Star Crusades Nexus: Book 09 - The Black Rift

by Michael G. Thomas

  “I am one of the Defeated. We chose twelve of our number to lead us, until the…”

  The machine stopped, made a clicking sound and then continued.

  “Our reward is to live among our ancestors. We live with immortality and the reminder of our shame. One of us commands these battleships, the divine spirit of our people.”

  The machine twisted about, indicating toward the walls of the battle deck.

  “Even this hallowed vessel, the battleship Retribution carries its own force of Ghost Warriors, of which I am one. When the Helions see Retribution, it will strike fear in them. It was this very ship that burned the ancient city of Spascia in the last war.”

  Even though there was no obvious emotion, Spartan was convinced he could hear it in the machine’s words.

  “Seventy-five? I thought this was an army?”

  One-Zero-One faced Thayara and stayed silent for an uncomfortable moment.

  “This ship, like our other battleships, contains the Ghost Warriors of my people, seventy-five of the most powerful warriors in history. One of these ships could take on and destroy an entire world if we deemed it necessary.”

  Spartan shook his head and found the armored suit merely moved a few centimeters. The idea of any seventy-five warriors subduing a world greatly amused him, but he had no interest in upsetting his new masters and allies. He faced off toward the machine.

  “What happens if any of these warriors is killed in battle? You know from the simulations that we can still expect heavy losses, especially when we move closer to their homeworlds.”

  The machine again pointed to the large battleships. With a simple gesture, each of them flashed.

  “Each of the battleships contains the souls, assembly machines, and armaments to put thousands more warriors into the battlefield. If a Ghost Warrior falls, it will simply move its soul to a new machine and continue the fight. In a matter of days, we can replace our losses. We are both all seeing and ever living.”

  “I see. And what about cannon fodder? I’ve seen Thegns in the thousands. We cannot win the coming battles with just these Ghost Warriors. I will need expendable forces to give me tactical flexibility and options.”

  “Of course. Our Triumvirate has been granted full control of half of our forces to engage the enemy. This force will comprise of three hundred ships, half of our Ghost Warriors and half of our infantry. This is a great honor for all of us.”

  The machine let that sink in for a moment.

  “Between us we will be commanding five hundred bandon of our latest and most advanced warriors. Spartan will provide the tactical knowledge of the area and the strategy to finish them quickly. Thayara, you will command the Ghost Warriors under the direct command of Spartan.”

  She twisted her torso about to look to Spartan.

  “You are giving me command of four hundred and fifty Ghost Warriors?”

  Spartan said nothing and instead added up the number of troops in his head. The total of four hundred and fifty Ghost Warriors was a start, but it was the idea of five hundred bandon of soldiers that intrigued him the most. He’d seen Alliance reports on the Biomech formations on his way to Helios, but never in these numbers. It was a host design to truly end worlds.

  “One hundred Thema have been assigned for the invasion. How many warriors is that?” Thayara asked.

  “We will need enough to defeat their ground troops, but also enough to occupy their worlds. Occupation forces are large and time consuming.”

  Spartan smiled, though neither could see due to him being safely inside his armored form. He had no doubt that Thayara was a great fighter, perhaps faster and even stronger than him. It was her grasp of war that made him smile the most; her almost juvenile idea that they would need to invade and defeat the enemy in such a way. One-Zero-One twisted his hand to show a model of a ship. It opened apart to show lines of warriors.

  “Bandon were our standard military strike force in the days of old. Since then, we have increased manufacturing capabilities and enlarged our warships. We now use the ancient system of our ancestors, the Thema.”

  The machine brought up a model of a vessel that looked like a small Ark, but much larger than any Alliance warship.

  “These are our Despoilers, a heavy assault transport that carries a complete Thema of ten thousand. Warriors. This number is primarily Thegns but also eighty heavy walkers, and more than four hundred new generations assault machines. As part of your fleet, I give you a hundred of these to prepare the way for our factory ships and the second phase.”

  A million warriors, thought Spartan. That is an impressive number. It is hardly going to take over the universe, though.

  “Is that it?” asked Spartan, “That is not enough to prosecute a war to its conclusion. Surely we have access to more warriors than this?”

  One-Zero-One made a clicking sound and shifted about before answering.

  “A million warriors is a full half of our entire active strength. We have spent many years stripping our worlds of all resources to create this force. Every single remaining biological source has been extracted to construct warriors and biomechanical machines to end this struggle.”

  The small model changed to show an unnamed planet. Around it moved thousands of ships, all of which looked dead and abandoned.

  “These Tomb Ships contain the remains of more than nineteen millions casualties recovered in the last war. Each of them succumbed to their wounds. Since then, they have been frozen and dormant, each waiting for the final components to restore them.”

  The image vanished.

  “They cannot be woken until phase one is complete, and we have fresh materials and biological matter to bring them back.”

  Spartan looked to him as he considered the machine’s words.

  “Which casualties?”

  The machine answered quickly, and as usual, with no emotion.

