Star Crusades Uprising: The Second Trilogy

by Michael G. Thomas

  “They’re looking for us!” cried the woman. She ran back to the wall on the other side of the alley, disappearing inside what looked like a tunnel. The three men followed, and the last one waved to the two Confed officers to follow them.

  Without pausing to consider the consequences, they ran after them and slid inside the damp and murky tunnel. It was almost perfect timing. The searchlights bathed the area around the entrance of the tunnel as they slipped inside. The six kept on moving, but the slippery flooring, water and debris hampered their progress. After five minutes of continuous travel, the tunnel started to open out and a series of low level lights provided just enough visibility to see each other. The woman stopped, as did the men. They moved through the new area and each of them checked the walls and gaps.

  “Looking for bugs?” asked Agent Johnson.

  None replied, and they simply continued digging about the place for almost a minute before stopping to relax. The man claiming to be their leader moved closer.

  “Look, we’ve been trying to survive for over a month now. When we started, there were sixty-three of us. Most were workers from the factories plus their families and a few friends. We’re now down to twenty-four people, including us four.”

  “We’ve tried everything, but so far the only way they have not been able to find us is by hiding underground,” added the woman.

  “Because of their sensors?” asked Erdeniz.

  “Probably. Whenever we head to the surface, we get hit by Union troops or militias in less than half an hour.”

  Agent Johnson nodded in agreement.

  “Makes sense. They have access to the colony satellites and airborne surveillance. I thought they’d be too busy pursuing the war to worry about a few stragglers in the city.”

  “What about you two? Is that all that’s left?” she asked.

  “A few more of us got out alive, and we’re staying in hiding like you right now. Not for long though, we need things to change, and it needs to happen fast.”

  The woman moved even closer, staring hard into his face.

  “Are you insane? By staying hidden we have lost many. If we try to act against our oppressors, we’ll lose everybody in a matter of days, maybe even hours.”

  Erdeniz shook his head in disagreement.

  “Almost any decision we make will mean we’ll all be either captured all killed in the end. So the real question is, what can we do to maximise our chances of surviving the occupation by the Echidna forces?”

  “The only way to survive in the long term, Navy boy, is to be rid of them once and for all. We can’t do that with a few dozen people with light weapons and no military training.”

  Long shadows appeared in the direction they had all entered the tunnel. The group went silent and listened intently. It sounded like the sloshing of water, and as though a number of people were moving quickly through the space.

  “It’s them!” said the woman.

  “Union troops?” asked Erdeniz.

  “No, the creatures. They send them underground to hunt us. We must leave, now!”

  The young Captain reached out and placed his hand on her arm.

  “No, if we keep running, we will eventually be caught. Stay with us, and I promise we’ll have a fighting chance.”

  To emphasise his point, he pulled his L48 carbine from around his body and lifted it up to his shoulder. Agent Johnson did the same and moved further back so they could both cover the same access point.

  “How many do they normally send?”

  The woman turned to the three men and spoke quietly before turning back.

  “Normally three or four. If you listen, you’ll hear their breathing. They sound like demons.”

  “I know, I’ve met them many times before,” said Captain Erdeniz.

  “Listen. We will let them get close, really close, and then deal with them quickly. Aim for the centre mass, the chest area. They bleed and die just like a man.”

  “Last time we stood and fought, I lost three people, good people.”

  “Trust me, it will work.”

  The two moved into position, waving the others on further into the tunnel and away from the potential battle. The sound of the creatures was much louder now, and the two men doubted for a moment exactly how many there might be. For a second Captain Erdeniz felt a pang of fear that a large group might hit them.

  “Maybe this wasn’t the best plan?” asked Agent Johnson.

  They both aimed their carbines into the tunnel towards the blackness that greeted them. Unlike the weapons used by the frontline infantry units, these lacked the special ammunition or sighting system. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but right now they could have used the extra abilities.

  “Can you hear that?” asked Erdeniz.

  There was no time to answer as out of the blackness burst three pale creatures. Each was about the size of a leopard, yet with the cruel and distorted body of horrific genetic experimentation. These Biomechs were the early efforts created by the Echidna Union and had proven extremely effective. Their arms and legs were bloated and enhanced to excessive levels, and their neck and jaw muscles bulged with savage intent.

  “Now!” shouted Erdeniz.

  Both men fired their carbines. The silence was quickly shattered by the violence of the powerful guns. Each gun blasted large calibre explosive rounds towards the creatures. As each one struck home, it triggered its tiny charge and ripped a substantial hole through the core of their bodies. The first one to enter the open space took six rounds, two in the head and the rest in its torso. The explosive power of the weapons sent blood and bone against the walls in showers. More creatures pushed in from behind and through the blood to leap at the men. They kept shooting, but with five dead they were already almost out of ammunition. One more creature emerged, only to be cut in half by a careful burst from Agent Johnson. As the tunnel sank back into silence and darkness, they looked at each other with just the faint glow of the low level lighting showing their shapes.

