Star Crusades Nexus: Book 09 - The Black Rift

by Michael G. Thomas

  "Major Terson. There's another way in to the ship, along the ceiling gantry up there," he said over the internal network.

  The Major was a hundred meters away and stopped to check the structure.

  "I see it, sending scouts in now."

  The officer gave several hand gestures, and then two-dozen Thegns armed with Marine Corps carbines split off and began climbing the walls. They were quick and reached the gantry in less than a minute. Major Terson reached Khan, and both watched the rest of the Thegns pour inside from newly arrived Maulers.

  "We're ready, Khan. What's the plan?"

  The huge warrior extended his right arm to the doorways ahead.

  "We breach the doors and then swarm the place. The layout is new to us, so we sweep the entire ship."

  "Spartan?"

  Khan nodded grimly. "Anderson wants his head. Dead or alive."

  "Fair enough," said the Marine, with a little too much relish for Khan's liking.

  "Let's do this," Khan gave the signal, and the engineers moved forward. The three of them advanced past the lines of warriors and right up to the massive reinforced doorway.

  "Will they get through?" Olik asked.

  Major Terson looked up to him. Next to each other the marine looked puny, with the Jötnar well over two and half meters tall and encased in armor. Like all of those that had left Prometheus, he now wore the crimson of the Red Watch. It was an honorific gift from Osk to all of those that took part on the battle for Prometheus. She was the Jötnar garrison's commander of the Alliance outpost.

  "They are Alliance engineers. There's nothing they can't build or pull down. Just watch."

  Khan did, but he also sent the same orders to all Alliance forces landing on the battleship. As sparks began to fly, he checked the status of the space battle and felt his heart lurch. A crusader had just been destroyed, and lifeboats were swarming around it.

  Time is not with us. When that comes down, we're going to have to hurry.

  He looked to the Major.

  "The SAAR robots go in first, then the reconnaissance drones. We need to find the CIC or throne room. Whatever it is they have, we need to be in there in minutes."

  "Agreed."

  More flashes came from the great doorway, and then came bright white blasts. An urgent fleet-wide flashcom scrolled along the bottom of the visor. It was short and simple.

  ‘One Planetary defense system is active. Impact due to arrive in ten minutes.’

  "Not much longer," said the Major.

  Khan cracked his joints and activated his arm blades. Short but cruel looking weapons slid out to the sides of his arms. The shoulder-mounted Gatling gun spun three revolutions and then stopped. Then the engineers tore the doorway apart, and a great gust of cool air washed out into the hangar.

  "Attack!" was the only word Khan needed to say.

  The SAAR robots went through, and the rest of the warriors surged in behind. Khan spotted the shapes of his own Thegns on the gantries above them. He held his breath, leapt through the breached doorway, and emerged into a massive facility that must have run almost half the entire length of the ship. There were shielded compartments in all directions, and multi-level gantries disappeared up high into the vessel’s superstructure. Right in front of the door there were at least a dozen curved ramps that led up into the ship.

  "Incoming!" yelled a marine.

  Unlike the hangars, this large section of the ship was a hive of activity. Flickers of light rippled off into the distance and up the ramps, gantries, and platforms. A dozen marines were cut down where they stood before the Vanguards, Jötnar, and CES engineers could push past. With their thick armor, they deflected most of the fire and pushed ahead into a wide crescent. Khan took the center and did his best to ignore the warnings from the computer as dozens of projectiles struck him.

  "Send in the Thegns. Spread out and attack. Swarm them!"

  It was a cruel tactic, but Khan saw the Thegns as expendable meat shields, and they did their job well. More than a hundred rushed out in front of the line of armor, while a similar number pulled their bodies on top of the metal walkways and moved like spiders up through the compartments. Marines followed them, but they were more cautious.

  "Advance."

  The line of armored warriors took a step at a time behind the skirmishing Thegns. Gunfire flashed down to meet them, but the return fire had now increased. Additional SAAR robots had rushed in and were sending long bursts high up into the superstructure. Every few seconds, the body of an armored Thegn would tumble down and crash to the ground.

  “Keep going. Get close and past their guns.”

  Khan would have ideally kept them back so they could take their time to work through the vessel. Time was a luxury he lacked, and there was a good chance that if they were slow, the enemy would simply abandon the ship. On they moved and did their best to ignore the fire. Blue pulses crashed down at them from hidden Biomech soldiers, but each shot was responded to by a flurry of gunfire.

  “Sir, look,” said a marine.

  Khan glanced to the right and tried to forget about the bullet that had just managed to pierce his thigh armor. To the right he could see a ramp running down a level and leading to a wide-open space. The doorway was tall, and inside were lines of suits of armor.

  “Looks like an armory. Well found, Marine.”

  A quick check on his visor showed him where the squad commanders were. He tagged the nearest.

  “Lieutenant, take a demolition team into these locations and destroy anything you find.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Khan couldn’t even see the man from where he was, but that didn’t matter right now. He took another four steps and passed under a low-hanging bridge. The section connected the sides of the hull together and also doubled as a point to reach the next two levels up.

  “Time for the machines.”

