by G. P. Hudson
“Perhaps. They may have been conducting surveillance.”
“Then we have been compromised.”
“If they had learned of our plans, the UHSF would have moved against us already. Everything indicates that the sentries caught them off guard and prevented them from completing their mission. The Gods support us, otherwise, why would they have intervened in our favor?”
“Of course,” Villers said excitedly. “The Gods favor our mission. They want to be rid of Jon Pike, the heretic. But then why did they sacrifice our sentries?”
“We all must do our part in this great war. What are four lives in the context of a universal conflict? We must all be willing to sacrifice ourselves when our time comes.”
“Yes, your holiness.”
“That does not mean that we should be careless, however. We must assume that we are under surveillance, and take extra precautions moving forward. Advise your strike team accordingly.”
“Then we will move forward as planned?”
“Yes. The Gods have spoken, and they favor our plans. The heretic, Jon Pike, must be eliminated. Once he is gone, the Gods will return.”
“That will be a joyous day. I will advise my team about the new development.” Villers hurried away, followed by the young man who reported the incident.
When they left, Strolz turned to the rest in attendance and said, “If you’ll excuse me, I have pressing matters to attend to.”
The remaining Believers said their goodbyes and left as well. When Strolz was sure he was alone, he retreated to his office and shut the door behind him. He then accessed a highly secure comm and contacted his mysterious benefactor. As always, the display stayed blank, keeping his benefactor’s identity shrouded in secrecy.
“Is there a problem?” the benefactor said in a garbled voice.
“Yes, although I do not believe it will disrupt the operation,” Strolz said. “I had sentries posted on the roof of our building. Someone killed them.”
After a prolonged silence the benefactor said, “That is a disconcerting development. Why do you not think it a problem?”
“I am still here, as are the rest of my men. If Jon Pike had moved against us, we would be arrested or dead.”
“That much is true.”
“I believe we may have been under surveillance, but I do not think the spies know anything. Only minor operation details were discussed. Other than myself and Villers, no-one else knows anything more.”
“Then you will move forward as planned?”
“Yes, the opportunity will likely not present itself again.”
“You have made contact with my team?”
“Yes. Villers is dealing with them. I have arranged it so he thinks they are his contact to further obscure your involvement.” Strolz knew full well that his benefactor preferred to remain in the shadows, although he did not know why. He had learned not to ask too many questions, though. The mysterious man had helped him greatly, and he owed much of his meteoric success to the benefactor’s hidden hand. “You are certain that they will succeed?”
“You still doubt me? After everything I have helped you achieve?”
“No, I don’t. And I am eternally grateful. It’s just that Jon Pike is-”
“Mortal. He can be killed, just like any other man. Fear not, Strolz, my team will succeed. Then, we will be rid of Jon Pike once and for all.”
Chapter 9
Anki’s name was called, and she stepped forward. It had been a grueling day of training for the eighteen-year-old Reiver, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Her mother and grandfather had trained her since she was a toddler. The usual treatment for Reiver children.
The Reivers were a colony of humans that lived on asteroids two-hundred-and-fifty light years from Earth. They lived by a jump gate and used it to conduct raids on the adjoining region of space. The ruthless Kemmar Empire controlled that region. When the Kemmar discovered the portal, they came through looking for the Reivers.
Jon Pike had discovered the Reivers when he was captain of the Hermes and helped them against the Kemmar. Anki was a child then. She and her mother had stayed with Jon ever since. Jon eventually became a father figure to Anki, which led her to join the UHSF Academy when she became of age.
At first, she thought the training would be easy. She had not only trained in combat her whole life, but she had also witnessed countless battles and faced death numerous times. Yet, as well conditioned as she was, the training surprised her. Not only was it intense and grueling, but she had the distinct feeling that the instructors were twice as tough on her than they were with everyone else. Although no-one admitted it, she felt confident that Jon or her mother had something to do with the special attention.
She kept up, nonetheless. In fact, she excelled in every class, despite the harsh treatment. The only thing that did bother her was the dry desert heat. No matter how much she tried to keep herself hydrated, the desert always managed to get the better of her. Even now, as she stood at attention under the hot sun, her mouth felt like sandpaper. But that wouldn’t keep her from enjoying her favorite part of the training, hand to hand combat.
Living on starships her entire life meant that most of the classes at the Academy were easier for Anki than her peers. But combat was where she shined, especially hand to hand combat.
The Reiver fighting system was a complete martial art. Its practitioners were capable of fighting at any distance, standing up, or on the ground, with weapons, or empty hands. It was rooted in the practical and emphasized fitness and internal strength, or chi. A trained Reiver could generate enough torque to knock out an opponent and tap into their chi to keep fighting when injured.
Anki felt like she needed her internal strength just to deal with the oppressive heat, but she forgot any feelings of discomfort when they announced her opponent. The guy was much taller and heavier than her. For anyone else, his size would be an insurmountable obstacle, but for Anki, it was a pleasant surprise. Hopefully, he could fight and was not just some dumb brute. Up until now, she had not faced anyone capable of challenging her in empty hand combat. When the instructors called the second opponent, she realized they had noticed.
