Machine Gods (Star Crusades Nexus, Book 2)

by Michael G. Thomas

  “I’ll live, Kata. It’s just the last combat-drone scenario against 3rd Company. The Major wanted us to compete with the company, even though we were only a third their number. My body is in pieces.”

  She waited, letting the water run down her. The sound of the water dripping down blotted out all but the noisiest of sounds. The next moment Kata’s hands were running down her back and kneading her spine with surprising skill. Arina stayed still for a moment, enjoying the sensation before turning to face Kata. The other marines continued washing, each in their own worlds as the hot water washed away the day’s work.

  “No, not now,” she started before looking about the place, “and definitely not here,” she said, though a little colder than she intended. Kata looked taken aback. Arina tried to smile, but the pain in her muscles turned it into something that closely resembled a grimace.

  “We can’t. This isn’t the time or place, and we are getting close to the Helios Gateway. I need to get some rest, or I’ll be dead in the morning. We’re up in two hours, and we have EVA assault practice…and Commander Gun will be running the drill. You know how patient he is!”

  Kata moved her hands away from Arina’s smooth skin and nodded politely. She stepped back and moved to the stall directly opposite Arina. She continued facing Arina so that she could look on at her nakedness as she washed.

  “Don’t you think this Major Morato is pushing us a little too hard? I heard two more were put in sickbay today because of the training drills.”

  Arina shook her head violently, shaking the water from her hair. It was the one thing she had retained from her previous life before the Corps. Though in combat she was obliged to tie it back, she liked to let it flow long and loose, as frequently as she could get away with. She moved to the end of the shower block and stepped out to grab one of the many towels clipped to the wall.

  “No. You know what the 17th was like before they arrived. Most of our officers were gone and our units a shambles. If you ask me, we were just going to be used as a reserve battalion to replace losses on the other four Crusaders.”

  Kata looked surprised at her response, but before she could speak, a group of three men in their twenties arrived and moved inside. They all glanced at Arina as they passed, each ogling her naked form and long, bright red hair.

  “Keep your eyes on the shower, gentlemen,” she said firmly and to their surprise.

  Arina had only been a Sergeant for just over a week now, and already she was settling into the position quite well. She wiped her face, and after a quick rub down moved to her locker where her underwear and black Marine Corps fatigues waited. She made no sound as she moved to the locker; the only noise being the water from the others now showering. The most recent group of marines started to wash and discuss the events of the previous day. It was mainly the aches and pains of training, with the odd reference to gossip they’d heard throughout the ship. It was nothing Arina hadn’t already heard. As she listened carefully, Kata stepped out, her small-framed body looking out of place next to the three men that had recently arrived.

  “She is pretty hot though, for a major, don’t you think?” asked Kata.

  Arina looked at her with amusement. It didn’t really matter what she thought about their commander, because one way or the other, as a marine, and an NCO at that, she had to remain professional. This wasn’t the kind of conversation she could have with any of her fellow marines. She had responsibilities now and turned away from her friend, back to the cold wall. At the same time, she did her best to hide her smile.

  Yes, Major Morato is something else, she thought, imagining the last time she’d seen Major Morato bellowing orders at the marines. She shuddered slightly and shook her head, surprised at her own thoughts.

  For God’s sake, woman, keep your mind on the job, and off her ass!

  All the while Kata watched her, trying to work out what could possibly be keeping Arina so occupied. She’d known Arina since they’d met at boot camp, and the two of them had been in an on/off relationship ever since. As she looked at her, she realized she was feeling envious, perhaps even a little jealous, and it was a feeling she didn’t enjoy.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ANS Devastation was the first to be built of the second tranche of Crusader class ships. Lessons learned from the first models in her class were incorporated into the design, as well as additional technology discovered and adapted by Alliance scientists during the Uprising. The most significant change of all was the addition of bow-mounted particle beams that replaced the powerful railguns. Many criticized the sudden change of armament, but the improvements did allow the Crusader class to tackle larger and more powerful ships. Even more importantly, engagements could now be decided in minutes and sometimes even in seconds. The memories of Admiral Jarvis and her hours long duel over the Titan Naval Station would hopefully never have to be repeated.

  Ships of the Alliance

  Major Teresa Morato, Commander Gun, and Captain Llewellyn stood to the side of the observation point off the starboard bow. Normally, they would have observed a phenomenon such as the Helios Gateway from the safety of video screens inside the ship, but this was an occasion for which transparent metal and their own eyes were required. A number of other Marine and Navy officers were present. Teresa looked at each of them and back to her two comrades. Over the last weeks, Teresa had been forced to lean upon the young Captain more and more, due to both his knowledge of the eight companies of marines under her and Gun’s command, as well as his surprising skill at motivating and training them. Her first impressions of him couldn’t have been more wrong. She beckoned to the odd distortion in front of them.

  “Have you ever seen one like this before?”

