by G. P. Hudson
“Yes, Admiral,” said AI. “At first the modifications seemed to be only to protect me from being overwhelmed by the Erinyie. But when I faced the Dvorkan AI, I realized that the modifications had made me more powerful than before.”
“Powerful enough to access the brain chips of any Chaanisar on those ships?”
“I do not know, Admiral. The Juttari took many precautions to prevent me from doing so. I could free the Chaanisar at first because the Juttari were not aware of my tactics. Things have changed since then. Even with my greater strength, I do not possess a link to the Chaanisar on those ships like I did before.”
“Do you think a jump bomb with a cyberwarfare payload would fix that problem?”
“You are speaking of the same tactic used against General Dak’s ship.”
“I am.”
“It is possible, but I must point out that these are not Dvorkan systems. Juttari systems are significantly more robust, and each ship will possess its own cyberwarfare AI.”
“That’s true, but I still think you can take them.”
“Where are you asking me to take them to, Admiral?”
“It’s a figure of speech, AI. I meant that I believe you can defeat any Juttari AI.”
“Understood. I believe you are correct. With the computing resources of this fleet at my disposal and the Cenobi modifications, I do not think Juttari AIs are my equal.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Jon. “Commander, prepare a cyberwarfare jump bomb for deployment.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson.
“I do not understand the point of this action,” said Tallos, who was still on the comm. “We possess the element of surprise. We can strike the Juttari before they are aware of our presence, dealing a decisive blow to their occupation force.”
“I understand your concerns, General, but if there are Chaanisar on those ships, I’d prefer to free them, rather than kill them.”
“Any Chaanisar on those ships are complicit in the murder of an untold number of Diakans.”
“Their actions were not their own. You know that. They are under Juttari control. If we can free them, they will kill their Juttari masters for us. They become allies, rather than enemies. Either way, they’re humans. If I can free them, I have to try.”
Tallos did not reply. He just stared back at Jon with those large, unblinking eyes.
“Cyberwarfare jump bomb is ready, Sir,” said Henderson.
“Very well,” said Jon. “Initiate strike.”
“Jump bomb away,” said Henderson.
On the viewscreen, the Juttari squadron suddenly changed course and headed back toward the jump gate.
“Report,” said Jon.
“Jump bomb strike has failed,” said Henderson.
“What happened?”
“All evidence indicates the presence of shields.”
“That’s impossible,” said Jon.
“I have confirmed the Commander’s hypothesis,” said AI. “The Juttari ships have shields.”
Chapter 46
“Initiate nuclear strike,” said Jon. “I want those shields down before they reach that gate.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Commander Henderson. “Launching nukes.”
A white halo appeared around the Juttari warships as the nuclear jump bombs hit, confirming that they were shielded.
“Keep hitting them,” said Jon. “Goddamn it! How did they get shields?”
“There can be only one answer,” said Tallos. “The Erinyie gave them the technology.”
“Okay, assuming you’re right, why didn’t they give them the technology earlier? Why now?”
“The Erinyie know we’ve been to the Andromeda galaxy. They know we have the shield technology. Perhaps there is a balance of power to this conflict that we are not aware of.”
“You think the Erinyie wouldn’t have given the Juttari shield technology if we hadn’t obtained it first?”
“I believe this is the only rational explanation,” said Tallos. “There has been a balance of power between the Juttari and the Galactic Accord for centuries. Both sides possessed similar technology and were relatively equal regarding territory. When you started freeing Chaanisar, and we made significant territorial gains against the Juttari, the Erinyie finally showed themselves and took the territory back. Consider the situation in the Andromeda Galaxy. The Var and the Freen have been at war for millennia, and remain at a stalemate.”
“Okay, what you’re saying makes sense, but there are a few problems. First, why didn’t they give the Juttari jump bombs or cloaks?”
“I believe that since the Juttari possess jump technology, it is up to them to learn how to build jump bombs. I estimate that they are very close to achieving this if they haven’t already. The jump system and the jump bombs were a human innovation. The Antikitheri did not give us the technology. The Juttari discovered the secrets of the jump system not from the Erinyie, but through espionage. As for the cloaking technology, that came from the Dvorkans, not the Antikitheri.”
“So, if the Antikitheri give us the tech, the Erinyie will give it to the Juttari, but if we get it from somewhere else, then the Erinyie will stay out of it.”
“Yes, that is my hypothesis. The Erinyie will allow our advantage, unless our resulting gains are too great, which would prompt their intervention.”
“That’s fucked up. You know that, right?”
“That is a crude way of putting it, but yes, I agree. It indicates that there is much more to this conflict between the Antikitheri and Erinyie than we understand.”
“You know what I think? The Erinyie and Antikitheri are playing some sort of galactic game, and we’re the pieces. What’s worse, the game has rules, but we’re not allowed to know what they are.” Jon felt like breaking something. When would it end? Would humans remain under the alien boot forever?
“Juttari ships have jumped,” said Henderson. “They’ve reappeared in front of the jump gate. Juttari squadron has entered the jump gate.”
“Order all ships to jump to the gate, and cross through. Remain cloaked. With any luck, they’ll think whatever attacked them is still on this side.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson. “Initiating jump.”