The second man seemed just as big as the first, only this one had a stupid grin on his face. Anki felt her temperature rise at the disrespectful display and vowed to teach the oaf some manners. If the officers thought the lopsided odds intimidated her, they were in for a surprise. She maintained her composure, remaining calm, ready.
The match started, and the two men immediately began to circle her. She stood in place, her weight evenly balanced, arms at her side, legs loose. To everyone watching, she might have seemed too relaxed. Even vulnerable. She only hoped that her opponents made the same mistake.
She had numerous options but wanted her opponents to commit first. That happened quicker than she expected when the one with the stupid grin charged at her. She was almost disappointed by the obvious tactic and fought off the urge to take him out with a finger strike to the windpipe. The technique was dangerous and illegal in this setting, but so tempting with the way he left that vital target exposed. No matter, there were other targets to choose from.
Before reacting, Anki quickly glanced at the other opponent who seemed surprised by his partner’s charge. Good. It would take him a second or two to decide what to do. Still, the second opponent eliminated many options. For example, she was tempted to take the charging man to the ground, where she could neutralize his size. With the second man behind her, however, the ground was the last place she wanted to be.
She considered throwing the larger man but decided against it. The situation called for simplicity. As her grandfather taught her, “the best option is the simplest.” Time to make her grandfather proud.
When the grinning oaf came close enough, he swung his arms, hoping to catch Anki with a haymaker. In one fluid motion, Anki ducked the punch and sidestepped the charge. As she moved, she threw a strike of her own, targeting the man’s exposed
upper rib cage just below the armpit. He had a hard, muscular body, but she had honed her skill over a lifetime of training. The punch had penetrating force, sending energy past the cracking ribs into the lungs.
The oaf tripped, and his forward momentum plunged him into the dry dirt. He clutched at his side gasping for air. Anki turned to face the second man, who nervously studied his wounded partner. She stood as before, calm, arms resting at her sides. Despite his reluctance, the second man would have to fight. She waited to see how he would react. When he stepped forward, she had her answer.
Some people are naturally offensive and tend to consistently move forward in a fight, even if they are losing. Others are timider and will back off if something threatens them. While cautious, this man showed an aggressive nature and slowly advanced. Anki waited.
The man came into kicking range but didn’t kick. Anki thought kicking would be a good tactic for the man, considering his height. But, it seemed he wanted to use his hands instead, which was also a decent strategy. He possessed a significant reach advantage. He might prefer grappling, however, as he also had a considerable weight advantage. To a bystander, Anki didn’t have a chance.
As curious as Anki was to find out what he would do, she grew tired of his wariness. She decided to end the match and launched a flurry of kicks and hand punches at the man. He surprised her by backing away and successfully evading every strike. Anki pressed on, refusing to lose the early momentum. The man continued to back off, keeping her out of reach.
Anki stopped her attack and reconsidered her opponent. He had skill and cunning. Good. She advanced on him, and he backpedaled as she expected. It was a simple, yet effective strategy. He would stay out of range of her strikes, wait for her to make a mistake and use his greater reach to hit back.
Changing tactics, Anki began to circle, but the man moved sideways cutting off the ring and preventing her from flanking him. Anki charged. The man had such a size advantage that the tactic must have seemed absurd.
The man didn’t back off this time. Instead, he stepped into her with a knee strike. Anki sidestepped, simultaneously deflecting the knee with her forearm. The man kept his balance and spun around to face her.
Excellent, Anki thought. She launched another flurry. He kept up and tried to counter with a low kick. Anki saw the shift in balance and kicked first, jamming his kicking leg with a painful heel kick to the thigh.
The man stumbled. She kicked once more, targeting the hip joint with her heel. He winced, and she knew she had hurt him. She feigned another heel kick, and he reflexively dropped his hands, exposing his upper body. Anki drove a hard fist into his solar plexus, and air fled from the man’s lungs. He doubled over. Anki’s uppercut landed square on his chin. His head snapped back hard, his eyes rolled upward, and he fell backward, unconscious before hitting the ground.
Anki turned to face her instructor and was shocked to see Jon standing in the background with a wide grin on his face. The instructor dismissed her, and she walked over to Jon.
“I’m glad to see you haven’t forgotten your training,” Jon said, still smiling.
She returned the smile and wanted to hug the Admiral but didn’t think it would be appropriate. “No, Sir. They keep me on my toes around here.”
“Okay, enough with the ‘sir’ stuff,” Jon said. “And where’s my hug?”
Anki laughed and jumped forward, wrapping her arms around her big stepfather.
“We’ve missed you, little one,” Jon said.
“I’ve missed you too.” She let go and stepped back to look up at Jon. “How’s mom?”
“She’s good. You know her. Tough as nails. Just like your grandfather. He’s well too, by the way.”
“So why are you here?”
“What? I can’t just pay you a visit?”
Anki frowned.
“Alright, I never could fool you. I’ve arranged for you to take a few days off. We’ll be leaving shortly, so you’ll need to get your things together.”
