"They think Olik is you. Why?"
Commander Knaro explained in simple, uncompromising language.
"Why would they not? To them, and to us, you look alike. Was Olik not in command of a major assault here, before the great betrayal?"
Khan nodded along as he listened.
"Yeah, he's not wrong. What does it matter, anyway? Olik, me, Wictred, or any other, they will still use us as bargaining chips."
Spartan gave a slight shake of the head.
"No, this is different."
Khan rubbed his forehead.
"They've not used Wictred. Not yet. Why?"
There was silence, until Knaro spoke. Uktakki the Black acknowledged, turned, and then left the room to the small group of senior commanders. Knaro looked out of the doorway to ensure they were alone, and then pulled it shut before looking to the others.
"We should speak with her. She will understand their strategy better than we can."
Spartan chuckled as he listened to the Byotai speak. He then slid from the bed and felt a pang of pain through his legs. He'd been on the bed for several days now, and just carrying his own weight on his legs was a great struggle. It didn't take long to settle down, and he stretched and strained both limbs, getting himself used to the feeling once more. Finally, he turned to Knaro and gave him a nod that implied he respected what the Commander had just said.
"Knaro, my friend. That is not a bad idea."
Spartan took a single step, and then Khan blocked his path.
"Wait. You want to see her, you want to see Nakoma?"
Spartan blinked uncomfortably at the mention of the sadistic beast. It was an involuntary movement, but one easily caused by the horrific reaction most of them had when anywhere near the Beast of Karnak.
"No, I don't want to see her. But I need to see her."
Khan nodded towards the rack unit on the wall. It was actually an old storage bin, but now contained all of Spartan gear, including the upright PDS armour that he wore in battle. Khan reached for the first sections and then stared back hard at Spartan.
"You're not going to see here until you're geared up."
Spartan opened his mouth to complain, but Kanjana was already there.
"Khan is right, as usual. Nakoma is still dangerous. She could..."
Spartan laughed at that.
"Really? She's still chained and guarded, isn't she?"
Khan smiled.
"Oh, yeah, I made sure of that. But there's not just what she can do to you physically, there's what she will think if she sees you unarmoured, wounded, and weak. Nakoma will work with us as long as it’s to her benefit."
Already Spartan was busily pulling on his underarmour garments as they hung from their places on the wall. Commander Knaro opened the door, stepped outside, and then spoke quietly back to them.
"I will speak to you when you're done."
Khan's forehead creased in a tight furrow.
"Where are you going?"
Knaro pointed off into the tunnels.
"We have breaches. I'm calling on Syala and the others to send us support. For now four platoons will move from watching the Southern perimeter and seal the gaps. We cannot afford to let them inside our network."
"True," said Khan, "Speak with Tanis. He'll send you a handful of Blood Pack troopers to help."
It didn't take long for Spartan to get ready, even placing his helmet and weapons on their mounting points before they reached the lower security area deep under the aptly named fortress. Though much of the improvised facility remained unused, the massive silos provided ample storage for food, weapons, supplies, and of course, for thousands of people. The place stank of sweat as dozens of filthy militia moved slowly through the tunnels. They lifted their feet with that slow, plodding movement that reminded them of their wretched plight. There was nothing glorious about this part of the war, and any acts of bravery, heroism, or compassion soon faded into the daily routine of just trying to survive.
"Not the nicest place, is it?" Khan asked.
Spartan laughed at his old friend.
"It's a bit dark, but hell, at least our friends are not getting in here. To get anywhere near us they'll need to dig for weeks, maybe even months, and then they have to get through the perimeter defences."
Khan shrugged as he climbed over a long line of four thick cables, each big enough to fit a Human head inside. The main benefit to being this far from the surface was the cool air and the quiet, something all were starting to appreciate. For all grandiose name and titles, Fortress Alpha was amongst the most unpleasant parts of the Byotai front-line, and life for its defenders offered no great luxuries. Months of fighting had removed every nicety ever built on the surface, leaving the place a shattered wilderness of little value to either side. With command of the skies now lost, the majority of battles took place in the ruins of the ten settlements of the South, or beneath them. Which meant the valiant defenders needed a stronghold they could defend. This was one of them.
"I still don't like having her and her bodyguard here. They are a problem."
Spartan shrugged.
"I don't like it either, but it's not like we could execute her and the rest of them, is it?"
Khan's eye's opened wide in mock surprise.
"Well...we could maybe..."
"Khan," complained Kanjana.
He looked to the lithe woman and bowed apologetically.
"The truce might be the one thing that helps us win this war."
Spartan nodded towards the entry point leading to the final ramp. There were no signs or markings that this place was of any great importance, other than the trio of Blood Pack warriors waiting in front. The lighting was dull, and at least half of the tube lamps were either turned down low or non-functioning, giving this part of the underground fortress a desolate, abandoned look. The three approached the mercenaries carefully. Even when close, they still refused to move away, and Spartan watched with satisfaction as their fingers moved to the safeties on their weapons.
