by G. P. Hudson
“Thank you, Colonel. Tallos out.”
Colonel Steeg’s face blinked off the display, leaving Tallos with a vague discomfort about the exchange. Did he need to worry about these Chaanisar? Were their loyalties divided? Tallos felt a sudden burning distrust of the Chaanisar in his fleet.
The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced of their treachery. Murderous anger spiked through him yet again, and he struggled to hold it back. His symbiont reacted to the paranoia, and quashed all hostility burning through him, leaving him again calm and in control.
What is happening to me? Tallos thought. Why are these primal emotions taking hold? And why is my symbiont having so much trouble dealing with them?
With a level mind, he reassessed his fears of the Chaanisar. There was no evidence of any treason. Suspicion of them was entirely unfounded. Admiral Pike believed them to be trustworthy, and Admiral Pike was of the Temple. Tallos decided that when this campaign was over, that he would have his symbiont examined. Perhaps it needed to be replaced. Right now, he had a war to fight.
Tallos straightened his uniform. “Have all Juttari warships been destroyed?”
“Yes, Sir. Any remaining warships were destroyed in their suicide attack.”
“Order the fleet to jump back into the Juttari system, and finish off the remaining battle stations.”
Chapter 47
A Kemmar force had been found near an Otan planet. The Otan had been primarily a merchant class, and had lived peacefully with both their human and Kemmar neighbors. After all those years, Captain Konos wondered what precipitated the abrupt Kemmar invasion.
Konos found it ironic that the merchants had now become products, to be sold in the Kemmar slave trade. He wondered how many had survived the ordeal. The Kemmar were known for their brutality, something many humans experienced when they invaded the colonies the year prior.
It was a shame that no one could foresee the unfolding events. The Otan and the colonies could have become allies, possibly saving each other. None of that was relevant now. All that mattered were the Kemmar ships arrayed before him.
The Kemmar force wasn’t what Konos had been expecting. There were maybe one-hundred-and-fifty ships occupying the system. Considering this was an occupation force, he expected many more ships than that, especially since surveillance reports showed a much larger force. They were no real match against the UHSF armada. With or without jumpspace technology, it would be a slaughter.
Except that there was a slight problem. The armada hadn’t arrived.
“Are these the correct coordinates?” said Konos to his XO.
“No, Sir, they are not,” said Commander Mani, immersed in the many reports streaming through on his displays.
“What happened? Were they not entered correctly?”
“Checking. Everything indicates the coordinates were correctly entered, Sir. We just jumped into the wrong system.”
Konos couldn’t believe his ears. This was supposed to be state of the art technology. “How could that have happened?”
Mani was furiously tapping on his console, consulting his array of displays. “It appears to be a malfunction, Sir.”
“A malfunction?” said Konos, his frustration rising.
“Yes, Sir. I’m trying to find the cause.”
“Never mind that right now. Jump us to the correct coordinates. We can troubleshoot later.”
“Yes, Sir. Initiating jump system.”
Konos waited for the scene on the viewscreen to change, but it remained the same. “Commander? What’s going on?”
“The jump system is not responding, Sir.”
Konos tapped his comm display opening a channel with his chief engineer.
“Mendyk here,” said a female voice, but instead of seeing the chief’s face, he had a view of the Intrepid’s bustling engineering section.
“Chief, what’s going on with the jump system? Why can’t we jump?”
“Trying to figure that out, Sir.”
“How long until you can get it working again?”
“I’ll be able to answer that question when I figure out what’s wrong with it, Sir”
“Unauthorized jumpspace disturbances detected,” said the computer. “Launching jump bombs.”
“Damnit,” said Konos. “Keep me posted.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“How many disturbances are we talking about, Commander?”
“Dozens, Sir.”
“Are the jump bombs working at least?”
“Yes, Sir. Jump bombs are away.”
Konos looked down at his comm display as red threat icons began to materialize all around the Intrepid.
