Armada (The Pike Chronicles Book 8)
Page 20
“Your species is unworthy,” said the red form. “We were mistaken.”
“So, let me get this straight. Had I not agreed to your terms, you would have left us to the Erinyie’s tender mercies. Correct?”
“It is the way,” said the red form.
“But I go to the Cenobi for help, and now you’re going to purge us.”
“They are unclean. Your alliance makes your species unclean. It is not their place to intervene in our struggle.”
“Yeah? Well, fuck you and your struggle. We worship no one. Not you. Not the Erinyie. Not the Cenobi. You understand? We will not be toyed with anymore.”
“You will be eradicated,” said the blue form.
Jon shook his head. “You’re no better than the Erinyie. What a disappointment.” He took a deep breath. He had been wrong about the Antikitheri all along. The Great See’er’s visions had instilled so much hope in him. He honestly believed that these aliens would solve their problems. It was all a lie. They had manipulated him from the start. He saw that now.
“Insolence!” said the green form, its sparks shooting out with such ferocity that Jon thought one would strike him down.
“Nobody ever accused me of having manners,” said Jon. “Now you listen to me, and you listen good. We don’t want you in our system, and we don’t want you in our galaxy. So, take your ships, and go back to wherever you came from.”
“Your punishment will be a lesson to all races,” said the green form. “You will endure the most horrific pain imaginable. We will not let you die, Jon Pike. Your suffering will last an eternity.”
“Eternity, huh? Is that all?” Jon said, faking bravado as icy fingers clawed at his back.
“Yours will be an example to any would be heretics,” the green form continued. “All will learn of your hubris, and subsequent doom.”
“We’ll see,” said Jon, growing tired of the green Builder’s threats. “Now get the hell out of my operations room!”
A flash of white light filled the room, and the three Antikitheri were gone.
Jon turned to Kevin, Brock, and Bast, who all had expressions of grave concern. “Well, that went well. Don’t you think?” he said, trying to lighten the mood, but no one laughed, and a feeling of dread hung in the air.
“Jumpspace disturbance detected,” said AI. “Erinyie signatures identified.”
Kevin turned and tapped away at a console. “Sir, the Antikitheri, and the Erinyie have opened fire on the Cenobi.”
“Here we go,” said Jon. “Put it up on the holodisplay.”
The holographic map of the galaxy in the middle of the room flickered and transitioned to show the battle taking place in the Sol system. The scale of the conflict was unlike anything Jon had ever seen before.
“There must be millions of those enormous ships out there,” Kevin said in awe. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
“Neither can I,” said Jon. He watched the events unfold in a state of borderline panic. Had he made a mistake? Would the entire human race pay for his arrogance? Would the Antikitheri follow through on their promise of eternal suffering? Would he become a galactic Prometheus, the celestial eagle forever tearing at his liver? He shivered at the thought.
“Sir, the Freen have jumped away,” said Kevin.
“So much for our jump gate,” said Jon, regaining his composure. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
The battle raged for endless hours. Days passed. Tens of thousands of ships were destroyed on all sides. Fatigue took hold, but Jon couldn’t pull himself away from the display. None of them could. The stakes were far too high. His symbiont continued flooding Jon’s body with adrenaline, recharging him, keeping him awake and focused.
As more days passed, and with no end in sight, Jon couldn’t hold out any longer and took a nap. When he woke up, he felt more tired than before closing his eyes. His body wanted more sleep, but he forced himself up and returned to monitor the ongoing battle. The three sides continued fighting, destroying ships on both sides by the thousands. The most frustrating aspect was that he could do nothing to help. For all the ships under his command, he remained helpless.
All sides seemed to have a limitless number of ships, with a steady stream appearing to replace the ones destroyed. Days turned into weeks, and the fighting persisted. Weeks turned into months, and Jon worried that Sol would remain embroiled in never-ending warfare.
The fighting stretched from Mercury to the Kuiper belt. Tens of millions of the unbelievably massive warships were deployed, with more steadily flowing into the system.
Of course, there was no alien loss of life. All three races existed inside their technology. None of their lives were ever at risk. Instead, they played some meaningless celestial chess game. Mere mortals like Jon were sidelined in this conflict, reduced to the role of spectator.
All space travel in the Sol system had ceased since the start of the battle. No ships came through the jump gate from the colonies. Everything remained at a standstill. The alien weapons were so powerful that any attempt at space travel provoked immediate destruction. The aliens had blockaded Earth.
Early on they tried to use the jump systems, but nothing worked. It turned out that either the Erinyie or the Antikitheri had deployed some sort of jumpspace field, preventing the use of the human jump systems. The field didn’t have any effect on the Cenobi, but it stopped all UHSF ships from entering or leaving the system.
