Star Crusades Nexus: The Third Trilogy

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Just perfect. Still, just the mass of the thing is exponentially bigger than the Arks Belial, Astaroth, or Beelzebub targeted on the other worlds. Leviathan is like no enemy we’ve ever faced before.”

  He then pointed to the schematic showing the Doomsday weapon system and the remaining underground defenses.

  “I suspect the other Arks are merely launching assaults to pin down our resources, ones that may or may not be successful. Why are they not hitting Spascia in the same way? Surely even the smaller Arks are capable of a massive bombardment from space.”

  “A diversion?” asked his XO in surprise.

  “Quite possibly. Don’t forget, these machines have only one short-term goal here. They need the Black Rift cleared so they can open a Spacebridge long enough to get help from their homeworld. If any of our ships remain at the Rift, or any of these Doomsday systems are operational, their entire effort would be wasted. The planetary weapons can do more than simply shut down the Black Rift for a period of time; they can shut down any Rift.”

  That stopped both of them in their tracks for a moment.

  A grim-looking figure entered the CIC as the four marine guards ushered him inside. The man wore his PDS Alpha armor as if he expected an attack at any moment.

  “Lieutenant Colonel Koerner, I wasn’t expecting to see you for another six hours at least.”

  The man’s helmet was off, his only concession to the interior of the ship. Both of the Naval officers noticed the lines running down from his forehead to his chin. The scars had been sealed up, but the damage to the rest of his body was well hidden by the armor.

  “My boys are out there dying every day; I couldn’t stay in medlab a minute longer. Meds will keep me going, and if I’m not mistaken, we have some serious work left to do. Am I right?”

  “You could say that,” grumbled Captain Marcus.

  The Marine officer walked closer to the two with a pronounced limp and stopped next to the tactical screen. With a few quick gestures, he brought up the three-dimensional model of the primary weapon system on Helios Prime.

  “I checked some of this data back down in medlab.”

  He pointed to a number of positions all around the surface.

  “Notice anything strange about this picture?”

  Both officers looked at it for some time, but neither could identify whatever it was the marine had found. An alert from one of the junior weapons officers distracted the XO for a moment. It was a pair of Liberty destroyers, and both were being pursued by a large formation of Biomech fighters. Admiral Lewis nodded to the XO.

  “Problem?”

  “No, Admiral, we can handle it.”

  While he assisted in providing covering fire for the approaching capital ships, Admiral Lewis looked back to the Colonel.

  “I don’t see the problem. What is it?”

  The man pointed to the layout once more.

  “They’ve had almost a month to disable this weapon system, yet after all this time, and hundreds of thousands of attacks, why have they managed to miss?”

  Admiral Lewis could see the problem before the Colonel had even finished speaking.

  “They aren’t trying to destroy the weapon. They want to control it.”

  It was something he’d only just given much thought to, and the more he considered the possibilities, the clearer and more likely it became.

  “So, they capture the weapon system and then can use it to control access to our own Rifts.”

  The Marine Corps officer lifted his lip a little.

  “Why do they want control of the guns?”

  Admiral Lewis considered his question and rubbed at his chin.

  “There can only be one option. By controlling a single weapon, they will be able to cut off our forces from joining us here. Even worse, they will leave us trapped in this system, a sitting duck, if and when they are able to get the Rift itself open.”

  Both men came to the same conclusion at the same time, but it was the Colonel who spoke first.

  “They are smart. If they capture just one of the guns, they can take their time finishing us off, and when they win, they head for the Black Rift. If they destroy the guns, well, that would be faster, and they could then still access the Rift.”

  “And whichever result occurs, they will have our ships pinned down well away from the Black Rift, making their arrival safer and more significant. Maybe we should have kept the fleet at the Black Rift instead?”

  Admiral Lewis looked at him and considered the idea for a while.

  “True. Without the Rift, their resources are finite.”

  The thought had occurred to him before, but it was only now that war had fully engulfed the entire system, he could see more clearly. His own resources were limited but were holding their own.

  “The harder they push us here, the better the chance they have at the Black Rift.”

  He looked back at the ground positions for Helios Prime. The last dispositions were spread out, but even though General Daniels still retained sizable forces, it was perfectly clear to him what would happen next.

  “When they make landfall, I would be surprised if the General will even be able to hold for twenty-four hours.”

  He looked back at the imagery.

  “All I need to know is when will they begin the attack. Once they start, all of this will be over. We need an alternate plan.”

  He looked to his communications officer.

  “Get me a secure channel with High Command on Terra Nova.”

  Captain Marcus heard his order and looked back to the Admiral.

  “Problem?”

  He shook his head.

  “No more than usual. We need a new plan, and the Helions are not going to like this one, not one little bit. We need to move up the timetable. If the Biomechs take Helios Prime, they’ll knock out our Rift home, and with it any chance of reinforcements.”

  He swallowed at the sudden realization.

