Interstellar War (The Pike Chronicles Book 5) (2 page)

“You’re sure about this?” said Prime Minister Sallas, the leader of New Byzantium.

“There can be no doubt,” said General Calledonius. “The Amboss Captain’s report has been confirmed by his ship’s logs, and through our covert sources. The Kemmar Empire has invaded the Amboss corporation.”

Sallas exhaled sharply as he leaned back in his chair. “I suppose it’s only a matter of time now. How long do you estimate we have before the Kemmar attack us?”

The old General stood rigidly straight in front of the Prime Minister’s desk. His face remained stoic, betraying no hint of emotion. “We believe we still have time, Prime Minister. The Kemmar took over Amboss Prime unopposed. This was largely a result of our forces destroying their fleet. They simply could not defend themselves. The other corporations also suffered major defeats against us. We believe the Kemmar will opt for the low hanging fruit first, and invade the other corporations before coming for us. That gives us some time to prepare.”

“It gives Admiral Pike time to return,” Sallas said hopefully.

“If he returns,” said Calledonius.

“What do you mean,
if
he returns?”

“Admiral Pike has been gone for weeks. We don’t even know if he is alive.”

“I understand your concerns, General. But I don’t believe Admiral Pike is dead. He doesn’t strike me as someone who is easy to kill.”

“That may be true, but we still don’t know what has happened to him. Earth is over a thousand light years away, and the Chaanisar reported that the Juttari had invaded the Sol System. There are many possible reasons why he hasn’t yet returned, and none of them are good. We have to assume that he won’t be here to help when the Kemmar invade, and prepare accordingly.”

“General, I know you’re a proud man, but you have to admit that we wouldn’t have defeated the corporate invasion without Pike’s help. How can we hope to stand against a Kemmar invasion without Pike’s jump ships?”

Calledonius’s face turned red. Clearly Sallas had angered him. “We’ll just have to muddle through, Sir.”

Sallas knew the General was loyal to New Byzantium and its government, but the old man had a big chip on his shoulder when it came to Jon Pike. Sallas could only assume Calledonius saw Pike as a threat, which was foolish. General Calledonius commanded New Byzantium’s armed forces. Pike commanded his own ships. There was no reason for this petty rivalry. “General, don’t take this personally. You know as well as I do that we need the jump technology. That is what gave us an edge against the corporate fleet, even though we were outnumbered. And that is what will give us the winning edge against the Kemmar.”

“Of course, Sir. I understand,” said Calledonius, his face returning to stone. “But we still need to prepare for the likelihood that Admiral Pike will not return in time to help us.”

“Yes, General. That is a wise approach.”

“Thank you, Sir. Now, if there is nothing more, I have a lot of work to do.”

“Of course, General. Please keep me updated.”

Calledonius saluted, turned and walked out the tall double doors.

Sallas turned his chair around to face the window. Staring out at the manicured gardens, he couldn’t help but wonder about Jon Pike. He didn’t for a second think that Pike was dead. What Pike found when he reached Earth? Had the Juttari succeeded with their invasion? If so, he didn’t think Pike would simply leave Earth to its fate. Pike had sworn to protect New Byzantium, but he had also fought to protect Earth his whole life. Sallas knew that if Earth was at risk, Pike would do what he could to help.

Where did that leave New Byzantium? They were in trouble. What if Pike couldn’t help both worlds? Which would he choose? He shivered as an icy chill crept up his back. He brought his hands up, steepling them in front of his face, and closed his eyes. How could so much rely on the actions of just one man?

“Jump gate is active, Sir. Incoming contacts,” said Ensign Petrovic, the Freedom’s tactical officer.

“Identify,” said Admiral Jon Pike, standing in front of his command console.

“Reading multiple Diakan signatures. It’s a Diakan battle group, Sir.”

“Hail them,” said Jon.

“They’re responding. General Dathos is asking to speak to you, Sir.”

“Patch him through to my console.” A Diakan face appeared on Jon’s display. Even with their history, he still found the aliens repulsive to look at. He wasn’t sure if it was the big fish eyes, or the gills. Maybe it was the lizard-like green skin, or the fact that they seemed to never blink. He conceded that it might just be his prior mistrust of the aliens causing his reaction. He had resented them for so long that it probably still clouded his judgment. “This is Admiral Pike,” said Jon.

“I am General Dathos, commander of the Diakan Fifth Fleet,” Dathos said with a hiss. “It is an honor to speak with you, Admiral. The Great See’er has foretold of your rise.”

The comment surprised Jon. He still found it difficult to accept the new found Diakan support. But for some bizarre reason their Great See’er had prophesied that he would rise to power, and now the Diakans treated him like a monarch. Frankly, he found it embarrassing. He had to admit that it was better than the Diakans believing that they still called the shots. “Thank you, General. The Great See’er is generous in her praise.”

