Interstellar War (The Pike Chronicles Book 5) (15 page)

Anki raced around Jon and Breeah’s quarters fighting an imaginary battle against the Juttari. Jon watched her play, amazed by her resilience. She must have been scared by the Juttari attack, yet here she played like nothing had happened. He imagined that Breeah must have been the same way when she was a child.

“Do you think the Juttari have more jump ships?” said Breeah, analyzing everything Jon had told her about the battle group’s attack.

“Yeah, I’m sure of it,” said Jon. “It’s an arms race now. It wasn’t too hard for us to retrofit the Freedom and the Reiver with jump systems at New Byzantium. We will have to equip more of the Chaanisar and Diakan ships before we move on to the Widow’s Triangle.”

“Surely they must know you are coming now. They’ll be prepared for you.”

“I know. I’d like move sooner, maintain momentum, but the Freedom needs extensive repairs, as does the station. Taking Meybaris was a great accomplishment. We need to secure it, or we’ll end up losing it. The jump gates remain important, but as the Juttari build more jump ships, all of our systems become more vulnerable.”

“Does this Widow’s Triangle have any planets?” said Breeah.

“Yes.”

“Are any populated?”

“Yes. From what I understand a lot of trade is done in the Triangle. The three jump gates have turned the system into a kind of crossroads, spurring commercial activity.”

“What will you do with these planets when you take the system?”

“It depends how much resistance they offer. First Colonel Brock indicated that the species living on the planets are subservient to the Juttari. But it is not clear how they will react if the Juttari are defeated. Of course, any military threat on the planet will be dealt with.”

“Are these subservient species a conquered race?”

“Yes.”

“Is this their system?”

“I don’t know. It might be, or they could’ve been transported here through the gates. It’s hard to say. The Juttari have conquered many species, and use each in different capacities. These conquered beings may not even remember where home is. Humanity lived under Juttari rule for five hundred years, but there are some who have been enslaved for much longer. If they are among those, they may very well have lost all sense of their original identity.”

“If they had some military capability you could try to make allies of them. It might make holding the system easier,” said Breeah.

“It’s true, and I will definitely try. We’ve been lucky with the Chaanisar, but I can’t count on that luck to continue. Plus, I don’t know how many more Chaanisar we’ll encounter. Our only hope for continued growth is going to be in liberating other conquered races. If they’re anything like us humans, they’ll be thrilled to get some revenge against the Juttari.”

“This Widow’s Triangle has three jump gates?”

“Correct. It has immense strategic value.”

“Two jump gates link to other Juttari controlled regions?”

“Yes. The third links to the Meybaris system, which we now hold.”

“Taking Meybaris is one thing. The Widow’s Triangle another. The Juttari will not let you keep the Widow’s Triangle. They will try to take it back from you. Their two gates will leave you vulnerable.”

“Taking the Widow’s Triangle is going to be hard enough. But you’re right. Taking it doesn’t mean we can keep it. It’s why I wont give them the chance to attack it.”

“How will you prevent them?”

“I’m not stopping at the Triangle. I’m going after the two adjoining systems.”

“You will split your forces. Is that wise?”

“That remains to be seen. I currently have two thousand ships at my disposal. I attack the Triangle at full strength and overwhelm its defenses, but rather than consolidating my gains, I continue through the gates and take the two systems connected to the Triangle. The Diakans can focus on one system, and I’ll take the Chaanisar to the other.”

“You believe you can take the other two systems?”

“Yes, if the attack on the Triangle doesn’t deplete my force too much. The systems are further back in the jump chain; they won’t be as heavily defended. To reach either system a force would need to first go through Meybaris, and the Widow’s Triangle. It stands to reason that the Juttari would spend more effort fortifying these two systems instead. Taking the Triangle will be a challenge. But when we move against the Triangle I believe that the Juttari will send word to those neighboring systems for help. Any ships stationed there will come through the gates to defend the Triangle. That will further weaken these two systems, making them easier for us to take.”

“But how will you fight the remainder of the war, if your army is split into two?”

“I am expecting reinforcements from Diakus, which will be used to garrison the captured systems. That will allow the fleet to combine again.”

“It is a bold plan.”