  “I’m okay, you?”

  Agent Johnson forced a smile.

  “Yeah, fantastic. We have one problem though. Now they know we’re here.”

  Movement behind them caught their attention, but it was only two of the civilians who must have turned back.

  “Come with us. We have a safe house.”

  “Don’t you think you should have mentioned this earlier?” asked an irate Erdeniz.

  The man smiled, his teeth almost glowing in the odd light of the tunnel.

  “Maybe. Until now, I couldn’t be sure who you were.”

  “Great. Come on then, take us there. We have things to discuss.”

  The group moved off into the darkness with the only light coming from small flashlights that emitted a dull red glow. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to stop them crashing into each other.

  * * *

  It took almost thirty minutes of hard crawling and running before the small group emerged from the tunnel into the lower levels of an industrial building. It had been abandoned for at least a few years. Cobwebs, rats and dust seemed to be all around the low levels. There was no artificial lighting, so it took a few seconds for the small party to adjust their eyes until they could see the rest of the people. The four civilians moved ahead first. They stopped in front of what looked like an iron pump over five metres tall. As they stood there speaking quietly, a large man with an upright posture and commanding manner moved towards them. His voice was low and gruff, yet it was still difficult to hear him even at this short distance.

  “Who the hell is that?” asked Agent Johnson.

  Erdeniz said nothing, but he simply watched the group for any signs of familiarity or intention. The last thing he wanted was for them to end up trapped and outnumbered this far from their allies in the city. The group stopped talking for a moment until the large man beckoned with his right hand for them to approach. They moved forward and into the middle of the open space. From this position, there was just enough
moonlight for them to be able to make out the rough shape of each other’s faces.

  “I am Caladus, the leader of this unit. My friend here says you helped fend off a creature attack in the tunnels. Is this true?”

  “Creature attack, you mean the Biomechs?” asked Erdeniz.

  Caladus nodded but said nothing.

  “Yes, we were at the rear of your group when he were hit by a small group. Luckily for us, they are using the smaller, more primitive models.”

  “Yes. They seem to use them as hunter-killers in the tunnels and sewers system. I’m not entirely sure I would describe them as smaller or primitive though.”

  “Maybe not. The larger Biomechs have been used in large scale combat, and even our best marines have found it hard to match them in close quarter combat.”

  “Closed quarter? Which idiot would try to fight the large Biomechs in close combat? It would be suicide.”

  “Sergeant Spartan of the Marine Corps has fought them in several engagements. He has become quite the celebrity and has killed at least two with his bare hands.”

  “Spartan? The pit fighter?”

  “I think so, but I’ve never actually met him. His reputation is well known throughout the fleet though. He is the first to have met the Biomechs in battle.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned! Trust Spartan to manage to wrangle his way into the military, and then end up trying to steal all the glory,” said the man with a barely concealed grin.

  “You know him?” asked Erdeniz.

  “Know him? Of course, I taught him everything he knows in the arena. Spartan and I were rivals back when I still fought on the circuit.”

  Caladus moved back and sat down. He reached forward and pulled back his jacket to reveal his muscled torso. One of the men moved closer with his light to cast its dull red glow onto his flesh. A series of lines ran along his upper arm and chest.

  “You see these. Spartan gave them to me during one of our greatest matches. It was a melee with a dozen of the best fighters. I knocked him out, but not before he gave me these scars to remind me of him.”

  He pulled his jacket back on and looked at the two military men.

  “Something tells me neither of you came here to chat about old sparring partners. You are Navy, so what about you?”

  “Special Agent Johnson, formally working on an inter-colonial taskforce.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Yes. Tell us about your group then? I assume you are running an underground operation against the Echidna regime?” asked Captain Erdeniz.

  Caladus looked about the open space and then back to the two men. He beckoned for them to come closer.

  “In my experience, giving up information to people you’ve never met is a sure-fire way of ensuring you die. Let’s just say my people are keeping out of everybody’s way until all of this dies down.”

  “Dies down? You do know they are taking citizens away to camps, don’t you? Where do you think the Union is getting the raw materials to build their Biomechs?”

  Caladus looked back at one of his men, a similarly massively built man who carried a large calibre automatic weapon under his left arm. He moved forward and whispered into his ear. Caladus nodded and looked back at Erdeniz.

  “According to our latest information, the Biomechs are synthetic.”

  “Yes they are, but only the newest ones. Every previous generation has been built on the mutilated remains of donor humans. Just look at the smaller ones. They are simply modified and abused humans who have had their minds wiped and replaced with the most bestial of functions. Before I left the fleet, the reports suggested the technology had been under development for over three decades, maybe longer.”

  Caladus looked at him and said nothing. Either he was digesting the information, or he just didn’t care. After what seemed an eternity, he finally spoke.

