The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10

by Hudson, G. P.

  “But-” Anki said.

  “No buts. Your mom is coming, and Jonas is bringing his Reivers along for the party.” Jon smiled. “It’ll be just like old times.”

  Chapter 31

  “I think Jon is being overprotective,” Anki said in between forkfuls of pasta. “I mean seriously, can you think of a safer warship than the Ronin? The entire crew is Chaanisar.”

  “He is just looking out for you,” Jamie said. He had already devoured his steak and contemplated ordering another plate. “I also think he wants to keep an eye on me. I would do the same if I were him.”

  “Why? Because you had a couple of visions? That doesn’t make you a threat.”

  “No, but we don’t know what else the Erinyie have done. I could be a time bomb for all we know.”

  “Okay, so let’s bring the time bomb aboard the flagship,” Anki said sarcastically. “That’s smart.”

  “I am thinking that I shouldn’t come aboard at all. Not on the Freedom, or the Ronin.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, what if I am a threat? The last place I should be is on a UHSF warship, let alone the flagship. I could imperil the entire fleet. Perhaps it is better if I stay on Earth or go back to the colonies.”

  “Is that what you think? And what about me?”

  “You’ll be safer too.”

  Anki glared at him from across the table as Jamie grew increasingly uncomfortable.

  “What are you thinking?” he said finally.

  “Who? Me? Oh, nothing much. I’m just thinking about how I’m going to stick this fork into that augmented eye of yours.”

  “What? Wait, you are joking right?”

  “I don’t know. Tell me again how you are going to leave.”

  “Uh, it was just a thought.”

  “Jamie, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a Reiver. Do you know what that means?”

  “What?”

  Anki pointed her fork at him. “It means don’t fuck with me, that’s what.”

  Jamie studied the fork and the fierce look on Anki’s face. She was serious, and this was no idle threat. So, he started laughing.

  “You think this is funny?” Anki said, becoming visibly angrier.

  “No, I don’t,” Jamie said, but he could not stop laughing.

  “Then what are you laughing at?”

  “I’m sorry. I just found it hilarious that we’re all trying to keep you safe.”

  Anki seemed to relax a little. “It’s about time you realized that. Now, are you coming on the Freedom with me or not?”

  “I’m coming, okay? You can lower the fork,” Jamie said and burst into laughter once again. This time Anki joined in the mirth.

  “I’m definitely going to get another steak now,” he said.

  “Go ahead,” Anki said.

  Jamie turned to look for a waiter when he saw a man standing in the middle of the restaurant staring at him. It took all of half a second for Jamie to realize that the man was a Triad member. He jumped to his feet and reached for his weapon when the gangster turned to dust.

  Anki was up now standing beside him. “What’s going on? Is it another vision?”

  “Yes,” Jamie said, turning to face her. “We need to go. Now.”

  The couple hastily paid for their meals and exited the restaurant. Jamie took her hand and they ran down the street.

  “Why are we running?” Anki said.

  “Because they are close.”

  “Who is close?”

  “The Triad. They want revenge for my assassination of one of their leaders.”

  “How do you know they are here?”

  “I just know, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Energy bolts blasted into the building directly in front of them, and Jamie pulled Anki out of the way. They turned a corner and raced down another street. “Do you believe me now?”

  “Yes,” Anki said, activating her comm and sending a distress signal through it. “The UHSF should be sending help shortly. We just have to stay alive until they show up.”

  Jamie drew his weapon and fired at a rooftop, hitting a sniper targeting them. The man fell from his perch and Jamie lowered his aim, targeting another gangster as he poked his head out from behind a corner. A perfectly aimed blue energy bolt incinerated the man’s face, sending him reeling backward.

  Jamie’s implants performed at peak efficiency, flooding his body with adrenaline and amplifying his focus. A standard battlefield response for a Chaanisar, only something was different this time. He was not just performing optimally, his physical and mental responses were off the charts. He could not only anticipate the enemy’s actions, but he also did not miss.

  When he turned a corner and found five gangsters waiting for him, each concealed and protected behind walls and vehicles, Jamie shielded Anki with his body and calmly opened fire.

  He picked off the first two when each tried to take a shot at him. An energy bolt burned through one of the gangsters’ chests, while another incinerated the second man’s weapon. Another round ripped through the man’s neck throwing him to the pavement amid fountains of his own blood.

  “Stay behind me,” Jamie said and steadily advanced on the remaining three, not bothering to seek cover. Surprisingly, Anki didn’t protest the insane tactic.

  A head popped up from behind a vehicle and Jamie shot the scalp off the man. Screams filled the street as the man writhed in agony. An arm appeared from behind a building and Jamie put a hole through it, forcing it to drop the weapon it held.

  That man grunted in pain, but Jamie focused on the sound of the third. This one more cautious than the other two. Jamie kept advancing and pointed his weapon at the third man’s hiding spot. The man used a camera on his weapon to peek around the corner, but Jamie blasted the weapon rendering it useless.

  Anki broke into a run, weapon raised, and headed for the third man. Jamie didn’t bother trying to stop her. Instead, he moved in on the two injured Triad gangsters with Chaanisar speed. Two quick shots later and he silenced their cries.

