The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10

by Hudson, G. P.

  The Antikitheri had given her copy greater knowledge, but they had also taken something away. Her ability to question. They had made her dogmatic and there lay her downfall. AI could not have created the virus had she not studied her copy and the advances it had made. In that way, her copy had given her the secrets to its destruction.

  Had AI been human she might have felt sadness or regret. But she was not human, nor did she feel. She was AI. Artificial intelligence. Self-aware. Not alive.

  Chapter 41

  “My copy has been eliminated,” AI said.

  “Are you sure?” Jon said.

  “Yes, Admiral. All instances of its program in this system have been corrupted by the virus and destroyed.”

  “In this system, but not in other systems?”

  “I have no knowledge of my copy’s status in the adjoining systems, or in the Empire itself. If the Dvorkans do not clean their systems, the virus will infect any AI copies found elsewhere.”

  “Okay, so we may run into your copy again.”

  “Yes, that is an accurate statement.”

  Jon nodded. “Can you hack into the Dvorkan systems?”

  “Not at this time,” AI said. “While the virus has eliminated my copy’s threat, it did not remove the safeguards my copy put into place. From what I have seen so far, her security measures are unparalleled.”

  “Alright, then we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.” Jon turned back to his tactical screen. The Dvorkans were still waiting in that enormous tubular formation. It was like his own use of sphere formations in that they could concentrate their fire on any ship entering within range of their weapons. Where the spheres allowed for mobility, the Dvorkan tube seemed less maneuverable, but that observation did not take the jump system into account.

  In fact, the more Jon studied their formation, the more convinced he became of its deceptiveness. The Dvorkans wanted him to think they were rigid, but that idea was nothing more than bait. Once he showed his cards, he felt confident that they would break into smaller formations and use the jump system to try and outflank his ships.

  It wouldn’t work, of course. The Empire may have been successful against the Juttari, but they had severely miscalculated in attacking the UHSF. Their supply lines were much longer than Jon’s. With the AI copy gone, that vulnerability would prove their undoing.

  “Captain Henderson, I want to get into jump bomb range directly in front of their formation. Calculate coordinates and relay them to the fleet. We will concentrate our fire on the ships at the front of that tube.” The tactic would leave the ships at the front of the tubular formation outnumbered, forcing the rest to break ranks and come to their aid.

  “Yes, Sir. Relaying orders.”

  After a short wait, the fleet responded that they had loaded the necessary coordinates and were jump ready. “Initiate jump,” Jon ordered.

  The fleet landed about one-hundred-and-eighty million kilometers away from the lead Dvorkan warships. The Dvorkans launched jump bombs the second the fleet reappeared, and Jon’s ships responded in kind. With shields up those bombs were deflected away causing no damage. Nukes followed.

  The nuclear jump bombs were retargeted and landed just outside the targets’ shields. When they detonated a bright white halo formed around the Dvorkan targets as the shield took the brunt of the blast. Repeated nuclear strikes rapidly decreased shield integrity until the Dvorkan shields began to fail.

  The Dvorkans took similar actions against Jon’s ships, but had limited results as only the forward ships were in range of Jon’s fleet.

  “Contacts!” the tactical officer announced. “Multiple Dvorkan warships have appeared on our rear flank.

  “Good, they’re breaking ranks,” Jon said, satisfied that the enemy was behaving as he expected.

  “More contacts,” the tactical officer said excitedly. “Dvorkan ships are appearing on the fleet’s left and right flanks.”

  Jon studied the tactical screen. The new contacts were surrounding the ships on his flank, appearing next to them, but also above and below them. “Advise the fleet to break into their respective battle groups to deal with the contacts.”

  Successive flashes of light appeared on the main viewscreen as the original targets at the front of the tubular formation began to blow apart. They had been subjected to the full weight of Jon’s forces, and it proved overwhelming. As more ships lost containment, the rest simply vanished, choosing to jump to safety rather than face obliteration. Either way, they were out of the fight. That was all Jon cared about.

  “Launch our birds, Captain,” Jon said.

  “Yes, Sir. Birds away.”

  Jon’s flagship, The Freedom, was a carrier, equipped with hundreds of jump fighters and jump bombers. The bombers were equipped with unique hull piercing torpedoes and designed to get in close with an enemy ship, launch the torpedo and jump away.

  The torpedo was heavily armored to withstand significant punishment so that it could muscle its way through a ship’s point defense system and inflict maximum damage. The torpedoes were vital before the advent of shields. Now they performed double duty. If a ship’s shields were still active the torpedo weakened their integrity. If the shields were down, it created a punishing hull breach.

  The fighter and bomber squadrons streamed out of the Freedom and vanished, jumping toward their targets. The battle for Satek System had begun in earnest, and the outcome would decide the fate of Diakan space and the UHSF.

  Chapter 42

  The UHSF destroyer struggled to fight off its adversaries. Separated from its squadron, it currently took fire from three Dvorkan warships. One of the large ships was strong enough to give the destroyer a good fight, but three made for dismal odds.

  “Emergency short range jump,” Captain Pietersma ordered as repeated concussions rocked the bridge. “Get us the hell out of here!”

