We have more machines, aliens, and synthetics here than humans.
He wasn’t sure how he felt, but it was certainly a strange feeling to have.
“I see. That is what you are bringing, but tell me. What else do you propose? A single Biomech rebel and three hundred or so machines is not an army.”
The machine turned a few degrees to face Spartan. His body had been long stripped of its paint, and his pair of plasma weapons was currently hidden behind their mountings on his arms. Although much larger than the Jötnar, he still seemed to fit in with the theme of war machines and heavy equipment that filled the landing bay. He said nothing for a moment, finally answering the General.
“I will find my brothers, and together we can end the destruction brought by my kin’s treachery. We have already found…”
Spartan lifted his hand, and the machine stopped. It looked to Spartan and then continued speaking.
“There are few of us left, and all are committed to the end of the genocide carried out in the past. If the…Biomechs are not stopped, they will lay waste to every world that has helped Helios.”
General Rivers glanced to Spartan.
“Brothers? There was nothing in the report about there being more.”
Spartan nodded.
“Yes, General. He says that he and his people fought alongside the Twelve until they were defeated and forced to retreat. There are few of them left now.”
General Rivers looked at the monstrous machine and tilted his head a little to the right. He’d read the report multiple times, but only now was it becoming apparent the clearing operation in Sol was more than had been sanctioned by High Command.
“Where are the rest of your friends?”
The machine hissed and clunked before he pointed to the side of the ship.
“We scattered ourselves to the cold and darkness of the debris fields inside this star system. Any that still live will be buried deep inside the rock and metal we found here.”
He then placed one of him hands across his chest.
“A handful of us scattered to other worlds to leave information for others to follow. Most of those died in their efforts.”
Spartan rubbed his chin as he listened to the machine.
“General, we couldn’t share this through the Rift. You saw what happened when they found he was here. We faced a massive assault by all remaining Biomech forces in this sector.”
“I saw the video feeds. Are you tell me there was no…”
Spartan shook his head.
“Oh, there’s been ongoing combat throughout Mars, even after we took the Core. One squad of Decurions managed to destroy their communication systems before we could contain them. It’s taken weeks to hunt them down, and in that time we’ve been busy.”
He gave the nod to the young Captain ever present at Teresa’s side. Captain Rivers was already checking on his secpad before lifting the unit.
“Here, General. We started here, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.”
The imagery showed the Sol System, with its eight planets and massive asteroid belt that split them into inner and outer planets. He looked at it briefly, but although he’d never visited Sol before, he was very familiar with the stories of the old worlds dating back to the days of the early colonists.
“I am quite familiar with the asteroid belt. This was the first major area of mining and exploration, following the early colonies on Earth’s moon and Titan. I fail to see how machines could have hidden out there for so long.”
He then looked to Z’Kanthu.
“You’re saying your people hid in our asteroid belt all this time?”
Z’Kanthu shook his head.
“No, just one. Most hid in the larger field out beyond your planets.”
“The Kuiper Belt,” said a familiar voice.
They all turned their attention to the man in a smart Alliance uniform and hobbling on a crutch. A metal frame ran down the side of his leg where it was pinned directly to the bone.
“Marcus Keller. Director Johnson told me to expect you here.”
“Yes, General.”
The man looked to Spartan and exchanged a cool but courteous look.
“May I?”
Spartan moved his hands out in front of him in a conciliatory position. The lines of Thegn soldiers waited in silence and could easily have been mistaken for a group of metallic statues, each one waiting as some form of foul sentinel.
“We’ve been following this trail for years now. With the damaged transport sites at the Anomaly, Hyperion, Terra Nova, Hades in T’Karan, and now finally on Mars, the puzzle has started to come together. Even the factories on Prometheus and Prime were built well before the worlds were settled.”
Z’Kanthu moved his shoulder plates as though stretching.
“Yes. Before we went into hiding, we had tried to rebuild. The factories would create workers, warriors, and infrastructure. The Rifts would connect our new worlds that you now call home. The enemy tried to use what we had built, so we destroyed what was left, including our only remaining way home, the last gateway on your green world.”
“Hyperion,” said Khan with obvious reverence.
Z’Kanthu looked at the synthetic warrior as a child might look as a pet.
“Correct. Hyperion was our most complex construction, a way to reach an area of space near Helios, but not too close. Then they came, and most of what we had built was lost. My brothers that still lived joined me in this system, one that we knew was occupied by your young, primitive species.”
He then looked to Marcus.
“Your assessment of our hiding places was most accurate. Any that remained were hidden deep inside the rock of this vast belt. It was our intention to wait until your species was advanced enough to discover us and awaken the remaining rebels. Only then would we have the tools required to end this war.”
General Rivers took a step back and scanned from left to right. He examined the large numbers of marines, machines, and alien warriors before moving his attention back to the small group.
“Tools?” he asked, his face contorted in a suspicious frown.
