The Pike Chronicles: Books 5-8 (Pike Chronicles Space Opera Book 2)

by G. P. Hudson

  “Is he trying to escape?” said Ilthos.

  “I don’t think so,” said Kevin.

  The craft rose several meters off the ground and spun around to engage the Diakans.

  “Oh shit,” said Kevin, at the whir of the weapon systems coming online.

  The craft fired its heavy guns. The Diakans tried to escape. Carnage ensued. Even the Diakan combat suits were no protection against the powerful guns.

  The shuttle strafed the enemy, its guns turning left to right, over and over, laying waste to that part of the temple, and killing all the Diakan attackers. When it was all over Jon set the craft back down and emerged from it.

  “You look like you’re feeling better,” said Kevin, stepping out to greet Jon.

  “I am. I’m almost back to one hundred percent,” said Jon.

  Breeah ran out from behind the table, and leaped at Jon, “I thought I lost you,” she said as she embraced him.

  “Now why would you think something silly like that?”

  She stepped back, looking Jon up and down. “You are healed?”

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “It’s a long story. This place healed me. I’ll explain later.”

  The three priestesses entered the room accompanied by a fourth woman, who Kevin figured must be the Great See’er. His assumption was confirmed when Ilthos dropped down to his knees, lowering his head to the floor before her. A priestess stepped up and handed Jon his comm.

  “Thank you,” said Jon, as he placed it back onto his uniform. “I’m sorry about all this.” He turned to the Great See’er, waving a hand toward the aftermath. “I’m sure it was irreplaceable.”

  “You did not violate the Temple’s sanctity. You did as you had to do,” said the Great See’er.

  “It’s still a great loss.”

  “We share the loss, Jon Pike. You are of the Temple.”

  “What does she mean?” said Breeah, looking at the See’er suspiciously.

  “Later,” said Jon.

  The Great See’er turned to Ilthos, who’s forehead remained on the ground. “Arise, Major Ilthos.”

  Ilthos slowly got to his feet, and Kevin couldn’t help but notice he made a point of avoiding the Great See’er’s eyes, preferring to keep his head lowered.

  “You must leave now. You must return these people to their spacecrafts. It is your purpose to guide them to safety.”

  “By Your will, Reverence,” said Ilthos, head lowered.

  “Beware, things are not as they seem. Your enemies are all around you.”

  “I understand.”

  “Can this thing get us into orbit?” said Kevin.

  “Yes,” said Ilthos. “It will have to. We have no other option.”

  Chapter 31

  Jon watched the tactical display closely, as the temple roof opened. The shuttle climbed out, racing up to the edges of the atmosphere. To his dismay, red threat icons appeared almost immediately.

  “Contacts,” announced the Diakan pilot. “More assault fighters.”

  “How long until they are in weapons range?” said Ilthos.

  “They’ve entered weapons range. They’re firing missiles. Launching countermeasures.”

  The hull pulsed repeatedly, as the shuttle launched the countermeasure drones. Once launched, the drones would race away from the shuttle, while broadcasting its signature. The advancing missiles drew nearer, and then veered off in pursuit of the drones.

  Jon let out a breath. “Those fighters are soon going to be in energy weapon range,” he said to Ilthos. “You need to take them out before that happens.”

  “This is not possible,” said Ilthos, staring at the portable command console he held in his hand.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The satellites capable of shooting down the fighters have been destroyed.”

  “How?”

  “Preliminary data indicates they were fired on by a Diakan warship.”

  “We’re screwed. If the fighters don’t get us, that orbiting warship will.”

  “Your assessment is correct, Admiral.”

  “Bullshit. We need another option.”

  “We have none. Our communications remain jammed, and fighters will be in energy weapons range in less than a minute.”

  Jon began to feel increasingly claustrophobic in the small Diakan vessel. If they had combat suits, they could jump out of the craft toward the surface. The fighters would have a difficult time getting a lock on them that way.

  Only there were no suits. They would have to rely on slower emergency gear. The fighters would have no trouble locking onto them.

