by G. P. Hudson
The impact knocked the weapon out of his hand. Jon didn’t even get off a shot. He had been ready, knowing that the man was close. He was going to blast the man the second he saw him. But he didn’t see him. Before he even registered the movement he had been hit with incredible force. Raw instinct saved him. The force had sent both of them hurtling off the perch and somehow Jon managed to get a hand out and find a rock to hold onto.
Unfortunately the Chaanisar had also grabbed hold of Jon’s legs. He couldn’t believe the man’s strength. He looked down as the man reached up and grabbed hold of Jon’s cloak. In that moment of life and death, Jon managed to look into the man’s eyes, and he saw nothing. No fear, no anger, no humanity. Whatever he had been was no more. Jon watched an energy bolt streak across the mountain pass and burn into the man’s back. He exhaled sharply, but kept his grip. The man held Jon’s gaze as a second bolt hit, and for a fleeting moment, as the man fell, Jon thought he saw a smile.
Chapter 20
“I’m so happy for you,” said Prime Minister Sallas. “This is wonderful news.”
“I still can’t believe it,” said Doctor Ellerbeck, sitting cross legged across from Sallas’s desk, eyes wide with wonder. “And what are they doing in a Chaanisar ship, of all things?”
“That will be an interesting story, I’m sure. We can hear it first hand when they arrive.”
“Captain Pike is coming to the surface?”
“Yes, he is flying down with this Colonel Bast and a couple of their men.”
“Colonel Bast? I don’t know that name.”
“He is the Chaanisar commander.”
“I see. I’ll need some time to get used to that. Either way, I can’t wait to see the Captain.”
“I can’t wait to learn about this jump technology they have.” He thought about how the ship vanished and reappeared in orbit around New Byzantium. If they had access to that type of tech they could even the odds against the Kemmar. “How far can they travel using it?”
“I’ve already told you too much. I’m really not supposed to talk about it.”
“Technically you’d be talking about Juttari technology, not Space Force.”
“Yes, that’s a clever way of looking at it, but I think I’ll let the Captain decide how much to tell you.”
Sallas noticed the way her tone changed when she spoke about Captain Pike. “You think highly of your Captain, don’t you?”
She seemed surprised by the question. “The Captain is unique, and very capable,” she said.
“He must be to earn your respect. I look forward to meeting him.” He wondered how this would change things. He had grown attached to her in the time they had spent together. What would she do now that her people were here? Would she just pack up and leave? Could he convince her to stay?
“You had mentioned that the ship you were on had been destroyed,” said Sallas.
“Yes, that’s correct. The Captain destroyed the Hermes to prevent its capture by the Kemmar.”
He probed further. “It seems that much of your crew is aboard this Chaanisar vessel. Do you think they’d want to stay on board?”
“I wouldn’t think so, but then I would’ve never expected to see them on that ship to begin with.”
“It must be hard for them to have to rely on a former enemy’s hospitality.”
“It can’t be easy,” said Ellerbeck. “But I don’t know all the details yet. Maybe they think the Chaanisar will take them home, although I can’t see that happening.”
“Why not?”
“They said they revolted against the Juttari. Doing something like that out here is one thing, but heading back to Sol in a Juttari Heavy Cruiser is another. If they encountered any other Juttari ships along the way their rebellion would come to an end. That ship has some very important technology on board. I imagine the whole Juttari Empire will be looking for it.”
“I have an idea,” Sallas pronounced.
Ellerbeck cocked her head. “I’m listening.”
“What if I make it so your crew can settle on New Byzantium? I’m sure they have a lot to offer us. We can provide them with homes, and positions within our government.”
“Captain Pike is not the bureaucratic type,” she said, with a mischievous smile.
“When I say the government, I am including the military.”
“As I said, I don’t know what their situation is, but they might find your offer interesting. What about the Chaanisar?”
“Do you think they would want to settle here?”
“I have no idea what they would want. If they really have revolted against the Juttari, then this would be the first time they have had free will since they were children. They might be interested.”
“Then it’s decided. The offer will be open to everyone on board that ship.” He felt like patting himself on the back. He could gain access to the jump technology and keep Dr. Ellerbeck on New Byzantium.
His feeling of victory was abruptly cut short when the doors to his office burst open. Soldiers stormed into the room with weapons drawn.
Outraged, Sallas stood and said, “What is the meaning of this. How dare you barge into my office?”
The soldiers didn’t respond. Instead they took positions around his office while two soldiers flanked his desk. Was there a threat against him? Were they here for protection? He thought that the most likely answer, but their silence made him nervous. Someone should have offered an explanation. He was the Prime Minister. He could have them court marshalled for disobeying him, yet they continued to ignore him. What gave them that type of confidence? His stomach turned when General Juneau strode into his office.
“What the hell is going on here, General?”
“Your arrest, Mr. Sallas, that’s what is going on here,” said Juneau, dismissively.
“Arrest? On what charges?”
“Unfortunately I can’t arrest you for incompetence, so how does treason sound? It seems you have been selling state secrets to the Kemmar Empire.”
“What? That’s ridiculous.”
