Eon Gate (The Eon Pentalogy Book 1) Read online

  EON GATE

  MITCHELL T. JACOBS

  Xiphos Press

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  New Releases

  About the Author

  Also by Mitchell T. Jacobs

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 by Xiphos Press

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Welcome, welcome,” their host greeted them with a wide smile and open arms. “I'm glad that you were able to make it to Caleth with no trouble.”

  “I'm glad I was able to make it,” Nina Skare replied.

  Kei turned away from the formalities and scanned the area for possible threats. He kept his weapon slung over his shoulder, but he remained poised to pull it out at a moment's notice. The rest of the bodyguard team did likewise.

  He didn't like the area. Too open, too many places for the enemy to hide while they plotted their move. Kei wasn't even sure if there were any hostiles on this planet, but he remained wary.

  After all, he was traveling with an arms dealer.

  His client was Nina Skare, one of the heirs to the massive Skare Interstellar Incorporated, one of the largest military manufacturers in the galaxy. She traveled the stars making deals, delivering merchandise and providing all manner of goods and services to militaries. In the aftermath of a decade-long war that expertise was sorely needed. So many planets and federations had bled themselves white over the course of ten years, losing both untold numbers of troops and materiel in the process.

  “Maeda.”

  Kei perked up. “Yes?”

  “Secure the west side with Griz and Salim.”

  “Understood.”

  He moved toward his two companions, both of them older than him by several years and veteran fighters from their respective planets. Griz was from Silvin and served in their Marine Corps as pathfinder, tasked with the dangerous duty of spearheading spaceborne landings on hostile planets. Salim hailed from Akaya and served in the rangers, their elite army unit.

  Everyone had that kind of pedigree. Nina Skare only selected people that came from special forces units, and while her bodyguard cadre was small, it could take on a larger force without much trouble.

  “You look tense,” Griz said.

  “I don't like this area,” Kei said. He pointed toward one of the low-rising hills surrounding the compound. “This is perfect territory for a sniper. Someone can just hide behind one of the rises and pop out to take their shot.”

  “That why we have so many eyes looking around.”

  “And why we have our own sniper cover. Gilroy is probably one of the best I've ever worked with or encountered.”

  Kei nodded. They had eight members on the ground, the entire bodyguard contingent deployed for this duty. Aside from Griz, Salim and himself, Soko, Rappa and Elsner covered the east end, and the pair of Gilroy and Bradley were hidden somewhere to provide overwatch.

  “Mirko,” Nina said over the team's radio link.

  “Yes?” Soko answered.

  “Detach one person from each side. We're going to need to carry some stuff.”

  “Right then. Maeda from the west side, Rappa from the east.”

  “Lucky you,” Salim smiled. “You get to be a mule.”

  Kei shrugged and stepped out of formation. He moved up behind Nina, hung back a few steps and waited for instructions.

  He got his first good look at their host, an older man with greying, frizzy hair. He wore a grey jumpsuit and a white lab coat, both stained with dust and dirt marks. Did he not take the time to wash either? Kei wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

  “It's here as requested. We've searched the area thoroughly. At first I thought we weren't going to get anywhere. Nothing but dust and debris as far as the eye could see. There weren't any signs either.”

  “But you persevered.” Nina said. She seemed amused.

  “Indeed we did. As we kept digging and sifting through the sands we began to discover artifacts. We believe they're of Ulic origin, as suspected. But they were damaged, smashed beyond repair. Most of them were little more than dust and shards at this point.”

  “Doesn't seem to want to get to the point,” Rappa said quietly over the radio link.

  “No,” Kei agreed. He had seen the type before, academics that wanted to go over every last detail of something they had discovered. He appreciated the fact that a lot of time and hard work had gone into the discovery, but they were wasting time.

  But if Nina Skare was perturbed she made no sign of it. She swept back part of her long blonde hair as the breeze blew it astray, continuing to listen to the story with no interruptions and few comments.

  She finally spoke up. “Thank you for your hard work and effort, Professor Hallas. You'll be compensated accordingly for this. It's difficult enough to get our hands on these kinds of artifacts for proper research and development studies, and your help is invaluable.”

  “My pleasure. But my only hope is that the artifacts are taken care of and not brought to harm,” he said.

  “Of course. They're invaluable as well. We've made a few scientific discoveries from them as well, though their impact is minimal for now. But the more we find the more that will change.”

  Professor Hallas turned around as another person joined them, a young woman that looked like an assistant or maybe a graduate student. Kei guessed she might be a year or two younger than him.

