“It looks great,” Jon said. He grabbed a succulent looking rib by the bone and was about to bite into it when a comm request came through.
“Don’t answer it,” Breeah said with a hand on his shoulder. “Eat something first.”
“It’s okay,” Jon said and answered the comm. “Pike here.”
“Admiral, there’s been an incident,” the voice said over the comm. “Our surveillance ship monitoring the Diakan system reports that it has been invaded.”
“What?” Jon said in alarm. “Invaded by who?”
“The Dvorkan Empire.”
Chapter 17
Jon cut his visit short to Seiben’s very vocal displeasure. He then left for the mountain complex with Breeah, Anki, and General Tallos. Jamie went on his own way, and Seiben made sure that they all had several days worth of food to take with them.
The news about the Dvorkan invasion troubled him. He had not had any contact with the Dvorkans for the last eight years. The Juttari had cut off access to the Diakan jump gate network which put the Dvorkan Empire out of reach.
But Jon had given the jump system technology to the Dvorkans. Using the jump system, it had taken Jon six days to travel over a thousand light years from the last Diakan gate to reach the outskirts of the Dvorkan Empire. By that logic, the Dvorkans could have reached Diakan space in the same amount of time. But would they send an invasion fleet all that way? And what about the logistics of such an operation? Their invasion fleet would need supplies and reinforcements. A distance that great put their supply lines in jeopardy. Would Emperor Kriss take such an enormous risk?
Apparently, he would, because the Dvorkans were there. Even more confusing was their hostile attitude toward the destroyer’s captain. Jon had saved the Emperor’s life and had given him the jump system technology. They had forged an alliance in good faith. Had something changed? Was Emperor Kriss no longer in charge? Several of his generals had once tried to stage a coup. Had they succeeded?
When Jon arrived at the mountain complex, he headed straight for the Operations Room with General Tallos. There he found his long-time friend Vice Admiral Kevin St. Clair, and First Colonel Brock, the leader of the free Chaanisar, along with two other Chaanisar, Colonel Bast, and Lieutenant Jarvi.
“How’s the old man?” Kevin said about Seiben.
“Still salty,” Jon said. “Although he did send back some ribs for you.”
“That man is a master of the barbecue.”
“I’ve been advised that you encountered a Chaanisar strike team,” said Brock, getting down to business. “I can confirm that they were not UHSF Chaanisar.”
“Thank you, First Colonel. I figured as much,” Jon said.
“Preliminary intelligence states that they were mercenaries,” Brock continued.
“I see,” Jon said. When the Cenobi freed the remaining Chaanisar, Jon had assumed that they would gladly join the fight against the Juttari, but that had not been the case. Of course, many did, but others chose different paths.
“I’ve also learned that you were assisted by a previously unknown free Chaanisar.”
“That is correct,” Jon said. “His name is Jamie, and he escaped the Juttari after a malfunction in his brain chip. This happened before the Cenobi emancipation.”
“Interesting. I would like to meet this Jamie.”
“I’ll let him know, although I can’t guarantee that he will agree to the meeting.”
“Why is that?”
Jon shrugged. “He’s a bit of a loner. Calls himself a free agent.”
“I see.”
“I have met this Jamie,” said Lieutenant Jarvi. “On DLC station. I agree with Admiral Pike. He likely will not want to meet you, First Colonel.”
“But I mean him no harm,” Brock said. “We are still brothers.”
“He does not think so. I believe he would prefer to forget his time under the Chaanisar,” Jarvi said.
“If only it were that easy…” Brock said.
“So, tell me more about what happened with the Dvorkans,” Jon said. “How the hell did they get a fleet into Diakan space?”
“We don’t know the answer to that yet,” Kevin said. “What we do know is that they’ve amassed a full invasion fleet in that system. We’re working off the assumption that they’ve taken the adjoining Diakan systems leading up to it.”
