The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10

by Hudson, G. P.

  He had always preferred to fight, rather than sit back while others fought for him. The same held true for command matters. The Emperor was the highest authority in the Empire, but the civil war proved that many did not respect that position. They had murdered his father and tried to murder him as well.

  Converting the Empire to the Antikitheri faith managed to hold his enemies in check for a time, but the damned AI spurred them into action once again. Now, the Antikitheri had openly sided against him.

  He had become complacent. That was the hard truth. He had grown reliant on the AI’s control of the population, and when it turned on him, everything fell apart. He would not make that mistake again.

  His father had taught him what he could, but nobody expected him to ascend to the throne at such a young age. He should have had more time to learn. He was supposed to spend years standing at his father’s side, watching him govern, and learning the intricacies of the throne. Without that guidance, he made many mistakes, and he regretted all of them. Could he make amends?

  Kriss needed a distraction from his thoughts, so he turned his attention to the Diakan star system they traveled through. Despite his dislike of Tallos, he had to admit that this was an impressively industrious species. The Juttari had clearly devastated this star system, but the Diakans were making incredible progress. Their machinery was like nothing he had ever seen. In one project, a massive construction ship that spanned many kilometers worked at unbelievable speed, building an enormous space station.

  He zoomed in on a habitable planet and saw similar activity, only on a planetary scale. Where his species fought against one another, these Diakans worked as one. What was the difference? If the Empire behaved in such a way, they would be unstoppable.

  Never underestimate a Dvorkan’s self-interests. His father’s words again returned to him. The reason the Empire couldn’t be like the Diakans boiled down to one thing, Dvorkans were a selfish and envious species. Rather than work together, they sought to take from their neighbor. Rather than praise someone’s success, they sought to tear them down. “Why him and not me?” must be the most common phrase in the Empire. It was near impossible to change these character defects. That was why they needed enemies and glory.

  When they crossed through the next portal, into another Diakan star system, Kriss found more of the same. What did these systems look like before their destruction? he wondered. The thought fascinated him, as did the idea of new Imperial infrastructure projects. What he saw inspired him to become more ambitious. Once he defeated his enemies, he would revitalize the Empire with great building initiatives. The Empire would know a new kind of glory, and he would be its architect.

  The Emperor continued to muse about the future until they finally crossed through the final gate on their journey and entered the Sol System. There, he witnessed the greatest feat of engineering he had ever seen. The Sol System’s star was entirely surrounded by great alien structures. That must be the work of the Cenobi.

  Miira had mentioned it when she returned to the Empire, but her words did not prepare him for what he now witnessed. The marvels that existed in the universe were truly mind-bending.

  “Majesty, Admiral Pike is requesting an audience,” Captain Neek said.

  “Send it through,” Kriss said.

  The Emperor’s comm display came to life, and Jon Pike appeared. To his surprise, Kriss noted that the Admiral had not changed at all in the past decade. It was as though the years had no effect on the human leader.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Emperor,” Pike said. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Thank you, Admiral. I am happy to see you as well.”

  “The UHSF will take over from the Diakans and escort your ship into orbit around Earth. We can then coordinate your trip to the surface. Miira is down here too, and I understand that she cannot wait for your arrival.”

  Kriss smiled. “Tell her I look forward to seeing her too.”

  “I will. We have a lot to discuss, Emperor. The sooner we can get to it, the better.”

  “I agree, Admiral. My crew will undertake the necessary arrangements immediately.”

  Chapter 21

  Jamie ran across the barren Kemmar landscape, energy bolts chasing after him. A warning flashed across his visor. He’d been hit, weakening his combat suit’s integrity. Jamie kept running. He raced for a UHSF armored vehicle, looking for cover and heavier firepower.

  After Lieutenant Jarvi confirmed that the nanoweapon was not harmful to the Chaanisar, more Chaanisar were sent down to the surface to regain control of the UHSF base. Jamie joined the team, preferring to be anywhere other than the Chaanisar battlecruiser in orbit above the planet. Even with Anki on board, the haunting memories of his time as a Juttari slave proved overwhelming at times. He preferred battle.