“The Great See’er does not praise, Admiral. She merely shares the truth of her visions. As you can see from recent events, she is not mistaken.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Have you not singlehandedly pushed back the Juttari invasion?”

“I’ve had some help, General.”

“Perhaps, but you are the linchpin, Admiral Pike. Thousands of Chaanisar are now free, and loyal to you. This is unparalleled in galactic history.”

The Diakan General referred to the reversal of the Juttari gains made during their massive invasion of Galactic Accord systems. Once the AI had liberated the Chaanisar in the Sol System, Jon sent a ship across the gate to the neighboring system, where it found more Chaanisar. The AI infiltrated their brain chips, and freed them of Juttari control.

Jon moved quickly, using the same tactic on the rest of the systems the Juttari had invaded. In short order, all the Juttari gains were reversed, freeing over a thousand Chaanisar ships. Now, each member of those crews pledged allegiance to Jon, swelling his ranks. With the Juttari gains reversed, Jon’s fleet was able to link up with the Diakans, who moved to further secure the freed systems.

“Thank you, General. I’m happy to finally see your ships coming through our jump gate.”

“Your ingenuity has made the journey an effortless one, Admiral,” said Dathos. “I am sorry about the nuclear attack on your home planet. Several of my ships are equipped with the necessary equipment to help clean up the radiation. They are at your disposal.”

“Your help with the clean up is appreciated. How many more Diakan ships will be making the journey to the Sol System?”

“The rest of the Fifth Fleet will arrive over the next two days, and the Fourth Fleet is expected shortly after that, which will include a newly formed squadron of Diakan jump ships.”

Jon smiled. He had suspected that the Diakans were secretly building jump ships, and now Dathos had confirmed it. “I’m sure they will be valuable additions. Once they arrive we can discuss next steps.”

“As you wish, Admiral.”

“I’ll be in touch. Pike out,” said Jon, and the General’s face disappeared from his screen. Jon switched to the tactical display to center on the activity around the jump gate. The Diakan warships were still crossing through, each one a colossal beast, easily larger than even a Space Force battleship. The Diakans certainly didn’t like small ships. He wondered if they weren’t compensating.

“Sir, President Lewis is repeating his request for a meeting,” said the communications officer.

President Lewis, Earth’s leader, had survived the nuclear bombardment. Lewis, a few Space Force admirals, and some high ranking government officials had holed up in a secret bunker deep within the Rocky Mountains. Lewis had been asking for a meeting since he learned of Jon’s arrival in the Sol System. Jon never liked the man, and had been avoiding the request, but he knew he would have to meet with Lewis eventually. He also felt the need to travel to the surface, and see the damage for himself.

“Very well, arrange a meeting with President Lewis. Any news from Commander St. Clair?”

“He is still assisting Doctor Ellerbeck with the relief efforts.”

“Tell Commander St. Clair that I want him present at the meeting with Lewis. He can meet me at the Presidential bunker.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Jon grimaced as he surveyed Earth’s scarred landscape from the shuttle. Entire cities were flattened. Billions killed. The Juttari had scorched the planet, reducing it to mere embers. But why? This was extreme, even for them. The Juttari had occupied Earth for five centuries before humanity gained its freedom. In all those years, they’d never gone this far. Was this meant to be punitive? Retribution for rebelling against Juttari rule? No. It was worse. The sheer scale of destruction indicated only one possible objective. Genocide. The Juttari intended to wipe out the human race. Why?

“I do not think Earth’s leaders will be happy to meet me,” said Colonel Bast, looking down at the devastation below.

“You didn’t nuke Earth,” said Jon.

“No, but my Chaanisar brethren did. I do not think your leaders will easily make the distinction.”

Jon shrugged. “They’re going to have to. Our fleet now consists of over a thousand warships, most of which are freed Chaanisar. The sooner they come to terms with that reality, the better.”

“Is this why you have requested my presence at this meeting?” Bast turned from the window to scrutinize Jon.

“Yeah. They need to see it with their own eyes. They need to understand that the Chaanisar can be freed. That they have been freed. That you are different from the Chaanisar still under Juttari control. Either way, it doesn’t really matter what they think. The leadership may have survived the attack, but most of the population didn’t. Space Force has been wiped out. There isn’t much left for them to govern.”

“Then why do you meet with them?”

“Good question. Despite the destruction, there is still something left here. We’ll clean up the radiation, and Earth will start over. We’ll need a government. For all their faults, they have more experience governing the planet than anyone else.”

“Perhaps. But is it the right experience?”

“What do you mean?”

“As you said, the Earth will have to start over. It is an opportunity to shape the future. These people may simply want to hold onto the past.”

“You think we should start fresh?”

“I do not know. This is for you to decide, Admiral.”