“Yes, your people. The Biomech numbers were too great for us to match, not in the time we had remaining. Now that your own people have spread to many worlds, built ships, and powerful weapons, together we will be more powerful than we could ever be alone.”
General Rivers looked at the emotionless machine.
“So you just assumed our local forces would authorize a full-scale search of the Kuiper Belt for your comrades, just so we could then let you lead us in some holy war?”
He then looked to Teresa.
“I left you in charge here specifically to secure this rear area prior to joining our buildup for Citadel. Now you’re telling me you’ve actually been running errands for this machine?”
Z’Kanthu stayed silent as the General spoke. He listened and absorbed every word he heard until finally looking back at the assembled Thegns.
“We didn’t just hide our kin in your system. What is left of our army is still here, buried out there on the distant rock fifty-two astronomical units from this star. By helping me uncover them, I have brought them all to you, to help in your war. I offer them to you to destroy the enemy.”
General Rivers looked at the machine for several second before nodding. He walked away and indicated for his son, Teresa, Marcus, Spartan, and Khan to follow. They went past the lines of Thegns and finally reached the other side of the landing bay. Still he did not stop but moved toward where a pair of Maulers sat, each being worked on by a team of skilled engineers. Closer to the bulkheads waited small numbers of marines, all watching the General’s movements. They were discreet, but Spartan had spotted their movement before the General had even made it halfway to the Thegns just after arriving. He finally stopped and checked their new arrivals were well out of earshot.
“I have just one question for you, and it’s a damned important one.”
H
e reached out his secpad and lifted it to show them a message. All it asked was could they trust Z’Kanthu? Both of them looked at it carefully, but Spartan replied first.
“General, there is no way for us to know. So either we help them, and use them.”
Teresa pushed in.
“Or we leave this asset in the middle of our sector and hope nothing happens.”
Z’Kanthu walked away from them and then stopped; General Rivers watched and called out after the machine.
“What stops you giving the order to these Thegns to turn on us?”
The machine twisted toward Spartan and back to the General. It said nothing, and General Rivers repeated his question before looking back to Spartan.
“Well? Is somebody going to answer me?”
“General, there is something else, something that only we know.”
Teresa beckoned to a group of four marines who brought over a metal crate that was partially open. They moved it closer and lowered it directly in front of the officers. Teresa pulled open the lid fully so they could all look inside. Each peered in to look at the odd fusion of biological material and mechanics. It was still, silent, and smelt slightly off.
“I…I don’t understand. This is the Core, isn’t it? The one you captured and reprogrammed on Mars?”
Spartan nodded.
“Yes, and it’s also the one that we destroyed forty-eight hours ago.”
The General took a step back, almost stumbling as he listened.
“What? You’ve handed over control to one individual, this machine?”
He pointed at Z’Kanthu as he hissed his words. Spartan tried to explain, but the man just continued to back off, so Spartan marched off to the corner of the group of Thegns. He tapped the first and spoke in short, simple English.
“Follow me.”
The Thegn turned its head, looked at him, and then moved in behind him. The two walked back before halting directly in front of the General. Spartan looked to the warrior who was currently completely unarmed.
“What is your name?
“Forty-Seven.”
General Rivers had never heard one speak. He didn’t even know they could. The creature’s voice was odd, a combination of artificial machine-like sounds and a strange foreign dialect mixed with a guttural tone.
“What are your orders?”
“Obey chain of command.”
The reply was instant, and it remained next to Spartan like a dog waiting to be given permission to move somewhere. General Rivers was speechless and simply stared at the thing for almost a full ten seconds.
“I think somebody had better explain to me what just happened.”
Teresa nodded quickly.
“We will, Sir. There is one more thing though.”
She looked to Z’Kanthu and nodded slowly, as though there was a preselected signal. He extended both of his arms out and turned his metal fists around to present his palms upwards. His eyes pulsed, and then a detailed hologram appeared showing seven machines, each of them as different as they were similar. General Rivers looked at the imagery intently until spotting one that he recognized.
“That is Z’Kanthu,” said Spartan.
The General continued to look at the other six, examining the limb arrangements, overall sizes, and mass. Finally, he turned to look at Spartan and Teresa.
“Is this what I think it is? Are these the rebels?”
Spartan relaxed his face just a little.
“Yes, General. More importantly though, they are here.”
He indicated to his right just to the side of the spare Maulers. A massive hatch opened up that was easily big enough to push a Mauler inside of. It was one of the multiple loading lifts used inside the spacecraft. From the dark interior emerged a robotic shape, and then another until six more machines, each of similar build to Z’Kanthu. They moved closer and then stopped in a line of mechanical monsters with no intent on causing damage. One by one they lowered their torsos in homage.
“These are my kin, the last of the rebels left alive in this sector.”
There was no emotion in his voice, yet Teresa was convinced she sensed something at the mention of the word alive. They had expected more, but these six were all they had been able to recover intact.