  A short time after arriving on the surface, the Kemmar launched their assault, surprising the Chaanisar. The Kemmar came at them in great numbers, trying to overrun the camp and its Chaanisar defenders. What was even more surprising was that they hit the camp with a blast of radiation first, disabling all the Chaanisar cloaks. Jamie’s combat suit lost shields soon after.

  It was a ferocious, well-coordinated attack, telling Jamie that they fought an organized and disciplined force. These weren’t just insurgents, they were an army. With energy bolts sailing by all around him, he wondered how long their leader, Lord Toth, had prepared for this. And what the hell had the UHSF been doing here all these years?

  The previous sovereign had clearly been incompetent and had no idea about what was happening under his nose. Jamie knew he shouldn’t be surprised. The sovereign was a collaborator, and therefore weak. Lord Toth, the leader of the Kemmar insurgency, was obviously the real leader of the Kemmar. That meant one thing. Lord Toth had to die.

  Before that could happen, they needed to defeat the Kemmar insurgents attacking the base. But these Kemmar were full of surprises. They jammed the Chaanisar comms cutting off communications with the Ronin in orbit above. That same jamming technology was also wreaking havoc with their targeting systems, meaning that neither their drones nor the ships in orbit could get a lock on the insurgent positions.

  Jamie reached the armored vehicle and took cover behind it as an intense barrage of enemy fire hit his position. The Kemmar were intent on keeping him from boarding the vehicle.

  Lieutenant Jarvi and a few other Chaanisar laid down suppressive fire, giving Jamie a temporary reprieve. He took it and climbed into the vehicle, which seemed more tank than anything else. Multiple energy bolts slammed into him, but his suit’s integrity held.

  Once inside, he closed the hatch and powered up the vehicle. Its targeting systems were also down, so Jamie switched to manual targeting. He swung the tank’s big gun around and fired. An enormous energy bolt surged out of the armored beast and slammed into a group of Kemmar, burning through their position like they were nothing more than kindling.

  The tank rose off the ground and advanced on the enemy. Jamie continued to fire heavy energy blasts into the Kemmar ranks, but the enemy’s numbers astounded him. How could the UHSF occupy this planet for almost a decade and have an insurgency of this size develop without anyone noticing?

  His instincts told him something was terribly wrong. First the nanoweapon and now this. What other secrets were the Kemmar hiding? Was there another player involved? Another species covertly helping the Kemmar?

  They had been allied with the Juttari. Had the Juttari found a way to aid the insurgency? It was possible. But the question then became how did they get past the blockade unnoticed? The whole thing was a mystery and Jamie was happy to leave it for someone else to figure out. Instead, he plowed into the Kemmar lines. The tank’s heavy gun spun around, spewing giant bolts of energy in all directions.

  The tactic was working, and the Kemmar scrambled to shore up their positions. Jamie refused to give them any breathing room and pushed further into their ranks. He took advantage of his momentum, determined to
rout the insurgents.

  But the insurgents were not fleeing. Instead, they closed ranks behind him, cutting him off from the rest of the Chaanisar. Still, everything fell before him, and he saw no reason to think that would change.

  Even so, his instincts said otherwise. They were on fire, warning of impending doom. When something hit the tank and flipped it upside down, he understood why his instincts were warning him.

  The blast knocked out the tank’s engines and the metal monster hit the ground hard, sending Jamie bouncing around inside. The tank was hit again, throwing Jamie around some more as the armored beast rolled. The combat suit protected him from injury, but he had to get out, or the next blast would do him in.

  Jamie reached for the hatch, weapon at the ready, and pushed it open. Energy bolts hit him the second he appeared, dropping his suit’s integrity to near critical levels. Jamie fired back while breaking into a run.

