Prevail (The Pike Chronicles Book 2) (23 page)

Bast watched the two destroyers on his tactical display, clenching his fists. They were going to make things difficult for him. They refused to chase him. Refused to play his game. Instead they resumed course toward the station. If they reached it he wouldn’t be able to retrieve his men.

There was a sizable distance between the two ships, but they were within each other’s energy weapons’ range. That made each attack more costly. While his ship was evenly matched with each DLC ship, the fact that both could fire on him changed the odds.

“Helm, prepare to jump beside the ship on our starboard side. Get us close enough that they are within range of our rail guns. Keep them between us and the destroyer on our port side. Prepare to jump us back to this position the second I give the order.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Tactical, target the enemy’s weapon systems. Rail guns in offensive mode.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Jump.”

The Chaanisar heavy cruiser landed beside the DLC destroyer and attacked. Rail guns, energy weapons and missiles fired in unison. The enemy deflectors held, dispersing the Chaanisar energy bolts, but the rail guns and missiles found their marks, damaging several DLC gun batteries. That by no means left the warship helpless and it returned fire.

Its energy weapons hammered the Chaanisar armor, but their targeting lacked focus. They didn’t hit any major systems. They were trying to adapt quickly to the attacks and that allowed much less time to target effectively. When the DLC ship launched its missiles Bast gave the order to jump. They landed back where they had started a moment before, the DLC missiles streaking off into empty space.

Bast considered the maneuver a success. They had disabled some of the ship’s weapon systems and successfully used them to block any energy bolts from the second vessel. The enemy had adapted and so had he. He watched the ships on the display, waiting to see what they would do, but they continued as before, heading straight for the station. They would need more persuading.

He ordered another sortie, same as before. Use the destroyer as a shield to block the second ship’s weapon fire, and focus on its weapons. By continually targeting its weapon systems he would seriously degrade their ability to defend themselves. By doing so he hoped to force them out of the fight. He didn’t want to destroy the ship. Doing so would require significantly more effort and resources. That type of engagement would result in his ship taking heavy damage. Even if they were successful, they’d be in no position to challenge the second ship. He also hoped that if he could inflict enough damage he would force the destroyers to change tactics.

They landed and the destroyer immediately let loose a volley of missiles, anticipating the Chaanisar assault. Bast had expected this response and had his ship fire missiles before immediately jumping away. The DLC warship launched its own countermeasures which successfully took out half the Chaanisar missiles. The other half, however, found their targets and slammed into the ship’s weapon batteries, further degrading its fighting capabilities.

Bast personally didn’t like this strategy, but it was working, and it kept his crew safe. None of them were afraid to put their lives at risk in battle, but why do so needlessly? If you had an advantage you used it. Throughout history wars had been won, and empires built, on the back of technological advances. A superior weapon, or strategy, was to be exploited, not squandered in favor of ideology.

So the Chaanisar jumped again and again, tormenting their adversary, confounding their every effort at countering the attacks. The tactic worked. The destroyer’s offensive capabilities were diminished to the point that the ship almost helpless.

This created the shift he had been looking for. The second ship changed course and raced to the rescue of their increasingly helpless brethren. The two ships had effectively halted their advance on the station. If Bast kept harassing them he believed he now could keep them from reaching the station in time. Now he just had to wait for word from his men.

Earth. Seiben’s question surprised Jon. How had he figured it out? He had to give the crusty captain more credit. He didn’t expect anyone here to guess where he was from. He had thought Jansen might, but nobody else. There was no point in hiding the truth from Seiben. He too was a fugitive. Besides, what difference did it make out here?

None of the old rules applied anymore. He glanced around. The Chaanisar were fighting together with Space Force. If that wasn’t proof enough, he didn’t know what was. None of them could go back to Earth either. The Hermes was gone. How would he explain that to Space Force. The Diakans would demand blood, and Space Force would do nothing to stop them from getting it. They would happily hand them all over to Diakus. The Diakans would make a show of some bullshit trial, and they would all be executed.

It didn’t look like the Chaanisar could go back home. If what they said was true, the Juttari would revert them into slaves the moment they returned. They were stuck out here too. That made them allies, at least for the time being. How long that alliance would last was anybody’s guess. He still didn’t trust them, nor did he believe their story. Maybe they did revolt against the Juttari. Maybe that part was true. But a Chaanisar was not a human. Sure they started out that way when they were born, but that changed the moment the Juttari took them. It all changed the moment they turned on their own kind. He didn’t care if the Juttari brain chips forced them. They still did it. They still committed horrific atrocities against humanity. The ‘how’ and ‘why’ didn’t matter. They couldn’t be forgiven for their crimes.

