Sol Shall Rise (The Pike Chronicles Book 1) (16 page)

“The Captain’s actions are irrational,” said Kinos, the Diakan security advisor. “He would sacrifice his ship and crew over a human colony he had no idea existed a few days ago.”

“Yes, his actions were reckless. I am afraid he is considering engaging the Kemmar yet again,” said Tallos.

The other Diakans seated at the table tilted their heads backwards repeatedly and made sharp sucking sounds in protest.

Tallos could see they were all agitated. The Captain had concerned him from the moment they first met. He thought too much of his abilities and too little of Diakus. Were his abilities not the result of the symbiont? His arrogance prevented him from acknowledging the Diakan contributions to his success.

“The Hermes had the advantage of surprise,” said Kinos. “That advantage is now lost. The Kemmar are resourceful. They have learned of the gate and crossed through successfully. They have seen the Hermes use its jump system and will have connected the technology to the gate. Engaging the Kemmar again poses an unacceptable security risk. The Kemmar will not seek to destroy the Hermes now. They will seek to capture it for its technology. That would present a significant threat to Diakus.”

“Yes, their failed attempt to board, rather than destroy the Hermes indicates that this is their strategy.” Tallos looked to Matos, the medical advisor. “What of the symbiont? Can we assert control of the Captain through it?”

“The symbiont will not allow any harm to come to the Captain. You must understand, the symbiont knows it cannot be removed. It knows that removal means death. Its primary loyalty is now to the Captain and his continued survival,” said Matos.

“Then it is no longer a loyal subject of Diakus?”

“It cannot return to Diakus. It cannot be removed and transplanted into a Diakan host. It is a strategic being. As such, it has adjusted its priorities.”

“Then it must be considered a threat. It has served its purpose until now, and the Captain was chosen due to the symbiont and the belief that it could be relied upon to control the Captain. If this is no longer the case then both the Captain and the symbiont have become expendable.”

“Are you suggesting the Captain be terminated?” asked Kinos.

“I believe the time has come to take command of this vessel. The Admiral has given us the authority to do so if the mission is threatened. The Captain has become a clear danger to this mission.”

“I do not believe we should terminate the Captain,” said Kinos.

“Why is that?”

“The humans will not accept it. They believe in their system of justice and would require the Captain to be court marshaled. We would need to arrest him and hold him until he could face judgment from his superiors.”

“If he is not terminated he will remain a threat for the remainder of this mission.”

“We cannot hold the ship if the humans rise against us. I believe they will do so if we terminate the Captain.”

“And imprisoning him will be seen as compliant with their justice system?”

“Yes, it is how they would handle an insubordinate member of the crew.”

“Then is it agreed? The Captain is to be relieved of his command?”

“Agreed,” said the Diakans.

“There is still the problem of resistance. The Captain will not relinquish command willingly. Arresting him will be a challenge, especially if members of the crew assist him.”

“Security Chief St. Clair will likely be a problem. He is friends with the Captain and the Marines will follow him if he stands against us,” said Kinos.

“Yes, we will have to remove him from his command, otherwise he would be an unacceptable threat. Any senior officer can compromise this mission, however we would not be justified to move against all of them. The humans may not like our actions, but once our authority is revealed they will be compelled to obey our orders.”

“And if the Captain resists? He is a formidable opponent,” said Kinos.

“Then we will require leverage to ensure his compliance.”

Kevin lay back onto the firm mattress, exhausted. It had been a grueling battle, and he lost some good men. The events had taken him by surprise. One minute they were battling one ship, next they were battling six, and then they were being boarded. He knew that combat was fluid and things could change very fast, but today’s events should be added to the training manuals.

The Kemmar proved to be ferocious fighters. He had to admit they impressed him with their strategy and tactics, as well as their courage. Boarding the Hermes was a ballsy move to say the least. The boarding party would know that they would be outnumbered and that they were probably on a suicide mission. Enemy or not, they showed great bravery.

Kevin was especially proud of his team. The Kemmar would’ve relied on speed to incapacitate the Hermes. The fact that they were stopped before inflicting greater damage was a testimony to his troopers’ readiness.

His body started to relax and his thoughts turned to Sol. He wondered when he would make it back home. Even though nobody waited for him there, he still missed Mother Earth. Space Force may be his family, but Earth was his home. Nothing could replace the azure waters of the Pacific. Of all the planets he had seen and all their wonders, he had never seen anything to equal the beaches he played on as a child.

The wars had destroyed great swathes of Earth, to be sure. And the horrors inflicted on his home planet were unthinkable. Yet somehow, his small island home had been spared. Too small, perhaps, to be worthy of bombardment. Of no real strategic value to anybody, it had been spared and had retained its beauty. In some ways, growing up there was like living in a bubble. But eventually all bubbles pop.

