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  “You okay?” Anki said.

  “Yeah, it’s not the first time I’ve dealt with people like that. He looks at me and only sees an enemy. No matter what the Chaanisar do, guys like that will never accept us.”

  “Do you care?”

  Jamie smirked. “Not really. Although it would be nice if I could break a bone or two to teach him a lesson.”

  “Would it change his opinion of the Chaanisar?”

  “No, but it would make me feel good.”

  Anki laughed. “Forget him. How did things go on Earth?”

  “You want me to talk about my work?” Anki knew what he did for a living and it didn’t bother her, but he never spoke about it in detail with her.

  “No, it’s probably better if I don’t know any specifics. But you can tell me if it went smoothly or not.”

  Jamie shrugged. “It definitely did not go smoothly.”

  “Well that sounds interesting. Why not?”

  “Equipment malfunction.”

  “So, you were successful despite the malfunction?”

  “I always am.”

  Anki’s laughter was infectious and Jamie let out a chuckle of his own. Up until a short while ago, Jamie couldn’t remember the last time he smiled. Now, whenever he spent time with Anki, he found himself not only smiling but laughing too. After all he had been through, he never thought he would feel as happy as he did around Anki.

  They were both different from everyone else around them. Outliers. Anki was a Reiver, born on an asteroid colony with no knowledge of Earth, or the rest of the human race. Her people were fierce warriors who survived by raiding alien ships. She had been brought up with Reiver customs, despite living among the rest of humanity, and was a skilled warrior in her own right. Despite wearing the UHSF uniform, she didn’t quite fit in with her peers.

  Like all Chaanisar, Jamie was taken as a child by the Juttari, augmented and trained to become a super soldier. The Juttari installed a brain implant to control him and force him to do their bidding. But his implant malfunctioned, and he escaped. That made him different not just from humanity, but from the other Chaanisar too.

  Most of the Chaanisar were freed by Jon Pike and his AI, or the Cenobi and the peace treaty they negotiated with the Antikitheri and the Erinyie. The overwhelming majority of those Chaanisar chose to fight for Jon Pike against the Juttari as part of his UHSF. Jamie was an anomaly, however. He did not join the UHSF. He sold his services, instead. But he did have a code and only assassinated those he found deserving of his attention.

  After finishing their meals, the two left the restaurant and went for a walk along the station’s promenade. They made their way through the station’s expansive paths and occasionally stopped to look out at the numerous military and civilian ships coming and going. They talked and laughed and enjoyed themselves until something caught Jamie’s attention.

  It was difficult to pinpoint, but something triggered a response inside him. Jamie reacted in the same way as an animal that can sense danger, even though they may not see the predator. Where others might ignore such a primal response, Jamie had learned to listen carefully to such cues. Either way, it was enough to put Jamie on alert.

  “What’s wrong?” Anki whispered, noticing the subtle change in his demeanor.

  “We’re being watched,” Jamie replied.

  To her credit, Anki did not react to the information. She kept walking at the same pace and even smiled as if nothing was wrong. “By who?”

  “I don’t know yet.” Jamie came to a stop and leaned his forearms against a railing, nonchalantly looking out at the space traffic buzzing around the station.

  Anki followed his lead. “Should I call for help?”

  “No. It won’t do any good. I need to locate them first.” He turned around and pretended to rest his back against the railing while taking in the activity around him. He scanned his surroundings, using his augmented vision and hearing to look for anything that stood out. Nothing. Could he have been mistaken? “Let’s walk,” he said.

  Anki followed his lead and kept pace beside him. “Where are they?” she said.

  “I haven’t found them yet.”

  “Do you think they’re cloaked?”

  “They might be. That would explain why I can’t spot them.”

  “Then let’s make it harder for them.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Do you have a cloak?”

  “Yes, but it isn’t working.”

  “The equipment malfunction?”

  “Yes,” Jamie said ruefully.

