The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10

by Hudson, G. P.

  He turned and looked at the sky behind him. He spotted more security forces in the sky heading towards them. They were mere dots in the distant sky, but that would change quickly. They were too exposed out here, and they had no hope of outrunning their pursuers. They needed to find another option fast. Up ahead he saw something that might work. A structure, standing behind a group of evergreens. It wasn’t a house. Rather it looked to be used for maintenance supplies. It looked solidly built. It would have to do.

  Jon waved the group over to the small building. It had a couple of small windows and a door. He tried the door, but it was locked. Jon pointed the energy weapon at the door and fired, burning a hole through the lock. The door swung open and he ushered the group inside. He shut the door behind him. Now they would sit and wait. The building smelled of soil and fertilizer. All around them were gardening supplies. There were bags of soil stacked up high in the corner. The building itself had thick walls and looked like it could resist the weaponry he’d seen the security forces use. If they used heavier weapons, however, the game would be up. They would need to get out of there before that happened, which would be hard to do with only one way in and out.

  “What do we do now?” said Seiben, trying to catch his breath.

  “We wait,” said Jon. “With any luck they won’t find us here.”

  “What are the chances of that?”

  Jon sighed, “Not good, but we’ll find out soon enough.”

  He looked out the window and saw three vehicles floating around the crash site. They began to land and DLC security forces emerged. They all looked like Kulberg’s guards, dressed in black from head to toe, and carrying energy weapons. Jon counted twenty five men in all. They spread out into a long, wide line, intended to cover as much area as possible and started to move forward, weapons ready and pointed dead ahead. They would be on top of them in five minutes at most. Jon figured the chances of them not checking the building were about zero, so he got ready.

  He had put Darla and the girls behind a pile of bags filled with soil, and told them not to move. He positioned Seiben in the rear to protect Darla and the children if anybody managed to break into the building. He had Breeah stand at one of the windows while he took the other. They were on opposite ends of the door, giving them the ability to put anyone coming through in a crossfire, while also allowing them to fire through the windows.

  They waited a few minutes until the security forces closed on the building. He peeked out the window and cringed. The security craft were back in the air and floating just above the DLC soldiers. They were going to provide air support to the ground troops with those Gatling guns. How the hell was he supposed to get out of this one?

  Any hopes that they might miss the building faded when a soldier approached the door and saw the hole burned through it. “In here,” he yelled, and pulled the door open. Jon and Breeah fired in unison. The soldier didn’t have a chance. He fell to the ground with a thud directly in front of the door.

  Jon heard soldiers running toward the building and turned to his window. He broke the glass with the stock of his weapon and opened fire. Breeah did the same. The soldiers outside scrambled for cover in response. From the window Jon caught a glimpse of an attack craft’s nose pointing at him. He got out of the way just as its Gatling guns opened fire, sending a barrage of bullets through the window.

  A second attack craft moved in and fired on Breeah’s location, forcing her to take cover. They were pinned down. Trapped. The DLC soldiers would soon use the supporting fire from the hovercraft to break through. Jon pointed his weapon at the door, waiting for the inevitable onslaught.

  More gunfire erupted from the other side of the building. Had they surrounded them already? Maybe he didn’t give them enough credit? The attack craft stopped firing at his window and he carefully peeked out. There was still shooting, but it wasn’t aimed at the building. They were fighting someone else. But who? He tried to get a better look at what was happening but didn’t have a decent vantage point. He did spot another vehicle approaching. As it neared he realized that it wasn’t armed. It was a civilian craft. Some thrill seeker wanting a better look at the action? He watched it set down. Saw the doors slide open, and gasped. Coming out of the vehicle, wearing coveralls and now engaging the DLC soldiers from behind was Kevin and a team of Marines.

  He stood stunned, not believing his eyes. How could any of this be possible? he thought. How did they get off Kerces? How did they find the station? It’s impossible. He looked out the window again. They were still there.

  “Breeah,” Jon yelled. “Do you see Chief St. Clair out there?”

  Breeah looked out her window and scanned the landscape. She froze. A few moments later she pulled away from the window and looked at Jon with the same surprised look he imagined was on his face. “Yes, Jon. I see him. How-?”

  “I don’t know. But I think we should probably give them a hand, don’t you?”

  “I do,” she said, still clearly confused, but adapting to the bizarre situation.

  The two returned to their windows and joined in the fight. The security team ahead of them had forgotten the building and had turned to engage the force on their rear. That made them easy targets for Jon and Breeah, who had no qualms about shooting them in the back. They fell quickly and the Marines advanced.

  “Captain? Are you in there?” came Kevin’s voice, as they approached the building.

  “Yeah, we’re in here,” said Jon. “Where the hell did you come from?”

  “Hang on a minute, Sir. I’m just in the middle of something here.”

  Jon broke out into laughter. He laughed for joy. Not just at the joke, not just at the fact that they were saved, but at the fact that his best friend was still alive.

  Outside the firing slowed, becoming more sporadic, until it finally stopped.

  “You can come out now, Captain,” said Kevin.

  Jon walked out of the building with Breeah, Seiben, Darla and the children in tow.

