by G. P. Hudson
“Have you had a chance to look at the Cenobi upgrades?” said Jon.
“Yes, but the technology is beyond our capabilities.”
“AI, how about you? Can you figure out the Cenobi upgrades?”
“No, Admiral,” said AI. “I have had ample time to study the modifications, but they are beyond my understanding as well.”
“I see. Let me know if anything changes.”
“Yes, Admiral,” said AI.
“So, what do we do in the meantime?” said Kevin. “Just sit around and wait?”
“No. We start drawing up plans to retake the Diakan systems. The Freen will finish building the jump gate connecting us with the Empire. When that is done, we will ask the Dvorkans to help us defeat the Juttari. With any luck, the Erinyie will keep their noses out of it.”
“Can the Dvorkan Empire compensate for the loss of Diakus?” said Kevin.
“Potentially. They have a massive military that hasn’t been doing much. They all want to return to their Age of Glory, and the Juttari are the perfect way for them to do it. I’ve given them jump and shield technology. Once they upgrade their ships, the Empire will be a force to be reckoned with.”
“Can we trust them?”
“We can trust the Emperor. He’s solid. The Dvorkans had a problem with a group of traitors. It was a conspiracy, like the Diakan Faction. Emperor Kriss did a good job of purging them from the military. Whether he found all of them, I don’t know. There were several attempts on his life before the purge. There might be more. If they kill the Emperor, there’s no telling what will happen.”
“The gate could turn into a problem if the Dvorkans turn on us. You think it’s wise to finish it?” said Kevin.
“The benefits of having them as allies far outweigh the risks. So, yes, I think it’s wise to finish it.”
“You’re the boss,” said Kevin.
The shrill sound of a klaxon interrupted the discussion, and red light flooded the control center. Kevin turned to a console and began tapping furiously at it.
“What is it?” said Jon. “What’s happened?”
“We’re under attack,” said Kevin. He looked up with dread-filled eyes. “It’s the Erinyie.”
Chapter 48
General Tallos hurried through the corridors of the mountain complex. The repeated wail of the klaxon drove him faster. He had to get to his ship. His crew needed him. All Diakans needed him.
With the destruction of Diakus and the bulk of its military, Tallos had become the highest-ranking Diakan alive. That put the fourth and fifth fleets, and all remaining Diakan warships directly under his command. He would have reveled in his newfound status, had it not come at such a high cost.
He pushed himself harder. The Erinyie had shown themselves to be genocidal monsters. But why had they targeted Diakans? This conflict had been going on for centuries, and the Erinyie had never shown themselves, let alone move to wipe out an entire race. What had changed?
Did you think you could escape judgment? said the booming voice in Tallos’s mind.
Tallos froze. Who had said that? He looked around but found no one.
Did you think you could hide from us? The voice continued. You fooled only yourself. We are all-seeing. All-knowing.
Tallos realized that it was the Erinyie who spoke to him. How? “I don’t understand. Why are you so interested in me?”
Do you dare deny your crimes? The Erinyie bellowed.
“What crimes?” said Tallos. He pressed his hands against his temples, trying to stop the piercing pain. What were they doing to him? How had they entered his mind?
You defiled holy ground. You slaughtered billions of the faithful.
A vision played in his mind. He saw a teeming city, with billions of Juttari. There were men, women, and children. They had come from across the Empire. The metropolis was unique somehow. A religious beacon. A place of pilgrimage. A city all Juttari traveled to in worship of the Erinyie. “The Juttari city,” said Tallos, understanding what he saw. “The one I destroyed.” He had used nuclear weapons on that very city, in an attempt at getting the leaders to surrender. That was when the Erinyie first appeared. They came because of him. He had provoked them.
It all made sense now. The leaders had warned him that the city was holy. He ignored them. Used nuclear weapons anyway. Obliterated their sacred site, and massacred the inhabitants.
You were warned. Now you pay the price for your arrogance. Your actions have doomed your race. We will erase all trace of Diakan DNA in the universe.
“But, the mistake was mine. Mine alone. You cannot punish all Diakans for my decision.”
We are the Erinyie. Rulers of galaxies. We do as we wish. We will turn your civilization into dust. Nothing will survive our wrath. Not your population. Not your culture. Not your art. None will remember your race.
“You can’t,” Tallos whispered, barely able to get the words out.
You assume much. Your race is not the first infestation we have eradicated. Nor will it be the last. We will cleanse your galaxy.
A wave of grief washed over Tallos, the feeling so powerful his symbiont could not quell it. The Diakan general dropped to his knees, struggling to breathe. He had lived hundreds of years and had spent all of them in the service of Diakus, and the Great See’er. To think that he was responsible for the annihilation of the Diakan race was too much to bear.
His hand unholstered his sidearm. He couldn’t go on knowing what he had done. Refused to take another breath. He wondered if there was an afterlife and if the Great See’er would forgive him. Raising his weapon, he pressed it against the side of his head.
Pain surged through his hand as his sidearm discharged, sending an energy bolt into the wall. He tried to point the weapon back at himself, but an iron grip prevented it.