  “Thank you, Lauren,” he said as she handed over a small box. “This is one of the findings you might be interested in. It's small, but it's believed that it might be some sort of data storage device. Of course, we have no way to access what's inside at the moment, but with enough time and effort you may have success.”

  “But there's more, correct?”

  “Of course. We have several crates of artifacts for you as well. We'll load them on your shuttle as soon as possible. And-”

  Kei heard Gilroy speak up in his earpiece. “We've got trouble.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Soko asked.

  “Looks like possible hostiles headed toward your position. A lot of them, and they're armed.”

  “What do they have on them?”

  “Assault rifles, from what I can tell. I don't see any specialist weapons or anything heavier, but there's probably fifty or more.”

  “Are they security? Federals?”

  “Don't think so. They don't have the uniforms. And we have the agreement with the Caleth government, so...”

  Kei's hand strayed down toward his own weapon, but he didn't draw it. That decision was up to his commander, Soko, and up to Nina herself. Would they meet the new
comers with force, or would they bide their time and see what they wanted?

  “Looks like we have company,” she said to Professor Hallas. “And I'm not sure they're friendly. Tell your people to be on alert. We'll see what they're here for.”

  “I don't imagine that will be a problem. Caleth Security forces have passed through here a few times, but other than a few words with them they haven't bothered us.”

  “They're not Security,” Soko said. “Or at least she says they aren't.”

  “Brigands?” Griz asked.

  “Could be, but they're in a uniform of some sort. They all have patches on their sleeves too. Let me get a closer look...”

  She didn't need to say anything further, because they began appearing over the hills north of the dig site.

  “What do we do?” Soko asked.

  “Hold tight for the moment,” Nina said, glancing around at the new arrivals. “If they were determined to kill us they'd already be shooting. But keep ahold of your weapons.”

  If she was afraid she showed no signs of it. Kei saw her remain stone-faced, her expression a picture of calm, maybe even slight annoyance.

  He didn't feel so confident. They were all elite fighters, but once enough plasma bolts were flying through the air that distinction ceased to exist. The enemy could probably overwhelm them through sheer numbers, and he wasn't sure how well they were trained, either.

  “Ah, crap,” he heard Gilroy say over the radio link. “Looks like they might be Eon Path.”

  “Oh? That's interesting,” Nina said. She turned toward the professor. “Have you been in contact with anyone interested in purchasing artifacts from the dig site?”

  “There have been a few, but we always refused them because of our agreement with you,” he said, looking worried at the encroaching troops.

  Kei watched them approach with wary eyes. Eon Path, a non-government organization that some called a cult, others a terrorist organization. In the wake of the Interstellar War their power had expanded, especially in the less centralized regions of the galaxy. Most governments lacked the resources or willpower to deal with them at the moment, and they were nothing more than a nuisance to most.

  But right now they looked unfriendly, and they had the security team outnumbered. If they couldn't talk their way out of this then there might be a very bloody battle on their hands…

  “Can I help you?” Nina asked as the leader of the group moved forward, gun in hand.

  He completely ignored her and went straight to the professor, an angry look on his face.

  “So, Professor Hallas, you're willing to deal with these people, but not with us? We were willing to offer you far more, yet you took our generosity and threw it back in our face?”

  “I told you, we already had an agreement in place with Skare Interstellar and weren't interested.”

  “And yet we were willing to give you more, plus pay for the difference you'd incur for breaking your contract with them.”

  “That's a lot for just a few trinkets,” Nina said.

  The leader glared at her. “Don't play dumb. You know as well as any of us the value of these treasures.”

  Kei glanced around as more and more Eon troops surrounded them. How many were there at this point, and were there more of them lurking behind the rises and hills?

  “Stay alert,” Soko warned over the radio. By now everyone had their weapons drawn and ready. “Plan Echo.”

  Kei adjusted the settings of his earpiece and visor, then waited for further instructions. The bodyguard team and the Eon troops looked at each other cautiously. One false move, one wrong word…

  “Then you should know very well when you've been outbid,” Nina said flatly. “We have a contract in place, and they don't want to break it. I don't think you want to go through the trouble of crossing us, especially with what meager resources you have on hand. Skare Interstellar won't forget this, and neither will the nations.”

  “Hardly my concern.”

  “Please, no violence, not over this,” Professor Hallas said, stepping forward. “There must be some way that we can solve this fairly. If you-”

  “You lost your chance to resolve this peacefully a long time ago. You're willing to just give away precious treasures to those who would use them for profit and avarice. They deserve better respect and better use.”

