"I'm just a man, Olik. And I promise you, I can fell you like a tree, the same as any other."
Olik looked to Khan who gave him no more than a raised eyebrow. He looked back to Spartan.
"Really? You prepared to stake your reputation on that?"
Spartan laughed.
"I don't care about my reputation, Olik. My actions are my own. Others can think what they like."
Olik took a step to the right and kept his hands hung down low. It was a relaxed, yet arrogant stance by a warrior that expected no major attack, and certainly not one he needed to be too concerned about. Spartan lowered his centre of gravity and moved in closer at a speed completely unexpected by Olik.
"Interesting, old man. Are you trying to intimidate me?"
Spartan said nothing and instead increased his pace. The length of the steps was modest, but not easy to follow. To an outsider it may have had more in common with a dance movement. In reality, he was manoeuvring around Olik and carefully establishing his distance.
"Very well, let's do this," said the Jötnar.
With no warning, Olik's left arm rushed out, only to meet open air. Spartan leaned a short distance, and then took another half step, closing the gap once more. The distance was dropping each moment until Spartan was close enough to strike. He tensed his body and then leapt up; giving every indication he would hit Olik in the face. The Jötnar laughed as he struck out again, but Spartan was already falling, having avoided contact and then ducking down to avoid a second strike.
"Now you're going down."
Using all of his strength and speed, Spartan smashed his foot in at the back of Olik's knee. The impact was incredibly powerful and sent the warrior stumbling forward. He tried to steady himself, but Spartan charged his flank. To both Olik and Khan's astonishment, the Jötnar warrior was falling to the ground. The impact sent a shudder through the floor, leaving Spartan on his feet, his upper body glistening with sweat and a beaming grin across his face.
"See how that works?"
Olik snorted at the insult and forced himself back to his feet. Khan stepped in front and shook his head.
"Wait, look who's arrived."
Olik let out a long blast of air and then moved to Spartan. It looked as though the pair would fight, but Olik reached out, grabbed Spartan, and bear hugged him until releasing him from the iron grip.
"Well?" Spartan asked.
Khan lifted one eyebrow.
"A certain pair of blonds."
Olik shook his head and walked away from where they had been fighting, and to the line of other personnel busy watching through the transparent screen at the training scenario. To the left was a group of fourteen armour-clad warriors, and to the right, the defensive structure Spartan and the others had built to help with training.
"They know you have Grunts defending it, right?" Olik asked.
Spartan shrugged.
"They'll find out soon enough. Syala said they had a few surprises in store for us. We shall see."
The training area had now filled with low-level dust, and wind blasted it off into the distance, creating the effect of a light sand storm. Movement on the wall and the tower betrayed the shapes of the defenders, and even the cloaks thrown over their armour proved unable to fully disguise them.
"There are six guards on the walls and an emplaced weapon on the wellhead. If they are caught out in the open, they will fail, just like the Helion Mercs did yesterday."
The klaxon blasted as expected, and when the sounds completed, the battle began.
"Here they go."
The fourteen warriors fanned out in pairs, two groups remaining in the middle and heading for the minimal cover offered by the fake looking rocks. The reduced overall floor space, as well as the many lamps hanging down from the domed ceiling spoilt the illusion of reality. The remaining ten were now out in the open, and Spartan expected they would be seen at any moment.
What are they doing?
Ten bright flashes rippled throughout the arena, and it looked as if the Widows had been hit, but each of them lifted up from the ground. They bounced more than ten metres in the air and directly forwards. As they began to fall, they activated the jets once more and then right above the walls.
"When the hell did they get those things?" said Olik.
That was the point where the four on the ground opened fire. Their coilguns released magnetised slugs that struck down a pair of guards on the wall. Before the defenders could return fire, the ten Widows had landed. The next ten seconds consisted of deadly close-ranged shooting, leaving the wall clear of defenders and three of the Widows hit with simulated bullets.
"I like it," said Spartan, "but what about the gun?"