“Initiate point defense system. Deploy countermeasures. Launch all fighters and bombers.”
“Point defense system is online. Birds are launching.”
“Tactical, engage any enemy ship not destroyed by the jump bombs. Fire at will.”
On his own display, many of the red threat icons began to disappear, as the jump bombs did their damage, ripping through the guts of each warship. The Intrepid lanced out at the remaining ships with energy bolts, and missiles, while the fighters and bombers swooped in to finish off their crippled foes.
The surviving ships hit back with their own weapons. Concussions rocked the Intrepid, but it was not enough. The jump bombs and the Intrepid’s combined weapon systems had taken their toll. Steadily the red threat icons blinked off his tactical screen.
“Unauthorized jumpspace disturbances detected,” said the computer. “Launching jump bombs.”
Just as before, new threat icons began to appear around the Intrepid, only to be greeted by the Intrepid’s jump bombs, and its array of more conventional weapons.
“Sir, we have a problem,” said Mani. “We are running out of jump bombs.”
“How many do we have left?”
“Just twenty, Sir. The computer has been utilizing multiple bombs to destroy the Kemmar warships.”
Konos cursed under his breath. The Intrepid was supposed to receive more jump bombs, but Calledonius had interfered. He said that since the Intrepid was a carrier, that it didn’t require as many as the other ships. The fighters and bombers all had jump systems, and they could do with less jump bombs. On the other hand, a destroyer, or a cruiser, depended solely on their weapons systems, so they required more. Konos hadn’t argued the decision at the time, and he was coming to regret it.
“Tactical, switch to manual jump bomb control. Conserve as many as possible. One bomb per ship, followed by conventional weapons.”
“Yes, Sir. Switching to manual control.”
Konos wished he had a way of knowing how to target the Kemmar bridge. Or even better, their reactor. Then just one jump bomb could take a ship out of the fight. They were currently launching the bombs blindly into the enemy ships. While they always wounded the enemy, they didn’t always take them out of the fight.
Turning back to the display, it was clear there were too many enemy warships. Even if they rationed their jump bombs, they just didn’t have enough.
“Kemmar have scrambled fighters,” said Mani.
The smaller ships suddenly appeared on his tactical display. Hundreds of them. What little advantage their own fighters and bombers had given them was now gone. He had yet to see a Kemmar fighter with a jump system, but that was one small advantage. As far as he could see, he had one option left.
“Helm, bring the FTL drive online,” said Konos. “We’re going to make a run for it.” Those fighters wouldn’t catch them at FTL speeds, even if the warships could. Either way, it was better than sitting still for Kemmar target practice.
“FTL drive is online, Sir,” said the Helmsman.
“Commander Mani, recall our birds. Order one fighter to jump to the last known fleet coordinates. Have them advise the fleet of our current situation, and that we will be moving toward them at FTL speeds. Helm, plot a course for our previous jump coordinates.”
“Orders sent,
Sir. Birds are returning to nest.”
Konos waited for their birds to return to the Intrepid’s hangar bay. The Kemmar fighters were rapidly closing in. New Kemmar warships jumped into weapons range. The remaining jump bombs continued to be deployed. The Intrepid had no choice.
“All birds are on board, Sir,” said Mani.
“Helm, take us out of here. Maximum velocity,” said Konos.
Space around the Intrepid shimmered as the translucent FTL bubble took shape within the space-time foam, shooting the Intrepid forward.
As the Intrepid raced away, several Kemmar ships engaged their own FTL drives, pursuing the UHSF carrier. More concerning, however, were the ones that vanished. Konos knew that they had jumped ahead of the Intrepid, and lay in wait for the carrier to reach them.
Chapter 48
Jon’s fleet landed on the far end of the Telepylos system, close to the two white hot binary stars circling each other. The asteroid field, where the Reivers used to live, lay in between them and the Kemmar fleet.
