Slaves of Hyperion (Star Crusades Uprising, Book 6)

by Thomas, Michael G.

  “I appreciate that a man of your experience and expertise is in great demand during this summit. You already have multiple meetings lined up, but if you could look over a report concerning the Jötnar, it would help me greatly. I don’t need you to attend our meetings, but any input you could offer would prove invaluable, and it will be of help to the Jötnar. I’m sure you are aware they have many enemies and critics in every part of the Alliance.”

  Spartan shook his head.

  “I would have thought that here, on Terra Nova itself, that the people would know better. They bled and died not far from here to end the War. A war they never started.”

  She said nothing but looked at him. Spartan considered turning away, but deep down he was worried about his friends and the racism he continued to encounter towards them.

  Maybe she can help them.

  “Okay, no problem, I would be happy to help. What area are you working on, specifically?”

  “Welfare, mainly. But you’ll see in the report that the Senate has a great many concerns about all of the artificial life we have seen in the last few years. Few trust the Jötnar, and most want the Biomechs wiped out. I would add that I am not one of them. I am a firm believer in the right to exist for all sentient beings in our juvenile Alliance.”

  Spartan was a little taken back at the thought of annihilating the species. It was abhorrent, even to him. Especially as he knew deep down that most citizens saw little, if any, difference between those that fought for the Union and those now known as the Jötnar. If it ever came to something like that, he knew he would be forced to side with the Jötnar. He could never allow their arbitrary extermination.

  “I see, well, please send it to my account, and I will be in touch.”

  The Senator nodded in appreciation and walked away. Spartan called out before she vanished from view.

  “Senator Maria Hobbs!” he called.

  She turned back to look at him.

  “Is the Select Committee going to renege on the promises made to the Jötnar?” he asked, but he knew in his heart that they were all politicians and businessmen. If it were convenient, they would quite happily turn their backs on those that had helped win the War for them.

  The Senator tapped her datapad and lowered it back to her belt. Spartan’s own datapad beeped, as a file arrived, presumably the report from the Senator.

  “Read the report, Lieutenant. It’s all in there.”

  And with that short comment, she was gone. Spartan stood still and felt he was in the middle of a firefight. He was nothing but a lowly lieutenant, yet since his arrival, he’d been bombarded with arguments, requests and schedules from all manner of people. He would much rather have been back on the Santa Cruz and working with the ASOG teams. He quickly checked the time and assessed how long he had to get to the Admiral. He could make it to Khan, but he wouldn’t have long.

  Screw this! I’m not going anywhere till I’ve had a drink.

  He glanced down to his datapad device and brought up a map of the immediate area. The bar he intended on meeting Khan at was just a few more minutes away. He turned back to the door and heard somebody approaching.

  I’m out of here!

  He moved away in the direction of the Senator as quickly as he could without being too obvious. Once away from the Chamber, he slowed down and allowed himself to take in the splendour and beauty of the great hallways and corridors. The floors were all marble and artwork, dating back hundreds, perhaps thousands of years ago, filled any large space. He rounded a corner to find a large open space with a lavish red-carpeted staircase moving to the next level. What really made him stop dead in his tracks was a large metal sculpture of ancient design of a man. He walked around to look at it in awe of the detail but also of the simplicity. It was old metal, probably bronze due to the green patination and depicted a naked man, protected by nothing more than a large round shield and helmet. In his right hand was a long spear, perhaps three metres long, and pointing up the staircase. He circled the figure until he stopped at the front and noticed a simple plaque at the base that read ¼¿»|½ »±².

  What the hell is that?

  One of the Terra Nova Guards spotted him and walked over to stand to his right.

  “Lieutenant?” asked the man.

  Spartan looked over to the immaculately dressed soldier.

  “Yes?” he replied.

  “The plaque. It reads Molon labe. In English it means ‘Come and take them’.

  Spartan looked back to the plaque but failed to see how the odd shapes could even represent the sounds, let alone the words of the phrase. He looked back to the soldier to see him smiling. He almost said something he would regret but noted the friendliness in the man’s face.

  “It is Ancient Greek, that’s what the researcher tell me anyway,” he explained.

  Spartan smiled. The man was being polite after all.

  “This is one of the oldest relics from Old Earth. It is of a man called Leonidas who led his people in a last stand against a million soldiers of the Persian Empire. The phrase is his response of defiance to the demands of the enemy to surrender their arms. His small force of just three hundred warriors fought them for days before being killed.”

  Spartan looked back to the figure. His body was sculptured like an athlete, and he was obviously a warrior of skill and prowess. He was sure the helmet was of a design he had seen before. Without looking away, he continued to speak with the soldier.

  “These people, do we know what they called themselves?”

  “Of course, Lieutenant. They’re called Lacedaemonians after their territory in Greece, but most people named them after their city of Sparta. That’s why we still know them as the Spartans.”