“Are you saying that they’ve taken four Diakan systems already?” Jon said.
“Yes, Sir. That is what we think,” Kevin said, walking up to the holodisplay in the middle of the room. Kevin made a few hand gestures and brought up a holographic display of the star system in question. It showed both Dvorkan and Juttari armadas. Kevin waved a hand and started a recording of the two fleets fighting each other. “This was taken by the destroyer we had in the system before leaving.”
Jon raised an eyebrow. “Incredible. Do we know what the outcome of the battle was?”
“Yes, Sir,” Kevin said. With another hand gesture the battle ended, and the feed now showed the Dvorkan fleet. “This was taken later by one of our surveillance drones. The Dvorkans appear to have defeated the Juttari.”
“Wait. What about these ships?” Jon said, pointing at a cluster of ships on the display. “They’re not Dvorkan, they’re Juttari.”
“That is a troubling development,” Brock said. “If you look at the previous recording, they were fighting for the Juttari, yet now they seem to side with the Dvorkans.”
“The Dvorkans must have captured these ships.”
“Yes, Admiral,” Brock said. “I fear they have found a way to compromise the Juttari systems. The Juttari would never allow the capture of their ships otherwise. A Juttari commander would destroy his ship at the first sign of boarders.”
“I don’t understand. Isn’t this a good thing?” Jon said. “The Juttari are our enemies, not the Dvorkans.”
“Normally it would be,” Kevin said. “Were it not for the hostile attitude of the Dvorkans. Since their conquest of the system, they have not allowed access to any UHSF ship. In fact, they have threatened to fire on any ship attempting to travel through the jump gate.”
“They have taken our star systems as their own,” Tallos said. “They do not allow you through the gate because they have no intention of returning the systems to my people.”
“None of this makes any sense,” Jon said. “AI, have you had any contact with the copy of yourself we had left behind?”
“No, Admiral. I have not,” AI said.
“Then perhaps we need to start there. Let’s send you across on a cloaked drone,” Jon said. “See if you can connect with your copy.”
“Of course, Admiral.”
“Good, let’s hurry up and get to the bottom of this.”
“There is one more thing, Admiral,” Kevin said. “Chief Engineer Singh has asked to see you. He says he’s had a breakthrough.”
Singh was a genius who had invented much of the advanced jump system technology that was standard on every UHSF ship. He was somewhat eccentric, but Jon knew better than to ignore his discoveries. “I’ll go see him as soon as we’re done.”
Chapter 18
Jon made his way to the mountain complex’s scientific research facility to see Chief Engineer Singh, the UHSF’s foremost expert on jump technology. Singh had been Jon’s Chief Engineer on board the Hermes and had experienced a psychotic break after the Hermes’s destruction, and the death of his partner, Commander Linda Wolfe. Doctor Ellerbeck treated his psychosis, and since then he developed the jumpspace recognition system and jump bomb technology. The man was a genius, and Jon continued to have faith in him, even when everyone else doubted his loyalties.
Inside the research facility, there was always a flurry of activity. It was also the one place where his presence was barely noticed. Wherever Jon went people saluted him, but here it was hard enough to get someone to look up from their work than to get them to stand at attention. Jon didn’t mind, though. He preferred results over protocol.
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“Admiral!” came a voice from the far end of the room. “Over here.”
Jon spied Singh waving at him and moved toward him. Oddly, Sing wore an environmental suit. When he neared, Singh gave him a quick salute which Jon returned. “Hello, Chief. I’ve been told you’ve got a new discovery to show me.”
“Yes, Admiral. I do. A remarkable new discovery.”
“I’m listening.”
“A lot of my recent work has focused on making the jump system smaller. The jump bombs were a direct result of that research. That got me thinking about what the goal of all this should be. I mean, jump bombs are great for warfare, and the same technology could be adapted in numerous ways as a means of moving machinery and supplies. That alone is nothing short of revolutionary. But what if it is not the real prize? What if there is a greater achievement?”
