Euphoria filled the Freedom, and Jon didn’t need his heightened awareness to sense his crewmembers were riding high. As they floated in space, waiting for their final jump into the Kemmar home system, Jon accessed his comm opening a channel to the entire fleet.
“This is Admiral Pike speaking. We are about to enter the final phase of this campaign. I want to commend every single one of you on a job well done, but I also want to remind you that this job isn’t finished yet. Now I know you’re all feeling pretty good after all we have accomplished, but we can’t be overconfident, or careless.
“With the next jump, we will enter the Kemmar home system. There, we will defeat the enemy once and for all. Not only will this be a great victory, but it will signal the dawn of a new age. The age of the UHSF. The age of humanity. Stay focused, stay sharp, and you will all tell this story to your grandchildren one day. They will know that you were there when the vicious Kemmar Empire was defeated. They will know that you were there when humans rose to power in the galaxy. Good luck. Admiral Pike out.”
Jon closed the comm, as applause broke out on the bridge, bringing a smile to his face. “Thank you, now let’s get back to work. Commander, what is our jump status?”
“Jump system is at seventy-five percent. We are jump ready,” said Henderson. “Fleet is reporting jump ready as well.”
“Deploy surveillance drones.”
Underneath the Freedom a hatch opened and a couple of tiny drones were launched into space. The little bots shot out ahead of the carrier, engaging their jump systems, and blinking off the screen. Minutes later the drones returned and began transmitting their data to the Freedom.
“This is why we have not met any major Kemmar forces,” said Jon, while studying the feed on his display. “They’re all protecting the home planet.” The surveillance feed revealed well over a thousand ships in position around the planet Kem.
“That is a lot of ships,” said Henderson. “They have a few space stations too. The drone data indicates that those stations are armed.”
“Battle stations. I was wondering when we’d come across some. The data indicates that the planet has a defense grid in place. Should be easy enough to take it out. Any word on General Calledonius?”
“No, Sir. Nothing since his last report.”
“We’ll just have to start the party without him. Let the fleet know we’ll be jumping momentarily.” Jon and Calledonius’s two fleets had invaded from opposite ends, creating a vice with which the Kemmar could be squeezed. That feat had been accomplished. Jon did not necessarily need to wait for Calledonius to take the home system, however. The jump bombs gave him enough of an advantage to attack alone.
“Fleet is standing by to jump, Sir.”
“Very well. Initiate jump.”
The Freedom landed in the Kemmar home system, some three hundred million kilometers away from the home planet. Jon glanced down at his tactical display and instantly knew they had a problem. “This can’t be right. Commander, are all our ships accounted for?”
“No, Sir,” said Henderson, working feverishly at his command console.
“Well where the hell are they?”
Henderson looked up at Jon with a blank expression. “I don’t know, Sir. It looks like only about five hundred ships landed in this system.”
“Unauthorized jumpspace disturbances,” said the computer. “Launching jump bombs.”
The space in front of the Freedom lit up with fireworks, as Kemmar ships began to appear, only to have jump bombs detonate in exactly the same coordinates. The bombs exploded almost instantaneously. In most cases, sections of the Kemmar hulls were blown open by the blasts, venting gas, equipment, and personnel. Jagged, gaping holes were left behind, yet many of the attacking ships survived the initial attack.
Mercy was not a key attribute of the jumpspace system. Another wave of jump bombs landed inside the crippled warships. Their detonations were enough to crack open the remaining hulls, often igniting the ship cores in the process. Blinding light and radiation followed, leaving behind millions of tiny fragments in place of the once mighty Kemmar warships.
The assault pulled Jon back to the task at hand. He didn’t know what happened to the rest of the fleet, but he still had the jumpspace technology, giving him a tremendous advantage. Outnumbered or not, that advantage would even the odds.
Speed mattered now. He had to hit the ships defending the planet before they jumped. “AI, assign first strike coordinates to our remaining ships.”