“Sensors are picking up jump gate activity,” said Commander Henderson.
“Put it on the main viewscreen and magnify,” said Jon.
On the viewscreen, the space behind the Kemmar ships shimmered, as the jump gate took shape. Jon watched a small Kemmar vessel approach, and disappear into the translucent field.
“You think they’re calling for reinforcements, Sir?” said Henderson.
“I hope so,” said Jon. “I’d rather deal with whatever is on the other side of that gate now. Tell the fleet to hold position. I don’t want anyone launching anything until I give the order. Let’s wait and see what the Kemmar do.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson. “Fleet is holding position.”
The Kemmar were outnumbered, and Jon knew they couldn’t attack his fleet. He had seen the Kemmar do some pretty crazy things before. But with the jump gate connecting to Kemmar space, the logical reaction would be to call for reinforcements.
All around him was a bustle of activity. Jon’s bridge crew busied themselves with the myriad duties required to keep a space carrier running smoothly.
The Freedom was no longer just a carrier, however. It was now a capital ship and the fleet’s flagship. Out of necessity, the bridge crew increased in size to fill the new roles that reality created. That meant the Freedom needed an overhaul, and over the past year the bridge had been expanded and upgraded.
Jon had to adapt to the changes, like everyone else. He found the new bridge unwieldly, and chaotic. As with everything, however, he grew accustomed to the new bridge’s larger size, and the increased activity. In fact, he now found all the hustle and bustle energizing.
“Picking up jump gate activity,” said Henderson.
“That didn’t take long,” said Jon, turning back to the jump gate on the viewscreen. He watched as a group of massive Kemmar battleships come through, followed by a seemingly unending flow of cruisers, destroyers, and carriers. As he had hoped, the Kemmar had called in the cavalry.
The ships continued to stream into the system, taking position in preparation for battle. They remained near the jump gate, where they could take advantage of their autonomous weapon systems. The mine field would afford them additional protection. Of course, none of that would stop the jump bombs, but the Kemmar didn’t know that yet.
Warfare had gone through yet another revolution, and the Kemmar had been left behind. Defensive formations, like the one the Kemmar were taking, would prove as useless as castle walls against aerial bombardment.
Through the colonies, Jon had gained access to much of Earth’s lost knowledge, and he had spent much of the last year studying Earth’s history. In particular, he focused on military history, and the one thing he found over and over was that most Empires were founded on the back of some sort of technological advantage. Either they created a weapon their adversaries didn’t have, or they adopted a superior tactic that couldn’t be matched. Whether it was a Greek phalanx, or a Roman legion, a British man-of-war, or an American aircraft carrier, in every case the advantage led to a period of hegemony.
The jumpspace technology gave an overwhelming advantage, but they had a rapidly closing window of opportunity in which to exploit it. Given enough time, the Juttari would attain the technology, nullifying his advantage. But the Kemmar would have no hope.
With the Kemmar ranks growing, the flow of ships coming through the gate finally began to slow to a trickle.
“How many ships do the Kemmar have in system?” said Jon.
“Five-hundred-and-forty-three, Sir,” said Henderson.
Jon nodded. “Good enough. Tell the fleet to prepare for jump bomb first strike. AI, calculate targeting coordinates and disburse to fleet.”
“Coordinates have been calculated, and transmitted to all ships,” said AI.
“Commander, order the fleet to initiate first strike.”
“Order relayed. Jump bombs are away.”
Jon leaned forward, his eyes glued to the main viewscreen. There, the Kemmar warships began to buckle, as the jump bombs wreaked havoc with their interiors. On practically every ship, gaping hull breaches formed, spitting out equipment and personnel alike until containment fields began to compensate. The smaller Kemmar vessels were less fortunate, instantly destroyed in the first strike.
“Launch another round of jump bombs,” ordered Jon. “Continue until all enemy ships are destroyed.”
