Vanquish (The Pike Chronicles Book 6)

by G. P. Hudson

  It would coincide with General Calledonius’s invasion of Otan space. Putting the Kemmar in a vice, where they would be squeezed until their empire was no more. A third fleet, commanded by General Tallos, would invade the Juttari system, in hopes of preventing the Juttari from coming to their ally’s aid.

  “Jump system is at one hundred percent, Sir,” said Ensign Yao, the navigation officer. “We are jump ready.”

  “Load coordinates for first jump, Ensign,” said Jon.

  “Coordinates loaded, Sir.”

  “Mr. Henderson, inform the fleet that we are about to jump. Ensure that they are all jump ready.”

  “Yes, Sir,” said Commander Henderson, the Freedom’s XO.

  Jon cracked his knuckles in anticipation of battle. He felt the creature’s readiness and thirst for blood. Don’t worry, he said. Today, you’ll get your fill.

  Ever since his experience on Diakus, his attitude toward his symbiont had changed. It hadn’t happened on purpose. Jon hadn’t decided to accept the creature. His attitude had softened unconsciously. In the end, his acceptance of the creature came as a surprise, although he wouldn’t accept the bit about being Diakan, or this ‘of the Temple’ nonsense. He never thought he would prefer Diakan arrogance, but even their condescension was better than this crazy reverence. The damn Diakans looked at him like some kind of holy relic.

  He had to admit there was a practical advantage. The Diakans were now fully committed. He was pretty sure they would follow him into a black hole, if he told them to. It wasn’t just about the prophesy anymore. This was something more. Much more.

  The Diakans were zealots. In this way, they were not entirely different from the Juttari. What drove the Juttari to conquer the galaxy was their religion, and their belief that they were the only species fit to rule. It was a hallmark of the Juttari religion.

  But the Diakans were different. Their Temple, and their Great See’er, was the light that led them out of darkness. They did not believe they were preordained to rule the galaxy, like the Juttari. Instead, the light of the Temple was their guide, one that led them to their current position of power in the galaxy.

  How do you argue against that kind of success? If you’re Diakan, you don’t. To a Diakan, the Temple is holy, as is anything begotten from it. That included the Great See’er, and it included him.

  As uncomfortable as it made him, Jon would use his newfound status to his advantage. The Diakans were one of the most powerful races in the galaxy, and they were willing to follow him. He would have to be a fool to throw that away.

  “Ship’s are all reporting jump ready, Sir,” said Henderson, pulling Jon out of his thoughts. The time for action had arrived.

  “Very well,” said Jon. “Transmit the order to jump.”

  “Transmitting.”

  “Helm, initiate jump.”

  The viewscreen flickered, and they landed in an empty region of space. All around them ships began to appear, as the rest of the fleet made the jump. They were now just three light years from Telepylos.

  “Deploy surveillance drones,” said Jon.

  “Drones away,” said Henderson.

  Several small spy drones shot out of tubes in the Freedom’s hull. They fired their jets, racing ahead, and vanished from the sky. Their job was simple. They would land at different locations in the Telepylos system, acquire sensor readings, and return before the Kemmar shot them out of the sky.

  The drones were small, and difficult to identify. They could probably float quietly in space for some time before anyone took notice, but Jon wasn’t taking any chances. The less the Kemmar knew about what was coming their way, the better.

  Waiting for the drones to return, Jon activated his comm display, and Breeah appeared.

  “The fun and games are about to begin,” he said.

  “We will be here,” Breeah said stoically. Turning away for a moment, she nodded. “Anki wants to speak to you,” she said.

  Jon smiled. “Put her on.”

  Anki’s excited face appeared. “Hi Jon,” she said, waving.

  “Hi kid. Are you ready to kick the Kemmar out of your old home?”

  “I am, and I want to tell you something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ve decided. I want to become a fighter pilot.”

  “You do? When did you make that decision?”

  “Just now, but I’ve been watching the Freedom’s fighters for a while. They are amazing, and I really want to fly one.”

