by G. P. Hudson
“Treachery!” said the alien. “You have betrayed us.”
“No. That’s not true. We’re on your side.”
The alien waved its arms around frantically. “You bring the darkness.”
“You’re wrong. I’ll prove it to you.” Jon turned to Commander Henderson. “Order all ships to initiate jump bomb strike. Fire when ready.”
“Yes, Sir. Ordering jump bomb strike,” said Henderson. “Jump bombs away.”
Jon watched the viewscreen with heightened anticipation, as the Freen continued to exchange blows with their alien foes, but nothing else happened.
“More trickery!” said the Freen on his comm screen, waving his arms erratically. “You seek to deceive us.”
Jon turned to Henderson, who answered his unspoken question. “All reports indicate the strike was a success, Sir.”
“AI, why are those ships undamaged?” said Jon.
“Unknown, Admiral,” said AI.
“Could it be their shields?”
“Possibly. Although the jump bombs should have bypassed them, landing inside the ships.”
“Initiate another jump bomb strike, this time with high yield nuclear warheads. Detonate the bombs just outside the enemy ship hulls. Let’s see how much damage those shields can take.”
“Initiating nuclear strike,” said Henderson.
If the previous strike didn’t convince the Freen of Jon’s intentions, Jon hoped this one would get their attention. Moments later the jump bombs began to detonate, and the enemy shields were pulverized with multiple nuclear explosions. The blasts seemed to envelop the alien vessels, but the shields appeared to hold. The halos blazed a brilliant white, as they struggled to absorb the extreme force around them.
The halo began to flicker, and Jon noticed that the Freen weapons began to intermittently get through. “Hit them with another nuclear strike,” ordered Jon. “Same as before.” He glanced to his comm screen to note that the alien had stopped waving his arms around. He hoped that was a positive sign.
The second nuclear strike did the trick, and the enemy shields beg to fail. “Target the interior of those ships with a conventional jump bomb strike,” said Jon. “Fire at will.”
This time the jump bombs landed inside the large, intimidating ships in multiple waves. Segments of the enemy hulls began to buckle and break, as the guts of the ships were ripped apart. The concussions inevitably found the ship reactors, and blinding detonations followed. With the shields gone, the enemy ships were quickly, and mercilessly blown apart.
“Do you believe me now?” Jon said to the alien.
“Your actions speak truth,” said the alien. “You serve the Antikitheri.”
“Unidentified jumpspace disturbance detected,” said the computer.
Chapter 53
Jon stared with horror at the great black ships on the viewscreen. The Erinyie.
On his comm screen the Freen commander was waving his arms around again, making clicking sounds so fast that the translator couldn’t keep up with him.
“All ships initiate jump bomb strike. Maximum yield nuclear warheads. Fire at will,” ordered Jon.
Silver beams lanced out from the giant Erinyie ships, and effortlessly shredded the Freen escort. The Freen ships broke apart, like cheap children’s toys. As they did, the Freen commander disappeared from Jon’s comm screen. The battle group would be next.
“Our nukes are having no effect,” said Henderson.
“Keep firing,” said Jon. “AI, are you still here?”
“Yes, Admiral. The Erinyie are trying to take over my program, but the Cenobi modifications have aided in stopping their advance.”
“What about the Chaanisar?”
“The modification is protecting them as well. The Erinyie assault is powerful, however. They will eventually succeed.”
Jon opened a comm with Chief Engineer Simmons.
“Simmons here,” she said, but as Jon expected, she did not appear on his comm screen. Engineering was undoubtedly very busy at the moment.
“Chief, has the cloaking device you and Miira have been working on been installed?”
“Yes, Admiral. We’ve installed it on all ships, but we haven’t been able to run tests yet.”
