by G. P. Hudson
The lack of ground fire told Jon that they had gotten far enough away. The enemy must have seen the parachutes, though. They would soon come to finish the job, and he would make them pay for the deaths of his people. But, he also had to protect Anki. He had confidence in her fighting ability and knew she could hold her own. Nonetheless, to him, she was still little Anki. Jon had come to think of her as his own daughter, and there was no way he could let any harm come to her.
After losing his own wife and daughters, he had nothing left to live for. Anki and her mother Breeah saved him from despair. They filled the void in his heart and gave him a new will to live. In the years that followed, they became his new family, and there was no way in hell that he would lose his family a second time.
Jon eyed a clearing in the forest and pointed to it. Anki flashed another thumbs up sign indicating that she saw it too. Jon reached up and found the parachute’s steering controls. He pulled down on the right control and his chute turned toward the clearing. Happy with his trajectory, he eased up on the control and straightened out. Glancing at Anki, he noted that she had changed direction too.
When he neared the clearing, Jon pulled down on both control lines, pulling the whole back edge of the parachute down and slowing his descent until he landed. Releasing his harness, Jon quickly looked up to see Anki coming in for her own landing. She hit the ground a little hard but didn’t seem hurt by the landing. She moved fast, releasing her harness and jumping up to her feet.
“Leave the chute,” Jon said, stopping her from pulling in her parachute. “We need to move. They’ll be coming for us.”
Anki nodded and followed Jon into the woods. “Where’s the pilot?” Anki asked as they picked up the pace.
“I don’t know. I didn’t see him. Did you notice his chute at all?”
“No.”
Jon cursed to himself. Did the pilot eject properly? Did his parachute not release? There was no way of knowing. With any luck, they would find the man. If not, Jon would send in a search team to look for him once they were safe. “AI, are they still jamming us?”
“Yes, Admiral. Communications are still unavailable,” AI said from Jon’s comm.
The two raced through the trees, trying to stay ahead of the enemy. The Diakan symbiont in Jon’s belly gave him enhanced physical abilities that allowed him to run much faster, but he slowed his pace to match Anki’s. His enhanced senses, however, were on high alert. That was how he heard him.
“Someone’s tracking us,” he said. “I can hear him. Just barely, but he’s there.”
“What do we do?” Anki said. The intensity of her expression reminded Jon of a bird of prey. She had no fear in her. A Reiver through and through.
“Keep running. We must get out of this jamming field. Then we can call for help.”
Jon kept tabs on the man shadowing them. He seemed content to keep pace with them for now which worked for Jon. Hopefully, they could keep running until the comm worked again.
The sound of thrusters above the tree line told Jon their luck had run out.
Chapter 11
Energy bolts crashed into the treetops above them. From the sound of its engines, Jon knew it had to be a smaller craft. A flitter, or a shuttle. It didn’t have weapons of its own, however. The energy bolts came from a handheld weapon, which explained why they couldn’t get through the tree cover. Heavier rounds would have shredded the tree canopies. After several unsuccessful volleys, the small craft gave up and sped away.
“They’re going to try and cut us off,” Jon said. “They’ll come on foot.”
“Is the other one still following?” Anki said.
“Yeah, he’s still keeping pace with us. He’ll try and flank us, but we’ll know about it before he gets close enough to do any damage.”
“Do you know how many of them are out there?”
“Not yet. I can hear their shuttle though. It’s coming down for a landing up ahead.” Jon made a sharp right and Anki followed. To his surprise, their shadow stayed with them. How? The enemy must have tracking technology, Jon thought. That’s how the shuttle found us. He grimaced at the thought. Getting out of here alive would not be easy.
The team from the shuttle were on foot now. From the sound of their feet, Jon counted five in all. And they were fast. Too fast.
“We have a bigger problem,” Jon told Anki. “I think we’re facing Chaanisar.”
“What? How can you tell?”
“Their speed. A normal human can’t move that fast.”
