The Freen, for their part, quietly went to work constructing the new jump gate. Jon watched in awe as work on the massive structure got underway. It reminded him of his former Chief Engineer Singh. The man responsible for creating the jump system, and the jump bombs. He couldn’t wait to see his reaction to all this.
Knowing Singh, the man would take the knowledge, and find some other unbelievable way to use it. The man was a genius, of that there was no doubt. So long as he didn’t fall back into insanity, his mind could come up with extraordinary achievements.
The Freen also informed Jon that the work could only partially be completed in the Empire, as a team would be required in human space to finish the connection. That was something Jon hadn’t considered, but it made sense. It just meant that they would have to wait longer than expected for the gate’s completion. Once finished, however, it would be a game changer.
They would have a direct connection to the Empire, as well as the colonies. Add to that the established connections to the Diakans, and their network of gates, and things were looking pretty good. Earth would become a hub for interstellar travel, allowing access to several, densely populated regions of the galaxy. It would be a boon to the war effort. If they could ever put an end to this war, Sol would become a galactic crossroads with limitless potential. In the here and now, however, those were just dreams.
All in all, Jon was pleased with the progress, and his new ally, Emperor Kriss. The Empire would be a formidable friend and an asset in the fight against the Juttari and Erinyie. The trip had been fruitful. But, he had stayed in Dvorkan space much longer than he expected and had grown anxious to return home. After retrofitting enough Taymati warships with shields and jump systems, the time had come to get underway.
“All ships in the fleet are reporting jump ready, Sir,” said Commander Henderson, from his station.
Jon stood on the bridge of the Freedom, staring at the viewscreen, and the capital of the Empire, Dvorkan Prime. Beside him stood Miira Kev, looking as nervous as ever.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Jon said to Miira. “You can stay behind, you know. I won’t hold you to coming back to Earth with me.”
“I’m sure, Admiral,” said Miira. “I want to see your homeworld and your region of space.”
“What about the Emperor? You two have been spending a lot of time together.”
“He understands. I will see him when I return.”
“Okay, just thought I’d give you a chance to back out before we leave.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
Jon nodded and turned his attention back to Henderson. “Very well, Commander. Initiate jump.”
The UHSF armada began its week-long journey back to their region of space. They had accomplished their mission of finding the Antikitheri and had made a new ally in the process. They gained new technologies and had added a couple of thousand extra warships to their force. It was now time to put it all to use back home.
The next few jumps were uneventful. They put a couple of hundred light years between themselves and the Empire before it was time to recharge their jump systems. Jon busily went through a growing backlog of reports, taking the extra time to get caught up on things.
“Admiral,” said Miira. “If you will excuse me, I have an appointment with Breeah.”
“Your lesson?” said Jon.
“Yes, Sir.”
“How is all that coming?”
“Breeah is a tough teacher, and I am a slow learner, but I believe I am making progress.”
“All Reivers are like that,” Jon said with a smirk. “Very well. Dismissed.”
Jon watched Miira’s towering frame leave the bridge, thankful that they had found the Dvorkan scholar. They could still be out there, stumbling around looking for the Antikitheri if not for her. She had been a godsend. Chuckling to himself, he hoped that Breeah wouldn’t be too hard on her. Reiver martial arts were not for the timid.
Chapter 45
Jon watched the viewscreen shift as they completed their final jump. It reoriented itself on the wreckage of the Diakan space station at the outskirts of Diakan space. This was where General Dathos had attacked his battle group before they began their quest to find the Antikitheri. The display showed a system littered with wreckage and debris. It was no different than the way they had left it, which was a problem.
Jon opened a comm with the Diakan, General Tallos, whose face quickly appeared on his comm screen.
“What do you make of all this, General?” said Jon.
“It is perplexing,” said Tallos. “A cleanup operation should have been well underway by now.”
“Why do you think that it’s not?”
“There could be many reasons,” said Tallos. “This is a remote region. Its only usefulness was for scientific research, but even that was limited. It could be that Diakus has placed this region on the bottom of its priorities.”
“I see. That makes sense,” said Jon, only it didn’t. The Diakans were a meticulous species. For them to leave this amount of wreckage here was unthinkable. There should have been something here, even if just a few automated systems. “Let’s proceed with caution nonetheless. Something doesn’t smell right about this. I am going to order all ships cloaked until further notice.”
“As you wish, Admiral,” said Tallos.
Jon issued the command, and soon the entire fleet became invisible. He then ordered a cloaked drone through the jump gate to investigate the system on the other side. When the drone returned, Jon shared the feed with Tallos. Being in Diakan space, he wanted Tallos in the loop.
“It can’t be,” said Jon, as the surveillance feed played on his console. “How is this possible?” Jon looked to Tallos for an answer and saw the closest thing to rage he’d ever seen on the ordinarily expressionless Diakan face.
“I do not know,” said Tallos through gritted teeth. “It appears a catastrophe has occurred since our departure.”
“Commander, sound general quarters fleet-wide, and launch all fighters and bombers. Keep all ships cloaked with shields up until further notice.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Commander Henderson.
