by G. P. Hudson
“I can’t. I’m helping dad,” little Jamie said.
“Jamie! Come inside right now!”
“What’s wrong, Bev?” his dad said.
“A car is coming. I don’t like it.”
“Run!” the older Jamie said, panic setting in. “Run!” But no one heard him.
“Get inside, son,” his father said firmly. “Listen to your mom.”
Jamie heard the car coming up the drive and watched his father head for it, his hand clenched tightly around the hammer.
“Don’t go, dad,” Jamie pleaded, walking alongside him. “Run away with mom.” But his father kept walking. Jamie turned to face the car as three men in black uniforms emerged.
“Can I help you with something?” his dad said.
“We’re here by order of the Governor,” one of the men said.
“What does the Governor want with us?” his father asked, advancing steadily on the men.
“You know what he wants. Your son has been chosen for the Chaanisar. We’re here to take him. How things go from here is up to you.”
“Now slow down,” his father said. “Let’s just talk about this.”
Jamie watched the exchange, understanding that his dad tried to give his mother time to get away.
“There’s nothing to talk about. It’s the law and you know it. Now bring me your son, or we’ll take him by force.”
His father had gotten close enough to swing the hammer. It slammed into the first man’s forehead with surprising speed, crushing his skull.
Jamie saw the other two go for their guns and acted. He raced in and launched a lethal strike at the closest man’s throat. But his hand merely passed through the man’s body without making contact. The man raised his sidearm and fired, just as his father came around for a second swing. The bullet hit his dad in the chest and hurled him to the ground. In the distance, a child’s cries came from the woods and the two men ran after the sound.
His father lay on his back, eyes wide, black blood seeping out of his chest. Jamie dropped to his knees beside him. “Why didn’t you run, dad?”
“Jamie?” his dad said looking straight at him. “Is that you?”
Jamie pressed his hands against his father’s chest, trying to stop the bleeding. His father’s body felt real now. Solid. “Dad? Yes, it’s me. Can you see me?”
A faint smile formed on his dad’s lips. But his eyes went vacant, and his breathing stopped.
“Dad?” The chest Jamie’s hands pressed against lost structure and fall apart, his father turning to dust.
The house vanished, and Jamie found himself in darkness, although he was not in the Kemmar cavern. Eyes started to appear all around him. Sinister eyes. The Erinyie.
“What do you want?!” Jamie said but got no answer.
He stood up, and the floor beneath his feet began to vibrate. A starship. His surroundings were illuminated, and he noted the symbols on the walls. Juttari symbols. Chaanisar in Juttari uniforms walked past him, but none reacted to his presence. He heard sounds coming from behind one of the hatches and followed them. Cold dread clawed at his spine. He took a deep breath and entered.
Inside, rows of beds held human boys. The boys were restrained as vile robots performed invasive surgery on their prone bodies. He instantly recognized this room of horrors. It was a place he had long ago blocked from his memories. The implant room. Here human boys were turned into Chaanisar.
Grinding his teeth together he walked past the rows of beds, each child staring vacantly into space. When he encountered a red-headed boy, he stopped. It was him. Little Jamie becoming a Chaanisar.
Only little Jamie did not have the same, vacant look about him. There was fear and despair but hidden behind all that was something else. Rage. Older Jamie looked away as the robotic arms violated his younger body but could do nothing to block out the screams. Blind fury seized him, and he lashed out at the machinery, but again his arms simply passed through it without causing any damage.
Like his father, the boys turned to dust, and he found himself in darkness once more. The eyes returned, studying him with malign intent. Something took shape and Jamie clenched his fists. Right there, some twenty feet in front of him was a Juttari.
The Juttari seemed just as confused as Jamie. It’s cat-like eyes scanned its surroundings until finally resting on Jamie. Green sinewy arms stretched out and scraped the floor with razor-like claws.
Embrace your hatred, a voice said in his mind. Kill it.
