The Pike Chronicles: Books 5-8 (Pike Chronicles Space Opera Book 2)

by G. P. Hudson

  But New Byzantium had always been his home. He had been through hell fighting to save it, and the democratic system he helped put in place.

  His family had lived on the planet for generations, and his father had always bragged that his ancestors were among the original settlers. He had even found some proof in the planetary archives to support his claims.

  Sallas enjoyed his father’s stories, and they’d probably planted the seeds for his future study of history. It was that knowledge that helped him understand the importance of this move. So he would leave for Amboss and govern the colonies from there. Perhaps one day, when he retired, he would come back and live out the rest of his days on his beloved New Byzantium.

  “Colonial One has a complement of one hundred jump fighters,” Captain Markus continued. “Combined with her array of heavy guns, and our escort ships, we are ready for any nasty surprises the Kemmar, or Juttari might throw at us.”

  “That’s reassuring, Captain,” said Sallas. “I understand you fought alongside Captain St. Clair to open the jump gate at Amboss.

  A proud smile spread across Markus’s face. “That I did, Sir. I commanded one of our first jump ships on that mission.”

  “Your heroism will never be forgotten, Captain.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  “Well then, shall we get started?”

  “Yes, Sir. Right this way to the bridge.”

  A squadron of Marines led Sallas and his Guardsmen in tight perimeter out of the hanger bay. The ship’s size continued to impress him. Even the corridors seemed twice the size of any warship he had ever seen. Everywhere he looked it shined, everything new and state of the art.

  It wasn’t long before they’d arrived at the unsurprisingly massive bridge. As the bridge crew stood at attention, Sallas quickly estimated their number at forty or fifty men and women. Catching Captain Markus’s expectant expression, Sallas nodded.

  “As you were,” he said, allowing the bridge crew to return to their duties.

  Markus led Sallas to the command chairs, gesturing towards the Governor’s official seal on a backrest. “After you, Sir.”

  “Thank you, Captain.” Sallas, took his seat, as two guardsmen took their position just behind. The rest of his security team moved to occupy strategic positions around the bridge.

  Markus then took his seat. “Helm, what is our jump status?”

  “Jump system is at one hundred percent. Escort ships are synchronized. We are jump ready Sir.”

  “Very well, prepare to jump to the Amboss System.”

  “Contacts!” came a voice from what Sallas assumed was the tactical station on his right. “Multiple Kemmar warships have appeared in orbit around New Byzantium.”

  “On screen,” said Markus. “Sound General Quarters.”

  Red lights flashed as the klaxon rang out. The massive display shifted its orientation, zooming in on a cluster of Kemmar warships hovering above the planet.

  “Kemmar ships are bombarding the surface,” said the tactical officer, his voice loud, yet calm. “Planetary defense forces are responding.”

  Sallas turned to Markus. “We have to help them.”

  “No, Sir. Our first priority is your safety. Helm, initiate jump.”

  “Yes, Sir. Initiating jump.”

  “Stop! Wait!”

  “Jump complete.”

  Sallas glared at the viewscreen, displaying the serene view of Amboss Prime slowly spinning in space.

  “How dare you leave while New Byzantium is under attack. You will return this instance!” Sallas barked.

  Captain Markus stood his ground, showing no hint of emotion. “I am sorry, Sir, but I cannot follow that order, as it would place you in danger. Colonial One’s top priority is your safety.”

  “The hell with your priorities. They’re bombing the surface.”

  “I’m aware Sir, and I would like nothing more than to help New Byzantium, but that would place you in danger. The planetary defense forces are more than capable of dealing with those ships. They don’t need us.”

  Sallas slammed a fist into his console. He was quickly regretting his decision to leave New Byzantium. “I want up to the minute reports. I want to know the second those ships have been destroyed.”

  “Of course, Sir.”

  Sallas eyed the viewscreen again, his blood boiling, just as the space in the distance began to shimmer. The jump gate appeared, and two ships crossed from Sol into the Amboss System.

