Without mercy, p.20
Without Mercy, page 20
When the beam reached the prison ship, Kevin was surprised that they were not turned into space dust. Rather, they faced a fate potentially far worse.
The beam enveloped the prison ship, at once disabling its engines and halting its forward motion. It had to be some sort of tractor beam, though he had never seen something so powerful that it could pull them out of FTL without ripping the ship apart. Either way, whoever was on that ship wanted them alive.
When the alien ship jumped, the prison ship went along with it, and they found themselves in orbit around the fifth planet. As before, the metal surface below them began to ripple, only this time there was no escape from whatever was coming. Kevin tensed as he stared at the strange event, wondering what fate would befall them in this distant galaxy.
He didn’t need to wait long as some of that rippling alloy burst forth like a giant geyser and impossibly reached orbit where it slammed into the prison ship with the force of a tsunami. Kevin waited helplessly for the end until he finally lost consciousness.
Chapter 41
“Sir, the prison ship has entered jumpspace,” the sensor officer said.
“Vice Admiral St. Clair and his officers are safe now,” Hishim said.
“Hishim?” Jon said. “Where the hell were you?”
“I facilitated Vice Admiral St. Clair’s escape,” Hishim said. “Did I fail to follow another one of your protocols?”
“You did the right thing,” Jon said, trying not to upset the Ithian. “I was just looking for you.”
“Are you in need of assistance?”
“Yes,” Jon said, biting his lip. “We are under attack from jumpspace. The Mistraan are firing on us through portals, but we can’t target them to return fire. Is there anything you can do about that?”
“Yes, I can help with that,” Hishim said. “Try now.”
“Tactical?” Jon said.
“It’s working, Sir,” the tactical officer said. “I can target the Mistraan ships.”
“Return fire, all ships,” Jon said. “Tallos, are you still there?”
“I am here, Admiral,” Tallos said from Jon’s comm.
“Our people have escaped. We can freely target General Vakos now. After what they’ve done, I’d happily incinerate the lot of them, but they’re Diakans, so I’ll leave it up to you. How do you want to proceed?”
“Thank you for the courtesy, Admiral,” Tallos said. “I will send a final offer of amnesty to his fleet. One moment.”
Jon squeezed his chair’s armrests in frustration. How long would they have to wait for the Diakan response?
“Admiral, the Mistraan are breaking off their attack,” the tactical officer said.
“Hishim, can we fight them in jumpspace?” Jon said, wanting to hunt the aliens down.
“I do not recommend it,” Hishim said. “Firing through a portal is one thing, but doing so while entirely in jumpspace can be unpredictable.”
“Then I guess we let them go,” Jon said, cursing to himself. The Mistraan helped cause this mess, and now they were escaping. As angry as that made him, he was certain that this wasn’t the last time he would face off against the Mistraan Collective.
“Admiral,” Tallos said from the comm. “The fleet has rejected my offer.”
“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that. What now?”
“We annihilate them,” Tallos said.
Nobody can call Tallos soft, Jon thought. “Very well. I’ll follow your lead.”
“General Vakos’s fleet is jumping away,” the sensor officer said.
“That’s the smartest thing he’s done since he got here,” Jon said. “Can we track his jumps?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Tallos, can you track his jumps?”
“I can,” Tallos said. “We will pursue immediately.”
“I’m with you. Let’s see this through.”
“As you wish,” Tallos said.
“Inform the fleet that we are pursuing Vakos’s fleet,” Jon said. “Synchronize all jump systems with ours.”
“Yes, Sir,” Henderson said.
The fleet jumped to the coordinates and found the region empty, save for Tallos’s fleet.
“Sensors indicate that General Vakos has jumped again,” the sensor officer said.
“Do we know where?” Jon said.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Follow him.”
“Initiating jump,” Henderson said.
The fleet appeared in a different region of space along with Tallos’s ships but again, Vakos was gone.
“Do we know where he jumped to this time?” Jon said.
“Yes, Sir,” the sensor officer said.
“Keep after him until we catch him.”
The two fleets played cat and mouse with General Vakos, repeatedly jumping to new regions of space in pursuit. Each time they found the region empty, with Vakos consistently staying one step ahead of them. That, however, could only last so long as their jump system would eventually need recharging.
When the UHSF and Diakan fleets performed their final jump, they landed in an empty region of space. They knew Vakos was here because their own jump systems had been depleted. Since they started with a full charge, that meant Vakos’s jump system was depleted too. But Vakos wasn’t there.
“Flood the area with radiation,” Jon said. “Those ships must be cloaked.”
As Jon guessed, Vakos’s fleet was there, with every ship appearing as its cloaks were disabled. As before, Vakos’s fleet was outnumbered ten to one. It was going to be a bloodbath. Jon shook his head in disgust.
“Sir, General Vakos is broadcasting a message on an open comm,” the communications officer said.
“Play it,” Henderson said.
General Vakos appeared on the main viewscreen and said, “This is a message to the Diakan and UHSF fleets. Do not fire. We surrender-” Vakos disappeared from the main viewscreen.