“We believe the Kemmar have infiltrated all corners of the government. We are therefore declaring a state of emergency, and placing New Byzantium under martial law until all conspirators have been rooted out.” Juneau nodded to the two soldiers standing on either side of Sallas and they seized him by the arms.
“Let go of me! You can’t do this General.”
“Really? I thought I was doing it.” He glanced over at Dr. Ellerbeck and said, “Dr. Ellerbeck is a co-conspirator. Arrest her as well.”
“You can’t arrest me,” said Ellerbeck, pushing the soldier approaching her. “I’ve done nothing but try to help.” The soldier seized her by the arm, visibly angry that she had touched him. He wrenched the arm behind her back and she cried out in pain.
“Let her go you son of a bitch,” said Sallas, fighting the two men holding his arms.
The soldier who had hold of Ellerbeck looked back at him, pulled out his sidearm and pressed it against Ellerbeck’s head. She suddenly became very still.
“I suggest you go along peacefully,” said General Juneau. “My men despise traitors.”
Sallas stopped fighting. “Fine. I’ll go. Just take the gun away from her head.”
The two men restrained Sallas’s hands behind his back and the third soldier holstered his weapon and restrained the now compliant Dr. Ellerbeck.
“Take them away,” ordered Juneau.
The two men yanked on Sallas’s elbows. Pain spiked up his arms into his shoulders. He looked at Juneau as he left. The man walked around to his desk and sat down in his chair, a smug look on his face.
The old bastard was staging a coup.
***
“It’s done,” said Juneau to the wrinkled face appearing on the communicator.
“Is he dead?” asked Franz Stumpf, CEO of Amboss Corporation.
“He’s in custody. I can’t just kill him. He’ll need to stand trial first.”
“You
need to shoot that bastard right now, or he’ll come back to haunt you,” said Stumpf, clearly annoyed.
“It doesn’t matter. I have deployed heavy weapons at strategic points throughout New Byzantium. The troops have been mobilized, and martial law has been declared. As we speak my men are rounding up members of Sallas’s ruling party on charges of corruption and treason. The planet is ours.”
“I hope so, General. We’ve put a lot of faith in you.”
“You won’t be disappointed, Sir.”
“This should send a clear message,” proclaimed Stumpf, a thick vein throbbing at his temple. “This democracy movement on New Byzantium has given the other populations too many bad ideas. People think they can just do away with corporate rule on a whim. Well all that is going to change. When will you start rounding up the activists?”
“We have lists already drawn up of outspoken supporters of the democratic movement. Phase one targets members of the ruling party. Phase two will target the intelligentsia. Phase three the supporters.”
“Good. That should give the other planets something to think about.”
“I’m sure it will,” said Juneau.
“No matter. We’ll make our move on the other planets soon enough. We’ll run media campaigns first, showing how the democracy movement on New Byzantium was merely a front. How Sallas and his party were secretly supporting the Kemmar. We’ll show videos of Kemmar brutality against the Otan. Frighten the masses. Then we’ll round up the activists and charge them with sedition and treason. I don’t foresee any problems.”
“It is a good plan, Sir.”
“That it is. Very well, keep me updated,” said Stumpf and terminated the communication.
Juneau sat back in the Prime Minister’s chair. Now his chair. He ran a hand across the desk’s fine wood grains. Satisfied. His plan had been executed with speed and precision. His ambition finally realized. He was now the ruler of New Byzantium.
Chapter 21
“I think I’ll find a nice beach house somewhere,” said Seiben, looking at the shuttle’s display of the planet’s surface. “Darla and the kids will like that.”
“You’ll love it,” said Kevin. “I grew up on an island. I went swimming every day when I was a kid. Do you swim?”
“No, I guess I’ll have to learn.”
“How about you guys?” said Kevin, looking at Colonel Bast and Lieutenant Jarvi. “Did the Juttari teach you how to swim?”
“The Chaanisar are trained to adapt to any planetary condition,” said Jarvi.
“Does that mean you can swim?” Kevin asked, smirking.
“Yes, Chief St. Clair, we are superior swimmers.”
“Superior? I think you’ll have to prove that.”
“You know we are augmented. We can surpass an unaugmented human in almost any activity,” said Jarvi.
“I know one activity you’re not superior at,” said Seiben, with a wide grin on his face.
“What activity is that?” Jarvi asked.
Seiben and Kevin both broke out into laughter. Bast and Jarvi seemed confused. Jon rolled his eyes and looked back at the display. They were flying over one of the planet’s massive oceans, heading to meet with Dr. Ellerbeck and Prime Minister Sallas. He was excited to see Dr. Ellerbeck again. She had always been good to him and he genuinely liked her. He also needed her advice on the symbiont. He needed to know if it would become a problem again.
“Colonel, two fighters have just pulled up alongside us,” said the pilot. “They say they are here as an escort.”
“Understood,” said Bast.
“I wonder why we need a military escort?” said Kevin. “Is that normal procedure?” he asked Seiben.
“I’ve never had one. Maybe they’re still scared of you,” said Seiben. “Hell, I’m still scared of you.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?” said Seiben, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“You’re really funny,” Kevin said sarcastically.
“Thanks.”