The Juttari let loose a low guttural growl and coiled its limbs. Its eyes narrowed, and it bared its teeth. Jamie reached for a weapon but realized he had none.
“It’s not real,” he said. “This is a trick, just like everything else.”
It is real. Prove your worth. Kill, or it will kill you.
Jamie bent his knees and raised his arms, readying himself for combat. The Juttari let out a deafening screech and charged. He had spent a lot of years under the Chaanisar and had seen Juttari fight before. They were fast, but this one was an outlier, its speed unrivaled among Juttari. These Erinyie bastards were not taking it easy on him.
The monstrous green alien reached him and slashed at his face with claws like karambit blades. Jamie ducked out of the way and its feet came up to meet him. He spun and sidestepped, the sharp talons on its feet just barely missing.
Jamie fired a kick at the creature and made contact with its side. The force of the strike hurled it onto the floor, but Jamie fought back the urge to follow up. These things were lethal on their backs as they could use all four of their natural weapons to eviscerate an overzealous foe. It stared back at Jamie, a gleam of understanding in its eye.
“Go on, get up,” Jamie taunted. “Come and get your medicine.” His rage was now complete. This alien son of a bitch was the embodiment of all the evil that had infiltrated his life. His parents’ deaths. His abduction. The atrocities he was forced to commit. When the other Chaanisar were freed by the AI, they had an opportunity to kill the Juttari on their ships. But he never had that option. He did not know why he was getting it now, nor did he care. He would worry about that after this thing was dead.
The Juttari jumped to its feet and came at Jamie again. Its arms and legs a blur, Jamie fought off long claws from every angle. The fearsome assault forced Jamie back, and he could not sidestep every slash. Using the back of his forearms to protect his arms’ vital veins, he parried the more dangerous strikes away from his face, neck, and abdomen.
The creature changed tactics and targeted his arms instead. Turning its claws, it tore open the back of a forearm. Jamie’s arm dropped slightly, and another set of claws gashed his face, barely missing his eye.
They were in it now. Jamie disregarded the pain and went on the offensive, surprising the creature. Two quick finger thrusts found the alien’s eyes, gouging deep into the sockets.
It screamed and lashed out with a killing strike, targeting Jamie’s throat. Jamie turned, and the claws tore into his shoulder instead. Jamie thrust forward with a devastating heel kick catching the beast square on the torso. The force of the kick threw the sinewy alien backward onto the floor, but this time it did not stay there. It jumped back to its feet and slashed about wildly. Jamie had blinded it.
He cautiously crept up to it, careful not to make a sound. It lunged at him, using its other senses to target his location. Jamie sidestepped and drove a heel into the creature’s leg, breaking it. The Juttari buckled and fell to the floor. It shrieked as it tried to get up but could not stand. It stayed on all fours and shuffled about, still trying to find him.
Jamie launched another kick and connected with the side of the beast’s skull. He hit it with all the power he could muster and was rewarded with the satisfying crunch of bone and cartilage. The Juttari was hurled several feet and landed on its side. This time it did not try to get up or move in any way. It simply lay there, lifeless, until finally turning to dust.
He straightened up and faced the malevolent eyes sc
rutinizing him. “There. Are you happy? Have you gotten your entertainment?”
It is emotional, the voice said in his mind. An anomaly.
Its hatred burns true, another voice said.
Is it worthy? a third voice said.
It merits further study, the first voice said.
Jamie pulled at his hair desperately trying to hold on to his sanity. “Get out of my head!”
Again, something materialized before him. Two Juttari this time.
“Great,” Jamie said, his arm, shoulder, and face throbbing. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”
Chapter 24
“Welcome to Earth, Emperor,” Jon said, shaking Kriss’s hand. “It’s been a while.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” Kriss said. “I am happy to finally see your homeworld. Miira has told me so much about it.”
Jon glanced at Miira and smiled. “Yes, we have been fortunate to have Miira among us for the past decade. We’re all richer for it.”
