Star Crusades Nexus: The Second Trilogy

by Michael G. Thomas

  The helmsman nodded in agreement at this analysis.

  “If we’d entered the Rift two seconds earlier, we’d have been destroyed in the collapse.”

  That thought sent shivers through the Captain’s body. It wasn’t just the danger to her and her ship; it was the rest of the fleet. She turned about and looked to the tactical display, but it showed little more than their ship and the storms around them.

  “The task force?”

  There was silence in the room as the officers checked their logs and scanners. Finally, the XO spoke up.

  “Well, where are they?”

  Lieutenant Dan looked to them both nervously.

  “We were the first through the Rift. I’m getting no IFF signatures from them.”

  “That cannot be,” muttered the XO.

  He wandered over to the computer displays around Lieutenant Dan to see for himself. Even so, every single display throughout the CIC showed nothing more than the data coming from their own ship and the storm outside. Finally, the XO turned around and placed his head in his hands.

  “It’s just us then.”

  Captain Vetlaya leaned back in her seat and sighed uncontrollably. The task force was small, but every ship contained hundreds and hundreds of Alliance crewmembers. Even the loss of a single ship would be hard felt. The loss of all but one ship was unimaginable.

  “This cannot be. They must have been scattered, or stuck in the Rift behind us.”

  It was at that moment the science station officer finished her analysis. She checked her data one last time before closing her eyes at the terrible news. Then she looked up at the Captain and tried to think of a way, any way that she could explain the news without crushing her. There was nothing though in the end, just the cold hard truth of what had just happened.

  “Captain, I’ve finished analyzing the radiation and debris behind us. The computer gives an eighty-seven percent likelihood that the blast signature matches a cruiser size ship. It is my opinion that one of our Crusader class ships was caught in the collapse, and their powerplant went critical.”

  The possible loss of the ship was devastating enough to Captain Vetlaya, but what truly worried her was that if the explosion had come from the ship, then what had forced the Rift to collapse around them? Her attention was brought back to the present as yet more lightning surges whipped along the ship. The doors hissed open, and in walked a confused looking Colonel Morato. She marched in, flanked by two of her Marine guards.

  “Captain. What’s going on? I’ve just lost contact with my Marine detachments aboard ANS Falcon.”

  Teresa could see the screen around the Captain, and the flashes of light from the storms. She’d seem them before during her adventures in the Great Uprising, but it was the look on the face of Captain Vetlaya that startled her the most.

  “Colonel, we have lost contact with them all.”

  The ship shook again, and this time one of the screens flickered black and then came back to show an external feed of the right of the ship. Great black marks ran down the length of the vessel, and two patterns the size of an entire fighter had burned right through the hull.

  “This is insanity. We will never navigate through this storm,” said Captain Vetlaya.

  There was a hint of hysteria to her voice that panicked the crew, and Teresa could tell they were all on the edge. She was easily the oldest of the crew there, and she suspected none of them had ever been through a storm like this one. Teresa looked at the mainscreen and remembered the dangerous routes they’d needed to follow when travelling to Prometheus on the top-secret ship known as Tamarisk. It was something she didn’t really think about much these days, but today was different.

  “Helm, we need to get away from the epicenter. Plot a new course on this heading.”

  Teresa listened to the words of the Captain. None of them made any sense. These storms were almost impossible to chart and required a degree of knowledge and instinct to move through.

  “Captain, I don’t think I can get us through this,” said the helmsman.

  Captain Vetlaya walked to his position and looked at the display herself.

  “Nonsense, just follow my directions, and get us the hell out of here!”

  Another arc of blue light flashed along the ship, but this time there was no obvious damage. The Captain spotted Teresa watching her and indicated for her to leave.

  “Colonel, there is nothing for you to do here. I suggest you check on your marines.”

  Teresa shook her head in disagreement.

  “No, Captain, I think I’m the only chance you have.”

  The Captain turned about, her face a panoply of misery and worry.

  “Really? You’ve navigated through the storms of Prometheus in a starship before, have you?”

  Teresa smiled calmly.

  “Actually, I have...more than once.”

  The XO, helmsman, and even the tactical officer stopped what they were doing and watched the Marine officer with look ranging from suspicion to astonishment. The XO spoke first.

  “You’re serious, Colonel? You’ve honestly been through these storms?”

  Teresa walked closer to the main screen and examined the storms carefully.

  “More than that. I’ve been involved in ship boarding actions and space combat in this very region. Now, if I may?”

  The XO looked to Captain Vetlaya who nodded quickly. The look of disbelief on her face would have been amusing on any other day. He looked back to Teresa.

  “Very well, how should we proceed?”

  Teresa moved her hand in front of the display and brought up the region of space around them. There were few navigable features as was common in space, yet they were still only a few days away from Prometheus. There were a sizable number of debris fields that circled the star, much like the asteroid belt of Sol.

  “Back in the Uprising, we lay down a series of public and secret beacons to be used for emergency deployment in this area,” she said to nobody in particular.