  “They were the first of our Thegns, volunteers from within our own ranks to don our experimental flesh armor and weapons. When we were being driven back, we took as many with us as we could. Each of them fought and died fighting for us. Our promise to them all was that we would restore them with the flesh of our enemies.”

  The words should have repelled him, but instead Spartan found himself wondering how much flesh would be required to bring them all back into service. The dead bodies of recently killed Helions could be harvested to bring these ancient and frozen warriors back to life. Nineteen million souls was an army of undreamt power.

  “Like on Prometheus. I saw this being done to create warriors.”

  One-Zero-One clicked again.

  “Yes. The flesh can be used to create new life, but this will take time. We will need territory to install our machines and a source of material.”

  Thayara looked out at the lines of machines and walked right to the edge of the ledge. She lowered herself down to one knee and looked at the nearest one immediately below her. She spun around as though a miraculous thought had just occurred to her.

  “Why not just cannibalize some of the bodies to restore the others? Turn nineteen million casualties into a million fresh warriors.”

  One-Zero-One took a step back in disgust.

  “These Thegns were not the mindless slaves you have seen before. These were people of our blood. They volunteered for the process when we were unable to create machinery quickly enough. Over eighty million souls volunteered for the project before our defeat. The last survivors succumbed generations ago and joined those already frozen on our orbital Tomb Ships. All Taxxu flesh is sacred and cannot be reused. Our promise to each of them was that we would use our defeated enemies to maintain their bodies.”

  The machine straightened up and shook its shoulders. Spartan looked to Thayara, and then returned his gaze to the machine.

  “It is time for us to agree on our final plan,” it said, “We have seen you both perform in the simulations, and from what we have observed, we have created a strategy. Here it is.”


  One-Zero-One pointed to the model. This time it changed to show the Helios Star System and its multiple planets. There was no mention of the other alien races, not even the human worlds. Shapes moved in through the Black Rift and then on to the outlying planets in the Helios Sector. It was a long, drawn out plan, with sub units attacking small colonies and moons while other forces swept in again on the larger planets.

  “This is not a good plan,” said Spartan, forgetting where he was for a moment.

  One-Zero-One made that long, slow hissing sound and pointed one hand at his two new allies.

  “We had you sent here past the Great Seal at a great price to us. Our kin on the other side are slowly being exterminated while we ready ourselves. We have been trapped here for centuries waiting for the Great Seal to open once more. Now that it is, we will end this.”

  The machine faced Spartan, then Thayara, before resting on its haunches.

  “How would you suggest we achieve our goals of a safe, compliant territory that we can dominate and mold to our will? A place where my people can one again move without fear of death and war?”

  Spartan said nothing, waiting for Thayara to reveal herself. She must have sensed his unease at speaking and saw it as an opportunity to take the initiative. Thayara moved in front of Spartan, her shoulders back, and her suit of armor standing tall and proud.

  “Our plan is a simple one. The enemy is weak and already fighting each other. First, we defeat their forces at the Great Seal. Second, we establish a strongpoint to build up our forces. This will take months and allow us to reactive the first of the Tomb Ships. Third, we continue our systematic cleansing of every enemy world until victory is achieved.”

  Spartan sighed as he listened.

  “That is one option, perhaps a good one. But this will cost lives and time, and it comes with a great risk. I have a way we can do the same, and keep the enemy as our servants. My plan will see victory in twenty-four hours.”

  Even One-Zero-One seemed surprised at his announcement. The machine froze as if its circuits had failed. The massive globe vanished and was replaced by eleven ethereal looking creatures. They were bipedal, like all other races Spartan had come across. Their build was similar, if not identical to Thayara. They talked, sometimes individually and other times in groups. Finally, they stopped and looked toward One-Zero-One.

  “Tell us this plan, Spartan. What do you propose?”

  Spartan walked closer to the massive projection and lifted his hands to manipulate the shape. The position of the worlds moved as though he’d always known how to use the technology. He moved the Great Seal to the side so they could all see the planets.

  “Each of these people has been weakened by war. The Helions are crippled, weak beyond hope, the Khreenk assist, but only in small numbers. The Byotai and the Anicinàbe have been encouraged to fight each other.”

  He changed the display to show Helios Prime and the Spacebridge to T’Karan.

  “This Rift takes us to the T’Kari and on to my worlds. They are rich in life and resources. If we take a systematic approach, my people will turn to industrial war.”

  He looked at one of the creatures in particular, the tallest, and noblest of them all.

  “In the past, my people have fought these wars, wars where millions have died to take territory of just a few kilometers. There is a reason why your people failed to weaken us before.”

  “What is your plan, then, human?” said the taller creature.

  “We do not fight a war of attrition. We fight one of terror and technology. I have already examined the fleet and the capabilities in our force. You can create short-range Spacebridges at will, and the six battleships you have given us; they carry what you call World Cleansers. On my world, we call these weapons neutron bombs. I will take this fleet and smash through the Great Seal.”

  “And then?”

  “We will create local Spacebridges to each Helion world and give them the opportunity to surrender. When they refuse, I will irradiate the planets with World Cleansers. I will then lead a direct assault with all our ground forces on their capital world.”

