Prevail (The Pike Chronicles Book 2) (8 page)

Kevin and his men boarded a Chaanisar shuttle as fighters streaked across the sky. The smell of fire, oil, and death surrounded them. Bast and a handful of his men boarded the shuttle as well. When all the Marines were on board the shuttle rocketed away toward the waiting Juttari warship.

Henderson sat next to Kevin and spoke in a quiet voice. “What do you think, Chief?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to think,” whispered Kevin.

“How do you think they did it?”

“Did what?”

“Overcame the Juttari mind control?”

“I can answer that question, Sergeant,” said Bast, seated a fair distance away from them.

“You’ve got good ears,” said Henderson.

“Juttari augmentation,” said Bast, pointing to his ears.

“So how did you do it?”

“One of the first things the Juttari did after they kidnapped us was to implant their chips into our brains. Those chips allowed them to control everything we did. They took away our free will.”

“What changed?”

“After our battle we lost your ship. We jumped around for days searching for you. Finally we retraced our steps and jumped back into the binary system. It was there that we found you, only you were already engaged in battle with the Kemmar battleship. Fascinated, we hid and watched the events unfold. Watched your ship jump after being boarded. Watched the Kemmar take the colony your ship was obviously trying to defend. And watched the Kemmar activate a jump gate and leave. A jump gate we never knew existed.

“The Juttari Master ordered us to cross through the gate and follow the Kemmar battleship. We did, staying back a safe distance so as not to be detected. We followed the Kemmar to this planet. Watched them drop off their prisoners and waited. The Master was convinced that you would again try and rescue these colonists. And he was right. So we watched your tragic attack. And your eventual defeat.”

“That’s all very interesting, but you still haven’t told us how you managed to overcome your Juttari masters,” said Henderson.

“That, Sergeant, is the fascinating part. Every Juttari ship carries a system that emits a powerful broadcast intended specifically to exert control over our chips. These systems are in place throughout Juttari space. Without going into too much detail, suffice it to say that these systems go wherever we go. They are our shackles.

“On this particular mission, however, something went wrong. The system stopped broadcasting. The effect, as you can imagine, was quite a shock. After all those years our thoughts were once again our own. At first we expected the malfunction to be discovered. There was no way it would last. But it did. And something else happened. As we watched you battle the Kemmar against such overwhelming odds, we were inspired. We wanted to fight with you. To fight for humanity.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“We had to fight for ourselves first. We had all spent a lifetime under the control of the Juttari Empire. To rise against the Juttari seemed… insurmountable. After your defeat on Kerces, our Master gave the order to head back home, and that was when we knew we had to act. Regardless of the malfunction on our ship, we knew the moment we were back in Juttari space we would fall under Juttari control again. So we rose up and killed every Juttari master on board. Then we decided to rescue you.”

“What if the system on your ship starts broadcasting again?”

“It won’t. We destroyed it during our uprising. The only thing that will control us again is a return to Juttari space. Which is why we need your help.”

“You said that before,” said Kevin. “What is it you think we can do for you?”

“We want our chips removed.”

Kevin laughed. “We’re soldiers. How are we supposed to do that?”

“You can’t, but your doctor can.”

“Our doctor isn’t with us.”

“No, she isn’t. But your people escaped from the Hermes before it was destroyed. We believe your doctor escaped too, and we’re going to find her.”

“Are you going to do it?” said Breeah.

“Jansen’s mission?” said Jon.

“Yes.”

“I haven’t decided. We know nothing about what is going on here.”

Breeah walked over to a window and looked out at the cluster of buildings surrounding them.

“It is very crowded here. They all live on top of each other.”

“A big difference from the parks and trees we saw on the flight in,” said Jon.

“If you go on this mission I am coming with you.”

“What are you talking about? I can’t bring you with me. What about Anki?”

“She will come along. We are Reivers. We do not sit at home while others fight.”

“I won’t put you in harm’s way.”

“It is not your choice to make.”

Jon exhaled sharply. He had developed strong feelings for Breeah and Anki. They were the closest thing he had to a family since he lost his own. He wasn’t prepared to take them on a dangerous mission.

“I’m not a Reiver. I can’t bring a child into a hostile situation.” Jon got up and walked over to Breeah. “I work alone, Breeah. I always have.”

“Not anymore. We are your family now. We go wherever you go.” Breeah’s hand reached up to his face, her finger tracing its way down the long scar on his cheek.

Jon wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. She felt good and he didn’t ever want to let go. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered.

She looked up at him with those dark eyes, shattering his defenses. “Do I appear helpless to you, Jon Pike?”

“No, of course not.”

“Perhaps you would prefer Kulberg and his guards by your side?”

“No. Don’t be silly. I told you I work alone. If I fail I am the only one who suffers the consequences.”

“And I told you that is in the past. Everything is in the past. Your old life, the Hermes, everything. There is only us now. And we stay together.”

“But what if something happens to you and Anki. I couldn’t bear it. Not again.”

“You must forgive yourself. Do not focus on the past. Do not worry about the future. There is only now. Only us.”

“I like the sound of that.” He reached down and kissed her. Her body warm against his, her lips soft, his doubts and fears disappearing, the giggles like a song.

Giggles?

Jon released Breeah and turned to see Anki watching them, beaming, a huge grin on her face.

Breeah smiled. “So what do we do?”

Jon looked across the room to a computer link. “We get more information.”

“AI, can you interface with the computer link in this room?” said Jon.

“Yes, it is a public terminal. There is open access to a specified level. Do you need me to access more secure information?”

