Star Crusades Nexus: Book 09 - The Black Rift

by Michael G. Thomas

  “What’s going on?” he yelled through his burning throat.

  Spartan rolled about on the floor, the fluid still dripping from his chest and face. He lifted his arms to wipe it away from his eyes.

  My arm, so the bastards did do at least one good thing.

  The stump was still there, but the modified limb he’d received on Earth was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found the mechanical limb that seemed to have much in common with the flesh and skin of the Thegns. He looked down to his middle section and limbs; he was covered from neck to toe in the flesh armor. For a horrible moment he thought he might even be a Thegn; that was until he saw a reflection of himself in the pools of fluid on the ground.

  Okay, what now?

  His memories, especially those that had been suppressed were rushing back; visions of battles, people, and events that he’d forgotten about for weeks. Each moved back with a vengeance. It was those of his family and friends that were most prominent. Khan and the other Jötnar, the marines he’d fought alongside, but Teresa and Jack were the greatest of them all. He felt a pang of loss and separation. He was a long way from them, and it felt an impossible distance to overcome.

  Spartan, are you ready?

  The words from Z’Kanthu sounded little different to as if he had been standing alongside him. The words were so real that he even looked around to find him.

  “Where are you?”

  His eyes burned from the fluid, but he ignored it and looked around at his surroundings. The empty capsule he’d been inside was torn open and shattered; its embryonic sack flaccid and useless. Pipes hung down, and more fluid continued to drip out. The room was not large, hexagonal in shape, and with more of the objects concealed behind the thick, semi-translucent skin. He moved to the nearest and pushed at it. Something inside moved about.

  What is it?

  The voice of his machine friend returned.

  The connection to the machine network, you need to access it. Get me access, and I will do the rest.

  Spartan looked around and back to the shattered sack he had occupied.

  No, the other one.

  Spartan’s eyes returned to the previous sack. He moved close and then ripped at it with his hands. The material was taut and easily broke under his fingers. Fluid poured out, and then came the shaking, panicked figure of a creature. It stumbled about on the ground and then tried to lift itself up. It was taller than Spartan, but much thinner and similar in many ways to Thayara.

  “Spartan,” it hissed.

  The sound wasn’t familiar. It said more, but the words meant nothing to him. He looked about for a weapon and found little of use, so he stepped in front of the creature and pulled his arm back to strike. The creature lifted its arms defensively.

  “One-Zero…”

  Spartan ignored and struck it hard in the throat. It dropped to the ground choking, and Spartan stepped inside the small cubicle area. The floor was slick with fluid and undamaged pipes and cables hung down. The voice of Z’Kanthu returned.

  My guess was correct. Their command structure is not based on the homeworld anymore. I am detecting the source is somewhere deep inside this ship. I will release you and move into their computer system.

  Spartan laughed as he listened to the machine.

  “Are you kidding? How are you going to do that?”

  Yes, Spartan, I am. I will move into their system and locate their Core. But first I need you to listen very carefully.

  * * *

  Battleship Retribution, Black Rift, Helios Sector

  Khan lifted a Thegn and tossed its broken body directly at the cowering Ghost Warrior. The body struck the machine in the torso, and it staggered back two paces. It tried to right itself as dozens of Thegns swarmed over and stabbed and shot at it. Chunks of metal tore off as they dragged it down like stone-age men bringing down a mammoth.

  “Khan, are you there?” asked a familiar voice on the secure channel.

  “Who is this?”

  He swallowed, almost fearful to believe.

  “You know who it is, you fool. Z’Kanthu survived the trip. I’m out and on one of their ships. I’m sending coordinates to you now.”

  The audio vanished and was replaced by a howling sound. Then it returned.

  “Spartan?”

  “Yes, of course it’s me.”

  Khan shook his head in amazement.

  “The plan worked? You are inside their command structure?”

  The howling returned, and Spartan’s voice reduced substantially in volume.

  “Get a message to Anderson; the large orbital facility, at these coordinates. This is where their leaders’ bodies are located. Everything they hold dear lives inside this ship. The commanders of the battleships, their bodies are all located here, just like I was.”

  A Thegn wearing the colors chosen before the battle was knocked to the side by a Ghost Warrior. Khan grabbed the machine, tore a limb off, and then cut a gouge through its torso with his gun. He forced his arm inside and ripped it open. Fluid and loose flesh dropped out, but no body.

  “What about these soldiers? Where are their bodies?”

  Spartan sounded as though he was laughing, but it could easily have been interference.

  “They are called the Defeated. Their flesh bodies are on the battleships. They are not allowed a place on the command ship until they are victorious.”

  “But they gave you a place?”

  This time there was a pause.

  “I killed their greatest traitor. That bought me a lot of credit. Look, Khan, get a message to Anderson and fast. I don’t have much time. They will know I am out. Tell him this is where we can end this. Call off the battle and get through the Rift.”

  Khan took aim at the next two Ghost Warriors while Olik moved to his flank to add his own fire. Dozens more crimson armored Jötnar moved ahead and out of the bloodied arena.