  “Then we’ll use mine.” Anki grabbed Jamie’s hand and activated her cloaking device. The cloak extended to Jamie and both vanished from the promenade. Anki walked faster keeping hold of his hand. Jamie stayed with her but kept a wary eye on his surroundings.

  Anki put her knowledge of the station to good use, constantly changing directions and making it extremely difficult for anyone to stay on their tail.

  After a time, Jamie’s instincts relaxed. “I think we’ve lost them.”

  “You sure?”

  “Not completely, but I think so. I’m sorry about this.”

  Anki stepped in and kissed him for the first time. “Don’t be. It was fun.”

  The kiss stunned Jamie. He had been spending a lot of time with Anki lately, but it had been entirely platonic. He had no experience with women, and even though he was attracted to her, he didn’t want to do the wrong thing. It was odd that for someone who could notice the tiniest change in someone’s behavior, he was utterly clueless when it came to a woman. For that reason, the kiss was as surprising as it was thrilling.

  “I need to head back,” Anki said.

  “I’ll walk you. Just to be safe.”

  “Okay,” Anki said with a smile.

  “Should we turn off the cloak?”

  Anki pressed against him and slid an arm around his waist. “No, you can’t be too cautious.”

  Jamie awkwardly reached out and draped his arm around her shoulders. “Good point.”

  Chapter 6

  When Jamie headed back to his ship, he again assumed a high state of alertness. Someone was out there stalking him. If they were going to strike, they would ambush him on his way back to his ship. Yet here he was, heading straight for that ambush. Was that confidence, or stupidity? Jamie wasn’t sure. He just wanted to find out who he was up against.

  He wondered if it was the Triad. Could they have moved this fast? No. The Triad was going to be a problem, but this wasn’t them. This was someone else with a score to settle. Considering Jamie’s line of work, it could be anyone.

  Either way, he wasn’t one for hiding. If someone was going to move against him, they had better be sure they had all their bases covered, because he would exploit their tiniest mistakes. Even if cloaked, Jamie’s augmented hearing would pick up the faintest sound, and pinpoint their location.

  Drawing nearer to his ship, the sensation of being watched returned. In the blink of an eye, Jamie had drawn his weapon and spun around, but found no one lurking behind him.

  You always had superior instincts, a voice said through Jamie’s brain chip, and Jamie instantly knew who had been watching him from the shadows.

  Colonel Harris, Jamie replied.

  Are you disappointed that your plan failed?

  Jamie quickly regained his composure. What plan? I am happy that you are alive.

  I’m sorry, Jamie, but I find that a little difficult to believe.

  I don’t understand, Colonel. Why would you say that?

  Stop trying to deceive me, Jamie. You’re not very good at it.

  I’m not lying to you, Colonel.

  Really? Then why are you not dead? Why did Traeger kill my other two men, yet let you live? And why are you walking around free?

  I convinced Traeger that I was innocent.

  I don’t believe that for a second. You conspired against us, Jamie. For that, you will pay.

  Where are
you, Colonel? Why not come out so we can discuss this face to face?

  No, Jamie. Even though I find it amusing that you think you can defeat me, I have other plans for you.

  What plans? What are you talking about, Colonel? I did not betray you.

  What is your association with Jon Pike?

  I don’t have one.

  Oh no? Is that why you were spending time with his stepdaughter?

  Our friendship has nothing to do with her stepfather. I’ve never met the man, Jamie lied.

  I don’t believe you, Jamie. Nor do I care. My only interest at this time is your suffering.

  What’s the point? You know as well as I that Chaanisar are conditioned to resist torture.

  Chaanisar are. Humans aren’t.

  What does that mean, Colonel? What are you talking about?

  Harris didn’t respond, leaving Jamie wondering about what he meant.

  Panic set in and he opened a comm with Anki.

  “Do you miss me already?” Anki said.

  “Anki, you are in danger. Contact station security and stay where you are, I’m on my way to you.”

