Vanquish (The Pike Chronicles Book 6)

by G. P. Hudson

  “Do you not approve of the modifications, Admiral?” said AI.

  “It’s fine. It just caught me off guard. Please advise all ship commanders of the changes.”

  “Yes, Admiral.”

  The Freedom safely landed back in Telepylos. The lopsided battle continued, and all along Jon watched the viewscreen intently. One by one, the last remaining Kemmar warships were destroyed.

  Five-hundred-and-forty-three Kemmar warships destroyed, thought Jon. Hundreds of thousands of Kemmar dead. He repeated the numbers over and over in his head, barely able to contain his glee.

  His ships turned their jump bombs to the gate defenses next, and easily disposed of the Kemmar weapon systems.

  “The Telepylos system has been secured, Sir,” Henderson said with pride.

  “Thank you, Commander,” said Jon. “Excellent work. Dispatch a surveillance drone through the gate. Let’s see what’s left on the other side.”

  Chapter 49

  The Diakan and Chaanisar ships pounded the Juttari battle stations with missiles and jump bombs. The battle stations fired back with missiles of their own, but General Tallos’s fleet easily dealt with the onslaught.

  The Juttari ships defending this system had all destroyed. The battle stations were the last remaining obstacles in Tallos’s way. The fleet now sat back at a safe distance working to destroying each station.

  Tallos eyed the planets the stations protected. “What intelligence do we have on the planets?”

  “We have mapped out all visible military installations, although it must be assumed that there are hidden assets as well,” said Captain Rotos, Tallos’s second in command.

  “What about the population? What race is the population?”

  “The population is Juttari.”

  “This is an actual Juttari system?” Tallos said in amazement. All Juttari territory he had encountered up until now had originally belonged to a race the Juttari had conquered.

  “Yes, Sir. It looks like it is one of their colonies.”

  “Intriguing.” Tallos felt like he had discovered a hidden treasure. “That explains the many battle stations. They will not let this system go easily.”

  “Detecting jump gate activity,” said Rotos, as if on cue.

  “On viewscreen,” said Tallos.

  The main viewscreen shifted orientation from the assault on the battle stations, to a flood of Juttari warships pouring into the system through the jump gate.

  “Order all ships to pause attacks on the stations. Target the incoming Juttari ships with jump bombs,” ordered Tallos.

  “Transmitting orders. Fleet is retargeting.”

  Tallos watched as several bombs detonated in empty space, missing the warships. “What just happened? Why did those bombs not hit their targets?”

  “The ships’ velocity is making it harder to hit them with the jump bombs. Adjusting targeting parameters.”

  Tallos watched as more ships, crossed through the jump gate. Some were hit, but many outran the jump bombs. He had seen enough. “Arm jump bombs with nuclear weapons,” said Tallos. “Target the mouth of the jump gate. Fire when ready.”

  “Yes, Sir,” said Tallos’s 2IC. “Launching nuclear weapons.”

  On the viewscreen, several high yield nuclear explosions wreaked havoc with the incoming Juttari warships. The warships had to travel in a tight formation through the jump gate, leaving them more susceptible to a nuclear strike.

  “Again,” said Tallos, as multiple enemy ships entered the system. “Assign a squadron to jump gate defense. Ensure the ships you select have enough nuclear warheads to repeatedly bombard the mouth of the jump gate.”

  “Yes, Sir. Assigning suitable ships to the operation.”

  “Select another squadron to bomb the battle stations, with nuclear warheads.”

  “Yes, Sir. Transmitting orders.”

  Tallos watched indifferently as the first nuclear strikes hit the stations. He had used conventional jump bombs initially, deciding to conserve his nuclear warheads in case they were needed elsewhere. Knowing this was a Juttari system, he changed tack. The Juttari would fight much harder for this system, and speed became essential. The faster the system’s defenses were destroyed, the better equipped they would be to defend against counterattacks.

  Finding a system with a Juttari population was extremely fortuitous. The goal was to keep the Juttari occupied while the Kemmar were dealt with, after all. What better way to do so than to place a Juttari population under siege?

