“Commander Konos,” came a voice over his comm.
“This is Konos.”
“Admiral Pike wants you to report to Briefing Room A.”
“Right now? I just got out of my cockpit.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Understood.” I guess food’s gonna have to wait, he thought.
Konos left the hanger bay and headed for the turbo lift, wondering what was so urgent that it couldn’t wait until after he put some food into his stomach. Passing other crewmembers in the corridors he could see that most were just as fatigued as he felt. Some stims would really do the trick right now, he thought. He knew it was wishful thinking. Any stims on board the Freedom would be locked up in sick bay, and the only way they would be doled out was under extreme conditions, like if they were expected to be in combat for several days without sleep.
He cringed at the thought of flying that long. He wasn’t getting any younger, and the constant ache in his back kept reminding him of that fact. At least the medical team wasn’t hoarding the pain killers. He didn’t know how he would cope without them.
He arrived at the briefing room and found Admiral Pike, Commander St. Clair, and Security Chief Henderson already there, along with Colonel Bast and the leader of the Reivers, Jonas Viken, on the wallscreen. Konos stood at attention and saluted Admiral Pike, who returned the salute.
“At ease, Commander. Have a seat,” said Pike.
“Thank you, Sir,” said Konos, and sat down at the table.
“What are your thoughts on today’s operation?”
“I think it went extremely well, Sir. I might even say the results were miraculous, when I consider how outnumbered we were.”
“I understand you lost several pilots today.”
“Yes, Sir. I lost some good people,” said Konos, feeling a pang of guilt at the thought of losing pilots under his command.
“It’s never easy,” said Pike, seemingly understanding how he felt.
“No, Sir. It’s not.”
“Your fighters performed admirably today. As did the bomber squadron.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“But we will be going into the next engagement with less fighters and bombers than we did today.”
“It won’t be a problem, Sir.”
“I’m sure it won’t. Nonetheless, if you could pick one thing that would improve the performance of your squadrons, what would it be?”
The question surprised Konos. He hadn’t had any time to think about the day’s battle, let alone analyze it. Surely the Admiral knew that he had literally just landed his bird. “A jump system,” he blurted out, surprising himself.
“A what?” said Commander St. Clair, looking just as surprised as Konos felt.
“A jump system. I don’t know if it is possible, but if I could think of one thing that would give us an edge it would be turning our fighters and bombers into jump ships.”
“Is that even possible?” said St. Clair, looking over at the admiral.
“I don’t know, but it’s a good idea, Commander. Why don’t we find out how feasible it is?” Admiral Pike tapped his comm and said, “Chief Engineer Singh to Briefing Room A.”
While they waited for Singh, Admiral Pike, Bast, and Viken discussed the state of the three warships and what repairs were needed before the next operation. Konos listened quietly while his stomach growled. When did I last eat something, he wondered.
“We’re going to need at least a week to make repairs,” said Colonel Bast.
“The same goes for the Reiver,” said Jonas Viken.
“The Freedom is no better off,” said St. Clair. “After looking at the damage reports, a week sounds really optimistic. It might be closer to two.”
Admiral Pike nodded in agreement. “We can’t go into battle with the ships in this condition. We’ll jump back into New Byzantium space and make repairs there. That does mean that the other fleets will have time to merge.”
“Perhaps, but they will have twenty-five less ships than they expected,” said Bast. “When news of what happened here reaches them, they may decide to cancel the invasion.”
“That would be an ideal outcome. Nonetheless, we have to assume they are going to attack. They will still outnumber us after all.”
“Amboss Corporation has the largest fleet in the colonies,” said Konos.
“Have you fought against Amboss before?” said Pike.
“We’ve had some minor skirmishes, but never a full scale battle. Amboss is the wealthiest of the corporations, so they do not need to be as aggressive as the others. But they do have more ships than anyone else.”
“Having more ships does not make them better fighters,” said Jonas Viken, with a scowl.
“No,” said Pike. “But it does mean that the loss of the Meisser ships won’t dissuade them from attacking.”
“Agreed,” said St. Clair. “They’re coming.”
The door to the briefing room slid open and a tall man entered. He wore a turban bearing the Freedom’s insignia, and carried a dagger on his belt. The man stood at attention and saluted Admiral Pike.
“At ease, Chief,” said Pike. “Take a seat.”
Singh nodded and sat down in the empty chair beside Konos.
“Commander Konos, our CAG, had a great idea, and we wanted to know if it was possible.”
Singh glanced at Konos, then back at Pike. “Yes, Sir?” he said.
“Tell me, Chief. How hard would it be to outfit our fighters and bombers with a jump system?”
Singh didn’t answer right away, but looked to be pondering the question, nodding to himself a few times. Commander St. Clair sighed impatiently, but Singh either ignored him, or simply didn’t notice.
“It is possible,” Singh answered finally. “We had conducted experiments with something similar, but that was for a communication drone. The idea was to give a jump ship the ability to communicate with Space Force Command across great distances. The drone used a smaller version of the jump system, but had a more limited range.”
“Would something like that work on one of our fighters?” said Pike.