“General, we found four more that died in the last two hundred years. Automated mining machines digging on Makemake found the last one, but it died from exposure and decay years ago.”
She then beckoned to the machines.
“These are the last of the rebel warlords, and each of them has pledged their allegiance to us in this war.”
“Under whose command?” asked General Rivers suspiciously.
He glanced over to Z’Kanthu, but it was to Spartan that the machine looked.
“As the price for finding the rest of my kin, we agreed to the conditions of your officers, as well as a system of command.”
General Rivers didn’t seem impressed at this.
“What conditions?”
Spartan glanced at Teresa, swallowed, and then answered.
“The Core is the strength and the weakness of all life created by the Biomechs. Even the Decurion machines had minor organic components and basic levels of intelligence. We can control the Core directly or via Z’Kanthu, but does that give us any kind of guarantee?”
The General said nothing; he merely stared at Spartan impassively.
“So I took a chance. While we were well away from the planets, out in the Kuiper Belt, we tested a theory.”
Teresa placed her hand on Spartan; now feeling it was time to take responsibility for the events that had unfolded.
“General. I authorized Z’Kanthu to send the signal to the first unit of Thegns. It was a failsafe procedure that deactivates and destroys the Core communication node. Only with authorization from a loyal Steersman or Core can this be done.”
She tried to continue, but General Rivers stopped her.
“Wait, you’re telling me you removed the control system for these soldiers?”
“Just as we did back on Prometheus, Sir,” Spartan reminded him.
“You see these Thegns are intelligent, as smart as a basic trooper, but with conditioning and strength we cannot easily match. The Core system keeps them all under the thrall of the machines, yet I suspected that underneath they would have the same resentments Gun and the others had.”
“Slavery,” said the General quietly.
“Exactly. We freed one at first and the result were, well. Violent. It tried to kill us, but Z’Kanthu restrained it. It took a few hours, but eventually he explained that it could go wherever it chose, but if it chose violence, then he would be force to fight it. Do you know what it wanted to do?”
The General smiled that dark, grim smile Spartan had seen before.
“Tell me.”
“It wanted to know where the masters were.”
The General raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Why?”
Spartan looked at the Thegn.
“Forty-Seven. Orders?”
The warrior spoke in its own tongue, and Z’Kanthu was forced to translate.
“Its orders are simple. It will observe the chain of command as I have explained. Our Thegns and war machines have each vowed to observe the laws and commands based upon your chain of command in the coming fight. Not one of them has shown any interest in causing trouble. They will have their freedom.”
“Yes, but what does it want? Can it even understand freedom?”
“Z’Kanthu spoke again, and the Thegn stepped away from the officers and approached him. He even seemed to recoil just a little as it spoke. Finally, the sounds finished and he looked to General Rivers.
“Forty-Seven wants to find the slave masters that forced him and his kin to fight and die. He has seen seventy-three of his comrades die in battle on both sides of our wars. He will not fight for any Biomech again.”
“Uh, isn’t that a problem?”
Spartan cleared his th
roat.
“Got something to say, Spartan?”
“Well, General, this Thegn and every one we have freed so far, wants just one thing; their freedom, but not our kind of freedom. They don’t want or expect a normal life. They want the freedom to find, fight, and destroy the Biomechs once and for all.”
“I don’t understand, why? Are you telling me they have memories and feelings? Surely you do not believe they have a system of morality?”
Spartan didn’t seem impressed.
“General, they are intelligent creatures that were built as expendable slaves. They had no free will but could see, feel, and understand what was happening around them. When freed of the Core, they operate under the basic laws of free will. But deep down there is something that has been simmering for centuries, just the same as with Gun and Khan. All they want is the chance for vengeance. Was Gun much different when we found him?”
“And who is supposed to lead them if they hold all Biomechs in such contempt. Will they fight under the command of our own officers?”
He looked up to Z’Kanthu as he spoke. The machine looked at him, his eyes flickering and then becoming brighter.
“They will fight for somebody our rebels can trust, one with a history and reputation as a hunter and killer of Biomechs. The Thegns are suspicious of your Alliance, and their knowledge of the Helions is limited. There is one they will follow though, the first of your people they ever met.”
He then pointed at Spartan.
“He has been chosen as our war leader by the Thegns. Where Spartan goes, our bandon will follow. We are not interested in empire building or conquest. The last of The Twelve and all of our warriors pledge their lives to Spartan and to the end of all Biomechs.”
General Rivers was stunned. He’d arrived with the intention of uncovering quite what was going and had instead been handed a fait accompli. He looked about the vast hall, at the marines, machines, and warriors waiting there for their chance for battle. Everything he had seen made him uncomfortable, and it was only the involvement of Spartan and Teresa that stopped him from shutting down the entire operation.
“So, you’ve created your own little army out here, then. What am I to do with you?”
Star Crusades Nexus: Book 08 - Wrath of the Gods: Page 4