“Report!” Henderson said. “What just happened?”
“General Vakos’s ship has been destroyed,” the tactical officer said.
“Sir, General Tallos is now broadcasting,” the communications officer said.
“On main viewscreen,” Henderson said.
Tallos’s stern face appeared on the viewscreen. “We have destroyed General Vakos’s flagship. The traitor is dead. The time has come for the rest of you to decide your fate. As my previous offer of amnesty was rejected, each ship’s executive officer is sentenced to death. The question now is whether the rest of you will perform your duties as loyal Diakans. I understand that many of you had no choice in what has transpired and were following orders, which is why I am making you this offer. Arrest your officers. Turn them in so that they can pay for their crimes, and you will receive amnesty. Refuse and die. Choose wisely.”
With that, the transmission ended. Jon received a comm request from Tallos moments later. When Tallos appeared on his display, Jon said, “You know, we could have interrogated Vakos.”
“I had to execute him. Anything less would show weakness on my part.”
“Okay, but did you have to kill everyone on his ship?”
“It established credibility. They all know that I am not making empty threats. I expect that the crews on those ships are turning on their officers as we speak.”
Jon nodded. “And this way, you don’t have to imprison all those crewmembers.”
“Correct. Those are thousands of Diakans who will continue to serve. I expect they will all be unerringly loyal from this point on.”
“Which means they’ll be loyal to you.”
“I could have executed them. I could have imprisoned them. They know that. Instead, they all get a second chance. I doubt anyone thinks they’ll get a third.”
“And you get to keep all those valuable warships,” Jon said.
“Indeed. Their destruction would have crippled our forces.”
“Well played, Tallos. Well played.”
“What’s this?” Tallos said. “ A compliment from the great Jon Pike? The end of the universe must truly be here.”
“Incredible,” Jon said. “Tallos has a sense of humor.”
“Come now, Admiral. There is no need to insult me.”
***
As General Tallos expected, the crews on each of Vakos’s ships turned on their ship’s executive officers. The officers were quickly captured and sent to Tallos’s flagship under armed guard. Tallos presided over a quick trial. He confirmed each officer’s treason and ordered them immediately executed by firing squad.
The executions were broadcast to all ships, lest there be any doubt about how Diakan traitors are dealt with. When the last officer was killed, Tallos returned to his office and considered the day’s events. Vakos was dead, and his rebellion was put down. That secured Tallos’s position as the leader of the Diakan race. No one could challenge his leadership now. In that way, Vakos had done him a favor.
It was a necessary evil, he supposed, even if it came at a great cost. While he managed to save the bulk of Vakos’s ships and their crews, he lost the fleet’s leadership. He did not question the decision to execute the officers. As far as he was concerned, it was the only decision he could make. Even so, the cost was high. In one stroke, he wiped out years of Diakan military experience. Centuries in some cases. That hard-won experience was one of the secrets of Diakan power. A civilization could build ships and weapons, that was one thing, acquiring deep war-fighting experience was another.
The loss was a blow, to be sure. Of course, new officers would rise to take the vacant positions, but there would now be fewer mentors to guide them. The thought reminded him again of the Great See’er and the trauma of her loss. How long would Diakans stumble in the darkness until they again found the light?
Chapter 42
The screams woke Kevin. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt as though they were glued shut. His brain struggled to figure out what was happening, and he realized that he was flat on his back. But where? Fragments of memory returned, and he recalled last being on the bridge of a ship. His ship? No. A Diakan ship.
He struggled to pull the information from his mind, and he remembered the prison ship. That’s right. The Diakans had taken him and several others prisoner, but they had escaped and had seized control of the prison ship. But what happened after that?
More screams. Close.
They had tried to get home using jumpspace but ended up somewhere else. Another galaxy. Hishim! This was Hishim’s fault. Wasn’t it? He had helped them escape but then disappeared. Did he send them here? Where was here?
He remembered the alloy planet. It had done something. Attacked the ship somehow. Was he on the planet? Inside it? How did he get here, and what happened to the ship?
He tried to open his eyes again and managed a peek out of his left eye this time, but things were out of focus. His eye started adjusting to the light, and he tried to make sense of what he saw.
A floor. Red paint. No. Blood. And… a hand?
Screams.
Kevin looked up from the floor and locked eyes with Captain Edwards. He had been piloting the Diakan prison ship. His eyes had a terrified look to them, and Kevin realized that he was the one screaming. What the hell was going on here?
Edwards was lying on a gurney, and something large and scaly stood over him. An alien. But what was it doing? To his horror, Kevin realized that the alien was dissecting Edwards. He had to do something.
Kevin managed to open his other eye as some of his strength returned. He tried to sit up but moved pathetically slow. He groaned as he pushed himself up on an elbow, the effort so difficult it winded him. Where was he? He managed to take a look around and saw rows of beds holding unconscious humans and Diakans.
The alien noticed and spun around to look at him. It was a monstrous reptilian beast like something out of Earth’s Mesozoic era. It appraised him with sinister red eyes before a hand the size of Kevin’s chest slammed him back down onto the gurney. The blow left Kevin struggling to breathe as the beast leaned in and studied him closely.