  “Take us through the gate,” said Sallas. “I need to speak to Admiral Pike.”

  Chapter 3

  “There has to be a way to break out of this stalemate.” Admiral Jon Pike, studied the galactic holomap spanning the center of the mountain complex’s Operations Room.

  “The Juttari have adapted,” said the Diakan military commander, General Dathos. “Our unparalleled early gains caught them off guard, but now their positions are entrenched.”

  “As are ours,” said First Colonel Brock, the top ranking Chaanisar officer. “Over the past year the Juttari have not so much as tested our defenses. They would be foolish to try.”

  “You think so?” said Jon, eying the Chaanisar with skepticism. “You think the Juttari are just scared?”

  “Perhaps not, but their caution is prudent,” said Brock, maintaining his stoic demeanor.

  Jon frowned. Part of him hoped they would attack. At least that would disrupt the current impasse. “What do you think, Colonel Bast?”

  First Colonel Brock was the high ranking Chaanisar officer in the room, but Jon had been through a lot with Bast and valued his opinion.

  “I agree with First Colonel Brock,” said Bast. “The Juttari are not foolish. They will not attack unless they believe they have an advantage. With both our sides dug in, the prudent course of action for them is to adopt a defensive posture, which is what they have done.”

  Jon nodded. “What about the colonies? Why haven’t we heard from the Kemmar? Our intelligence sources have reported high level meetings between them and the Juttari.”

  “Yes, that is true,” said Dathos. “But the Juttari Empire has never formed an alliance with any other race.”

  “There’s always a first time,” said Jon.

  “The Juttari are likely trying to intimidate the Kemmar into submission,” said Brock. “It is a tactic they have employed repeatedly over the centuries.”

  The symbiont inside Jon’s belly growled, expressing its displeasure. Complacent, it said.

  I agree, Jon replied. We are becoming complacent.

  “What do you think, Kevin?” Jon turned to Captain Kevin St. Clair, who had been largely quiet up until now. Kevin had taken an active role in the defense of the colonies after succeeding in his mission to open the colonial jump gate.

  “The colonies are well defended,” said Kevin. “We’ve helped them build up their ships and fortifications. We’ve buttressed those defenses with Diakan and Chaanisar ships. They also have the jump system. They’re much stronger than they were a year ago when the Kemmar invaded. We control the jump gate between Earth and the colonies, and the one connected to Kemmar space. The Kemmar don’t have many options.”

  Jon shook his head. “So you think they just ran home to lick their wounds?”

  “No. They’re still a threat, but they can’t just walk into the colonies like they did a year ago. We’ll see them coming long before they can bite. Our jump ships can intercept them, keeping them far away from the planets.”

  Jon thought back to the kamikaze attacks the Kemmar had used in battle. The Kemmar would gladly pay the high price if they thought it would lead to victory. But a year had passed and there hadn’t been as much as a peep from them. Jon didn’t like it, but he couldn’t base his actions on feelings alone.

  “Hell, if you ask me,” Kevin continued. “We might want to consider invading Kemmar space.”

  “You think we should invade the Kemmar Empire?”

  “Why not? We’re still at war with the Kemma
r. Up until now, we’ve focused on the Juttari. We’ve only been concerned with putting defenses in place in the colonies to discourage another Kemmar attack. But our war with the Juttari has turned into a stalemate, so maybe we should go on the offensive against the Kemmar.”

  “You might be right, Captain,” said Jon, considering Kevin’s words. “We have a greater advantage against the Kemmar. We should use that advantage while we still have it.”

  “There is a risk of overextending ourselves,” said General Dathos. “We might unwittingly give the Juttari an opportunity to attack.”

  “Yes, we would need to ensure our defenses are sufficient to withstand any Juttari incursions.” Jon looked back to Kevin. “Let’s draw up some plans. Let’s see first what an invasion will actually look like.”

  “Yes, Sir,” said Kevin.