“They might be wearing combat suits or exoskeletons.”
“No. I can tell the difference.”
“Why are Chaanisar trying to kill us? I thought they were on our side.”
“The ones that I freed are. I can’t say for sure about the rest.”
“What about the one who’s been following us? Is he Chaanisar too?”
“I don’t know. If he is, he isn’t taking advantage of his augmented speed. At least not yet.”
Anki kept a stoic demeanor, but Jon saw the worry hidden behind it. “What do we do?” she said.
“We can’t outrun them,” Jon said. “We’ll have to make a stand. Quick, this way.”
Jon led Anki up a slope, looking for any advantage available. The higher ground would help, but he needed something more. When an outcropping of rocks came into view, he ran for it.
They took position as best as they could, taking advantage of the natural cover the big rocks provided. The enemy was close now and would be on them in seconds.
Listening carefully, Jon heard them slow and come to a stop. They spread out and advanced warily. It was a surprising display of caution. Most Chaanisar usually charged in, relying on their augmented capabilities to overwhelm their opponents.
Jon used hand signs to tell Anki where they were and where to focus her fire. She did so without question. He made a mental note to ensure she came along on the Diakan campaign. He had no doubt that she would be an asset to the mission. But, they needed to make it past this threat first.
Tightening his grip on his weapon Jon slowly exhaled. He had caught a glimpse of some movement and aimed where he expected to see it next. He saw it again and fired.
A grunt told him he clipped the target. Probably a shoulder. The subdued reaction to the injury confirmed his theory that the enemy was Chaanisar.
A volley of energy bolts shot back from the trees and crashed into the rocks. Jon took cover behind them. Anki returned fire, and the volley stopped. When they targeted her location, it was Jon’s turn to fire back. Unfortunately, all five Chaanisar opened up with an intense barrage, forcing Jon and Anki both to take cover.
The energy bolts blistered the rocks leaving Jon wondering how they would get through this. They were pinned down, and Jon had no intention of leaving Anki alone. She was tougher than most, but she wasn’t augmented like the Chaanisar.
Another flurry of energy bolts forced the two down again. Jon heard a Chaanisar run. He fired, but only managed to shoot bark off a tree. More suppressive fire forced him behind the boulder before he could take another shot. The massive onslaught prevented him from shooting at a second advancing Chaanisar.
To his horror, he realized that they were moving toward Anki’s position. Like hunting lions, they had identified Anki as the weaker of the two. Time was running out.
The two Chaanisar advancing on them now presented the greater threat, so Jon targeted their positions. If the two Chaanisar got close enough, Jon wasn’t sure he could kill both before they got to Anki. As good a fighter as Anki was, these were battle-hardened Chaanisar. He would be worried if Anki faced one of them. She had no chance against two.
To her credit, Anki had identified the threat, and focused her fire on their location, preventing their advance. Jon kept shooting, hoping one of them would make a mistake. Their energy bolts struck the trees and sprayed shards of wood all around the concealed enemy, but they didn’t flinch. The other three Chaanisar fired back, and Jon recognized another problem.
The two main things working in Jon and Anki’s favor up to this point were the rocks and their position on higher ground. But that position had been undermined. Jon realized that he had been careless and had stopped tracking the sixth Chaanisar that shadowing them.
Jon cringed when he picked up his movements again. Somehow, he had gotten up the hill, flanking them from the rear, and holding higher ground than them. The only things protecting them from his fire were the large boulders at their backs. That protection was temporary at best. Once he advanced on them, Jon and Anki would find themselves in a vice, with no means of escape.
In front of them, one of the Chaanisar burst out from his position trying to get closer. Jon heard him move and sprang up, firing just ahead of the running enemy. It worked. The Chaanisar had committed to his course and couldn’t change direction fast enough. Three blue energy bolts crashed into his torso, hurling him sideways into the brush.
Enhanced speed saved Jon, as an enemy energy bolt grazed the side of his head. It came close enough to sear his temple. It hurt like a bastard but didn’t kill him. Had he been a fraction of a second slower, he wouldn’t be alive to curse about the pain.