  “They are pretty awesome. I’ll tell you what. Once this is all over, I’ll arrange for you to take a ride in one. If it’s okay with your mother, of course.”

  Anki looked over at Breeah, who was just outside of the camera’s view. “Can I go?” The little girl then jumped up and down with excitement. “She says I can go!”

  “Great. I’ll set it all up when we’re done with the Kemmar. Now listen. We’re about to go into battle. I want you to stay with your mother. Don’t leave your quarters unless you are with her.”

  “Don’t worry, Jon. I won’t leave. Can I watch the battle on the display?”

  “Ask your mother.”

  Anki nodded.

  “Surveillance drones have returned,” said Henderson. “Receiving data.”

  “I’ve got to go. Don’t forget what I said.”

  “I won’t.”

  Jon closed the comm link. “AI, analyze the data from the surveillance drones, and assign the appropriate jump coordinates to the rest of the fleet.”

  “Yes, Admiral,” said AI, from Jon’s comm. “Coordinates have been assigned and transmitted.”

  “Thank you, AI.”

  “You’re most welcome, Admiral.”

  “Commander, let me see the Kemmar defenses on the main viewscreen.”

  The viewscreen shifted from its view of the far away stars, to one of a couple hundred Kemmar warships.

  “Magnify,” said Jon, the display zooming in. “They’ve learned their lesson. They’re adopting a loose formation, like we do.” Jon leaned in. “Do you see that? It looks like they’ve mined the system.”

  “Yes, Sir, it does.”

  “AI, based on your analysis of the drone data, can you confirm if that is indeed a minefield.”

  “Yes, Admiral. That is correct. Rest assured, I have taken this information into account when I assigned jump coordinates,” said AI.

  The Kemmar ships had dispersed thousands of smart mines for miles around their position. The mines were programmed to ignore the Kemmar ships, and go after any non-Kemmar ship within range. The smart mines were like missiles, lurking in space, waiting to lock onto an unsuspecting ship.

  “They’ve put their own gate defenses in place,” said Jon, pointing out the weapon systems in place behind the Kemmar ships. “Have the rest of the ships seen this?”

  “Yes, Sir. All ships have been given access to the feed,” said Henderson.

  Jon nodded. “Good. AI, calculate jump bomb targeting data, and assign first strike coordinates to the fleet.”

  “Yes, Admiral,” said AI. “Targets have been assigned.”

  “Commander, what is the fleet’s jump status?”

  “Fleet is jump ready, Sir.”

  “Initiate jump.”

  Chapter 46

  General Tallos and his fleet were finally in position to launch their attack. It had taken five days. They had traveled almost a thousand light years to reach their target. A Juttari star system connected to the Widow’s Triangle through a jump gate.

  They had captured the Widow’s Triangle last year in a hard fought battle. They had made full use of the jump gate to attack the system. This time they would avoid the gate, and its defenses, entirely, depending on their jump systems instead.

  Tallos’s fleet differed from the two fleets on the Kemmar offensive. It consisted primarily of Diakan ships, and its UHSF component was predominantly Chaanisar. The irony wasn’t lost on Tallos. Here he was, commanding Chaanisar soldiers, once his m
ortal enemies, and fighting together to seize a Juttari stronghold. The universe was full of surprises.

  His experience with the Great See’er at the Temple was further proof of this. She had shown him how intertwined his future was with Admiral Pike. The revelation was startling, but not as startling as the revelation that Jon Pike was of the Temple. He felt like a child trying to grasp life’s many secrets, only to have them fall further beyond his reach.

  It was all very difficult to reconcile. He had considered Jon Pike his enemy, just like he had the Chaanisar. He had wanted nothing more than to witness Pike’s execution. It wasn’t something easily forgotten. But his faith was powerful enough to overcome any feelings of vengeance.