Jon’s armada landed directly in front of the gate, and immediately crossed through. Jon caught his breath when they emerged on the other side. The Juttari hadn’t merely taken the system. They had destroyed it. Planets where billions of Diakans once lived now lay in ruins. Their cities flattened without mercy. It was a complete disaster. The Diakans, their most powerful ally, had been crushed.
“Sir, the Diakans are launching nuclear strikes,” said Henderson.
Jon looked back to General Tallos on his comm. “Tallos, what are you doing? I didn’t give the order to attack.”
“No orders are needed, Admiral. This is Diakan space. We are sworn to defend it.”
“Jumpspace disturbance detected,” said the computer. “Identifying Juttari signatures. Launching jump bombs.”
Hundreds of Juttari warships began to appear all around them, their shields glowing red as they absorbed the detonations from the initial strike.
“The Juttari are firing weapons,” Henderson announced.
The Freedom shuddered as its shields absorbed the Juttari energy weapons.
“Return fire. What the hell is going on?” said Jon. “I thought they couldn’t see us.”
“They may have guessed our position, based on proximity to jump gate,” said Tallos.
“Detecting nuclear warheads on missiles,” said Henderson. “Missiles are detonating.”
“Have they hit our ships?” said Jon.
“Negative. The Juttari are remotely detonating the missiles. The radiation is interfering with our cloaking systems. Cloaks are failing.”
Jon looked at one of his displays to see that cloaks had failed on more than half the fleet, leaving those ships exposed.
“Have all ships launch nukes,” said Jon. “Concentr
ate strike on the ships directly in front of us. I want them destroyed.”
“Yes, Sir. Relaying orders. Initiating nuclear strike.”
The attacking Juttari warships were hit with devastating force, as thousands of nuclear bombs exploded in their midst. The Juttari shields glowed white temporarily, but their shields quickly failed, unable to withstand the punishing assault. Blinding light followed as dozens of warships blew apart. Those that survived the initial onslaught jumped away to a safer location.
“Picking up jump gate activity,” said Henderson. “Juttari ships are entering from the system’s second gate.”
Jon turned back to Tallos on his comm. “Doesn’t that gate link to another Diakan system?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“It does,” said Tallos. “We have an even greater concern. We cannot contact Diakus.”
Jon’s stomach lurched at Tallos’s words. Could it be possible? Could Diakus have fallen during their absence? How could something like this have happened?
“Maybe it’s just a communications problem,” said Jon, trying to convince himself as much as Tallos.
“It is a possibility,” said Tallos, though Jon recognized a hint of anguish in the stoic Diakan’s features.
The viewscreen focused on the Juttari ships entering the system from the far end. They weren’t advancing. Instead, they all clustered in front of the gate, seemingly blocking access to it. Were they trying to prevent Jon’s fleet from leaving?
“Are those ships within range of our jump bombs?” said Jon.
“Negative,” said Henderson.
“On my order, jump fleet to the edge of jump bomb range. I want every ship in this fleet to start hitting the Juttari with nukes when we land. Prepare some more cyberwarfare bombs too. Let’s keep all options open. Maybe we can still free some Chaanisar.”
“Yes, Sir. Orders relayed to the fleet. All ships are jump ready.”
“Initiate jump.”
The UHSF armada vanished, reappearing on the other side of the Diakan star system, within range of the Juttari fleet. As per Jon’s orders, all ships launched nuclear jump bombs at the Juttari, who seemed to be expecting the tactic. The moment Jon’s ships reappeared and let loose their barrage, the Juttari vessels blinked off the viewscreen, engaging their own jump systems.
“Jumpspace disturbance detected,” said the computer. “Launching jump bombs.”
“Juttari ships are on top of us!” said Henderson. “They’re firing missiles. Nuclear warheads detected.”
The missiles detonated just above the UHSF fleet, hitting the Freedom’s shields with significant force.
“Shields are holding,” said Henderson. “Shield integrity is down to sixty-two percent.”
“AI,” said Jon. “Reconfigure jumpspace system only to launch nuclear jump bombs until further notice.”
“Modifications complete,” said AI.
“Juttari fleet has jumped again,” said Henderson.
“AI, is the jumpspace detection system hitting them? Said Jon.
“Negative, Admiral,” said AI. “Juttari fleet is out of jump bomb range.”
“They’re playing with us,” Jon said to himself. He turned back to Tallos on his comm. “Tallos, I know you want to stay, but I think we should return to allied space. We don’t know how many systems have fallen to the Juttari. We need to regroup and assess how much damage they’ve caused. Then we can launch a counterattack and regain any systems we’ve lost.”
“Regrettably, I am forced to agree with you, Admiral. The Juttari are trying to prevent our return, and deplete our resources.”
“Agreed,” said Jon. “Commander, jump all ships to the gate and cross through immediately. Prepare to jump to the next gate once we've crossed.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson. “Initiating jump.”
The fleet crossed through the jump gate and immediately came under attack from automated weapon systems waiting on the other side.
“Initiate jump,” ordered Jon, knowing that if they stopped to destroy the weapon systems, that the Juttari would come through the gate and hit them from behind.
