“You are probably right, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done though. I pulled some strings with the battalion and helped by the news of your success, I have been assigned to the Vanguards.”
Spartan nodded, stepping aside as a group of a dozen recruits marched past, escorted by a drill sergeant. He watched then for a moment, thinking back to the time not so long ago when he had been doing just the same. They passed a doorway from which emerged two officers, one of whom started to bark orders at the group. Spartan shook his head and looked back to his own group.
“That’s great news, Sir, we could certainly do with a few friendlies on our team. Being attached to Hobbs didn’t exactly go smoothly for us.”
Marcus looked a little angry and sighed as he spoke.
“That’s a bit of an understatement. If you ask me, she wanted us to fail. She pushed us out without checking the ground, doing a thorough recon or providing us with adequate support.”
Captain Daniels smiled at them and beckoned for the group of marines to lower their tone a little.
“I think you’ll find my news to your liking then. At the last meeting of the battalion commanders, based upon your reports, the decision has been made to expand the Vanguards. It will take time, but as you know there is already a second platoon under construction. I’ve been put in overall command of the company and the transition to a full company. The intention is to form a complete three platoon company with the option to double the number, if and when resources and personnel allow.”
Spartan smiled at him, genuinely pleased to see somebody known and competent would be further up the chain of command.
“A double company, so it could potentially hit over two hundred Vanguards? Do we have the equipment to even consider that?”
“The fabrication stations on the transports have been working flat out to break down the surplus and damaged PDS suits. The materials have produced over thirty Vanguard units since you’ve been on Prime.”
Marcus looked surprised at the news.
“Thirty, fully working suits in a few days? Man,...all we need now is bodies to fill them.”
“Quite. Something tells me we will be on the hunt for manpower very soon. In the meantime, I have enough personnel to start training up 2nd Platoon and I’m going to need a few of your seasoned fighters to share their experience.”
Spartan nodded in agreement.
“Not a problem, sharing the knowledge is a good idea. I’ve got some good fighters. They are skilled and careful. With limited numbers, and in the most dangerous places, you don’t want hotheads.”
“Hotheads? Really?” said the Captain, grinning at Spartan and his two sergeants.
“Anyway, this all sounds good. As an independent platoon, we were likely to get wasted doing other people’s dirty work like a unit of attached armed sappers. An actual combat company will give us the men and resources we need to make this an effective force. A double-sized company could probably do the same work as a full battalion.”
“Of course. With manpower down, why else do you think they are really going for it? I bet the plan is to reduce the number of marine companies and convert the best to Vanguards.”
Before Spartan or his sergeants could respond, the internal loudhailers started a ship wide broadcast.
“A Code Alpha announcement will follow in three minutes from Admiral Jarvis and the command staff of the Confederacy.”
Spartan looked back from the speakers to the Captain.
“Any ideas on what that is all about?”
“No, I’m going to head to the briefing room. You coming?”
“Yeah, you head on, I’ll join you.”
The officers saluted, Captain Daniels moved away quickly. Spartan turned to his two sergeants.
“I need to see what this is about.”
Marcus nodded and after a quick salute marched off along the corridor. Spartan moved to Teresa who looked inpatient. He reached out and she grabbed his arm.
“I’m going to your quarters, don’t be too long, I’ll be waiting for you,” she said with a mischievous smile. Without saluting, she turned and walked away slowly. Spartan watched her go before the internal loudhailer reminded him of the impending message from the Admiral.
CHAPTER SIX
Before the Great War, the colonies of humanity lived in a relatively peaceful and independent status. Each colony replicated many of the dialects, cultures and attributes of their original colonists. The agrarian and heavily religious Carthago and the modern, industrious Terra Nova were inevitably going to clash. Their difference of ideals moved first to political disputes and then to an ideological struggle fought by proxy through their allies. The fires of war spread through the colonies in a matter of months. It took the deaths of over a quarter of a million soldiers in the sieges of Carthago before a ceasefire was finally called and the Carthago leadership and the Centauri League was dissolved. The consequence of the war was the formation of the Confederacy and also the start of the great Exodus.
The Unforeseen Consequences
The briefing room on board the CCS Santa Cruz was packed. Though most of the naval officers weren’t present, the bulk of the command staff for the 5th Reconnaissance Battalion was there in force as well as the XO, Commander Malone. Stood in the middle of the room was Lieutenant Colonel Blake, flanked by several other command officers. Spartan recognised the other company commanders, including Captain Mathews, Captain Daniels and his least favourite officer, Captain Hobbs. She was stood off to one side with two of her NCOs. He watched for a moment as she spoke sternly to two of them, one was sent off and he quickly marched away.
“You really are one miserable cow,” he muttered to himself.
Towards the back wall was a series of large vertical displays, each one showing pertinent data for the current disposition of forces in the Proxima System. The display to the left showed the Fleet layout, including the circling frigates and fighter wings. The Fleet had already left the safety of the gas giant Khimaira fourteen hours ago. The navigation data was missing, so where their destination was could be anybody’s guess. On the middle display was the logo of the Confederacy, with the Naval Emblem motif directly in front of the purple banner. From the data being displayed, it was clear that the Fleet was it its greatest state of readiness since the siege of the Titan Naval Station. There were more ships in one place than at any time for years and they were poised, waiting for their orders. Marcus tapped Spartan on the shoulder. He was the only sergeant from the Vanguards present, not that it was critical as the message was going out to every ship in the Fleet.