  If not for Major Ilthos, he may have remained a Faction puppet. Ilthos showed him that his actions against Pike went against the prophecy. Tallos became filled with remorse as he began to understand his part in The Faction’s heresy. If the prophecy said that Jon Pike would rise to power, then he would do everything in his power to support that rise. And if the Great See’er said that Jon Pike was of the Temple, then Tallos would sacrifice his own life to protect Jon Pike.

  He accepted this, regardless of how bizarre it all seemed. He even went so far as to inform his Diakan forces of Pike’s status. Regardless of how Admiral Pike felt about it, Tallos believed it important for every Diakan under his command to understand that Jon Pike was holy. They were Diakans, after all. They deserved to know this. There was also the added benefit that the knowledge would make them fight harder.

  He had told his forces everything. They learned about Pike’s status, but also about Dathos’s betrayal, and The Faction’s conspiracy. Since many of his men had served under General Dathos, they needed to know about his treason.

  Tallos made sure that all Diakans under his command knew that they weren’t just fighting for humans. They were fighting for the prophecy, and the Temple itself. All of which meant that, above all, they fought for Diakus.

  Jon Pike was not just an Admiral, not just a human. He was a Diakan, and a holy one at that. Tallos knew that Pike had trouble acknowledging his role, but it didn’t matter. The Temple would guide Diakan destiny, as it always did, and that destiny was intertwined with Pike’s, whether he chose to accept it or not.

  “Surveillance drones have returned, General,” said Captain Rotos, Tallos’s second in command. “We have the intelligence on the Juttari defenses.”

  “Send it to me,” said Tallos, perched on his command chair, elevated above the rest of the bridge. The holographic displays surrounding him allowed a bird’s eye view of the bridge while giving him access to any information required.

  One of those displays lit up with the tactical feed, revealing a heavily defended Juttari system. Unsurprising, considering the advances the Alliance had made over last year. The Juttari had built several battle stations, dispersing countless weapon systems. A large fleet of several hundred ships complemented the deployment.

  Tallos was relieved that they had chosen not to attempt a jump gate attack. Trying to bully their way through that gate would have been nothing short of suicide.

  The Juttari defenses were interesting in that they did not simply cover the gate, as would be expected. The Juttari had logically anticipated a jump ship attack, and the defenses were dispersed in strategic locations throughout the system. Each location was anchored by a massive battle station, that appeared difficult if not impossible to board.

  Some of the battle stations were positioned in proximity to inhabited planets. Any attack on the planet would draw not only the planetary defenses, but the battle station as well. Even with the jump system, they would need to be in weapons range to mount an attack on any key target, putting them squarely in the kill zone.

  The Juttari had done their due diligence. They were certainly prepared. But could they prepare for what was coming?

  “Have the targets been selected?” said Tallos.

  “Yes, General. All ships have entered the data into their targeting systems,” said Rotos. “Jump bombs are armed and ready for launch.”

  Grim satisfaction filled General Tallos. He was the instrument of prophecy, and today was a day of glory. “What is the jump status of the fleet,” said Tallos.

  “Jump coordinates have been calculated, and entered. All ships are jump ready,” said Rotos.

  “Initiate jump.”

  Tallos’s fleet landed in the Juttari system in three groups. Each group just within the two hundred million kilometer jump bomb range of three of the main battle stations.

  “Launch first strike,” ordered Tallos. “Targets on main viewscreen.”

  The viewscreen changed to a split screen format, displaying the three monstrous battle stations. Within moments, hull breaches began to appear on the stations as explosions erupted from within. Flames burst out of the ugly fractures in the hulls, only to be snuffed out by the vacuum of space.

  “Unauthorized jumpspace disturbance identified,” said the ship’s AI. “Jump bombs deployed.”

  Juttari warships began appearing within weapons range of Tallos’s ships, but were just as soon crippled by violent explosions inside their hulls.

  “All ships, engage and destroy Juttari warships within weapons range,” ordered Tallos. He felt the feint but familiar vibration in his command chair, as his ship fired conventional weapons at its wounded prey. “Are the battle stations still active?”