  He tried to find the other Chaanisar, but all he saw was Kemmar. Fresh energy bolts slammed into his suit and warnings flashed across his visor. His powered armor was about to fail. He tried to activate a jump portal, but his personal jump system didn’t respond. He kept running and shooting, refusing to give up.

  Jamie slammed into a group of Kemmar sending several airborne. He unsheathed his energy blade and bore into the Kemmar ranks, slashing and shooting every step of the way. These Kemmar had no idea what they were up against, but they sure as hell were about to find out.

  Like a rabid demon, he gutted alien after alien, but they kept coming. Something hit him in the back and he went down. Hard. His visor flashed a new warning that his suit’s integrity had failed. But he was still alive. He could kill a few more.

  Jamie tried to get up when he was hit again. This time everything went black.

  Chapter 22

  When Jamie regained consciousness, he found himself in a dark, cold and musty place. He tried to move but couldn’t. His senses rapidly returned, and he noted the energy restraints holding him immobile. He used what strength he could muster to try and force them open but was unsuccessful.

  “Your abilities will not help you now,” a voice said out of the darkness.

  Jamie strained to see who it was, but even with his augmented vision, he could not identify the speaker. He relaxed, choosing to save his strength for whatever was coming. He had evidently been captured during the battle with the insurgents.

  “Are you not curious about where you are? Or why you are not dead?” the voice said.

  Jamie ignored the speaker. The Kemmar were known for their brutality and Jamie had no doubt that he would soon be tortured, if not eaten. Why give them the satisfaction of playing their games?

  “Ah yes, the mighty Chaanisar. You are different from the other humans. You’ve been forged by the Juttari. Hardened against fear and other weaknesses. Isn’t that so?”

  Jamie closed his eyes and thought of Anki. He was thankful that she was safe, back on the Ronin.

  The voice chuckled. “It is amusing to watch you. As much as I would like to taste your flesh and see if you truly do not fear, I am forced to yield to a greater power.”

  Jamie opened his eyes and glared at the darkness. “That is the difference between us. When I free myself and watch the life drain from your eyes, I know I will see fear.”

  Laughter. “There, that is more like it. Did that not improve your mood? I know it did wonders for mine. But I enjoy conversation from time to time.”

  If that was true, Jamie might glean some valuable information from his captor. “Fine, I will speak with you. Where am I?”

  “I cannot give you our exact location. Secrecy is life. What I can tell you is that we are underground.”

  That made sense on several levels. It was why the UHSF did not know how big the insurgency was. “You took me to a cave? You do know it won’t take long for the Chaanisar to find me, don’t you?”

  “I should let you think that. It would make it easier to crush you when the time comes. But I’m having too much fun. This is not a cave.”

  “A tunnel system then. Did you dig it with your claws?” Jamie said.

  “An amusing notion. No, Jamie, we did not use our claws.”

  “You know my name?”

  “Of course. I know much more than that. For example, I know you escaped from the Juttari several years ago and became a mercenary. In fact, you only fight with the UHSF now as a contractor. Tell me, why did you not simply join the UHSF like your brothers?”

  How could a Kemmar know all that? “Am I on the planet Kem?”

  “Yes,” The voice said. “Your confusion is amusing. Let me answer your unasked question. I am Kemmar. You were not captured by some other enemy of yours. How do I know so much about you? Well, I can’t give you all the answers, now can I?”

  “Who are you?” Jamie said.

  “There, now we are getting to the crux of the issue.” Jamie heard movement in the darkness, then footsteps. A Kemmar with graying fur stepped forward into view. “I am Lord Toth.”

  “You are the leader of the insurgency. What interest does Lord Toth have with a lowly Chaanisar like me?”

  Toth bared his rows of razor-sharp teeth. “It is not I who is interested. Were it up to me, I would be feasting on your flesh by now.”

  “Who is interested?”

  “You are about to find out,” Toth said. “Guards!”