Jon frowned. He had a war to fight. The last thing he needed was to get bogged down in Earth’s politics. The reality was that Earth had a long road ahead. Someone had to oversee the relief work, and it wouldn’t be him. Jon had one goal. Retribution. The Juttari would answer for their crimes. He would see to it.

The shuttle flew over the Rocky Mountains, leaving the nuclear devastation behind. Jon gazed down at the pristine wilderness feeling nostalgic. As a child in the resistance he had grown up in these mountains. He couldn’t help but feel thankful that they were spared. To the Juttari, this was merely wilderness. And they were right, for the most part. The bulk of the population lived in the cities, where the bombs were concentrated. Why drop bombs on forests? Sadly, Jon knew that even these mountains wouldn’t be spared from the fallout that had begun to traverse the planet. He could only hope that the Diakan technology could clean up the damage in time.

The shuttle descended into a valley, and landed with a clunk in a clearing at the base of one of the mountains.

“I’m reading elevated radiation levels, Sir,” said the pilot. “Probably a good idea to lower your visors.”

“Thank you, Ensign,” said Jon, activating the helmet on his combat suit. The visor dropped down over his face, locking into place, creating a tight seal. Colonel Bast did the same. The combat suits were designed for extreme conditions, including nuclear radiation, and even the perils of open space. “We’re ready, Ensign.”

Jon and Bast got up, lumbering toward the exit as the shuttle’s hatch hissed open. Stepping out from the shuttle, Jon saw two men in combat suits waiting for them. The markings on their armor indicated that they were Space Force Marines. As he approached, the two men saluted. Jon returned the salute.

“At ease Lieutenant,” said Jon, over his combat suit’s speaker. “I assume you’re here to take us to see the President?”

“Yes, Sir,” responded the Marine.

“Has Commander St. Clair arrived yet?”

“Yes, Sir. He’s waiting inside.”

“Very well. Lead the way, Lieutenant.”

The two Marines turned and stepped up to a sheer rock wall. The Lieutenant contacted someone inside the mountain and a section of the rock wall slid open, revealing a metallic tunnel. They entered the tunnel and were soon met with another set of doors. As they swung open and the group passed through, the Lieutenant turned to Jon and raised his visor. “The air is clean now, Sir. You may prefer to retract your helmet.”

Both Jon and Bast retracted their helmets and continued following the Marines down a short passage to a waiting military vehicle.

“We’ll be driving the rest of the way, Sir,” said the Lieutenant.

The men climbed in and they sped away. As they progressed, the tunnel began to expand. Soon they came across other tunnels through which more vehicles appeared, until there was a buzz of continual activity. The tunnels seemed to descend deeper into the bowels of the mountain. They entered a massive open area, with machinery, military hardware, and hundreds of men and women busy with their duties.

“This is impressive,” said Bast. “How long has this base existed?”

“Good question,” said Jon. “I didn’t know about it until today.”

Engrossed in the complexity of it all, the men barely noticed as they pulled up to a set of doors. “We’ll be taking the lift now, Sir,” said the Lieutenant, climbing out of the vehicle. Jon and Bast followed his lead. The doors opened and the four men stepped into the lift. The doors closed behind them, and they began descending at high speed. When the doors finally opened up again, Jon estimated they’d dropped well over a kilometer underground.
No better place to be during a nuclear holocaust,
Jon thought.

They walked down a long corridor. The Space Force emblem dominated, just as it had on the upper level.
A Space Force with no spaceships
.
How long will it take them to rebuild?
The Diakans had helped establish Space Force when they first expelled the Juttari from the Sol System. They’d likely do so again. It served Diakan interests after all. Were those interests also his now? If so, what did that make him?

The two Marines stopped motioning to the doors ahead. “Right this way, Sirs,” said the Lieutenant, and stood aside to let Jon and Bast walk through.

Jon glanced at Bast, “Might as well get this over with.” Bast nodded, and the two stepped together through the doors, as they slid open.

They had entered a large, open room. Lining the walls on both sides were armed Marines in full combat suits, roughly twenty per side. His muscles began to tighten as the creature inside him became increasingly agitated. Standing in front of them was another armed Marine, whose suit markings identified him as a Colonel.

“What’s going on here, Colonel?” said Jon. “Where’s President Lewis?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on here, Captain,” the Colonel said sarcastically. “You are under arrest.”

“What are you talking about? Under arrest for what?”

“You, Captain Pike, are under arrest for treason. Your Chaanisar friend here is under arrest for war crimes.” On both sides the Marines pointed their weapons at Jon and Bast. “And don’t think I’m unaware of your special abilities. Your tricks won’t work against these boys, so I suggest you come along quietly. That goes for you too, Chaanisar.”

Jon sighed. “Don’t worry, Colonel. We won’t resist.”