  With that last comment, he almost choked.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  After the robotic mules of the Marine Corps came a whole array of machines intended to reduce the number of military personnel. First were the supply drones, then the reconnaissance vehicles and then spacecraft. There were short-lived attempts to use Union prisoners in non-combat roles but sabotage and non-compliance made them even less useful than keeping than doing the work with machines. With the severe manpower shortages, the Alliance would become more and more reliant upon the synthetic citizens and machines it detested so much.

  History of Slave Labour

  With a final burst of its lateral manoeuvring thrusters, the Alliance Marine Corps heavy transport ANS Santa Maria moved into its orbital holding pattern. The massive warship contained two rotating cylindrical sections that simulated Earth’s gravity. Large internal storage hangars carried landing shuttles and utility craft for military and civilian operations. The ship carried light gun batteries that were mounted on the rotating cylindrical sections. These were kinetic railguns capable of smashing through any current armour. A veteran of the Uprising in Proxima Centauri, the ship still bore a number of scars from the fighting at the Anomaly Spacebridge and in orbit around Terra Nova.

  General Rivers watched their progress from the CIC (Combat Information Centre) situated in the heart of the great ship. As one of the few surviving senior commanders from the War, he was the Alliance’s most experienced tactician. He was a hero to those on Kerberos and the other liberated colonies in Proxima Centauri.

  “General, we’re picking up no traces of the Atlantic Star. No fuel spills, no debris and certainly no distress beacons of any kind. She must have burned up in the atmosphere,” suggested Captain George Cornwall.

  He was the tall, grey haired commander of the Santa Maria, and it was his first combat mission in his new post. He’d transferred to the ship, following her recent refit at Prometheus, along with the rest of the replacement crew. Though far less experienced that an old warhorse like the General, he had served as a heavy cruiser captain under Rear Admiral Churchill during the War and was known to be a bold commander and a rising star in the Alliance Navy.

  General Rivers glared at the viewscreen, as if by looking harder, he could force
a sign of the ship to appear. It wasn’t just that a vessel had vanished. It was the implication that the enemy could annihilate such a large civilian ship when they were broken and beaten. Even worse, they had done it out here, in the vicinity of one of the most unpleasant planets in the Alliance. He looked back to the Captain.

  “Maybe, maybe not. Don’t forget, Hyperion is well supported by moons, so we will have to scan every square inch of this place. What is the status of the automated supply post?”

  The Captain took a few seconds as he checked the readings on the main screen.

  “The supply post is showing as functioning, no security warnings or alerts. Computers are reporting the fuel supply is down thirteen percent, and the log shows the Atlantic Star took on supplies as expected.”

  General Rivers nodded and continued to monitor the situation.

  So she definitely was here, and the only other information we have is her distress signal. Either she was destroyed, or she was taken somewhere else.

  Captain Cornwall altered the view of the sector and zoomed out to show the planet and its moons. He pointed to the largest of the satellites.

  “What if the signal was forged, and the ship simply hijacked and taken somewhere else? A well-trained crew could move the ship into orbit around one of the larger moons.”

  General Rivers looked at the map for a few seconds. It was true, the ship could have been moved, that didn’t explain why though.

  What is so special about the Atlantic Star? She had a large civilian crew and a number of specialists but no major hardware, supplies or equipment.

  He walked towards the Captain and examined the moons once more.

  “Captain, if you were running an insurgent operation in this area, why would you attack a civilian ship, and what would you do with it?”

  The Captain rubbed his chin for a moment as he considered the possibilities.

  “Well, there are only two reasons I can think of. The most likely is that they saw something they shouldn’t have, or perhaps they would have detected something had they stayed any longer. The only other option would be that they needed the resources from the ship.”

  General Rivers nodded in agreement.

  “Yes, my gut instinct tells me they are up to something in this region. I’ve seen how they work, and they are the masters at hiding facilities and operations right under our noses. Remember Prometheus?”

  “Or Terra Nova,” added the Captain.

  Yes, that is true. An entire Artificial Intelligence Core that was based under the Palace of the Capital for decades. If they could hide that, what couldn’t they hide?

  “Captain, keep your crew at maximum readiness. We need to know what’s going on here, and fast. I will brief our boarding parties, and they will be ready if and when you find something.”

  “Yes, General,” he answered and the turned back to his crew.

  He was needed to oversee the initial scouting procedures to be carried out in the sector. It took time to even prep the craft, let alone launch and send them to their destinations. The General watched as the Captain and his executive officer co-ordinated the large-scale operation. They were fast and efficient, and he was reminded of the quick thinking Admiral Jarvis back when they had planned and carried out operations in the War. Compared to those days, this operation seemed like a picnic. Even so, he knew what was at stake, and as always, preparation was paramount.

  Satisfied that the operation was proceeding smooth, General Rivers nodded and then left the CIC and marched down the main corridor. His marine bodyguard followed him closely behind as they made quick progress. It took just a few minutes to reach the briefing room where a number of officers were waiting. As he entered, the assembled crowd stood smartly to attention. The ship was easily capable of carrying over a thousand fully armed men. For this operation the number had been slashed to just three companies of marines from the old 2nd Marine battalion, veteran soldiers that had served on the sister ship Bunker Hill. There were also a number of engineers plus a single ASOG Reconnaissance eight-man troop, commanded by none other than Lieutenant Spartan’s wife, Sergeant Teresa Morato. He moved to his customary spot at the front of the briefing room and looked out to the group of no more than fifty people, indicating for them to sit.