The giant blue female smiled and bashfully looked at her feet. Jon thought he even saw her blush, which was a difficult thing to spot on a Dvorkan.
“General Tallos,” Jon said greeting the Diakan leader. “I trust the journey here was uneventful.”
“Yes, Admiral. All went as expected,” Tallos said.
Good. Well then, shall we get started?” Jon said.
“Of course,” Kriss said.
Jon led them into a boardroom and gestured to two oversized chairs for Kriss and Miira to sit in. The rest sat down, and their respective bodyguards took positions around the room.
“Why don’t you start things off, Emperor,” Jon said once everyone was settled. “Tell us why you are here.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” Kriss said. “As I believe you already know, the Empire is embroiled in civil war.”
“Not surprising,” Tallos said.
“I’m sorry, but what do you mean by that?” Kriss said.
“Your species is dishonorable and untrustworthy. It is a wonder that your empire has held together this long.”
“Why don’t we try and start this meeting off on a positive note,” Jon said, playing the good cop to Tallos’s bad cop. “You will have to forgive the General, but your forces did occupy Diakan territory and refuse to give it back.”
Kriss took a breath. “I wish to formally apologize for the actions of my forces. Their objective was only to wage war against the Juttari. I fear the great distances between the Empire and your region of space encouraged my generals to disregard my instructions. I should also add that the Dvorkans responsible for occupying your territory are the same ones I am fighting against in this civil war.”
“I find it hard to believe that you did not know what your own forces were doing,” Tallos said.
“It is complicated, General,” Kriss said. “A Dvorkan general commanding a fleet in alien territory possesses extensive discretionary powers. He is empowered to act on his own initiative to take advantage of tactical opportunities as they arise. I am sure you can appreciate the need for this. Waiting for Imperial approval is simply not practical. When you add in the influence of the AI, events take on a whole new level of complexity.”
“I can corroborate this,” Miira said. “When I traveled back to the Empire the AI incarcerated me and ordered my execution. All this without the Emperor’s knowledge. I managed to convince the AI to consult with the Emperor first, which is the only reason it did not kill me. Once the Emperor found out what happened, he immediately had me freed. The point being that he had no control, or knowledge, of events taking place in Diakan space.”
“I am sorry, Miira, but your treatment does not prove that the Emperor had no knowledge of his fleet’s transgressions,” Tallos said. “Or their decision to invade UHSF space, for that matter.”
“Why don’t we move on for now,” Jon said, satisfied that Tallos had sufficiently rattled the Emperor. “Go on, Emperor. You were going to tell us why you are here.”
Kriss shot Tallos a wary glance and continued. “As I was saying, the Empire is embroiled in civil war. The leader of the rebels is General Tok, who was also the highest ranking general at Central Command. Now dealing with power hungry generals is nothing new for me, but what is new is that Tok has the support of the Antikitheri.”
“What?” Jon said. “The Antikitheri are supposed to have left this galaxy.”
“Technically they have,” Kriss said. “Their treaty forbids them from direct intervention in our conflicts. They interpret that as meaning they cannot field their forces in this galaxy and neither can the Erinyie. But that doesn’t mean they can’t assist their client races with the sharing of advice and technological advances.”
“How do you know all of this?” Jon said.
“I know because I have been in direct communication with the Antikitheri, and it was during our last meeting that they told me they favored Tok over me.”
“I see,” Jon said, marveling at the new information. “Why did they change sides?”
“They said that Tok was a true believer and I wasn’t, so they were taking his side.”
“Were they correct?”
“Yes, they were. I never believed that the Antikitheri were gods, but I converted the Empire to their religion so that it would benefit from their advances. Everything I did, I did for the betterment of the Empire.”
“Well, that is on you,” Jon said. “History will be your judge, not me. But you still haven’t told me what you want.”
“I want an alliance.”
“An alliance? We’re technically still at war.”
“Yes, we would have to make peace first, but I think it is in your interests to help me. You do not want General Tok to take control of the Empire.”