“I also want this feed transmitted to the entire fleet. Let everyone know what we are facing.”
Jon looked back to the video feed and cursed under his breath. He didn’t know how, but a fleet of Juttari warships had occupied the Diakan system on the other side of the gate. At first glance, they seemed to have similar numbers as Jon’s fleet, give or take. That suited Jon just fine.
“Sir, something is coming through the jump gate,” said Henderson.
“On viewscreen,” ordered Jon.
The display centered its orientation on the shimmering portal, through which a squadron of Juttari warships now appeared.
“Make sure nobody fires,” said Jon. “They shouldn’t be able to see us. Let them have a look around.”
“Yes, Sir. Orders sent to the fleet,” said Henderson.
Jon clenched his fists and ground his teeth as he watched the hated enemy on the screen. The warships had likely responded to the activation of the jump gate, even though they didn’t see the cloaked surveillance drone. As useful as the cloaking technology was, there was no way to hide the jump gate once activated.
The squadron sailed into the system, seemingly oblivious to the dangers hidden there. The ships vanished and reappeared at different locations in the system. They were using their jump systems to cover more ground. Watching them make their maneuvers, Jon felt confident that the enemy had no way of detecting their ships. The cloaking field was still an unknown entity in this region of the galaxy. He hoped the same was true for the shields.
“AI,” said Jon. “You said the Cenobi modified your program, giving you greater capabilities, did you not?”
“Yes, Admiral,” said AI. “At first the modifications seemed to be only to protect me from being overwhelmed by the Erinyie. But when I faced the Dvorkan AI, I realized that the modifica
tions had made me more powerful than before.”
“Powerful enough to access the brain chips of any Chaanisar on those ships?”
“I do not know, Admiral. The Juttari took many precautions to prevent me from doing so. I could free the Chaanisar at first because the Juttari were not aware of my tactics. Things have changed since then. Even with my greater strength, I do not possess a link to the Chaanisar on those ships like I did before.”
“Do you think a jump bomb with a cyberwarfare payload would fix that problem?”
“You are speaking of the same tactic used against General Dak’s ship.”
“I am.”
“It is possible, but I must point out that these are not Dvorkan systems. Juttari systems are significantly more robust, and each ship will possess its own cyberwarfare AI.”
“That’s true, but I still think you can take them.”
“Where are you asking me to take them to, Admiral?”
“It’s a figure of speech, AI. I meant that I believe you can defeat any Juttari AI.”
“Understood. I believe you are correct. With the computing resources of this fleet at my disposal and the Cenobi modifications, I do not think Juttari AIs are my equal.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Jon. “Commander, prepare a cyberwarfare jump bomb for deployment.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson.
“I do not understand the point of this action,” said Tallos, who was still on the comm. “We possess the element of surprise. We can strike the Juttari before they are aware of our presence, dealing a decisive blow to their occupation force.”
“I understand your concerns, General, but if there are Chaanisar on those ships, I’d prefer to free them, rather than kill them.”
“Any Chaanisar on those ships are complicit in the murder of an untold number of Diakans.”
“Their actions were not their own. You know that. They are under Juttari control. If we can free them, they will kill their Juttari masters for us. They become allies, rather than enemies. Either way, they’re humans. If I can free them, I have to try.”
Tallos did not reply. He just stared back at Jon with those large, unblinking eyes.
“Cyberwarfare jump bomb is ready, Sir,” said Henderson.
“Very well,” said Jon. “Initiate strike.”
“Jump bomb away,” said Henderson.
On the viewscreen, the Juttari squadron suddenly changed course and headed back toward the jump gate.
“Report,” said Jon.
“Jump bomb strike has failed,” said Henderson.
“What happened?”
“All evidence indicates the presence of shields.”
“That’s impossible,” said Jon.
“I have confirmed the Commander’s hypothesis,” said AI. “The Juttari ships have shields.”
Chapter 46
“Initiate nuclear strike,” said Jon. “I want those shields down before they reach that gate.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Commander Henderson. “Launching nukes.”
A white halo appeared around the Juttari warships as the nuclear jump bombs hit, confirming that they were shielded.
“Keep hitting them,” said Jon. “Goddamn it! How did they get shields?”
“There can be only one answer,” said Tallos. “The Erinyie gave them the technology.”
“Okay, assuming you’re right, why didn’t they give them the technology earlier? Why now?”
“The Erinyie know we’ve been to the Andromeda galaxy. They know we have the shield technology. Perhaps there is a balance of power to this conflict that we are not aware of.”
“You think the Erinyie wouldn’t have given the Juttari shield technology if we hadn’t obtained it first?”
“I believe this is the only rational explanation,” said Tallos. “There has been a balance of power between the Juttari and the Galactic Accord for centuries. Both sides possessed similar technology and were relatively equal regarding territory. When you started freeing Chaanisar, and we made significant territorial gains against the Juttari, the Erinyie finally showed themselves and took the territory back. Consider the situation in the Andromeda Galaxy. The Var and the Freen have been at war for millennia, and remain at a stalemate.”