“Yes, but the alternative is to allow the Juttari a chance to regroup and go on the offensive. We‘d be forced to try and defend the Triangle against attacks from both gates. I’d rather keep the Juttari on the defensive. We’ll need to be bold to accomplish that.”

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!” yelled Anki, running toward Jon, pointing her fingers like guns at him.

“Ugh!” said Jon, grabbing at his chest. “You got me.”

Anki threw her hands in the air in victory. “I’ve conquered the galaxy!”

“Will that be your cheer one day?” Breeah said to Jon.

Her comment surprised him. “This isn’t about conquest.”

“No,” said Breeah. “Not yet.”

“Repairs on the Vanguard have been completed, Sir,” said Commander Hurley, the Vanguard’s XO, standing rigidly straight, his hands clasped behind his back.

Kevin sat behind the desk in his ready room, as his XO spoke. Teams had worked round the clock to get the battle group’s ships back to full health. “Thank you, Commander. How are repairs coming on the other battle group ships?”

“Repairs on the Reiver, and the two Chaanisar heavy cruisers have also been completed,” Hurley continued, his voice raspy. “Repairs to the Diakan battleships ongoing, but they say they are close. They should be ready within forty-eight hours.”

“I figured the Diakan ships might take a bit longer. Considering their size and the damage they took in the last battle, what they’ve accomplished so far is very impressive. How about the jump systems? How are the retrofits coming?”

“The jump system has been successfully installed in eight ships. During those installations, the New Byzantium Engineers were trained in the retrofit requirements. They are now capable of installing the jump systems without our assistance, so the pace should pick up significantly.”

“Let’s hope so. We’re going to need as many jump ships as possible if we’re going to pull this off. Are the crews up to speed on the use of the jump systems?”

“All bridge crews are being trained on the retrofitted ships. They should be good to go when their ships are ready. Ship engineers are actively involved in the retrofit process, and are gaining the knowledge they’ll need to operate the jump system on their ships.”

“It’ll have to do,” said Kevin. “Any new reports on the Kemmar’s activity?”

“Some are trickling through. We’re getting reports of humans for sale on the Kemmar slave market.”

Kevin cringed, remembering his experience on the Kemmar prison planet. Had they not escaped, he would be a slave right now, as would his men, and the Reivers.

“There are no reports of new activity otherwise,” continued Hurley. “Looks like they’re consolidating their gains before their next big push.”

“No specific news on Amboss Corporation? Nothing telling us what defenses the Kemmar are putting in place?”

“No, Sir,” said Hurly.

“We need some intelligence on Amboss. Jump system or not, we can’t just go in there blind. Someone’s got to go over there and get some scans.” He thought for a moment, considering his options. “You know what? It might as well be us. We’ve been sitting around for too long already. Advise the crew that we will be jumping in the next few hours, Commander.”

“Are we jumping into Amboss space, Sir?” said Hurley, a hint of concern in his voice.

“No. We’ll jump close enough to send a jump drone in to take scans. With any luck the Kemmar won’t even notice.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll have Ensign Balian plot preliminary coordinates.”

“Thank you, Commander. Dismissed.”

Hurley saluted, turned on his heel, and walked out of the room.

As the door slid closed, a communication request flashed on his display from one of the Diakan battleships. Kevin was surprised to see Tallos appear, wearing a Diakan military uniform.

“Greetings Captain St. Clair,” said Tallos.

“Well, well, look at you wearing that shiny new uniform,” said Kevin. “Looks like Major Ilthos gave you your old job back.”

“Captain St. Clair, I am contacting you to express my desire to work together, and leave any conflict we have previously had in the past.”

“Really? You mean when you took me prisoner, and ordered Breeah’s murder? Did you know that her father is commanding the Reiver? The destroyer in our battle group. I think you should be more worried about him than little old me.”

“Captain, I assure you I did not order the Reiver woman’s murder. Security Adviser Kinos acted independently. You and the woman were taken prisoner only to force Captain Pike’s hand, so that he would not attack the Kemmar planet.”

“You’re forgetting Anki, Breeah’s daughter. She was also a hostage. You kidnapped a mother and daughter to make Admiral Pike bend to your will. That is still a despicable act, regardless of whether or not you ordered their murder.”

“Taking the woman hostage was unfortunate, but we had no other leverage over Captain Pike.”