  Jamie raced through the station’s corridors trying desperately to reach Anki’s quarters before Harris’s men did. He had tried to keep the comm open but was disconnected while still on route.

  He ran all out now, slamming people out of his way without a second thought. Would Harris really hurt Anki to get back at him? He knew he would.

  Jamie had not had a personal life before meeting Anki. There had just been his work, and it had been enough. Everything had been straightforward with no complications. Had he made enemies? Sure. Had people tried to kill him in the past? Of course, but he only had to worry about himself. Whenever someone tried to get revenge against him, they found the task much harder than they thought.

  But now he had opened himself up. He had made himself vulnerable and put Anki in danger in the process. If anything happened to her, he didn’t know if he could live with himself.

  The first thing he saw when he reached Anki’s quarters was several dead Chaanisar on the ground. The second was several more pointing their weapons at him.

  “Reach for your weapon and we will kill you,” one of the Chaanisar said.

  For a split-second Jamie considered doing just that. He could probably get one before they gunned him down. It might make the difference and help Anki escape. But it then occurred to him that these Chaanisar wore uniforms, while the ones lying dead on the floor did not. What exactly was going on here?

  Another Chaanisar stepped out of Anki’s quarters. This one Jamie recognized.

  “Lower your weapons,” Lieutenant Jarvi said. “This man is not a threat.”

  Anki emerged behind Jarvi, her face grim and a heavy assault weapon in her hands. When she saw Jamie, she forced a smile.

  Jamie sighed in relief. “What happened?”

  “These men tried to abduct Anki,” Lieutenant Jarvi said accusingly. “What do you know about this?”

  “It’s okay,” Anki said. “Jamie warned me about them. He saved my life.”

  “Irrelevant. What do you know about these men?” Jarvi demanded.

  “They’re mercenaries,” Jamie said. “They were trying to get to me through Anki.”

  “You are engaged in a dirty business,” Jarvi pointed a finger at Jamie. “And now, you have endangered the life of Admiral Pike’s stepdaughter.”

  “Lieutenant Jarvi, I am not a little girl anymore,” Anki said.

  “Be that as it may-”

  “As I said, Jamie warned me in time to save my life. He should be commended,” Anki gave Jamie a subtle wink.

  “Commended? He is the reason these men came for you in the first place.”

  Anki ignored Jarvi’s comment. “When you warned me, I immediately activated my cloak and contacted Lieutenant Jarvi. I sent two words, danger and cloak. The Lieutenant and his men were here in seconds and flooded the area with ionizing radiation to reveal the assassins.”

  “But didn’t that disable your cloak as well?” Jamie said.

  Anki patted her assault weapon. “I was well prepared.”

  “I am very sorry about this,” Jamie said.

  “Save the apologies for Admiral Pike,” Jarvi said.

  “The Admiral is very busy,” Anki said. “Do we really need to involve him in this?”

  “I’m sorry, Anki, but I am duty-bound to report any threat to your safety.”

  “Great,” Anki said sarcastically.

  Chapter 7

  General Tallos walked along the perimeter of his property on Diakus, dismayed by its destruction. The Erinyie had done what the Juttari could never do, turning Diakus to ash. They even struck at the ancient Temple of the Great See’er, destroying it and all the priceless treasures within its walls. The Great See’er, the Diakan oracle who steered them through the centuries was no more. The Diakan race was now blind, with no insight into the future.

  Yet, what had that insight done in the end? For all her powers, the Great See’er had not seen the armageddon. She had not foretold of the sinister Erinyie ships and their retribution. Retribution that he had instigated.

  He had been overzealous and had nuked the holiest of Juttari worlds. A place that all Juttari visit to worship their gods, the Erinyie. That one action changed the course of history. It brought the Erinyie into the war and turned the tide against Diakus and her allies. Ultimately, it was the reason the Erinyie laid waste to Diakus and other key Diakan planets.

  The fault was his alone, and yet he lived. Where greater Diakans perished, he survived. As the highest ranking Diakan left alive, he became the default leader. Him. Tallos, bringer of the apocalypse. Would Diakans still follow him if they knew the truth?