Good work, very good work.
"This place is off limits," said one.
"We know," answered Khan.
They stepped into the light, and as soon as the three Blood Pack saw Khan, they relaxed. After a short exchange of thumps and arm grabs, they moved to Kanjana and Spartan.
"We've heard nothing from them for days. If you ask me, something is going on down there."
Spartan nodded. "Understood."
He moved past and then stopped.
"If we're not back within an hour, come and get us."
With that, they moved off down the ramp, and into the darkest and least populated part of the overcrowded facility. The sounds of voices and machinery faded with every extra metre the three took. Even the artillery and airstrikes that were now a daily occurrence had relatively little impact down here. Day by day, more of the survivors moved underground so that the majority of the surviving population now lived in the darkness. Prior to the war, nearly one point three million Byotai had occupied the South. Now nine hundred thousand remained, the rest dead, captured, or fighting for the other side. Nine hundred thousand people leaving in an underground system never designed for permanent occupation.
It had not always been this way. Generations ago, the Byotai intended to mine and harvest the valuable nanocrystals that were the wealth of Karnak. Even when the super-mine of Melantias was constructed, the infrastructure of the South remained, providing most of the housing and living space for the bulk of the Byotai population. At a distance of nearly two hundred metres below the surface, the productive Byotai built several massive transport shafts for the proposed mines. Though used for no more than a short time, both still existed and had become part of a secondary transport link between the cities of the South. Two of these express routes remained intact, with a number of service platforms and vertical shafts leading back to the surface.
They moved towards a long abandoned tracked loading vehicle. It was small, and at some
point in the past used to move crates and materials through the passageways. The metal was dull and rusted, and the entire machine half burrowed in a layer of dust. Kanjana ran a hand over the left side of the machine, scattering the fine dust like sand.
"This is old, very old."
Her voice was sad, almost crestfallen.
"Not long ago this place thrived. Now look at what remains. Is this place worth fighting for anymore?"
Spartan placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Kanjana, what's wrong?"
The young woman looked up at him, her face mournful.
"If we win or lose out here, what will be left? Is this place worth anything to anybody anymore?"
Spartan started to answer, but he could see Khan behind her indicating he should remain silent. Normally, he would have ignored his friend, but on this occasion suspected he may be right.
"Come with us. That's a question for another day."
They worked their way lower into the facility, but all the while Spartan found himself thinking about what she'd said. He was so busy fighting in this war, stepping back to look at the big picture was difficult. He knew the Byotai valued this land, yet the Byotai Empire was gone. Many of the militia had already fled, and now the toughest fighting was between these newly arrived Star Empire soldiers and his mercenaries.
She has a point.
The two main factions weren't even fighting anymore. The Anicinàbe clans were broken and the Byotai settlers scattered. Now the war had taken an odd turn, and the more he thought about it, the more he suspected this was a new phase that would see Karnak become a proxy war between the two great regional powers.
His attention shifted to those much closer to him. Spartan had few close friends, and most of them were now on this planet. Khan and Olik were close, but he felt almost nervous at having Syala and Arana here as well.
One well placed nuke and I'd lose them all.
Spartan tried to lose the images of his friends. Yet the faces of Teresa and Jack popped up. Spartan tried again, but the images were lodged in firmly, making it next to impossible to remove them. Irritated at himself for letting his mind drift, he looked down and withdrew his sidearm and checked the feed, anything to take his mind from thinking of his friends.
"Spartan."
He looked up and found Khan looking right back at him.
"You expecting trouble?"
Spartan laughed. "Trouble. Khan, I always expect trouble, and guess what?"
"What?"
"Somehow, we always seem to run into trouble, no matter how hard we try to avoid it."
Khan nodded several times in agreement.
"That's why we should look for trouble and embrace it. It's what we do best."
Spartan thought about that for a while and almost didn't notice the bright light at the next level. As they moved closer, the light revealed a pair of Helion mercenaries waiting outside the pair of heavy blast doors. These were not the usual doors that led into other passages or rooms, but the heavy structures used as entrances to vehicle pools and landing bays. Long metal rods ran into each side, providing additional high strength seals to what was already a very well protected set of doors.
Both of the Helions looked towards the group as they approached, but of the trio, Spartan seemed to get the most attention. Spartan was a big man for sure, but when stood alongside Khan, he looked nothing out of the ordinary. The advanced M-3B armour managed to hide a large part of his intimidating physique, but still their eyes followed him. They watched him because he'd become something more than just their commander. Spartan was already a living legend, and now he was their leader. In the cruellest and nastiest place imaginable. Clearly, few people came to this part of the fortress.
"Halt!"
For all their awe of the advancing warriors, both Helions managed to follow the set procedures to the letter. The two guards blocked his path, keeping their hands on their weapons; ready to respond the instant there was trouble. Spartan remained a safe distance away and deactivated his helmet, as per protocol. As the visor and plating pulled away, they could see his unmistakable face.
"Major. Can we help you?"
