Jae Jaan grimaced.
"We lost many brothers fighting with the Helions on Spascia in the War. This is the traditional homeworld of the Zathee. This place is as urbanized as Helios Prime, but is poor and rundown. Billions live in squalor. It is the opposite of Libuscha; a place visitors never get to see. Nearly half of the world is now abandoned; that is why they call the massive city the Ruins of Spascia. As if nobody lives there anymore."
"But they do?" Jack asked.
Jae Jaan nodded. "More than a few."
Sergeant Stone listened to the Khreenk warrior with interest. As a relatively low rank, he was privy to only a limited level of information. This direct line to the intelligence on the Helions was just the thing he'd been sent to collect from his contact with the Khreenk.
"Good. Well, there's a major summit on Micaya right now, and that's exactly where we are going. Representatives and commanders from the different races will be there, as well as a small contingent of your own people."
He looked to Jae Jaan, but the Khreenk seemed disinterested.
“I have orders from Lieutenant Elvidge. He says your team is to come with us on our own mission. Apparently, your presence has been requested by the Khreenk contingent already on Spascia.”
All the marines turned their attention to Jae Jaan. Jack had spent the most time with him, but they’d not discussed his role or position within the Khreenk.
“They want you, why?”
Sergeant Stone grinned that dishonest smile that all of them recognized.
“Yeah, I have the file on you Jae Jaan.”
He pulled out his secpad and turned it to face the marines. It was all a mere gesture, however, as he quickly replaced it before they could see anything.
“It seems our friend here is a member of the Khreenk Brotherhood.”
None, not even Jae Jaan himself seemed to understand what he was saying. Sergeant Stone continued to explain.
“They are part of the political elite of Khreenk society. Can we assume that your assistance to the Animosh on Helios Prime was more than just another job?”
Jae Jaan now smiled.
“Everything is a job to us. Yes, I am of the Brotherhood, but I remain apart from the Khreenk in general. We had…”
“A what?” asked the Sergeant.
“A disagreement.”
The Sergeant scratched his head, considering his words before looking to Corporal Frewyn.
“Well, in any case, we’ve been reassigned to Spascia. Due to this squad’s experience and exposure to the Khreenk, we’ve all been assigned to work alongside them."
Corporal Frewyn was not impressed.
“Work, Sergeant? We’re to be their bodyguards, on Spascia?”
Jae Jaan began to laugh and looked to his three comrades. They shared a few words in their own language before a great roar of laughter spread about them.
“No. I’ve got my orders, and the LT says that Jae Jaan’s fighters are just a part of a larger force that have already arrived. They have experience of Spascia, experience that could prove very helpful in a stand up fight.”
Jae Jaan looked at a computer interface unit on his arm and tapped several buttons before looking back at the humans.
“That is correct. My brothers are on Spascia, on my orders.”
Sergeant Stone didn’t seem impressed that Jae Jaan had been able to communicate off the ship, and he threw a quick glance at Jack as though he must have had something to do with it. The young marine lifted his hands defensively.
“Hey, Sarge, don’t look at me.”
Jae Jaan nodded to the Sergeant.
“I was asked not to speak of this until we reached Helios Prime.”
He could see Jack looked almost offended at having been left out of the loop.
“Since the incident with the infiltration team, I have been in talks with your commanders. My blood debt is with your marines, Sergeant, but our commitment to keeping the Biomechs out of our territory is even greater. The Brotherhood has been tasked with assisting your forces in any way we can, and every one of them reports directly to me.”
“How many are we talking about?” Jack asked.
Jae Jaan wiped his lip with the back of his hand.
“About thirty.”
Jack raised his eyebrow and sighed.
“Thirty Khreenk? All this fuss for thirty warriors.”
He turned and walked about muttering, but Jae Jaan merely chuckled.
“No, not thirty warriors, thirty Khreenk Corsairs. They are not of the size or power of something like this ship, but they are useful vessels.”
“Tell me more,” demanded Sergeant Stone, “How many warriors can you supply us with?”
“Thirty ships, each with about a hundred warriors on board, plus crew. As I said, they are Corsairs, designed for…well…privateer work. The ships will be useful raiders and scouts. My brothers will meet us on Spascia. They are surveying the defenses as we speak.”
Jack moved back and looked at Jae Jaan carefully.
“What kind of warriors are they?”
Jae Jaan pointed to his three comrades.
“Just like these.”
He then looked back to Sergeant Stone.
“I have already spoken with your commander, Colonel Gun. It is with him that I made the deal. My brothers will honor their oath. They are all strong, able fighters, and they will serve you well.”
Sergeant Stone nodded and turned to look at the odd assortment of marines and Khreenk. All were physically tough, and he had little doubt they would put up a good fight, if it came to it.
"Spascia is not a second-rate posting. Alliance Naval intel says that these objects are definitely adjusting their courses onto intercept vectors to move into orbit around all four worlds."
He lifted his secpad to check the figures.
"According to the number crunchers, we have thirty-three hours before the first of these objects arrives. Helios Prime is in five days, Libuscha in nine weeks, and the last will reach Micaya in thirteen weeks."
