Star Crusades Nexus: Book 05 - Prophecy of Fire
Page 24
“The General?” she asked.
Captain Vetlaya nodded.
“Yes, there’s news from across the Alliance, and it isn’t good.”
The Captain tapped the screen, and the image burst into life. As well as showing the General, there were multiple feeds from different parts of the Alliance. Images of ground combat on Eos, space battles, and fighting near a dozen Rift stations throughout Alliance space; all contributed to a growing feeling of dread in her body.
“It looks like they’ve woken up,” said Captain Vetlaya despondently.
“Yes,” replied Teresa, “and they all seem to be heading in the same direction.”
She turned to look at the Captain, but it was Teresa who spoke first.
“Helios.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Fairwater Corporation Secpad was the latest in a long line of personal computer and communication devices that dated back to before the Great War. Based around a hardened shell and a direct connection to the Alliance mainframes, it was a critical component in the digital communication and battle space for years. The technology was far from state-of-the-art, but it did allow all Alliance personnel to stay in permanent contact and acted as a portable computer terminal for medical use, tactical planning, and administrative management on a hundred colonies.
Computer Science 101, 7th Edition
Jack couldn’t believe quite what he was seeing as he restarted the video stream. They had all watched the video from the CIC when it had first arrived, but he’d been unable to stop himself from watching it more than a dozen times from the temporary quarters they’d been assigned aboard ANS Conqueror. The room was one normally used by the engineers, but after the battle there were many rooms and quarters freed up due to casualties and deaths in the battle for Eos.
“I can’t believe it,” said Riku, sitting next to him in her nightclothes.
They were the only two in the room designed for four people in separate bunks, and their small number of holdalls lay in the corner, still unpacked. Jack shook his head bitterly as they looked at the screen. The main video feed showed images from the space battle with an emphasis on the destruction of the Ravager and the Biomanta fleet. There were some scenes showing Alliance ships taking damage, but none showing any losses. It was the aerial feed of Fort Macquarie that stunned them the most. Riku moved closer to Jack to sit behind him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I know,” he said quietly in reply, “The base is gone, just like the other two.”
He reached out to the unit to switch it off, but a new window appeared with a flash alert message. He considered hitting the accept icon, but it ignored him and instead brought up the imagery in front of him. It was the face of General Rivers.
“What’s happening now?” asked Riku.
Jack could sense the nervousness in her voice. He looked at her face and the temporary stitches on her cheek from a wound she’d sustained during their escape. He moved his hand to touch her face, but he could see her tense up. The voice of the General burst out from the device, making him turn around. Facing him was the smartly dressed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the highest-ranking military officer in the Alliance, and a good friend of his parents.
“Men and women of the Alliance Armed Forces. It with great regret that I must announce the atomic bombardment of enemy forces on Eos, the primary moon of the Helion planet Gaxos.”
“Atomics?” said Riku under her breath.
The image changed to show a view from high orbit over Eos. The imagery was slightly blurred and occasionally shook. A dozen white flashes, followed by large fireballs and clouds of dust marked the impacts on the surface.
“This was a strike of last resort, following the Fort Macquarie Massacre. Alliance ground forces are already working alongside fresh Helion Army units to reclaim Eos.”
The imagery moved to show the fleet of Alliance ships around the moon. Jack instantly recognized several he knew to have already been lost in the space battle. It gave the impression more ships were at Eos when he knew only three remained, and they were those unable to continue the chase to Helios.
“As prophesied by the Helions, T’Kari, and countless other races, the Biomechs as we call them are here. Many have been found lurking on planets and moons, but most are hidden within the confines of the so-called Doomsday Comet.”
Jack was all too familiar with the object. It’s coming had been talked about for weeks throughout the battalion. It was the first time he’d heard of it discussed so openly though.
“By order of the President, all Alliance forces are being mobilized to defend our allies and ourselves against this Biomech threat.”
The video feed of Eos changed to show the vast structure of the Alliance, with its many stars, planets, moons, and colonies.
“Biomech forces are attempting to break through our Rift networks, as well as the Anicinàbe and Byotai.”
Jack shook his head as he listened.
“All of these forces are heading toward a single point, one objective they are intent on capturing or destroying.”
Jack turned away from the screen and looked at Riku. The scar running down the side of her face always seemed to become more prominent the more upset or stressed she became, and it was clear to see.
“They want Helios, don’t they?” she asked.
He opened his mouth to speak, but a triple beep from the display indicated a priority message. He looked back and tapped it to see the encrypted seal from Colonel Teresa Morato.
“Your mother?” asked Riku.
The contests of the message were heavily encrypted and would take some time for the system to decipher. It was the header that went with the message, and as Jack looked at the screen, he felt a trickle of water drip down from one eye. Riku saw it and leaned in.
“It’s okay,” he said, now worried she was about to panic.
“What is it?” she asked.
He turned to look at her.
“It says that Spartan, my father, has been found.”
Both were silent at this news. Riku had never met the man, but his reputation in the Corps was something bordering on legendary. She also knew the troubled past Jack had gone through growing up in a family where his parents had been unable to spend much time with him.
“Where is he, Jack?”
He pressed a button and waited until an image of a blue world appeared. He knew immediately what it was, but to Riku it was just another planet. The light from the display shone on his face, giving his skin an odd blue tint.
“Earth,” he said, his face starting to relax.
Riku noticed his lips moving and ever so slowly a smile formed.
“It says he was found near Earth!”