the underlying cause.”

  “So, you don’t think the upgrade will work?”

  “I think it’s a band aid, not a cure.”

  “I see. That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “Sorry, Sir.”

  “Alright, you better get back in there.”

  “Yes, Sir. I’ll keep you posted.”

  As Jon headed toward the bridge, he couldn’t push aside his concern. This scattering issue was one of many that weighed on him. The Diakan attack on his person had left a lingering unease. Sleeper agents would remain a probability on this mission, especially with Tallos and his four Diakan battleship escorts. Tallos had assured him that the crews were handpicked, and their loyalties were above reproach. He could only take the Diakan’s word for it.

  Of course, he could leave Tallos and the other Diakans behind, using only UHSF ships. But since his meetings with the Great See’er, he felt the need to bring Tallos along. The See’er had shown him that, despite their past, he could now trust Tallos with his life.

  He’d never imagined he could trust Tallos, or any other Diakan. And he wondered if he wasn’t being manipulated by the See’er. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been the object of Diakan manipulations. But his gut told him this was different. The Diakans weren’t the enemy, The Faction was. He tried to remember that, and wanted to start fresh with the Diakans. What better way to do so than by bringing Tallos along on this mission?

  “Commander, what is the status of our escorts?” said Jon as he stepped onto the bridge.

  “All ships reporting jump ready, Sir,” said Commander Henderson, Jon’s XO. “They’re just waiting for us.”

  Once at his command station, Jon studied the mission escorts on his tactical screen. There were General Tallos’s four Diakan battleships. He had two Chaanisar warships, Colonel Bast’s battlecruiser, the Ronin, and Colonel Steeg’s battleship. Finally the Reiver destroyer with Jonas in command. The eight ships made up an intimidating battle group by any standards. They were a healthy representation of the Alliance. Diakans, and humans, including Chaanisar, Reivers, and colonists.

  “I want to be ready to go as soon as Singh’s team is finished with the upgrades.”

  “Yes, Sir. We’ll be ready.”

  Jon pulled up a display of their projected route on his console to study again. They were about to head deep into unexplored space. What would they find out there? He thought for a minute about the Hermes, and its similar voyage into the unknown. He would have never anticipated all that had happened since. He could only hope that the parallels ended here.

  Chapter 7

  “New contacts identified,” said the AI on board the Diakan science station Universal Quest.

  “New contacts?” said Commander Skithos, wondering if it was a surprise inspection from Diakus. Why else would someone come through the gate to visit this remote outpost? He opened a holographic display of the jump gate, but there was no activity. Just the quiet darkness of empty space.

  “Locate new contacts,” he said, and a new display appeared before him, revealing an imposing array of Diakan warships. “What are they doing out he
re?” Skithos said to himself. “I wasn’t informed about any military exercises.”

  A contingent of Diakan warships had already been stationed in this system, primarily to protect the jump gate, but not necessarily his science station. The system was unpopulated, and had no real value in terms of resources. Skithos often wondered why the ancient races would build a jump gate here to begin with. There had to be some hidden value. In all the time he had spent here, however, he had never found an answer to that question.

  “AI open a channel with the new contacts.”

  “Channel open.”

  “This is Commander Skithos, of the Diakan science station Universal Quest. Please advise as to the nature of your visit. Military maneuvers may interfere with some of the experiments we are conducting.”

  Skithos waited, but there was no response. Strange, he thought, but it wasn’t the first time he had encountered military arrogance. Warship commanders often disregarded him. In truth, he couldn’t blame them. Any scientist stationed on an outpost this remote couldn’t be very important.

  He counted fifteen of the unannounced Diakan warships. Why? Was the system in need of reinforcements? Were they expecting the Juttari? If so, it could be the onset of a major Juttari invasion. This system may be meaningless, but that gate provided access to systems that were not.

  “Is it the Juttari? Are we under threat of attack?” he said through his comm. Again, no answer.

  Skithos watched as the unexpected began to unfold on his viewscreen. The Diakan warships stationed in this system were racing toward the new arrivals. Now they were firing weapons. “What in the name of the Great See’er is happening?”

  He watched in awe as the two groups squared off against each other, trading blows. The new warships blinked off the screen, only to appear just above the defenders. When under fire, the defending ships vanished, reappearing in a more advantageous position.

  “AI, who is commanding these new ships?” he said, trying to make sense of it all.

  “These ships were last under the command of General Dathos,” said AI.