Jon knew Seiben was joking, but he thought he might not be far off from the truth. They seemed to know what the Juttari were. They saw the ship jump. He couldn’t blame them for being careful. For all they knew he was their prisoner and the whole thing was a ruse.
On the display the water steadily transitioned into land, and soon they were flying over a sprawling, bustling city. Monolithic towers reached into the sky, lights of every color blinking along their lengths. A complex lattice-like network of high speed rail lines spread out across the surface. Smaller vehicles zipped through the air, to and fro in a frenzied, yet somehow organized fashion. Some things were strangely out of place, however. Heavy weaponry had been deployed on city streets. Mammoth sized Tanks and mechs stood at strategic bottlenecks. As they neared the surface groups of armed soldiers became visible. He felt the symbiont becoming agitated. It clearly didn’t like the situation. The laughter in the shuttle died down as everybody else noticed the military activity.
“What are we walking into?” said Kevin.
“Nothing good,” said Jon.
Bast and Jarvi remained quiet, yet he could see that their eyes missed nothing.
A familiar nervous energy began to envelop Seiben.
The fighters escorted the shuttle to a landing pad which Jon assumed was a government building. They landed and everyone prepared to disembark. Jon looked over to the weapons locker, feeling a need to arm himself. With the exception of Seiben they all wore sidearms, but instinctively Jon wanted something heavier.
“We don’t want to send the wrong message,” said Bast, nodding towards the locker.
“No, of course not,” said Jon, unable to shake a creeping feeling of vulnerability.
“Let’s find out what’s going on,” said Bast, nodding to Jarvi.
Jarvi opened the hatch and the group ventured out onto the landing pad.
Armed soldiers donning exoskeletons waited for them. The symbiont growled at the sight, and Jon quashed the urge to take cover. They’re friendly, remember? he thought to himself, and to the symbiont. It didn’t seem to agree.
One of the soldiers approached, the metallic limbs attached to his arms and legs whining as he moved. “Captain Pike?” he said, scanning each of them.
“That’s me,” said Jon.
“I’m Sergeant Fitch. My men and I are here to escort you to your meeting.”
See? Friendly. The symbiont wasn’t convinced and it grew increasingly agitated. Jon’s stomach tightened to the point where his side started to cramp.
Jon glanced at Bast and said, “Lead the way, Sergeant.”
“You’ll have to leave your weapons behind,” said Fitch.
“I don’t think so,” said Jarvi, staring the Sergeant down.
Sergeant Fitch tensed and took a step back, eyes fixed on Lieutenant Jarvi.
“It’s okay,” said Bast. “Do as the good Sergeant asks.”
Jarvi obeyed his commander and removed his sidearm, eyes locked with Fitch the whole time.
Jon and Kevin both removed their sidearms and placed them in the shuttle.
“Can we go now?” asked Jon, more than a little frustrated with the greeting.
Fitch nodded. “Right this way,” he said and stepped forward.
They walked into the building. Fitch and a few solders took the lead, while another group followed from behind. Jon wondered if they were being taken to the meeting, or if they were being taken into custody. Inside the building were more soldiers, mostly standing guard outside what were likely sensitive areas. These ones didn’t wear exoskeletons. Sergeant Fitch led them through a security check and down a few more hallways. They walked through a large room filled with couches and chairs to a set of double doors. The group stopped. Fitch knocked, opened the doors and stepped inside.
“Should I be concerned?” Seiben whispered to Jon.
“I don’t know,” Jon answered.
“That really doesn’t help.
”
“I’m sure there is nothing to worry about,” Jon lied.
“And if there is?”
“Then follow our lead.”
“That’s it? That’s your advice? Follow your lead? How the hell am I supposed to do that?”
“Just relax. If something happens just stay close to me and you’ll be fine.”
Seiben didn’t look convinced, but pressed the issue no further.
Ahead of them the doors swung open. “You may enter,” said Fitch.
They walked into the room with the military escort still in tow. Jon immediately noticed the official seal on the carpet, and the furniture. They were in the Prime Minister’s office. But the Prime Minister wasn’t here. Neither was Dr. Ellerbeck. Instead, a man in a military uniform sat behind a large desk.
“Welcome to New Byzantium, gentlemen. I am General Juneau,” said the man sitting at the desk.
“Where’s the Prime Minister?” said Jon.
“You must be Captain Pike,” said Juneau.
“Yes, and you didn’t answer my question.”
Juneau studied Jon and said, “I’m afraid Prime Minister Sallas won’t be able to make our meeting.”
“I see,” said Jon. “What about Dr. Ellerbeck?”
“She can’t make it either.”
“And why is that?”
Juneau sighed. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but Prime Minister Sallas and Dr. Ellerbeck have been arrested.”
“What?!” said Jon. The symbiont wanted blood. “On what charges?”
“Treason,” said Juneau. “I’m afraid Prime Minister Sallas was selling secrets to the Kemmar Empire.”
That son of a bitch, Jon thought. He’s staging a coup. “What has any of that got to do with Dr. Ellerbeck?” he said.
“She was spending a lot of time with the Prime Minister. We believe she is a co-conspirator.”
