The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10

by Hudson, G. P.

  The four remaining assault shuttles simply didn’t have enough firepower to clear the battlefield and were eventually picked off by the Kemmar missiles, each disappearing from the sky in a flash of light.

  “Ensign Petrovic, can you open fire on the enemy ground troops?” Jon said.

  “Negative, Sir. Weapons are offline,” Petrovic said.

  Jon stared at the screen as the Kemmar soldiers came closer, and opened a ship wide comm. “All hands, arm yourselves and prepare to repel enemy boarders.”

  They had fought off a boarding party in their previous encounter with the Kemmar, but with a full detail of Marines. How could they fight them off now? What if they couldn’t?

  The Kemmar would turn them into slaves and take the jump technology for themselves. A slaver race with a jump system.

  They could grow to rival the Juttari and Diakans in no time. What’s worse, they would be within striking distance of Sol. Under the terms of the Accord the Diakans had to defend Sol against the Kemmar, but what would happen if the Kemmar allied with the Juttari? They would be unstoppable.

  Of course, events might not turn out that way, but it didn’t matter. Regardless of how Jon felt about the Diakans or the Juttari, he couldn’t let the jump system fall into Kemmar hands. He had only one option. He had to destroy the Hermes.

  But what about the crew? What about Breeah and Anki? Should they all die because of his mistakes?

  He couldn’t let that happen either. Still, where could they go? Kerces was a frigid wasteland. If they left the ship they couldn’t hope to survive for long. If they could survive, the Kemmar would eventually find them and either kill them or enslave them. Not an option either.

  “Ensign Richards, is the jump system still online?”

  “Yes, Sir, but it has sustained some damage.”

  “Can we jump?”

  “Sir?”

  “You heard me Ensign.”

  “Uh, yes, Sir, but we’re not supposed to attempt a jump while inside a planet’s atmosphere, let alone while on the ground.”

  “But we can jump. How far?”

  “The planet’s gravity will drastically reduce our range.”

  “Can we get out of this system?”

  “I think so.”

  Jon glanced at the viewscreen. The Kemmar were now pouring into the Hermes from the hull breach. It was now or never.

  “Initiate jump.”

  CHAPTER 67

  Multiple explosions rocked the Hermes, as the strain of the jump caused the hull breach to grow even larger, flushing both human and Kemmar out into open space.

  Jon gripped his chair’s armrests, bracing himself against the powerful convulsions. The bridge itself was a scene of devastation and chaos, those still alive struggling to remain at their posts. But that task proved impossible for some as their stations erupted in flames and smoke.

  “Report,” Jon said, trying to keep focused.

  “We have landed in a neighboring Kemmar system three light years from our previous position. Reading two inhabited planets and multiple ships in orbit.”

  Jon had hoped they would land in an uninhabited region, but jumping from Kerces’s surface gave them little control over their destination.

  “What is our jump status?”

  “Jump system is at zero percent. We are not jump ready.”

  “Are the Kemmar still on board?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Petrovic said. “Kemmar boarders are still on board. Reading multiple firefights between the Kemmar and the crew.”

  They were a good crew, but Jon knew they didn’t stand a chance. They might hold the Kemmar off for a while but with most of the Marines gone they had little hope of prevailing.

  “Sir, one of the ships is breaking orbit. They are on an intercept course.”

  Jon felt like he had been catching falling knives since the start of the rescue mission, and this was the final blade to fall. If the Kemmar boarders didn’t succeed in taking the Hermes, the Kemmar ship approaching would.

  “AI, initiate self-destruct sequence,” Jon said.

  The bridge crew turned almost in unison to look at Jon. He could tell from the confused look on their faces that they were too preoccupied with the battle to come to the same conclusion. He had to keep them calm. They needed to stay in control if they hoped to survive.

  “We cannot allow the jump system technology to fall into Kemmar hands. You are all to arm yourselves and proceed to the lifeboats.” Jon stood and turned to the two Marine sentries. “Marines, you will escort the bridge crew to the lifeboats. Kemmar boarders are to be shot on sight. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, Sir,” the two Marines said in unison, towering over Jon and the rest of the crew in their combat suits.