  Gun seemed less than excited at the sight of the massive distortion in space. It looked like a reflective sphere but the size of a small moon. Around the Rift were a small number of T’Kari ships. She counted three of them, and was about to turn her head away, when she spotted a fourth moving past one of the Alliance military ships. Teresa suspected these were the much vaunted T’Kari scouts, or Exiles as they called themselves. She recalled the briefing and the report she’d read afterward that outlined their exploits in this sector. Apparently, they watched for signs of the enemy’s agents as well as keeping the Helios Gateway secure.

  “Why try and hide it, when you can easily see the thing?” said Gun.

  “Just look at it. Are you trying to tell me our enemy, you know, the one that created Biomechs, war machines, and started wars is incapable of finding a distortion like that with generations to look for it?”

  Captain Llewellyn smiled at her words.

  “Commander, according to the report, the Rift is invisible until activated. The only way to find it is to get hold of a T’Kari that knows the location and force them to activate it. Apparently, not even Ayndir has the location. It is a secret entrusted to the Exiles only. At least, that’s what the report says. Even so, the T’Kari threw the switch for us about an hour ago. Once we’re through, they will close it again.”

  “And then they will know where it is.”

  Captain Llewellyn nodded, “Perhaps. But is there any other way?”

  Gun didn’t seem to have an answer for that. Instead, he looked back at the Rift.

  “So if it works, and they close it behind us, how will we get back?” he muttered.

  The Captain pointed at a black color T’Kari ship. It was small, no larger than an Alliance cruiser, yet the way it moved suggested power and agility. As they watched, it twisted along its length and then moved into position between two Crusader class ships.

  “Two of the scouts are coming with us. They can activate the Spacebridge to bring us back.”

  Gun shrugged. “Yeah, heard that before. Is there a backup plan?”

  Teresa looked up at Gun’s face. He looked grumpy, and something was clearly bothering him. She thought about asking but decided against it. Gun was a proud warrior, and being asked such a question in front of
the other marines would be problematic. She’d never seen him embarrassed but could quite imagine it would be noisy, angry, and potentially violent. Captain Llewellyn sensed the mood and decided to move the conversation elsewhere.

  “What I’m more interested in is what we are going to find on the other side.”

  The sound of the ship’s public address system sounded throughout every deck onboard the warship. As usual, the audio was tinny and thin sounding, as though the speaker units themselves were faulty or broken in some way.

  “Now hear this,” started the voice. Teresa instantly recognized it as the sound of the ship’s XO.

  “Entry to the Helios Gateway begins in fifty minutes. I repeat; we will enter the Rift in fifty minutes. All naval crewmembers are to report to their stations. Marine commanders will prep their ground forces. Good hunting.”

  Teresa almost smiled to herself. They were supposed to be on a mixed political, scientific, and exploration expedition, and yet the order for their forces was ‘good hunting’. It hardly seemed right for what should be a peaceful trip. The Captain saluted to them both before making to leave.

  “Well, I had better get back to my unit. Are there any changes I need to know about?”

  Gun said nothing, leaving it to Teresa.

  “No, the plan is the same as before. All marines will be prepped ready for ship-to-ship operations. Make sure the shuttles and landing craft are ready, and go through the kit checks. Oh, there is one thing.”

  The Captain raised an eyebrow in question.

  “1st Platoon has been consistently scoring the highest in all drills and scenarios in your company. Is that correct?”

  He nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

  “Good. I want a squad from 1st Platoon to meet me on the landing platform in twenty minutes. They’ve already been drilled on close escort and security operations. I understand Sergeant Arina Nova has proven her worth on multiple occasions?”

  Again the Captain nodded.

  “Excellent, the Sergeant will command the squad as our personal escort while in this part of space. Where we go, they go.”

  Gun even looked surprised at her announcement.

  “You expecting trouble?”

  Teresa tightened her forehead as she imagined the situations they’d been in before.

  “Trouble? Have we ever been anywhere where we haven’t run into trouble?”

  Gun seemed amused at her response, but she failed to notice and continued speaking.

  “No, thirteen marines and a Sergeant like Arina are just the right amount of security I think I could make use of. What about you?”

  Gun laughed at the suggestion he might need protection. Teresa remained stern-faced, and for a moment, he worried she was serious. If true, it would be the greatest insult he had heard for a long time. He knew Teresa too well though.

  She is joking, he agreed.

  “Don’t worry about me. If they have anything they can throw at me that might do any damage, you’ll have much bigger things to worry about.”

  Seeing they were finished, the Captain saluted once more and marched off to leave the two of them to watch the Rift. More of the expedition’s ships were moving into position, with the heavier Alliance ships taking the lead position. Even so, there were kilometers between each vessel. A distance great enough that even the thermal energy from a breached reactor would cause no damage.

  So, they are taking no chances today.

  Teresa didn’t like being cut out of the loop. Though she was second-in-command of the Battalion, she kept finding important information didn’t seem to make it down to her. The command of the operation lay with Admiral Anderson, and little information had come down to either her or Gun in the last week.

  “I take it you’ve received nothing from the Admiral?”