“Okay, what you’re saying makes sense, but there are a few problems. First, why didn’t they give the Juttari jump bombs or cloaks?”
“I believe that since the Juttari possess jump technology, it is up to them to learn how to build jump bombs. I estimate that they are very close to achieving this if they haven’t already. The jump system and the jump bombs were a human innovation. The Antikitheri did not give us the technology. The Juttari discovered the secrets of the jump system not from the Erinyie, but through espionage. As for the cloaking technology, that came from the Dvorkans, not the Antikitheri.”
“So, if the Antikitheri give us the tech, the Erinyie will give it to the Juttari, but if we get it from somewhere else, then the Erinyie will stay out of it.”
“Yes, that is my hypothesis. The Erinyie will allow our advantage, unless our resulting gains are too great, which would prompt their intervention.”
“That’s fucked up. You know that, right?”
“That is a crude way of putting it, but yes, I agree. It indicates that there is much more to this conflict between the Antikitheri and Erinyie than we understand.”
“You know what I think? The Erinyie and Antikitheri are playing some sort of galactic game, and we’re the pieces. What’s worse, the game has rules, but we’re not allowed to know what they are.” Jon felt like breaking something. When would it end? Would humans remain under the alien boot forever?
“Juttari ships have jumped,” said Henderson. “They’ve reappeared in front of the jump gate. Juttari squadron has entered the jump gate.”
“Order all ships to jump to the gate, and cross through. Remain cloaked. With any luck, they’ll think whatever attacked them is still on this side.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson. “Initiating jump.”
Jon’s armada landed directly in front of the gate, and immediately crossed through. Jon caught his breath when they emerged on the other side. The Juttari hadn’t merely taken the system. They had destroyed it. Planets where billions of Diakans once lived now lay in ruins. Their cities flattened without mercy. It was a complete disaster. The Diakans, their most powerful ally, had been crushed.
“Sir, the Diakans are launching nuclear strikes,” said Henderson.
Jon looked back to General Tallos on his comm. “Tallos, what are you doing? I didn’t give the order to attack.”
“No orders are needed, Admiral. This is Diakan space. We are sworn to defend it.”
“Jumpspace disturbance detected,” said the computer. “Identifying Juttari signatures. Launching jump bombs.”
Hundreds of Juttari warships began to appear all around them, their shields glowing red as they absorbed the detonations from the initial strike.
“The Juttari are firing weapons,” Henderson announced.
The Freedom shuddered as its shields absorbed the Juttari energy weapons.
“Return fire. What the hell is going on?” said Jon. “I thought they couldn’t see us.”
“They may have guessed our position, based on proximity to jump gate,” said Tallos.
“Detecting nuclear warheads on missiles,” said Henderson. “Missiles are detonating.”
“Have they hit our ships?” said Jon.
“Negative. The Juttari are remotely detonating the missiles. The radiation is interfering with our cloaking systems. Cloaks are failing.”
Jon looked at one of his displays to see that cloaks had failed on more than half the fleet, leaving those ships exposed.
“Have all ships launch nukes,” said Jon. “Concentrate strike on the ships directly in front of us. I want them destroyed.”
“Yes, Sir. Relaying orders. Initiating nuclear strike.”
The attacking Juttari warships were hi
t with devastating force, as thousands of nuclear bombs exploded in their midst. The Juttari shields glowed white temporarily, but their shields quickly failed, unable to withstand the punishing assault. Blinding light followed as dozens of warships blew apart. Those that survived the initial onslaught jumped away to a safer location.
“Picking up jump gate activity,” said Henderson. “Juttari ships are entering from the system’s second gate.”
Jon turned back to Tallos on his comm. “Doesn’t that gate link to another Diakan system?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“It does,” said Tallos. “We have an even greater concern. We cannot contact Diakus.”
Jon’s stomach lurched at Tallos’s words. Could it be possible? Could Diakus have fallen during their absence? How could something like this have happened?
“Maybe it’s just a communications problem,” said Jon, trying to convince himself as much as Tallos.
“It is a possibility,” said Tallos, though Jon recognized a hint of anguish in the stoic Diakan’s features.
The viewscreen focused on the Juttari ships entering the system from the far end. They weren’t advancing. Instead, they all clustered in front of the gate, seemingly blocking access to it. Were they trying to prevent Jon’s fleet from leaving?
“Are those ships within range of our jump bombs?” said Jon.
“Negative,” said Henderson.
“On my order, jump fleet to the edge of jump bomb range. I want every ship in this fleet to start hitting the Juttari with nukes when we land. Prepare some more cyberwarfare bombs too. Let’s keep all options open. Maybe we can still free some Chaanisar.”
“Yes, Sir. Orders relayed to the fleet. All ships are jump ready.”
“Initiate jump.”
The UHSF armada vanished, reappearing on the other side of the Diakan star system, within range of the Juttari fleet. As per Jon’s orders, all ships launched nuclear jump bombs at the Juttari, who seemed to be expecting the tactic. The moment Jon’s ships reappeared and let loose their barrage, the Juttari vessels blinked off the viewscreen, engaging their own jump systems.
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 172