  “Of course, back then we had no ability to reach the planet, except by taking the long route of nearly a year to avoid the storms. Using our secret routes, the journey could be done in weeks.”

  Captain Vetlaya couldn’t believe her ears.

  “Are you telling me these navigation beacons are still out here?”

  Teresa moved to the science console and took over its operation, leaving the young officer looked confused. Teresa accessed the communication arrays and sent out a series of pulse-coded transmissions on a wide band. Nothing happened.

  “Well, what now?” asked the XO.

  Teresa said nothing and simply waited, watching the screen for signs of the illusive beacons. To the shock of every single person in the CIC, a small green flashing symbol appeared on the tactical overlay. It was a long way off, perhaps half a million kilometers. One of the officers started to speak, but another light and then another appeared. In less than a minute, there were a dozen on the display, and more continued to appear.

  “Colonel, I was told to not underestimate you by Admiral Anderson. I can see why.”

  Teresa grinned politely.

  “Anderson is the man I came through these storms with. Now, I will help your navigator with the route. It won’t be easy, but I think I can get us to Prometheus in a few days, and without taking too much damage.”

  “Whatever you need is yours, Colonel. What can we do?”

  “Right now the most important thing is the magnetic shielding. Deactivate the weapons and any non-essential equipment, and put all you have into the shielding.”

  Captain Vetlaya nodded and looked to her XO to start the arrangements. Teresa, on the other hand, turned her eyes back to the display and the flickering lights that showed her the secretive beacons.

  Now all I need to do is remember how to get through all of this.

  * * *

  General Daniels and his small entourage looked on at the live stream of the battle on the surface of Eos with horro
r. They’d just finished assessing the situation at the two smaller bases and had moved to the much more serious attack at Fort Macquarie. As the primary Alliance base on Eos, it housed the bulk of the marines as well as all the New Helion Army units.

  “This cannot be true,” said Colonel Brünner.

  He pointed at the casualty reports and then to the flagged enemy units.

  “According to the last report from Colonel Koerner, the smaller bases are holding, but they can’t stand for much longer.”

  “I know,” replied General Daniels, “What really concerns me though is Fort Macquarie.”

  He enlarged the map, bringing up the Fort and an area fifty square kilometers around it. The amount of red units surrounding the base still shocked him.

  “We estimate heavy casualties from the Fort. The last messages were fragmented but said the Biomechs had breached the eastern wall and were at defenses. The estimate on their numbers is insane.”

  Colonel Brünner nodded in agreement.

  “Yes, the lowest estimate is now twenty thousand, with half as many scattered up to fifty kilometers away. Can they hold?”

  He looked to the General, waiting for something on his face that would fill him with confidence. Instead, he saw the look of a man that knew it was only going to get worse. The NHA had broken under pressure, and their air cover was gone. He just needed to hear it from the General himself.

  “Not a chance. The best estimate is losses of at least fifty percent from the initial bombardment and the first assault. At some point today, they will overwhelm the wall. My best guess is that once they breach the wall, it will be over in less than an hour.”

  Colonel Brünner looked as unimpressed with this news as was his General, but there was little either could do other than monitor the battle from here. They paused for what seemed like an age, and then General Daniels moved from their small combat center and toward Admiral Lewis and his cadre of officers.

  “General, what’s the plan?”

  Daniels turned his head as he walked, and Colonel Brünner instantly recognized the decisive look on the General’s face. Any decision was preferable to inaction.

  “I want our boys out of there.”

  “We’re going to send in the reserve?” asked the Colonel.

  General Daniels stopped, lowered his head for a moment, and then spoke.

  “No, this isn’t a battle we can win. This has become a rescue operation. Get your marines ready, Colonel. I need to speak with the Admiral.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The small iron silicate world of Luthien would provide a powerful base of operations for both the T’Kari and Jötnar citizens of the Alliance. Rich in resources and strategically placed, it provided a pool of hardened warriors and advanced technology; the equal of which even the worlds of Prometheus and Hyperion couldn’t match.

  The New Colonies

  Khan slammed his heavy foot into the corner of the locker, and it split in three places. Into the widest gap, he jammed the broke piece of metal and tugged once, twice, and then the door tore off and fell to the ground.

  “Good work,” said Spartan. He reached inside and pulled out a thermal shotgun. He recognized the design as being the kind of gear used on civilian ships for probably the last fifty years, perhaps even longer.

  Not like they get to see much in the way of new tech out here, is it?

  There were five shotguns plus the same number of bandoliers, each filled with a dozen boxes to reload the weapon. Spartan tossed a set of gear to the engineer and a shotgun and two bandoliers to Khan. He placed them both over his shoulder as if he was carrying a small bag. The shotgun looked tiny in his large hands, but there was a problem.

  “Uh…I don’t think they made this in my size,” he said with an odd grin.

  Spartan extended his stunted arm, and Khan threw it back. Just a few seconds after being cradled under Spartan’s arm, he pulled on three levers. With a single twist, the trigger assembly fell off, leaving an exposed trigger.

  “There! Modified and upgraded for your enjoyment, my friend.”