  “Three decades or more. So not long after the end of the Great War. A coincidence?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Captain Erdeniz looked over to Agent Johnson who looked equally surprised.

  * * *

  Commander Anderson watched from his position at the observation platform. The landing bay on Prometheus had been transformed over the last months into a heavily fortified and equipped base. With the initial success of Operation Perdition, the demand on personnel and equipment had increased massively. Civilians had volunteered in large numbers. Especially those that had been living in the poorer and severely crowded facilities on the Prometheus Seven Trading Post. The huge station was the largest artificial space station in the Confederacy. The structure was based on the early Bernal sphere design and now used as a long-term home for permanent residents, trade and commerce. A number of small ships had already been launched, and the facility was quickly turning into an efficient forge. The air conditioning was vastly improved over the way it had been during their takeover of the site.

  The video changed from its default black screen to show the captain of one of the newest ships.

  “Commander. I have the last consignment of parts and weapons for the fleet. We are good to go.”

  “Good work, Captain. It is critical that you get the prisoner to Admiral Jarvis as soon as possible.”

  “Understood. We are due to rendezvous with the fleet at Titan Naval Station. I have your tech team on board as well.”

  Commander Anderson nodded at the screen. The mission to take the prisoner was an important one. He had already debriefed the prisoner as much as he was able, but the fleet was much better suited. The Naval Station itself contained interrogation rooms and well-trained professionals who could help extract intelligence from the man.

  “Very well. Contact me as soon as you have completed the prisoner transfer. You have two frigates for escort, and I understand a cruiser is meeting you on your approach to Prime. Good luck, Captain.”

  The man on the other screen saluted.

  “Sir.”

  The image flipped back to the standard Confed logo before fading and switching off. Sergeant Kowalski approached from the right along with two other marine technicians.

  “Sergeant.”

  “Sir. The science team here have been making some interesting discoveries about the Anomaly. Perhaps we could go somewhere more private to discuss them?”

  Commander Anderson nodded in agreement and turned away from his viewing point. From the corner of his eye he noticed the engines on the most distant ships firing up, and for a moment he panged for a return to space. Working on a base like this wasn’t what he had trained for. Before this posting he had been the XO on CCS Crusader, the flagship of the entire fleet.

  The group walked the short distance down the stairs and through a secure access point to a conference room. Two marine guards waited outside. Each was wearing full armour and carrying the usual L48 rifles. They saluted as he approached and then slid open the door for him. As they filed inside, Sergeant Kowalski exploded in chatter.

  “Sir. The readings. Off the chart, I mean...”

  “Slow down, Sergeant,” said Anderson. He indicated off to his right for the group to sit down. They moved to the chairs and the two marine technicians placed a three-dimensional projector unit on the table. With the tap of a button, a detailed model of a cloud appeared.

  “Sir. These are the readings from the Furious Battlegroup. As you already know, there is a form of gateway or point whereby our vessels can move through to Alpha Centauri.”

  “Yes, yes. I know. You have already briefed me on this. The team there already think it is a form of Einstein-Rosen Bridge. It is one of the postulated Spacebridges, although most thought it was a theory, no more than that. What do you have?”

  “Well, Sir. The information sent to us from the research teams shows three unidentified objects within the Anomaly. If you look here, you will see the entrance to the bridge is deep inside the cloud. The three objects are in the cloud and...well.”

  “What is it?” demanded Commander Anderson impatiently.


  One of the marine technicians pressed a button and enlarged the model so that one of the objects was shown more clearly. He then turned to the Commander.

  “It would appear that these objects are the remains of some kind of fabrication or assembly structure.”

  Commander Anderson said nothing for a moment. He simply stared at the image of the cloud and the object moving slowly inside it. The more he looked the more detail he could identify. There were gantries, containers and machines, but it looked heavily damaged.

  “How large is this thing?” he asked.

  “Massive. Our estimates are that the largest structure is over a kilometre long and heavily damaged.”

  “It could just be the remains of a damaged ship.”

  “Perhaps, but if you look at this part, you can clearly see construction cranes and loading areas. It is the opinion of our science team that this is part of an advanced construction platform of some kind.”

  “For building what exactly?” replied Anderson, but it was clear he already knew the answer.

  “Sir, this damaged platform is almost certainly responsible for the creation of the Anomaly.”

  Commander Anderson looked at him in confusion and then at the three-dimensional model. He tapped the button and zoomed out to see the cloud and the three parts of the object.

  He reached down and pulled out his datapad. With a few taps it connected to his communications officer.

  “Get me Admiral Jarvis immediately. This is a priority one communiqué.”

  “Kowalksi. Get a team of engineers ready for me and as much support equipment that we can spare. I need our best software guys as well. You’re going to follow the supply convoy with an extra ship. We need to get them to the Anomaly with this gear and fast. Who is our best software man?”