“Consider this a live test. Activate the cloaking device immediately. All ships.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Jon waited impatiently as the Erinyie picked apart the Freen defenders. Meanwhile, more Freen vessels began to appear all around the Erinyie. Hundreds of warships now stood between the sinister vessels and Jon’s battle group. From what Jon could tell, the fleets defending the jump gates were now engaging the Erinyie. They unleashed a devastating onslaught against the long, tubular ships. Jon couldn’t imagine any other force standing up to such an attack.
But the Erinyie simply shrugged it all off, responding with more of their lethal silver beams. The bravery of the Freen was simply no match for the advanced weaponry of the Erinyie, and the Freen ships blew apart in rapid succession. The Freen fleets had won Jon a small reprieve, nothing more.
“Chief, how’s that cloak coming?” said Jon.
“There’s a malfunction, Sir. We’re working on it, but we need more time.”
“We don’t have more time, Chief.”
“I’m sorry, Sir, it can’t be helped.”
“Commander Henderson, initiate emergency jump. Get us the hell out of here,” said Jon.
“Jump system is not responding, Sir.”
Jon turned his gaze back to the viewscreen in disbelief, where the Erinyie were methodically cutting down the Freen defenders. Could it be? Had they come all this way for nothing? Why had the Erinyie attacked this system? Why now? He found it hard to believe it was all a coincidence. And if it wasn’t, what did it all mean?
“Unidentified jumpspace disturbance detected,” said the computer.
Did the Erinyie really need reinforcements? As the new ships appeared on the viewscreen, it became apparent that they weren’t the Erinyie. Or the Freen. These new ships were enormous. They spanned great lengths, hulls stretching out for many kilometers. Rigid, glowing prongs stuck out of their bows. Jon instantly recognized the ships from the vision the Great See’er had shown him. It was the Antikitheri. The Builders had come.
White light erupted from the glowing prongs on the Builders’ ships, shooting out toward the Erinyie vessels. When the beams hit, the Erinyie shields became visible, glowing and changing colors. Jon hoped it was an indication the shields were weakening.
The Erinyie stopped firing on the Freen, turning to face their new adversaries. They returned fire and their own silver beams hit back at the massive Antikitheri ships. A halo formed around the behemoths, and began to cycle through different colors, as the Erinyie weapons chipped away at their shields in return.
More of the giant Antikitheri ships began to arrive, adding their own muscle to the contest. Soon, the scales began to tip in their favor, and the first of the black ships was destroyed. When two more black ships blew apart, the Erinyie threw in the towel, and began to blink away.
Cheers broke out on the bridge, as his crew celebrated their unexpected victory. They had been saved from the Erinyie, and had found the Builders, all at the same time. Now they just needed to find a way to talk to them.
Chapter 54
“Still no response, Sir,” said Commander Henderson. “We’ve tried hailing them on all channels. If they can hear us, they’re choosing to ignore us.”
“I’m sure they can hear us,” said Jon, wondering what it would take to open a dialog with the Antikitheri. “Keep trying, and get Miira up here. She might know what to do.”
Several minutes later, Miira arrived on the bridge. She made it halfway to Jon before looking at the viewscreen, then stopped dead in her tracks, mouth agape.
“Miira, over here,” said Jon, trying to coax the giant blue woman back to reality.
“Yes. Apologies, Admiral,” said Miira, making her way over. “I can’t b
elieve it. We found the Antikitheri. They’re real. This is incredible.” She could barely contain her giddiness, and Jon was surprised she wasn’t jumping up and down like some schoolgirl.
“Yes, it’s very exciting, but I need your help. How do I get them to talk to us?”
“I do not think you can. They must choose to speak to you. At least this is what my research indicates.”
“Okay, so why haven’t they done so? They saved us from the Erinyie. Why not say hello?”
“Perhaps they intervened to save the Freen.”
“Good point. The Freen seem to serve the Antikitheri. They are most likely under the Antikitheri’s protection.”
“You might have more success using the Freen as an intermediary.”
“Great idea, Miira. Commander, hail the Freen ships. Let’s see who’s in charge now.”