As time passed, doubt crept into Jon’s thoughts. Had he made a mistake? If he had merely agreed to the Antikitheri’s terms, none of this would have happened. The Sol system would have its protection. So, they had to treat the Antikitheri like gods. Would that have been so bad? In time, humanity would just come to accept that reality, as the Freen had done. It would become another religion, with all its corresponding rituals and traditions.
The fighting remained between the three alien races, leaving Earth untouched, but the threat hung over them like an executioner’s ax. The Cenobi were masterful in their defense of the planet, successfully keeping both enemies from inflicting any blows on the cowering population.
The months turned into years, and Jon all but gave up hope. This seemed to be the new reality. Three immortal races fighting a never-ending battle in human space. The battle could last hundreds of years. Maybe thousands. Time just did not mean the same thing to these aliens. And through it all, Earth continued to stagnate. Cut off from the rest of its allies.
Jon had no idea what was taking place in the colonies, or in the Dvorkan Empire. Were the colonies fighting the Juttari? Had the Dvorkan AI returned to wage its war against the Empire? He had no news, no intelligence on anything taking place outside of their solar system.
One day, some five years after the start of the battle, Jon sat brooding in his quarters when a comm request came through from Kevin. Jon tapped the display, accepting the comm, and Kevin’s face appeared.
“Admiral, something’s happened,” Kevin said excitedly. “The fighting has stopped.”
“What?!” said Jon, surging to his feet. He pulled up a tactical screen and confirmed the news. Not only had the fighting ceased, but the Antikitheri and Erinyie ships had begun to leave the system, disappearing as they jumped away. “I don’t understand. What happened?”
“We have come to an agreement,” said a booming voice that seemed to come from all around him. Jon knew instantly that he was speaking to the Cenobi.
“What sort of agreement?” Jon said suspiciously, fearing the worst.
“This ongoing conflict is of no lasting benefit. As such, all sides have agreed to withdraw.”
“Withdraw? What does that mean exactly?”
“We have expressed our interest in this galaxy, and that we do not intend to leave, as we seek to harness the energy of its stars. The others have agreed to this, if we do not interfere in the affairs of the younger races. You remain under our protection. If the Erinyie or the Antikitheri threaten your people, we will intervene. Otherw
ise, all conflicts between the younger races in this galaxy will remain between those races, with no intervention from either the Erinyie, Antikitheri, or Cenobi.”
“So, we’re back to where we were before the Erinyie first showed up?” said Jon, trying to grasp what had happened.
“Yes, although territorial gains will not be reversed. The Erinyie were adamant on this point.”
That didn’t surprise Jon. The Erinyie had helped the Juttari reverse any gains he had made and had destroyed the Diakans for them. “You mean the Diakans do not get their planets back?”
“Correct. If you chose to fight for those systems, the older races would not intervene.”
“I guess I can live with that.” Jon’s forces had defeated the Juttari in battle before. It seemed he would have to do so again.
“There was one other concession,” the Cenobi continued. “All the Children of Darkness, those you call the Chaanisar, will be freed.”
“That’s great!” Jon said in disbelief. He briefly wondered how many Chaanisar were still under Juttari control. Thousands? More? It looked like he was about to find out.
“Their release was a vital part of the negotiation. We will, of course, maintain a link with every Chaanisar, with an offer for any of them to join us if they wish.”
“Fair enough. As long as it is their choice to do so.”
“They are all free to choose their destiny.”
“That’s amazing. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Jon waited for a response, but none came. The Cenobi had left, and Jon sat in stunned silence. He almost couldn’t believe that it was over. After five long years, the battle between the immortals had finally ended.
Getting back up to his feet, Jon exited his quarters and headed for the operations room, his mind now racing with all that he needed to do. They had to get in contact with the colonies, and the Dvorkans. He required reports, updates, communications.
Above all else, he still had a war to win.
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Other books by G.P. Hudson
Fall of the Terran Empire:
War Without End – Fall of the Terran Empire Book 1
The Pike Chronicles:
Sol Shall Rise – Book 1 of The Pike Chronicles
Prevail – Book 2 of The Pike Chronicles
Ronin – Book 3 of The Pike Chronicles
Ghost Fleet – Book 4 of The Pike Chronicles
Interstellar War – Book 5 of The Pike Chronicles
Vanquish – Book 6 of The Pike Chronicles
Galactic Empire – Book 7 of The Pike Chronicles
Armada – Book 8 of The Pike Chronicles