  Major Terson was a short distance behind him and sheltered behind Khan’s leg. A rocket whistled down and was destroyed by the built-in interceptors on Khan’s armor.

  “Decurions?” asked the Major.

  Khan nodded.

  “They can easily take these levels. Bring the Eques walkers to this point and establish a bridgehead. They might try to work around our flanks.”

  Major Terson looked confused.

  “A bridgehead. You planning on staying here for long?”

  Khan laughed.

  “If Spartan is here, you know what the fight is going to be like. We can take no chances. If this thing falls apart, then the machines will have to be our rearguard while we get everybody else out.”

  “Understood.”

  * * *

  Battleship Retribution, Black Rift, Helios Sector

  The rotating holographic model was a complete mess. Biomech ships and their foes intermingled in a vast battle that now covered thousands of kilometers in every direction. Fighter squadrons fought continuous battles against each other while capital ships lined up to exchange broadsides. The modified Biomantas operated in hunting packs to pick off damaged or stray ships while avoiding the box formations of Liberty ships.

  "This is a bloodbath," he agreed, more to himself than anybody else.

  One-Zero-One kept looking down from their high position deep inside the warship. The machine gave the impression it was fearful, always on the lookout for something dangerous. It looked back to Spartan.

  "Why have you let them board us?"

  Spartan sighed.

  "Have you not listened to a word I have said? They are throwing their best at us. When their commanders and elite troops are gone, who will remain?"

  Thayara approached from the darkness and to alongside Spartan. There were marks on her armor and fresh cuts to her right leg.

  "The weak will remain. Spartan is right. They have sent their best. The only question is can they be beaten?"

  All three machines turned to face each other, an unholy triumvirate of metal and flesh.

  "How many?" One-Z
ero-One asked.

  Thayara laughed.

  "Thousands. They have warriors, machines, and even your own Thegns."

  Spartan turned away and pointed to the battle raging throughout the Helios Sector.

  "We have drawn them all here. Some of The Twelve will be here, on this ship to command the bandon."

  The machine shuddered and approached him. It extended one of its limbs to touch him.

  "And the others?"

  "If we make this the focus of the battle, then they will come. They cannot afford to ignore our other ships. The new Biomantas are picking off any ship firing on us. It will take too long to destroy us, and time is a luxury only we have."

  "What do you suggest?"

  Spartan looked at Thayara and then to the machine.

  "You take command of the ship. Stay here and direct the battle. I will join Thayara and lead the Ghost Warriors into the heart of their boarding party."

  He then pointed to the machine.

  "Send in Biorays from the Ravagers. Hit their capital ships with assault teams. That will stop them sending in more help. Keep them busy and their attention away from what is happening."

  "And what of The Twelve?"

  Spartan laughed at the question.

  "Trust me, when they know I am here and killing their allies, they will come. Don't forget, I slew their leader in front of you."

  Spartan turned away and made it a few meters before Thayara stopped him. She looked back to One-Zero-One.

  "Do you have footage of the death of the heretic?"

  A blue sphere appeared alongside the machine and then a slightly grainy model of Spartan and the machines popped up. The death of the noble leader of the rebels could be clearly seen, as could Spartan.

  "Good. Send that out on all channels. It should be enough to motivate them."

  Spartan pushed her away and continued toward the edge of the exposed plinth. He balanced right on the edge before turning his gaze to them.

  "Do what you want. It is actions that will end this, not words."

  With those bitter words, he leapt from the raised position and sailed down. It took several seconds before he crashed feet first to the ground. The pistons groaned under the weight of the impact, and then he was upright and in the middle of the columns of Ghost Warriors.

  "Thayara, with me. Let's end this, today!"

  The lithe female warrior leapt from the same tall balcony and twisted about in a balletic fashion before landing just five meters from him. Her feet struck the ground with enough force to leave deep gouges in its surface.

  "Warriors!" she cried out.

  A loud screaming sound of ancient metal moving on tortured cogs marked the release of the bars holding the armor in place. As each rod of metal slid back, another Ghost Warrior stepped out from its resting place. Dozens and dozens of them were freed until after less than a minute the entire complement of seventy-five were ready. Hundreds more of the heavily armed Thegns moved out from a myriad of passageways and secret walkways throughout the ship.

  "Spartan!" called out One-Zero-One from his position up high, “Our ships are being pressed. The Byotai have destroyed one of our ancient battleships. Seventy-five of my kin are lost forever.”

  Spartan looked to Thayara and to the machine.

  “I thought you could to send in another Ghost warrior?”

  One-Zero-One said something unintelligible, clearly an insult.

  “No. Only those with a place among our ancestors are safe from death. The others, the Defeated, they must earn their place by defeating the enemy before being granted such an honor.”

  Spartan moved two steps and looked back.

  “Like you?”

  “The three of us have been granted this honor. Do not waste it.”

  Spartan wasn’t quite sure what this meant, but the vibrations for multiple hits to the ship pulled his attention back to the fight. He left at a quick pace while One-Zero-one called after him.

  “The enemy are causing heavier than expected causalities. There is a chance they could match us and fight to a draw.”