“Sending hail. The Freen are responding. Patching through to your console,” said Henderson.
Another birdlike creature appeared on Jon’s comm. It stared at him silently with those same, creepy black eyes.
“Greetings, I am Admiral Jon Pike, of the United Human Space Force.”
“You are the bringer of darkness,” the new Freen commander said forcefully.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. We are friends.”
“The Erinyie have never taken such a bold action before. Never have they attacked us from within our system. Yet you arrive, and darkness follows. Why?”
“I don’t know. As I said to the previous Freen commander, we are not from this galaxy.”
“The darkness pursues you. It risks much to destroy you.”
“It’s true. The Erinyie have attacked us in our own galaxy. That’s why we’re here. We need help against the Erinyie. We need to speak with the Antikitheri.”
“Only the Antikitheri choose who they speak to. What you want or need is irrelevant.”
“Clearly your people have a relationship with them. Perhaps you can act as an intermediary on our behalf?”
“We serve the Antikitheri. That is all. They command. We obey.”
“How long have you served the Antikitheri?”
“Your question makes no sense. We have always served. Just as the Var have always served the Erinyie.”
“The Var? Are they the race in the black ships that attacked before the Erinyie showed up?”
“Yes. They are the Var. The Var embrace the darkness.”
“We have a race like the Var in our galaxy. They are called Juttari. They serve the Erinyie. They seek to bring darkness to the entire galaxy. We are trying to stop them, but the Erinyie have openly intervened. We cannot fight the Erinyie without the Antikitheri’s help.”
“I sympathize with your plight. The Erinyie are ancient, and powerful. You will not prevail alone.”
“My thoughts exactly. As I said, that’s why we’re here. We need help. Can you at least tell me how we can speak to the Antikitheri? If they hear of our situation, they might agree to help us.”
“Speak and they will hear you. That is all.”
“You mean I don’t need to establish a comm with them?”
“No. Of course not. They are the Antikitheri. They hear all. They see all. Why would one use technology to communicate with the gods?”
“Right. How foolish of me.”
The Freen were no better than the Juttari. They saw the Builders as gods, in the same way the Juttari saw the Erinyie. Jon understood how that could happen. The Builders likely arrived when the Freen were a primitive civilization. How else would the Freen see them? They had probably developed a complex religion around them, too. It made sense. But to Jon, the Antikitheri were nothing more than extremely advanced aliens.
“Thank you for your help,” Jon said to the Freen commander. “I will take your advice and just speak to them.”
The Freen looked back at him without saying anything more.
“Pike out,” said Jon, and terminated the comm. “What do you think?” he said to Miira.
“You must petition them for an audience,” said Miira. “I believe you must supplicate yourself.”
“You want me to beg for their help?”
“The Freen ‘serve’ the Antikitheri. They are not allies. You have sought to contact them to discuss an alliance. Perhaps it is the wrong approach.”
Jon saw where she was going, and he didn’t like it. He couldn’t stomach the idea of licking an alien’s boots. But what choice did he have? His pride would not help him defeat the Erinyie. He decided that it was better to open a dialog with them first. He could always figure the rest out later.
“Okay, I’ll give it a shot,” he said, and then looked up, as if talking to some deity. “My name is Admiral Jon Pike, and I humbly request an audience with the great and powerful Antikitheri.” He waited for a bit, and frowned. Nothing. He looked over at Miira, who had crossed her arms in front of her chest, and had a look on her face that said he wasn’t trying hard enough.
Jon exhaled sharply, and gave it another try. “Oh great Antikitheri, I stand before you-”
“Kneel,” said Miira.
“What?”
“You should kneel.”
“There is no way in hell that I am kneeling.”
“I understand your feelings, Admiral, but kneeling will send the appropriate message.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I think so.”
