Ronin (The Pike Chronicles Book 3) (11 page)

Jon didn’t need an explanation. However it had happened, he could see that Dr. Ellerbeck and the Prime Minister were romantically involved. And short of knocking her unconscious, she would not be leaving without him.

Jon frowned, “I guess we’re rescuing the Prime Minister.”

Prime Minister Michael Sallas sat in his cell, staring at the gray concrete wall. The time spent in isolation had allowed him to think. Why had General Juneau staged a coup, especially with the Kemmar threat looming? He knew Juneau didn’t like him, but to overthrow the government was extreme, even for the General. Juneau had proven himself a capable military leader, but governing a planet was another matter entirely. Sadly, Sallas understood that Juneau didn’t need the populace’s backing if he crushed dissent with an iron fist.

Still, he felt that there had to be something more to it than just a power grab. Someone pulled Juneau’s strings, and the more he thought about it, the more he saw Stumpf’s miserable face. The corporations had been unhappy when New Byzantium transitioned to democracy, and none were more vocal than Franz Stumpf. All of them feared their planets becoming democracies. And why wouldn’t they? The CEOs had amassed incredible wealth under corporate rule, for themselves and their companies. No wonder that the idea of an elected government was so controversial.

Sallas himself had created plenty of controversy. Within days of taking power he angered the corporations by doing away with hereditary debt. Prior to that point any debt a person acquired in their lifetime, and hadn’t paid off, was inherited by their children and grandchildren. People were literally born into debt, which essentially turned them into corporate slaves. In doing away with hereditary debt, the corporations lost mountains of money, while the population gained their liberty. To Sallas, it was perfectly reasonable for a debt to end with the death of the debtor. To someone like Stumpf, it was the most heinous blasphemy ever committed. Indeed, the more he thought things through, the more he believed that Stumpf was the coup’s mastermind.

The sound of the door unlocking pulled Sallas out of his thoughts. What would happen next? Would he be tortured? Killed? The door swung open and a tall, intimidating looking soldier entered. He knew this man, although he couldn’t figure out from where. A second person entered and his stomach flipped.

“Elizabeth? What’s going on?” he said, standing.

“Michael,” she said, stepping toward him and falling into his embrace. “You’re okay.”

“We have to go,” said the familiar looking man. Then he realized where he knew him from.

“You’re Captain Pike,” he said.

“Yes.”

“But how are you here?”

“Later, right now we have to get you and the Doctor out of here.”

He didn’t need any more persuasion. He followed Captain Pike out of the cell where four more men waited. One man held the other by the neck. A prisoner.

“Nice to see you again, Doctor,” said a giant of a man, whose arms looked bigger than Sallas’s thighs.

“Nice to see you too, Chief,” said Elizabeth. “This is Security Chief Kevin St. Clair,” she said to Sallas.

“Are these all members of your crew?” said Sallas.

“Only two. I don’t know the other four.”

“I’m Captain Seiben,” said a middle aged man. “I rescued your Captain.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, worst decision of my life,” said Seiben, with a scowl.

Elizabeth gave Seiben a knowing smile.

“Are the rest Chaanisar?” Elizabeth asked Kevin.

“Those two are,” said Kevin. “The one holding the prisoner is Colonel Bast, and the other is Lieutenant Jarvi. They rescued us from the Kemmar prison.”

He could see by her expression that the statement surprised her. She had told him about the Juttari and had spoken briefly about the Chaanisar. He made a mental note to find out more when they got to safety.

“Who’s your prisoner?” asked Sallas.

“My name is Jannus, Sir. I am on your side.”

“Then why are you a prisoner?”

“Words do not establish loyalty,” said Colonel Bast. “This man’s security clearance allowed him to unlock your cell. It is doubtful he is telling the truth.”

Sallas wondered if Jannus was sincere. He decided that he was out of his element, and that he should let the soldiers do their job.

