“She speaks.” said Jon. “Just through those doors then?”
With no response from the priestess, Jon shrugged and moved to walk around the three women. As he did they shifted as one to block his path.
“What’s the problem now?” said Jon.
“You must travel alone,” repeated the woman.
“I am alone.”
She pointed to Jon’s comm. “Artificial life forms are not permitted.”
“Careful, you might hurt AI’s feelings.”
“I do not have feelings to hurt, Admiral,” said AI.
The woman turned her hand palm up, and waited.
“Well, I guess we’ve already started this dance. Might as well see it through to the end,” said Jon, removing his comm and placing it in the priestess’ open hand.
The woman closed her hand over the technology, and the three moved aside allowing Jon to pass.
Intricate carvings adorned the doors standing several stories high in front of him. Their entire length etched with scenes from Diakan history. Like the sculptures, the carvings were incredibly detailed and vivid, and Jon couldn’t help but admire the artist’s skill.
The giant doors swung open independently. Jon turned back to the priestesses. “I bet that scared the crap out of the Diakans who had to climb up here, huh?”
The priestesses watched without a word.
“I don’t know why I try,” he said, stepping into the adjacent room. As he entered, he felt an odd sensation. Something he had never experienced before. His symbiont began to purr.
I think you’ve finally lost your mind, Jon said to the symbiont. Where’s that growl I’ve come to know and love?
Undisturbed, the creature responded only by continuing its rhythmic sound. Jon stepped deeper into the room, which was darker than the last, but for a strange glow emanating from its center.
“It is strange that one who hates us so would become our salvation,” said a female voice.
Jon unsuccessfully tried to zero in on its origin. Instead, the sound seemed to envelop him.
“Am I speaking to the Great See’er?” said Jon.
“You are.”
Again Jon tried to pinpoint the location of the voice. “Where are you?”
“I am here,” she whispered in his ear.
Jon spun around, startled. In front of him, mere inches away, stood a Diakan woman, not much different from the three priestesses. She wore the same white hooded garment, and stood with her head lowered so as to conceal her face. “How did you do that?”
“I did nothing.”
“How did you sneak up on me like that? Nobody gets that close to me without me sensing them long before.”
“You rely on your symbiont for much.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“And yet you consider its destruction.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You would have the symbiont removed.”
“It’s an option.” Jon was struck by how much this woman knew. He hadn’t had much time to consider what the doctor had said about taking the symbiont out, but now that she brought it up, he realized that he seriously considered it. He could finally be rid of the damned thing.
“Why?” said the woman, head still lowered, hiding her face.
“It’s dying. If I don’t take it out, it will kill me.”
“No.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You hate your symbiont, as you hate all Diakans.”
“That’s not true.”
“Your lies have no power here, Jon Pike.”
“Look, I don’t know who-”
The Great See’er raised her head, revealing her face. In it Jon saw an intensity he had never seen in a Diakan. But the eyes completely disarmed him. Like the priestesses, they had a radiance to them, but unlike the priestesses, they also possessed a frightening power. Every muscle in Jon’s body seized up, leaving him frozen and helpless before her.
You cannot hide here, her voice said in his mind, as everything went black.
Chapter 28
“How many did we lose?” Jon said to Kevin.
“I haven’t gotten exact numbers yet, but it looks like almost three quarters of our team.”
“Goddamnit!” Jon wheeled around to face the Diakan commander, who stood quietly several meters away. “Did you hear that? Three quarters of our team, dead.”
“The mission was successful,” said the Diakan commander, without any hint of emotion.
This lack of empathy made Jon furious. “We’re not pawns for you to sacrifice whenever you feel like it. Those people didn’t have to die. We should have waited for orbital support.”
“Lieutenant Pike, so long as you are on this ship, you are still on loan to the Diakan armed forces. That means you are under Diakan command. Insubordination will not be tolerated. Punishment for insubordination is extremely harsh, up to and including execution. Choice of punishment is at my discretion. I suggest you end your outburst, or you will be punished.”
Jon glared at the Diakan, every inch of his body filling with hate. He had lost some good people on the planet. Many of them he considered friends. But he knew the Diakan wasn’t bluffing, and he wanted to see his family again, so he turned away.
“We’ll be off this bucket soon enough, Sir,” said Kevin.
“How long until we are back in Sol?”
“Another day or so. We have to transit in system a few times which will slow us down.”
Jon nodded absently, his mind remaining in the battle, powerful Juttari energy bolts cutting through his team in explosive, bloody bursts. Heavy weapons that the Diakans were supposed to knock out from orbit.
His head filled with the screams that came through his helmet. Countless screams, until they fell quiet, unconscious or dead. Some combat suits were so mangled that their medical functions we no longer operational, and no meds could be given. Those horrific screams haunted Jon most of all.
“Lieutenant Pike, report to nearest communication console,” came a voice over Jon’s comm. He snapped back to reality.