“But I can’t just leave.”
“Sure you can. I’m Admiral Pike, remember?”
“But I have classes. Assignments.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make them up. Now go get your things.”
Chapter 10
“Where are we going?” Anki asked, as their armored flitter sped away from the Academy, flanked on both sides by its escort.
“We’re going to visit the Seibens,” Jon said. “Your mother and grandfather will be there as well.”
“The Seibens? You pulled me out of the Academy just to visit the Seibens?”
“I thought you liked them.”
“I do, but I can see them when I’m on break. What’s so special about this visit that you had to come get me?”
Jon sighed. “We’re preparing for a big push into Diakan space. I plan to be there.”
“But who will look after things while you’re gone?”
“I’ve given that job to Governor Sallas. He’s better suited at it than me. A person can’t be good at everything. That was the problem with the corporations running the colonies. Business people know how to run a business, not a government. I know how to fight. Sallas knows how to govern. I hated it, anyway. Sitting behind a desk is not for me. I need to lead from the front.”
“I’m guessing mom will be going with you?”
“That’s right. Your grandfather, too.” Anki looked pensive, and Jon wondered if the news had upset her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She stared at her feet for a moment and then locked eyes with Jon. “I want to come with you.”
“But what about the Academy? Your studies?”
“Oh, it’s a great school. But it isn’t the same as being in battle. You need to lead from the front, and I need to learn from the front. Give me a job. It’s not like I don’t know my way around the Freedom.”
Anki had grown up on warships and had spent most of her childhood on board Jon’s flagship, The UHSF Freedom. Except for some restricted areas, she knew that ship as well as anyone. “I’ll have to talk to your mother about it.”
“Then I’m going,” Anki said with a smile.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Oh, come one. Mom’s a Reiver. She learned everything hands on. She won’t even think twice about having me there.”
“What about the Academy? You can’t just come and go as you please.”
“If you give me duties, I’m sure they will give me credit for them.”
“Good point. I’ll speak to them about it, so long as your mother agrees.”
“Great! When do we leave?”
“I told you I haven’t-”
“Sir, we have a problem,” the pilot said. “Someone is jamming our communications.”
Jon looked out the window and saw nothing but trees. They had left the desert behind and were now flying over a dense forest. A flash of light caught his eye, followed by the distinct sound of an explosion.
“We’re taking fire!” the pilot said. “Taking evasive action. Hang on.”
The flitter shook violently.as the pilot banked and corkscrewed. On the display, Jon saw that the second escort raced downward toward the location of the ground fire and sprayed the forest with rail gun and missile fire. More missiles launched from a different site, and the escort tried to evade them without success. Jon saw the fireball from his window as the escort blew apart.
“AI, can you get a message out?” Jon said.
“Negative,” the AI said from Jon’s comm. “The jamming field affects my communications as well.” AI had been with Jon since he was captain of the Hermes. Since then, AI had grown and extended her reach to all UHSF systems. She had also helped Jon free many Chaanisar and inhabited their brain chips as protection from the Juttari. A compressed version of her remained on Jon’s comm at all times.
“We’ve got four missiles on our tail, Sir,” the pilot said.
“Can you shake them?” Jon said.
“No, Sir. Not all of them. You’re going to have to eject. I’ll fly the flitter away from you. With any luck, it’ll fool whoever is firing on us.”
“AI can fly the flitter, son. You’re ejecting with us. AI, have you occupied the ship’s systems?”
Yes, Admiral,” AI said. “I have inserted a copy of myself into the flitter’s computer. I will continue on the current flight path.”
Jon opened a compartment and withdrew a couple of energy weapons, handing one to Anki. “Ready?” he said to Anki.
“Ready,” Anki said grimly.
“AI, get us as far away as you can,” Jon ordered.
“Understood,” AI replied in a cheerful tone.
Jon watched the four missiles on the display. They were gaining rapidly on them. Jon hoped they could get far enough away from whoever was down there. Otherwise, they would end up as target practice. AI pushed the flitter to its limits, putting considerable distance between them and the enemy.
The missiles relentlessly closed the distance and were almost upon them. “Eject now,” Jon said.
The roof blew off the flitter, and he shot into the azure sky. Cool air thrashed at Jon on the way up, and then again as he lost upward momentum and plunged toward the trees below. He hoped the parachute wouldn’t open too soon, as the longer they spent in the sky, the more chance the enemy would spot them. Who exactly was the enemy? Could it be the Juttari? Had they gotten agents onto Earth?
When the parachute failed to unfurl as expected, Jon grew concerned. Was his chute faulty? Did it need to release it manually? He scanned for a ripcord but saw none. When he began to wonder if he would end up skewered on one of the trees below, the parachute finally opened, slowing his blistering descent.
Jon took a deep breath and looked around. He spotted Anki. Her chute had opened, and she seemed reasonably calm. She stared in his direction. Jon gave her a thumbs up sign, and she returned it. Good. Jon turned his head around trying to find the pilot but to no avail. He hoped the man made it out okay. With any luck, they would reconnect on the ground.