They approached a set of doors and Captain Pike said, “Doctor, Prime Minister, I want you two to stay behind us. Seiben you stay with them too. If we run into trouble keep your heads down. Understood?”

They nodded and fell back behind the soldiers. Captain Pike prepared to open the doors while Kevin and Jarvi stood ready, weapons pointed. Bast stood behind them, still holding Jannus, and pointing his weapon with his free hand. Pike counted down with his fingers and pushed the doors open.

On the other side a group of soldiers were advancing. Fire erupted instantaneously from Jarvi, Kevin, Pike and Bast. The soldiers in front fell. The others returned fire. Sallas grabbed Elizabeth and dove for the ground. Seiben did the same, dropping to the floor next to them. A furious firefight ensued, lasting only a couple seconds. As quick as it had begun, the firing stopped. Sallas raised his head to see what had happened and saw two soldiers running away. To his astonishment, he saw Lieutenant Jarvi streak after them with inhuman speed. In a blur of movement he got in front of the two fleeing soldiers, stopped and faced them. The soldiers stopped, and for a brief moment they stood there. Sallas looked at Jarvi’s face and thought he saw amusement. A split second later Jarvi shot both men in the head.

Elizabeth jumped off the floor and ran forward. The man called Jannus had crumpled to the floor. The man who said he was on his side. Sallas got to his feet and rushed to Elizabeth, who already tried to help the man. Even without medical training, Sallas immediately saw that it was hopeless. Jannus had several holes in his torso, black blood pouring out of him. He lay on the ground, his mouth open, taking short quick breaths. Jannus looked up at Sallas, and with pleading eyes said, “Don’t let this be for nothing. Free the planet.”

“I will,” promised Sallas, moved by Jannus’s request.

Jannus looked away from him, up to the ceiling, focusing on nothing in particular. He struggled to breathe now. With what seemed like tremendous effort he said, “My children.”

“No, no, no,” said Elizabeth. But, despite her best efforts, Jannus stopped breathing.

“He’s gone,” said Jon to Dr. Ellerbeck. “We have to leave. Now.”

“I know,” said Ellerbeck, standing.

“This man didn’t need to die,” said Sallas, pointing a shaky finger at Jannus’s body.

“I’m sorry he died, but more people are going to die before the day is through. Maybe even all of us. If you have a problem with that you’re welcome to stay behind.”

Sallas glared at him, but wisely remained silent. If they were going to make it to safety, Sallas would need an attitude adjustment.

“Let’s go,” said Jon, and they all moved down the hallway. “Do you know a General Calledonius?” Jon asked Sallas.

“Yes, why?”

“He’s fighting against the coup.”

“Calledonius is a good man,” said Sallas. “If anybody can challenge Juneau, it’s him.”

“Juneau is dead.”

“What? How?”

Jon shrugged. “I killed him.”

Sallas stopped walking and just stared at Jon, trying to make sense of what he heard. “Why?”

“We had a difference of opinion. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Juneau may be gone but others are still running the show. Your best bet will be to get to General Calledonius.”

Sallas resumed walking. “That seems the logical course of action.”

“First we have to get out of this building. Stay behind like before and hopefully we’ll all get out in one piece.”

The group made it through the second set of doors into the stairwell without incident. They climbed up the stairs with weapons ready. The muscles in his neck tightened sending stabs of pain up into the back of his skull. With each flight he waited for the attack to come. He dreaded each step. If there were troops waiting on the stairs above, they were screwed.

He glanced back and wondered about Seiben. He was sweaty and jumped at every sound. His head kept turning, constantly looking above and behind him. Had it been a mistake to arm him? If they ran into trouble he might decide to shoot. Seiben in the rear could mean an accidental bullet in the back. Should he disarm him? No, he couldn’t do that to the grouchy old bastard. Hopefully he wouldn’t regret the decision.