Jon shook his head in disgust. “The things I do,” he muttered under his breath. He looked around the bridge and caught a few crewmembers’ eyes. They quickly looked away, resuming their duties. How would it look to them if their Admiral got on his knees before an alien race? “This is a first contact situation,” he said aloud, and most of the bridge crew turned to look at him. “We need the Builders’ help. Extraordinary measures need to be taken. Is that understood?”
A chorus of ‘yes, Sirs’ came back in response, but Jon didn’t feel any better about how this would look.
“As you were,” he said. He glanced back at Miira, who towered over him with a concerned look on her face. She doesn’t think I’ll do it, he thought. Under ordinary circumstances she would be right. But I guess these aren’t ordinary circumstances.
As Jon lowered himself down onto his knees, his symbiont growled its protest. Weak, it said with disdain.
Jon tried to ignore the creature, but his own anger was building. This better be worth it, he thought. Once fully in a kneeling position he again addressed the Builders. “Oh great Antikitheri, wondrous builders of the universe. I kneel before you in supplication, in the hope that you will grant me an audience.”
Then there was a sound. It was soft, and jingled like a wind chime. Something large began to take shape. Blue and amorphous, it glistened and swirled in the air above him, like a mystical vortex. Jon started to discern a pair of eyes, staring back at him. They were also blue, very large, and had an intimidating quality about them.
“Speak, human,” a male voice thundered. “Why have you come before us.”
“I have traveled from another galaxy to see you-”
Another form took shape next to the first. It swirled like the first, only this one was an emerald green in color. A pair of fierce looking eyes took shape, and the new form spoke. “We know of your galaxy, and of your planet, human. We watched as it first took shape.”
A third form materialized. This one red. New eyes studied him, although these had a more thoughtful look about them. “He carries the code. It is unmistakable.”
“Yes. I see it now,” said the blue form.
“He is the one,” said the green form. “He is the foreseen.”
“Um, excuse me?” said Jon. “I’m right here. Does someone want to tell me what you’re all talking about?”
“Your arrival was foreseen, before your race even walked your planet,” said the red form.
“My arrival? As in me coming here?”
“Your existence,” said the blue form. “Your birth. Your rise. Your
future.”
“Great. Everyone knows my future except me. Wonderful.”
“It is not for you to know, Jon Pike. It is for you to fulfill.”
Jon had heard enough. He got up off his knees and stood up straight, looking each of the swirling forms in the eye. “Let’s get something straight right now. I’m nobody’s pawn. Nobody dictates my future.”
“Seeing is not dictating,” said the red form. “The future can always be changed, as the Erinyie have already tried to do.”
“You’re referring to their attack in this system? You’re saying they were trying to take me out?”
“Yes,” said the green form. “This attack, and many others. The Erinyie can also ‘see’. Your future does not serve them.”
“But it does serve you, right?”
“Yes.”
Leverage. It’s about bloody time, he thought. “If you can see all that, then you can see that the Erinyie have intervened in our galaxy on the side of our enemy.”
“Yes.”
“Then you can also see why I’m here. We need your aid against the Erinyie. Will you help us?”
“No.”
Chapter 55
“What? Why not?” said Jon, stunned by the Antikitheri’s answer.
“Hubris,” said the green swirling figure.
“Hubris?” said Jon, confused by the response.
“Hubris is a form of extreme pride and self-confidence,” said AI. “It is commonly seen in ancient literature as behavior that defies, or challenges the deities.”
“Thank you, AI.”
“You’re most welcome, Admiral.”
“So, you guys think you’re gods. Is that it?”
The three swirling figures stared back at Jon in silence.
Jon could barely contain his anger now. He could feel the creature crying out for blood. “You want to know what I think? I think you’ve started to believe your own bullshit. Races like the Freen have worshiped you as gods for so long, that I think you’ve started believing you are gods. The thing is, the Cenobi told us about you and the Erinyie. Like them you were once flesh and blood. The only difference is you forgot that part. You’re this ancient, powerful race, but you forgot that you were once no different than us.”