“Tallos, what the hell are you doing?” said Admiral Pike, simultaneously disarming him.
In the past, he would have lashed out against the Admiral. But all strength and will fled from his body, and he collapsed. The Admiral prevented him from hitting the floor, and Tallos was aware of the powerful arms hoisting him up off the floor. The Admiral stared at him, saying something, but Tallos didn’t know what it was, nor did he care.
Tears filled his eyes for the first time in his life, and he repeatedly blinked in response. His mind vaguely registered the presence of Rear Admiral Kevin St. Clair, saying something to Admiral Pike. He didn’t bother to make it out. All he heard was the majestic waves of Diakus and wished they would take him.
Admiral Pike shook him. Holding him upright, with his feet off the floor, he continued to jostle him. Why couldn’t he just let him die? He was yelling something at him. It occurred to Tallos that if he acknowledged his words, Pike might leave him alone. All he wanted was to be left alone. To end his life and meet the Great See’er once again. With great effort, he focused on the Admiral and what he was saying.
“Tallos,” said Admiral Pike. “They’re here! They’ve come!”
“I know,” said Tallos, another tear welling up in his eye. “The Erinyie have come for me. I must pay for my crimes.”
“No. The Erinyie are gone. The Antikitheri chased them off. They’re here, Tallos. The Antikitheri are here.”
Chapter 49
The three Antikitheri hovered in front of Jon in the operations room. They glistened and swirled in amorphous shapes of blue, green, and red. Three sets of eyes scrutinized Jon, as Kevin, First Colonel Brock, and Colonel Bast looked on. Jon had sent Tallos to medical to see if Doctor Ellerbeck could do anything for him. He ordered two guards to accompany the Diakan, in case he had more suicidal thoughts.
“Thank you for coming to our aid,” said Jon.
“The Erinyie overstepped,” said the red form. “We have corrected them.”
“I see. Well, we appreciate it. We were worried that they were about to overstep right onto our home planet.”
“They no longer have rights to this system,” the red form continued.
“No longer? You’re saying they once did?”
“Your system once belonged to the Juttari, which meant it belonged to the Erinyie. That has passed. We have asserted our ownership rights to this system,” said the blue form.
“Ownership rights?” said Jon, his blood beginning to boil. “What ownership rights?”
“As per your request, you are now under our protection,” said the blue form.
“Yes, thank you for that. But I don’t remember anyone saying anything about ownership.”
“It is the way. Protection demands submission. While we have accepted your petition, you still have much to learn. The Freen will teach you the appropriate behavior.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jon exclaimed, unable to hold back his anger any longer. “You think we’re going to bow down and worship you as the Freen do?”
“Silence!” roared the green form, sparks cracking all around it. “This arrogant creature cannot be the Foreseen.”
“It has the code,” said the more thoughtful red form.
“Irrelevant!” the green form continued, electrical arcs shooting out of it. “It is unworthy. Unclean.”
“Does the Foreseen refuse our protection?” said the blue form.
“I didn’t say that,” said Jon. “I asked you to return to this galaxy and drive out the Erinyie. I never offered this system, or humanity to you in return.”
“It did not understand the price,” said the red form.
“The price? Nobody told me about any goddamn price.”
“Hubris!” the green form boomed. “Irreverence!”
“This galaxy has forgotten our benevolence,” said the blue form. “We have been absent far too long.”
“Yes, it has become shrouded in darkness,” said the red form. “It may already be too late.”
“What are you saying?” said Jon. “It’s never too late.”
“The darkness is entrenched,” said the green form, its sparks dying down. “They have positioned themselves skillfully.”
“The cost is great. The returns trivial,” said the blue form.
“Let the darkness have them,” said the green form. “These base creatures are unworthy.”
Jon didn’t like where this was going. “Wait. You can’t do that. We need you.”
“Your needs are not in question,” said the blue form. “Protection demands submission.”
“There must be another way,” said Jon, struggling to salvage the situation.
“Does the Foreseen prefer extinction?” said the blue form.
“No, of course not,” said Jon.
“Will you submit to the darkness?”
“Are you kidding? No way.”
“You must choose.”
“Can I have some time to think about all of this?”
“He is linear,” said the red form.
“Since you are the Foreseen, we will grant you time,” said the blue form, and all three Antikitheri vanished.
Jon turned to face Kevin, Brock, and Bast, raising his hands in frustration. “Now what do we do?”
“It doesn’t look like we have a whole lot of choice,” said Kevin.
“Agreed,” said Brock. “We either submit to the Antikitheri, or they will hand us to the Erinyie. I know which outcome I would prefer.”
“You two really want to turn these aliens into our gods?” said Jon.
“What other choice do we have?” said Kevin.
“There might be another choice,” said Colonel Bast. “The Cenobi.”
Chapter 50
“My crew can join with the Cenobi on the condition that they protect everyone from the Erinyie,” said Bast.
“Have you lost your mind?” said Jon. “There is no way in hell that I’m going to let you do that.”
“With all due respect, Admiral, it is not your decision,” said Bast.
“You’re damn right it’s my decision. You think I’m just going to stand by and let one of my best officers go and do something stupid like that?”
