Captain Tinychai seemed intrigued at this information.
“So the rumors of the Helions commanding a large empire were true, after all?”
Anderson shrugged. Captain Jose Pezal pointed at the Rift on the edge of Helion space. It was marked as the exchange point between Helion space and the Khreenk Federation.
“Admiral, where do we stand with the other empires, then?”
Before he could answer, the counter ran to zero, and a fuzzy image of the General appeared, correcting itself as more data arrived.
“Admiral Anderson, thank you for arranging this important meeting. There is urgent news from our new ambassador on Helios, as well as from our other contacts throughout the Orion Nebula.”
He paused while a clerk handed him something.
“As you are all aware, we have been collating data on these new regions of space. There are planets, races, and factions we had no idea even existed. Our big concern is this prophecy that the Helions keep referring to. We have analyzed all records we have access to, and it is clear they are convinced the Enemy will return to Helios for vengeance.”
Admiral Anderson nodded as if he were in a discussion with the General.
“Now, this prophecy is a common theme with each of the races, and there are even hints on Hyperion in our own territory. Normally, we would ignore this, but there is one thing they all have in common. It is this.”
His face moved to the side and was replaced by what looked like a common comet.
“This is C34A, a well known comet apparently amongst the races close to the Helions. It was last present during the defeat of the Biomechs and their incarceration on their own worlds. As you know, the Black Rift is the only fast route to cover the thousands of light years to their domain.”
The image returned to General Rivers.
“This comet is on its way back, and according to the Khreenk, the Helions, and all the rest, will signal the start of the next war.”
One of the younger officers muttered something and was quickly silenced by a nearby captain.
“Now, because of this potential threat, our entry into the Narau military as a temporary member has been accelerated. Our strength has already been recognized, and this places us at the heart of the political sphere of the Great Powers.”
The officers in the room looked at each other and then back to the virtual presence.
“The troubles on Helios have stark similarities with the problems we faced back on Proxima Prime at the very start of the Uprising. For those of us who were there at the time, you’ll recall how the situation changed from insurgency and terrorism to outright war.”
His image vanished and was replaced by a vast model that seemed to include all the territories of the Powers, including the Alliance. Helios was in the center and surrounded by four flashing stars.
“We know there are small groups of Biomech forces and their supporters, perhaps even around our own worlds. Alliance Intelligence has examined everything from the evidence left by them on Hades and Hyperion through to the prisoner that Admiral Anderson has on your station. Everything points to one thing; a long-term Biomech strategy to return to Helios.”
He paused to let that piece of information sink in. The video was not in real-time, so he had no way to gauge exactly how they would react. Even so, the short pause was about right as they started to chatter with surprise and confusion at his news. His voice finally returned.
“We have every belief that the remaining Biomechs will seek to exploit this situation anyway they can, perhaps to try and reopen the Rift to their worlds. The President has therefore authorized me to take major action in this sector as part of a Narau Force under the authority of the Helion government. These forces will operate from an orbital deployment area based upon four capital ships. Admiral, if you would continue.”
He stopped for just a few seconds as a number of further documents and video files continued to arrive. Admiral Anderson then continued the briefing.
“The T’Kari will conduct patrols of the Helios System, especially the access points to the other Powers while flying the Alliance flag. Their ships are ideally suited to this kind of operation, and it will leave us to concentrate on Helios. We will also be sending a smaller fleet to meet with contingents from all the other Powers to guard the Black Rift.”
“This is madness,” snapped General Daniels, without even thinking.
“The Helions have treated their people like dogs. The uprising has spread, and the Zathee have already offered us support if and when war comes to us. And now we plan to send ground forces into the middle of all of this? This will simply allow the Helions to maintain control.”
Admiral Anderson exhaled slowly, the sound getting all of their attention.
“You’re missing the big picture, General. It is our job to ensure peace and stability for the Helions. This will guarantee resources and warriors for the fight, if it ever comes to it. If we send in troops right now, we will start a war with the Helions, a war we cannot afford to become embroiled in.”
General Daniels opened his mouth but Anderson stopped him.
“I know, we could handle them, but what about the others? What if the Klithi or the Khreenk side with them? In minutes, we could be at war with every single one of them, all so that we can offer military assistance to the Zathee, a culture we only knew of months ago.”
He pointed at the display.
“As you can see, General Rivers has already sent us the dispositions for Helios. Additional forces are en route so the entire 4th Heavy Strike Group can be committed to action. That is twelve ships under the commander of Rear Admiral Lewis plus the 2nd Marine Corp Regiment that will operate from orbit over Helios. I will ensure this station is made available for support craft, resupply, and anything else you might need.”
He paused for a second, getting his breath before continuing. In that brief moment, he looked at each of them and could see the tension in their faces. This was evidently far more serious than any of them had expected.
Captain Harris, the commander of ANS Crusader, one of the most famous ships now in the fleet, lifted the palm of his hand slightly to get attention.
