Star Crusader: Siege of Kalar

by Thomas, Michael G.

  Why did it have to be me?

  Something rattled off in the distance, and her eyes moved to track where it might be coming from. Other than that, her entire body remained motionless. Seconds ticked by until finally a loose cable dropped down from the next level up and struck the ground. The noise vanished, leaving her once again in silence. She checked one last time, and then reached down to her waist. Valentine still wore her full PDS body armour and also carried a webbing set from a fallen soldier. She removed the packet of rations out of the largest pouch and pulled back the wrapper. Without bothering to look inside, she lifted the pack to her face and pushed out the gel like food into her mouth.

  “God, that is disgusting.”

  It was a Byotai food pack, and had she checked on the images showing the contents, she might not have bothered. Even so, Valentine knew that food and water were critical if she was to have any chance whatsoever of surviving.

  * * *

  Ararrh II, Orion Interstellar Empire

  Dull light filled the System and lit up the nearby world of Ararrh II. Like everything else in this System, it was lifeless, a lump of worthless rock, in a place of little strategic value other than for its Spacebridges. At some point in the distant past, the Rifts had been built, and they now provided a highway from the core territories of the Star Empire and the depopulated border regions. Legate Catecahassa had little interest in this area, and every hour he spent there served only to irritate him further. He closed his eyes and fantasied about his victory over the enemy. He’d been trapped in the Byotai military, an ambitious officer that could not progress further without the birthright so prised by the Byotai elite. It was one thing to deal with the weak and morally corrupt Byotai regime he’d been born into, but quite another to tackle the Human aliens that appeared everywhere.

  “Legate. The fleet is in position as requested. Our scouts report the enemy is well entrenched. They await our attack. It would appear their scouts successfully penetrated our perimeter.”

  Catecahassa nodded at the officer and then looked away. He was much more interested in the view of his vast fleet assembled in the Ararrh System and smiled. It had taken weeks to prepare, but now they were ready, and the impeding invasion of the Alliance filled him with excitement.

  They can be as prepared as they like. I have more than enough surprises for them.

  Nonetheless, he remained impatient for the many reinforcements promised to him by the Princeps. First there had been the advanced cruisers that had not appeared, and more important, the secret weapons they’d been developing for months.

  He waited impatiently inside the safety of his flagship, the Grand Cruiser Raiukat, the first of a handful of new ships from the Star Empire’s shipyards. It was a beautiful, almost elegant looking vessel, and fused the technology of multiple civilisations into a powerful warship capable of taking even the biggest Alliance vessels. From his position towards the rear, and in the centre of the raised bridge near the stern, he had the perfect view of the fleet.

  The battle of our times is here. It must be. The Princeps promised me that today would be the day. I will take Raiukat into the heart of their fleet and end them.

  Catecahassa’s eyes ran down the smooth upper decks of his flagship, and out to the neatly arranged squadrons of ships. He tapped the computer system so that he might continue with the speech he’d been preparing for every senior officer in the fleet. It might be premature, but doing nothing would confirm the operation was being postponed once more, or perhaps worse, cancelled. So far he’d re-written the opening parts more than a dozen times, and then as always, he’d go back and start from the beginning.

  “Okay, let’s try it again.”

  He cleared his throat.

  “Today is the dawn of a new age. We will wipe the taint of the enemy from every world and bring order in its place. Helios will fall. Then we will spread through the domains of the corrupted until our great work is done. The Orion Star Empire is reborn.”

  His smile widened as he imagined his glories to come. He had little real interest in the history of the ancient Empire they pretended to trace their lineage to. This was a movement against the old orders, and it had spread through the Byotai and the Anicinàbe territories. The poor, the young, the disenfranchised, the ambitious, and the maligned; all of them had reasons to hate the old regimes. And now dozens of star systems operated under a single shared command, and a firm belief in meritocracy over the old established order.

  Tahkeome is the master, he truly is.

  Legate Catecahassa was a warrior, and the politics little interested him. It was obvious, though, that for the Empire to truly succeed they would need an enemy to focus on. The traditionalist reptilian Byotai, and the nomadic Anicinàbe; the two peoples and their mixed race offspring should have little common ground, yet somehow Princeps Tahkeome had done it. He’d left the others to fight a devastating war, and then emerged from the shadows to seize power. They targeted the hated Biomechs, even though they’d done little to fight them when it mattered. Now the ancient enemy was gone and utterly defeated, and what had the Princeps done? He’d expertly shifted that blame from the Biomechs to those that had defeated them.

  The Alliance and their friends, they are children, pawns to be played with.

  He could see fleets of ships burning with the star of Helios in the background, legions of Star Empire soldiers occupying the few worlds of the Khreenk, and the final invasion of the Human homeworlds in Alpha Centauri. When he closed his eyes, he saw the victories as though they had already happened.

  “This first stage is the most important, for we have been given the hardest task in the entire war…and it is a war. Even with Helios captured, they will continue to fight for their masters.”

