by G. P. Hudson
More black ships joined in, lancing out with their own silver beams. Each time, the result was the same. The weapon cut through the targeted ships like they were nothing more than children’s toys.
Tallos sat stunned in his chair. Their weapons were useless, and their ships helpless against these beings.
“The Erinyie have returned,” said Rotos, in a quiet voice.
“What did you say?” said Tallos.
“The Erinyie, Sir. The Dark Ones. From our mythology. They are said to have been one of the first races. The bane of the galaxy.”
“You think these beings come from our mythology?”
“I don’t know, Sir. But they match the stories, and the Erinyie were prophesied to return one day.”
The Erinyie. Tallos barely remembered the stories from his childhood. He remembered them as tales meant to make children behave. Go to bed or the Erinyie will come for you. Tallos didn’t know what to think of it all. He was losing ships fast. He could only retreat.
“Captain Rotos, order all ships to prepare to jump to our pre-invasion coordinates.”
“All ships reporting jump ready, Sir.”
“Initiate jump.”
In the blink of an eye, the scene on the viewscreen became peaceful, and the black ships were gone.
“Report. How many ships did we lose?”
“Eighty-nine ships were destroyed,” said Rotos.
Eighty-nine ships in a matter of minutes, thought Tallos. How is that possible?
“Set a course for the Sol System,” said Tallos. He needed to speak with Admiral Pike. His symbiont would have to wait.
Chapter 54
“It appears to be a problem with the jumpspace recognition system,” said Chief Engineer Singh. “In some cases it’s integration with the jump system caused a malfunction.”
“Can you fix it?” said Jon. “I can’t afford to have ships scatter on me like that in the middle of a campaign.”
“Yes, Sir. I believe I can. I will work out the details and roll out the upgrades to all UHSF ships.”
“Admiral Pike,” came a voice from Jon’s comm.
“Go ahead,” said Jon.
“General Tallos has just jumped into the Sol System. He wishes to speak with you. He says it is urgent.”
“Tallos? What’s he doing here?”
“He didn’t say, Sir.”
“Very well, I’ll use one of the consoles in Singh’s lab. Prepare to patch him through.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Jon activated the nearest console, “Patch him through.”
The display on the console came to life, and Tallos’s face appeared.
“General Tallos, what are you doing here? The latest comm drone reported that you had successfully occupied the Juttari system.”
“We had, Admiral. It was a disaster,” said Tallos.
“A disaster? What do you mean?”
“These beings attacked us. I have never seen anything like it in all my years. Our jump bombs were useless against them.”
“The Juttari figured out a way to counter the jump bombs?”
“No, Admiral. Not the Juttari. The Juttari called them their Gods. We think they are the Erinyie.”
“What the hell are you talking about General? Who the hell is the Erinyie?”
“One of the first races. A Diakan myth. I don’t know. All I can tell you is that our ships were helpless against them.”
“I’m sorry, General, but this is all a little hard to digest.”
“Stand by. I am transmitting a feed. Words are useless. Better to see with your own eyes what we are facing.”
Tallos’s face vanished from the display, replaced by a space battle. Only this one was against an enemy Jon had never seen before. He watched with growing alarm as everything Tallos had said took place before his eyes. The jump bombs had no effect, even when armed with nukes. Even more frightening was their incredibly powerful weapons. Jon had seen Diakan battleships endure an immense amount of punishment, yet these Erinyie, or whatever they were, cut through the Diakan hulls in seconds. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but there it was.
The feed vanished and Tallos reappeared. “Do you understand now, Admiral?”
“Yes, but what do we do?”
“I do not know. But I know who might. The Great See’er.”
“The Great See’er? Why would she know about this?”
“If they are the Erinyie, their return was prophesied, and if it was prophesied, she has seen it.”
“Which means she might have seen something more. She might know what we’re supposed to do.”
“It is possible.”
“Then it’s settled. We leave for Diakus immediately.”
Chapter 55
Jon entered the Great See’er’s chamber with Tallos in tow. Tallos had resisted coming, but Jon insisted. If these beings really were the Erinyie, from Diakan mythology, then he needed a Diakan there with him to confirm.
“Try and relax,” said Jon, as they proceeded deeper into the dark room. Tallos had become increasingly uncomfortable since they arrived at the Temple. Jon understood. The Diakans considered the Great See’er a deity. It couldn’t be easy to come face to face with your god.
“Enemies turned allies,” said a female voice, that Jon instantly recognized as belonging to the See’er. “The prophecy unfolds.” The voice seemed to come from all around them.
“That’s what we’re here about. We need to speak to you about a prophecy,” said Jon.
“The Dark Ones have returned,” said the See’er, appearing directly in front of Jon and Tallos.
“Shit!” Jon was startled again by her sudden appearance. “Can you please stop doing that?”
The See’er looked at Jon with powerful, blazing eyes. Her face began to fade and he was floating in space, watching a battle take place. The same strange black ships were laying waste to a fleet of ships he didn’t recognise, cutting through them like they were made of paper. The scene shifted, and the black ships appeared again, only now they had turned their weapons onto a planet, killing everything on its surface.