Sallas and Dr. Ellerbeck walked side by side, just ahead of Seiben. He could tell by the way Sallas watched her that he had developed a protective instinct. More confirmation that they were romantically involved. How would that play out? It could work in their favor if Sallas took back his office. But would she still consider herself a member of the Hermes crew? Would she still follow orders? Would she remove the Chaanisar brain chips? Would she refuse if he ordered her not to?

He looked over at Bast and Jarvi. How would things play out with the Chaanisar, now that they found Dr. Ellerbeck? There would be no more incentive for the Chaanisar to help. At least not after the chips were removed. Did Colonel Bast have an endgame? Was the creature right? Should he strike first? Or should he give them a chance to prove themselves? Perhaps they truly did want their humanity back? Could he deny them their freedom? Jon began to hope for an assault, so he could stop thinking. At least for now, they were all in this together.

They made it to the ground floor without incident. Jon took a deep breath and thanked whatever deity looked after them. He opened the door. The corridor lay ahead. Empty. Jon waved the rest of the group through and they rushed down the hall to the outer doors. Jon cracked one of the doors open and peeked out. He didn’t like what he saw. There were soldiers everywhere. Some had taken up defensive positions, while others surveyed the damage caused by the bombardment. There was no way they were going to get past them.

He closed the door and said to Bast, “We need another bombardment.”

Bast nodded and his left eye twitched. “We have to wait.”

“Why?”

“The ship is under attack. A destroyer. They are confident they can defeat it, but need their weapon systems focused on the battle to do so.”

Jon looked back outside. “Then we’ve got a problem. Soldiers are heading this way.”

“We passed a door back there,” said Kevin, pointing down the hall.

“Go,” said Jon.

Kevin bolted down the hall to the door, the group following close behind. He tried to open it. Locked. Kevin stepped back and launched his massive frame at the door. It swung open, the locking system no match for Kevin’s weight. The group ran inside just as the outer doors opened.

Jon gently pushed the door closed. His eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness. They were in what appeared to be some type of briefing room. A large display covered the far wall and chairs were arranged in neat rows. He motioned for Ellerbeck, Sallas, and Seiben to go to the far end of the room. Jon heard the soldiers’ boots coming down the hall. One of them spoke. “Keep your eyes open. They might still be in here.” The boots came closer. They were in front of the door now.

“Sir,” said another soldier, but nothing else. Jon knew what that meant. He had seen the damage to the door, and used hand signs so as not to tip off anyone inside. It was a problem for both sides. Jon’s group knew the soldiers were coming, so the soldiers weren’t going to catch them off guard. At the same time, any hope Jon had of surprising the soldiers and taking them out quietly now disappeared. Things were about to get noisy.

Jon took a knee and pointed his weapon at the door. Kevin, Bast and Jarvi were in position to fire as well. The door burst open and the first of the soldiers rushed into the room. They let them get in a few feet before opening fire. The doorway created a good bottleneck, and the soldiers needed a second to adjust to the darkness.

These guys were fast. They all wore exoskeletons, augmenting their speed. Jon fired at the first man to enter, sending several rounds into his chest. The force of the bullets made the man fall backward, but didn’t kill him. Body armor. Jon aimed for the head. Pink mist. Bullets were already hitting the second man, so Jon moved to the third. Head shot. One round and the soldier fell. A fourth soldier foolishly entered the kill zone. Cut down before he could take a step into the room. He heard boots running. Jon leaped over the dead bodies into the hall. Soldiers were trying to get to the outer doors. Two shots. One in the back of each man’s head. Both dead.

“The outer doors!” said Jon, running to the entrance. Kevin, Bast and Jarvi burst out of the room and followed. More soldiers would be coming. They couldn’t let them in the building. Only one option. Hold them off until the ship could open fire.