  Gun shrugged in reply.

  “Typical. Is he doing this with the other battalion commanders, or is this treatment just for us?”

  Gun wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

  “The 17th doesn’t get much respect in the fleet. It was only activated three months ago and isn’t ready.”

  Teresa shook her head, “No, that isn’t true. It wasn’t ready. It is now.”

  Gun looked at her and recognized the look on her face. She was determined; he could see that just from her eyes. He looked back at the mysterious Rift and then to the ships.

  “This reminds me of the old days, you know, back when we fought the Zealots. Good times.”

  Teresa looked at him and sighed.

  “Good times. Are you kidding? Come on. Let’s get back to the troops. It’s speech time before we go through.”

  Gun nodded and the two walked away from the magnificent view and made their way back through the many walkways and corridors to the rear. The design was very different to earlier ships, with the front half of the ship containing the power units, CIC, crew quarters, and weapon systems. The rear contained the mission modules, marine quarters, and hangars. As they moved through, it became obvious when they reached the section further back; the number of navy crewmembers diminished while marine numbers went up. Of more importance to her though, was that the weapons, ammunition, and equipment was stored further back. It took almost five minutes for them to reach the large landing bay area they’d used so effectively for training. Teresa marched in directly behind Gun, stopping in front of four complete companies of marines. Gun turned to her and smiled discreetly.

  “They look different, don’t they?”

  Teresa remained expressionless as she examined the columns of marines. Each stood smartly to attention in their black armor. Gone were the days of warriors in camouflage. Instead, every single one of the marines was clad in black like some fearsome demon of ancient lore. The only concessions to the camouflage of the past were subtle gray streaks that slightly broke up their shapes. Across their chests were the dependable L52 Mk II Carbines, but she did recognize a small number of L48 rifles used by the sharpshooters that dated back to her time in the Corps.

  “Impressive, very impressive,” she muttered gently under her breath.

  Gun nodded to them all before speaking.

  “Marines, today is your first operation, and it will be in a part of the galaxy never before explored by humans!”

  To Teresa’s surprise, the marines erupted in a rapturous cheer at the news. Information about combat postings and operations were always popular, but she was completely taken aback by this attitude. Then she remembered.

  Damn, didn’t we tell them?

  She watched Gun bathe in the adulation of his Battalion as she tried her best to look pleased. He didn’t even have to speak now; he just lifted his muscled arms to the air and roared. The more they cheered, the more she found herself thinking of Spartan and where he might be. Just a few seconds contemplating that, and she was already resolved to do what needed to be done. Her face changed to one of anger.

  We’ll get control of this Helios and its Rifts. I don’t care if we have to kill of thousand of these things to do it!

  It was only then that she realized she was threatening the life of an enemy, yet so far she had no idea who this enemy was, or even if there would be one. She’d been so busy the last few weeks preparing the marines that she hadn’t even given it any thought.

  Calm down, woman, you don’t need to go looking for enemies. They always manage to find you!

  * * *

  Admiral Anderson stood quietly and watched the main viewscreen as they moved in closer to the Helios Gateway. The fleet was in position, and he’d kept them stationed at a safe distance while the Alliance science ship ANS Kepler performed a series of detailed scans. They were positioned inside a large debris field from a long destroyed planet or moon. The largest object in sight was a rocky planet with apparently no name. It had been logged along with all other data and returned to fleet HQ. For the last hour, a torrent of data had arrived, of which only part matched the Spacebridges constructed by Alliance scientists.
Unlike most Naval officers, Admiral Anderson wasn’t just an experienced combat officer; he was also actually a highly skilled scientist and engineer himself and had been the commander of Prometheus and its science stations for a number of years.

  “Interesting, very interesting,” he said, reading the latest batch of data.

  “The power levels are off the charts,” the Chief Engineer said, doing his best not to be surprised at the technological proficiency shown by the Admiral.

  “Yes, this Rift has more in common with our own system back at Prometheus. We can only assume the distances between this Rift and Helios are equally as impressive as our own journey here.”

  The Chief Engineer scratched his forehead as he examined the raw data.

  “Uh, not necessarily, Admiral.”

  He leaned forward pointed at a particular column of numbers.

  “Ah, you’re right, this part of space is being contested by three astronomical objects. The forces present must require changes to the power signature of the Rift generator. The level of technology to build this thing is impressive.”

  The Chief Engineer brought over two screens of visual patterns and placed them over the new reading. He pointed at the images to the left before continuing.

  “I think there’s more to it than that. If we overlay the data from this area of space, you’ll notice the gases; forces that make up this sector are almost identical to Prometheus. We always assumed only the rarest of places could be used to create stable Rifts at extreme distances.”

  He looked back to the Rift and the number of small stations and platforms built amongst the ruins of a moon. Their sensors had detected nothing but debris upon their arrival. It was only when T’Kron and his scouts had sent the signal, and the generators had powered up, that the Alliance vessels had detected the platforms hidden in the debris field.