“Coordinates have been assigned, Admiral,” said AI in her usual flat tone.
“Initiate jump bomb first strike.”
“Initiating,” said Henderson. “Jump bombs away.”
“Launch all fighters and bombers.” The Freedom’s alert squadron had launched the moment they landed, but now he needed all his birds in the air.
“Launch orders sent. Birds are launching.”
Across the void the first strike hit hard, with internal explosions blasting through hundreds of Kemmar warships. Many were destroyed. Some were left with yawning hull breaches. Hundreds suffered internal damage, which meant downed systems, raging fires, and dead personnel. The enemy was knocked down a few notches. Jon felt some relief. They could do this. The jumpspace technology was powerful enough.
“Unauthorized jumpspace disturbances,” said the computer. “Unable to launch jump bombs.”
The relief Jon felt a moment ago slipped away as more of his ships disappeared, replaced instead by Kemmar warships. On the tactical display, the Freedom was now practically enveloped by red threat icons.
“All ships, target the Kemmar ships in our midst. Jump bombs and conventional weapons. Fire at will.”
The Freedom shook violently as the newly arrived Kemmar ships opened fire.
“Point defense shield is online,” said Ensign Petrovic, the tactical officer. “Launching countermeasures.”
“AI, what happened to my ships?” said Jon.
“The Kemmar ships were jumping into the same coordinates as those vessels, so the jumpspace system jumped them to safety.”
“Goddamnit,” said Jon. “AI, modify that damned system to jump the endangered ships only a short distance away. They’re no good to me if they’re out of this system.”
“Understood,” said AI. “Making modifications.”
More explosions rocked the Freedom, as the Kemmar took their revenge. Many of the new arrivals now targeted the Freedom.
“Sir, we are taking heavy fire,” said Petrovic.
“They’ve pegged us as the flagship,” Jon said grimly.
The rest of the fleet concentrated their fire on the warships within their midst. But the Kemmar largely ignored them, focusing almost exclusively on the Freedom. Even as the jump bombs blew them apart, missiles cutting into their ravaged hulls, the Kemmar seemed determined to destroy Jon’s ship.
“Hull breach, deck three,” said Henderson. “Emergency containment field in place.” Henderson looked up at Jon. “We can’t take much more of this, Sir.”
“Stand your ground, Commander. We’re not going anywhere.”
“Unauthorized jumpspace disturbances,” said the computer. “Unable to launch jump bombs.”
More of the fleet disappeared, as Kemmar ships landed in their coordinates. The targeted UHSF ships had landed only a short distance away this time, and remained within weapons range.
The Kemmar had found Jon’s weakness. With the loss of half his fleet in the initial jump, they were woefully outnumbered. And with the Kemmar were fighting for their home planet now, they were more than willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause.
The suicide attacks proved an ideal counter to the jumpspace technology. If the UHSF ships stayed put, they would be destroyed along with the Kemmar ship. If they jumped away in self defense, they allowed Kemmar warships into their ranks.
“Hull breach decks eight and nine,” said Henderson. “Containment fields are in place.”
“Activ
ate tactical jump grid,” said Jon. A numbered graph appeared on his display, assigning coordinates to the surrounding space. “Helm, jump to grid coordinate B17.”
The Kemmar ships surrounding the Freedom disappeared as the Freedom landed twenty million kilometers away. “All ships, launch jump bombs at will,” ordered Jon, as he assessed the situation.
Now that the Kemmar wanted the Freedom, they should come after him. His fleet had been effectively scattered.
“Mobility,” Jon said to no one in particular.
“Beg your pardon, Sir?” said Henderson.
“Mobility,” Jon repeated. “The fleet can’t stay together in one spot. Not with the jump system. It leaves them prone to suicide attacks. We need to take advantage of the jump system, and stay mobile. Especially now that we have jump bombs.”
“Unauthorized jumpspace disturbance,” said the computer. “Initiating jump.”
The Freedom landed in a different location, as it jumped to evade a Kemmar suicide attack.