  “What about Z’Kanthu? We’ve seen the footage, you really killed him?”

  Again the audio crackled.

  “Another time, Khan. His mind is intact and exactly where we hid it. Right now, I’m looking for a body for him. Get them here, fast!”

  It had taken his built-in computer system that long to identify the area of space that Spartan was referring to. It was nowhere near their current position but thousands of light years away. He almost discounted it when realizing the location matched the data they already had on the enemy domain. It was one of the unknown enemy orbital facilities.

  He’s at their homeworld, the crazy fool. Z’Kanthu was right. We hit their heart and war is won.

  “I’ll do what I can. Are you safe?”

  “Not even close, Khan. I’m unarmed, and I’ve got no idea where I am. Just bring them through the Rift and get to this location.”

  “Bring who?”

  The laughter coming back put a smile on Khan’s face.

  “Everybody!”

  Three clicks followed, and then the channel died. He looked to his left; half expecting to see someone telling him it was a joke. Instead it was a single Vanguard. The machine stomped on by and then disappeared out of the area and toward the enemy. He moved on ahead and to the top of the ramp. From there he could see down into the vastness of the ship. The multiple levels, gantries, and walkways gave the vessel the impression of a vast power complex or work site.

  This ship is almost ours.

  He tried not to think of how many warriors they’d already lost in the assault. There were hundreds of bodies on the ground, with many more inside the arena. Streaks of gunfire blasted in all directions from warriors fighting desperate small battles throughout the ship.

  “Khan, we have troops in their CIC, or whatever they call it,” said Major Terson.

  Khan took aim at a Biomech Ghost Warrior and put a burst into its torso as it struggled to escape. The Major continued to speak even as Khan kept shooting.

  “As soon as we arrived, their commander dropped dead, not a mark on him. I’ve never seen any
thing like it. There are no bodies inside the suits, just the bare minimum of flesh.”

  Khan stopped and checked for signs of the enemy. All around him his own forces were cutting down any remaining Thegns near him, and he could feel the tide already turning.

  “Can you take control of the ship from there?”

  “No, but On'Sarax is working on it. She believes she can control their systems soon, why?”

  Three Eques walkers turned around to face back in the direction they had arrived from. A single SAAR robot deployed its primary weapons and then exploded in a single bright explosion.

  "Incoming!" yelled a marine private.

  He too was cut down by hundreds of rounds fired from the next level up. Shapes moved through the arena and poured out to strike Khan's position from behind.

  "It's a trap. To the rearguard!"

  A pair of Ghost Warriors dropped down from the next level up and faced off against Olik and Khan. Behind them came more Thegns and six more Ghost Warriors. More and more streamed out from the arena, and for a fraction of a moment, Khan felt doubt. He glanced to Olik and Knaprig. The latter held his one good arm up, with its blade extended out in front of him. His lost arm had been replaced with a secondary gun mount slaved to the computer. It gave him an odd, slightly robotic look.

  "Major Terson has what he needs. We need to buy him time."

  The other two grunted in agreement and separated, increasing the gap between them. Dozens more marines moved back while others took position in cover to provide help. Two Vanguards rushed back, both firing at the Ghost Warriors as they skidded alongside Khan.

  "Need help, Sir?" asked the first.

  "Yeah, follow me."

  He took a step forward and then increased in speed. Fire from both sides ripped marine and Thegn apart with ease, but it was the Ghost Warriors, Vanguards, and Jötnar that proved more difficult to kill. The Gatling guns of the Vanguards ripped chunks of armor from the Biomechs, while blue pulses from their weapons quickly dispatched a Vanguard and disabled Knaprig so that he fell to the ground. Olik spotted his friend fall, but Khan called him off.

  "Hit the bastards, Olik. Remember what they did on Prometheus!"

  Olik barely needed the reminder. The most recent battle was enough to ferment an almost religious zeal amongst the Jötnar. Their origin on Prometheus was an even darker chapter, and one the Jötnar always looked to avenge.

  They moved quickly, each tracking the enemy machines. One of them barked orders in some odd alien tongue, immediately drawing Khan's attention. This one’s armor was different, embellished, and marked and narrower than the others. The machine also moved with great athleticism. Khan was convinced he could make out Anicinàbe markings along its torso.

  Odd.

  “Die!” it hissed.

  Khan was so surprised by its speed that he didn't even notice he'd understood it, or of the venom in the machine's tone. It leapt passed the other two and extended two short reflective blades. He'd already seen their configuration, just like those carried by the enemy's Thegn and Biomech warriors.

  "Try it, monster!"

  They reached the Biomechs out in the open. There were now six of them, and just a single Vanguard and two Jötnar still able to fight. Olik ducked past the first of the machines and moved toward the more agile of the group.

  This is going to be interesting, thought Khan.

  He pushed down hard and jumped a meter in the air. He came down with a crash while slamming both of his arms into the first Biomech's chest. Two plates ripped off, and Khan continued to cut and strike until he'd ripped the thing to shreds. Two more came at him, but he sidestepped and let gunfire from the Vanguards slow them down. A missile fired from the next level up, screamed down, and struck one in the arm. The warhead fizzled and hissed; a small flash blew a hole the size of a man into the shell.