Jon felt his symbiont growl its satisfaction as the turkey shoot continued. It was wholesale slaughter, and the creature approved. Jon, on the other hand, had an odd reaction, finding the encounter so lopsided that it seemed almost wrong.
Foolish, said the symbiont.
You’re probably right, Jon replied.
Eliminate your enemies, or live in fear, the symbiont continued.
Don’t worry. All these ships will be destroyed, said Jon. There will be no prisoners. No mercy.
Eliminate all enemies, said the symbiont.
You want me to kill all Kemmar? said Jon.
Yes, said the symbiont.
You’re asking for genocide?
Yes.
I’ll destroy their military, I’ll execute their leaders, but I won’t kill civilians.
There was no response, but Jon could feel its disapproval.
You know, The Faction really messed you up, continued Jon. You’re supposed to be from the Temple. The Diakans think you’re holy. Yet you’re a bloodthirsty little demon.
You are weak, the symbiont replied. You allow your enemies to live. Do you expect gratitude? Do you expect loyalty?
No, I don’t.
They will fight you, just as your resistance fought the Juttari.
Without their military, they will not pose a threat to us.
Did the Juttari not think the same of the humans?
That was different.
No. Not different.
Look, I’m just doing the right thing. The human thing.
You are not human.
That’s what people keep telling me, but I’m not buying it. I was born human, and I will die human.
The symbiont fell silent. Jon knew he was being manipulated. If it still had control, it would’ve forced Jon to exterminate the Kemmar. It would turn this campaign into genocide.
There were many in the UHSF who probably agreed. The Kemmar nuked New Byzantium. They turned many on the colony worlds into slaves. Why allow such a species to continue to exist? Hell, he could say the same thing about the Juttari.
So why was he not willing to rid the universe of them? Not too long ago, after his family were killed, he wouldn’t have batted an eye at the idea of eradicating the Juttari, and probably the Kemmar too. What was different now? Was he trying to prove he had changed? Was he trying to prove he was still human?
Jon looked back to the viewscreen, where the Kemmar ships were exploding one after the other. It was a massacre, and he enjoyed watching it. He couldn’t lie to himself. There was some demon left in
him too.
It was often a difficult balancing act. Even though the symbiont no longer held control, he could feel its influence. As the Diakans said, it was a part of him now. And it left him conflicted.
Part of him lived in darkness with the symbiont, the part that wanted blood. The other, the part in control, desperately clung to his humanity, refusing to give in. It was as though he stood on the edge of a precipice. All it took was one misstep, or nudge, and he would fall into the abyss. There would be no escape from the darkness then.
As the slaughter continued, several Kemmar ships engaged their jump systems, blinking off the screen. Engaging the fleet, they were immediately disposed of. The jumpspace recognition technology worked perfectly, dropping bombs in the exact locations where the intruders landed. Total destruction, before they could get off a shot.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light filled the viewscreen from within Jon’s ranks.
“Sir, we’ve just lost the Vigilant,” said Henderson. “A Kemmar ship jumped into the same coordinates, destroying both ships.”
“A suicide attack?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“AI, are you monitoring?”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“I need you to modify the jumpspace recognition system’s response to anticipate suicide attacks.”
“Modifying.”
Jon waited while the extremely powerful Artificial Intelligence made changes to the system. Suicide attacks were something they should have anticipated.
“The Freedom has been modified. Upgrading remaining ships in fleet.”
“Unauthorized jumpspace disturbance detected,” said the jumpspace computer. “Initiating jump.”
“What?” said Jon, looking up at the viewscreen. Where there had just been hundreds of ships, there was now emptiness. Just the velvety blackness of open space. “What just happened?”
“A Kemmar warship plotted an impact with the Freedom,” said AI. “The modifications jumped the Freedom to avoid the collision.”
“Damn it,” said Jon. “Helm, jump us back into the Telepylos system.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Ensign Richards, the helmsman. “Initiating jump.”