“Not yet. Let’s see what we can find out without raising any alarms.”

“These systems are not sophisticated enough to detect my activity, Captain.”

“I’m sure they’re not, still, just stick to the public database for now.” The AI was probably right and wouldn’t get caught, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

“Understood. Interface complete.”

“Good. Do you have any information on the history of this station?”

A cross section of the station appeared on the display. “The station was constructed more than six centuries ago by the DLC Corporation. DLC acquired rights to this region of space from the Sol government at that time.”

The answer confirmed Jon’s suspicions, but was astounding nonetheless. “So they were one of the original colonies?”

“Yes, Captain. That is correct. Early colonization consisted of migrant workers. Resource mining provided ample employment and many came on contracts to work a number of years, after which they would return to the Sol System. Others took on permanent positions and settled on the station.”

“Are there other stations like this?”

“Not this size. This region is resource rich, but there are no habitable planets.” The display cycled through different regions of space, showing multiple star systems and planets. “Other corporations obtained rights to regions more hospitable to human life.” The display zoomed in on one of the planets to show numerous cities. “Those corporations developed planetary settlements and had more permanent immigration. Over time, most of these worlds developed their own governments, which established laws and took control of the population away from the corporations.”

“Are the other colonies as large as DLC?”

“They are larger. Population growth on the other colonies is not as constrained as it is on the DLC station. On the planets there is much more room to thrive and grow.”

“So there are millions of people living in the other colonies?”

“Billions, Captain.”

Jon blinked, trying to grasp what he just heard. Billions of people? If that was true, the number of people living in the colonies outnumbered the population of Sol itself. The Juttari invasion had wiped out much of Earth’s population. The survivors lived in squalor for centuries. Not ideal conditions for population growth. Out here, however, they flourished. It made Jon wonder what would happen if Sol and the colonies were ever reunited. How would the colonies see Sol? Earth may have been the birthplace of humanity, but compared to the size of these worlds, Earth would be seen as a province at best. They were in for a major wakeup call back home.

“AI, what happened after the Juttari invasion?”

“The corporations shut down their jump gate and travel between Sol and the colonies ceased. Trade had already developed between the colonies and continued. The other colonies replaced Sol as the main customers for DLC exports.”

“What about war? Five hundred years is a long time. Did the colonies fight against each other?”

“There have been many disputes as the colonies expanded their influence. These disputes have been mainly over territorial rights. In many cases full scale battles have been fought, but it was agreed early on that war would never be waged on the core worlds, including DLC station.”

“So they don’t always play nice with each other. War usually escalates, why didn’t anyone break the treaty?”

“After the Juttari invasion there was no way of knowing what happened to life in the Sol System. Before closing their gate, the colonies received reports of Juttari ruthlessness. They knew of the orbital bombardment and didn’t know if anyone had survived. There was a real possibility that the colonies were the last outposts of humanity. That was considered too precious to destroy through warfare.”

“So they keep the fighting away from the civilian populations?”

“Yes, Captain.” The display showed various warships and fleet formations. “If there is a dispute over a region of space between two parties, they may resolve the dispute through the use of force, but the conflict is restricted to unpopulated regions.”

“Like a duel.”

“Yes, Captain. Precisely, albeit on a much larger scale.”

“Is that why I didn’t see much military activity in this system when we arrived?”

“A couple of DLC warships are usually kept in the system to deal with the raider threat, but the main fleets patrol their valuable resource rich regions.”

“Are these regions unpopulated?”

“No, there are mining communities, but their populations are so small that none of the parties consider fighting there a violation of the treaty.”

“Is there any information on the raiders?”

“The raiders were originally a DLC mining community.” The display showed a mining operation on a barren planet.

“A DLC mining community?”

“Yes, Captain. DLC miners worked in some very inhospitable places. Injuries and loss of life were common. Much of the hardship was blamed on long work hours and outdated equipment. There were several strikes, which were ended each time through the use of force.”

“DLC sent in troops?”

“The company used armed security personnel to end the strikes.”

Like those two prima donnas with Kulberg, thought Jon.

“Then there was an uprising. The miners killed their managers, seized any available vessels, and disappeared.”

“Was there a specific incident that sparked the uprising?”

“The source says they suffered from Miner’s Fever. A type of mass dementia.”

“Sounds like bullshit to me.”

“Would you like me to access the restricted sections to verify this information? It would be child’s play.”

“No.”

“As you wish, Captain.”

“When did this happen?”

“Almost one hundred years ago.”

“A hundred years? And they still haven’t found them?”

“That is correct, Captain.”

“Sounds like more bullshit. What about aliens?”

“Interaction with alien populations is limited. After the Juttari invasion of the Sol System, the colonies adopted an isolationist policy.”

“So there are no aliens on any of the colonies?”

“No, Captain. Citizenship is only granted to humans.”

“What information do they have on the Kemmar?”

“They know of the Kemmar Empire, but there is no formal relations. The colonies share borders with an alien race known as the Otan. The Otan are Kemmar trading partners. As such, Otan space is a natural buffer between the colonies and the Kemmar Empire.”

“What are relations like between the colonies and the Otan?”

“There are diplomatic relations between the colonies and the Otan. The Otan are not an agressive society. They do have a sizeable military, but this is maintained primarily for defense. This has kept the relationship peaceful.”

“Thank you, AI.”

“You are most welcome, Captain.”

“What do you think?” said Breeah.

“I think we need a spaceship so we can travel to the other colonies.”

“So we are going to accept Jansen’s offer?”

“Yes, we are.”