The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10

by Hudson, G. P.

  The mark of the Juttari.

  Chapter 21

  Colonel Bast of the Chaanisar leaped over the barricade, into the carnage on the other side. Dead bodies lay all around and his men were adding more to the list, as they killed the last of the Kemmar defenders. Satisfied that the threat had been eliminated, he turned his attention to the Marines. They had surprised him when they entered the battle. He had expected them all to be imprisoned. That they escaped and helped defeat the Kemmar showed their value as warriors.

  Scanning their line he identified their leader and stepped toward him. He halted his advance when the leader and the rest of his men pointed their weapons at him. Their hostile stance prompted a similar response from his own men.

  “Hold your fire,” said Bast over his suit’s comm system. He wanted to take a less threatening posture and had his suit retract its helmet. He hoped that the Marines would relax when they saw that he was human as well.

  He addressed their leader, who still pointed his weapon at him. “I am Colonel Bast of the Chaanisar. We mean you no harm.”

  “Bullshit!” said the leader. “You’re the ones who attacked us when we began our mission. You attacked our Captain on Earth and on board our ship.”

  “I assure you those were different circumstances. Please, lower your weapons.”

  “I assure you that is not going to happen. Take one more step and I’ll burn a hole through your face.”

  The reaction prompted a more aggressive posture from his men, and he repeated his order for them to hold their fire. He understood the Marines’ mistrust. He couldn’t blame them for it. But he needed them to listen, so he did something he would have never done before. He ordered his men to lower their weapons. His men obeyed, even though he knew it went against their every instinct.

  “There, you see. We are not a threat to you. Now can we all just calm down before someone makes a tragic mistake?”

  The Marine commander nodded in agreement, lowered his weapon, and ordered his men to do the same.

  “Thank you. May I ask your name?”

  “Chief St. Clair.”

  “Thank you Chief St. Clair. As I said before, we mean you no harm. In fact we came here to help you.”

  “Why would Juttari want to help us?”

  “Because we are not Juttari. We are human. Like you.”

  “You’re Chaanisar. You’re nothing like us.”

  “We were born on Earth, just as you.”

  “Until the Juttari took you. Turned you against your own people. Your own families. You’re an abomination.”

  “The Juttari did take us. They kidnapped us when we were children. Stole us from our families. Violated us with their technology. Enslaved us with their brain chips. Our every action since then has been forced on us by the Juttari.”

  “So? How is this any different?”

  Bast smiled. “The Juttari no longer control us. We are finally free.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “We have mutinied. The warship that attacked you was under Juttari command. The Juttari on that ship are all dead. The ship is now under our command. Human command.”

  Chapter 22

  Kevin tried to process what he was hearing. “I find that hard to believe. No Chaanisar has ever mutinied.”

  “And yet here we are,” said Bast.

  “That means nothing. Do you think we went to the trouble of escaping to become Juttari prisoners instead?”

  “While your escape today was impressive, how did you plan to leave this planet?”

  “That’s not your concern.”

  “Chief St. Clair, you cannot escape this planet. There are no ships for you to commandeer. Even if there were, you would never make it past their defense grid.”

  Kevin knew the Chaanisar was right, but he didn’t want to admit it.

  “You are trapped here until the next Kemmar ship arrives, at which point you will become Kemmar prisoners again. I imagine that hasn’t been a pleasant experience.”

  “We’ll take our chances.”

  “I offer you freedom. We have a jump system, just like your Hermes did.”

  “Technology you stole from us.”

  “Technology the Juttari stole from you. Technology we have now captured from the Juttari.”

  Part of Kevin wanted to believe Bast’s story. But how could he trust someone who had been his enemy his whole life?

  “Look Chief,” said Bast. “You are outnumbered. Outgunned. We are all wearing combat suits. Even without the combat suits the Juttari have augmented us, giving us superior strength and speed. You know this. If we wanted to kill you, you would all be dead. If we wanted to capture you, you would already be our prisoners. The Chaanisar do not play games. We are telling you the truth.”

  While Kevin hated to admit it, Bast was right. They were facing overwhelming odds and they both knew it.

  “Okay, we’ll come with you on one condition.”

  “And that is?”

  “We’re not giving up our weapons.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Make one wrong move and you’ll have a bloodbath on your hands. Outnumbered or not.”

  Bast smiled. “I like you, Chief St. Clair.”

  Chapter 23

  Kevin and his men boarded a Chaanisar shuttle as fighters streaked across the sky. The smell of fire, oil, and death surrounded them. Bast and a handful of his men boarded the shuttle as well. When all the Marines were on board the shuttle rocketed away toward the waiting Juttari warship.

  Henderson sat next to Kevin and spoke in a quiet voice. “What do you think, Chief?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know what to think,” whispered Kevin.

  “How do you think they did it?”