The fleet landed at the other end of the system and came under fire again. This time the weapon systems were backed up by Juttari battleships.
“Target battleships and return fire,” ordered Jon. “But do it while crossing through the jump gate.”
As they left the system, the grim details of what the Juttari had done appeared on his console. Like the system before, the Juttari had devastated this one, flattening cities in what could only be genocidal attacks.
But how? How were the Juttari capable of such a feat? The Diakans were an incredibly powerful race. Even with shields, the Juttari shouldn’t have inflicted this much damage in such a short amount of time. Jon felt like he was in a nightmare. None of this could have possibly happened.
But after crossing through several Diakan systems, the sobering truth was that it had. Somehow, the Juttari had defeated the Diakans, Earth’s most powerful ally. The only question left was what had happened to Earth, and the colonies.
Crossing through the final Diakan gate, Jon braced himself for what awaited him on the other side. When they emerged, his tactical screen lit up with contacts. This system was armed to the teeth. To Jon’s relief, none of them fired. The icons on his display belonged to the UHSF.
“Sir, we are being hailed,” said Henderson.
“Send to my console,” said Jon.
A middle-aged human male in a UHSF uniform appeared. “Admiral Pike,” said the man in surprise. “Welcome back. I am Captain Pietersma.”
“Thank you, Captain. I see a lot has changed since I left.”
“Yes, Sir. That is an understatement.”
“Is the Sol System still ours?”
“Yes, Sir. Sol and the colonies were untouched.”
Relief washed over Jon. “So, the Juttari only hit the Diakans?”
“Yes, Sir,” Pietersma said with a frown. “But it wasn’t the Juttari that hit them. It was the Erinyie.”
Chapter 47
Jon was happy to see his old friend, Rear Admiral Kevin St. Clair. He only wished it had been under better circumstances. Having accomplished his mission against seemingly impossible odds, he had returned to Earth with a new fleet, new technology, new allies, and a promise from the Antikitheri that they would return and help them against the Erinyie. Now it appeared that return would come too late, if at all.
“I still can’t believe it,” said Jon, standing in the mountain complex’s operations room on Earth, with General Tallos, First Colonel Brock, leader of the Chaanisar, and Colonel Bast. The four men stood in front of a holographic display of the galaxy. The Diakan systems were now colored red to indicate that they were in enemy hands.
“They hit Diakus first,” Kevin said grimly. “It happened shortly after you left. Once they laid waste to the planet, they moved on to the other worlds. Diakan refugees have flooded the Sol system and the colonies. We’re doing everything we can for them, but it’s been difficult to absorb such a spike in the population.”
“What kind of numbers are we talking about?” said Jon, trying to wrap his mind around the immensity of the disaster.
“They easily run into the hundreds of millions,” said Kevin.
“The Diakan race numbers in the hundreds of billions,” said Tallos.
“I know,” said Kevin. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, Rear Admiral St. Clair,” said Tallos. “Can you tell me if any military units survived?”
“As you know, the fourth and fifth fleets were stationed in human space. They survived. Many Diakan warships escorted the refugees to human space. Those ships remained intact as well. To my knowledge, no other ship survived the attack.”
“It will have to do,” said Tallos, staring intently at the holographic map. “I will have the new technology installed on all Diakan ships immediately. Once that is done, my ships will begin operations against the Juttari.”
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“General,” said Jon. “I understand your desire for revenge, but don’t you think it will be better for all of us to work together?”
“You are suggesting an invasion, are you not?”
“Yes. We need to drive the Juttari out of those systems.”
“I agree with you, General. However, an invasion will take time to prepare. I do not intend to wait that long.”
“With all due respect, General. You have enough ships to take a system, maybe two. Isn’t it better to invade with a combined force and take back all Diakan systems?”
“My intent is not to invade but to conduct guerrilla warfare operations. With the cloaking technology, my ships can inflict a tremendous amount of pain on the enemy.”
“You can also lose a lot of ships in the process.”
“I understand the risks. All Diakans do. But we cannot sit around while the vile Juttari contaminate our systems.”
Having grown up in the resistance on Juttari occupied Earth, Jon knew there was no point in trying to stop the Diakans. “Okay, Tallos. I won’t stand in your way.”
If you’ll excuse me, Admiral Pike. I have much to do.”
“Of course, General,” said Jon. Tallos left the room, and Jon wondered how the Diakans would bounce back from this. The irony didn’t escape him either. The Diakans liberated humanity from the Juttari, and now they had returned to human space as refugees. It was the last thing he ever expected.
“I have absorbed the information of your voyage through my connection to AI and the other Chaanisar,” said First Colonel Brock. “Am I correct in understanding that the Antikitheri were ambivalent about the timing of their return?”
“That’s right,” said Jon. “Although I’m hoping they will do so before the Erinyie wipe us all out.”
“Do you believe that they can free the rest of the Chaanisar?”
“They have the power to make it happen,” said Jon. “Whether they do so is another matter.”
“They will not free my brothers?”
“I honestly don’t know. But I will definitely ask them to whenever they show up.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” said Brock.