“We are going to have to behave more like our jump fighters,” Jon continued. “We use the jump system like a fighter when we go into battle as one ship, or even a small group of ships, but we don’t as a fleet. We must change that.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson, tapping away furiously on his array of command screens.
The Freedom continued using jump tactics to evade the enemy. Then she began hit and run tactics, combining short range tactical jumps, with jump bomb strikes.
Jon soon had the remaining fleet follow suit, allowing them to stay one step ahead of the Kemmar, with the ability to deliver punishing blows simultaneously. The battle turned into a game of cat and mouse, with UHSF and Kemmar ships jumping around the system, both sides fighting to gain an advantage.
The Kemmar’s frequent jumps created new challenges. The jump bombs often missed their targets, due to the fact that the Kemmar ships bounced around.
It was a few hours in when john began to worry about his shrinking stockpiles of jump bombs. Whittling the Kemmar force down to size had proved more difficult than anticipated. If he ran out before the Kemmar fleet was defeated, he would have real problems.
“Reading multiple new contacts,” said Petrovic.
Jon cringed. They couldn’t handle more Kemmar ships right now. Or worse, Juttari.
“It’s General Calledonius,” said Petrovic, relieved.
Jon exhaled sharply. “Well it’s about time.” He opened a comm with Calledonius. The General appeared on Jon’s display, and he couldn’t remember ever being so happy to see the old man’s frowning face.
“You look like you could use some help, Admiral,” Calledonius said smugly.
Jon smiled. “We’ve got things under control, but your help is appreciated nonetheless.”
“Stand by,” said Calledonius.
The arrival of Calledonius’s fleet proved decisive. The increased firepower made short work of the remaining Kemmar warships. Their destruction marked the elimination of the dreaded Kemmar space force, and the Kemmar Empire. The Kemmar no longer had the means to invade, and enslave, their neighbors.
With the ships gone, the UHSF picked apart the remaining planetary defenses at its leisure, leaving Kem, the home planet, alone and helpless.
As the victorious UHSF ships took position in orbit around Kem, Jon opened a comm with the Kemmar leader, who appeared on his display, all teeth and attitude.
“I am Grand Sovereign Tsogt,” said the Kemmar leader.
“You are a criminal,” Jon interrupted. “You will surrender yourself to the UHSF troops who will soon be arriving.”
“Criminal? I am no criminal. I am the rightful leader of the Kemmar.”
“You will be arrested and charged with war crimes-”
“The Kemmar will not stand for this. They will never allow their sovereign to be treated in this way.”
Jon didn’t get a chance to respond. Several Kemmar fell upon Tsogt, tearing at his flesh with their rows of razor sharp teeth. Tsogt didn’t make a sound, enduring the savage attack in silence.
At first, it appeared as though they were eating him, as the Kemmar were known to do with their victims. But they spit the chunks of Tsogt’s flesh onto the floor with disgusted grunts. Perhaps not consuming a victim was the ultimate insult for a Kemmar.
Jon watched the ordeal with revulsion, until finally one of the Kemmar turned to face him. Blood smeared across its orange fur, and dripped between strips of flesh still caught within its pointy teeth. “I am Lord Taak, Royal Advisor to Grand Sovereign Tsogt. The Grand Sovereign has been summarily executed for his many crimes. We await the arrival of your troops.”
Jon closed the comm without a word, stunned by the Kemmar savagery he had just witnessed. In his belly, the creature growled its approval. The enemy had been defeated, their threat eliminated once and for all.
Chapter 53
The time Tallos had allotted to the Juttari planetary leadership had expired. Sitting in his command chair, Tallos wondered if the Juttari would really stand their ground, forcing him to nuke one of their cities. He hoped, for their sake, that they believed him. As he often said, Diakans do not bluff. Surely the Juttari must know this.
He had gone to see the chief medical officer in sick bay. His previous emotional outbursts were extremely troubling, and he couldn’t afford another one while in command of the fleet. There was simply too much at stake.