Kevin thought the monster would surely kill him, but instead, a voice in his mind said, No, not you.
The alien then turned back to Captain Edwards, and the screams resumed. Kevin lost consciousness a few moments later.
When he woke again, he found himself lying on the floor by himself. He had no problem opening his eyes this time and felt rested, like he had gotten a good night’s sleep. He quickly got to his feet and looked around. The gurneys were gone, and so were the unconscious humans and Diakans. He was alone in a large empty room. He scanned the room, looking for an exit, but found none. He walked up to a nearby wall and looked for anything that might open a hidden door. All he found was the same smooth alloy that this planet seemed to be made of.
He thought back to Admiral Pike’s account of the Raider alloy planet. This planet was the same, but it was in another galaxy, and there was more than just this one. At least one more. Were there others? How many?
Kevin studied the room again. It was about the size of a gymnasium. Admiral Pike had been forced to fight aliens in a place like this. Would he have to do the same?
Do you not find it troubling? A voice said in his mind. Always questioning. Always searching.
“Who said that?” Kevin said.
So many questions, the voice continued. Is it not preferable to simply be? To do as your nature dictates?
“It is our nature to question,” Kevin said, hoping to get some answers.
No. It is your nature to dominate. To kill and reproduce. Your endless questions only serve to accomplish those primal goals.
“Who are you?”
A section of the wall on the far side of the room slid open, and a Diakan stumbled in, its unblinking eyes scanning the room and then resting on Kevin.
This creature will kill you. Will you question why?
“Humans and Diakans are allies,” Kevin said, loud enough for the Diakan to hear.
So you say, yet you held this creature, and others like him, prisoner. Before that, he held you prisoner. That is an interesting alliance.
“There were mitigating circumstances.”
As there are now. This creature will kill you. Or you will kill it. Choose your course of action accordingly.
A small section of the floor in front of Kevin dissolved, and a knife appeared, rising up to hover in front of Kevin’s torso. Kevin glanced across the room and saw that a similar blade floated in front of the Diakan. The Diakan reached out, seized the knife, and adopted a fighting posture.
“We don’t have to do this,” Kevin shouted at the Diakan. “We’re allies.”
“You’re no ally of mine,” the Diakan hissed, taking a few steps toward Kevin.
Instinctively, Kevin grabbed the blade with his right hand and held it at his side, point facing the Diakan, his left arm forward. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.
“Hurt me?” the Diakan replied. “Don’t delude yourself, old man. Now come closer, and let me show you what your intestines look like.”
Kevin scowled at the Diakan as a familiar detachment took hold. The Diakan was leaving him no choice. He would have to kill the fool, and the only winner would be the alien.
You seem overly confident for a primate.
Kevin shrugged. “I’ve killed far stronger opponents than this idiot.”
That comment spurred the Diakan into action, and he charged at Kevin with surprising speed. Kevin remained calm and waited for the Diakan to bridge the gap. Once close enough, the Diakan thrust his blade at Kevin, relying on his great speed. Kevin, however, relied on timing and pivoted at the last second, bypassing the thrusting point and simultaneously driving his own home into his opponent’s green throat.
Kevin yanked the blade out just as quickly, ready for any counter from the Diakan. There was none. Instead, the Diakan dropped his weapon and clutched at his throat, trying to stop the blood from gushing out. He fell onto his back and looked up at Kevin in surprise.
Kevin looked down and shook his head in disgust. “This didn’t need to happen,” he said, chastising the dying Diakan. “I didn’t want to kill you.”
Gargles were the Diakan’s only response.
“Are you happy now?” Kevin said, looking up at the ceiling.
I don’t share your primitive emotions.
“Are you the Maeficus?”
A more accurate question is, am I a Maeficus.
“Whatever. Are you a Maeficus?”
No response.
“Or are you a guide?” Kevin said.
Still no response.
Kevin shook his head. “Now what? Are you going to let us go?”
Your opponent did not challenge you enough. I apologize. Perhaps this next opponent will meet your high standards.
“Seriously? Another one?”
The floor beneath the dead Diakan seemed to swallow the corpse and then turn solid again. At the same time, the far wall dilated, and Kevin gasped when he saw what walked through.
The alien voice laughed in his mind, but he was too horrified to notice. In front of him stood a creature that could only be described as half Diakan, half human. It was made up of a combination of body parts, some human, some Diakan, and impossibly it lived and breathed.
Even worse, he recognized the face of the creature. Perched atop a Diakan torso was the face of Captain Edwards.
Chapter 43
What do you think of your alliance now? the voice said. Human and Diakan merged together. Isn’t this what you want?
“Vice Admiral?” the creature with Captain Edwards’s face said in a frightened voice. “What’s happening? Where are we?”
Kevin tried to control his breathing, tried to remain calm, but it was too much. How could anyone bear this? I can’t fall apart, he thought. My people need me. He unclenched a fist, took a breath, and heard himself saying, “It’s okay, Edwards. We’re going to get through this.”