“I would need to make modifications to the design. The drone we worked on was considerably smaller than a fighter. It is all about the jump field, you see. The jump system would need to be capable of enveloping the entire fighter in its jump field. If the field is too small the fighter would be torn apart on jump. There is also the question of navigation. The pilot would need an efficient way to plot jump coordinates. This would require modifications to the ship’s onboard systems.”
“Will it work?” repeated Pike.
“Yes, I believe so, Sir,” said Singh.
The Admiral leaned back in his chair and glanced at Commander St. Clair. “How soon can you outfit our fighters and bombers?”
“I don’t know. Months. Maybe longer.”
“Why so long?”
“One would need to be designed and built. It would need to be tested and modified. These things can’t be rushed.”
“You have two weeks.”
“Two weeks? Sir, with all due respect, that is not enough time.”
“Sure it is. I have faith in you Mr. Singh.”
“But what about my other duties?”
“Delegate. That’s why you’re the Chief Engineer. This is now your number one priority. Commander St. Clair will make sure you have everything you need.”
“Yes, Sir, but two weeks?”
“That’s all we have, Chief. I suggest you get started.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Singh, rising from his chair. “You can count on me,” he said, saluting.
“I know I can.” Pike returned the salute. “Dismissed.”
When Singh left the room Commander St. Clair looked at Admiral Pike, “Do you think he can do it?”
“He’ll do it. The question is will the pilots be able to adapt?”
“They’ll need to be trained,” said Konos. “A simulation would be ideal.”
; “Yes, a simulation. Commander, once Singh figures out the design, get a simulation built for the pilots to train on.”
“I’ll make it happen, Sir,” said St. Clair.
“Good,” said Pike. He looked back at Konos. “You’ll get your jump ships, Commander. Now you should go and get some sleep. You look like shit.”
Chapter 35
Major Karlin Vogel stood on the Freedom’s flight deck waiting for the New Byzantium shuttle to come to a stop. General Calledonius wanted to meet with him personally and didn’t want to wait for Admiral Pike to clear the use of one of the Freedom’s shuttles. Vogel, after all, wasn’t a member of the Freedom’s crew. So the General sent a military shuttle up the moment he found out that the Freedom was back in orbit around New Byzantium.
Vogel was all too happy to head back down to the surface. He had no power on board this ship, and the title of liaison meant nothing to Admiral Pike. He glanced down to his shirt, double checking that he had, in fact, removed the Freedom comm that had been given to him. His background in intelligence made him more suspicious than most, and he was certain that his actions were being monitored. He had noticed how Admiral Pike spoke to his AI through his comm. Would it be so difficult for Pike to spy on him through his assigned comm? Vogel knew that there were more sophisticated ways to spy on people, but he wasn’t taking chances.
The shuttle came to a stop and the hatch opened. A ramp swung down to the floor and Vogel immediately walked up and into the waiting shuttle. The craft was a smaller model, not intended to carry many people. The pilot had barely made it to the ramp when Vogel entered. Upon seeing the Major, the pilot stood at attention and saluted. Vogel hastily returned the salute.
“Let’s get going Lieutenant,” said Vogel.
“Yes, Sir,” said the pilot.
Vogel walked straight up to the cockpit and sat down. The pilot rushed up and sat in the pilot’s chair next to Vogel. He manipulated the controls and Vogel felt a tremor go through the small craft as its engines came back online. The pilot received clearance, and sailed the shuttle back out of the hangar bay. Once clear of the giant carrier, they began their descent to the planet’s surface.
“How was your trip, Sir?” said the pilot. “That carrier looks like it saw some action.”
Vogel glanced sideways at the pilot. “That information is classified, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, Sir,” said the pilot in a nervous tone. “Sorry, Sir.”
“Just concentrate on flying the shuttle.” Why do people always feel the need to talk? he wondered. He just wanted a quiet trip down to the surface so he could collect his thoughts. Was that too much to ask?
To his credit, the Lieutenant didn’t say another word all the way down to New Byzantium. Vogel considered everything he had seen during the battle. The jump system. The AI. There was no denying it. Pike truly had something revolutionary on his hands.
Soon they landed at the main New Byzantium military base. Vogel quickly got off the shuttle and headed for General Calledonius’s office. Frenzied activity surrounded him as the base’s personnel prepared for the coming attack. As he approached the main building he was surprised to find a hastily setup security checkpoint.
“Good afternoon, Major. We’ll need to perform a DNA scan before you can proceed any further,” said a young Marine.
“This checkpoint didn’t exist before. Is there a threat I should know about?” said Vogel.
“I don’t know, Sir. General Calledonius ordered increased security around the base.” The Marine checked the results of the DNA scan. “Thank you, Major. You’re free to enter the building.”
Vogel continued past the checkpoint and up the walkway to the main building. Directly inside the doors he had to submit to another DNA scan before he could proceed. Scanning the interior he made note of the heavily armed Marines deployed throughout. He cleared the checkpoint and headed for the lifts.