  Kevin walked up to him and saluted. “Chief St. Clair reporting for duty, Sir.”

  Jon returned the salute and laughed. He thrust out his hand and Kevin shook it.

  “Chief, I’ve never been so happy to see anybody in my life,” said Jon. He looked at the rest of the Marines who also sported wide grins and said, “That goes for all of you.”

  Jon became aware of more men approaching from behind and turned to see another armed group dressed like Kevin and his men, only he didn’t recognize any of them.

  One of them stepped up and said, “Captain Pike, I’m Lieutenant Jarvi. I know you have a lot of questions, but we have to go. Quickly.”

  “Lieutenant Jarvi? There was no Lieutenant Jarvi on the Hermes,” said Jon.

  “That’s because we’re not from the Hermes,” said Jarvi. “We’re Chaanisar.”

  Chapter 61

  They moved faster now. Jon carried Anki, Seiben carried Alina, and Private Daniels carried Otka. Even though the Chaanisar were capable of greater speed, they matched the speed of the group so as to better defend against any further attacks. Two Chaanisar raced ahead to scout for any waiting surprises.

  Chaanisar, thought Jon. What the hell are the Chaanisar doing here? And why is Kevin with them?

  Kevin ran beside Jon, and as if hearing his thoughts he said, “They rescued us from that planet, you know.”

  “Why would the Juttari do that?” said Jon.

  “They’re not Juttari anymore. They mutinied and killed all the Juttari on board.”

  “How? The Chaanisar have never mutinied before.”

  “Their brain chips malfunctioned. Actually they still work, but what stopped working was the Juttari’s control over the brain chips.”

  “You believe that?” said Jon, the cynicism punching through with each syllable.

  “I know. I found it difficult to swallow at first, too,” said Kevin, in between breaths. “I still have my doubts. But they’ve come through. We’ve been chasing down the esc
ape pods and picking up the crew. We’ve even fought the Kemmar over an escape pod. They’ve risked their lives for us a few times now. That goes a long way in my books.”

  “I don’t know. The last time I ran into Chaanisar they were using me for target practice. Forgive me if I don’t suddenly hold hands and sing songs with them.”

  “You are right to be suspicious, Captain,” said Lieutenant Jarvi, from up ahead. He turned his head and looked back at Jon, not breaking stride. “I would not expect any less from you.”

  “You don’t know me, Lieutenant, “said Jon. Who was talking to you anyway? he thought.

  “Of course I do, Captain. We all know you. Our original mission was to destroy the Hermes. We have all been briefed on your career. Your victories. Your assassinations. Your record is quite impressive.”

  “All in the past.” A murderer would be impressed by killing, he thought. He felt ancient furies waking inside him and the past rushed at him in a torrent of deep seated hatred. He saw his wife, and his children, and how they died at the hands of Chaanisar like this Lieutenant Jarvi.

  “Ah, the past,” mused Jarvi. “The past is slavery. It is unchangeable. There is only the future, Captain.” Jarvi slowed his pace so that Jon and Kevin could catch up to him. “Forget what you know of the Chaanisar, Captain. We are no longer puppets. We are reborn. We are human. You are witnessing the dawn of a new age.”

  “I’m witnessing something. I just haven’t decided what it is yet.” Be happy I haven’t decided to gut you. His thoughts caught him off guard. He had decided to forget the past. To start anew with Breeah and Anki. But here was the past showing him that its icy hands still gripped him as tightly as ever. Would he ever be free?

  “Of course, Captain. As I said, I wouldn’t expect any less from you,” said Jarvi.

  “So you’re from the Juttari ship we fought against at the beginning of our mission?”

  “Correct.”

  “Do you still have the jump system? The one you stole from us?”

  “Yes, Captain. We still have the jump system the Juttari stole. Not us.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “As the Chief said, the Juttari do not rule us anymore.”

  “Yeah? Who does?”

  “We rule ourselves.”

  We’ll see about that, thought Jon. “Where’s the ship now?”

  “A safe distance away. The station’s leader denied us access to its system. They did not want us to help you escape judgment.”

  “Escape judgment,” Jon spit. “I didn’t kill Jansen,” he said, the anger dripping off each word.

  “Whether you did or didn’t is irrelevant. All that matters now is escape.”

  “Wait. How did you get on board if they denied you access to the system?”

  “We commandeered a freighter,” said Kevin, smiling.

  “You did what?” said Seiben, who ran just behind Jon and listened to the entire conversation.

  “This is Captain Seiben,” said Jon. “He’s a freighter Captain.”

  “Which did you capture?” said Seiben. “Who was the Captain?”

  “Captain Neeman,” said Kevin.

  Seiben let loose a loud belly laugh. “Serves him right. I hate that guy. Did he shit his pants?”

  “Daddy!” said Alina, a frown of disapproval across her face.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to swear,” said Seiben, looking apologetically at his daughter. He turned back to Kevin and grinned, saying, “Well, did he?”

  “There were a few moments I thought he might,” said Kevin, returning the grin.

  Seiben laughed hysterically. Jon looked back at him and smiled, happy that he was letting off some steam. He had never wanted to involve Seiben and his family in any of this. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but he still felt guilty.