“Understood,” he answered, making his way to a comm console.
“Please stand by, Lieutenant Pike,” said a synthetic voice, once his DNA had been confirmed.
When the display came to life, Jon was staring at a human face in a Space Force uniform bearing the rank of Major. “Lieutenant Pike?”
“Yes, Sir,” said Jon.
The Major took a deep breath. “I’m Major McFadden. Lieutenant, I regret to inform you that there has been an attack on Earth. Fort Atkinson has been hit.”
“What?” Jon could barely get the word out. His chest constricted, and he couldn’t take a breath.
“Much of the base was destroyed in the attack, including the family housing section. I regret to inform you that your wife and children did not survive the attack.”
Jon’s vision blurred as tears streamed down his cheeks. “No. You’re wrong.” He barely recognized his own voice. It sounded distant. Disembodied.
“I wish I was. I’m very sorry.”
Jon brought his trembling hands to his head, pulling mindlessly at his hair. “How?”
“We’re not sure yet. The Juttari were able to get operatives onto the planet, most likely Chaanisar.”
“And you’re sure? There’s no mistake?”
“No mistake. I’m sorry. There will be an official ceremony for all the victims in a couple days. I understand you will be back in Sol in time to attend. If there is anything Space Force can do, please let me know.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Jon, struggling to hold it together.
The screen flickered and the Major disappeared, leaving Jon alone, his whole world in tatters. He wanted to die, but he also wanted revenge. Staring at the blank screen he became aware of eyes staring back at him. Powerful, radiant eyes. The Great See’er.
Jon wiped the tears from his face. “Why? Why would you make me relive that?”
“I should have been there. They died alone, without me. You Diakans were supposed to protect us. That was the deal. That’s why I fought for you.”
“Diakans did not kill your family. Yet you hate them as if they did.”
“What difference does it make? Juttari? Diakans? You’re all to blame. Fucking aliens.”
Her eyes bore into Jon’s again, transporting him back into the past. This time he was in Admiral Walsh’s office, on board Orbital Station Alpha, in the Sol System.
“Your record is quite impressive, Captain,” said Walsh from behind his desk.
“Thank you, Sir,” said Jon, standing at attention.
“Take a seat.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Jon, lowering himself onto one of the chairs.
“Tell me why you volunteered for this assignment.”
“I want to kill Juttari, Sir.”
“Your record shows you’ve already killed plenty. More than any other operative.”
“I’m not done.”
Walsh studied Jon for a moment, and then looked back at his service record. “I see here that you lost your family in the attack on Fort Atkinson. Is that why you’re doing this?”
“I am just doing my duty, Sir,” Jon lied.
“Captain, do you have some kind of death wish? Is that what this is all about?”
“No, Sir. No death wish,” Jon lied again.
“Well, I can’t argue with your success. I’ll let you know what you’re volunteering for, and then I’ll give you an opportunity to back out. Others have volunteered before you, but changed their minds after they learned the details.”
Walsh paused, giving Jon a chance to speak, but Jon stayed silent. Walsh nodded, continuing, “This is a joint Diakan-Space Force operation, but you will be working for Space Force. In fact, you will report directly to me. What I am about to tell you is top secret, and even if you do not accept the mission, you will not disclose what you’ve learned today. If you do, you will be charged with treason. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good. We want to insert a Diakan symbiont into your belly. If all goes well, that symbiont will give you enhanced physical powers. You will utilize these enhanced capabilities on future missions where you will assassinate high level targets.”
Jon soaked in the surprising information. When he volunteered for the secret mission, he hadn’t expected anything like it. “This thing will help me kill more Juttari?”
“That’s right.”
“Is it permanent?”
“No. Symbionts are common on Diakus. They can be removed at any time. If you volunteer, you will be committing to a minimum term, after which you can choose to remove the symbiont.”
If I live that long, Jon thought, realizing this operation might end his suffering once and for all. “I’ll do it.”
The Admiral faded and he faced the Great See’er again. “You all manipulated me. The symbiont didn’t just help me kill the enemy, it made me kill anyone it perceived a threat. I never agreed to that. You treated me like a pawn, again and again. Why shouldn’t I hate you?”
“Is this why you chose to kill your symbiont?”
“I already told you, if I don’t remove it, I will die.”
“Your symbiont is healing as we speak. Have you not noticed its change?”
“I noticed something. I figured it just liked being here.”
“It is one of us. It draws power from the great pool.”
“So you’re helping it heal?”
“We all are.”
“What did you mean when you said it’s one of you?”
“My gift, my sight, emanates from my symbiont, just as your gifts emanate from yours.”
“So your symbiont allows you to see the future?”
“The future. The past. In reality I see many futures. They are like so many threads. Each one is possible, yet it can be unraveled. My role as See’er is to relay the possibilities, and advise on the most beneficial. The people are free to follow my guidance, or not. But there is no difference between the symbiont and myself. Just as there is no difference between you and your symbiont.”