  “Marines, as you no doubt already know, we are now orbiting around the planet Hyperion, and our mission to discover the fate of the Atlantic Star is now underway. I know some of you may have known passengers on the ship, and I would remind you now that it is imperative you focus on the mission. The only way you can help them is to keep our plan running smoothly.”

  Teresa looked over to Sergeant Lovett and could see his face tightening up already. He saw her looking and did his best to smile back. She turned back to the General to see a three-dimensional model projected to his side, showing the planet. It looked much like Earth from space but slightly greener and with far less definition to the large land masses.

  “Hyperion is a large forest world. It has higher gravity than you’re used to and a thicker atmosphere. You will need breathing gear and lighter loads than normal. It is a world richly abundant with plant life and contains an almost impenetrable atmosphere, thicker than any other inhabited planet in the Alliance. There is a good possibility we will need to send drones to the moons but no immediate requirement to land ground forces. There is also a strong likelihood we might need to send units to the moons around us.”

  The large number of moons flashed on the moving model, drawing attention to them.

  “You have all been trained to operate on low or zero-g objects, so keep it in mind. As for Hyperion, well, it is a mist-covered pea soup of a planet. Comms are difficult, and orbital scanning is nigh on impossible. If we want to scout the planet, we will need to drop recon birds into the lower atmosphere.”

  The model changed to the layout of the ship and the complement of marines on board.

  “First and Second Company will prepare for planet fall within the next hour. Third Company and the Engineers will be held in reserve. Any questions?”

  Teresa didn’t bother looking around and simply thrust her hand up. The General nodded in her direction.

  “Sir. What are we expecting to find?” she asked.

  General Rivers nodded and tapped several buttons to zoom in to the planet’s surface.

  “That is a dammed good question. In short, we have no idea. Maybe nothing. Alternatively, we could end up with a Zealot training facility, underground factories or simply a black market trading post. All we know is that Hyperion is the perfect place to hide something, and that we have no current trace of the ship.”

  He paused and saw another hand lifted up. It was a short black marine from the Third Company.

  “General. What about the planet itself? How much do we know?”

  “Yes, Hyperion is infamous in folklore for its unusual atmosphere and climate. There are no known hostile life forms on the planet, but in the last hundred years traders and scientists have left invasive species. I have reports on seventeen seeding operations by Confed Bio-Teams to seed the oceans and some of the landmasses with a variety of non-destructive species. According to my report here, they should present no obstacle to our operation. In answer to your question, son, I don’t think there are any monsters down there!”

  Laughter spread quickly through the hall, but he noticed at least some of it was nervous. The rumours of beasts on Hyperion were well documented and could be traced back to the first unmanned landers that explored parts of the planet. It was rich in life, but nothing had ever been confirmed to match some of the myths of the last generations. Hyperion had been named thus, due to being one of the closer planets to largest of the two stars, Alpha Centauri A, and showed as the brightest object in the sky of its close cousin Terra Nova. The system itself was a complex one that included the binary stars plus the large collection of thirteen planets spread between them.

  General Rivers looked to his group of assembled officers and marines. He had
given this kind of briefing many times before, but rarely had he found himself with so little to actually say. He’d never visited the planet and, and for some reason, he’d never wanted to although he couldn’t understand why.

  Hyperion, what secrets are you keeping from me?

  As he considered the planet below, he smiled to himself at the bizarre notion of naming the planet for Hyperion, the lord of light, and the Titan of the east. The reality was that the planet was a dark, wet and mist-covered world. The exact opposite of what its name suggested. The noise started to quieten, and he changed the display back to the view from orbit.

  “We might not be assaulting a city or boarding a battleship, but this planet could easily swallow up an entire battalion. Remember, a group of skilled enemy terrorists managed to board a modern liner and destroyed her with the apparent loss of fifteen hundred souls. We have a job to do here, and I expect nothing but utmost professionalism from every single one of you.”

  He was about to continue, but one of his aides approached and leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

  “General, the ship’s scanners are picking up something. Apparently, it is heading our way. The Captain wishes to see you in the CIC.”

  General Rivers turned back to the assembled marines.

  “Good hunting!” he said finally and then turned, and immediately making for the door. One of his more junior commanders marched from the side to take his place. In that brief moment, Sergeant Lovett stepped closer to Teresa, a look of hope in his eyes.

  “What was that? Do you think they found something already?” he asked.

  Teresa shrugged.

  “I have no idea. Focus on your job, Lovett. If we can do anything for them, we will. Got that?”

  He nodded slowly, but Teresa could see his mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts wandered to the planet below, and she imagined a dozen scenarios based on the terrors she had experienced through the War. The last image before she looked back to the commanding officer was of the dreaded Biomechs looming out of a mist-shrouded jungle. Her spine shivered at the very thought.