  “The good Captain saved our lives when he picked up our escape pod,” said Jon.

  “Don’t remind me,” said Seiben. “I should’ve never let my nephew talk me into it.”

  “Nonetheless, you have my gratitude,” said Jon.

  “And look where that got me. You can keep your damn gratitude.”

  Darla punched Seiben in the arm. Alina copied her mother and punched her father in the chest.

  “Why is everybody hitting me?” protested Seiben.

  “Don’t be so rude,” said Darla.

  “You’re right,” said Seiben. He turned to Jon and said, “Thank you for all the exercise you are giving me today. I was worried about how fat I was getting.”

  Darla and Alina both punched Seiben again, making Jon and Kevin laugh.

  “Thank you for saving our Captain,” said Kevin, still chuckling.

  Seiben grunted.

  Jon turned back to Kevin. “So who else have you rescued?”

  “We got a lot of the Marines off Kerces. The ones who were still alive,” said Kevin, his eyes turning grim. He looked at Breeah and said, “We got some of the Reivers out, too.”

  Breeah cocked her head at Kevin, but didn’t say anything. Jon wondered why she was so detached when it came to her people. She never showed any emotion when the subject came up. She was generally stoic in nature, but you would think that she would be happy that some of her own were rescued. But there was no curiosity to know who had been saved. If they got off the station in one piece he’d try and find out why.

  “We got Singh too,” said Kevin, his voice full of venom.

  “What’s wrong with that?” said Jon, confused by Kevin’s tone.

  “He’s a traitor, Sir.”

  Jon couldn’t believe it. Chief Engineer Singh loved the Hermes. He hadn’t known anyone more committed to their jobs than Singh. “That’s got to be a mistake. How could Singh be a traitor?”

  “He’s lost it, Sir. I don’t know what happened, but he showed up on Kerces and was telling the Kemmar everything about the Hermes and Earth. He was even going to show them how to build their own jump systems.”

  Jon was stunned. “I don’t believe it,” he said.

  “Believe it, Sir. I saw it with my own eyes. He’s on the Chaanisar ship in custody.”

  “Did the Kemmar break him?”

  “I don’t know who broke him, but he’s not all there anymore.”

  That was bad news. Singh was a genius when it came to the jump system. If anybody could build another one, it was him. They would need him if they hoped to outfit any ship with a jump system. The thought surprised him. An hour ago he didn’t know if any of his crew were still alive. He knew nothing of the Chaanisar mutiny. His only thought was keeping everyone safe long enough to try and escape the station. Now he was thinking of building another jump ship. He hadn’t even gotten off the station yet and his subconscious was already making plans. Was it his subconscious? Or was it the creature? Were his thoughts his own anymore?

  “We rescued Ensigns Petrovic and Yao,” continued Kevin.

  “Good,” said Jon. The Hermes tactical and navigation officers would certainly come in handy if they did build another ship. He would need his bridge crew. Commander Wolfe would have been invaluable in that case, but he knew that wasn’t possible. He saw her die on the bridge. A great officer with a promising career. Her death weighed heavily on his conscience.

  “We also picked up Tallos and a couple of Diakans.”

  Jon came to a halt causing a Marine to run into him. He apologized and took off again, but he was no less shaken by what he had heard. His stomach tightened and he boiled over inside. “You have Tallos?” he said, almost in a whisper.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He had a score to settle with the Diakan. Breeah almost died because of him. He could barely wait to see Tallos. To clench his fingers around that green throat and watch the life drain out of those unblinking fish eyes.

  “Lieutenant Jarvi, what is your status,” came a voice over Jarvi’s communicator.

  “Weapon systems are disabled, Sir,” said Jarvi. “We have the Captain and his party and are heading for the docks.”<
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  “We are in position awaiting your signal.”

  “Understood, Sir.” Jarvi turned to Jon and Kevin. “Our ship is orbiting the station. They are waiting to extract us. We need to move quickly.”

  Jon nodded his understanding. Soon he would be on board a Juttari warship, surrounded by Chaanisar. He cringed. Grandfather save me, he thought

  He looked at the rest of his group. Breeah was barely sweating. She was in great shape and wouldn’t have a problem making it. Seiben and Darla were another matter. They were both drenched in sweat and out of breath. He was surprised they hadn’t asked to take a break yet. Jon looked to Private Burke and said, “Private, carry the child for the rest of the way,” pointing at Alina.

  “It’s okay,” said Seiben.

  “No it’s not,” said Jon. “You’re going to slow us down. Burke can carry Alina and still keep pace.”

  Seiben didn’t put up much of a fight and handed his daughter over to the younger, fitter Marine.

  “Captain,” came the AI’s voice over Jon’s comm.

  “Yes, AI,” said Jon.

  A look of surprise swept over Kevin’s face. “You saved the AI?”

  “Hello Chief St. Clair,” said the AI. “I can assure you I am still very much alive.”

  “Glad to hear it,” said Kevin.

  “I am glad that you are alive too,” said the AI. “Captain, there is a security contingent gaining on your position.”