  “Did what?”

  “Overcame the Juttari mind control?”

  “I can answer that question, Sergeant,” said Bast, seated a fair distance away from them.

  “You’ve got good ears,” said Henderson.

  “Juttari augmentation,” said Bast, pointing to his ears.

  “So how did you do it?”

  “One of the first things the Juttari did after they kidnapped us was to implant their chips into our brains. Those chips allowed them to control everything we did. They took away our free will.”

  “What changed?”

  “After our battle we lost your ship. We jumped around for days searching for you. Finally we retraced our steps and jumped back into the binary system. It was there that we found you, only you were already engaged in battle with the Kemmar battleship. Fascinated, we hid and watched the events unfold. Watched your ship jump after being boarded. Watched the Kemmar take the colony your ship was obviously trying to defend. And watched the Kemmar activate a jump gate and leave. A jump gate we never knew existed.

  “The Juttari Master ordered us to cross through the gate and follow the Kemmar battleship. We did, staying back a safe distance so as not to be detected. We followed the Kemmar to this planet. Watched them drop off their prisoners and waited. The Master was convinced that you would again try and rescue these colonists. And he was right. So we watched your tragic attack. And your eventual defeat.”

  “That’s all very interesting, but you still haven’t told us how you managed to overcome your Juttari masters,” said Henderson.

  “That, Sergeant, is the fascinating part. Every Juttari ship carries a system that emits a powerful broadcast intended specifically to exert control over our chips. These systems are in place throughout Juttari space. Without going into too much detail, suffice it to say that these systems go wherever we go. They are our shackles.

  “On this particular mission, however, something went wrong. The system stopped broadcasting. The effect, as you can imagine, was quite a shock. After all those years our thoughts were once again our own. At first we expected the malfunction to be discovered. There was no way it would last. But it did. And something else happened. As we watched you battle the Kemmar against such overwhelming odds, w
e were inspired. We wanted to fight with you. To fight for humanity.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “We had to fight for ourselves first. We had all spent a lifetime under the control of the Juttari Empire. To rise against the Juttari seemed… insurmountable. After your defeat on Kerces, our Master gave the order to head back home, and that was when we knew we had to act. Regardless of the malfunction on our ship, we knew the moment we were back in Juttari space we would fall under Juttari control again. So we rose up and killed every Juttari master on board. Then we decided to rescue you.”

  “What if the system on your ship starts broadcasting again?”

  “It won’t. We destroyed it during our uprising. The only thing that will control us again is a return to Juttari space. Which is why we need your help.”

  “You said that before,” said Kevin. “What is it you think we can do for you?”

  “We want our chips removed.”

  Kevin laughed. “We’re soldiers. How are we supposed to do that?”

  “You can’t, but your doctor can.”

  “Our doctor isn’t with us.”

  “No, she isn’t. But your people escaped from the Hermes before it was destroyed. We believe your doctor escaped too, and we’re going to find her.”

  Chapter 24

  “Are you going to do it?” said Breeah.

  “Jansen’s mission?” said Jon.

  “Yes.”

  “I haven’t decided. We know nothing about what is going on here.”

  Breeah walked over to a window and looked out at the cluster of buildings surrounding them.

  “It is very crowded here. They all live on top of each other.”

  “A big difference from the parks and trees we saw on the flight in,” said Jon.

  “If you go on this mission I am coming with you.”

  “What are you talking about? I can’t bring you with me. What about Anki?”

  “She will come along. We are Reivers. We do not sit at home while others fight.”

  “I won’t put you in harm’s way.”

  “It is not your choice to make.”

  Jon exhaled sharply. He had developed strong feelings for Breeah and Anki. They were the closest thing he had to a family since he lost his own. He wasn’t prepared to take them on a dangerous mission.

  “I’m not a Reiver. I can’t bring a child into a hostile situation.” Jon got up and walked over to Breeah. “I work alone, Breeah. I always have.”

  “Not anymore. We are your family now. We go wherever you go.” Breeah’s hand reached up to his face, her finger tracing its way down the long scar on his cheek.

  Jon wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. She felt good and he didn’t ever want to let go. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered.

  She looked up at him with those dark eyes, shattering his defenses. “Do I appear helpless to you, Jon Pike?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Perhaps you would prefer Kulberg and his guards by your side?”

  “No. Don’t be silly. I told you I work alone. If I fail I am the only one who suffers the consequences.”

  “And I told you that is in the past. Everything is in the past. Your old life, the Hermes, everything. There is only us now. And we stay together.”

  “But what if something happens to you and Anki. I couldn’t bear it. Not again.”

  “You must forgive yourself. Do not focus on the past. Do not worry about the future. There is only now. Only us.”

  “I like the sound of that.” He reached down and kissed her. Her body warm against his, her lips soft, his doubts and fears disappearing, the giggles like a song.