His popped when he was called up for service. At seventeen, he was already larger and stronger than most men, and a man himself as far as the military was concerned. At seventeen years of age, all able bodied men and women were drafted into military service. And so he met his new family, the Space Force Marine Corps.

The training, while challenging, inspired him. He had never been made to push himself as hard, and he wanted to see exactly how far he could go. Soon he joined the Marine Special Forces and got his wish. The training was easily the most intense experience of his life at that point. For the first time he questioned his ability, and struggled with the daily fear that he would wash out.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle the physical training. Rather, it was the psychological part that he found unbearable. Since he would be expected to operate behind enemy lines, he needed to be able to withstand all sorts of terrors. Of course he had to show he could withstand pain. Not just any pain, but the intense pain of torture. He did expect that going in. But it was the other stuff that got to him. The psychological mind games.

They would mess with his mind daily, trying to break him. They would put things in his food that weakened his mind, making him more anxious and fearful. They would give him something else to make him paranoid. Or something to make him careless. Every day it was different. Yet, he would still be expected to undergo the excruciating physical training.

The reality was, if he were captured he wouldn’t just be tortured. Mind altering chemicals would be used along with the torture to break him. Every operative received a full workup of counter agents which made them immune to the effects of most mind altering chemicals. Still, they never knew what they would encounter and there was always the possibility of a new drug that couldn’t be counteracted. So he needed to experience the effects and know inside that he could withstand them, and that he had the strength to make it.

While he experienced many close calls, he had never been captured. He never had to rot in an alien prison. While he thought his training had been challenging, the missions he went on were even more intense. He specialized in search and destroy operations and spent several years with the Space Cavalry. He and his team would typically be inserted onto an alien planet with the goal of either assassinating an alien VIP, or destroying a strategic facility of some sort.

Stealth shuttles would be used to drop them in from low orbit. Then they would use specialized combat suits to streak down and land as fast as possible. Once landed Kevin and his team would complete their objectives and get off planet before the local military had time to respond. Their mission would often become compromised and they would have to unleash their special horrors on whoever stood in their way, before making an escape.

While he enjoyed all the challenges, he often got homesick. So whenever he got some leave he would race home to see the beautiful island he grew up on. It rejuvenated him. He always felt that his strength was drawn from that place. But war had changed him. No matter how homesick he became, after the first few days at home he craved the action of his military life. It was like he had two hearts and could never fully belong in either place.

Something told him that this mission would make going home again very difficult. Closing his eyes he saw the white sand and blue waters, and drifted off to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he was asleep when the computer woke him. Apparently Kinos was at the door and wanted to see him.
Goddamn Diakans
, he thought.
Don’t they ever sleep?
He rose from his bed and threw on some clothes. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he walked to the door, and it slid open. What he saw was confusing. It was not just Kinos standing there, but another Diakan as well. Both were armed.

“What’s this about?” said Kevin.

“May we come in, Chief?” said Tallos. “We need to speak to you about a matter of great urgency.”

“Sure. Come in.”

The two Diakans walked through the door and it slid closed behind them. Kinos walked ahead of Kevin, and the other Diakan stayed by the doorway, just behind him. Since Kinos was the one doing the talking, Kevin faced him, turning his back to the other Diakan.

“Chief, we have a problem,” said Kinos.

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

There was the sharp sound of an energy discharge, and Kevin felt a piercing pain in his back. He collapsed just as realization of what had happened washed over him.

The Hermes needed significant repairs before she would be ready to take on the Kemmar again. That would take time. Time that Jon knew he didn’t have. The longer they took, the more chance there was that the Kemmar would find the colonists. He had given them a bloody nose, to be sure, but it wasn’t enough to stop them.

What were the chances they would return to Kemmar space and leave the colonists alone? They might want to conduct their own repairs. They might feel they needed reinforcements. That would buy the colonists some time. Or, they could stay put and keep searching until they found the colony. After the battle with the Hermes they would be much more motivated.

They saw the jump system in action. There could be no doubt they would want the technology for themselves. The battle would give them reason to believe that the colonists had access to the technology as well. The Hermes was defending them after all. That would be reason enough to multiply their search efforts. He had to find a way to rescue the colonists before they were found.

Was it foolish to risk the ship to find the colonists? He lost some good people today. People who counted on him to make the right decisions. He knew he was taking a big risk. Was he doing this out of guilt?

Maybe. It started that way, anyway. But it quickly turned into something more. They were out here to find the lost colonies, and to explore uncharted space. That was their mission. The jump system, however, was their chance. Their chance at being something more than just alien puppets.