Jack had been quiet for the last minute, but the timetable seemed to wake him up.
"So these things will be in orbit around every Helion world in less than four months? Is that why we're being sent to Spascia?"
Sergeant Stone smiled, and this time it was a cruel expression, one that almost made Jack shudder.
"Spascia will be the first to face the full wrath of the Biomechs. That's why High Command has flagged the planet as the site for first contact in this war."
"Uh, what about Eos?" Jack complained, "I think we kind of fought a hard fight there, didn't we? And that was against the Biomechs."
Sergeant Stone shook his head.
"No, Son, it wasn't. These four objects are as large as a small moon, and scans show massive emissions from there, so they are probably occupied. The word is the force that hit Eos was a minor scouting party."
"Bullshit!" Corporal Frewyn snapped back, without thinking.
"Secure that crap, Corporal."
"Sorry, Sergeant."
"In any case, we just don't know. That's why Command is throwing our most experienced warriors to Spascia, and they are expecting hard intel from us when the Biomechs arrive. It won't just be us there. We'll have substantial Khreenk and NHA support."
The look on the faces of the marines was far from the keen expressions he'd expected. Instead, he saw a mixture of bitterness and resentment, especially on Private Morato's face.
"Son. This is important. Anything we can learn on Spascia will help with the main event on Helios Prime. This war is about to get biblical, and we need every marine primed and ready. You got me?"
"Yes, Sergeant!" he replied, in exactly the manner that had been drilled into him since his days in training. The rest of the marines joined in the chorus while the Khreenk watched on patiently.
"Good. We'll be through the Rift very soon. I want you all in full tactical gear and with everything stowed within the hour. We're going to war, peo
ple, and this time we're gonna make those bastards pay!"
He turned away and marched out of the room to leave the mixture of humans and Khreenk watching on.
“Well, there you have it, then,” said Corporal Frewyn.
Jae Jaan bent down and picked up one of the discarded training weapons.
“We have time for perhaps one more bout before we prepare for this deployment?”
Jack opened his mouth, but Riku stepped out to his right and shook her head.
“Another time, Jae Jaan. We have some things to attend to.”
Jack looked at her in confusion.
“We have what?” he asked.
She moved closer, ran her fingers over his mouth, and then leaned in to whisper in his ear.
“Come with me. We don’t have long.”
CHAPTER THREE
ANS Dreadnought marked a turning point in ship design as the venerable Crusader class was modified once more. The Conqueror class Battlecruisers had proven capable heavy warships, and initial combat had shown a need for an up-gunned version. Dreadnought, named for the British pinnacle of ironclad battleship technology, combined everything learned since the Great War. The flexibility of the modular Crusader layout remained, but with the additional slats designed to fit onto the existing model. The end result was a Conqueror class with twenty percent additional bulk and even more turret guns systems.
Ships of the Interstellar Navy
There was only a short time left to go before they had to assemble in the landing bay of ANS Conqueror. Riku was in the shower, and as had become something of a tradition for Jack, he used the time before a major operation to check his account for messages from his friends or family. He’d sent a message back home just the day before, and to his surprise there was a message waiting for him, already pre-screened and decrypted. He entered his access codes and waited for the final conversion.
“Jack, I just received your message. Your father and I are safe, and we’ll be back together again soon…”
Those were words Jack hadn’t expected to hear in a long time. She went on to explain about her new posting, and that she’d been given command of a new unit on the planet of Prometheus. All of it seemed to pale to insignificance when she got to the part about his father.
“I’ve seen footage of Spartan. He’s in a bad way; the machines had him prisoner for a long time. As soon as my job here is done, I’ll be getting to Sol as quickly as I can. Good luck, Son. We’ll both be in touch soon.”
He would have liked to have spoken with Spartan, but as was almost always the case, his father was nowhere to be seen, and now that the Sol Rift was down there was no chance of getting a message to him. There were his two half-brothers, children of his mother’s previous life, but they were anything but friends to him; just thinking about them made him angry. As he sat there in his pants and training shirt, he felt a hand run along his shoulders, and his worries began to tumble away.
"Jack, wouldn't you rather do something else?"
He looked to his left where the voluptuous form of Riku waited. She wore nothing but her Marine Corps cap and moved around him to sit on his lap. He looked at her, and though his mind had drifted about, he found he couldn’t take his eyes off her face. He usually avoided looking at the long scar that ran along its side, but even her nakedness couldn’t stop him gazing at it. He ran his hand over the scar; feeling the soft, cool skin and the tiny ridge that marked where she’d been badly injured so long ago. She leaned in and kissed him, to feel him trembling beneath her. She stepped back from his lap and then pulled him to his feet.
“We should get ready. We’re supposed to be ready in...”
Riku shook her head.
“No, Jack, you should be exactly where I want you.”
She grabbed his arm and threw him onto his small bed, narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the raised bulkhead that ran directly through the room, instead striking his face on the wall. He grunted more in surprise than pain, but before he could orientate himself she threw herself at him, and the two collapsed onto the bed in a tangled mess of flesh.