  But what other option did they have? If they stayed in the shuttle they would all soon be blown out of the sky. If they jumped, they would end up as smears on the planet’s surface.

  “Contacts!” said the pilot.

  “More assault fighters?” said Ilthos. “How many?”

  “Ten, but they are not assault fighters,” said the pilot. “These are different. Identifying. They’re colonial space fighters!”

  “Yes,” shouted Kevin.

  Jon smiled. “Here come the cavalry.”

  “What the hell took them so long?” said Seiben.

  “You can ask them that yourself,” said Jon.

  Looking back to the tactical screen he watched the squadron swarm the Diakan assault fighters. The Diakans broke off pursuit of the shuttle, and tried to escape, but the colonial fighters cut them off.

  The Diakans tried to fight, but were outnumbered.

  The shuttle raced toward the upper limits of the atmosphere, as Diakan and colonial fighters streaked by at blinding speeds. To their credit, the Diakans fought bravely, and showed exceptional skill. But their disadvantage was too great, and the blue sky lit up repeatedly with the red-orange flash of exploding aircraft.

  Moments later the Diakan fighters were destroyed, and the red threat icons disappeared from the tactical display. The colonial squadron changed course toward the shuttle. Once they reached it, the fighters surrounded the shuttle, shielding it from attack.

  “Alpha Squadron leader to Admiral Pike,” came a voice over Jon’s comm.

  “Pike here,” Jon replied. “We’re all happy you could make it to the party.”

  “We wouldn’t miss it, Sir.”

  “Good, because I’m sure we’ll have a few more party crashers.”

  “We won’t be here when they do, Sir. We are going to jump to the Freedom. Our jump fields will envelop your shuttle, and bring you with us.”

  “Understood. We’re ready. Jump at will.”

  “Initiating.”

  Chapter 32

  The shuttle reappeared in space, alongside the Freedom, in the middle of a war zone. Jon’s anger grew as he watched the same Diakan battle group that had escorted them to Diakus, firing on his ships. There seemed to be no other ships in the vicinity. He had been in the Diakus system before, and knew that it was an extremely busy region of space. Was The Faction so powerful that it could reroute space traffic?

  His ships were holding their own for the time being, but they were outnumbered, and they would soon be overwhelmed by the giant Diakan battleships. And that they were battling Diakan ships in orbit around Diakus, left them sitting ducks should the remaining Diakan military pick the wrong side. Why hadn’t they intervened already?

  As the fighters escorted the shuttle onto the hangar bay, Jon knew he had only one choice. He tapped his comm, connecting with his XO, Commander Henderson.

  “Henderson here. Welcome aboard, Admiral.”

  “Nice to be back, Commander, but we have to get going. Order our birds back and jump us out of here.”

  “That’s not possible, Sir. The Diakans knocked out our jump system, and our FTL generator.”

  “How about the Vanguard? It should be big enough for its jump system to take us with it.”

  “Its jump system is down too. The Diakans took our jump systems out first when they turned on us.”r />
  An ambush. They destroyed the jump systems to ensure that escape was impossible.

  “Damn it. Alright, I’m coming to the bridge.”

  “Yes, Sir. I’ll be here.”

  In the shuttle, Kevin, Jonas and Bast were busy getting up to speed on the state of their own ships. The shuttle came to a stop, and he looked to Breeah.

  “Go,” she said, with a stoic expression. “I will see you when this is over.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this.”

  “I know.”

  When Jon jumped through the hatch, he hastily saluted the men waiting for him, before rushing out toward the bridge. With the creature’s health now fully restored, Jon didn’t waste any time.

  Racing through the ship, he encountered injured crewmembers, and damaged equipment. Everything indicated that they were taking a pounding. At each sight he became more enraged, bristling at the Diakan betrayal.

  As the anger surged, he was surprised to see the Great See’er. Not in person, but in his mind. She seemed so real, and he wondered if she wasn’t attempting telepathic communication. Whatever the vision was, it served to remind him that not all Diakans were his enemy. Only the members of The Faction. Focus returned as his angry mind found calm.