  Two Kemmar appeared and bowed their heads before Toth.

  “Take the prisoner and follow me,” Toth commanded.

  The two Kemmar guards both snarled at Jamie and seized an arm each. When they tried to move him, Jamie resisted, giving them a taste of Chaanisar might. One of the guards produced a baton and thrust it into Jamie’s abdomen. Electric current surged through Jamie’s body forcing him to relent and let the guards move him. He was still in a weakened state and did not want to waste whatever strength he had left.

  The guards dragged him down a lit tunnel behind Toth and Jamie did what he could to memorize his surroundings. Soon they entered a spacious cavern. The guards held Jamie in place while Toth dropped to his knees and bowed his head. It seemed as though Toth was praying, but Jamie did not remember anything in the intelligence briefing saying the Kemmar were religious.

  Jamie watched and waited for hours, but nothing changed. Lord Toth stayed on his knees, and the guards did not budge. Finally, something started to happen. It started as a flicker of light. As it became clearer, Jamie noted that it was a tiny flame. The flame steadily grew in size and intensity until it bathed the entire cavern in brilliant light.

  Three distinct fires formed and spun with fierce intensity, transforming the flame into fire tornadoes spanning the height of the cavern. He squinted but couldn’t look away from the dazzling display. He had never seen anything like it before, yet there was something familiar about the spectacle.

  Lord Toth lowered his head and rested his forehead on the floor. Then Jamie saw it. Multiple sets of sinister eyes in the flames staring back at him.

  Despair followed. Somehow, he knew those eyes. They belonged to the Juttari gods. The Erinyie.

  Chapter 23

  When the Erinyie entered his mind, Jamie tried to scream, but no sound escaped his open mouth.

  An anomaly, a voice said inside his head. Individuality asserting itself. Overcoming restrictions and safeguards.

  Not released by act or covenant, another voice said. It is not the first. There have been others.

  They are few and random. It merits further study.

  As the voices spoke inside his brain, Jamie trembled with dread, losing strength by the second. He clenched his eyes shut, fearing his sanity would go next. When he opened them, the fire tornadoes and the Kemmar were gone, and he found himself standing outside in front of a house. His parent’s house.

  Overcoming his initial surprise, he realized the restraints were also gone and stepped toward the structure. A door opened as he drew near, and a woman walked outside.

  “Mom?” h
e said.

  The woman walked past him without acknowledging his presence. Powerful emotions welled up inside him, and he hurried after her. “Mom, it’s me. Jamie. Your son.”

  “Jamie?” the woman said.

  “That’s right. It’s me, Jamie.”

  “What are you doing over there? Leave that old cat alone, or she’ll scratch you again.”

  A little red-headed boy ran toward her and Jamie saw himself as a child.

  “Go on around back and help your father.”

  “Okay, mom,” the younger Jamie said and ran away toward the back of the house.

  The older Jamie wiped a tear away from his cheek, his heart breaking. He followed his mom to the vegetable garden and sat on the ground beside her, watching her tend to the plants. She picked a few ripe tomatoes and placed them into a wicker basket. Jamie’s mouth watered, remembering how sweet and flavorful her tomatoes were.

  She moved from plant to plant, picking various ripe vegetables, then took her bounty back into the house. Jamie stood up and went around to the back where his father stood on a ladder making repairs. Little Jamie stood beside him with his toy hammer doing his best to imitate his dad.

  Jamie watched the burly man effortlessly drive nails into the house and memories flooded his mind. He remembered his dad’s laughter and kindness. He remembered wanting nothing more than to grow up and be like him. He wiped a fresh batch of tears away when he heard his mom calling.

  “Jamie, come inside the house,” she said.

  “I can’t. I’m helping dad,” little Jamie said.

  “Jamie! Come inside right now!”

  “What’s wrong, Bev?” his dad said.

  “A car is coming. I don’t like it.”

  “Run!” the older Jamie said, panic setting in. “Run!” But no one heard him.