The government back on Earth was filled with a bunch of “yes men”. They did what the Diakans wanted and didn’t really stand for Earth or humanity. Of course, in their eyes they were doing what was best for all. People didn’t complain because the Diakan technology made their lives better. And really, after 500 years as Juttari slaves, many believed they should be grateful for their freedom and not rock the boat. But Jon knew now that he believed in something greater.

He chose to defend the colony because he knew that someone needed to stand for humans, wherever they may live. He couldn’t change things on Earth, but he could make a difference out here, and wherever else he found humans. They knew nothing about space out here, and where humanity had spread. If there were humans living here then they could be anywhere.

Officially they were looking for the lost colonies, but wasn’t this a lost colony as well? And what of other human colonies they may find? Aren’t they lost colonies? Who’s to say which lost colony is the true one? The diaspora of humanity needed to be protected and united. Only then could humans have a chance for something more in the galaxy.

“Special Envoy Tallos requests admittance,” said the computer.

Speak of the devil
. Jon really wasn’t in the mood for Tallos’s lectures right now. He’d have to find some excuse to get rid of him. “Send him in.”

The door slid open and Tallos entered with two other Diakans in tow. All three were armed, which was abnormal. Perhaps they were spooked by the day’s events. They stood directly in front of Jon’s desk, with Tallos in front and the other two a few feet behind him.

“What can I do for you, Special Envoy?”

Tallos produced a Space Force command chip and placed it on Jon’s desk. Jon knew what it was. He gave Tallos a suspicious look and then proceeded to sync the chip with his system. Once he verified that it was an authentic Space Force command chip, he brought up the contents on his display.

“As you can see, Captain, Space Force has given me oversight authority for the success of this mission,” said Tallos

Jon read the orders, and his stomach started to tighten. Space Force Command had sold out the mission to the Diakans.
Those spineless pieces of shit
.

“So what? This may give you oversight, but it doesn’t give you command. That authority still rests with the Captain.” Tallos was obviously trying to pull some kind of power play, but Jon wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

“It does give me the authority to assume command if the success of this mission is threatened.”

“And?”

“It is my conclusion that your act of war against the Kemmar has threatened the success of this mission, and your plans to engage the Kemmar again represent an unacceptable risk. Therefore, it is my duty to notify you that I will be assuming command of the Hermes immediately.”

Jon’s body began to coil and harden. “This mission is not at risk, Tallos. And I don’t recognize your authority over me, or my crew.”

The two Diakans behind Tallos rested their hands on their sidearms. Tallos himself didn’t budge.

“Tell your bodyguards to let go of their weapons or I will cut off their hands and make them eat them. We can have this discussion in a civilized manner, or we can shed some more blood today. You decide. But I can assure you the blood shed will not be mine.”

Tallos turned and nodded to his men and they dropped their hands. He turned back to Jon and spoke again. “Captain, the orders are clear. If you refuse to relinquish command you will be violating direct orders. That could be considered treason.”

“Bullshit. You’re out of line Tallos. I am acting in my lawful capacity as Captain of this ship. If anything, what you are trying to do is mutiny. I think I may have to lock you up for the rest of this mission, as you are obviously the real danger to its success.”

“So you will not stand down peacefully, Captain?”

“No.”

“I anticipated this behavior.” Tallos opened a comm link with another Diakan. “Have the human speak to the Captain.”

“Captain?” Breeah’s voice came across Jon’s comm. She sounded anxious.

Jon stared at Tallos, using every last bit of strength to suppress his rage. “Yes Breeah. What’s going on?”

“Captain! They… they have taken us.”

“Slow down. Who has taken you?”

“The Diakans, Captain. They came to our quarters with weapons and took Anki and me away.”

“Where did they take you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Computer, identify the location of this comm transmission.”

“Location is unknown,” said a synthetic voice.

“You will not find them, Captain,” said Tallos. “We have taken precautions to shield their whereabouts from the ship’s scanners. But I can assure you no harm has come to them.”

“I will have you all thrown out of the nearest airlock. Do you understand me?”

“If any harm comes to us, Captain. Both the mother and her child will be terminated. If you do not surrender command of this vessel and allow yourself to be taken into custody, they will be terminated. Do
you
understand me?”

Jon knew one thing about Diakans, they didn’t bluff. He was sure they would carry out their threats if he didn’t do as they said. He couldn’t be responsible for that.

He needed to buy some time. His first priority, however, was to get Breeah and Anki released. After that he could focus on getting the ship back. “If I surrender command of the Hermes, you will release Breeah and Anki?”

“Once you are confined, and no longer a threat, they will be free to go.”

Jon grimaced. The Diakans were going to win again. Once they locked him up he would have no way of getting out. He hoped he was wrong, but things didn’t look good.