  Major Ilthos had said that The Faction had members at all levels of government. What about General Dathos? The ships firing on them were his after all. Dathos had personally selected them as escorts. As Jon considered this, he became more convinced of Dathos’s guilt.

  “Admiral on the bridge,” announced Commander Henderson

  “Report,” said Jon, pulling up a tactical display.

  “We’re outnumbered and taking a pounding, Sir,” said Henderson. “The Vanguard managed to disable one of the Diakan ships with its coil guns early on. Since then the Diakans have been using a lot of jump tactics.”

  “You would think they’d stand and fight toe to toe,” said Jon. “I guess they’re nursing the bloody nose the Vanguard gave them. How are our birds holding up?”

  “They’ve adapted to the Diakan tactics. As soon as the Diakans appear, our birds jump in on top of them. It surprised them at first, and our bombers were able to inflict some damage, but its becoming less effective, and casualty rates are climbing.”

  “Bombers aren’t getting through anymore?”

  Henderson shook his head. “The Diakans are ignoring our fighters and focusing on our bombers.”

  Jon didn’t like that. If anything helped them even out the odds, it was their bombers. If they were lost, the Diakans would have an overwhelming advantage. That, combined with the potential of reinforcements arriving at any time, spelled disaster for them all.

  Fresh explosions rocked the Freedom. Jon gripped the sides of his console for balance as the smell of burning circuits filled his nostrils. Screams echoed all around him.

  Jon turned to see flames blazing from one of the consoles, and a young officer writhing on the floor, hands covering her face. The acrid smell of smoke followed as black clouds billowed through the bridge.

  “Hull breaches on decks five and seven,” said Henderson. “Emergency containment fields are in place.”

  On the tactical display Jon saw the Vanguard, Ronin, and Reiver move into defensive positions around the Freedom. They were preparing to make a last stand. If no new Diakan ships arrived, the defensive formation would improve their odds, although they were still at a disadvantage.

  “Order our birds to stop chasing the Diakans. I want them in defensive formation around our ships.” If he had to circle the wagons, he might as well use everything he had. The Faction might end up victorious, but it wouldn’t come cheap. Jon would see to that. “Order all ships to synchronize their offensive weapon systems with ours. AI, based on the jump tactics the Diakans have used, can you identify a pattern to their actions?”

  “Yes, Admiral. Their maneuvers do follow a certain logic.”

  “Can you predict their future jumps?”

  “Not with one hundred percent accuracy, but based on the data available, I can attain a sixty-seven percent success rate.”

  “Good enough. AI, I want you to take control of all offensive weapons. When they jump, immediately fire on the estimated coordinates.”

  “Yes, Admiral.”

  Jon knew that no tactic was entirely random. With AI’s processing capabilities, he was confident she could figure out the Diakan logic.

  So far, the Diakan strategy was sound. The initial surprise attack targeted the jump systems, which left his ships flat footed, while the Diakans enjoyed total freedom of mobility. An extreme advantage. One that might make someone careless.

  On his tactical display he saw the Diakan ships jump, and at that same precise moment he felt the Freedom’s guns and missiles fire in unison. He knew that the same took place among all his ships, and that included the Vanguard’s powerful coil guns. The only question was did AI guess right?

  The Diakan warships appeared a second later, unharmed, and fired their weapons.

  “Modifying calculations,” said AI, as concussions rocked the Freedom.

  All ships deployed countermeasures to defend against the missiles, and the fighters did their part, intercepting any missiles not fooled by the decoy drones. But they couldn’t do much against the Diakan energy weapons and projectiles. Jon watched as his screen lit up indicating the newly damaged sections of his ships.

  AI fired a volley at the Diakans, forcing them to jump again, and immediately let loose another at an empty coordinate, anticipating a Diakan landing.

  The Diakan ships landed unscathed, and fired, as AI again miscalculated.

  “Hull breaches, levels twelve to fourteen,” said Henderson. “Emergency containment fields are not responding. Sealing off damaged sections.”