  He licked his lips, relishing the moment. A glance to his right showed that his own officers were listening with bated breath. This ship like every other one was a meritocracy, filled with any that were good enough to serve. This was no place for honoured positions or ancient ranks. There were Anicinàbe pure blooded clan warriors, some with the tribal tattoo and body markings of their past allegiance. Next to them were young Byotai, many of whom had defected at the start of the conflict. More incredible were those of mixed blood, people who in the past would never had been allowed on a starship, and yet they now formed the crew of the elite flagship.

  “We have the honour of engaging the Alliance where they wait, entrenched and confident at Fiorr Veej, and in direct contact with the Byotai traitors in the Tenth Quadrant. They think their minefields will stop us, but we have a weapon they can never have.”

  His eyes shifted to the long formation of civilian ships a short distance from the capital ships. There were transports, liners, cargo tugs, and more, all waiting for the word to enter the Rift and offer themselves as a sacrifice.

  “The Alliance and their friends are tainted by the Biomech menace. They will bring unending war and loss due to their contamination. We will bring them enlightenment.”

  He reached for the controls and considered sending the transmission, but then remembered his propaganda weapon.

  The footage!

  Catecahassa cursed himself for being so keen and over excited. He’d already prepared the material, a carefully edited sequence of just twenty seconds from the recent fighting. They’d scarified much to get the footage, and apparently even lost two battalions of elite soldiers to allow the enemy a victory. The Princeps had told him that the defeat on Karnak was intentional, but he truly doubted that.

  Was the loss of a system worth the price merely to obtain footage for the propaganda war?

  He looked at the start of the images and then wondered if actually the Princeps was correct.

  “This is what we fight against, my brothers. Forget everything you heard about the defeat of the Biomechs. It was all a lie.”

  The imagery shifted the battlescape of Karnak where the Star Empire had only just been defeated. It showed columns of armoured warriors, as well as t
he fluttering standards of the Empire. He’d seen the same still images a dozens times now, and they were already becoming something of an advertising board used on every ship. With the ivory armour, gold edging, and grand looking officers they were truly the mark of the Ancients. Two filled the foreground with their helmets missing, yet fully armoured. The nearest was an Anicinàbe female, bearing clan symbols on her face. She was tall, almost elfin and with long hair. Next to her was a larger Byotai male, and both carried Krokspjot thermal carbines. It was a classic symbol of unity, two different races, with Byotai weapons yet wearing the tough armour of the Star Empire.

  They do look pretty.

  Catecahassa recalled asking the Princeps why they wore such an easy to spot colour for the soldiers. His answer had been a simple one. He wanted everybody to see the new symbol of power. They would not hide away. They were the guardians of the people, the heroes of the Star Empire. It had sounded inane at the time, but in the images they did look like the good guys. The still imagery started to move as the loyal warriors prepared for battle. Then they were gone as objects crashed from the skies like a torrent of meteorites. Creatures leapt out from the flames and wreckage, with a subtle edit hiding the change in location and time. This new foe waded into battle with a savagery that impressed even him. There were three-metre-tall warriors with cannons and small humanoids with blades for arms leaping and hacking at the soldiers.

  “The Alliance claims to have beaten the Biomechs, yet look. They serve their masters as though no war had been fought. Some ask how the Humans arrived here and spread so quickly. The answer is simple. The Biomechs created the Rifts and brought them here, as slaves to do their bidding.”

  The imagery shifted once more, and even he shuddered at the retrieved footage of one of the Ancient machines. He’d heard rumours it was one of the Twelve rebel Biomechs, but that didn’t help his narrative. It was a Biomech, one of the godlike creatures that almost annihilated the known races in the last centuries. Now every one of them could see it in action, and it was a sight to behold. Legions of artificial warriors, as well as Human marines, and their own machines surrounded the thing.

  “We can stand by and watch as the Biomechs continue their insidious campaign, or we strike now and save ourselves, the Helions, the Humans, and the other victims of their enslavement.”

  His lip quivered as he said the words. He almost believed what he was saying, and even he could see the elegance in the rhetoric. He nodded to himself, perhaps forcing his own belief in the underlying principles of this new movement. He was still far from certain that Biomechanical augmentation was the greatest sin of all, but for now it seemed the best motivation for the invasion.

  “Never again will the artificial and the living be brought together as unholy monsters. Together, our many peoples can live in peace and harmony, each offering their skills to the Empire.”

  Catecahassa had seen the Technophobe legions; entire cities worth of volunteer soldiers keen to drive out the perceived threat. They’d witnessed the destruction brought by the monstrous machines, and they would do anything to stop it happening to their own families.

  They fear the Biomechs, and it is that fear that will drive our people to victory.

  “Together we will crush the backbone of their navy in a single campaign, and force the Helions, and then the rest of the Alliance to heel.”

  Legate Catecahassa pointed to those around him.

  “Each of you will tell your children of the day you fought at my side, and of our great victory against the deadly threat. Check your systems and wait for my command. The time will soon be at hand.”

  He took a breath and looked to the forward windows. Only an expert would be able to tell they were artificial, and that the walls were completely solid. He walked to the port side of the deck and looked off into the distance, as though he expected marauders, or perhaps even the Alliance to arrive and spoil his day of triumph.