The robotic voice seemed odd for a moment, as the translator units all used the same accent. Spartan could tell the difference in tone between the singsong voices of the Helions and their distantly related T'Kari and Anicinàbe kin. Between the Byotai and the others it was even more pronounced.
"I'm here to see her."
The two guards shared a look before the first spoke again.
"Very well."
He then nodded towards a rotating locker on the wall on the other side of the main passageway.
"You're going to have to leave your weapons here. You know the procedures."
Spartan nodded, as did Khan behind him.
"Of course, they're mine after all."
Spartan placed his weapons in the unit, including his sidearm and backup blades. As he stepped away, the one Helion slid the unit down to open another section. Khan placed his own oversized weapons inside, but his Thumper was so massive part of the stock pushed out.
"That's okay," said the Helion.
He moved the unit once more, and this time it was Kanjana's turn. In went her pistol, but nothing more. Spartan watched, and as she stepped away, he cleared his throat.
"Forgetting something?"
Kanjana looked to her mentor for almost two seconds before relenting and removing a long, synthetic blade from inside her breastplate. The item looked as though it had been produced in a backyard fabrication unit, like the ones found throughout Karnak. The compact devices could print objects in various materials, and even hardened graphene.
"Good girl."
Spartan was intentionally sarcastic, and she struck his arm with her fist as the Helion guards opened the door. Spartan stepped inside first, and into the narrow passage. It was narrower than the main passages underground, but then opened out into a circular bay surrounded by locked storage areas. All of them were open, apart from the largest. The three moved into the centre of the round room and then looked towards the large locked entry door. Another pair of marine soldiers waited, but this time they were Byotai militia, and carrying pistols at their sides. Both nodded, and one turned to the door. He indicated towards the large metal plate before speaking.
"Do you require an escort?"
Spartan shook his head. "She will not harm us."
"Spartan!" Kanjana exclaimed.
He looked to her and tried to reassure her with a calm, relaxed smile.
"Trust me."
The massive reinforced door swung open, revealing another world deep inside their underground fortress. Spartan stepped in first and coughed as the smell hit him. It wasn't sweat, or anything particularly foul, just the odd odour of hundreds of alien clan soldiers and officers that remained loyal to his old enemy. They moved further inside to where a number were busy preparing food. Some sat in small groups talking, while others sharpened blades on the few weapons they'd been allowed to keep.
"Stay sharp," said Spartan, "One wrong move, and we'll have the lot of them on our backs."
Both Khan and Kanjana nodded slowly, keeping their hands on their weapons. Scores of pairs of eyes glared at them as they went, and two even moved to block their path, until a sharp sound from deep within the facility forced them to stop. Neither hesitated, and they stepped aside to let them pass. Spartan looked to his right as they moved on by and carefully examined the Spires soldiers. He'd fought long and hard battles with them, and even now found them a fascinating, if an incredibly cruel foe. Fast and well disciplined, they were expert guerrilla fighters, but no match for an Alliance marine on the battlefield.
"Just over here," said Kanjana.
They reached the end of the long open space before any of them realised they were in a mine car loading platform. A sealed tunnel ran parallel to them, now occupied by a rusted and partially destroyed passenger wagon. Spartan saw movement inside, and made a men
tal note of the Spire clan warriors' positions. Just in case. Finally, they passed the next large girder where an entire wall was missing, replaced by a wire of hardened steel. The initial impression was this was some kind of complicated prison cell, but the missing mesh to the right told a different story.
"Spartan."
The words oozed venom, but had little discernible effect on Spartan's demeanour. Kanjana kept to the far side of the room, but Khan and Spartan moved closer to the mesh. Inside sat Nakoma, leader of the Spires Clan, and former military commander and governor of all Anicinàbe forces on Karnak.
"How are your new quarters, Ogimà?"
Spartan said the name for clan chief with barely concealed contempt. He could quite happily have entered the space she now called home and cut her throat. He would have slept better at night knowing she was gone. A speaker unit fitted just outside her large cell converted the words, but she seemed to show little, if any interest in what he was saying. Contrary to what many had wanted, Spartan allowed her to retain her traditional clan warrior clothing, and with her entourage around her. To an outsider it might seem as though they were there as honoured guests, rather than hostages. The two looked at each other for a moment, and then Nakoma rose to her feet and walked to the opening. Khan indistinctively moved his hand to his blade, looking for any opportunity to end her life where she stood.
"Spartan. I hear your war...goes poorly."
Her eyes lifted to the ceiling, and she smiled, exposing her sharpened teeth. To her surprise, Spartan leaned in close, so close she was tempted to lean in and lick his face, perhaps even bite him.
"Yeah, it could be better. Looks like you really screwed up letting this half-breed and his friends come down here."
Once the words were fully translated her expression transformed. Some might have expected anger or bitterness, but not the look of amused pleasure that she now showed.
"Oh, I like you. I like a bit of passion."
CHAPTER SIX
War Zone (Star Crusades: Mercenaries Book 5) Page 9
