Star Crusades Nexus: The Third Trilogy

by Michael G. Thomas

  She looked at him, and there in the dust of Eos, they came to an unspoken understanding; because deep down, she knew that not believing there was a god out there with a plan for them all, was more terrifying than facing the wrath of any actual god.

  “Good,” said Captain Carter, “Let’s get you into the town and acquainted with our facilities and defenses. Can I assume you could do with some food and drink?”

  Wictred shook his head.

  “Not yet. First we deal with our dead.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  The Steersmen were the great mystery of their time to all races, including humanity. Having allied themselves to a similar race known as The Twelve, the Steersmen were granted a home on Taxxu, one of their planets. For generations, this gifted race of scientists and engineers managed to explore the galaxy and made contact with a myriad of peoples. For all their advances, they succumbed to a great plague that devastated their species only a short time after having met the Helions. After failing to cure their failing bodies, they used their technology to encase themselves into machine bodies, and for those too weak for the process, their minds were meddled with technology known only as Cores. These Biomechs, as they were now known, turned on their brothers among The Twelve and then targeted the worlds of Helios, the home of the great betrayers.

  Taken from the accounts of Z'Kanthu, Warlord of The Twelve

  The battle-scarred shape of ANS Conqueror limped toward Helios, along with her collection of damaged ships following behind. The two Battlecruisers had taken the lead position. Though similar in design to the much more common Crusader class, they were substantially wider, and this additional girth provided space for more fighters, landers, and marines. All of this had proven useful during their journey from Eos as they took on casualties from the other ships, as well as swathes of marines. The three Crusader class ships, ANS Crusader, ANS Victory and ANS Devastation flanked them. The bulk of the remaining ships were Crusader class, with a smattering of Hunter class frigates providing a skirmish screen. It was no more than a shell of the original fleet that had fought at Eos, but it was no less effective.

  “They fought one hell of a fight,” said Admiral Lewis.

  General Daniels and Colonel Gun both nodded in grim agreement.

  “Eos was a victory, of sorts,” answered General Daniels.

  Colonel Gun looked unimpressed.

  “A victory? We can’t afford many more victories like that. Eos might still be ours, but what price did we pay?”

  General Daniels sighed, and Gun could see the struggle he was putting himself through. Gun placed his hand on his shoulder.

  “Spartan gave me a book many years ago about commanders on Earth. I remember something an American general once said about war, and I think you’ll appreciate it.”

  General Daniels raised a single eyebrow and closed his eyes briefly.

  “Go on.”

  “It was something like this. To be a good soldier, you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be able to order the death of the thing you love.”

  They watched the ships in silence for a short, uncomfortable silence that was eventually broken by Admiral Lewis.

  “I believe that was General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War. He was right, of course. If you’re not prepared to risk what you have, then you will never be able to fully commit to an operation. On reflection, it would have been better to draw in the Biomechs to a trap and then use the nukes.”

  “True. Hindsight is one hundred percent effective,” replied General Daniels.

  His voice was bitter, and though he understood the message all too perfectly, it still didn’t help him with the heavy losses sustained by his marines.

  “General, the 17th took just as much damage as the 8th down on Eos. Both of our combat strengths are down to just over half combat effective. Lieutenant Colonel Diego Koerner lost his leg in the evacuation. He’s still in the medical bay.”

  The General looked out at the planet of Helios. It was an annoying name for him and his other officers, as the Helions themselves had named both their world and their star the same. He was just glad that as part of their reunification plan, they'd decided to rename the capital as a reminder that this one world was key to the Helion system.

  “This place, it’s going to take many more lives.”

  Gun nodded.

  “Agreed. At least General Rivers has managed to get more troops into the area. What have we got so far?”

  General Daniels moved over to the tactical display and activated a chart that showed current dispositions.

  “Marine and Colonial Guard units are now fully activated. Every Alliance colony is at maximum security alert, with Colonials protecting key installations. Marine Corps reserve regiments are being shipped out to reinforce our existing commitments.”

  Gun tapped the screen and concentrated the area to those Alliance and Helion holdings in the Orion Nebula.

  “So we have our own territory in T’Karan, plus five Helion star systems all on the frontline. I thought the plan was to get everything on or around the Helios system. Something has changed? What exactly is the plan?”

  General Daniels pointed at the other four stars in a circle around their primary star.

  “Out of those four stars, there are only three inhabited worlds. Two are heavy industrial sites and one is a partially abandoned military research site.”

  “And the fifth?”

  “Dead.”

  Gun looked surprised.

  “So they have more valuable colonies around Helios than the rest of their Empire combined?”

  “Indeed. Since the last war, they have spent most of their time looking inwards.”

  “Stagnating,” said Gun.

  General Daniels allowed himself a tiny grin at the word. Gun was a very different person to the one he’d met back in the War. It reminded him of Spartan and their various arguments and battles in the past. A brief wave of nostalgia waved over him that was quickly erased by the face of Gun.

  “So we are concentrating on Helios Prime only? What about the other races?”

  Admiral Lewis answered.