The remaining Chaanisar pounded his position with a ferocious barrage, forcing him to crouch behind the rock. Anki stared at him with anxious eyes. She gestured to ask if he was hurt. Jon replied with a smile and a thumbs up signal, trying to alleviate her concern. She responded with a grim smile of her own. She was as tough as they came, and Jon couldn’t be prouder of her.
Jon heard running, but this time it came from a different position. He wanted to take a shot at the man, but the relentless suppressive fire forced him to stay concealed. The advancing Chaanisar recognized his advantage and pressed on, firing his own weapon as he advanced. On cue, the other Chaanisar made a run for Anki’s position, while the remaining two continued to lay down covering fire.
Jon steeled himself for the encounter. He had to protect Anki first, which would leave him momentarily exposed. Chaanisar were not known for missing, especially not from close range. He would get shot. That was a given. Would it kill him?
An energy weapon fired from behind. The other Chaanisar had finally joined in the fray. That was the final nail. Jon and Anki would die here, on Earth. For him, it seemed a fitting end. He had grown up in the resistance on Earth, living in woods like these. But Anki… she deserved better.
A Chaanisar cried out, and Jon heard him fall to the ground. The sound of a second hitting the dirt followed. Looking up, Jon realized that the energy bolts coming from their rear were not targeting him and Anki, but the Chaanisar instead. Jon briefly wondered who was helping them before he joined in too.
With the runners down, that left two more hiding in the trees. The mystery man behind them now targeted their position, along with Jon and Anki. The tables had turned, and the enemy now kept their heads down.
When the Chaanisar from behind them drew near doubt plagued Jon. Should he target the mystery man instead? Was this all some elaborate ruse? His instincts told him to focus and the Chaanisar in front of him, so he did.
The incredible speed of the man’s descent removed any doubt Jon had about the man. He was Chaanisar. But who was he? There were Chaanisar in his escort, but they were all killed. The only other Chaanisar in these woods were the ones trying to kill him.
He caught a glimpse of the man as he raced past their position but did not recognize him. Jon’s instincts at least were right. This Chaanisar was indeed on their side.
Jon and Anki supported him with a furious onslaught. Shredded leaves and splintering wood thrashed around the enemy, as Jon’s new ally closed in. The man was fast, even for a Chaanisar, and he fell on the enemy like a demon. Jon saw the flash of an energy blade in the melee that followed. Who’s crazy enough to use a blade in a two on one situation? he wondered.
Jon listened intently, noting every sound. He heard the blade’s slash and thrust. The sounds of surprise, and death. Then silence. He waited, wondering about the outcome. Moments later, a man with long, wild red hair and a red beard, wearing civilian clothes emerged from the trees. He held a bloody energy blade in his hand. Their mysterious friend had finally revealed himself.
Chapter 12
Jon came out from behind the rocks with his energy weapon shouldered and pointed at the Chaanisar’s head. Anki followed his lead and kept her gun trained on the stranger.
“Stay right there,” Jon said. “Don’t make any sudden moves.”
“You have an interesting way of showing gratitude, Admiral Pike,” the man said.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“We really don’t have time for this. There could be another strike team out there.”
“Answer me,” Jon shouted.
Despite the weapons pointed at the man, and all that had occurred, he seemed remarkably calm. “My name is Jamie, and what I am doing here is keeping you alive.”
“You’re a Chaanisar.”
“No.” Jamie gestured toward the bodies. “Those are Chaanisar.”
“AI, do you have access to this man’s brain chip?” Jon said.
“No, Admiral, I do not,” AI said.
Jon tightened his grip on his weapon. “My AI has access to the brain chips of all the Chaanisar in the UHSF.”
“You must be very proud,” Jamie said sarcastically.
“She doesn’t have access to yours.”
“So?”
“That means you might be a threat.”