“Why do we need you?” Tallos said. “What’s to stop us from just invading the Empire on our own? Your forces are divided. It seems to me that this is a perfect opportunity for us to deal with any future Dvorkan threats.”
“Do you really think it will be so easy to conquer the Empire?” Kriss said.
“I could do it with Diakan forces alone. No need for UHSF involvement.”
“You could not even defeat those pathetic Juttari. You think you can conquer the Empire? Your arrogance knows no bounds.”
“Tallos is right,” Jon said. “We are technically still at war. A war that your forces started, I might add. Why shouldn’t we simply invade?”
“Admiral-” Miira said, but Jon put up a hand telling her to stay silent. Behind her and Kriss, Jon took note of the nervous looks Kriss’s bodyguards traded with each other.
Kriss let out a breath. “I suppose you would be in your rights to do so. But this is why I came all his way. I want to put the past behind us and begin a new relationship. I am also prepared to make it worth your while. In return for your alliance, I am prepared to give you the jump gate technology.”
“Not good enough,” Jon said.
“I beg your pardon?”
“When Miira told me about your civil war, I was prepared to offer you a peace treaty in return for the jump gate technology. But now you are asking for an alliance. That is a big difference. So, what else do you have?”
Kriss nodded. “Very well, Admiral. I understand your position, and I respect it. There is something else I can offer you. The Antikitheri shared another technology with us. We possess the ability to track any jump to its destination. With this technology, a ship can no longer escape by simply jumping away.”
Jon glanced at Tallos and turned back to Kriss as a smile formed on his lips. “Emperor, I think we can make a deal.”
Chapter 25
The enormous creature charged again. Jamie deftly sidestepped the thing. He estimated its height at over twelve feet, and it must have easily weighed more than five hundred pounds. He had seen this species before while still a Juttari slave.
They were known as Draahn and were a primitive, warlike species. The Juttari had taken their system for strategic reasons but foun
d little use for the creatures. The Draahn were allowed to carry on so long as they stayed away from Juttari installations. The Draahn understood that much, but sometimes they overstepped their bounds, and the Chaanisar were sent in to drive the point home.
Jamie had participated in one of those operations. In retaliation for one wayward Draahn venturing too close to a Juttari base, they killed thousands. The Draahn may have been primitive, but they were smart enough to keep their distance after that.
Jamie had been armed back then, and the Chaanisar had access to cutting-edge Juttari weaponry. The Draahn were helpless against them. But now, Jamie faced this giant creature with nothing more than his bare hands. Worse still, Jamie suspected that it knew what he was and had an old score to settle.
It charged again. Jamie changed tactics and went for the thing’s legs. Despite its enormous size, it shared many similarities with humans. It was a biped, and its body looked strangely humanlike.
Ducking under its swinging arms, Jamie dove feet first at its legs, driving a heel into what looked like a knee joint. The thing barely flinched. A giant fist came crashing down in response and Jamie rolled out of its path and quickly got back onto his feet. The Draahn swung again but Jamie was on the move, using his speed to stay out of reach.
The Draahn chased after him. Jamie turned and surprised the creature with another strike to its knee. It was too strong to damage with one kick but striking the same joint repeatedly might do the trick. The problem was staying out of the path of those boulder-like fists.
Each time Jamie attacked the Draahn’s knee, the thing got smarter. It started anticipating the tactic. When Jamie tried again, he barely avoided getting crushed by a preemptive punch. He only barely got out of its path.
His accumulated injuries were also taking their toll. He had started off shaky from his battle with the Kemmar, and it only got worse from that point on. Every creature the Erinyie threw at him managed to hurt him somehow. Frankly, he was surprised that he had not collapsed yet. Was that the Erinyie’s doing? He had no way of knowing. Nor did he understand the reason for all this arena bullshit. Was this what the Erinyie did for fun when they weren’t eradicating entire star systems?