  “Yes, Sir. I am reading multiple hull breaches, but they appear to have survived the initial strike.”

  Tallos couldn’t imagine anyone surviving the initial attack. It could only be an artificial intelligence keeping the stations online. “Launch another jump bomb strike on the stations. Finish them off.”

  “Yes, Sir. Relaying orders. Launching jump bombs.”

  On the viewscreen the massive battle stations began to buckle. More hull breaches appeared, dotting the surface of the giant weapon systems, until finally culminating into blinding explosions, obliterating the stations.

  Tallos filled with grim satisfaction. He glanced down at his tactical screen. The red threat icons representing the nearby Juttari warships began to disappear, as they too blew apart.

  “What is the fleet’s jump status?” said Tallos. “Are they prepared for the second jump?”

  “Yes, Sir,” said Captain Rotos, Tallos’s XO. “All ships are jump ready.”

  “Initiate jump.”

  The fleet landed in four separate groups this time, within jump bomb range of the remaining battle stations. A large number of Juttari ships hung back, watching events unfold. They hadn’t engaged with the other Juttari ships, and must now realize something had gone terribly wrong.

  As if to confirm Tallos’s thoughts, two Juttari warships broke from the fleet disappearing through the jump gate. Clearly they had enough intelligence on the new weapons to inform their superiors so that preparations could be made. Tallos wasn’t sure what those preparations might be, however. This new technology had put the Juttari at such disadvantage, that he just didn’t see how they could bounce back.

  “Launch jump bomb strike. Continue bombing until remaining stations have been destroyed.”

  “Unauthorized jumpspace disturbance identified,” said the ship’s AI. “Unable to deploy jump bombs.”

  “AI, clarify error. Why can’t the jump bombs be deployed?”

  “Deploying jump bombs would damage, and possibly destroy friendly vessels.”

  “All ships, emergency jump!” ordered Tallos.

  All around him Diakan ships began to blow apart.

  The emergency jump landed the fleet back where they had started, and the chaos of war was replaced by the tranquility of empty space.

  “Report,” said Tallos, afraid of what he was about to hear.

  “We have lost one-hundred-and-thirty-three ships, General.”

  Tallos felt anger spike through his body. It was a unique sensation, one he had had never experienced before. Why hadn’t his symbiont suppre
ssed the emotion?

  He clenched his fists, as anger turned to rage. Tallos felt confused by the violent impulses. The reaction was short lived, however. Calm returned, as his symbiont finally reacted, and Tallos regained his composure.

  “It was a suicide attack,” continued Rotos, confirming what Tallos already knew. “The remaining Juttari warships jumped into our own ships, destroying both.”

  Impressive resolve, thought Tallos. In all his years fighting the Juttari, he had never seen anything like it. Those ships knew they couldn’t hold the system. They had seen the power of the jumpspace technology. Rather than retreat, they chose to sacrifice themselves, and in doing so, take their enemy with them. It was frightening and fascinating all at the same time.

  At that moment, a comm came through from Colonel Steeg, one of the Chaanisar commanders.

  “Yes, Colonel,” said Tallos.

  Steeg looked back at him from the display, his face hard, eyes steel. “Those ships were Chaanisar ships.”

  “No, Colonel. The destroyed ships were Diakan.”

  “That is not what I meant, General. The Juttari ships that just rammed into them, they were Chaanisar. The Juttari forced their deaths.”

  “I see,” said Tallos. “That explains much. I did not think the Juttari were so desperate that they would sacrifice themselves. Much easier for them to send their Chaanisar to their deaths.”

  “Unfortunately, you are correct, General.”

  “Do not forget that these Chaanisar are our enemies, Colonel.”

  “I know, General. If they were liberated they would be our brothers, but that is not to be. The best we can do for them now is to give them the gift of death.”

  “Yes, Colonel. Free them from their bondage by killing them.”

  “Fear not, General. We Chaanisar know our duty. All who fight for the Juttari will be killed.”