  Giggles?

  Jon released Breeah and turned to see Anki watching them, beaming, a huge grin on her face.

  Breeah smiled. “So what do we do?”

  Jon looked across the room to a computer link. “We get more information.”

  Chapter 25

  “AI, can you interface with the computer link in this room?” said Jon.

  “Yes, it is a public terminal. There is open access to a specified level. Do you need me to access more secure information?”

  “Not yet. Let’s see what we can find out without raising any alarms.”

  “These systems are not sophisticated enough to detect my activity, Captain.”

  “I’m sure they’re not, still, just stick to the public database for now.” The AI was probably right and wouldn’t get caught, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

  “Understood. Interface complete.”

  “Good. Do you have any information on the history of this station?”

  A cross section of the station appeared on the display. “The station was constructed more than six centuries ago by the DLC Corporation. DLC acquired rights to this region of space from the Sol government at that time.”

  The answer confirmed Jon’s suspicions, but was astounding nonetheless. “So they were one of the original colonies?”

  “Yes, Captain. That is correct. Early colonization consisted of migrant workers. Resource mining provided ample employment and many came on contracts to work a number of years, after which they would return to the Sol System. Others took on permanent positions and settled on the station.”

  “Are there other stations like this?”

  “Not this size. This region is resource rich, but there are no habitable planets.” The display cycled through different regions of space, showing multiple star systems and planets. “Other corporations obtained rights to regions more hospitable to human life.” The display zoomed in on one of the planets to show numerous cities. “Those corporations developed planetary settlements and had more permanent immigration. Over time, most of these worlds developed their own governments, which established laws and took control of the population away from the corporations.”

  “Are the other colonies as large as DLC?”

  “They are larger. Population growth on the other colonies is not as constrained as it is on the DLC station. On the planets there is much more room to thrive and grow.”

  “So there are millions of people living in the other colonies?”

  “Billions, Captain.”

  Jon blinked, trying to grasp what he just heard. Billions of people? If that was true, the number of people living in the colonies outnumbered the population of Sol itself. The Juttari invasion had wiped out much of Earth’s population. The survivors lived in squalor for centuries. Not ideal conditions for population growth. Out here, however, they flourished. It made Jon wonder what would happen if Sol and the colonies were ever reunited. How would the colonies see Sol? Earth may have been the birthplace of humanity, but compared to the size of these worlds, Earth would be seen as a province at best. They were in for a major wakeup call back home.

  “AI, what happened after the Juttari invasion?”

  “The corporations shut down their jump gate and travel between Sol and the colonies ceased. Trade had already developed between the colonies and continued. The other colonies replaced Sol as the main customers for DLC exports.”

  “What about war? Five hundred years is a long time. Did the colonies fight against each other?”

  “There have been many disputes as the colonies expanded their influence. These disputes have been mainly over territorial rights. In many cases full scale battles have been fought, but it was agreed early on that war would never be waged on the core worlds, including DLC station.”

  “So they don’t always play nice with each other. War usually escalates, why didn’t anyone break the treaty?”

  “After the Juttari invasion there was no way of knowing what happened to life in the Sol System. Before closing their gate, the colonies received reports of Juttari ruthlessness. They knew of the orbital bombardment and didn’t know if anyone had survived. There was a real possibility that the colonies were the last outposts of humanity. That was considered too precious to destroy through warfare.”

  “So the
y keep the fighting away from the civilian populations?”

  “Yes, Captain.” The display showed various warships and fleet formations. “If there is a dispute over a region of space between two parties, they may resolve the dispute through the use of force, but the conflict is restricted to unpopulated regions.”

  “Like a duel.”

  “Yes, Captain. Precisely, albeit on a much larger scale.”

  “Is that why I didn’t see much military activity in this system when we arrived?”

  “A couple of DLC warships are usually kept in the system to deal with the raider threat, but the main fleets patrol their valuable resource rich regions.”

  “Are these regions unpopulated?”

  “No, there are mining communities, but their populations are so small that none of the parties consider fighting there a violation of the treaty.”

  “Is there any information on the raiders?”

  “The raiders were originally a DLC mining community.” The display showed a mining operation on a barren planet.

  “A DLC mining community?”

  “Yes, Captain. DLC miners worked in some very inhospitable places. Injuries and loss of life were common. Much of the hardship was blamed on long work hours and outdated equipment. There were several strikes, which were ended each time through the use of force.”

  “DLC sent in troops?”

  “The company used armed security personnel to end the strikes.”

  Like those two prima donnas with Kulberg, thought Jon.

  “Then there was an uprising. The miners killed their managers, seized any available vessels, and disappeared.”

  “Was there a specific incident that sparked the uprising?”

  “The source says they suffered from Miner’s Fever. A type of mass dementia.”