  One of the Marines walked over to the bridge weapons locker and opened it. The bridge crew rose from their stations and walked to the Marine who handed out rail guns and grenades to each crew member. The only thing they lacked was combat suits, but they all had extensive combat training and Jon knew they could take care of themselves.

  Jon geared up, taking as much hardware as he could comfortably carry, and ran for the exit. The corridor was bathed in red light and smoke, and the self-destruct klaxon boomed along with the AI’s repeated instructions for all hands to head for the lifeboats. Jon raced down the corridor and opened a comm with Breeah.

  “Captain, what is happening?” Breeah said.

  “We are evacuating the ship,” Jon said. “Are you and Anki still in your quarters?”

  “Yes.”

  “Stay there. I’m on my way.”

  Jon ran through the corridors at an incredible speed. The crew had their orders. All that mattered now was that he save Breeah and Anki. In his hands he held two rail guns and it didn’t take long for him to use them.

  Two Kemmar rounded a corner as he sped by and without breaking stride Jon opened up on both of them, shredding their visors with a simultaneous barrage of rail gun fire.

  He kept running, the heavy sound of metal hitting the floor behind him confirmation enough that the soldiers were dead.

  All around him were signs of battle and calamity. The walls were covered with scorch marks from energy weapon fire, fires burned in seemingly random locations, dead bodies littered the floor, and the never-ending smoke was everywhere.

  Reaching Breeah’s quarters he pounded on the door. His heart crashed against his ribs. His breaths were quick and shallow. His head kept turning from side to side in quick jerking movements expecting to see more Kemmar at any moment. The door slid open and Breeah rushed out holding Anki in her arms.

  “Let me carry Anki,” Jon said. “She won’t slow me down as much.”

  Breeah paused, then held Anki out, who jumped into Jon’s arms. Jon shifted the little girl to his left arm and handed Breeah one of his railguns.

  “I’m assuming you know how to use one of these?” Jon said.

  Breeah frowned at Jon but didn’t respond.

  “Ok, let’s go. We need to make it to the lifeboats. I’ve already run into two Kemmar so there’s a good chance we might run into a few more before we get there.”

  With that they took off running back the way Jon had come. Jon matched his speed to Breeah’s and Anki gripped his neck with all her strength, bracing herself for any move Jon might make. She learned fast, thought Jon.

  Turning a corner they came upon a wounded crewman sitting against a bulkhead. Jon slowed down and approached the man. His uniform had scorch marks in the abdominal area and black blood oozed out with each breath. Jon bent down and locked eyes with the man.

  “Kemmar… four of them,” the man said.

  “Take it easy son,” Jon said. “Do you think you can make it to the lifeboats?”

  The man shook his head no. Jon looked down at his wound again. Even if he could get him to the lifeboats there would be little anyone could do for him.

  Lying on the floor beside the man was his sidearm. Jon picked it up on placed it into the man’s pa
lm. The man wrapped his fingers around the gun and looked back at Jon and nodded. Jon returned the nod and stood up.

  “Let’s go,” he said to Breeah. She looked at the man for a few moments longer, but her face remained hard and expressionless. She looked up, pointed her gun straight ahead and started walking. Jon quickly came up beside her and they picked up the pace, breaking into a brisk jog.

  They made it to the lifeboats without further incident. Despite the chaos throughout the rest of the ship the scene at the lifeboat hanger was surprisingly controlled.

  Much of the crew had already arrived and had boarded their lifeboats, while the remaining crew members were finding their assigned docks. The hangar itself was a long metallic cylinder with a platform running up the middle and doors on both sides leading to each lifeboat.

  The lifeboats themselves were like mini shuttles. They were designed to be compact and swift. As such, they were Spartan as far as accommodations went. Since they had to make a quick escape under extreme situations, each lifeboat could create its own FTL bubble. This feature wasn’t lost on Jon and he was counting on it to get away from their Kemmar hunters.