  Jon glanced over to the insignia covering the near wall of the large room. UHSF, United Human Space Force. All the Space Force insignias in the mountain complex had been replaced with the new insignia. The same had happened in all human ships, facilities, and on uniforms. The new uniforms were now worn by all humans, whether from Earth, or the colonies. Even the Chaanisar wore the new emblem proudly.

  It was the dawn of a new age. A human age. Yet their new position in the galaxy remained fragile, and this stalemate they were locked into only exasperated that fragility.

  In any other conflict, the two sides might engage in peace talks at a time like this, but that option remained off the table. The Juttari had lost a lot of territory. They had no interest in any agreement that permanently ceded that territory to the UHSF.

  On the other hand, the Juttari had nuked Earth, killing billions. Even if they were ready to sue for peace, Jon wasn’t. As far as he was concerned, the Juttari had not yet paid for their crimes. Not by a long shot. But they would. Of that Jon was certain.

  “How are the repopulation attempts coming along?” said Jon, changing the subject.

  “There’s a steady stream of colonists taking advantage of the offer,” said Kevin. “Even with corporate rule and hereditary debt abolished in the colonies, there are still many who don’t own their own property. Free land on Earth is hard to pass up, especially now that the radiation has been cleaned up.”

  “Earth has a long road ahead of her. The more people we convince to settle here the better.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Jon studied the galactic holomap again. Their victories against the Juttari had taken a sizable chunk of territory away, leaving the combined human and Diakan alliance much larger than the current Juttari Empire. Even so, the Juttari remained dangerous. It would be a mistake to underestimate them.

  Jon’s eyes swept across the holomap. Over a thousand light years away from Earth were the colonies. And between them sat the ruthless Kemmar Empire. If it weren’t for the jump gate, the Kemmar would now control the colonies, and any humans left alive would be Kemmar slaves.

  A mere two hundred and fifty light years from Earth lay Telepylos, the former Reiver home, and location of a jump gate connected to the Kemmar Empire.

  Several battles had already been fought over this territory. While the UHSF currently controlled it, a Kemmar invasion force could come through the gate at any moment. Measures had been taken to defend the gate, and the system, but it still made Jon uneasy.

  Too much depended on a handful of linchpins. Lose them and things would look drastically different.

  “Admiral, Colonial One has just crossed through the gate into the Sol System,” said one of Jon’s officers. “They are reporting a Kemmar attack on New Byzantium.”

  “What? When?”

  “About thirty minutes ago, Sir. Colonial One is transmitting a data stream with video of the attack.”

  “Route to the holodisplay,” said Jon.

  The holomap disappeared and a three-dimensional view of New Byzantium took its place. Suddenly a group of Kemmar warships appeared in orbit around the planet and began bombarding the surface.

  A chill ran up Jon’s spine as he realized that their strategic advantage against the Kemmar Empire had been lost.

  “The Kemmar have the jump system,” he said.

  Chapter 4

  Captain Konos relaxed in his command chair, gazing at one of several displays arrayed before him. It showed nothing noteworthy at first glance. Just the endless rocks that filled the asteroid field at Telepylos.

  “How did they do it?” he said in amazement.

  “Do what, Sir?” said Commander Mani, his XO, from behind his own array of displays.

  When Admiral Pike promoted Konos to the rank of Captain, and gave him the brand new carrier Intrepid to command, Konos had insisted that Commander Mani be his new XO. Mani had been his wingman, and CAG. It seemed fitting that he now become his XO.

  Things had moved rapidly since the opening of the Sol-Amboss jump gate. The manufacturing power of the colonies now served the war effort, and new ships came off the line practically every day.

  Those ships needed command personnel and crew. That meant rapid advancement for those with the necessary combat experience, like Konos and Mani. It also meant a flood of new recruits filling the ranks of the UHSF.

  While Konos had a few veterans under his command, his crew consisted mostly of green recruits with little, if any, combat experience. Most were barely out of boot camp.