“Is it not better to sacrifice the few, to save the many?”
“Never mind all of that. Either way, it’s a moot point. You’d have to travel back to the Andromeda galaxy to join the Cenobi. I need you here, not running off on some wild goose chase.”
“I do not believe I need to travel that far, Admiral. I am not sure how, but I feel certain that my link to the Cenobi is unbroken.”
“You can still communicate with them?”
“I’m not sure, but somehow I believe I can.”
That bit of information gave Jon an idea. “Perhaps there is another way, but I need your word that you won’t promise the Cenobi anything until we try this my way first.”
“As you wish, Admiral,” said Bast. “You have my word.”
“Good. Now, I’m going to need you to speak to the Cenobi for me. Understood?” said Jon.
“Yes, Admiral.”
Jon nodded. “Okay, give them a call. Let’s see if they answer.”
Bast went quiet and closed his eyes. Moments later First Colonel Brock gasped in surprise. “I can hear them,” said Brock. “I don’t believe it.”
“How can you hear them?” said Jon.
“They are speaking to Colonel Bast. Our brain chips are connected. That allows me to hear them too.”
“Why have you summoned us?” Bast said in a loud voice.
Showtime, thought Jon. “Am I speaking to the Cenobi?”
“You are.”
“I’ve requested an audience because we need your help,” said Jon.
“We are aware of your plight. The Erinyie threaten you with extinction. The Antikitheri desire your subjugation. Your request for help is irrelevant. None of this concerns us.”
“What if we make it worth your while?” said Jon.
“You have nothing we desire.”
“Oh, I think we do. What if we give you our star? You can harness its power with your panels, and extend your reach.”
“The star is not yours to give. Regardless, we have countless stars at our disposal in our galaxy. The offer of your meager yellow star is trivial.”
“Fair enough. What if we gave you more than one star?”
“Explain yourself.”
“We have many systems under our control. All those systems need protection. What if we invited you to utilize the power of all those stars?”
“Enticing, but again, we have enough in our galaxy,” said the Cenobi through Bast.
The negotiations were not going as well as Jon had hoped. He needed to find some way to convince these powerful aliens to help. “You had mentioned your desire to harness the stars in your galactic center.”
“That is correct.”
“Where do you go after that accomplishment? I doubt your quest for enlightenment will be satiated. If you established yourselves in the Milky Way, you could also harness our galactic center. In fact, it seems to me that sooner or later you will have to expand to other galaxies.”
“This line of thinking intrigues us. Continue.”
“You seek enlightenment, do you not?
“It is the only true path.”
“The universe is mind-numbingly vast. I don’t see how you can find true enlightenment if you are limited to your galaxy alone. Both the Erinyie and Antikitheri have expanded to other galaxies. You will eventually have to do the same. Why not start with ours?”
“Your argument has merit. But we do not need you for this. We can expand and avoid your pointless conflict.”
“No,” said Jon. “I don’t think you can. How can you expand without running into the Erinyie, or the Antikitheri? Their interests will eventually clash with yours, just like they did in the Andromeda galaxy. It is inevitable.”
“Your reasoning is logical but flawed.”
“There is more,” said First Colonel Brock. “Our brothers remain enslaved. If you help us, we can free them. You can make your offer of enlightenment to all Chaanisar, increasing the od
ds that some will choose to join you.”
“Our offer is already open to all Chaanisar,” said the Cenobi.
“The enslaved Chaanisar cannot join you. Their minds are not their own.”
“Liberating them requires involvement in your conflict. There are enough freed Chaanisar to facilitate our growth.”
“Yes, but you are aliens from another galaxy,” said Brock. “The Chaanisar will be wary of such a decision.”
“Do you mean that the Chaanisar distrust us? That is illogical. We have done nothing to threaten the Chaanisar.”
“We Chaanisar have been enslaved by aliens once already,” said Brock. “How do we know you won’t enslave us as well?”
“We offer enlightenment, not slavery.”
“My point is that your offer would be much more convincing if you were our allies instead. It would make the Chaanisar more comfortable in trusting you.”
“Jumpspace disturbance detected,” said AI. “Cenobi signatures identified.”
Jon glanced at the tactical display to see a torrent of massive Cenobi warships flooding into the Sol system.
“We accept your offers, Jon Pike, and First Colonel Brock,” said the Cenobi. “We will become your allies, in return for your stars, and the trust of the Chaanisar.”
Chapter 51
“Jumpspace disturbance detected,” said AI. “Antikitheri signatures identified.”
“That didn’t take long,” said Jon, as the enormous Antikitheri warships arrived in the Sol System by the hundreds.
Moments later, the three swirling forms of the Antikitheri appeared in the operations room. Angry eyes stared back at Jon as sparks arced outward from all three Builders.
“Heretic!” shouted the green form. “Your entire race will pay for this outrage!”
“Why?” said Jon, doing his best to remain calm before the hostile, god-like aliens.
“You align yourself with the unbelievers and dare to ask why?” said the blue form. “You are the Foreseen. Never has there been such an affront.”
“You mean I’m the first?” said Jon. “That’s quite an honor.”