  Khan laughed and pulled out a box to slam into the base of the weapon. It hummed slightly as the capacitors charged up and the shells loaded into the weapon. Only after they were all armed and ready did Spartan turn his attention back to Simon, the station’s senior engineer.

  “Glad you remembered about this place.”

  The man nodded with an almost expressionless face.

  “We don’t carry weapons as a general rule, but I should have thought about the customs tugs a little sooner. There are two more on the station.”

  Spartan shook his head.

  “No, we don’t have time. Where are they now?”

  Simon pulled out the tired-looking datapad from the pouch on his left leg and tapped it twice, turning it to show them.

  “The two machines that made it on board are making their way here, the headquarters and command center of the station.”

  Khan leaned down to look.

  “Why, what do they want?”

  Spartan put his right hand on his friend’s arm.

  “Does it matter, old friend? They will do what they always do, control and destroy. It’s time for us to do what we do best.”

  Khan seemed to like that and walked back to the doorway. He looked back at the other two.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? We have machines to kill!”

  He vanished, leaving the two of them waiting in silence. Spartan moved for the door first, his thermal shotgun held down low at his waist and resting on his shattered left arm.

  “How will we stop them?” asked Simon.

  “Easy,” laughed Spartan, “We find them, then we kill them.”

  The poor man chased after them and could hear nothing but laughter from them both. He looked down at the shotgun and struggled to find the safety. He’d never used a weapon in anger before, and now he was chasing after two warriors who seemed to enjoy nothing more than the hunt.

  What the hell are you doing? You crazy old fool!

  It wasn’t enough to stop him from following them.

  * * *

  The battle for the walls of Fort Macquarie was over, and the casualties among the Marines and New Helion Army soldiers were substantial. Two of the walls had been smashed in a hundred places where the war machines of the Biomechs had literally pounded them with metal arms until they broke. For every marine that had fallen, there were five dead or horribly maimed Biomech creatures on the ground. Resistance continued inside, as the marines withdrew to the two remaining internal quadrants and their defenses. The quadrant containing the vehicle pool was the most heavily defended, and over a thousand marines had dug in to the wall, trenches, and system of six bunkers. Jack and his small group waited in the trenches on the right-hand side of the quadrant, directly opposite the vehicle pool. Three-dozen Bulldogs waited while another ten mobile gun variants had been moved to provide fire support for the defense of the Fort. Flickers of gunfire ran around the two quadrants, as they halted and then beat back what was now the seventh full frontal assault on their position.

  “Do they have any plan or is it just to keep attacking, no matter what happens?” asked Riku bitterly.

  It was a short moment of respite even though the long arced trajectories of weapons fired from the crashed landers announced the arrival of yet another bombardment.

  “Incoming!” shouted a sergeant from the middle of the quadrant.

  Explosions rippled through the base as indiscriminate fire landed on marines, buildings, and the dozens of already damaged fighters. The handful of remaining air defense systems did what they could, but there was little a few weapon batteries could do against such an overwhelming bombardment. One blast shredded a Ram as it moved crates of ammunition to one of the bunkers. It vanished in a bright fireball that sent pieces of the machine in every direction. Streaks of lights lifted up into the skies as the ammunition exploded. The shockwave sent yet another layer of dirt and dust ove
r the marines.

  “What’s the plan, Jack?” asked Riku.

  It was hard to tell any of them apart now. Each was covered in dirt and their armor cut and scratched in a hundred places. The entire Fort was full of dust clouds, but it was the thick black smoke coming from a hundred burning vehicles, machines, and buildings that reduced visibility the most. Jack kept down low and rested his carbine on the emergency parapets the Rams had been assembling even in the middle of the battle.

  “We need to get everybody out of here in those Bulldogs, and fast.”

  She looked at the armored vehicles lined up neatly in rows. Three burned in the corner because of stray fire rather than any direct involvement in the battle. More shells landed nearby, and Riku shuddered at the sight of three marines vanishing in the middle of a terrifying explosion.

  “What about the Lieutenant?” asked Callahan.

  Riku was still shaking her head as she looked at the two of them.

  “If we try and leave this place, they’ll catch us. We’re trapped!”

  Jack looked at the Bulldogs once more before turning his attention back to his comrades. He could see the look of desperation on their faces, and the sound of Riku’s voice was of a marine on the edge of a complete breakdown.

  “We need to get them all out of here,” Jack said sternly. “They’ve not landed any vehicles that we know of, and our fighters and drones are still keeping them busy.”

  Callahan looked up as though he doubted Jack’s very words. As promised, the trails from scores of fighters and spacecraft continued to fill the sky. The overlay on the visor marked out those identified as friendly, and he was happy to see there were still aircraft up there fighting for them.

  “We can escape, but only so long as we have air cover to keep them off our backs. We have to do it now, and fast, or we’ll lose everyone!”

  Callahan considered the idea for a moment and then shook his head angrily.

  “Jack, are you insane? We might get a squad in each of them. That’s just over three hundred. We have triple that number plus wounded. Don’t forget about Gun and his unit. Where is he?”