Kanjana gave a polite laugh.
"In the past you would be correct. There was some interbreeding, back when half-bloods settled the border worlds. These were mixed Byotai and Helion peoples, but they were never fully trusted by the clans; another reason why so many of them moved to the border worlds. Half-bloods have little place in our society now, and my people are looking for a reason to go to war."
Gun seemed especially pleased at her last words.
"And that is why we are assembling a team of advisors to send to Karnak, at the request of General Makos."
Arana cleared her throat to interrupt Gun.
"Advisors? We brought a little more than a few advisors with us."
Spartan lifted his hand to take over, and Gun gave him the nod.
"We've put together mercenaries from all the major races, including our own, to assist the Byotai. But they need more."
He pointed out of the transparent sphere and to the blackness of space.
"See those transports?"
Both of the female mercenaries nodded.
"We've got over a thousand mercenaries, including large numbers of our own people and Jötnar. It's a strong force, but nothing compared to what we have inside those ships."
"Thegns?" Arana asked.
Gun almost choked at her answer.
"Thegns on Karnak would turn both sides against us. No, we cannot use Thegns or IAB regular units. We have something more appropriate to the region."
Spartan nodded in agreement.
"Five thousand Anicinàbe and Byotai Exiles from the Tenth Quadrant, with nearly half of them being half-bloods."
Kanjana seemed positively stunned at that news.
"This cannot be. The Red Scars cleansed the border worlds of half-bloods a generation ago. They have long been considered outsiders to the clans. They are a people despised by both the Anicinàbe and the Byotai."
Gun shook his head.
"That's not what we've been told. Contacts with the Byotai say the half-bloods are considered no different to any other Byotai."
Kanjana laughed at his words.
"Gun, you are a fool."
The rest of the group looked at her in stunned silence. As Spartan's right-hand in Taxxu, she was often given substantial leeway, but directly insulting Gun was a first.
"The half-bloods have been pushing for equal rights with the pure-bloods for generations now. Why do you think so many moved to the border in the first place?"
Kanjana turned to face Spartan, and he could see she seemed aggrieved.
"They have no love for either side, just a desire to be left alone."
At that point she looked back to Gun.
"Their loyalty can be bought by whoever offers them what they desire."
Gun sighed as she finished.
"Perhaps you are right, Kanjana. But that is not the assessment of High Command, or of the trade delegation that negotiated with them. According to Mr Walker, they are keen to fight, even if only a few are warriors. The majority are civilians, and all want to return to their homes in the Tenth Quadrant. Many were displaced when the thirteen clans tore through the border colonies. The rest are the survivors of the earlier fighting you describe."
Spartan listened carefully as Gun finished. He made a point of looking to Kanjana as he spoke and was still surprised to see the pained look on her face at the mention of the surviving half-bloods.
"We're getting a lot of contradictory information. The only upside is that any military assets coming our way can be used to hit Nakoma and her allies on Karnak. Let's leave the business and politics to those who enjoy it."
Gun grunted loudly in agreement, as did Olik and Khan. Spartan's lip trembled just a little as he continued. He might be saying the words, but Kanjana had unnerved him. He had a history with CTC, or more specifically, Teresa had while he'd been a prisoner of the Biomechs. Neither shared any love for them, but more recently he'd had no reason to doubt their sincerity.
"This had to be kept secret, especially as we are effectively harbouring political refugees from the Anicinàbe Council. If they knew we were here, well, it could cause a major diplomatic problem."
Gun muttered at the word ‘diplomatic’.
"As usual, Spartan, you're the master of the understatement."
Arana and Syala looked to each other in stunned silence. They had never even heard of half-breeds before, and certainly nothing of these thousands of displaced civilians looking to fight. The secrecy of the project had clearly been successful, and that in itself something of a miracle.
"Not what you were expecting?" Khan asked.
Olik looked at the ships and seemed especially proud.
"They've been training for over a month now, out here in Taxxu. We've used funds from Byotai donors to appropriate weapons and equipment from the Helion and Biomech war stocks, and they are ready to return to the Quadrant."
He shook his head in surprise.
"Hell, I've never seen a group as motivated as this one. They have an anger and a hunger for the fight that is something else."
"And what about sourcing the weapons? We can't send them in with guns bought from the Helions. It will look like we or they sent them to do our dirty work."
"Indeed," Olik added, "That is why they have been armed from weapons taken from the surface of Helios Prime. The markings and stamps all originated from one sector of the battlefield."
"Plausible deniability," Spartan repeated in hushed tones, "They are clean enough for this job."
The sisters shared a looked of confusion, mixed with continuing surprise.
"And quite how does that affect us? I understood we were being paid to bring a full combat unit to the fight. Is that still the brief, or has this changed into something else?" Arana asked.
Gun and Spartan both spoke at once. Though Gun was the senior figure of the IAB operation, Spartan was the one that had liaised with all the various bodies in the last weeks. Spartan stopped and gave way using a simple gesture. Gun acknowledged and continued with his briefing.
"The mission is a flexible, open-ended operation, with a long-term retainer for your services. You will receive the same fee for each week of service in the Tenth Quadrant, but as I said earlier, we need you for a more senior role."