Vogel got onto the lift and requested the General’s floor. The computer cleared his identity, taking the Major to the lower levels, deep within the bowels of the building. Upon arriving the door slid open to reveal more heavily armed Marines. Before he could go any further he had to submit to yet another DNA scan, as the surrounding Marines watched him warily.
“Thank you, Major,” said the Marine administering the scan. “You’re clear. These Marines will escort you to see the General.”
Two Marines wearing body armor and exoskeletons flanked Major Vogel. “Follow us, Sir,” said one of the Marines.
“I know the way, Sergeant,” said Vogel, and marched toward the General’s office. The Marines remained on either side of him, unperturbed by the Major’s obvious annoyance.
General Calledonius was seated at his desk when Vogel entered. Vogel saluted. Calledonius returned the salute and gestured for him to sit down.
“That will be all,” said the General to the waiting Marines. The two men turned and exited the office.
“There’s a lot more security since the last time I saw you, General. Is there something I need to know about?”
“No, Major. I’m just not taking any chances this time around.”
“Of course, Sir.”
“I’ve seen preliminary reports about the mission to Meisser space,” said Calledonius. “Quite an impressive victory.”
“Yes, Sir. The jump technology gave them an incredible advantage.”
Calledonius studied Vogel with a scrutinizing gaze. “I’ve seen the effectiveness of the technology in battle. Still, it’s astounding that they were able to defeat that many warships. I expected them to harass and diminish the Meisser fleet’s ability, not to decisively defeat it.”
“They used superior tactics, Sir. And they have another advantage we were not aware of. An extremely advanced artificial intelligence.”
Calledonius’s eyes narrowed. “What makes this AI so different?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it, Sir. It attacked a Meisser carrier and took over its systems. It then forced the carrier to attack the Meisser fleet. That attack sent the fleet into disarray, allowing the other ships to outflank them.”
Vogel proceeded to give the General a detailed explanation of everything that he saw while on the Freedom.
“That’s quite a story, Major,” said Calledonius. “I think it’s prudent that you remain on board the Freedom.”
“Yes, Sir. Of course,” said Vogel.
“We need to find out as much as we can about that jump system, of course, but this news about the AI is particularly troubling. That is a lot of power in the hands of an artificial intelligence. Can Pike control it?”
“I’ve seen nothing that would suggest otherwise.”
Calledonius frowned. “I don’t like AIs, Major. They scare the shit out of me.”
“Understandable, Sir.”
“You said this one AI is on all three ships?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“What if it decides it doesn’t want to take orders anymore? Then what? You would have three powerful, jump capable warships commanded by an artificial intelligence. Who knows what it would do? I can tell you one thing. It wouldn’t give two shits about how its actions affected any humans that may be nearby.” Calledonius clenched his hand into a tight fist and slammed his desk with it. He pointed a finger at Vogel. “I want you to keep a close eye on that AI. The second it seems like Pike is losing control of it, I want to know.”
“I’ll make sure of it, Sir,” said Vogel. The old man is getting more paranoid than me, he thought.
Calledonius continued grilling Vogel about the AI and the jump system for another half hour. When the meeting was finally over Vogel took a vehicle, left the base and headed to his home on the outskirts of the city.
The drive was uneventful and after some time he reached the security gate on the perimeter of his property. He submitted to a DNA scan and the computer cleared him for entry, opening the gates. He followed the winding road up to his secluded house, scanning the surrounding trees for any
signs of infiltration. Satisfied that no one hid within the trees, he pulled up to the quiet building, got out of his vehicle and entered. He lived alone and knew that no one would be waiting for him. Still, he quickly checked every room, looking for any sign that someone was, or had been there.
Satisfied that he was alone, he headed straight for a stairway that led to the basement. Downstairs he walked across the room and opened the door to his cold storage. Inside he moved some containers on a shelf, revealing a nondescript portion of the wall. He pressed his hand onto the wall and a hidden scanner read his DNA signature. The scanner accepted his identity and a part of the floor slid open. Vogel stepped through the hidden entrance and descended into another, secret room. That room held sophisticated communication equipment, capable of transmitting covert interplanetary communications using military grade encryption. Vogel sat down and the displays in front of him came to life. He entered a series of commands and waited.
Almost a full hour had passed when the face of Franz Stumpf, CEO of Amboss Corporation, appeared on his screen.
“Hello, Major. Do you have something for me?” said Stumpf.
“Yes,” said Vogel. “I do.”
Chapter 36
Chief Engineer Singh bent over his prototype, testing the different components to ensure it had been built to his precise specifications. He had devoted several days to its design. Finally, he felt he had solved all the potential problems. He wasn’t sure when he slept last, but had been so engrossed in his work that he didn’t care. If he got this right, it would take the jump system to the next level. He could continue to improve the design, thereby making smaller and smaller jump systems. There were a staggering number of possibilities available, both military and civilian.
“Is it ready?” said Commander St. Clair from behind Singh, startling him.
How does someone that big sneak up on you so perfectly? Singh wondered. “I am running tests to determine precisely that, Commander,” he said, looking back at St. Clair, trying not to let his annoyance show.
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 83