  “No, not just Helios Prime. We have more ships arriving every hour from T’Karan as well as from the other races. Even the Helions have got off their butts and brought in most of what was left of the Narau Fleet that had been commanded by Admiral Lanthua. It’s mainly Helion, but there is also a smattering of Klithi, Byotai, and some Khreenk mercenary ships that were persuaded to stay. So far, there are more than two hundred ships.”

  “What happened to Lanthua?” Gun asked.

  Admiral Lewis shrugged.

  “Unsurprisingly, after the evacuation of Helios Prime, his Khreenk mercenaries and forces vanished, along with Dictator Justitium Lyssk. The last sighting of them had their forces making for the Anicinàbe Rift. I’m sure we’ll be seeing them again soon.”

  Gun looked impatiently at the two men before finally asking again.

  “And the plan?”

  General Daniels looked to the Admiral and then tapped a button on the display next to the table-like tactical display; an image of General Rivers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

  “Gentlemen, I have attached detailed plans for the Orion strategy as developed between myself and Admiral Anderson, with input from the Joint Chiefs. The crux of it is pretty simple though.”

  Gun, Admiral Lewis, and General Daniels shared a quick glance before he said the next part. The imagery changed to show a wider view of the entire Helios systems, with the paths of the inhabited planets shown by light gray circles.

  “The comet is slowing and moving into the projected high orbit around Helios Prime. Data from the Helions’ reconnaissance drones confirms that three sections have detached from the main body. These sections have adjusted their course, and we have plotted their targets.”

  Admiral Lewis shook his head as he looked at the imagery.

  “The othe
r planets.”

  “We suspect this is part of a diversionary tactic to pull our forces from the defense of Helios Prime. That, or they are just being thorough in the deconstruction of the Helion defenses. Either way, based on detailed projections, all these objects are heading for planetary orbits. That is all the more reason why the bulk of our forces will remain where you are. Two full Marine Corps regiments will be on Helios within the next ten hours, that's eight complete battalions of veteran troops. I want you to take what you have left to prop up the NHA garrisons of Micaya and Libuscha. You will be supported by territorial Marine Corps units comprising of two more regiments.”

  The group was stunned at this news and not one of them spoke. The message was prerecorded from Terra Nova and continued even as they struggled with what they were hearing.

  “General Daniels will assume command of the defense of Helios Prime. Colonel Horst Brünner will take the 4th Heavy Battalion and take command of the defense of Libuscha. Colonel Gun, you will take the combined 17th and 8th to Spascia. We cannot afford to send more ships other than a token force to each world. The rest of the fleet will assemble alongside the Narau over Helios Prime, plus a small contingent will meet at Micaya, safely behind the frontline to assemble a strong reserve, when and if the extra ships promised by the others actually materialize."

  The display showed the worlds as well as the disposition of the fleets. Though there were sizable forces at each point, there were still as many ships around Helios Prime as there were with all the others combined.

  "The Biomechs can only have one of two primary strategies in this campaign. Either they will attempt to bombard the planet into submission, or they will assault it, just as they did with Helios Prime in the past. The fleet will do its best to thin the herd, to cut the numbers for the defenders on the ground. If we're lucky, they will choose the first option, and I will be able to engage them while they are vulnerable, trying to bombard the planet."

  He lifted the nearby glass and took a quickly gulp of water. It had gone slightly tepid, but it still managed to cool his throat.

  "Now, we also have diplomats on the capitals of all the other races, each pushing for help before Helios Prime is hit, but I'm not expecting much help anytime soon. I suspect they are waiting to see what, if anything, we can achieve. They will help, but only if they think we can win this thing.”

  The General continued speaking, but all Gun could find himself doing was checking on his modified secpad. It took a few seconds to find the data on his new objective. It didn’t take him long to read the details, and he wasn’t amused.

  “Spascia? It is a ruin. Why the hell is Rivers sending me there? I’m needed on Helios Prime!”

  General Daniels looked at him and then to the screen.

  “Colonel, I think he chose you because that place is already a ruin.”

  Only somebody familiar with Gun would have dared to suggest such a thing, and the response it obtained was a great roar of pleasure from the old warrior.

  “Yes, that sounds more like it!” he growled back.

  He tried to hide it, but the General knew his face too well. He smile was an impossibility to disguise. General Rivers continued his briefing with the shape of four images, each showing a large structure that looked like a combined weapons and communication array.

  “As you know, the Helions and T’Kari maintain a station and a small garrison at the Black Rift. The equipment fitted there can destabilize and collapse any Spacebridge for hours though usually days. If you recall, our T’Kari friends did this during our first encounter with the Biomechs here. If enough energy is used to disrupt the Spacebridge, the effect can last a number of months.”

  “So why don’t they come right through?” Gun asked.

  The communication was all prerecorded, so there was no way General Rivers could reply. Instead, the rest had to wait patiently as the senior commander explained.