Syala seemed unmoved at the mention of the money, but Arana's expression changed in an instant. Already the money offered was substantial, but a recurring payment week by week would leave all of her Widows as rich citizens. Syala said what both were thinking.
"For that kind of money we'll be doing more than a couple of raids, won't we? Who's paying for all this?"
Gun ran his left hand along his chin, giving the impression he was thinking carefully on her question.
"The finances provided for this operation are private, and I cannot pass them on. All you need to know is that it is a mixture of donors, both private and regional. A lot of people want to see a Byotai victory, but even more want to see the Anicinàbe held back."
He moved his attention to Arana who was clearly the driving force behind the unit.
"You will work alongside our command crew, with operations based upon conditions on the ground. I won't lie, though. It’s going to be tough, so be in no doubt we are expecting casualties down there. The clans have brought massive numbers to the Quadrant, and they are armed and equipped for war."
Spartan nodded repeatedly as Gun spoke.
"Exactly. With four clans on Karnak alone, they will be expecting a victory, and soon. Our mission is simple. We will be there to deny them that victory, and secondly, to help Makos and his forces in any way we can. You see, the Byotai are in trouble, and I mean big trouble. Their numbers are increasing, but much more slowly than the huge numbers of clan warriors streaming across the border. General Makos is hitting them where he can in space, but on the ground they are losing the fight."
Syala now seemed confused.
"Wait, I thought the reports showed Makos was gaining ground. Was that a lie?"<
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Spartan rubbed his lower jaw.
"Since we were there, things have fallen apart. Makos stabilised the situation, but now there are four clans the tide is slowly turning against him. He is fighting a losing battle to keep the clans from reinforcing their positions, and every day another blockade-runner reaches the surface. Makos has offered the Anicinàbe Exiles a home on Karnak and on the other worlds in the Quadrant, even for those that previously fought against him."
He let that sink in for a few seconds.
"This operation of ours will provide backbone to the reinforcements heading for Karnak."
Gun nodded continually as he listened to Spartan.
"Exactly. Once Makos and the others can present a unified quadrant, with settlers from the Byotai and the Anicinàbe, things will change. The Quadrant will no longer be one tied by race, but on the people that live there. The Alliance will offer to open diplomatic ties. That could mean a military agreement, maybe even membership of the Alliance."
Spartan pointed at the transports again.
"But not before a victory. The Alliance Council is supporting the Byotai Empire, but they will not support Byotai separatists openly, no matter how much they want to. They will help..."
"But only after their help is no longer needed. Great," said Syala.
Gun ignored those last words and indicated towards each of them.
"Spartan, Khan, Kanjana, Syala, and Arana. I've fought alongside you all, and I need you to provide a core of expertise for the Exiles, and for the Byotai fighters as a whole. You will take the combined unit to Karnak and use them to rally the Byotai and help them win this war."
The sisters were evidently still stunned at the scope of the mission and listened in silence to Gun.
"The Byotai have sufficient numbers to meet the clans in the field, but they need training, weapons, leadership, and command. This is something all of you will assist with."
Syala looked up to Gun.
"Are you not coming with us? We could do with your skills on Karnak again. Remember last time?"
The Jötnar leader sighed.
"I wish I could, but there are other things that need to be done."
He nodded back to the interior of the vast World Ship, but his disappointment was evident.
"The Brigade has a lot of work left to do before it is ready for major operations. Brigadier Black and I have been given the resources to fully fund us, especially by including other mercenary units on an ad hoc basis. The IAB is being enlarged, and its brief has changed."
He took in a slow breath. His chest pulled in taut and then expanded out just as slowly. Gun was clearly proud of what they had done, even if the lack of combat was proving tiresome.
"We are to be reinforced with mercenary and volunteer forces from outside, all under the command of the Brigade and based here, at Taxxu. The IAB will be the fastest and more flexible military force in the known galaxy."
"We expecting trouble?"
Gun smiled at Arana, and this time he bared his teeth. It was a simple gesture, but with him it always showed barely concealed delight.
"Not here, but outside of Taxxu. Who knows?"
The sisters exchanged looks, and Syala leaned a little closer to her twin.
"Do you get the impression they are building up resources for something big?"
Arana remained expressionless.
"What, like a full on war with the Anicinàbe?"
Syala hadn't thought of that, but the idea of a war with an enemy that controlled numbers beyond imagination seemed positively exciting. She looked back to Gun.
"Well, then, you had better make sure you're ready. Because when we're done on Karnak, you're going to have a lot of mercenaries with nothing to do."
Gun blinked once and then moved his eyes towards Spartan. There was an uneasy look shared between them, and in that instant Syala knew there was more to it. She turned to her right and gazed out at the scores of ships moving through the designated shipping lanes at Taxxu.
So, this is not the end, it isn't even the beginning of the end, is it?