In answer to his question, the emplaced heavy weapon opened up, striking one of the Widows and forcing the others to scatter. One of the group activated her propulsion unit three times until she appeared suspended in mid-air above the weapon. She was at the apex of the curved flight, choosing that moment to drop a thermite proximity charge down. She then dropped down on the other side, landing behind the wall as the charge flashed and wiped out the entire emplacement.
"Wow!"
Khan and Spartan turned to their comrade.
"That took them less than twenty seconds. For what, the loss of one, and three injured?"
Spartan began to laugh. He reached out with both arms and embraced the pair.
"They didn't just provide a distraction. They breached the defences and secured this entire section, single-handed."
The two Jötnar nodded in agreement.
"We've got to have them," said Khan.
"I agree," added Olik.
Spartan turned back and watched the two leaders of the unit land back down on the ground and approach the transparent screen. The one that destroyed the emplacement deactivated the front of her helmet, and the tips of her blonde hair spilled out.
"Syala," said Spartan, almost whispering her name through his lips.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Byotai Empire did not consist just of one reptilian race, and contrary to the opinion of many, it was a society where all species were able to live together in relative harmony. Even the offspring of mixed races were accepted as equals, a rarity of the many societies bound by the Helion Nexus. Like the worlds of humanity, over time a great number of different races had settled, intermixed, and fought throughout the nine Quadrants of the Empire. The melting pot of worlds that made up these quadrants counted over thirty distinct species, the many types of Byotai cold-bloods representing the majority. Even a small number of Helion synthetics, survivors of the first Biomech War, now lived under their protection. As always, there was an exception in the Empire, and that was the single colony planet of Sovax, a place considered a holy place among the Byotai. Of the fifty or more colonies of the first three quadrants, known as the Trinity, this was the only one classed as a sanctuary to the wild Sekieki. These ancient ancestors of the Byotai are as primitive as they are deadly, and myth tells of the time when the Byotai even rode some of these creatures into battle.
The Byotai Empire: Its People and Customs
Montu, Khagi District, Karnak
The storm had reached its peak, and the abrasive clouds of dust swirled about the ruinous city like a murderous phantom. It was in an odd situation, now much larger than ever, and yet it had never been in such a poor state of repair. Few buildings had collapsed, but there were signs of the fighting that had lasted just days almost a year earlier. Some walls were broken, and black marks showed where fires had burned for several days. Two armoured crawlers had since been scrapped. Had they remained, those Byotai that did not leave would certainly have used them as a rallying call.
Under the stewardship of the Byotai, the underground city of Montu had been quite a spectacle. During its period as the capital of the Byotai free settlements in the Tenth Quadrant, it experienced growth little different to Gold rush cities in the American West on Old Earth. This was known as something of a go
lden age to those that had never experienced it, when Byotai settlers and families left their homes to set up on these distant and barren worlds. The riches beneath the surface were vast, the surprisingly pure ores greatly prized. One year working on the border worlds could provide a lifetime’s salary, but with it came a number of risks only the hardiest or desperate would ever consider.
The cause of the great rush for riches was a consequence of the Byotai tunnelling so deeply. With so many ships and people in the area, it was critical that engineers built lavish facilities able to house tens of thousands of people. Like all Byotai worlds, the buildings were designed to be both strong and functional. Their predilection for heavy stonework and tall columns worked perfectly in this place. Few of the buildings were more than a storey tall, the remainder deep underground and hidden from the frequent dust storms. Only a few modest dust trails led inside, the majority of transport operated via the maglev rail system. It reached out to connect to all the settlements and mining hubs on the planet that were controlled by the Anicinàbe. All others had been deliberately disabled to prevent use and the tunnels now barricaded.
On the surface, the Montu Spaceport was something of a gem. Originally, no more than a wide-open space, with a few storage areas for fuel bowsers, it was now greatly increased in size. There were scores of prefabricated structures to house dropships and scout fighters. The spaceport had always been the biggest on Karnak, and now it was one of the largest seen on any planet in Byotai space. It was not just useful for the planet. It had become the de facto stopping off point for all traffic in the Quadrant.