Upon examination, the doctor found his symbiont weakened. Though there was no indication of the cause. Not that it mattered, as it wouldn’t change the result. Tallos would return to Diakus and replace his symbiont.
It was not uncommon among Diakans to exchange one symbiont for another, and there were many reasons why such a procedure would be required. But like most Diakans, Tallos had only ever paired with one symbiont. Usually a Diakan was paired with the same symbiont for life. Tallos had always assumed it would be the case with him.
Diakans had powerful, primal emotions. Those emotions were regulated by their symbionts. If there were any changes in a symbiont’s ability to do so, they had to be dealt with immediately. Unfortunately, Tallos commanded a fleet that had just successfully invaded a Juttari system. This was no time to be running back to Diakus.
Thankfully, the doctor was able to temporarily boost his symbiont’s strength, aiding its ability to maintain control over Tallos’s more primal impulses. He assured Tallos that it would see him through this campaign, keeping him in control until he could return to Diakus.
He hoped he could now deal with the Juttari, without some wild overreaction on his part. Many would consider the use of nuclear weapons in this situation an overreaction. And with his symbiont’s returned strength and the resulting clarity, so did he. But he had made the threat before seeing the doctor. Was he unstable when he had done so? He certainly had not needed to use nuclear weapons on the military installations. He could’ve chosen conventional weapons, avoiding collateral damage.
The thought troubled him. But the threat had been made. There could be no turning back now. If the Juttari refused to surrender, and he failed to follow through, his credibility would be gone. Doing so, on the other hand, would kill millions. It was a no win situation.
As unsavory as it was, he had to see it through. If that included a nuclear strike against a civilian population, then so be it.
“Captain Rotos,” said Tallos, from his command chair. “Open a comm with the planetary leadership. Send to my command display when ready.”
“Opening channel,” said Rotos.
A holographic display appeared in front of Tallos, revealing the faces of the three Juttari leaders. Despite the many Juttari Tallos had seen over the years, he still found them repulsive. How many years had he fought against them? It had to be at least one hundred Diakan standard years. That was a long time by anyone’s calculation.
“Your time has run out,” said Tallos. “Do you surrender, or do I destroy one of your cities?”
“We do no
t surrender to Diakan cowards,” said the same Juttari who had spoken before.
“You would have me destroy one of your cities?”
“We are the chosen of the Gods. This system, and its planets are holy. We do not submit to the unclean. We embrace our death, as you will soon embrace your doom.”
Tallos stared at the display in disbelief. What was wrong with this species? He quickly checked his emotional status. No anger. No desire for vengeance. No paranoia. He remained in control. Any decision he made now would be a rational one. Unfortunately, he could only see one option.
“Captain Rotos, prepare a twenty-five megaton nuclear warhead, and target one of the cities on the nearest planet,” Tallos said forebodingly.
“General, that would target a civilian population,” said Rotos.
“I’m aware of that, Captain. I take full responsibility for the decision.”
Rotos hesitated and Tallos thought he might defy his order. Certainly, if Captain Rotos thought the order was illegal, he could refuse. He might even try to relieve Tallos of command.
It was several tense moments before Rotos turned to his holographic display, tapping in the commands. “Nuclear warhead is armed, Sir. Target is selected and locked.”
Tallos turned back to the Juttari. “This is your last chance, Juttari. Surrender, or the blood of millions will be on your hands.”
“Your barbarism will not go unpunished, Diakan. The Gods come for you.”
“Captain Rotos, initiate launch of nuclear weapon.”
Soon, a giant fireball could be seen from orbit rising from the surface. The subsequent mushroom cloud that formed had a width of over one hundred kilometers. Underneath, where a city once stood, was what could only be devastation and carnage.
Tallos had chosen a relatively small warhead by Diakan standards. He only wanted to prove a point. But the warhead was powerful enough to flatten the city.
“Barbarism!” said the Juttari. “Sacrilege!”
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 135