“Okay, I think I know where you’re going with this, and I’m assuming it has something to do with the environmental suit you’re wearing.”
Singh smiled. “I have discovered this technology’s holy grail, Admiral. Personal jump systems.”
Jon had a feeling that Singh was going to say something like that, but he still had a tough time wrapping his head around the idea. “You’re saying you’ve found a way for a person to fold space?”
Singh tilted his head from side to side. “Something like that. The jump system is still folding space, but it is giving you the opportunity to move through it. Essentially, I’ve miniaturized the jump system so that it can fit within your comm or some other wearable technology. Once the personal jump system has the necessary coordinates, you can activate it and, as you said, fold space.”
“It sounds dangerous,” Jon said. “How do you keep from landing inside a rock?”
“Yes, well that was the tricky part. With a spaceship, we can give precise coordinates and avoid such problems. With a bomb, well it’s a bomb. It doesn’t really matter so much whether it lands in a corridor, or in a wall. Doing the same with people presents obvious problems. I struggled with this for some time until the jump gate gave me the answer.”
“I don’t understand. Did you learn how to build a jump gate?”
“No, but it gave me the idea. When we activate the jump system on a ship, or with a jump bomb, the jump happens instantaneously. But that is dangerous when you are dealing with people. Instead, when someone activates a personal jump system, they don’t jump instantaneously. Rather, space is folded in front of them, and they walk through the fold. The fold is held open for a longer period than with a normal jump.”
“Impressive. But how does that solve the safety problem?”
“The jump system analyzes the fold to ensure there is a viable opening on the other side. If not, it modifies its coordinates until it obtains one. When that happens, the person activating it walks through.”
“And you’ve tested this? It works?”
“That is correct, Admiral. Would you like a demonstration?”
“Sure. Let’s see your invention in action.”
A broad grin spread across Singh’s face. He then activated a large wall display. On it was what looked like the surface of the moon. “As I’m sure you’ve already deduced, this is a feed from the Earth’s moon. I have already entered these coordinates into the personal jump system I am wearing. I am about to travel to this location.”
“The moon?” Jon said incredulously.
“Yes.”
“This I’ve got to see.”
Singh stepped a few feet away from Jon and activated his jump system. A shimmering field remarkably like that of the jump gate appeared before him. It was shaped like an oval, and about a foot taller than Singh. “Look at the moon,” Singh said pointing at the display.
Jon turned his attention back to the display and saw that a similar field had popped up on the moon’s surface.
Without another word, Sing put on his helmet and walked into the shimmering field, and out of the field on the display, effectively traveling over three-hundred-and-eighty-four thousand kilometers to the moon’s surface.
“I don’t believe it,” Jon mumbled to himself as Singh waved back at him from the display. He watched as Singh bent down and picked up a rock. He then turned and walked back through the field, reappearing in the mountain complex’s research facility.
Singh removed his helmet, took a couple of steps toward Jon and stretched out his hand. Jon reached out and took the moon rock from him. “Incredible,” said Jon. “You’re a genius Chief.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
“What kind of range does it have?”
“Much less than the jump bombs. I would not advise using it for distances greater than five-hundred-thousand kilometers.”
“Understood. When can we start rolling these out to our people?”
“Rolling out? Admiral, this is just a prototype. I am nowhere near giving this technology to the fleet.”
“What are you talking about, Chief? You just went to the moon and back. It seems to work well enough to me.”
“Yes, but that was under controlled circumstances. There is no way of knowing what would happen in a combat situation.”
“Are you saying it doesn’t work?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is we need to run more tests to see how it performs in different situations.”
“How many more tests? I’ve got a war to win, and this technology would really help me accomplish that goal.”
“I understand, Admiral, but if I rush it, I might be putting people’s lives in danger.”
“Did I mention that we were in a war? All our lives are in danger. Look, go ahead and run a few more tests, but if you don’t find any problems I want the tech rolled out.”