The doors opened as Jon reached them. Two soldiers. Close enough to conserve ammo. He smashed his gun’s stock into the first man’s face, dropping him. Not dead, but incapacitated for the moment. The second got an elbow in the throat. A killing blow. A hard kick to the first man’s temple finished him too. He cracked the doors. More soldiers. Charging. He fired into their group. Kevin, Bast and Jarvi joined in. The soldiers not mowed down ran for cover.

Another wave of soldiers approached. These ones more cautious. They didn’t charge. Instead they took cover and opened fire. Jon closed the doors. The enemy fire too heavy now. They were outnumbered and outgunned. Could they hold them off long enough?

“Behind us!” Kevin said, gunfire erupting.

The group spun around to see a team in the hallway advancing on their position. They opened fire. Jarvi bolted, charging the threat. Using his enhanced speed he ran up the wall, temporarily outrunning gravity. The tactic allowed him to fire from a higher vantage point. Some of the soldiers shot at him, but couldn’t adjust to his speed. He reached their group, still running, and fired broadside into their ranks, creating a crossfire. The tactic threw the group in disarray, with several soldiers stopping to deal with Jarvi, and getting cut down by Jon, Bast and Kevin instead.

The Chaanisar were good. No doubt about that. Jarvi hit the floor behind the soldiers. Jon continued firing, shooting a soldier in the back who had turned to engage Jarvi. A few were disciplined enough to stay focused on Jon’s group, but confusion reigned among the rest.

In an effort to find cover, one of the soldiers ran into the room where Ellerbeck, Sallas and Seiben were hiding. Jon knew that Jarvi saw it, but he couldn’t reach the room. Jon took off. The room was too far. He wouldn’t make it in time. Had to try. Gunfire erupted inside the room.
Oh no
, he thought. The door opened. Bullets tore into the soldiers in the hall. They fell. Another turned. Aimed at the doorway. Jon fired. Two rounds, one in the clavicle, spinning the man, the other in the eye, finishing him off. All the soldiers dead.

Seiben stepped out of the room, weapon at the ready. Looked at Jon. Smiled. “If you want something done right…”

“Get back in the damn room,” said Jon, cutting him off.

Seiben nodded, still grinning.

I’ll be hearing about this for months
, Jon thought.

The outer doors burst open and Jon whipped around to see Bast and Kevin firing into another group of soldiers, but falling back. Jon raised his weapon to fire. A burning hot knife stabbed him in the shoulder. He’d been shot. He continued firing. Every pull of the trigger sent searing spikes through his shoulder.

Damn does that ever hurt. Will you do something already?
The creature got the message and moved to counter the wound’s effects. In moments the pain in his shoulder turned into a dull ache. Seconds later it disappeared, as the creature essentially anesthetized the injury.

Unfortunately, that was the least of his worries. The soldiers were trying to break through. The bottleneck the doorway had created would not hold if they kept charging. To make matters worse, the downed soldiers fell in the doorway, preventing the doors from closing. That gave anyone outside the building a clear line of sight into the hallway. They couldn’t defend the doorway anymore.

“Fall back,” yelled Jon.

He and Jarvi provided covering fire as Bast and Kevin retreated. There were several nooks in the hallway. Each man took one, and used it for cover. More powerful ordnance now plowed through the hallway. The soldiers had time on their side and were already taking advantage of it, bringing in heavier weapons. Jon tried to take a look and a piece of the wall beside him blew apart. The wall shuddered as more blasts obliterated it. Jon crouched down, providing a smaller target. Another blast and wall fragments rained down on top of him. The next impact hit the wall on the other side. They had already punched through. Soon they would blow a hole through him.

Another blast and the ground shook. It shook again, and again, as concussions came in rapid fire waves. The gunfire slowed and Jon recognized the shrieking sound of orbital bombardment. The pounding came in fast and furious, the floor shaking like a jackhammer breaking it apart. Jon took advantage of the confusion and fired on the group inside. His team picked them off, one by one, as the pounding outside intensified. It continued mercilessly, without pause, until it just stopped. The thunderclaps of battle replaced by an eerie quiet.