  Gazing at the devastation that had once been his home, he found it difficult to even stand. The crushing guilt too much to bear. When he learned that he had caused all of this, he tried to do the honorable thing and kill himself, but Jon Pike stopped him. His onetime enemy had saved him from himself. Was that an act of kindness, or revenge?

  Whatever the case, Tallos vowed to atone for his mistakes. If fate decided that he would live and lead Diakus out of this wilderness, then he would make himself worthy of the call. They would cleanse and rebuild the homeworld like they had done for others. All Diakan planets would bounce back, and the Diakan race would return to prosperity.

  “It is a time of great deeds and terrible burdens,” a ghostly voice said.

  Tallos spun around looking for the person speaking to him but saw no one. He checked his comm to see if it had originated there. It hadn’t. He reached for his sidearm, concerned that a cloaked intruder was near. But what happened next stopped him from drawing the weapon, and he stood frozen, in utter awe.

  A great pair of eyes stared back at him from behind red swirls of energy. Blue and green swirls formed on either side of the red, and two other sets of ancient eyes appraised him. The Antikitheri had come to Diakus.

  Tallos felt dumbstruck before these immortal beings and did not know if he should bow, or kneel, or speak. What did one do before such creatures? They had been the ones, long ago who had built the jump gates, earning them the name, Builders.

  They had seeded the Temple’s Great Pool and had likely given the Great See’er her powers. If Diakans worshiped the Great See’er and the Temple, then didn’t they, in fact, worship the Antikitheri? Were these beings holy? Were they the true Diakan gods?

  Anger and contempt took hold, and Tallos stared back at them in with fierce defiance. If the Erinyie were the darkness, and the Antikitheri the light, then where were they when Diakus needed them most? Why hadn’t they come to Diakus’s aid? Why did they let the Erinyie rain armageddon down upon them?

  “You think yourself worthy of judging us?” the red form said, seemingly reading his mind.

  “You abandoned us,” Tallos said. “As devoted as we were to your Temple, you allowed us to burn. Why?”

  Great arcs of electricit
y shot out from the green swirling form, threatening to strike Tallos down, but he did not flinch. If this were to be his end, he would gladly accept it.

  “Insolence!” the green form said.

  “Do not presume to know the way of things, mortal,” the swirling blue form said. “We were there when your race took its first steps. We chose your race as the one to guide the other younger races.”

  “So what?!” Tallos said, unable to contain the uncharacteristic anger boiling over inside him. “You supported us in the beginning and let us burn in the end. Yet here you are. Why? Do you seek our worship? Then you have erred. We worshiped the Great See’er, not you.”

  “It is one and the same,” the blue Builder said.

  “No, it is not. The Great See’er had always been our guide. She had always shone her light so that the Diakan race could see. She stood with us, you did not. But the darkness came and took her from us, and now we are blind.”

  “We are the true light of the universe,” the red Builder said.

  Tallos was suddenly seized by a vision of the future. One where a new temple stood. The Great Pool had been reseeded, and a new Great See’er took her rightful place within it. The future Great See’er spoke to Tallos of things that could be and pointed to a Diakan civilization doubly as prosperous as the one that preceded it.

  Tallos dropped to his knees before the vision. He reached out, trying to grasp at what he saw, desperately trying to ensure it would come to pass.

  “It is a true future,” said the blue Builder. “One of many. It is in your power, General Tallos. You can bring the light to Diakus once more.”

  “What do you ask of me?” Tallos said, his heart breaking.

  “Only your devotion, and that of your fellow Diakans. Worship us and we will help you build a greater Diakus than there has ever been.”

  Tallos looked away from the vision and slowly stood to his feet. He turned and faced the three intimidating aliens. “No, you are a relic from the past. Your time has come and gone.”

  “They are not worthy,” the green form said, electrical arcs still surging outward from it. “We were mistaken.”