  Not bad.

  The machine twisted about, but a fusillade of carbine fire punched a hundred holes into it. It dropped down to join the other shattered husks. Now the odds were a little fairer. Four against three, and Khan was just beginning to feel his blood begin to boil. Thegns were running past them in all directions, but he ignored them, only striking out if they came too close. He extended his arm and pointed at the most agile of them all.

  "You!"

  The machine spotted him and called out an order. The three remaining machines formed a defensive wall in front of it, a shield of metal and flesh. Khan didn't care; his rage was at its peak, and he charged. A blue flash slammed into his shoulder and tore off the weapon as well as all the plating. He howled in pain but kept on. Another blast struck the ground beneath his feet, but he was already airborne. Khan crashed into the line and toppled it, landing directly on the lithe warrior at the rear.

  The other three were trying to stand as Olik and the Vanguard arrived. They blasted them mercilessly, tearing armor, weapons, and limbs off with brutal efficiency. Khan held down his foe with both arms.

  "Who are you?"

  A long, slow sigh came from the machine as though it was releasing its last breath.

  "Thayara."

  * * *

  Military Outpost, Rintau, Eos.

  The wall was gone, holes taking up more space than actual rock and stone. A smashed Eques walker lay straddled across one of the many breaches, and dozens of dead Thegns filled the breaches. The rockets had stopped, but the fusillade of small arms fire had reached a crescendo. A single NHA body lay among the fallen Thegns, a testament to the brutal assault that had almost seen the base fall.

  "Corporal, take three marines and cover the south wall. More of them are coming in."

  Wictred nodded and ducked low, doing his best to hide his large form from the Thegn sniper’s position that was less than a hundred meters from the outpost. With quick hand gestures, he signaled the marines to join him. With every step, another bullet struck nearby. He ran past the heavily damaged Mauler and on to the partially damaged wall. The Bulldog waited patiently, it's turret turned and guns pointing off into the distance. Four Helion soldiers manned the position, and they seemed to relax as the Alliance giant arrived alongside them. Three marines joined him and placed their carbines and a single L48 rifle onto the low wall.

  "How much longer, Corporal?" asked the pale looking private.

  Wictred checked the figures on his visor. They had already lost contact with those ships still in orbit over Eos, but he had the projection for the arrival of the relief party.

  "They should be here is eleven minutes, maybe twelve."

  He looked over the top and felt his heart stop. A wall of warriors filled his view. They were partially obscured in the cloud of dust they'd kicked up, but the sight of hundred of warriors was a sight not mistaken for something else. There were even Eques walkers amongst the hordes of Thegns.

  "This is gonna hurt."

  He placed his looted Biomech cannon onto the wall and then looked to the other marines. Each was experienced in battle and had seen the enemy on multiple occasions. Even so, he could see the fear and the nerves on their faces.

  "Just hold them back for eleven minutes. That's all we have to do."

  He looked back at the enemy and took aim. Two rounds glanced off his helmet, and he ignored them, as if they were nothing more than chunks of ice.

  "Fire!"

  * * *

  Kha’Dri, Taxxu, Uncharted Space

  Spartan detached the cables from the access points in the flesh armor he still wore. As he removed the last flat cable, he could sense a calm, something akin to relief as his last contact with the machines was severed. Even the sound of Z'Kanthu had vanished, leaving him with just his thoughts.

  What did he say? Three on the left and down under the floor?

  The words were strange, but he followed them. So far, the wizened machine had been correct at every point. He moved carefully through the ship. It was unlike any vessel he'd ever seen before. The corridors looked organic, with rib like bones making up the walls and thick pipin
g filled with colored fluid running in all directions. The air was very dry, to a level that almost hurt his throat. Spartan followed the direction until reached the small passageway. There were pipes on almost every surface, but in the middle was an access point. He bent down and grasped the lever. It pulled with a groan and then detached. He cast it aside and lowered himself into the new space.

  Just drop.

  He released his grip and fell for the briefest of minutes. His eyes shut as he hit the ground, and his legs flexed, taking the strain from the landing. The adrenalin felt good, and each second that it pumped through his body, the more alive he felt. His eyes opened, and he almost staggered back at what he saw. The room was long like a barracks, and along the walls were dozens of Ghost Warrior armored suits. Each of them was open at the front to reveal they were empty.

  "Just what I need," he said aloud, forgetting for a second that he was trying to be discreet.

  "Exactly," said a familiar voice.

  He spun about and found one of the suits waiting in the open. The armor was sealed, yet it moved with purpose.

  "How did you do that?" he asked suspiciously.

  "As agreed, I told you I would keep part of my essence with you, now it is inside their Core. They will find me eventually, but until then I can control a machine body. I have chosen this one."

  Spartan shook his head.

  "Z'Kanthu, you're full of surprises."

  "There is more," he said, "You must prepare yourself. Take one of them, and finish this. Do it for your people, and for mine."

  * * *

  Kha’Dri, Taxxu, Uncharted Space