A low buzzing sound distracted Spartan, and he looked to his thigh and lifted his secpad so that only he could hear it. Other than the buzz, it also emitted a series of low-pitched tones all of them recognised as a high-priority alert. It took just a moment before he showed the imagery to Gun. They spoke quietly for a few seconds, and Khan moved closer, hearing a name. As they watched the imagery, their expressions changed. Finally, Khan grabbed the device and smashed it to the floor. Spartan grabbed hold of him, but Khan was too much, even for Spartan. He pushed away and roared with anger. Gun looked to the rest of the group, but none of them knew what to say.
Gun hissed through his teeth.
"The situation has changed."
He gave Spartan a subtle nod and then marched away, signalling for Khan and Olik to follow; that left just Spartan, Kanjana, and the two sisters. They made it a short distanced before Khan stopped and slammed his fist into the metal inner wall of the ship. His other fist followed until he'd made a dent the size of a man's head in the plating. The sound reverberated throughout the vessel, and he looked back to Spartan, a bitter, angry expression on his face.
"Kras is a maniac. I want blood, Spartan...and I want it soon! Kras and Nakoma, both of their heads on pikes."
He moved away, Gun and Olik at his flanks.
"Well?" Arana demanded, "What's happened?"
Spartan's face remained neutral, but as the seconds ticked by, she could see the concern showing. Spartan blinked and then spoke. The words came out slowly, painfully, as though he was struggling with each sentence.
"News has arrived from Karnak. Kras, the Elder of the Khagi Byotai has gone insane, and he's just screwed us."
"What is it?" Syala asked.
Arana placed her head in her hands.
"What happened?"
Spartan continued to slowly shake his head as he explained.
"Kras was taking supplies and recruits on the trail to the Teeth, to help relieve the siege in the North. We were to meet up with them soon, but now that's all gone to hell."
He took two short breaths.
"The air cover, weather, and intelligence provided by General Makos all showed the route was clear for the mission. It's been planned for weeks and would have boosted the defences long enough for our arrival in the North. That was all part of our combined strategy."
Arana was becoming impatient at not knowing what had enraged Khan so much.
"And?"
Spartan put his head in his hand.
"Kras took it on himself to change the mission. He turned back around and took the route through the mountains to assault Montu, without assistance or reconnaissance beforehand. There's not much information, apart from a short broadcast from Wictred. He said their route was mined. The last seconds were of the ambush. The fight was short and bloody, and they were being overwhelmed."
Syala could see how angry he was. She stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder.
"All of them?"
Spartan looked up and into her eyes. She could see a fire burning there, one she'd only seen when he was in combat.
"Yes. Wictred is Khan's son, and he was leading Kras' bodyguard. His last message was that Kras had acted against his advice. The fool got them killed or captured, every single one of them. If they got to Kras, then that would mean their bodyguard was defeated. And that can mean only one thing, they're dead."
Spartan shook his head.
"Nakoma, the Spires War Chief has been parading Kras and a dozen other Byotai as prisoners. She is demanding the surrender of the outposts at the Teeth, or the prisoners will be executed."
Spartan's eyes seemed to positively glow with emotion, yet even then he was still able to conceal his true rage. He looked to Khan. He’d moved to a panel onto the wall of the Skyway. He activated the unit, and the transparent material turned black and began playing a videostream directly from Khan's own secpad unit.
"Watch this."
The tone he used made it all too clear; they had to watch it. The video was short, less than a minute long and mainly of a number of Spires clan warriors talking. Spartan almost walked away when Khan lifted his hand.
"Not yet."
Spartan shook his head and waited as the shape of Nakoma, the chief of the Spires took up position the middle of the image. The camera then panned to the right where three Jötnar were chained to the front of an excavating machine. The chains were as thick as a man's finger, and blood dripped from their many wounds. The Blood Pack armour had been removed, as had their clothes, so that their wounds and scars were easily seen. They were alive, but not responding, and Spartan could only assume they had been heavily sedated or rendered unconscious.
Where is Wictred? Spartan thought.
Nakoma stopped and then started again, but in heavily accented English.
"Any foreign mercenaries will suffer this fate."
Three of her warriors placed their curved blades at the throats of the Jötnar, and then with a quick action drew them across the flesh. Blood gushed from the wounds. Spartan stepped closer and hit the touch panel, instantly deactivating the stream.
"Enough!"
Khan bared his teeth and moved towards Spartan, his fists clenched tight. Spartan stood his ground and continued.
"We will stay on mission. And when the time comes...Khan and I will put a blade in Nakoma's chest. If Wictred lives, we will find him."
Syala stayed close to him. Arana looked back at Kanjana who so far had said nothing.
"What of this Nakoma? Will she do what she promises? Will Kras and any of the other prisoners be safe?"
Kanjana nodded.
"Of course, for now. She will not just kill them, though. Nakoma is famed for her cruelty, and the knife is her tool of choice. Kras will die, and his agony will be shown to everybody on Karnak, but only when it suits her."
"Good," snapped Spartan, "Maybe that will give Kras something to think about while we do what he should have done."
Arana seemed stunned at the words from Spartan, but Syala knew better. He had a hot temper but would calm in time. For now, they needed to let him vent his rage. Spartan pointed to the transports waiting out in space.
War of the Exiles Page 10
