by G. P. Hudson
Jon’s comm display flickered to life and Jon saw the Reiver leader, Jonas Viken, looking back at him with a rare smile.
“How did you like that entrance, Admiral?”
“Was that your idea, Jonas?”
“Of course.”
“You crazy old bastard. You could’ve gotten everyone killed.”
“A Reiver does not fear death. You should know that by now. And as you can see, it worked.”
“It did, but I don’t know how.”
“You know, you might try showing a little more gratitude.”
“You’re right, Jonas. Thank you for not getting yourself killed. I would hate to have to explain this to your daughter.”
Jonas’s smile disappeared, and his eyes turned cold and murderous. “Next time I will let you die, you ungrateful son of a bitch. And I won’t have any problem explaining it to my daughter!” Before Jon could reply, Jonas disappeared from his screen.
Jon glanced over at Konos, who had clearly overheard the conversation. “In-laws,” said Jon, with a shrug.
Chapter 60
With hull breaches riddling the Freedom’s hull, they were in no position to fight anymore. So Jon hung back in the relative safety of the gate defenses, coordinating the rest of the battle, all the while despising himself for it. During the wars, he had trouble respecting the admirals who sent men and women to die in battle, while they remained safe and comfortable. He would be damned if he ever turned into someone like that. If there was a battle to be fought, he would be in it with his troops, putting his own life on the line just like everyone else.
Thankfully, the fleet didn’t need him. Now that AI had come back and taken control of the battle station, the fleet could concentrate all its efforts on the Juttari ships. The Juttari had sent a sizable force through the gates to defend the Triangle, and their fleet rivaled Jon’s. But they didn’t have the station, and their jump ships were gone.
The station appeared worse off than the Freedom, but it still packed a punch. His fleet hadn’t managed to fully destroy its formidable firepower. AI now used the remaining weapons to rake the enemy lines, as they battled the allied fleet. Taking the station had been costly, and they had lost well over a hundred ships in the process, but now that they had control of it, the advantages were clear.
“AI, have you succeeded in freeing any Chaanisar in the enemy fleet?” said Jon.
“No, Admiral. While my attempts yielded promising initial results, the Juttari have adapted, and have implemented a more dynamic authentication protocol, that changes regularly.”
“So you’re saying that what you learned about the Chaanisar when you took the station is already old news.”
“Correct, Admiral. Although the knowledge has proved fruitful in other ways. For example, taking the planets will be much less challenging now.”
“You’ve got control of the orbital defenses?”
“Yes, Admiral. It turns out that this battle station was not merely built with system defense in mind. It was also used for system governance. The planetary defenses are controlled by the station, rather than the planets.”
“Probably due to the non-Juttari races down there. The Juttari were prepared for rebellion.”
“A reasonable assumption Admiral.”
“Does the station control anything else in the system?”
“Yes, it also controls all the gate defenses. I had taken that control away from the station at the first gate, but the other two gates remained under Juttari control.”
“Until now.”
“Correct, Admiral. All gate defenses are now firmly under my control. They will fire on any Juttari vessel that comes through those jump gates.”
Jon allowed himself a smile. “That’s great, AI. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Actually you do know, Admiral. I was not available for a period during the battle.”
“True enough. What about the smaller stations in the system?”
“A connection exists between them and the battle station. I have used that connection to launch electronic attacks, and now control them as well. There are Chaanisar on each station, and since they interface directly with the station, I have not had the same difficulty freeing them. Since then, those Chaanisar have terminated any Juttari on board.”
“Well done, AI. Thank you.”
“You’re most welcome, Admiral.”
The smaller stations had concerned Jon from the start. They weren’t as intimidating as the main battle station, but they had defenses, and any attempt to take them by force would have cost many ships. Between them, the orbital grids, and the gate defenses, there was a real risk of getting bogged down in this system for some time. Now all he had to worry about were the populations on the planets. He figured the non-Juttari inhabitants would side with him once they realized that his forces had taken the system. The fact that the orbital defenses could be trained on the surface would also be a motivating factor if required.