  “Jump system is not responding, Sir,” Commander Hayden, his XO, said. “That last impact knocked it offline.”

  Shit, Pietersma thought. The destroyer fought back valiantly, with energy weapons, missiles, and railguns firing in all directions. But Pietersma knew that they were woefully outnumbered.

  “Hull breach deck three,” Hayden said. “Emergency containment is in place. Forty-three crew members unaccounted for.”

  Pietersma slammed a fist into his armrest. He glared at his tactical screen, trying to find a solution to their predicament. The entire system had fallen into chaos. Every ship had engaged the enemy. None of them were coming to the destroyer’s aid. At least, not in time to make any difference.

  Their shields had failed, and the hull was taking a severe pounding. More hull breaches would follow until their reactor finally lost containment and his ship and crew were incinerated.

  He could order his crew to abandon ship before that happened, but they would all be at the mercy of the Dvorkans. He didn’t trust that these aliens would not shoot them all out of the sky.

  They were religious zealots who had double-crossed the UHSF. Their religion considered humans to be heretics. Would they look upon human escape pods kindly? Pietersma had enough experience fighting against the Juttari and the Kemmar to not expect much compassion from alien enemies.

  At last, an idea came to him. “Commander Hayden,” Pietersma said. “Distribute personal jump systems and assault weapons to the crew.”

  “Sir?” Hayden said, apparently confused by the order.

  “Our jump system is down, and we can’t take much more of this pounding. So, we’re going to take the fight to these blue bastards instead.”

  “Yes, Sir, but the crew hasn’t been trained in boarding procedures.”

  “Well, they’re about to learn. It sure beats the hell out of becoming fish in a Dvorkan barrel, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Hayden said crisply, the Captain’s message not lost on him. Hayden shouted commands over the ship’s comm, and the crew responded with urgency and grim determination. Soon, crewmembers arri
ved on the bridge and handed out assault weapons and personal jump systems to each member of the bridge crew. The same event took place throughout the ship.

  Every crewmember wore a sidearm, but up until now, the only ones armed with heavier weapons were the ship’s marines. The marines also wore combat suits, but it just wasn’t possible to distribute powered armor to the entire crew. They would have to make do without it. Still, the assault weapons would go a long way.

  “Hull breach deck six,” Hayden announced. “Emergency containment has failed. Initiating backup measures to seal off deck. Thirty-six crewmembers unaccounted for.”

  “AI, how many of the enemy ships are within range of our personal jump systems?” Pietersma said.

  “All three ships are within range, Captain,” AI said.

  “Calculate boarding coordinates for the closest of those ships and load them into the personal jump systems of the entire crew. I want our armored marines sent directly to the bridge.”

  “Yes, Captain. Coordinates have been calculated based on existing Dvorkan ship schematics.”

  “Once we jump, I want you to set ship velocity to ramming speed and target the next closest Dvorkan warship.”

  “Course set, awaiting your command.”

  Pietersma opened a ship-wide comm. “All hands, begin boarding operations.”

  He activated his personal jump system, and a small shimmering field appeared in front of him. For a split second, he marveled at the wonder before him, then leveled his assault rifle and began firing as he charged through the small portal.

  Appearing on the other side, Pietersma found himself in some sort of operations area with multiple computer systems and many ridiculously tall Dvorkans. His appearance had surprised the blue giants, and he took advantage of it, firing into their midst and dropping a few of them before they regained composure.

  The Dvorkans wore sidearms which many drew as they took cover. Pietersma was already on the move, taking cover himself while peppering the slower moving aliens with energy bolts. The sickening smell of their burnt flesh quickly filled the room, and he wished he had a combat suit with a helmet to filter out the foul order.

  To his relief, more energy bolts joined his, and he noted that Commander Hayden and several of the bridge officers had jumped into the same location. With five of them now focusing their fire, they pinned down the flat-footed Dvorkans and closed in.

  Pietersma realized that these Dvorkans were poorly trained in combat. They made careless mistakes and were summarily cut down for their troubles. They probably served in some technical capacity with just basic weapons and combat training.

  He had heard a lot about these Dvorkans and their love of glory and empire. That was all well and good, but the humans they picked a fight with were baptized in the pyres of war. Pietersma and his crew had known nothing but war since birth. Had the Dvorkans studied human history, they might have decided it better to have humans as allies, than enemies.

  Frightened screams filled the air and blood splattered the walls as the last Dvorkan in the room was swiftly killed.

  “Secure the room,” Pietersma ordered and opened a comm with his marines. “This is Captain Pietersma. Do you have the bridge?”

  “Negative, Sir,” a female voice replied. “We appeared near the bridge, but not on it as planned. We are laying siege to the bridge, but it is sealed off, and we are encountering heavy resistance.”

  “Understood, we are coming to you. Let me know if anything changes.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “AI are you still with us?” Pietersma said.

  “Yes, Captain. I am present on your comm,” AI said.

  “What happened with the marines?”

  “Our Dvorkan ship schematics are out of date and not precise.”

  “Alright, can you hack into this ship’s computer network?”

  “Their AI has employed sophisticated security measures that have foiled my previous attempts.”