  When the UHSF requested volunteers from the colonies, none were prepared for the overwhelming response. Now free of corporate control, and united with Earth, a tremendous zeal gripped the populace. They fervently wished to fight for their freedom, and were not going to let the Kemmar, or the Juttari take it away from them.

  “The Reivers,” Konos continued. “How did they manage to live in that asteroid field for all those years? This was their home for centuries.”

  “I don’t know, Sir. I couldn’t do it,” said Mani.

  Konos shook his head. “Neither could I. Then again, it’s all they knew. They had no knowledge of Earth, or the colonies. All they had was the jump gate, and the Kemmar. I mean, it’s bad enough to have to live on asteroids, but they regularly raided the Kemmar Empire.”

  “They’re a tough people. No doubt about it. But they were also lucky. Had the Kemmar discovered the jump gate sooner, nobody would know that the Reivers ever existed.”

  “True. Stars know they almost didn’t make it when the Kemmar did finally come through the gate.”

  Konos switched his display’s orientation to focus on the gate’s location. A swarm of autonomous defense systems were in place in front of it. If the Kemmar decided to come through the gate, they would find a nasty surprise waiting for them.

  But they hadn’t even tried. Perhaps they knew how heavily defended this system was. Even if a Kemmar force managed to get past the gate defenses, they would then have to face over one hundred warships stationed here, all equipped with jump systems.

  In a few months this system would also have its own battle station. The mammoth space station was still under construction, but when completed it would all but ensure the permanence of the UHSF’s presence here.

  Maybe then they’d be reassigned. Hopefully they could go on the offensive again. His crew could use some real combat experience, and he knew it would come eventually. It was probably for the best that they were stationed here. With so many green crewmembers, a quiet post like this allowed them time for training before they saw any real action.

  Admiral Pike had given him command of a carrier, with its own complement of jump fighters, and a squadron of jump bombers. Every day he ensured his pilots were drilled mercilessly. If they ended up falling in battle one day, it wouldn’t be for lack of training.

  “Will you be requisitioning one of our birds again tonight, Sir?” said Mani, with a knowing smile.

  “I think so, Commander. I should run some more tests, don’t you agree?”

  “A prudent decision, Sir. I’ll make sure one is ready for you.”

  While Konos appreciated the
promotion, he still longed for the cockpit. At heart, he would always be a fighter pilot. That was why he took the opportunity to regularly take out one of the ship’s birds in the evenings.

  Officially, he wanted to test the fighters. After all, he had tested the very first jump fighter ever built. The reality, though, was that it allowed him to scratch an itch. While he technically wasn’t supposed to take unnecessary risks, what was the point of being the Captain if you couldn’t play with your ship’s toys?

  Konos looked at his display again. No shimmer. No activity from the jump gate whatsoever. It was shaping up to be another uneventful day. He could practically feel the rust forming on his bones.

  “Contacts!” announced his tactical officer. “Reading multiple Kemmar warships.”

  “Where?” said Konos, still looking at the jump gate. There was no activity. No Kemmar ships coming through.

  “The space station. They’re all around it. Picking up weapon signatures. They’re firing on the station!”

  “On main viewscreen.”

  The giant display at the front of the bridge switched views to focus on the partially constructed space station, and the swarm of Kemmar warships mercilessly laying siege.

  Konos cursed under his breath, knowing that their fleet was way out of position. They had expected to defend against an invasion through the jump gate, not a jump ship attack.

  Then it suddenly hit home. The Kemmar had the jump system.

  “Sir, General Ornios is ordering all ships to sync their jump systems with his,” said Mani.

  “Understood. Navigation, sync our jump system with the flagship’s. Commander, sound General Quarters.”

  General Ornios was a Diakan, and the force defending Telepylos was under his command. While the Diakans were not part of the UHSF, they were allies, and in this case the Diakans called the shots.

  Seconds later the fleet jumped and landed practically on top of the Kemmar.

  “Activate point defense system. Launch fighters and bombers. Fire weapons at will,” ordered Konos.

  “Birds are launching,” said Mani. “Point defense system has been activated.”