“Admiral Pike.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. At the time he was still a Captain. Regardless, you know what happened when he attacked the planet. We were justified in our attempt to stop him.”

“No, you were not. He was the captain of the Hermes. You may not have agreed with his decision, but you had no right to try and takeover the ship.”

“We see things differently. But Captain, I am not here to debate past decisions. I want to put all of that behind us, so we can better work together.”

“Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about that. Admiral Pike has placed me in command of this battle group, and I don’t trust you.”

“Really, Captain. I pose no threat to you. I am a Diakan citizen on a Diakan vessel.”

“Is that right? Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you a Diakan General?”

“Yes, I am.”

“And doesn’t that mean you outrank everybody on those two Diakan battleships?”

“Yes, Captain. It does.”

“Then the commanders of those ships must obey your orders.”

“Not necessarily. Captain Koufyos and Captain Vorlos are the commanders of their respective ships. I cannot overrule their orders. Furthermore, they are assigned to your battle group, meaning they are under your command, and I certainly do not have any authority over you. So you see, Captain St. Clair, your position is quite secure.”

“Secure, or not, I don’t like you, and I sure as hell don’t trust you. I understand that you need a ride back home, and I will tolerate as much. But make no mistake, you try anything stupid and I’ll leave you off on an asteroid somewhere. That is, after I’ve let the Reivers have at you.”

“Captain, there is really no need for threats. I have no intention of disrupting your mission.”

“We’ll see, Tallos. We’ll see.”

***

Kevin strode onto the Vanguard’s bridge. “Jump status?” he said, as he stepped up to his command console.

“Coordinates have been plotted,” said Ensign Balian, the navigation officer. “Jump system is at one hundred percent. We are jump ready.”

“Have the rest of the battle group been advised of our actions?”

“Yes, Sir,” said Commander Hurley. “They have been given our jump coordinates.”

“Good. In that case, let’s get started. Helm, initiate jump.”

The Vanguard jumped into an empty region of space just outside Amboss territory.

“Report,” said Kevin.

“Reading all clear, Sir. No contacts,” said Ensign Michael, the tactical officer.

“We have landed at our designated coordinates,” said the navigation officer, Ensign Balian. “Amboss Prime is within range of our jump drone.”

“Prepare a drone for jump. Set coordinates for the periphery of the Amboss Prime system. Close enough to get detailed scans, but far enough away that it isn’t noticed. Program it to jump back to the Vanguard once it’s done scanning.”

“Coordinates set, Sir.”

“Launch drone.”

The tiny drone sped out of the Vanguard hull and promptly disappeared. Waiting for the drone’s return, Kevin’s thoughts turned to Earth and the fight against the Juttari. Admiral Pike would have attacked Meybaris by now, but Kevin had no way of knowing the outcome. While Admiral Pike had assembled a massive force for the attack, Kevin knew there were never any guarantees in war. He had to get the jump gate open. The Kemmar were dangerous, but just a side show compared to the Juttari.

“Jump drone has returned,” said Ensign Michael. “Receiving scans.”

“Route visual scans to my console,” said Kevin, gesturing to Hurley to join him. His tactical display transitioned to show the Amboss Prime system, and the Kemmar deployment, as Commander Hurley approached him.

“Looks like they have that system well defended,” said Hurley.

“Yeah, the scan counts one-hundred-and-thirty Kemmar warships,” said Kevin. He tapped the screen to modify the display to overlay the coordinates of the jump gate. “See that,” he said, pointing to the overlay. “The jump gate is a fair distance away from the Amboss Prime home world. The Kemmar have no idea the gate is there, so they are grouped mostly around the planet. There are only a handful of ships close to the coordinates.”

“They think we’re going to try and retake the planet,” said Hurley. “It’s a logical assumption.”

“They’ll move to intercept the moment we land, so we won’t have a lot of time to get the job done. They’ve got ships patrolling the system, which may be close enough to attack as well.”

“How long will it take to get the jump gate open?”

“The Diakans don’t know. They’re saying that they won’t know until they try to activate it.”

“That complicates things. Are they the only ones who can do this?”

“Yeah, they’ve brought the experts with them. We need them to make this happen. We’ll just have to make the best of it.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Well we’ve got what we came for. Let’s head back to New Byzantium. You have the Bridge Commander.”