Ghost Fleet (The Pike Chronicles Book 4) (27 page)

Jon sat in the briefing room with Kevin and Commander Konos. He stared at the wall screen in disbelief. On the screen more than one hundred faces looked back at him. The commanders of every Chaanisar ship that had occupied the Sol System.

The ranks of his fleet had now swelled to one-hundred-and-twenty-eight ships, consisting mostly of Chaanisar. These men, who had been enslaved their whole lives, now pledged their loyalty to him. And they did so freely. They would willingly follow Jon into battle, and Jon would see to it that the galaxy was purged of the Juttari Empire.

“There are over one hundred warships occupying the system on the other side of the Sol jump gate,” said one of the Chaanisar commanders.

“And you’re certain that the Juttari were not able to send a warning through the gate?” said Jon.

“Yes, Admiral. But we need to move fast, for soon they will cross through to find out why they have not received any communications from us.”

“Agreed,” said Jon. “AI, do you exist on all the Chaanisar ships?”

“Yes, Admiral,” said the AI.

“If we send one of the Chaanisar ships through the gate, would you be able to infiltrate the ships on the other side?”

“Yes, Admiral. I will access each ship, and each brain chip, in the same fashion as before. The Juttari would not suspect a Chaanisar vessel crossing through the gate. It would give me the time I need to successfully liberate the Chaanisar.”

“You say there are over one hundred ships in that system?”

“Yes, Admiral,” said the Chaanisar on the wall screen.

“That would double our numbers,” said Jon.

“And we liberate two star systems,” said Bast

“The question is how many can we liberate before the Juttari figure out what we’re doing. We need to move fast. Two hundred ships is a good start, but not near enough to take on the Juttari Empire. As Colonel Steeg said, we need to conquer them from within.”

“Once I have gained access to the Chaanisar brain chips in the neighboring system, I advise dispatching multiple ships to different systems simultaneously,” said AI. “That would be the most effective approach.”

“Agreed,” said Jon. “The Juttari will eventually figure out what we’re doing and take measures to block the tactic. We need to gain as much ground as possible before that happens.”

“With all due respect, Sir. The crew needs closure. They need to find their families. We need to let them go down to the surface. They need time.”

“We don’t have time. We need to act, or we’ll lose our advantage.”

“But, Admiral, they need answers. We all do.”

“Fine. What are we doing to help the survivors?”

Kevin seemed to regain his composure. “It seems the Juttari targeted many of the major cities, but some were spared, as were the more rural communities,” said Kevin. “But radiation levels are high across the planet. It will take time to clean it all up. Major Ilthos said Diakus will help with the cleanup once they are able to reach the Sol System. As for the population, Doctor Ellerbeck is preparing to fly down to the surface and distribute biobots that can combat radiation poisoning. Chaanisar medical teams are also heading down to assist with distribution.”

“Very well. Those who want to go down to the surface can do so, but we won’t wait for them.”

“Understood,” said Kevin.

“Earth will have to rebuild again,” said Jon.

“Admiral,” said one of the Chaanisar on the wall screen. “I want to repeat that we are all united in our regret over the bombing of Earth. Many of us remember our childhood, and are horrified at what the Juttari have done. If we had the means to resist their control, we never would have allowed this atrocity to take place.”

Jon looked at all the faces on the screen. All of them former enemies. Every one of them now loyal to him. “I do not blame any of you. Only the Juttari. They will pay for their crimes. This I promise you. The Juttari will know our wrath.”

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Stay tuned for Book 5 of The Pike Chronicles coming Spring 2016

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