“What do you think the news is?” he asked.
Spartan didn’t have time to respond as the large display unit faded out to show a lectern. Around it stood Admiral Jarvis, General Rivers and two civilians in suits to their side. It was unusual for civilians to be present at such a military announcement. Even more unusual, the man was wearing his badge of office from the Confederacy. He wasn’t familiar but was obviously important.
“Who the hell are they?” said an unknown officer at the back, before being hushed by the rest of the assembled men as the Admiral spoke.
“Men and women of the Confederate Military. I have several important announcements to make on behalf of the High Command. Before I get into the details, I would like to introduce the Leader of the House from Yama City on Kerberos, Dr Hamis and his assistant, Ms Baines. As some of you may already know, in the last three days a number of officials from the fallen colonies have been making their way to Confed military vessels and installations in safe areas throughout Proxima. So far, we have representatives at various levels from the colonies on Prime, Kerberos and Agora. The news they bring is truly shocking. Their home worlds haven’t simply changed one leader for another, they are suffering one of the worst forced relocations and genocides in the history of mankind!”
A stunned silence met her comments as they absorbed the words. They were all familiar with some of the worse attributes of
the enemy regime, but the fact that there was genocide ongoing was still unknown to most of them. Many of them had family spread throughout the colonies and the thought of them being left behind in this struggle made their job that much more difficult. While they waited in space, their relatives could already be in damp prison camps or being ground to paste to create more Biomech creatures.
“I will pass you over to Dr Hamis, who can tell us more about his firsthand experience under the occupation of the Echidna Union and their armed forces.”
Dr Hamis nodded and stepped to the microphone. He was shorter than the Admiral and wore a grey, slightly crumpled suit. He coughed as he tried to clear his throat.
“Thank you, Admiral.” He turned to the camera and continued. “The situation on Kerberos is nothing like the public image. Since the revolution, the new regime has suspended all political parties, taking over all political and civil offices with members of the new Union bureaucracy. This organisation has been filled by the ranks of the Church, the Zealots and other groups that have been working against the Confederacy. This, however, isn’t the worst of it. In the last few weeks, the new state militia and police have been taking citizens away to forced labour camps, some to re-education centres and others have vanished after arriving at underground facilities. The Biomechs are providing the muscle and the members of the Church the organisation and support.”
He paused for a moment and looked down at some notes.
“A large group in the government attempted a revolt three weeks ago against the Echidna personnel. At first we tried unarmed protest, but anyone who spoke out vanished in a matter of days. The revolt turned violent and in the end a number of us tried to remove them by force. It was a disaster. Almost all state officials were rounded up by militia forces, a small group managed to escape into parts of the city, where they are still trying to fight back.”
He stopped again and took another drink of water. His hands were shaking and it was incredible he managed to drink without dropping the glass or the fluid. He recomposed himself and continued.
“Before I was able to escape from the planet, with the survivors from the last uprising, I witnessed the arrival of several ships from the Rim containing Biomech reinforcements. The very same ships took prisoners from the camps and returned back on the same course. I tried to investigate further but the authorities discovered my people. We were lucky any of us made it out alive. Typhon and his associates have created a reign of terror on Kerberos. Forget what you have heard about Zealots, insurgents and the like. It is a very simple system. The colony is now being run by one man, beneath him are his political and military advisors, all taken from the groups we have been fighting. The Union now exists as a strong, autocratic regime where conformity to the state is required. The ultimate objective doesn’t seem to be a political takeover, they are preparing the colony for something big and taking away people to their camps is a big part of it. From the scattered transmissions we’ve detected throughout the sector, the other seceded colonies are experiencing the same.”
Ms Baines put her hand on the visibly shaken man’s arm. He looked at her and said something that only she could hear. He then moved away and she took his place at the lectern.
“My name is Ms Baines, I am the Doctor’s assistant and also a data specialist with the Department of Defence. It was my team who discovered the disappearance of citizens that started a month ago. We were working alongside Confed Special Agents to monitor substantial data streams being sent to Kerberos. Our investigation was halted and the agents have all disappeared. We know just one thing though. A person or faction, known as the Core, is co-ordinating the actions of the Union forces. Typhon may be the figurehead of Prime and Kerberos but we suspect he is just one commander, one of possibly three or maybe four, in the entire System that is under the direct command of the Core.”
She paused for a moment to let the information sink in.
“What?” Marcus said surprised. Several of the officers turned to glare at him but Ms Baines continued before anyone could complain.
“Our intelligence suggests the Union is laying the groundwork for the real threat, one that even Typhon doesn’t control. If you think things are bad on the colonies right now, just try to remember that it is almost certainly going to get a lot worse. There is a strong link between The Core, the factory colonies and the ships we have seen.”
Admiral Jarvis thanked the two, before taking her place in the centre.