  Spartan looked up at the machine.

  "Just keep us in the fight. Bring in the reinforcements and smash them. You deal with the fleet; I’ll deal with the intruders."

  He didn't bother checking to see if the machine had heard, let alone acknowledged his orders. Instead, Spartan marched out, with Thayara beside him, and a long column of biomechanical warriors following right behind. He'd never paid much attention to the internal layout of the ship, yet as they walked the details popped up like newly loaded software. The schematic inside his armor showed all of his warriors, as well as the known positions for the enemy.

  “So, we get a mystical free pass to live with the ancestors. Mean anything to you?”

  Thayara sighed.

  “Spartan, I really do not care. We have a battle to win. I say we head for their landing sites at the bow. Cut them off and then work our way back. They will be trapped and easily overrun."

  Spartan nodded in agreement.

  "Good plan. Take half with you and hit them hard."

  Thayara stopped and turned back to him.

  "And what about you?"

  "Two-thirds of their troops are coming down the central spine and making their way to the battle deck. I'm going to meet them right in the middle."

  He tagged the location in the center of the ship, and Thayara instantly recognized it. The shape was a vast dome, surrounded by high viewing platforms and entry points to a hundred different tunnels through the vessel.

  "The training arena?" she asked.

  "Yeah, we'll end this the way it started."

  She split away from him, and three files of Ghost Warriors followed her. There was little, if any way to tell them apart, but for now they operated under their joint command. Spartan imagined it wouldn't take much for them to revert to their normal programming.

  "With me," he snarled.

  Spartan left at such a pace, only the Thegns could initially keep up with him. They passed two separate sets of ammunition stores and the secondary weapon deck before moving to a massive ramp. It was wide enough to land an escort warship on, and the ceiling must have been at least fifty meters from the ground.

  * * *

  Kha’Dri, Taxxu, Uncharted Space

  The Biomech commander watched the stable Rift without flinching. Hundreds more ships waited patiently for their orders. The Rift flickered, and flashes and sparks rippled along the Rift Engine positioned inside the bridge in space and time.

  The fools, they think they can control our Spacebridges. At this point, all they can do is be a nuisance. They are too late.

  The Rift Engines, the mightiest vessels in their entire arsenal, dwarfed even the battleships. Groups of ancient Biomantas circled them as though they expected trouble.

  The Defeated, ever watchful of themselves.

  The machine looked to the cocoon and felt a wave of resentment, tinged with responsibility. As the youngest, he was expected to do more than their kin had managed in the past. He was no different to any of the other so-called Ghost Warriors. Even the one called One-Zero-One was little different, but to him only their history mattered. Along with the other five, he was the most sacred of less than a thousand remaining Kybernetes, the ancient steersmen of old.

  What would they say? he wondered.

  He wanted to speak with them, to seek their advice. But to do so would be to consign his race to the present age. Encased in machines they could live for centuries, and inside the confines of an ancient Ark like Kha’Dri, they could rest their immortal remains for several thousand years. After that, they could only ever expect to live inside the confines of the ancient Core. Even thinking about the Core, that ancient tomb that sat deep inside Kha’Dri, sent a chill through his own ancient body.

  I must seek their wisdom.

  He was tempted to contact them, to explain his plan for their victory and salvation. But a nagging doubt, a fear that the Defea
ted might fail stayed his hand. The honor of joining them in the Core was a gift granted to few, and there was nothing he wanted more than to live alongside his ancient comrades once more.

  I will wait until I have news. I must show myself as worthy.

  That wasn’t a problem, but there was always a chance the invasion might fail, in which case he would have marked his entire species for extinction.

  No, it is enough to risk one of us to end this. I have to succeed.

  The interior of Kha’Dri, the last remaining operational World Ship of his race was a vessel of awe, even to him. His ancestors had used such vessels to travel vast distances and to colonize worlds, while maintaining the wisdom of those that had passed on long before. Now just two remained and the other, known by its sacred name of Du'Li had been abandoned followed the murder of its occupants in the uprising with The Twelve. Now its hulk drifted around Taxxu, a constant reminder of the betrayal and the war that had split their race apart. Even its Core lay shattered, the memories and thoughts of a billion Ancients lost to war.

  We are the last six of the living Ancients. The last that retain mortal flesh and remember the days before the colonization of these worlds. We will use their flesh to rebuild our people, to create a new generation of flesh and metal. The enemy will be destroyed, and their very essence used to breathe life into our people. We will return, and I will be remembered for it.

  A blue sphere flickered in front of him with the shape of a machine.

  “One-Zero-One. Have you completed your mission? Have the Defeated redeemed themselves?”

  “Soon,” said the machine.

  Even though they were separated by thousands of light years, the machine still felt a need to cow down before him.

  Good, the Defeated still know their place.

  “The enemy is strong. Our forces are evenly matched. I need…”

  The imagery broke up at just the same time as energy from the Helion weapon struck the Rift. It didn’t last long, but its affect annoyed the machine disproportionately.

  “Fools!” snapped back the ancient machine, “Their ships are broken, their crew exhausted, and they are outnumbered. Yet still you bleat for help?”