“Oh there’s plenty of difference between me and the monster in my belly.”
“You and your symbiont are one, Jon Pike. You must accept this.”
“If you say so,” Jon said sarcastically. “So if all Diakans have symbionts, does that mean their symbionts give them different powers?”
“No. They give them harmony, and control over their emotions.”
“Is that why Diakans have no sense of humor?”
“Diakans possess powerful emotions. In the past they could not control them, causing much death and suffering. The symbionts provide control. With their help, Diakans have learned to master their feelings.”
“They turned them into robots, if you ask me. Okay, then what’s so different about my symbiont? Is it that they genetically engineered it?”
“Your symbiont is from the Great Pool. Just as mine.”
“So what, they’re like cousins or something?”
“Symbionts from the Great Pool are only meant for those serving the Temple, yet some have violated the Temple’s sanctity.”
“Are you saying that they stole DNA from this Great Pool of yours so that they could tap into its power?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t they put the symbiont into their own bellies?”
“It would be blasphemy for a Diakan to do so.”
“But a human… I get it. Once again, we’re the guinea pigs.”
“They expected to control you. They could not foresee the unfolding events. Now they move to intercept them.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“Yes. The Diakans who created your symbiont, are the ones who seek to terminate you. They are known as The Faction.”
Chapter 29
Jon felt like a cudgel had hit him. This Faction had been behind everything from the beginning. The genetic engineering of his symbiont. It’s insertion into his body, and its early tyranny over him. His assignment on the Hermes was probably orchestrated by them too. Sending him in search of the lost colonies was a great way to get rid of him for a few years. The attempt on his life. Even now they tried to use him. Killing him off would allow The Faction to take control of the territory he had gained over the past year. They could then bring the colonies into the Galactic Accord, and reassert Diakan dominance. Whoever these people were, they were playing for keeps.
“You must accept yourself, Jon Pike,” said the Great See’er.
“What makes you think I don’t?” said Jon.
“You and your symbiont are one. It is part of you. You must accept this. To hate your symbiont is to hate yourself.”
“You’re saying I shouldn’t take it out. How do I know you’re not trying to control me too?”
“I do not seek control.”
“Bullshit. This whole planet hangs off your every word. If that’s not control, I don’t know what is. Are you telling me you don’t like having that kind of power?”
“Power is an illusion. I merely advise. They are free to choose their actions. As are you.”
“And your advice is to keep the symbiont.”
“It is a part of you. All you have accomplished, all you will accomplish, is intertwined with your symbiosis.”
“Wait, are you saying that your prophecy about me won’t come true if I remove the symbiont?”
“If you destroy the symbiont, you destroy the prophecy.”
Jon hadn’t considered that angle. The Faction wanted to sabotage the prophecy. What better way to do it than by killing the symbiont? That’s why it was poisoned. It occurred to him that even the doctor at the medical facility might be part of the conspiracy. Why else would he try so hard to tell Jon that the creature could be removed? “So if I decide to keep the symbiont, then what happens?”
“You must acc
ept it, as you must accept yourself.”
“Why do you keep saying that?”
“Because you and the symbiont are one. That makes you not only human, but Diakan as well.”
“There’s no way that I’m a Diakan. Do you see any green skin? Look at my face. I have a nose. You don’t. We’re nothing like each other.”
“Appearance is an illusion. The symbiont is Diakan. It is part of you. It is also of this place, which means you are part of us, and we part of you.”
“So I’m not only a Diakan, but I’m a See’er too?”
“No. Only I possess the gift of sight. You have your own gifts. But your symbiont is of the Temple, as are you.”
“My eyes don’t glow like yours.”
“Appearances-”
“I know, they’re an illusion. Anybody ever tell you that you need to come up with some new material? This stuff gets old quick.”
“This is not a performance, Jon Pike.”
“No, I guess it’s not.” Jon looked the woman over, realizing that the whole time he had been glued to her eyes. “How long have you been here anyway?”
“I am the See’er. I have always been the See’er.”
“Since day one? It’s just been you?”
“Yes.”
“That must make you thousands of years old.”
“Yes. My symbiont has given the gift of long life. As has yours.”
“I thought symbionts only lived up to a thousand years.”
“Yes, but they are not of the Great Pool.”
“But you will die one day.”
“Yes, as will you.”
With the symbiont regaining its strength, Jon’s enhanced abilities had returned, including his hearing. He began to pick up on weapons fire in the distance near the shuttle landing.
“We’re under attack.”
“Yes.”
“I thought The Faction wouldn’t attack us here?”
“They pursue their future, as you must pursue yours.”
“I have to help my people.”
“Yes, you do.”
Jon heard the sound of the giant doors opening behind him. Without another word, he spun around and raced toward the familiar sound of battle.
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 125