He turned his attention back to the battle between the two fleets, to see that his ships had clearly gained the upper hand. The jump bombers were pouncing in and out, dropping their hull piercing payloads, and the jump squadron was causing chaos on the enemy flanks. With no hope of reinforcements coming through the gates, it was now just a matter of time.
He wondered how much fight the Juttari had left in them. They had lost two highly strategic systems, and several thousand warships. Jon was not naive. He knew the Juttari were far from defeated, and had many more surprises up their sleeves.
Nonetheless, there was no way these setbacks didn’t hurt. He wondered if the Juttari saw it for what it was. The beginning of the end. The Juttari Empire may have ruled half the galaxy for centuries, but all empires fall. The Juttari would be no different. He would bring about the fall of the Juttari Empire if it was the last thing he did.
Chapter 61
Grand Sovereign Tsogt, leader of the Kemmar Empire, studied the creatures standing before him. They were large, intimidating beasts, with green skin, and long, threatening looking claws. They had used intermediaries first to arrange a meeting. Those intermediaries had promised a mutually beneficial arrangement, but had also warned against treachery. They said they represented the Juttari Empire.
Tsogt had seen intelligence reports regarding this species. He didn’t possess a lot of information on them, but from what he saw, they were quite powerful. It occurred to Tsogt that this meeting might be a prelude to invasion. A way to assess Kemmar defenses. That fear increased when their ships arrived, and were strikingly similar to the vanishing ships that had plagued his forces of late. Some of those same ships were even responsible for the Kemmar defeat in human space. Something entirely unexpected.
Now the creatures stood before him, and Tsogt couldn’t help but wonder what that green flesh tasted like. He toyed with the idea of simply falling on them, and sinking his teeth into their throats. He glanced at their claws again and thought better of the idea.
These creatures were not like the humans. Their bodies had natural defensive capabilities, and Tsogt didn’t relish the idea of those talons tearing at his hide. Besides, the failed invasion of human space had been a severe setback. Replacing those ships would be costly. The Empire might benefit from cooperation with these creatures. He needed to keep an open mind.
“The Juttari Empire has seen fit to offer you the privilege of an alliance,” said one of the Juttari.
Tsogt felt his anger rise. “Privilege? Do you have any understanding of who you are speaking to in this manner?”
“Yes. You are Grand Sovereign Tsogt, of the Kemmar Empire.”
“And you dare speak to me with such disrespect?”
The Juttari glanced at each other, and Tsogt noticed ripples run across their lean, muscular flesh. Likely too tough to make a decent meal.
“The Juttari Empire conquers. We do not normally accept allies.”
Now things were getting interesting. Tsogt sensed potential lever
age. “Yet you offer the Kemmar an alliance. Why?”
“We have mutual enemies. The humans. We know of your recent defeat. An alliance would be beneficial to both.”
“The humans? Your ships have sided with the humans against my forces. Why do you now turn against them?”
“Those ships are rebels. They will be destroyed.”
“What do you offer the Kemmar Empire in return for its assistance?”
“You will have the privilege of an alliance with the Juttari Empire. That is more than enough.”
“Again, I don’t see the advantage. I am sure your empire is powerful, but this is Kemmar space. You do not rule here. I do. Kemmar space borders human space. Juttari space does not. In fact, your species is unknown in this region of space.”
“We are legion,” the Juttari said in a menacing tone.
“Not here, you are not. So, I ask you again. How does an alliance benefit the Kemmar?”
The Juttari looked at each other once again, as if silently debating the issue. The lead Juttari looked back at Tsogt and said, “We possess advanced technology. We are willing to share some of that knowledge with the Kemmar.”
“There is only one type of technology I am interested in. Give me the secret of the vanishing ships, and we will become your allies.”
The Juttari conferred with each other again in silence, and then seemed to agree on a response.
“We agree to your terms,” said the lead Juttari. “We will give you the jump technology.”
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61