  Jon pressed a hand against his temples. “How many did we lose?”

  “Forty-seven crewmembers, Sir,” Henderson said solemnly.

  “AI?” said Jon.

  “Modifying calculations,” said AI, in her trademark unemotional tone. Jon knew she was an artificial intelligence, not a human, but the lack of empathy in her voice disturbed him. If she had been human, he might consider her a sociopath.

  Sending another volley at the enemy, she forced them to jump again. Jon held his breath as she again fired at an empty section of space. Everyone on the bridge looked at the viewscreen in anticipation. That second seemed to drag on forever, as the missiles, energy weapons and projectiles raced toward nothing.

  On the viewscreen, the combined firepower of Jon’s four warships striking together with such focused accuracy forced the bridge crew to shield their eyes. One of the giant battleships blew apart seconds after it appeared, briefly creating a tiny sun.

  Even a massive Diakan battleship couldn’t withstand such a devastating onslaught. It didn’t have time to deploy countermeasures, or mount any sort of defense. It simply appeared at the same time that a barrage of missiles, energy weapons, and projectiles arrived.

  The bridge crew cheered, just as AI let loose another volley. The Diakan ships jumped, and AI fired again in anticipation of their next landing. The celebrations on the bridge were quickly cut short, as AI miscalculated again. The remaining Diakan ships landed in a safe location and fired.

  The Freedom jerked as it’s engines came to life, causing it to accelerate rapidly, just as it launched countermeasures. “Report! What’s going on?”

  “I have taken control of the battle group’s propulsion systems,” said AI. “My calculations indicate a high probability that we will lose at least one ship if we remain stationary. I have concluded that evasive maneuvers are necessary.”

  “Did you forget that I give the orders?” said Jon, annoyed that AI took it upon herself to take control of all the ships’ engines.

  “No, Admiral. I did not. Immediate action was required to avoid the loss of one of our ships. Would you like me to return propulsion control?”

  “No. Carry on. I agree with your reasoni
ng. Just make sure you don’t forget the chain of command.”

  “Thank you, Admiral,” said AI, as the Freedom rapidly accelerated.

  “Sir, Chief Engineer Cheng is reporting that the rapid acceleration has surpassed safety protocols,” said Henderson.

  “AI? Don’t break my engines,” said Jon.

  “I am monitoring all aspects of engine performance, including containment fields, and critical temperatures,” said AI. “While it is true that we have exceeded the prescribed safety protocols, I am ensuring that we do not surpass terminal conditions.”

  “How close are we to those conditions?” said Jon, cringing in anticipation of AI’s response.

  “Two percentage points.”

  “I knew I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “A two percentage point buffer is well within my capabilities, Admiral. If the need arises, I can effectively perform with an even smaller buffer.”

  Jon noticed a few worried looks from crewmembers who were within earshot. He didn’t blame them. “Just don’t blow us all up, AI.”

  “I am taking these actions to avoid that outcome, Admiral.”

  “Of course. Carry on.”

  Even without the ability to achieve FTL speeds, the engines were capable of attaining substantial sub-light velocity. Still, compared to the Diakan ships, with intact jump systems, and FTL generators, they were like cosmic snails.

  AI kept firing, and the Diakans kept jumping, but AI didn’t duplicate her earlier success. Instead, she made the ships dance around the system, launching countermeasures to confuse the Diakan missiles, and turning on a dime to avoid their energy weapons and projectiles. It bought them time, but Jon knew it wouldn’t last. The Diakans would run them down soon enough.

  “Contacts!” announced Ensign Petrovic, the tactical officer. “Reading multiple Diakan signatures all around us.”

  “How many?” said Jon, feeling his stomach sink.

  Petrovic looked up at Jon with grim eyes. “Three hundred.”

  Chapter 33

  “New contacts are activating weapon systems!” said Ensign Petrovic.

  Jon stared at his tactical screen in disbelief. His greatest fear had materialized. Diakan reinforcements had arrived. Without a jump system there was no hope of escape. Now they were well and truly screwed.