He suddenly realized that Darla was speaking to him. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” said Jon.

“They said Earth was destroyed,” said Darla.

“Who said?”

“The stories. The myths.”

“Earth was conquered, but not destroyed.”

Darla looked like she had uncovered some long lost religious artifact. “Who?” she said. “Who conquered Earth?”

Jon looked at Lieutenant Jarvi running up ahead and pointed at him. “They did.”

Darla’s face blanched and she almost tripped over her feet. “But they’re human?”

“Their masters conquered Earth,” said Jon.

Jarvi shook his head, obviously listening to the conversation. “Tell her the truth, Captain,” said Jarvi. He fell back alongside Seiben and Darla. “The Juttari Empire conquered Earth. We were taken from our parents as children and forced to serve the Juttari.”

Darla stared wide eyed at Jarvi. “That’s horrible.”

“Not as horrible as what they did after they were taken,” said Jon.

Jarvi was stone faced. “The Captain is right. The Juttari violated us. Turned us into instruments of war. And then they made us violate our own kind…” said Jarvi, his voice getting softer as he spoke, like he was contemplating the gravity of his crimes.

“You cannot atone for your crimes by blaming the Juttari,” said Jon. “The blood is on your hands.”

“Perhaps,” said Jarvi.

“But you fight together now,” said Seiben. “What’s changed?”

Jarvi’s voice became strong again. “We killed our Juttari masters. We are free to once again be human.”

“Killing Juttari doesn’t make you human,” said Jon.

“It seemed to work for you, Captain,” said Jarvi, not visibly angry, but with the faint hint of threat in his tone.

Jon scowled. “I killed lots of Chaanisar too. Don’t ever forget that.”

“And yet the Chaanisar help you,” said Jarvi. “As you can see Mr. Seiben, the Chaanisar do not hold grudges. If only we could say the same about our good friend, the Captain.”

“I’m not your good friend.”

“No, I suppose you are not.”

The two men stared at each other. Jon felt the heat rising inside him. He had to keep it in check. He couldn’t lose it now. As much as it grated on him, he needed Jarvi’s help. He needed the Chaanisar ship. He needed to get off this station. He would have to be diplomatic, something that was often foreign to him.

“Regardless of our histories and opinions, we need to work together now,” said Jon.

Jarvi studied him, as if trying to determine his sincerity, and said, “Agreed.” With that he picked up his pace and took his previous position up ahead.

“I still don’t understand how you ended up here,” said Seiben.

“That is a more complicated story,” said Jon. “Let’s leave that one for when we’re safely off the station.”

The AI’s voice interrupted the conversation. “Captain, I’ve found something.”

“Yes, AI. What is it?”

“Security footage. They had attempted to delete it, but they missed some of the backup files.”

“Security footage of what?”

“Jansen’s murder.”

“Who killed Jansen?”

“Mr. Kulberg.”

“That’s great,” said Seiben. “That would prove our innocence.”

“It would, but do you think Kulberg would give us a fair trial?” said Jon.

“No,” said Seiben.

“I don’t think so either. We have to get off the station first, and then we can use the footage.”

“You’re right,” said Seiben.

“In the meantime, I have an idea. Let’s see how Kulberg likes a taste of his own medicine,” said Jon. “AI, do you still have control of all those displays throughout the city? The giant ones on the sides of the buildings?”

“Of course, Captain.”

“Excellent. I want you to broadcast that video on those displays.”

“Understood.”

“And make sure you block all efforts to take the feed down.”

“Leave it to me, Captain.”

That would keep Kulberg busy, at least long enough for them to make their escape. Up ahead Jon recognized the docks. They were almost there.

They slowed pace and Lieutenant Jarvi accessed his communicator. “We are almost in position, Sir. I will send you the coordinates of our position momentarily.”

“Good work, Lieutenant,” responded the voice from Jarvi’s communicator. “A shuttle is being dispatched.”

They identified a free dock and proceeded down its gangway to the docking station. It was a long winding corridor with lighting along the ceiling that lit up as they approached. The hallway was somewhat narrow, allowing no more than four men side by side. Jon didn’t like that it forced the group to spread out along the gangway’s length. If something happened they might have difficulty getting enough firepower in place. The soldiers with the combat suits stayed back and guarded the entrance to the corridor. They would present a substantial deterrent to any attack. At the very least they could buy the group time till they got out. Jon felt better, but not much. He felt vulnerable.