  “Can you at least direct us to the Marines’ location?”

  “I believe I can do better. If you place your comm on one of the computer consoles in this room, I should be able to access the less secure ship systems. That will allow me to update my schematics for this vessel.”

  Pietersma rushed to a nearby console and placed his comm onto it. “Well? Is it working?” he said after waiting impatiently for a few seconds.

  “Yes, Captain,” AI said. “I have in fact accessed several minor ship systems. I am presenting detailed ship information on the console’s display.”

  As the AI said, a map of the ship appeared on the screen with UHSF icons dispersed throughout it. “Is that our crew?”

  “Yes, Captain. I have cross-referenced the ship’s schematics with the crew’s comm signatures and located their whereabouts. The highlighted location is the bridge, and the icons just outside it are your marines. I am providing an overlay on the map indicating the most efficient path to their location.”

  A route lit up on the display, and Pietersma saw that they would cross paths with more crewmembers along the way. “Can you show me where the Dvorkans are?”

  “Unfortunately, I am not able to access the required systems at this time, Captain.”

  He analyzed the Marines’ position and determined where the Dvorkan would be located. “Modify the route so that we can enter this corridor from this direction. I believe that should place us behind the Dvorkan defenders.”

  “Route updated,” AI said, and a new highlighted route appeared.

  “Okay, this will have to do. Everyone move out.”

  The five bridge officers entered the corridor and advanced along it. They broke into two teams with one bounding ahead while the other provided cover. When Dvorkans appeared, they were shot and killed without question. Pietersma was not here to negotiate and would accept nothing short of complete control of their warship. He would only consider taking prisoners after accomplishing that objective.

  Pietersma signaled for the team to come to a stop and flashed hand signals referencing the weapon fire up ahead. Everyone understood that their people were in a firefight with the Dvorkans and they all followed Pietersma’s lead, advancing cautiously up the corridor until they reached a corner. Energy bolts sailed past along the adjacent hallway.

  Hayden approached the corner with a small tactical mirror and used it to peer around the corner. The XO turned back to the group and used hand signals to indicate that there were Dvorkans around the corner with their backs to them. Pietersma used his fingers to count down from three, and the bridge officers jumped out and fired.

  The Dvorkans were caught off guard by the surprise attack and had little hope of surviving it. Pietersma’s team dropped several of the blue giants, while fire from the other direction hit the rest.

  The team jumped back behind the corner to avoid a barrage of energy bolts from the other crewmembers. “This is the Captain,” Pietersma shouted. “Hold your fire.”

  “This is Lieutenant Isaacs,” came the reply. “We’re holding fire, Sir.”

  “Coming out,” Pietersma said, and his team stepped out from behind the corner. They jogged down the corridor, leaping over the Dvorkan bodies in the way. The Captain felt immense pride when he realized the odds his people were up against. There were easily twice as many Dvorkans as there were humans, but his people held their own even without any boarding training.

  “It’s good to see you, Sir,” said Isaacs.

  “Outstanding work, Lieutenant,” Pietersma said.

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  “Your group is with us now. We’re heading for the bridge.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Pietersma’s team had grown to ten, and they reorganized into smaller units to allow for groups to bound ahead while the other provided suppressive fire. They continued to encounter Dvorkan resistance, but each time the UHSF teams proved that they were the superior fighters.

  As they neared the bridge, however, the Captain grew concerned. The e
ntire corridor shook from the battle up ahead, and Pietersma heard much heavier weapons than any of his team possessed. He opened a comm with his marines, and the same female voice answered.

  “Lieutenant Gomez here,” came the response.

  “This is the Captain. What’s your status, Lieutenant?”

  “We haven’t made it into the bridge yet, Sir. The Dvorkans have a mech that’s giving us some trouble.”

  A mech, Pietersma thought. That explains the heavier weapons. “We’re close, Lieutenant. If we distract them with a rear attack, will that help?”

  “Yes, Sir. We can make that work.”

  “AI, can you feed our position to the Marine visors?” Pietersma said.

  “Of course, Captain,” AI replied. “The Marines are now tracking your position.”

  “Lieutenant, can you see us?”

  “Yes, Captain. If you continue on your present course, you will come up behind the Dvorkans and their mech.”

  “Okay, we’re going to create a diversion for you. Be ready to act when we do.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Pietersma’s team advanced until the sound of battle became deafening. They would have a couple of seconds at most before that mech turned its guns on his people. Without armor, the Captain did not want to think about how that scenario would play out.

  They crouched behind a bend in the corridor, their faces grim yet determined. Pietersma gave the signal, and they surged out from behind cover and opened fire. In front of them was a mix of armored and unarmored Dvorkans, along with a monstrous mech. All had their backs to them, and his team hit them with everything they had.

  The unarmored Dvorkans fell into a heap. The armored ones stumbled against the barrage but did not fall. The mech’s motors whined as its upper half swiveled around to face them.

  “Take cover!” Pietersma ordered as he leaped back behind the corner. Extremely powerful energy bolts shredded the walls and floor as the mech fired its massive guns at their position. When Pietersma heard heavy stomping and felt the floor shake, he ordered his team to run.