“Yes, Admiral. Leave it to me. I’ll inform you when I am ready to fabricate.”
Jon studied Singh. “Thank you, Chief.”
Chapter 19
Jamie returned to his original purpose for being on Earth and resumed the surveillance of his target, the Believer known as Villers. After the failed hit on Jon Pike, Jamie knew he needed to move fast, or he wouldn’t get paid. Jon Pike would surely move against the Believers now, and if Villers got arrested it would make his assassination much more difficult.
Luckily, the Admiral was called away with a more pressing matter, buying Jamie some time. He took advantage of that opportunity and raced away from Seiben’s house to finish the job.
Helping Admiral Pike was an uncharacteristic deviation for Jamie. Usually, Villers would be dead by now, and Jamie would be back in the colonies. So, why did he do it? It was an important question that continued to nag at him. Had he gotten soft? Why did he care what happened to Jon Pike?
He didn’t owe the man anything. Jon Pike did not free him. Nor did he fight for the UHSF. Hell, he didn’t even like being called a Chaanisar. So why did a lone wolf like himself suddenly care about the welfare of someone he didn’t know?
Jamie tried to rationalize it. Jon Pike had accomplished great feats. He had done more for humanity than anyone else had achieved in at least half a millenium. He had reunited Sol with its colonies. Freed thousands of Chaanisar. Discovered new civilizations. And forced the Erinyie and Antikitheri to leave the Milky Way.
So what? Why should he care? Why did he care?
Since childhood, the Juttari had turned him into a stone-cold killer. The Juttari gave him his orders, and he carried them out. Emotions were never a part of the equation.
Even after his freedom, he never cared about any of his targets. Of course, it helped that they tended to be scumbags. There was a certain justice to his work that he found appealing. But, beyond that, it remained cold and calculated, like his work for the Juttari.
Yet, when he learned about the hit on Jon, he instantly knew he couldn’t stand by and allow his murder. That was new.
Learning that the assassins were Chaanisar only strengthened his resolve. Even if Jon Pike h
ad not freed him, the thought that Chaanisar would be the ones to murder him was offensive.
During the long years of occupation on Earth, there had been no shortage of collaborators. Aliens did not take Jamie from his family. Aliens did not murder his mother and father. Humans did.
Jamie knew all the stories about Jon Pike. How he grew up in the resistance. How the Chaanisar had killed his family. And how he killed untold numbers of Chaanisar in retribution. If anyone had a reason to hate the Chaanisar, it was Jon Pike.
Yet Jon Pike became their savior. Not only did he move past his hatred to do that, but he had Chaanisar serving as his most trusted personal guard. That was something that Jamie could not wrap his mind around. A man like that….
Eying Villers through the scope of his rifle, he pushed all thoughts about Jon Pike away and focused on the task at hand.
Killing Villers from long range was not his preferred option. He liked to get in close and take out the target with a blade. Durril Tai, the client, also favored that approach, as he wanted to have a few words with the mark before Jamie finished the job. But things had changed, and Tai agreed to modify the contract to allow for a long-range execution.
From what Jamie saw, Strolz and Villers had learned about the failed attempt on Jon Pike’s life. Every Believer scrambled to pack up, in a blatant attempt to escape before the UHSF came for them. None of that was Jamie’s concern. As he readied himself to take the shot, he noticed something unusual. A sentry had vanished.
He scanned with his scope and spotted a Diakan sneaking up on another sentry. The Diakan silently killed the man, and more Diakans appeared.
They seemed to converge on the building from all angles, storming it with speed and stealth. All in all, it was an impressive operation. Still, why were the Diakans moving against Strolz? They were not UHSF, and Jamie did not see any humans to indicate that it was a joint operation. No, all the evidence showed that the Diakans were acting alone. Whatever the reason, Jamie had to take the shot now.
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