Jamie smirked. “Then how do you explain this?” He again gestured toward the dead bodies.
“Simple. You are trying to gain my trust.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. You might have been ordered to kill your brothers to gain my trust.”
“They’re not my brothers!” Jamie said furiously, a thick vein bulging at the side of his neck.
Anger, thought Jon. A Chaanisar with uncontrolled emotions. Interesting.
“I should have let them kill you,” Jamie continued, pointing the crackling blade at Jon.
“Lower your weapon,” Jon warned.
“Or what? You’ll shoot me? Go ahead.”
Jon waited, and Jamie continued to point the blade at him. After some time, Jamie lowered the blade, apparently satisfied that he had made his point.
“Explain it to me then,” Jon said.
“Explain what?”
“Who you are. You’re not one of the UHSF Chaanisar, and you say you are not one of them,” Jon motioned at the bodies.
“You are correct. I am not one of your free Chaanisar because you did not free me. Neither did the Cenobi. In fact, I am not a Chaanisar at all. That word is for slaves. I am no-one’s slave,” Jamie said defiantly.
“Go on,” Jon said.
“Several years ago my brain implant malfunctioned, and I escaped the Juttari. I traveled to the colonies where I have been living since.”
Jon remembered how a technical malfunction freed Colonel Bast and his Chaanisar. “That doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”
“I am here on Earth because I was hired to do a job.”
“Someone hired you to protect me?”
“No, of course not. I was hired to kill someone.”
“You are an assassin?”
“Call it whatever you like. The Juttari turned us all into killers. It is all we know.”
Jon had done his fair share of killing, including a stint in black ops, so he was not about to judge the man, provided his story was true. “That still doesn’t explain why you are here.”
“I was conducting preliminary surveillance of my target when I learned about an attempt on your life. I continued my surveillance and discovered that a Chaanisar strike team had been hired to murder you. In this, I saw the hand of the Juttari at work and could not ignore the implications. I may not fight for the UHSF, but I do respect all that you’ve done for the free Chaanisar. So, I decided to help you. That is why I am here.”
Something about Jamie and his story convinced Jon that he told the truth. Jon lowered his weapon and told Anki to do the same. “Who was it that hired the Chaanisar?”
“The one they call The Prophet. Bernhald Strolz.”
“The Believers? Why would they hire Chaanisar?”
“I do not know. My target is a man named Villers. He is the one who dealt with the Chaanisar, not Strolz.”
“Incredible.”
“Yes, it is all fascinating, but can we leave now? I’d rather not face another strike team.”
“Yes, of course,” Jon said. “AI, are communications still being jammed?”
“Yes, Admiral,” AI said.
“I have transportation a few kilometers away. If we hurry, we can make it out of this jamming field.”
“Very well. Lead the way, Jamie.”
Jamie broke into a run, with Jon and Anki close behind. As they wound their way through the woods, something nagged at Jon. “How did the Chaanisar know where to ambush us?”
“Yes, that is an interesting dilemma, isn’t it? Based on what I heard during my surveillance, the Chaanisar had access to someone who knew that you would take this flight path today.”
That confused Jon. This trip had not been common knowledge, let alone his flight path. Very few people had advance knowledge of his itinerary. Suddenly the answer came to him. “The pilot. He’s the one who sold us out.”
Jamie glanced back at Jon but didn’t comment.
“Goddamnit,” Jon said. “AI, do you have a record of what happened to the pilot after we ejected?”
“Yes, Admiral. The pilot stayed on board the flitter and ejected much later.”
“I’ll kill him with my own two hands,” Jon vowed.
Jamie gave him a smile. “I knew I would like you, Jon Pike.”
Chapter 13
The UHSF destroyer floated in the Juttari occupied Diakan star system known as Satek, as Captain Pietersma studied his displays. His crew had secretly monitored the Juttari occupation force for three weeks now, gathering as much data as possible. Today Pietersma felt uneasy, yet he wasn’t exactly sure why. “Report. Any signs of detection?”