  Kei tensed and looked at the others. They had their weapons ready, their gear prepped for battle. At least his side had armor and sensors, but the enemy had numbers.

  “I have a shot,” he heard Gilroy say over the radio link.

  “Copy. Hold,” Soko replied quietly.

  The professor and the Eon leader continued to argue.

  “Enough of this,” their foe finally said. “We went with the peaceful way first, and you didn't take it. Now we resort to this, because of your decisions. Hand over the artifacts now.”

  Professor Hallas looked at the Eon troops nervously, but he steeled himself. “No. I have an agreement, and I won't go back on that.”

  “A pity.”

  A shot rang out, and the professor crumpled to the ground. Lauren looked on in horror for a moment, then knelt beside him.

  “Professor. Professor Hallas. Please, stay with me.”

  Kei didn't move. He was the team's medic, but the professor had been shot in the heart at point-blank range. He'd be dead in ten seconds or less, making any attempt at treatment a futile gesture.

  And they still had to deal with the horde of hostiles surrounding them.

  “Perhaps I wasn't clear enough the first time. You can either hand over the artifacts like we want, or you can end up like him. In fact, I don't think I should even give you the choice. You'll-”

  Nina shot a glare at him, all humor gone. “You talk too much.” She gave a hand signal.

  Barely a second later the enemy leader flew ten feet backwards and landed on the dusty ground, almost completely severed into two pieces by the sheer force of the railgun bullet.

  “Echo, Echo,” Soko said over the radio.

  Kei saw a flash and heard a slight ringing, but it was little more than an annoyance. His visor and earpiece protected him from the worst of the stun grenades, but their enemies weren't so lucky. Many of them dropped their weapons, clawing at their ears and eyes.

  Kei shot one that strayed into his field of view, then another. The sound of plasma shots filled the air, along with the scent of burning cloth and flesh. The bodyguard cadre cut down their enemies without mercy.

  “We have more hostiles inbound. More hostiles headed your way, about company strength,” Gilroy warned.

  “Armament?” Soko asked.

  “Same as these ones, but I don't think the last trick is going to work on them,” she said.

  Kei saw the first few clear the hill to the south, raising their weapons and charging into the fray. He went down to one knee and opened fire, dropping one, then another with a trio of shots. The rest of his comrades added their firepower to the fray.

  But it wasn't enough. Their enemy didn't falter at the sight of their comrades being cut down around them. Kei watched a single railgun shot cut through two enemy soldiers with enough force to slice them in half. More tumbled to the ground, shot through the head and chest. But still they continued to press the attack.

  “All staff, retreat to the safe room. All staff, retreat to the safe room,” he heard Lauren yelling into her own communications link over the din of battle. She began to head toward the interior of the dig-site, but Nina grabbed her by the wrist.

  “Where do you think you're going?”

  “I need to-”

  “There's no time for you to get there. Not for us either. Everyone! We're retreating toward the landing pad.”

  They had about a thousand yards to cover to the north, most of that over open ground. Their sniper team could provide them with some cover, but with so many enemies they might not be able to do enough.

  And their foes seemed heedless of the casualties or the
intimidation factor. Fanatics. Willing to throw themselves into the jaws of certain death to accomplish their mission. Few had that kind of willpower, but that made Eon Path all the more dangerous.

  That was where the security team's special forces training would come in handy.

  “Miss Skare, head for the shuttle,” Soko said. “The rest of you, form up with one team on the west side, another on the east. We're going to run the tunnel. Gilroy, Bradley, cover us.”

  The rest of the squad acknowledged. Kei took up a position on the left side of the formation and resumed firing. More Eon troops fell. The rest of the squad formed a tunnel with himself, Griz and Salim on the west side, Soko, Rappa and Elsner on the east.

  “Weapons free, weapons free,” Nina said as she ran down the center of the tunnel, Lauren followed close behind her.

  Kei toggled the output switch on his plasma rifle and opened fire again. The weapon spat a rapid-fire torrent of shots, tearing into the oncoming horde. Many had to throw themselves to the ground to avoid the hail of fire. Those that didn't were swiftly cut down.

  Another railgun shot blasted through an officer trying to rally his troops and urge them forward.

  “Hex is through the tunnel. Hex is through the tunnel,” Gilroy said.

  “Let's go,” Soko ordered.

  Kei pulled his weapon down and turned. “Peel one,” he said, and ran down the center of the tunnel between his comrades. Once he made it to the end he took up a position at the right side of the formation.