  Brilliant flashes of light filled the viewscreen as the battle stations blew apart. As massive as they were, the force of a high yield nuclear detonation inside their structures was simply too much. Like a meteor shower, thousands of station fragments hit the planets they were charged with protecting.

  “Prepare for planetary strike,” said Tallos. “Target all identified military installations.”

  “Yes, Sir. Should we switch to conventional weapons?”

  “No. Continue using nuclear warheads.”

  Captain Rotos paused, as Tallos’s words hung in the air.

  “Is there a problem, Captain?”

  “No, General. Initiating nuclear strike.”

  “Display all planets on viewscreen.”

  The viewscreen split into three vertical panes, with each displaying one of the three inhabited Juttari planets. Within moments several mushroom clouds began to rise from each of the planets’ surfaces.

  Tallos had understood Captain Rotos’s hesitation. Diakan nuclear weapons were capable of monstrous devastation, and using them to attack the military installations meant that they would also lay waste to much of the surrounding civilian areas. The fallout would reach further, killing more of the population. It was vicious, but then the Juttari were a vicious enemy.

  “All known military installations have been destroyed,” announced Rotos.

  “Establish a comm with the planetary leadership,” said Tallos. “Send to my command display when ready.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Tallos monitored the activity around the jump gate as he waited. Juttari ships still attempted to enter the system, only to be obliterated by Diakan nuclear strikes. Tallos wondered if these ships were not Chaanisar as well. The Juttari were proficient at sacrificing other species, but he wasn’t sure they’d be so eager to send their own into a nuclear inferno.

  The Juttari were now well informed of what had happened to this system. Their best course of action would be to avoid the jump gate entirely, using the jump system to mount a counterattack. With close to a thousand light years between this and the nearest Juttari system, however, such an attack would take several days to reach them.

  Even then, what could they accomplish? The moment they tried to jump into the system, the jumpspace technology would annihilate them. The reality was that this system now belonged to the Alliance, and Tallos had no interest in letting it go.

  “Send a comm drown through the gate, into the Widow’s Triangle, with an update on all that we’ve found here. Inform the Alliance that we control the system, and that we require permanent defensive systems.”

  “Dispatching comm drone.”

  A holographic image took shape in front of Tallos, displaying three vicious looking Juttari faces. The planetary leadership.

  “Diakan barbarism,” said one of the Juttari, pointing a razor sharp claw at Tallos.

  “A ridiculous comment, coming from a Juttari,” countered Tallos.

  “You bombard our planets with nuclear weapons.”

  “I destroyed your military infrastructure. I have not targeted your cities.”

  “Your weapons have killed millions.”

  “Collateral damage.” Tallos leaned in toward the Juttari leaders. “Do not lecture me about barbarism, Juttari. How many planets have you decimated? Did you not try to exterminate the humans last year? Billions died on that planet.”

  “That planet belonged to the Juttari Empire. A planet the Diakans stole from us.
”

  “A planet we rightfully liberated during the previous war. Regardless, I did not contact you to discuss the fate of Earth. I am contacting you to discuss the fate of your planets. I demand your unconditional surrender.”

  “Surrender? We are the chosen. We do not surrender to unclean creatures such as you.”

  Tallos felt the anger returning. Tension began to build in his neck, and he subtly turned his head in an effort to loosen the tightening muscles there. “Either you surrender, or you will be subjected through the use of force.”

  “We do not fear your heathen threats. You believe you have power? You are nothing. You have made a grave mistake, Diakan. You have bombed holy ground. The Gods now come for you. You will all be cleansed.”

  “Captain Rotos, target one of cities on the closest planet. On my order, you will launch three conventional jump bombs, striking the city’s center.”

  “Yes, Sir. Target has been acquired.”

  Tallos focused on the Juttari doing the talking. “So you will not surrender?”

  “We will not.”

  Tallos’s jaw tightened, and he clenched his fists. How foolish were these Juttari? Did they really think he wouldn’t? “Captain Rotos. Launch jump bombs.”