  Jon, Breeah and Anki ran down the corridor until they reached the command pod, the one designated for the Captain. When they approached the scanners recognized Jon and the doors opened for him. The doorway was narrow, only fitting one person at a time, and Breeah motioned to Jon to take Anki in first. Jon nodded in agreement and took the little girl inside.

  As he stepped in he heard the sound of weapon fire behind him. He dropped Anki in a chair and whipped around, shouldering his weapon as he turned.

  Through the doorway he saw Breeah down on one knee firing her railgun. Coming from the other side was energy weapon fire, but the bolts shooting by were blue.

  Jon rushed to the doorway and turned to face their attackers, but they were not Kemmar. On the far end of the hangar firing back at Jon and Breeah were the Diakans.

  Jon returned fire and dropped one of the Diakans instantly. The rest scattered and broke off their attack. Jon let loose a few more rounds to make sure they were gone and turned to enter the lifeboat again.

  Breeah did not follow. She stayed on one knee, gun pointed forward, but her head was bent down.

  Jon’s stomach flipped and he was almost paralyzed with fear. He lunged forward, seized her by the armpits and pulled her into the lifeboat.

  The door closed behind him as he lay Breeah on her back.

  “Mama!” Anki screamed.

  The front of her shirt was scorched and steadily becoming drenched with blood. Anki jumped for her mother crying. Breeah reached out her arms and Anki fell into them sobbing into her shoulder. Breeah tried to calm her daughter down whispering into her ear and stroking her hair.

  Jon knew he had to move fast. He retrieved a medical kit it and went to work dressing Breeah’s wound, his hands moving with speed and precision.

  He applied a gel-like substance. As soon as it made contact with Breeah’s skin it spread across her abdomen and flooded into the open wound causing Breeah to groan in pain. At the same time the lifeboat heaved and was discharged from the Hermes.

  Jon finished the dressing, ensuring the gel was completely covered so that it could do its job. He tapped Anki on the shoulder. The little girl turned to him, eyes red and face wet.

  “Anki, I need to give your mother some medicine to stop the pain,” Jon said.

  Anki nodded and looked back at Breeah who reached up and wiped her daughter’s tears. She cupped Anki’s face into her palms and looked into her eyes.

  “You need to be strong now,” Breeah said. “This is who we are. Promise me.”

  Anki shook her head no, her bottom lip quivering.

  “Promise me.”

  Anki’s eyes were locked with Breeah’s and the firmness of her mother’s tone helped her gain some control over herself.

  “I promise,” Anki said.

  Breeah smiled. “That’s my good girl.”

  “Anki, I need you to go back to your chair now and strap yourself in,” Jon said.

  Anki held her mother’s gaze a bit longer and reached down and kissed her on the cheek before getting up and moving back to her chair.

  “We don’t have any biobots on board, so we have to do things the old fashioned way,” Jon said. “The gel I put on your wound will help it heal and prevent any infection from setting in. I’m going to give you a shot for the pain.”

  “I wish things could have been different, Captain,” Breeah said.

  “Everything is going to be fine. Call me Jon.”

  Breeah smiled. “If I die, promise me you will watch over Anki.”

  “You’re not going to die.”

  Breeah’s hand seized Jon’s wrist with surprising strength. “Please Jon. I need to hear you say it.”

  “I promise.”

  Breeah nodded, released his wrist and lay her head back down on the floor.

  “You need to rest, and I need to make sure we get away safely.”

  “See to your duties,” Breeah said, her voice no more than a whisper.

  Jon stood and went over to the pilot’s chair and brought up a display.

  “AI, are you online?”

  “Yes, Captain,” AI said. “I have transferred my core to your lifeboat’s systems.”

  “Have all the lifeboats disembarked?”

  “All lifeboats are clear of the Hermes, though still within the blast radius.”

  “How long until the Hermes self-destructs?”