  “Hell, with the Rift gone, there will be no Operation Citadel.”

  cdfff

  * * *

  City Docklands, Helios Prime

  General Daniels looked up at the next wave of objects and shook his head angrily. This was the third day of the attack on this one section of the city, and little now remained of the taller buildings around him. The weeks of attacks on the rest of their planet had done their work, and the smoke and dust spread in all directions around them. This most recent attack had destroyed one of the few remaining identifiable parts of the city. Even as the orbital assault continued, the few remaining fighters reached up to claw at the falling objects. Sometimes they were successful, but with each hour the defenses became weaker. The thriving urban capital of the Helions was now a barren wilderness, its sounds now replaced by the shouts and screams of the dead and dying. The factional differences came to the surface daily as groups of Animosh, Zathee, and the others fought each other for food, clothing, and supplies. All the while, the ground forces of the NHA and the Alliance did what they could to help. Even so, this sector that General Daniels had selected was now different to the rest of Helios.

  Just one big pile of rubble, not even the landing platforms and docks are operational anymore.

  He had specifically selected the site of the massive battle during the early Helion Revolt as his base of operations, due to its proximity to the docks and storage facilities. He wanted access to arms, equipment, and fresh troops more than defensive terrain. Now he wondered if any of it had been of use. Those that had survived the first twenty-four hours now lived underground, in the many parts of the city left over from the horrific last war with the machines.

  “General, reports in from the last weapon batteries. The surface-to-air missile batteries are down to their last crates of ammunition. The gun trucks ran out an hour ago,” said Captain Hammond.

  He nodded quickly and stepped back into the still intact bunker that had so far managed to hold against orbital attacks from the Biomech Ark still orbiting Hel
ios Prime. Inside, moved a dozen officers as they assisted in the command of what remained of the scattered defenders on the Helion homeworld.

  “The Doomsday Weapon, is it secure?”

  His only remaining senior officer shook his head.

  “No way to tell, Sir. We lost contact with them seven hours ago. Last reports said the comet fragments had destroyed the surface defenses. That means the Biomechs are clear to land troops right on top of them. The last transmission said the NHA would be sealing themselves in for a siege in the next six hours.”

  General Daniels shook his head.

  “Brave, but it will not work. The Helions are not like us. They are vulnerable to a ground assault, and they lack the weapons or armor to win. What was their last recorded strength?”

  “A little over two hundred warriors, plus an attached platoon of our recon detachment.”

  “That’s not going to be enough to hold an underground fortress. They’d need double that.”

  He tried to remain calm, but it wasn’t easy when the planet you were trying to defend was being smashed into oblivion from space. It was a cowardly way to fight, but there was nothing he could do from down here, nothing at all. His job was to protect the city and to keep the docks open for reinforcements.

  “What’s our own status?” he asked, dreading to know.

  “Well, General, we’re down to half effective strength; the rest are MIA of wounded. Air cover is gone, but we do still have plenty of ground vehicles left. We have enough units left to fill our regiment, Sir, no more.”

  That felt like a swift punch to his stomach. Most Marine regiments were based around four battalions, with one usually staying back to retain, resupply, and eventually to takes its place in the line. Numbers had been increasing, but it was generally assumed a battalion would be around twelve hundred men, and a regiment therefore nearly five thousand. That was half of the number he’d been allocated with for the defense of Helios Prime. So far, all he’d been able to do was to help with relief efforts and to assist in defensive fire against the objects hurled at them from space.

  “I see. I recommend we shift two more companies to assist the Helions.”

  “Sir, look.”

  The man pointed at one of the larger displays that showed an external feed of their command bunker. It was angled slightly upwards so that the twisted wreckage of the city ruins filled just a quarter of the frame.

  “What is it?”

  “No way to tell. Our scanners can’t cope with the orbital debris as it is. There are dozens, no, hundreds of them, and they’re coming down near the weapon site.”

  General Daniels spotted the first of them as the dark shapes emerged from the fires of an orbital entry. As he’d seen on the footage from Spascia, this looked just like the arrival of the Biorays.

  “This could be it. The attack we’ve been waiting for.”

  He nodded to the Captain.

  “Send up the flares. It’s time.”

  “General.”

  The man moved away and called out orders to the small number of officers that remained. What had been a matter of dull repetition, suddenly transformed into movement; marines appeared from hiding as if by magic, moving out from their underground lairs and into positions prepared weeks earlier. Even the vaunted SAAR robots drove out of their protective enclosures and into spaces with cleared fields of fire.

  “Incoming!” cried an unknown marine from outside.

  He ran in through the bunker’s main door and slid inside, just as a long volley of gunfire shredded the masonry outside. The attack was followed by a bewildering array of explosions, and then the screaming sound of Biomech fighters overhead. General Daniels looked to the tactical screen that had started to flicker. From one side of table were scores of red shapes moving in fast from the south.

  “General, reports of machines behind our lines. They’re coming in directly from orbit.”