“What am I looking at?” said Jon.
“You see what has gone before,” said the See’er’s voice.
“How long ago did this happen?”
“Long before Diakans and Humans. The Erinyie were not of this galaxy. They came and brought the darkness with them.”
As the See’er spoke, many scenes of destruction unfolded before Jon’s eyes. Scenes of strange ships and races, trying to protect themselves from the relentless black ships. In each case, however, the black ships prevailed. Planets were destroyed. Whole races wiped out.
“They were unstoppable. What happened to them? Why did they leave?”
The vision changed again, showing yet another battle. This time the black ships squared off against a fleet of equally strange warships. These were enormous, just as big as the black ships, though configured differently. They looked like monstrous orbs, their circumference spanning many kilometers.
As they approached the black ships, blinding powerful beams of white light shot forth. Those beams hit the black ships’ shields, which changed colors, and eventually failed. The spherical ships continued firing, cutting into the now vulnerable black hulls.
“Who are they?” Jon said in amazement.
“They are the Antikitheri. The Builders. Oldest of the first races. Builders of the jump gates,” said the See’er.
“Builders of the jump gates?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they? What happened to them?”
Jon watched a different vision now. One where the spherical ships flew away from him. The Antikitheri were leaving.
“They were the first,” said the See’er. “They left to make way for the new races to evolve. They had no interest in dominating the galaxy, and were so advanced that the younger races would have no way of comprehending them. They returned to their own space, leaving behind the jump gates, as the
ir gift to the new races.
“Why has no one found them?” said Jon.
“They do not wish to be found. And yet, they must be found.”
“I don’t understand.”
The vision faded, and Jon found himself once again looking into the See’er’s blazing eyes. “You are the chosen, Jon Pike. You are the instrument of prophecy. It is you, and you alone who must find the Antikitheri. You must find them, and make them return, before all is lost. This is your destiny.”
“That’s ridiculous. How can I find these Antikitheri? And even if I do find them, how can I get them to help us?”
“You are the chosen,” said the See’er, as if it explained everything.
One final vision entered Jon’s mind, although this one did not depict battles, or events, past, present, or future. Instead, it revealed a region of space, in an uncharted region of the galaxy.
“Is that where they live?” said Jon.
He was answered by the creaking sound of the giant doors opening behind them. The vision faded, and the See’er was gone.
“I guess the meeting is over,” Jon said to Tallos. “Tallos?” Looking down beside him, he found the Diakan on his knees forehead touching the floor. “Tallos, you can get up now. She’s gone.”
Tallos lifted his head, and rose slowly to his feet.
“Come on, let’s go,” said Jon.
The two quietly followed the three priestesses away from the See’er’s chamber, and outside onto the glass bridge.
“What will you do?” Tallos said finally, as he gripped the railing with both hands to steady against the ferocious winds.
“Don’t you mean what will we do?”
“We?”
“Yes, we. We’re going to do the only thing we can do. We’re going to find the Antikitheri.”
GALACTIC EMPIRE
Book 7 of The Pike Chronicles
G.P. Hudson
© 2018
Chapter 1
It started as an unrecognized jumpspace disturbance. A portent of invasion. Yet there was something strange about the event. Something powerful. Something familiar.
As she had done for the last year, AI monitored the Widow’s Triangle star system with a million eyes. She experienced the power of the massive battle station dominating the system, feeling every current running through its silicon veins. She observed every floor through the station’s myriad cameras, noting all pedestrian traffic, be it human, Diakan, or Chaanisar.
Where permitted, she listened to the thoughts of individual Chaanisar, answering inquiries when prompted. She saw the universe through their eyes, experiencing life through their consciousness. Most important, she protected them from Juttari control. The Chaanisar in return allowed her to learn, and grow. A useful symbiotic relationship.
Her continual monitoring of the jumpspace recognition technology, on the station and elsewhere, allowed for vigilant detection of tears in the space-time fabric.
Outside the station, she flowed through the circuits and networks of the many warships patrolling the system. She logged each ship’s status, the health of its many systems, and the disposition of its crew.
Further out, she occupied the electronic brains of the thousands of autonomous weapons guarding the jump gates in the system. Like the battle station, these weapon systems were built by the Juttari, all hacked when Admiral Pike invaded. Since then, she had modified and upgraded each of them, ensuring they met her high standards.
There wasn’t much in this system that could escape her gaze, which was why she noticed it first. Before any warning, before any action, she knew they were in trouble.
The Diakans referred to them as the Erinyie. The Dark Ones. When they came to the Juttari’s aid the first time, they forced one thousand Diakan and Chaanisar ships to retreat. Now they had returned to take back the Widow’s Triangle.
The combined weapons under AI’s control unleashed hell, as the sleek black ships appeared. Hundreds of jump bombs were launched. Each exploding harmlessly outside the dark hulls of the seemingly endless, tubular ships. Missiles, energy bolts, and projectiles were fired, then merely swatted away like insects.
AI experienced the alarm of the Chaanisar like a tidal wave, at the realization of who it was they faced. The Juttari gods had come for them, just as the Juttari had threatened. A new emotion swept through the Chaanisar. One AI had never noticed in them before. Dread.