* * *
The journey through the Helios-Micaya Rift was short and uninteresting to Jack. Some of the marines had only done this kind of trip a few times, but he’d lost count years earlier. It was as interesting to him as putting on his PDS Alpha armor. Jack had been waiting alongside the rest of his comrades in the landing bay, doing his best to hide the bump on the side of his face where he’d struck the wall. It was cramped, especially with so many other marines being stationed there. The shuttles, landing craft, and other vehicles had been moved to their flank stowage areas. The long lines of marines were silent, each waiting for their commander to arrive. Unusually, they were all wearing their full combat gear as if they expected an attack at any moment. The only concession was that their weapons were onboard their craft and their visors open.
The first indication that something was changing was the metallic clunk of somebody approaching. From the far end came the great shape of Colonel Gun, the Jötnar hero of the Uprising and now commander of the entire battalion. He marched between the two large groups of marines, along with his small entourage of Jötnar guards and senior officers before stopping and looking at the marines.
“Marines, we have a new mission.”
None of this was news to Jack, but he found it reassuring to hear the sound of his old friend’s voice. It reminded him of time spent years earlier in the company of the Jötnar, hunting on Hyperion or off on private security operations with Wictred and the others. It was a time between wars, when few thought another struggle like the Uprising would happen in their lifetimes.
How wrong we all were.
“The 17th and 8th put up one hell of a fight on Eos. I’ve received official commendations from General Rivers, but I know that’s not what you want to hear.”
Jack looked about the group and could see Gun had identified the mood perfectly.
“By now you will have heard the news, and yes, it is all true. The 17th and 8th are being merged in time for our new mission. This mission is not some backwater posting. It will be right on the frontline.”
One of his junior officers tapped the wall-mounted display, and a massive image of the planet of Spascia appeared. Gun walked closer and examined the image carefully, as though he was trying to find something important. Finally, he stopped and pointed at the center.
“This is Spascia, one of Helios’ five worlds. This particular hunk of rock is the home to billions of civilians and is littered with cities on every continent. This place is one of the hottest worlds we’ve ever found that is inhabited. That’s why Spascia City was built around the northern pole. This was the ancient capital of Spascia, but now it is a ruin.”
He pointed again at one section of the planet as he mentioned the ruins.
“People still live there, right in these ruins to take advantage of the milder climate. The terrain is rocky, and there are mountains and valleys throughout the northern continent. There’s also something else that is critical to the war effort, and that’s why we’re going to Spascia. At the heart of the Helion world is a weapon system. They have some alien name for it; we call it the Doomsday Gun.”
The image moved in closer and every single one of the marines looked on with interest. Even the small party of Khreenk mercenaries appeared captivated at the information.
How the hell didn’t they know? Jack wondered.
“These weapons are powerful enough to shut down a Rift for months. They are a guarantee that Biomechs will be unable to enter the Helios system from their own worlds. They are also able to target all year round, due to the sites being placed at the top of each planet, with their power plants and facilities buried deep underground.”
Colonel Gun looked out to his marines and grinned. His wide smile showed a hidden line of gleaming teeth.
“Our mixed unit will provide the backbone of the Spascia’s defense force. General Daniels is taking command of Helios
Prime to do the same. That’s right. So as of today, I am the commander of all Alliance forces on Spascia, and we will not let the world fall.”
The marines cheered, but it wasn’t as loud or passionate as he had expected. He looked about the group, noting the fatigue showing on their faces. He forgot sometimes how the average marine saw combat, unlike him and his kin. He took a long, deep breath before continuing.
“We have Jötnar reinforcements from T’Karan, as well as help coming from the 22nd Regiment. The Khreenk Brotherhood is supplying almost three thousand ground troops, as well as robotic hardware that will prove useful. This is a major force of thousands of warriors.”
Again there was little excitement in the group. He looked about and spotted Jack in the crowd. He couldn’t say anything right now and didn’t give the young man a nod of acknowledgement. It reminded him of what he’d heard prior to leaving Admiral Lewis and the General.
“I have news that Spartan himself has been found and has valuable information on the enemy and their plans. If Spartan is back, then you all know what that means. He was last heard of on Earth where he was joining Earth forces in an assault on Mars. That’s right, Spartan is back, and he’s waging a personal war against these things.”
It wasn’t much, and he’d already modified the story to fit his needs, but it seemed to be having the desired effect. Several of the marines were already chatting excitedly at this change of events.
“When Spartan raises his head, our enemies begin to panic, and for good reason. Spartan and I have a long history together. More than that, between us we have killed more Biomechs than you’ve eaten hot meals!”
It was a bold boast, but the marines enjoyed it. Gun looked like a monster alongside them all, and the more excited he became, the more they responded.
“The Biomechs are sending a large force toward Spascia, and we can expect one hell of a fight. Eos was a walk in the park compared to what we’re expecting on this new planet. I can promise you that this time we will not be forced to leave. No matter what they throw at us, the Marine Corps will stand, and we’ll make these soulless machines burn. Won’t you?”
Star Crusades Nexus: The Third Trilogy Page 5