  He shook his head angrily. This was something he’d not heard of, yet it didn’t surprise him. The Biomech war machines contained only a modicum of biological components and were easily able to survive a retro assisted landing on the surface. He grabbed the intercom and nodded to the communications officer to boost the power.

  “This is General Daniels. The day we’ve been waiting for is here. Stay at your posts, and watch your comrades. We can survive this.”

  Part of the outer wall tore open, and in walked one of the dreaded Decurion war machines. The eight-legged thing made it halfway through before the marines inside cut it down. At close range the L52 carbines tore large holes in the metal. A marine bent down to look at the hole in the wall.

  “No, get back!” barked a sergeant.

  It was too late; a projectile struck the marine in the face and sent his body flying to the ground. General Daniels lifted his own weapon from its clamp on his body and flicked off the safety. At the same time, he mentally accessed the control to his armor and brought down the visor to protect his face.

  “Get on the line. Hold them back!”

  All non-essential personnel moved to the slits in the outer walls and through the blast doors that led into a dozen trenches and defense works around them. Even so, the explosions and gunfire seemed much less than he would have expected. As the fight continued, he walked back to the tactical display and looked at the first of the red shapes dropping in around the city. There was no obvious pattern that he could see. Then he remembered the weapons. Using his hands, he dragged the map to the side and noticed the lack of enemy forces anywhere near it.

  The bastards are pinning us here, right where they want us so they can hit the weapon.

  He spotted shapes outside, and a number of rounds clattered against the bunker. The return fire from the marines was impressive, and no further casualties were suffered. The attack seemed to end as quickly as it had started, without a single machine getting closer than the first.

  “General, something is coming in on the emergency channel. It’s coming from orbit.”

  “A signal?”

  The officer nodded.

  Admiral Lewis, it has to be.

  “Then put it on the mainscreen before we lose whatever power we have left.”

  The man moved quickly and gave orders to the more junior in the bunker. Down here it felt cooler and slightly damp, but the dust still managed to seep inside and cover screens and equipment. The screen flickered and then showed a decayed image of Admiral Lewis.

  “General, are you receiving me? I repeat; can you hear me?”

  “The Admiral,” said General Daniels excitedly, “Boost the power. Use whatever we have left.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  The officers boosted the power from the last three storage banks, and for a short while the quality of the video improved.

  “Yes, Admiral, we’re here, but only just.”

  The image crackled and faded again.

  “What is your status?”

  General Daniels closed his eyes for a second and did his best to hide his anguish.

  “Admiral, we’ve lost over fifty percent of our forces here. The Helions’ defenses are gone. We have no air cover, and the civilian casualties continue to climb. I’m down to less than five thousand marines over the six landing sites throughout the capital buildings.”

  “And the weapon?”

  He shrugged in response.

  “We’ve lost contact. Admiral, by the time they land the bulk of their ground troops, there’ll be nothing left to defend.”

  “Understood. We have a small window of three hours before the Biomech fleet is back into position to launch.”

  “Uh, Admiral, we’ve got ships coming through already. We’re preparing for the final attack.”

  It was hard to see, but he was sure he saw something approaching a grin on the Admiral’s face.

  “General. They are coming for you. That much is certain. We have already counted in excess of two hundred Biorays moving into position around the Leviathan Ark. They have twic
e that number of warships for force protection. When they land, it will be over.”

  The signal decayed a fraction, and General Daniels was forced to shout to his officers to get more power from the reserves to boost it.

  “…the current ground forces are a forward party. You have two, perhaps three hours before the invasion starts. My estimates put a total assault force of around ten thousand shock troops, with an almost limitless of reserves following them up.”

  General Daniels found himself at a loss for words.

  “Then this is it, Admiral.”

  “No,” came back the start reply, “Not by a long shot. I can help, but only for the next hour, perhaps two. After that, then you are right. It will be over.”

  “They’re Biomech ships!” shouted out a corporal.

  General Daniels moved from the banks of screens and the dust covered tactical display and toward the doorway. Half a dozen exhausted looking marines joined him and looked up at the sky. Streaks of flames marked the continuing orbital bombardment, but it was the ships that all of them were stunned to see. First came one assault ship and then another until seven of the large warships screamed overhead. Their banks of gun turrets bombarded the surface, sending explosions and flashes rippling across the horizon.

  “General. Helios Prime isn’t the prize. They are not coming for you or the civilians. It’s the weapon they want, and they intend on taking it.”

  The imagery of the Admiral shifted automatically to the helmet overlay rather than the screens inside the bunker.

  “You need to send out a blanket evacuation order to the entire planet. Everybody not underground needs to hide, and fast. It will take weeks, perhaps months, but I do not believe the enemy has any interest in seizing Helios Prime immediately. Once they control the weapon and their forces dominate the Rift Network, then they will try and take control of this world. That does leave us a problem though, the weapon.”

  “What do you want me to do?” General Daniels asked.

  He checked his carbine as he waited even though he already knew what the Admiral was going to ask.