  “Bombs away,” said Rotos.

  “As you see, I can strike your planets at will, and you have no way to stop me. Now, will you surrender your planets?”

  “You are a coward, like all Diakans,” said the Juttari. “Do as you wish. The gods are coming for you. You and your kind will be cleansed soon enough.”

  The anger turned to fury. The emotion overwhelmed Tallos. It was all encompassing. Complete. I will lay waste to your planets, thought Tallos, envisioning the nuclear desolation he was about to inflict. You will all burn. Every last one of you.

  “Captain Rotos!” shouted Tallos.

  A Diakan raising his voice, let alone a Diakan General, was so foreign that most of the bridge crew stopped dead. Tallos glared back at them. This is insubordination, he thought. My own crew is turning against me. They are all traitors.

  “General?” said Rotos, clearly confused by the outburst.

  Just when Tallos felt like he himself would explode, the symbiont finally acted and quelled the violent emotions. The tension left, his muscles relaxed, and the familiar Diakan calm returned.

  Tallos straightened his uniform, turning back to the Juttari. “Luckily for you, Juttari, we have some time. I will give you an opportunity to discuss this amongst yourselves. You have ten Diakan standard hours. If, after that time, you do not surrender, I will bomb the next city with nuclear weapons. General Tallos out.” With that, Tallos killed the transmission.

  Standing from his command chair, Tallos stepped down from his perch. “You have the bridge, Captain Rotos. Continue targeting the jump gate, so long as ships keep coming through.”

  “Yes, Sir,” said Rotos.

  Tallos walked off the bridge, and headed toward the ship’s sick bay. He didn’t know what was wrong, but it had to be dealt with before his final showdown with the Juttari planetary leaders.

  Chapter 50

  The Kemmar had installed defenses on the other side of the Telepylos jump gate. They had sent most of their ships through to Telepylos to bolster their fleet there. With those ships destroyed, Jon decided to use old fashioned tactics, sending a siege ship to force its way through the gate. AI hacked into the gate defenses, and took control.

  With the Telepylos jump gate secured, the fleet began crossing through. The gates were wide enough to accommodate several warships simultaneously. With almost a thousand ships, that simply took time. Still, it was much faster than the days it would take to reach their destination with the jump system. The gates still had great value, even in this age of jump systems and jump bombs.

  When the last of the fleet sailed through, the time had come to begin the advance through Kemmar space. The primary target was Kem, the Kemmar home planet, but along the way, Jon would seek out and destroy every military asset he came across. Jon’s plan was to hit every Kemmar system between the gate, and Kem. The plan leveraged the jumpspace technology, and speed.

  “What is our jump system status, Mr. Richards?” said Jon.

  “Jump system is at seventy-five percent, Sir. We are jump ready,” said Richards, the helmsman.

  “Commander Henderson, jump a surveillance drone into the first Kemmar star system.”

  “Yes, Sir. Plotting coordinates. Launching drone,” said Henderson.

  When the drone returned, Jon pulled up the feed on his console, studying it with interest. The system defenses consisted mostly of planetary defense systems, and a handful of warships.

  “These Kemmar don’t go overboard with system defenses, do they?” said Henderson, analyzing the same feed. “If this was a Juttari system, there’d be battle stations, and autonomous defense systems in place everywhere.”

  “You’re right,” said Jon. “They’ve only really thought about defending the planets themselves, not the system.”

  “Not very smart,” said Henderson.

  Jon shrugged. “They’ve never had to worry about it. They’re conquerors. Every race they’ve encountered has been weaker.”

  Henderson nodded. “These bastards have never been invaded.”

  “No, they haven’t. They’ve been at the top of the food chain throughout their history. They see the rest of the universe as prey.”

  “I know that alright. I’ll never forget what they did to Private Denney on the prison planet,” said Henderson, referring to how the Kemmar had eaten Private Denney alive, while the Hermes Marines were captive on the prison planet.