  “Hermes will self-destruct in three minutes.”

  “How long until the Kemmar intercept us?”

  “At current speed, the Kemmar ship will intercept in twenty minutes.”

  “Options?”

  “The best course of action is for all the lifeboats to scatter while entering FTL velocity.”

  “Scatter?”

  “If the lifeboats stay together the Kemmar ship will eventually overtake us and seize all the lifeboats. Scattering is the only way to ensure maximum survival rates. The Kemmar might be able to capture one lifeboat but the rest will escape.”

  “Makes sense. How will we regroup later?”

  “We will not be able to regroup, Captain. Once the lifeboats enter FTL there will be no way to communicate with each other.”

  “So, they’ll all be on their own?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “There must be another option.”

  “I’m afraid not, Captain. Under the circumstances this is the only option that maximizes the crew’s survival rate.”

  Jon was stunned. How did it come to this? He knew he didn’t have time to feel sorry for himself. He also knew the AI was right.

  “Shall I proceed, Captain?” the AI said.

  “Proceed.”

  The AI sent a message to all the lifeboats letting them know of the situation and initiated each lifeboat’s FTL drive. For a few moments, all the little ships hung there motionless as FTL bubbles took shape around each craft.

  Shimmering in the darkness, they all looked like a swarm of fireflies for a few seconds, then shot out in hundreds of different directions. They broke the speed of light and hit FTL speeds in seconds.

  A couple minutes later there was an explosion in the engineering room and the ship’s massive reactors let loose their power, completely obliterating the rest of the ship. Nothing was left of the Hermes, not even dust.

  CHAPTER 68

  “Captain, I’ve got something odd on my scans, just ahead.”

  “There’s a surprise. Something odd in space. Who would have guessed? How about some more information so I know what the hell you’re talking about?” Captain Seiben said, shaking his head. Why in the galaxy did he ever let his brother talk him into giving his kid a job?

  “It looks like a small ship. Maybe a shuttle or an escape pod,” the nephew said.

  “Out here? Are there any larger ships nearby? Any wreckage?”

  “Nothing. Just this little ship.
”

  “Ok nephew, you were right, that is odd. What is its course?”

  “It looks to be adrift.”

  “Just garbage then. Leave it for the next salvage scow that comes along.”

  “But Captain, there could be someone on board.”

  “Whoever is on board that thing is dead. They are not our concern.”

  “But they might be alive. They might need our help.”

  Captain Seiben brought his hand up and rubbed his temples. “Do you think we are some kind of rescue ship now?”

  “No.”

  “No, we are not. Not a rescue ship. Not a salvage scow. You know why? I’ll tell you why. Because we are a freighter. We carry freight. And we have to deliver that freight to get paid.”

  “Yes, Uncle. Um, I mean Captain. But if there is someone alive on that ship and we don’t help them they will die. It wouldn’t take us that long to check it out. There might be something of value on board.”

  “Goddammit, we’re not a salvage scow.”

  “Yes, Captain. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

  Captain Seiben settled back into his chair and rubbed the stubble on his chin. The damn kid was making him feel guilty. He was going to have to have a talk with his brother when they got home.

  “Alter course to intercept the vessel.”

  “Yes, Captain. Thank you.”

  “Wipe that damn smile off your face. And tell the twins to get their asses over to the hangar bay. We’re going to need their help getting into this hunk of space garbage.”

  “Yes, Uncle. I mean, Captain.”

  * * *

  The hulking freighter lurched to a stop near the tiny lifeboat. From the ship’s mid-section a large, slow moving craft appeared. It lumbered forward and as it drew close two mechanical arms stretched out and seized the lifeboat with a pair of giant metal pincers. The craft turned and headed back toward the freighter with the lifeboat in tow.

  Inside the hangar bay Captain Seiben watched the operation from a safe distance high above on a metal catwalk. Once the lifeboat was safely on board and the hangar bay doors closed, Captain Seiben and his nephew rode a lift down to the main floor. On the main level he was joined by two burly identical twins.