In the generations since the withdrawal it had fallen into disuse, and many of the buildings around the landing platforms pulled down. Dust covered many more until the spaceport had all but vanished, but not now. The Anicinàbe had transformed Montu in the last three months, and no Byotai would ever recognise the place again.
With the stalemate on Karnak, and the partial collapse of the Khagi front following the mysterious intervention of fighting machines and mercenaries, the Anicinàbe clans were forced to land in great numbers. Thirteen clans in total had moved into the Quadrant, four concentrating on the world of Karnak. While the Spires consolidated their hold on Khagi, other clans swept in to drive the Byotai from the weakly protected settlements. Only the industrial sites with their large underground facilities had any chance of holding. The bulk of the remaining Red Scars consolidated their hold on captured territory in the Southern Depression and established multiple strong points.
On the opposite side of Karnak, elements of the newly arrived Zuni and Kolchan clans had encircled the remaining Byotai settlements in the Northern hills; establishing forward positions from which to harass the settlers. Each day they would send in small teams on hit and run missions against outposts, refineries, and transport columns. These were only two of the thirteen clans now in the Quadrant. Most sent in a portion of their total forces, but the Spires did the unthinkable and relocated their entire clan to Karnak. They had now landed with their entire population. Adults, youths, and elders, hundreds of thousands of land hungry individuals all looking to stake a claim. The newly invigorated Spires Clan almost caused the total loss of Karnak. There were over a quarter of a million of them, perhaps more, on the planet. Small outposts existed with no more than ten kilometres between each of them to provide outer defences to the city. In a short time, the resources and manpower of the Spires Clan had changed Khagi district, and with it the balance of power in the Tenth Quadrant.
It wasn't the numbers of individuals that made the greatest change to Montu; it was the militarisation of the city. Montu had never been particularly well defended, its geographical location its best defence from the elements. Now it might just easily be a military fortress on a moon orbiting the Black Rift. Every part of the Byotai infrastructure of the city had been transformed from one supporting a mining community into something that could provide sanctuary to the entire military of the Spires Clan.
One of the radar tracking systems rotated, checking the skies for signs of aircraft and spaceships. Few Byotai vessels ever made it this close to the city, but the Anicinàbe had learnt the hard way to make sure the skies near the city were kept as clear and safe as possible. One minute was all it would take for a heavy transport to break through the outer cordon and land in the spaceport, right at the centre of the city and the heartlands of the new Spires territory.
The high-pitched whine of a weapon system announced the movement of a gun mount. A quadruple set of anti-air missiles twisted to the left, moving slowly as they followed the shape of a dark object off into the distance. The motors whined again, and the system entered safe mode as an Anicinàbe aircraft moved into view. One flash followed another off into the distance, and then two missiles streamed out from a hidden position and towards the lightly armed aircraft. It twisted about, separately trying to evade the weapon, and for a second it looked as though it would work. The pilot brought it down low and fast, and the first missile overshot and struck the ground. The second detonated just behind the Anicinàbe dropship. The aircraft was fast and incredibly agile, yet even this was not enough to avoid the state-of-the-art missile causing catastrophic damage. The proximity-fused warhead sent shards of hardened metal into its hull and knocked out one of the two engines immediately.
The mortally wounded Anicinàbe dropship fell from the sky and towards the spaceport. One engine belched smoke, and flames licked through the insides of the vessel. For one brief moment it seemed the pilot would be able to land it safely, but then another explosion ruptured the remaining engine, and it dropped like a stone. Unlike similar craft used by the Alliance and others, the Anicinàbe Hornets were lightweight and left completely open to the elements. This was all in accordance with their battlefield role as scouts and light transports, allowing the soldiers inside to fire their weapons or to deploy directly into battle. The side effect was that they were poorly armoured and completely incapable of orbital entry, having to be dropped by larger craft or launched from bases such as Montu.