  The reference filled Jon with guilt. It was his fault his men had been captured. Denney’s blood was on his hands. “Don’t worry, Commander. We’re going to make the Kemmar pay for that, and every other crime they’ve committed.”

  “Yes, Sir!” said Henderson resolutely.

  Jon couldn’t help but notice the tension in Henderson’s jaw, and the muscles flexed in his powerful arms. This man wanted nothing more than to destroy the enemy.

  “Commander, inform the fleet we’ll be jumping into the first target system shortly.”

  “Transmitting.”

  Jon opened a comm with Colonel Bast of the Chaanisar. Bast’s stern, angular features soon appeared on the display.

  “Are the ground teams ready, Colonel?” said Jon.

  “Yes, Admiral. They await your orders.”

  “Good, Pike out.”

  “Fleet is responding that they are jump ready, Sir,” said Henderson.

  “Let’s get started. Initiate jump.”

  “Jump complete.”

  The fleet had landed in a star system dominated by a yellow star similar to Earth’s, with twelve planets in orbit around it. Only one of the planets was habitable, and that was the one that interested Jon.

  “Confirm the number of warships in this system, Commander.”

  “Our scans count twenty-five warships, Sir,” said Henderson.

  “This system now belongs to the UHSF. Kindly remove those ships from my sky.”

  Henderson smiled. “With pleasure, Sir. Initiating jump bomb strike.”

  Jon watched with satisfaction as the Kemmar vessels were destroyed. “Well done, Commander. I’ll also need you to do something about those annoying planetary defenses.”

  “Right away, Sir.”

  The sophisticated orbital defense network protecting the planet was struck with a jump bomb strike. Explosions ripped apart the installation in what looked like a chain reaction. The light from the flashes created a temporary halo effect around the planet.

  “Planetary defense network has been destroyed, Sir.”

  “Order the fleet to take positions in high orbit around the planet.”

  Jon tried to imagine what was happening on the planet’s surface. Was this race of predators panicking at the ease with which their defenses had been dispatched? Were they looking up at the ships tak
ing orbit around their planet, and trembling with fear, as their ships had done to so many other races? He hoped so.

  “Military installations have been identified, Sir,” said Henderson. The ships had taken position around the planet.

  “No point wasting anymore jump bombs. Take out those defenses with our conventional weapons. Fire at will.”

  “Transmitting orders.”

  The Kemmar planet underwent the most horrific electrical storm it had ever experienced, as blue energy bolts rained down on the surface in a relentless barrage. The combined force of Jon’s thousand ships came to bear on the planet, decimating all military assets.

  The ground forces tried to retaliate with surface missiles. But the attempt proved futile against the invading force. In most cases the ship countermeasures dealt with the missiles, and in others the missiles failed to make it past the ships’ point defense shields.

  The whole time, Jon sat back and savored every minute of the attack, ensuring the process was as thorough as possible. The fleet continued to pound the surface for hours, until every last bit of military infrastructure was completely destroyed.

  “All identifiable military assets have been destroyed, Sir,” said Henderson.

  “Send fighters into the atmosphere, and have them establish air superiority. They are to enforce no fly restrictions immediately. They will provide support for the ground troops that are to follow.”

  “Yes, Sir. Launching fighters.”

  “Hail the planet. I want to speak to whoever the leader is down there,” said Jon.

  A Kemmar eventually appeared on Jon’s display, baring its rows of sharp teeth at Jon.

  “I am Lord Raath, master of this world. Who am I speaking to?”

  “I’m Admiral Jon Pike, the new master of this world. This entire system, and this world, now belongs to the UHSF.”

  “This is a sovereign world of the Kemmar Empire!”

  “Not anymore. We will soon be sending down troops. You will comply with their demands. If there are any humans on this planet, kept as slaves or otherwise, they will be immediately released, and handed over to our soldiers. Any acts of resistance, defiance, or disobedience will be dealt with quickly and harshly. My soldiers are authorized to use deadly force at their discretion. Do you have any questions, Raath?”