“You have all seen the reports from the secessionists and their new masters. In the past, the rule of law and order was paramount. The hand of the Confederacy was light, more a big brother to help in times of trouble, than an overlord. This has changed. The new terrorist regime has turned on our people and enslaved them. This leadership structure, centred on what is being called the Core, matches our intelligence recovered from Kerberos and Prometheus. The options are limited, but I believe the enemy command has been sheltering in Alpha Centauri the entire time. By hiding in our secure backyard, they are able to monitor our movements and control their forces in safety. The discovery of the Anomaly gives us the chance to turn this around. It also explains how they seem able to slip men and materials out of the Proxima sector right under our noses. I will not share the intricacies of the plan yet. It is strictly on a need to know basic for command staff. All you need to know is that of right now, the Confederacy is going on the offensive. No more will we fight rearguard actions or engage the enemy piecemeal. Starting today, Operation Perdition has begun. The systematic and thorough cleansing of the Proxima of any taint of the enemy.”
The Admiral paused and looked directly into the camera, ensuring she gained the attention of everybody watching.
“The surviving civilian officials have been rallying to our outposts and ships for the last two weeks. A decision has been made to form a government in exile for all fallen colonies. The senior executives from each colony have been put forward to form a new Council for Proxima. Between them, Dr Hamis has been chosen as the civilian leader of the Confederacy in this star system. We do not accept the secession of any colony and representatives have been selected for those that are still under the yoke of the enemy.”
She turned to the man and nodded for him to continue. He still looked a little shaken at his position and possibly the shock of the terrible events he had witnessed on Kerberos and through the sector.
“In my capacity as Acting President, I have given Admiral Jarvis and the newly formed High Command of Proxima orders to start the reconquest of our homeworlds. Operation Perdition has been designed around the requirements of the members of the civilian council and the capabilities of our current military forces. The Council will operate under the same rules and laws as used in the Confederate Council, but with its scope limited to Proxima Centauri. When the System is brought back into the fold, it is our plan to make the Proxima System an independent member of the Confederacy, with each of the former colonies becoming a self-regulating state. Citizens will have greater responsibilities to the state, but they will also be able to expect much more from it.”
He waited a few seconds before continuing.
“From today, the Church of Echidna, the Zealots and any of their offshoots are banned and illegal anywhere in the Confederacy. Laws, orders and commands given by them are illegal and are to be ignored. Any decisions they have made since the commencement of hostilities are considered null and void. The role of the Church in state affairs has been a problem going back to the start of the war between alliances of Carthago and Terra Nova, generations ago in the Great War. Religion will be officially split from the state. It has no place in the role of government. We are a secular society and though any citizen may practice any form of religion, from today it will not be allowed to interfere with state or public life.”
This particular point seemed to grab the attention of some of the officers, a few of which were known to come from the ultraconservative planet of Carthago. On this old and battered world, reli
gion was still an integral part of everyday life, even though several churches and practices had been banned for decades. There was still resentment on the planet to their treatment following the surrender.
“There is one other point, and this is likely to be contentious. As you will no doubt be aware, the enemy has been taking away our citizens, some of whom have been thrown into appalling conditions in the deep mines and factories of the enemy. The worst fate of all is the harvesting our citizens for years to obtain organs and biological material. The information obtained from the horrific camps and facilities on Prometheus is shocking. It confirms that the enemy have been creating their biomechanical slaves using our own citizens as the raw material. It would appear that they have multiple sites at different stages of production. Those on Prime have been modifying and adjusting complete bodies into violent creatures. The site on Prometheus was creating life forms with completely artificial bones and flesh, just using the brain and nervous system as a control unit. All are horrendous, but they leave us with a conundrum. Those Biomechs fighting against us are simply the enemy. They have been programmed and built to hate us. They will never stop, never surrender and show us no mercy. We will show them the same. There is another group, however. I would like to show you this footage from Prometheus.”
One of the secondary monitors changed to show a video feed from Prometheus, where a large hangar-type space filled the screen. In the open area were thousands of capsules lined up in columns. A dozen people walked around them, checking on their status. Every few seconds a series of blue sparks rattled along the ceiling and occasionally touching the sides of the tubes. General Rivers, in full dress uniform, took his place and pointed a stick at the display.
“These are the tanks, the place where the new breeds of Biomechs were being created on Prometheus. These models have only recently been discovered and they represent a marked change in design. Unlike the previous models, these are fully artificial Biomechs. Synthetic creatures if you will, the latest version that doesn’t require donor body parts. The brains are laboratory grown, along with the nervous system. These parts are created separately and then placed into the fabrication tube where over a period of weeks the rest of the creature is constructed. It is my understanding that this development only occurs on Prometheus, where there has been massive amounts of research and experimentation. From our assessments, over four thousands civilians have died in these experiments to streamline the process in manufacturing artificial life. The mind is programmed to the level of a human teenager and when they are hatched, for want of a better word, they are fully formed and ready to fight. I have seen and faced these creatures and can attest to their design and abilities. They are tough and one hundred percent loyal to their cause.”
Battle for Proxima Page 11