"The fools," said Ogimà Nakoma.
She turned away from the view and looked to her four senior commanders, each bearing the scars and marks of the recent fighting with the Byotai. Off behind them was a long line of soldiers, a full cohort of nearly five hundred warriors. They waited in their long lines, their rifles up against their shoulders and armour hidden beneath long flowing robes.
"They must have strayed too close to the Caldos commune. I've marked the no-go areas quite clearly," said Siwili.
The old soldier was bigger than the others and moved with a swagger that betrayed his confidence. The other three appeared nervous, but he merely chuckled and nodded in the direction of the dropship.
"They will not make it here. Better to burn in the dust basin than damage the city."
He then pointed to a battery of ground vehicles, all of which had their weapons pointing up to the sky.
"Any closer and I'll bring them down myself."
On cue, the craft disappeared behind a hill just two kilometres away. A moment later came the sound of a faint explosion and then a rising column of black smoke. Ogimà Nakoma snorted with derision.
"That is just wonderful, Senior Centurion."
She said his rank slowly, as if she wanted to remind him of his position in the clan. The loose confederation of clans had used their own system of leaders and chiefs for centuries. The ancient system of organisation was only reintroduced in the last three months, and many were still struggling to grasp its usefulness, Ogimà Nakoma amongst them. She'd only introduced it formally because of the decree issued by the War Leader Tahkeome. A distant crackle of gunfire was probably the noise coming from exploding munitions. In any case, she didn't bother looking at the damage and stepped back to inspect her commanders and warriors. As she walked past the first of them, she began to speak.
"We have been fighting on Karnak for almost a year now, and still the Byotai remain."
She wasn't
expecting an answer. She simply wanted them to know her disappointment.
"The full strength of our clan in now spread out on this wasteland. If we fail, we have no home to return to."
As she said the words, she looked out at the great plain marking the vast boundaries of Montu. Dozens of transports were position in long rows, and column after column of infantry marched out. Many of the ships had sustained damage from breaking the blockade, and two were still burning where they had been forced to crash on the farthest point of the spaceport.
"Frankly, I am surprised our brothers all made it here. Rumours of the great Byotai war fleet were exaggerated."
She licked her lips.
"Montu is our strongest facility, and it must be held, no matter the cost. No campaign can be truly successful on this world without the starport and this defensible location. Whoever controls Montu, controls Karnak."
She stopped and kicked at the earth beneath her feet.
"Karnak has always belonged to our people, and we will retake it, or die in the trying. Our clan will burn its soul into the rock of this world."
There was a deathly silence, punctuated by the odd crackle from the still burning aircraft. The Anicinàbe foot soldiers were well trained, but poorly suited to the kind of attrition warfare favoured by the Byotai. Where the reptilian creatures preferred grinding siege warfare and gunfights, they would sooner adopt hit and run tactics. Replying on the speed and agility of their transports to avoid protracted battle.
"My Lord. He has arrived."
Ogimà Nakoma's face twitched at those few words. Her eyes narrowed, and her brow tightened.
"Prepare the warriors for his arrival."
* * *
300 Kms North of Montu, Khagi District, Karnak
The third line of hills was low, barely reaching more than five hundred metres from the ground. Many of the jagged rocks were hidden below layers of dust and sand, making progress slow and treacherous for any daring to approach their shallow inclines. Between the two largest peaks was the Pass of Kayne, so named for the Byotai engineer that helped clear it generations before. Now it was a dust-covered roadway big enough to accommodate hundreds of large wheeled vehicles. Though well suited to rapidly moving traffic, it had been cleared in a time where the only expected transport was that of civilian workers and utility vehicles. Now the pass was much more than the route through the range of hills. It was also a place that left the convoy exposed, and both sides in the conflict knew this only too well. Just a single well-placed sniper team could wreak havoc on a group of civilian vehicles, and that was why the Byotai and their mercenaries were taking such great precautions.
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