“Admiral, this all seems hasty. Have we learned something new from the Biomech soldier? Why the rush? Comets have been the harbingers for a long time, even on our worlds.”
That one question turned the room to total silence. It was common knowledge that the soldier captured during the initial foray into Helios had been brought to this place for study. What wasn’t known though was what had happened since. Admiral Anderson looked at the man and smiled in a gesture that was hard to fully understand.
“Captain, it is a good question but perhaps not one for today.”
The video stream from General Rivers returned. Admiral Anderson signaled for his audience to turn their attention to his image.
“I am sending over all intelligence required for this operation. I must take my leave of you. You have everything you need, and I expect nothing but the utmost professionalism in your approach to this problem. Any requests may be made through Admiral Anderson, who is in command of all Alliance forces inside the Orion Nebula. Good luck to you all.”
With the General now gone, Admiral Anderson switched off the video feed and looked out to the men and women.
“The Admiral Jarvis Naval Station is fully operational, and it will now be your permanent base of operations, as well as the most remote border fortress we have out here. It is our job to stabilize this part of space, to prevent the enemy from taking ground, and most importantly, to ensure that no Biomech ever gets within a single AU of the Black Rift.”
His image vanished, and at the same time the Admiral stood up. He looked about the table at each of them. They looked eager for information, but there was no way he would be telling them any of what he had learned.
“That is all for now. Admiral Lewis, General Daniels, if you would stay behind please. We have further details to discuss.”
The rest of th
e officers left the room as quietly as they had arrived, and only the three senior commanders remained in the room. Anderson said nothing until the door shut behind them, and he was left with the other two.
“Well, what did they decide?” asked General Daniels.
Anderson scratched his chin for a second. The years had not been kind to him, and like General Rivers, starting to show his age. His skin looked tired and his hair a brilliant sheen of white. His eyes, however, glowed brightly, and he showed all the intellect and intelligence that he always had. He considered the General’s question. The other officers knew roughly what the plan was, but they were not privy to the overall strategy being adopted by High Command back in Terra Nova. He, on the other hand, had spoken with General Rivers six hours earlier and had argued vehemently against the decision that had been made. He looked at the two men and raised an eyebrow before speaking.
“Our strategy is...unexpected.”
General Daniels shook his head in an irritated fashion.
“Isn’t it always? We do have a plan then?”
Anderson opened his mouth in a narrow smile and reopened the star map that showed the known borders of the Great Powers. Each of their regions of space was colored differently, clearly showing the territory of the Anicinàbe was the largest in terms of star systems.
“We have the Helion League, the Khreenk Federation, Klithi, Byotai and Anicinàbe territories out here.”
He then pointed at the small region of space off to the left.
“This is us and our six star systems. We, of course, have territories in Alpha Centauri, Proxima Centauri, and Sol, plus our newest mining outposts and colonies at Epsilon Eridani, Gliese 876, and Procyon. And in the last few years, we have included T’Karan to this to make a total of seven stars.”
He looked back at them, clearly waiting to make a major announcement.
“Do you have any idea how many star systems the other Powers control?”
There was silence as the other two men looked at him impassively. Anderson knew all too well they would not know, even he wasn’t completely sure about the information passed on via the diplomats on Helios.
“I’ll tell you, gentlemen, forty-five stars and hundreds of worlds. Half of those are in Anicinàbe space. There could easily be as many again that we do not know about. Why do you think we have allowed our frigates to join the Narau fleet on one of its patrols?”
“Intelligence,” replied Rear Admiral Lewis in a slow, deliberate tone.
Anderson stood up and walked toward the nearest wall where he stopped and examined the model ships. Most he recognized, and some even brought back painful memories. The wrecked hulk of the Battlecruiser Crusader was the one that made him the think the hardest. It had been the pride of the fleet and the flagship of Admiral Jarvis, the heroine of the Uprising.
“Precisely,” he said, his back still to them.
He took the model from the wall and examined it with interest, finally turning to face his two guests.
“Stability for the Alliance is our priority, and the worry is that the Rift network is larger than anticipated and poorly mapped. The enemy is still out there, and all of our worlds are vulnerable.”
He walked back and placed the model on the table.
“It is simple, gentlemen. Our job is to keep these forty-five worlds stable and friendly. We must do all we can to explore the Rift network, and ultimately prepare for the day when the attack will come.”
Rear Admiral Lewis didn’t appear convinced.
“Attack? Who’s to say the Biomechs aren’t smashed or weakened beyond chance of recovery? If they’re so strong, then why aren’t they already here, taking us apart like before?”
Anderson smiled and returned to his seat. With a single tap, he brought up an image of a vast hangar type structure. Inside was an object bathed in white and yellow lamps. Both men leaned in closer to examine the shape. It was a large creature, like something from hell itself but a sickening mixture of machine and flesh. It moved a little before a fluorescent green fluid was automatically pumped into its body via a machine to its side.