  He lifted his right arm and pointed to the sphere representing Helios Prime.

  “I promise you, after the nukes and my assault, they will beg for us to stop.”

  “And then?” said the machine in the exact same tone.

  “Once Helios Prime falls, we will land factory machines on the surface and begin rebuilding our forces from the Tomb Ships. While this happens, I will turn on the homeworld of the humans, known as Terra Nova, and threaten the same. I will lead our troops to their homeworld while the rest of the ships threaten every inhabited planet with nuclear genocide. This single assault will burn in their hearts and break their resolve.”

  He looked to Thayara and back to the machines. The taller creature was already speaking in answer.

  “What of the Byotai, Khreenk, Klithi, and the Anicinàbe? We tried to fight them before and were banished for our efforts, with billions of dead.”

  Spartan nodded, again forgetting the armor interfered with his expression. Before he spoke, he tried to deactivate the suit, but it let out a warning and refused to open the petals of armor to expose him to their gaze. He tried once more, sighed, and then looked back to the machines.

  “That is why you fail, and that is why you look to me for help.”

  He extended his arms out to those machines assembled before him.

  “Even with all this might, you cannot fight them all and expect to win. A million warriors is not enough to guarantee the defeat of a single world, let alone all of them. We have the ships, the Ghost Warriors, and the technology, but our numbers are still too small. Trapped beyond the Great Seal, there is no longer the life to support this war machine.”

  He pointed to the Great Seal, projected out before them all.

  “Out there, beyond the Seal, is the greatest diversity of flesh and mind. Yes, we will reopen the Tomb Ships, but we can do more. We will mold our vanquished enemies to our will; create entire legions of creatures from the very races we defeat.”

  Even he was beginning to like what he was hearing.

  “My plan is simple. We will crush the will of the two nearest enemies just as I have described. We will then use their people and resources to build a vast horde to take the fight to the others, one race at a time. We will offer the others the chance to join us in the fight, or suffer extermination. Either way, they will provide the resources for each phase of the war.”

  “You would use your own people in this way?” asked the creature.

  Spartan didn’t hesitate in his reply.

  “You have given me a task, to make this galaxy a safe place where your people can travel and flourish in safety. I can crush their fleets and bring the capital of the Helions to their knees in one day. Helios Prime will serve as an example of my loyalty and the viability of my plan. All we need to do is take control of Helios Prime and Terra Nova, and the war will be all but won.”

  The creatures seemed dumbfounded at this. An argument quickly ensued between it and its comrades. Spartan looked at Thayara and shrugged, but she remained completely silent. Spartan turned back to One-Zero-One.

  “I do not understand. What is the problem?”

  The machine moved from watching them to face him.

  “We fought for years against the Helions and their allies. You diminish us by suggesting you can do what we never did, in less than one day.”

  Spartan coughed and cleared his throat before addressing the ethereal creatures. He started speaking even as they conferred with each other. One-Zero-One attempted to stop him, but he stepped out of his reach.

  “You brought me here because you know my skills and my reputation. If I achieve this victory, it will be because of you placing me here. Let me bring the Helions to their knees, and we will do the same to every race that gets in our way!”

  Thayara looked to Spartan and lifted her hand in front of her face, in mock shock at what s
he was hearing. She took two steps to him and spoke quietly, in the vain hope that nobody else would hear.

  “This plan, it might work. But what of your own people on Helios? They have already landed more soldiers there. Will you destroy them with nuclear weapons as well?”

  Spartan smiled.

  “We will demonstrate our power against all of their worlds. When we arrive at Helios Prime, they will beg us not to do the same. I doubt we will even need to fire a single shot.”

  He hadn’t intended on letting the Biomech leadership hear him, but all of them had stopped speaking to listen to him speaking to Thayara. Spartan was so intent on getting his idea across that he continued, completely unaware of his great audience.

  “Thayara, we can stop this fighting by sacrificing a small number. This will be better for every one of us, not just the Biomechs. Even the Helions will live better under our control. No more war and no more injustice. They will play their own part in this new order, and I know that if they help, as we have, they will be granted a place alongside the machines.”

  He then turned back to look at the creatures.

  “We will change things for the better. I can start this war for you easily, but there is nobody else that can end it the way I can. I will be your sword, and not one soul will dare stand before me after I have razed Helios Prime.”

  The creatures all said something in unison, their voices spreading like a ghostly crowd. Then their images faded to leave only the models of the worlds and the position of fleets.

  “What’s happened?” Spartan asked.

  One-Zero-One appeared stunned. Thayara asked the same question, and finally he answered.

  “The great council of my people has spoken. You will put our enemies to the sword, just as you have promised. If you are both successful, you will be the first outsiders to be offered the chance to join our ranks.”

  “As a Ghost Warrior, like you?” Spartan asked.

  The creature hissed just one word.

  “Yes.”

  “On this ship?”

  The machine answered without really considering the question.

  “You would join us on homeworld. Until it is time for us to…”