Once they reached the hatch the only thing they could do was wait for the shuttle. That just made Jon jittery. He felt surrounded. Chaanisar in front of him. Chaanisar behind him. All of them close enough that they could push a blade into his ribs without much effort. He glanced behind, checking out the men there, trying to gauge their intentions. They looked back at him with blank expressions. He turned back around and studied the Chaanisar in front, watching their movements, keeping an eye out for any hint of a threat, no matter how subtle.

He noticed Breeah staring at him with a concerned look on her face. “Is everything alright?” she said, an empathetic look in her eye.

“Everything’s fine,” he replied. She didn’t believe him. He could see it in her face. But she didn’t pursue the matter. He liked that about her. She respected his boundaries. If he didn’t want to talk about something she left it alone. Still he wondered how she had learned to read him so well? It was uncanny.

The wait was excruciating. Eventually a screen lit up indicating that a vessel was docking. Loud banging reverberated throughout the corridor as the ship locked itself to the dock and established a pressurized seal. The banging was followed by quiet for some time, which was replaced by the sound of metal clanging as the hatch was unlocked. It slid open with a high pitched whine. A man in a Juttari uniform walked out and greeted Lieutenant Jarvi. They exchanged words and the group began boarding. The man stood by the hatch watching as everyone entered. When Jon walked by he eyed the Juttari insignia on his uniform.

Grandfather save us
, he thought.
We’re being herded into the jaws of the wolf

Kulberg stared, dumbfounded, at the report on his display. Dozens dead. Multiple security craft destroyed. How? All his men had to do was eliminate a few people. People on the run with children. How hard could that possibly be? Apparently it was harder than it looked. And now they had help. Real soldiers. Somehow that ship out there was able to get a team onto the station.

That was no ordinary ship. How did it manage to leap from one place to another in the blink of an eye? It confounded the DLC destroyers, and even disabled one of them. Now it was back in orbit around the station, sending a shuttle to retrieve Captain Pike, with the destroyers too far to intervene. He had to stop them. He might be able to send another team to intercept before they boarded. Especially if they left now.

Just then his door opened and a DLC security team rushed into his office, weapons drawn. His guards were surrounded and relieved of their weapons before they could react. Several other soldiers headed for Kulberg, all pointing their weapons squarely at him. Two men flanked him on each side and a few more had spread out in front of him. He considered reaching for his weapon, but thought better of it. He wouldn’t have a chance. So he chose to play the outraged leader.

“What is the meaning of this?” Kulberg bellowed.

“Murder,” came a voice from the doorway. Kulberg looked to see Dahlen, DLC Head of Security. “That’s the meaning of this. You are under arrest for the murder of Mr. Jansen.”

“This is outrageous,” said Kulberg, sounding properly flabbergasted. “We are hunting the real murderer as we speak. A manhunt that you are recklessly interfering with. This will mean your career. You realize that, don’t you? This means all of your careers!”

Dahlen rolled his eyes and started clapping. “Well done. That was quite the performance. Not as good as your last one, but still very good.”

“What do you mean, my last one?” said Kulberg.

“You haven’t seen it?” Dahlen shook his head and laughed. “You really need to get out more. Turn around and look out your window, please.”

What the hell was Dahlen talking about? What performance? He swiveled his chair around and faced his window. He waved his hand and the blinds slid apart revealing the building across from his. He usually kept his blinds closed for precisely that reason. Why would he want to look at yet another building? His eyes followed the structure from the top down and then stopped. On a giant display was his face.
How in the hell?
He was in his office, but he stood with a weapon in his hand. An icy chill raced up his spine. He watched with ever increasing horror as the video showed him firing his weapon at Mr. Jansen.

“I don’t know how, but that video is playing on every display throughout the city,” said Dahlen.

“It’s obviously a fake,” said Kulberg, spinning his chair around to face Dahlen. “I’m being framed while the real murderer is getting away.”

“I don’t think so,” said Dahlen.

“What do you mean, you don’t think so?” Kulberg snorted. “These videos can easily be faked, and you’re falling for it.”

“No. You see, whoever is showing this video to the city also sent me the source file. I quickly had its authenticity verified. It’s as real as it gets.” Dahlen nodded to his men and two of them moved on Kulberg, seizing him by the arms. He tried to resist and his face was unceremoniously slammed against his desk. His arms were painfully wrenched behind his back and warm blood flowed from his broken nose down across his mouth. His vision blurred and he felt something hard in his mouth. Not knowing what it was he spit it out. His tooth. They had knocked out one of his teeth! He was pulled up by the hair, his arms now secured behind his back. His vision cleared and he looked at Dahlen.

“You’re going to pay for this,” he said.

Dahlen looked at his men and nodded. His face was slammed into the desk again, turning out the lights.