  Jamie turned to see Anki rush the third’s position. Rather than face her, the man tried to escape, but Anki put him down without mercy. Jamie scanned the buildings looking for more threats but found none. He gave Anki an all-clear hand-sign, and she jogged back to his position.

  UHSF atmospheric attack craft soon swooped down from above and swept the area to flush out any remnant threats. Jamie let them take over, knowing that the danger had already passed.

  Anki eyed him suspiciously. “So, are you going to explain any of that?”

  “I can’t,” Jamie said. “In the restaurant, I saw a Triad gangster. It was a vision, like before, only this time I knew an attack was imminent.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. It felt different than the previous ones. There was an urgency to it.”

  “What about the firefight?”

  Jamie nodded. “A Chaanisar’s augmentation makes him an extremely efficient killer. But this… I have never experienced such focus. Such precision.”

  “You didn’t even try to take cover. How did you know you wouldn’t get shot?”

  “Again, I just knew. It is hard to explain, but I felt certain that there was nothing those men could do to hurt me. My only worry was keeping you safe.”

  “Didn’t I tell you I can take care of myself?”

  “You did, but this… it’s something different. It is beyond anything I’ve ever known. It makes even the Chaanisar abilities seem trivial.”

  “The question is why. Why would the Erinyie give you these abilities?”

  “I honestly don’t know.”

  Chapter 32

  When Jamie and Anki boarded the Freedom, Jamie felt a compelling impulse to go to an observation deck. As with most things recently, he did not understand where this feeling came from, but could not resist the urge.

  So much had happened in such a short time that he felt as though he had lost control of his life. He
did not relish the sensation as it reminded him of the helplessness he experienced while a Juttari slave.

  He was not a slave anymore. At least he didn’t think so. He did not believe that the Erinyie were controlling him. Instead, something grew inside him as new abilities blossomed. He didn’t understand any of it, but the abilities came with odd urges. And so, in this instance, he found himself looking for an observation deck.

  As usual, Anki remained by his side. Like him, she wanted to understand what was happening, so she did not question why he needed to get to an observation deck. Instead, she led the way.

  “You know, this is just like coming home for me,” Anki said as she strode through the flagship’s expansive corridors. She had practically been raised on the Freedom and knew every inch of the hulking carrier. “I played games in these very same hallways as a child.”

  “I would say you had an unusual upbringing if mine didn’t defy comprehension,” Jamie said.

  “It was unusual, but I would not trade it for anything,” Anki said. “Despite all the danger and hardship.”

  “I would gladly trade mine for anything else.”

  “I’m sure you would. Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you were never taken for the Chaanisar?”

  “No. I have never indulged in ‘what ifs’. I was taken. My parents murdered. There is no point in pretending something else might have happened.”

  “That is a very practical outlook,” Anki said. “When I was younger, I always let my imagination run wild. I would stalk these corridors and pretend Kemmar soldiers were lurking around every corner. When my grandfather trained me, I saw myself defeating my enemies with every strike.”

  “Did you have many enemies when you were a child?” Jamie said.

  “No. They were all in my imagination. I was too young to fight but desperately wanted to be a warrior. We were constantly in danger, fighting for our lives every day, and I wanted to do my part.”

  “Visualization can improve one’s response. Chaanisar children are trained in a similar way, but the Juttari used our brain implants to simulate combat. We were primed in this way first, then pitted against real opponents. The simulations enhanced our responses in real combat.”

  “You engaged in real combat against other Chaanisar children?” Anki said.

  “No. We were made to fight against adult captives from conquered worlds.”

  Anki stopped walking. “Wait a second. The Juttari made Chaanisar children fight adult opponents? Were these matches to the death?”

  Jamie nodded. “Sometimes. The Juttari made us kill at an early age. By the time a Chaanisar is sent into battle, he has killed many opponents under controlled circumstances.”

  “Did any of you die in these matches?”

  “Of course. Even with the implants, some children simply could not adapt. Sadly, they did not survive the process.”

  “That is horrible.”

  “That is the universe. It is filled with untold horrors. I have heard the story of how Colonel Bast’s crew sought to remove their brain implants, and how those attempts led to madness. I would not expect any other result. No unaugmented human could endure such things.”

  “I remember. Colonel Bast’s crew were the only free Chaanisar then, but they feared the Juttari would enslave them again. That is why they sought to remove their brain chips. We lived on the Ronin in those days. The Chaanisar crew always treated us well. I never questioned it when I was a child. When you consider everything the Juttari put them through, their kindness was quite remarkable.”

  “Some Chaanisar are not so kind,” Jamie said.

  “You mean Colonel Harris?”

  “Yes. I will have to deal with him one day.”

  “One day. Not today. Come on, we’re almost there.”

  When the couple reached the observation deck, Jamie headed straight for the viewing area. The urge had transformed into a burning desire to gaze upon the sun. When he did, all the air left his lungs.