“The Biomech soldier?” asked General Daniels.
“Yes,” answered Anderson.
Daniels shook his head in horror.
“What are you doing to it?”
Anderson was surprised at his discomfort. The Biomechs had been responsible for so much death; he would have thought the man would relish seeing the thing suffer.
“This is nothing, just drugs to stop it from turning on us. It has already killed eleven technicians since we brought it here.”
That piece of information seemed to placate him, at least for now.
“From our detailed studies, we have learned a great deal. Firstly, the living creature inside the machine is old.”
Daniels didn’t seem impressed.
“What do you mean, old?”
“Well, this particular creature is almost six hundred years old, yet its armored exterior is much older again.”
Admiral Lewis and General Daniels looked shocked at this revelation. Neither seemed to know what to say, so Anderson continued.
“There is more though. In our interrogations, we have established three key points. None are confirmed, but each of them makes sense in its own way. First, the Biomechs are an ancient but dying race. Our biological analysis confirms the genetic decay, but they have managed to avoid the worst effects in a way we do not understand. It is not completely clear, but we suspect they have a finite number of soldiers, and they cannot be replaced.”
Admiral Lewis lifted up his hand in surprise. He was one of the younger senior commanders in the Alliance military and known for his somewhat abrasive attitude on occasion.
“Wait a minute, how the hell was this decision made? Unable to reproduce, I just don’t believe that.”
General Daniels seemed to accept this point quite quickly, however.
“It makes sense though. Think about it. These armored machines must be to protect their ancient bodies, so they build the armored cocoons that turn them into something like demigods. If you lived pretty much forever, would you want more people to share what you have? Soldiers are usually the youngest. What if this guy is the same?”
He pointed at the image on the display.
“Hmm, that is a rather tenuous link. What is it based on?” asked a dubious sounding Admiral Lewis.
Anderson tapped the button, and the video feed zoomed in much closer to show the large head of the thing. All three stared at it with a mixture of fascination and horror. One similar creature had led the forces of Echidna back on Hyperion, but at the time, it was assumed the thing was some type of massive war machine.
“It is through a mixture of interrogation and biological study. According to the captured soldier, it considers its own race some sort of master race. They learned to control life before they met the other races.”
Admiral Lewis lowered his head to his hand.
“If they can control life, why not simply create more? They can always use cloning. It’s not like they can’t do that. We are somewhat familiar with Biomechs and their creations. Do you remember the AI Hubs that took control of our ships?”
Anderson seemed to like what he was hearing. The last thing he wanted was senior officers that simply carried out orders. He also knew that both of them would do whatever was necessary to protect the Alliance.
“Yes, that is all very true. But if you remember, the genetic material of the Biomechs that we fought and the AI hubs was proven to be new, some of it a mere few years old. It was either harvested or created from scratch. Neither the soldier that tried to arrive at Hyperion, or this one were like that.”
He pulled out his secpad and ran his fingers along the front. It was a simple gesture and sent a secure digital packet to both of them.
“Look at that.”
General Daniels had his device out first and was past the first page before his Navy opposite number had done the same. It was a mod
est report that had been assembled based on information gathered on Helios over the last three months. It included pictures of their paintings, sculptures, and artworks along with audio testimonials. Admiral Anderson only gave them a minute to read it before interrupting them.
“I’ll let you read that in your own time. You’ll note the title is the Desperation War. It is the name the Helions and their allies used in the great battles against the Biomechs. You’ll note the reports describe all manner of Biomech creatures and machines, yet the soldiers like this one appear infrequently. In fact, there is a song that the Helions sing, one about the great battle of Pylos.”
General Daniels face lit up.
“Yes, I heard this when I visited the capital. It is about the surrender of a Biomech garrison, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Indeed,” said Anderson.
He reached forward and tapped a button. A recording of young Helions filled the room, and the three of them listened in silence, trying to imagine what was being said. It was short and over in less than a minute. Anderson leaned toward them as though revealing a great secret.
“The song is about the fall of the T’Kari colony called Pylos by the Biomechs. A combined Helion and T’Kari fleet broke through and prepared an atomic bombardment for the world. According to legend, there were over a million Biomechs and six of the Biomech soldiers, this leadership caste. They surrendered the world and withdrew rather than lose six soldiers.”
“I think I’d be more worried about losing a million Biomechs to be honest,” said Admiral Lewis with barely concealed sarcasm.
Anderson nodded as though he were correct.
“True, except the million were executed autonomously by the soldiers as they left, all so that six might avoid death by the atomics.”
This silenced the Admiral, at least for now.
“With this information, we can determine the Biomechs were broken in this war. We know that small numbers of their soldiers, like the one we have here and the one destroyed during the collapse of the Hyperion Rift remain, each of them hiding and waiting.”
He straightened his back and again took a deep breath, as if preparing for some great speech.
The Great Betrayal Page 4