  “The security force at the Black Rift can shut the thing down the second it opens, and this makes an assault useless. Each time they shut it down, it blocks access for quite some time. If you recall, the last time a Biomech ship made the run for the Rift it was intercepted by our own forces. Even if they make it, they would have to eliminate any ships fitted with the defensive Rift collapsing technology, and then find a way to activate the Rift so that it can mate with whatever system is in Biomech space. Until the defensive systems of the T’Kari and Helions are disabled, the Biomechs will be unable to send through any kind of significant force.”

  He paused, letting that new information sink in before getting to the crux of the problem.

  “So why is the comet heading for Helios Prime? You’d think an assault on the Black Rift defenses would be first?”

  The General smiled at this part.

  “That, Gentlemen, is the million dollar question, and that is why you are being sent to each of the Helion worlds. It would seem our Helion allies have been keeping their backup plan to themselves. Only the larger and more advanced Helion and T’Kari ships have the technology for collapsing Rifts. Even if every ship is destroyed, or some great misfortune falls upon the Helions, they still have a way to close the Rift directly from their own worlds.”

  Again he pointed to the images on the screen.

  “Helios Prime, Spascia, Micaya, and Libuscha all have a city-sized weapon system built directly into the northern poles of each planet. Any one of these can provide the energy and power to shut down the Rift for months with just a single burst of energy. The problem, Gentlemen, is the time it will take the energy beam to reach the Rift, assuming they have line-of-sight at that time of year.”

  The image zoomed out to show the Helios star along with its planets and the Black Rift out on its own.

  “The Black Rift is two hundred and twenty-four light minutes from the Helios-T’Karan Rift and Helios Prime itself. That means if they can open the Rift, they will have a three and three-quarter hour window before the energy beam from Helios Prime could shutdown the Rift.”

  Admiral Lewis nodded as he listened.

  “That’s enough time to bring in a massive fleet, maybe even to establish some kind of deflector system near the Rift to block the signal. It’s too big a risk.”

  “Obviously, the planets are always moving, and depending on the time of year, the planets will be at different positions and distances from the Black Rift itself. That is why, from today each of the Helios planetary weapon batteries will fire each minute according to a specific preset sequence. The dormant Rift is being hit every fifteen seconds with a blast sent from these worlds. Even if the enemy opens the Rift, it will be shut again in seconds, for long enough to stop them sending in more forces for weeks or months to come.”

  Gun and the others knew in an instant what the plan was, but the final words of General Rivers explained it more succinctly than they ever could.

  “The planets are the guardians of Orion. As long as they remain, the Biomechs will never be able to bring in substantial forces. The plan is simple. For there to be a victory in Helios, we must ensure that at least one of the planetary weapon systems remains operational. Then, and only then, can the system be kept secure.”

  He paused before finishing with just one more point.

  "Be under no illusion, Gentlemen, the Biomechs have a bitterness and hatred for the Helions that is unmatched. They will not want their surrender. They will want nothing less than the destruction of every city, and the death or enslavement of every person they find. After that, they will move through the Rift to each connect world doing the same. They tried it once before and nearly succeeded. This time we're here, and we will not let this happen, not on our watch."

  * * *

  Jack eyed the small group of Khreenk warriors carefully. There was little different about the Khreenk in terms of build or strength, but their individual augmentations gave them a number of unique advantages. One of the most common was eyesight improvement, but there were also muscle and limb replacement, plus th
e addition of computer overlays and communications gear.

  One of them tapped his left arm, and it emitted a buzzing sound for a brief moment. He struck the arm, and it quickly stopped, much to his comrades’ amusement. Jack looked to Riku who waited patiently at his side.

  “What the hell is that?”

  Jack shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  They looked back to the Khreenk and readied themselves for the fight. Each of their opponents was dressed differently, yet that disparity gave them a look unlike anything in the Alliance. All four of them wore close-fitted gold colored breastplates, with carefully detailed imagery across the section directly in the center. Every one of them was battered and scratched, and one had a continued series of long marks that ran diagonally along the middle. The rest of their protection was what separated them from each other. Small pieces of armor varying from matt black to a smooth iron covered them from head to toe. One warrior’s armor comprised mainly of rings and hoops, each connected via articulated sections. Another had a mixture of plates and scales while yet another used a bizarre mix of the two.

  “You ready?” he asked Riku.

  The marine looked at him through her helmet, smiled, and then clamped down her visor to protect her face. It sealed with a clump sound, and the partially smoked visor hid most of her face. He could just about spot the curve of her smile as she spoke.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m ready all right.”

  “Fight!” came a voice from a short distance away.

  Jack felt his pulse quicken as if he’d just been injected with some fiery substance. It was of course nothing more than adrenalin, but it gave him exactly what he needed in the coming fight. Jack and the other three marines ran into the center of the training hall with their long synthetic sticks held like medieval swords. The weapons were long at nearly two meters and could have represented anything from a club or spear through to an ancient German zweihander. The Khreenk mercenaries advanced in a loose line, each carrying the same weapons as the marines. Two held them low while the others lifted them up high like the marines. The tall and commanding figure of Private Callahan moved out ahead of the group, with Jack and Riku moving off to his right. Private Jenkell stayed close to Callahan’s flank and looked half his size in this particular match.