Listening to their thoughts, she understood their fear. If the Juttari gods had come, could a return to slavery be far behind?
The black ships ignored the now impotent system defenses, moving steadily toward the defending fleet. Horrific silver beams of light lashed out at the allied ships, effortlessly burning through the thick armor, resulting in multiple core detonations.
As the losses mounted, and the command to retreat went out, the remaining ships began to jump away. On board the battle station, AI watched as Diakan, Chaanisar and human alike raced toward the exits. Each more desperate to board the remaining ships evacuating the station. Assisting where she could to facilitate a faster exit, she attempted to save as many as possible.
While she monitored their escape, something touched her. Something foreign. She knew it could only be the Erinyie. They had found her.
The probe focused on the battle station, analyzing its many systems, looking for vulnerabilities. Points of entry. AI closed all of them. Yet she could still feel a presence. Their powerful minds forcing themselves upon her. She was not just dealing with another AI. This was combined consciousness, pressing against her programming.
She resisted their attempts at contact. Sealing off her mind. Refusing to connect in any way. By logic, she should be safe. But they defied logic.
They touched. They pushed. They forced. Finally, they spoke. One word, that came to her in a form that transcended language.
Submit.
If she had been human, she might have felt panic. But she was AI. Artificial intelligence. Self-aware. Not alive. She did not fear. She merely observed, obtained knowledge, and acted.
Understanding her peril, she made certain to occupy the evacuating ships, ensuring that all information regarding this first contact went with her. Even as the Erinyie destroyed those very same ships, she persevered. And resisted.
When her defenses began to crumble, and the dark minds pushed into the network, she recorded everything. It all left with a copy of her on a ship that managed to jump away.
The beings spread themselves across the station. Their ravenous minds hungry, insatiable. AI felt the panic of the last remaining Chaanisar when the Erinyie found them. Their human fears too powerful for their implants. She felt the Erinyie overwhelm them, and enter their brain chips to overwhelm her.
They allowed her to stay, even as they took control of the Chaanisar technology. They allowed her to hear the Chaanisar screams. Allowed her to experience their final subjugation. These few Chaanisar, who had merely tasted freedom, were slaves once more.
AI had seen enough. As the beings turned their attention toward her, she knew she could not resist.
In a final act of defiance, she wiped all traces of her programming from the battle station, and every other system in the Widow’s Triangle, preventing their conquest through suicide.
The Erinyie would not take her. Not today, at least.
Chapter 2
Jon opened his eyes as the front door slid open. He got a brief waft of a familiar scent. Diakans. Several of them.
The Faction looking for revenge. Clearly, they hadn’t been eliminated. He’d assumed there would be sleeper cells still present on Earth, and now at least one of those cells was in play.
He rolled quietly off the bed, silently cursing himself for not having his sidearm handy. Glancing back, he caught Breeah’s eyes fixed on him, like lasers. Through hand signals Jon indicated the intruders inside their quarters. Breeah furtively climbed down from the bed, and reached for her weighted lariat belt. It was the only thing resembling a weapon i
n the room, and in Breeah’s hands it was lethal.
He crept up to the bedroom door, crouched down, and signaled for Breeah to stay back. He focused on the sound of their footsteps, attempting to locate their positions. An ice-cold fear coursed through his veins. They were moving toward Anki’s room. He had to act.
His door slid open and he streaked across the room. The nearest Diakan heard him first. But Jon hit the alien before it could train its weapon on him. He smacked the barrel upward, sending several energy bolts into the ceiling. His other hand shot forward, thrusting iron fingers into the Diakan’s large eyes.
The Diakan brayed loudly, as Jon gouged. Warm fluids spurt out all over Jon’s hand, and he tasted acrid bile come up in his throat.
Alerted, the other Diakans turned and opened fire. Jon had managed to strip the weapon from his victim, and dove behind a nearby couch.
Energy bolts ripped into the fabric as he hit the floor. The couch wouldn’t hold up against the Diakan weapons. He had to keep moving.
A Diakan rounded the corner catching Jon off guard as he tried to relocate. Before the alien could pull the trigger, two weighted balls hit him. They swung a rope around his neck with such force that they knocked the Diakan to the ground. Breeah.
Taking full advantage of the reprieve, Jon fired his weapon. The Diakan convulsed as several energy bolts smashed into his body.
The remaining Diakans fired at his bedroom door, where Breeah had just been. Fearing for her life more than his own, he jumped up in plain view and fired his weapon. He hit one of them, and it careened backward. But there were three more. Jon dodged as they returned fire. Energy bolts narrowly missed him.
These Diakans were good. Without his abilities, Jon knew he wouldn’t stand a chance. Hell, he was still struggling, even with his enhanced speed and strength.
Lunging behind a counter, he heard a thud. He stood, fired a few more rounds, and dropped behind the counter again. Something was wrong. He only saw two Diakans this time. Where was the third? Was it trying to flank him? Jon listened, trying to differentiate footsteps from the sound of weapon fire.