  Ararrh was an insignificant region of space now, especially as it contained only the shattered remains of the old Byotai military station, due to recent fighting. What it did have, however, was the Spacebridge that led directly into the Deadlands. The wasteland of space was worth little to people in the past, other than to house further Spacebridges in a long series of interconnected systems. Now the Deadlands was the battleground separating the Star Empire from its great rival, the Humans, and the many races in their so-called Alliance.

  It was an invasion force for sure, but one like no other before it. Some might assume a Star Empire fleet would consist of new and powerful ships, but the reality was completely different. Catecahassa’s fleet was made up of captured Byotai Imperial ships, mixed in with the lightweight vessels of the Anicinàbe Clans, and even a squadron of modern hybrids created in secret over the last three years. The time for peace was long past. It was time for a holy war against those supporting the ancient enemy, the race of beings and machines known only as the Biomechs. Catecahassa was ready for war, and he struggled to disguise his smile. He had received a communiqué an hour earlier to say that invasion was imminent, and he was desperate to enact his orders.

  Today will be the day, I am sure of it.

  This was the largest force he’d ever commanded, and seeing the array of warships made his pulse race with excitement. He’d been here for weeks, waiting for the word to start the inevitable war with the Alliance, one that had been brewing since the explosive birth of the Star Empire. He’d seen the reports of the debacle at Karnak, and now it was his turn to show his people what he could do. He had never known a real defeat, and he had no intention of changing that now.

  “Legate, incoming message from the Princeps.”

  A smile drew across Catecahassa’s face.

  Finally, it is time.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Kalar Anchorage, 9th Quadrant

  A single light high up in the ceiling flooded down, providing the minimum of light to fill this vast section. Of all the places she’d travelled through so far, this was by far the biggest. The ceiling must have been a hundred metres up, and hidden by many of the exposed levels jutting out like small jetties. She could still hear the occasional sound, serving as a reminder that she was not alone out here. She considered activating her comms gear and then decided against it. If she was identified and tracked, it would all be over.

  Stay calm and remember your training.

  Private Valentine moved slowly through the passage and into a vast residential area. It hadn’t occurred to her quite how many people must have lived here before the fighting had started so many months ago. Now it was deserted, as though it had been this way for years. The passages were much more open now, with doorways leading off into separate blocks for visitors and workers. There were heating plates in the floors, and lighting units on the ceilings to help the Byotai regulate their heat, but now all of that was off. All that remained were the emergency lights, and the occasional signs and computer systems that still flickered with energy.

  When did they all leave?

  Katanga had taken over the place, but it was obvious that the civilian population had left, or perhaps moved a lot earlier than that. Kalar was like most of the star systems outside the Trinity and lacked settled planets or a large population. It was based around one single, massive structure positioned far away from the busy shipping lanes of the Empire. Out here there was just the black frozen world of Kalar Sopitam, its many opencast mines, and the monstrous Kalar Anchorage that orbited the rogue planet.

  She stopped as entered an open area. Steps headed upwards to multiple glass panelled floors. Neon style signage marked it as a recreation area, and she was sure she could hear music in the distance. She paused and tried to identify the direction of the music. As she waited, something clicked on far in the distance. Valentine reached for her helmet and pulled it on, but moved slowly, doing her best to not draw attention.

  What’s that?

  A yellow light flickered on, and then she spotted several shapes.
At first she thought they might be marines, a rescue party come to save her. There were more shapes behind them, and most, if not all appeared to be carrying firearms. She was tempted to call out, desperate not to be left out here to slowly freeze to death, but then she noticed two of them with long robes or cloaks hanging down to the floor. The ragged look was common decades ago with the Zealots, and their war deep inside humanity’s colonies. These new rebellious warriors seemed little different to her. Instead of a religious hatred, they’d rallied around a manufactured hatred of an ancient race of biomechanical creatures.

  Technos.

  Next to them was a group of Star Empire foot soldiers, and to her surprise they were well armoured and well armed. Their armour looked like it was light grey, but then the newly activated ceiling lights presented them in all their glory. Most wore pale ivory armour encasing them from head to toe. The edges and embellishments were all tinted in brass, and they carried rifles in their hands. Another of the soldiers wore much the same, but with a crimson-tinted helmet and a purple cloak like something from Ancient Rome. She’d read the reports of the fighting on Karnak, and these soldiers looked exactly as the mercenaries had described. Spartan, his IAB, and the other merc units had recorded detailed accounts of the foot soldiers, their equipment, and technical proficiency.

  Oh, great, just what I need. Star Empire foot soldiers.

  More lights flickered on, lighting up the long shaft and revealing its odd shape for the first time since her arrival. The ceiling was perhaps five metres from the floor, and the walls a good fifteen metres apart. Ruts in the ground marked grooves for the light rail system designed to travel through this part of the facility. Off to the right a service shaft led off into the darkness, but she’d already tried to enter that particular point, only to be forced back by the vast levels of noxious fumes from leaking coolant tanks. She started to move a hand to her carbine but stopped as a powerful lamp activated. The unit seemed extra bright in the confines of the station and pierced deep into the shadows. The thin clouds of dust increased the ominous nature of the device as it cut like a knife through the darkness.