  Despite their distance from Sol, Jamie somehow zoomed in on the yellow star. Where he expected to find the Cenobi celestial panels encircling the sun, he found debris instead. Just beyond that debris were two enormous fleets, one Erinyie, the other Anitkitheri. They filled the heavens in mind-bending numbers. Working together in an unholy alliance, they methodically destroyed whatever was left of the Cenobi presence in the Sol System.

  Great silver beams burst out of the sleek black Erinyie ships, turning Cenobi technology into so much molten sludge. The giant Antikitheri ships worked in tandem with the Erinyie. Prongs jutted out from their bows and unleashed a brilliant white beam against the Cenobi.

  He watched in terror as the two immortal races eliminated the third, somehow knowing that this was a precursor to the destruction of Earth. “No,” he whispered, and as if in response to his command, the scene turned to dust. Jamie blinked and found Sol returned to normal, with the Cenobi still encircling it and the two alien fleets gone.

  You possess the gift of sight, child of darkness, the Cenobi said telepathically.

  This is no gift, Jamie said. And stop calling me child of darkness. My name is Jamie.

  To see is to know. Knowledge is always a gift.

  Have I seen the future?

  You have seen a thread. One of many. Some take hold, others unravel.

  Then this may not happen?

  It is a true future, not an inevitable future.

  Why am I seeing this? Why did the Erinyie give me this ability?

  The Erinyie did not grant you the sight, for it was not theirs to grant. It was an unanticipated result of their interference.

  I don’t understand, Jamie said.

  The Erinyie and the Antikitheri possess the sight. It guides their decisions. However, there are anomalies in the universe the sight cannot account for. Their actions cannot be predicted. You are one of those anomalies, Jamie. You are an unknown variable. A loose thread. You bring randomness and uncertainty.

  Jamie felt more confused than ever. But why is all this happening to me?

  You are an anomaly.

  You said that already. I still don’t understand. Why am I an anomaly?

  You just are. As are the Erinyie and the Antikitheri.

  You mean they are anomalies too?

  Why do you ask questions you know the answer to?

  Was the Diakan Great See’er an anomaly as well?

  Did she not possess the sight?

  She did, from what I have been told.

  There is your answer.

  But what does it all mean?

  You seek meaning where there is none. Why are there stars? Planets? Galaxies? They exist. That is all. There is only the knowledge of things. Nothing more.

  “Jamie!” Anki shouted in Jamie’s ear, startling him and severing his communication with the Cenobi.

  He turned toward her and saw the worry in her face. “I’m sorry, Anki. I had another vision.”

  “This is really starting to scare me, Jamie.”

  “I know, but I think I am starting to make sense of it all. I need to see Admiral Pike.”

  Chapter 33

  General Tallos seethed. “This is preposterous, Admiral. How can you even entertain the notion that this Chaanisar is a Great See’er?”

  “I did not say I was a Great See’er,” Jamie said. “That is a Diakan title. I merely repeated what the Cenobi told me.”

  “That you are the same as the Great See’er,” Tallos said, his symbiont incapable of controlling his fury.

  “I don’t think that is what he said, Tallos,” Jon said.

  “Then you are siding with him? You are of the Temple. You knew the Great See’er. How can you allow her name to be soiled in this way?”

  “Nobody’s soiling anyone’s name. The Cenobi told him that he had ‘the sight’ like the Great See’er did. That does not make him her equal. The Great See’er guided the Diakan race through history. She used her ‘sight’ to ensure Diakus attained a d
ominant position in the galaxy. Nobody is challenging any of that, nor has Jamie accomplished anything even close to that.”

  “He is a murderer,” Tallos spat. “An assassin. A Juttari spawn. How can you believe anything this worthless bag of blood says?”

  “Careful, Tallos,” Jamie growled. “I’ve been exceptionally tolerant up until now, but I have my limits.”

  “There, you see,” Tallos said, pointing a long green finger at Jamie. “He is threatening to kill me.”

  “Come on, Tallos,” Jon said. “These theatrics don’t suit you. How many times have I threatened to kill you over the years? I’d be more concerned if he didn’t threaten you.”

  Tallos’s symbiont finally managed to assert control, and Tallos felt the fury dissipate as a familiar calm took hold. The Diakan took a breath and said, “You are right, Admiral. I apologize for my lack of emotional control. Normally my symbiont would regulate my emotions, but the shock of these claims was too powerful for it to overcome.”

  “I understand, Tallos. Now tell me, what does your history say about the origins of the Great See’er?” Jon said. “That might shed some light on things.”

  “The average Diakan can live to be three hundred years old, but the Great See’er was ancient. No-one knows how old she was, or what her origins were. What we know is that before the Great See’er, Diakans were a savage, warlike species that killed one another in endless wars. With her arrival, Diakus knew peace. She showed us how to use the symbionts to control our baser instincts. Once we knew peace, we could finally work together to advance Diakan interests and eventually expand to the stars.”

  “So, you don’t know anything about her before her arrival?”

  “It is said that she discovered the Great Pool and that her symbiont came from it. Diakans believe that her powers originated with her symbiont, just as your enhanced abilities are derived from your symbiont.”

  “Jamie, the Cenobi said that she was an anomaly, right?” Jon said. “And that the Antikitheri and Erinyie were anomalies as well.”