War Zone (Star Crusades: Mercenaries Book 5)

by Thomas, Michael G.

  WARZONE

  STAR CRUSADES: MERCENARIES

  By Michael G. Thomas

  Part of the STAR CRUSADES series

  First Edition

  Copyright © 2016 Michael G. Thomas

  Published by Swordworks Books

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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  PROLOGUE

  The border wars of 2472 saw the birth of a new and emboldened superpower, at the cost of ancient Byotai and the Anicinàbe empires. Populated by an ambitious, multi-ethnic confederation of malcontents, exiles, machine haters and opportunists, they raced to consolidate their position. With ruthless efficiency, they combined the manpower of the Anicinàbe with the vast industrial resources of the Byotai. Named to honour the mythical Orion Interstellar Empire, it was often known as the Star Empire in the dark corners of the galaxy. While many trembled at the thought of such a vibrant new superpower, there were others, including the mega corporations deep inside the Alliance, that saw an opportunity to right wrongs dating back to the Great War. The stage was set for a mass confrontation between the two largest remaining powers, and its outcome would define the next generation. Few even considered the possibility of an even more dangerous foe lurking at the core of the Human-led Alliance.

  A Brief History of the Alliance

  Grand Cruiser ‘Raiukat’, Karnak Blockade, Tenth Quadrant

  5 December 2472

  The dull yellow planet looked peaceful from nearly fifty thousand kilometres away. Yet the officers and crew of the Interstellar Empire's flagship knew too well of the horrors below them. Karnak, like all the worlds of the Tenth Quadrant, had not escaped the ravages of war. Their beleaguered citizen soldiers and mercenary allies held on against all hope, leaving the region in a state of perpetual siege. Nothing left the planets, and only fresh troops and supplies for the endless meat grinder were allowed through. The reflected light from the dusty planet bathed the warship in dull yellow. Much of the ship was hidden in shadow, but as she moved around the planet, she passed in view of the System's single star, and her profile lit up as if hit by some deadly direct energy weapon. Metre by metre, the bright light revealed her elaborate armour, powerful engines, and unusual profile.

  The Grand Cruiser Raiukat was a true sight to behold, a war machine developed in secret, and victorious in every engagement she ever fought in. She was the first capital ship in the elite new experimental Sekieki Imperial Squadron, the sole vessel to incorporate every piece of untested technology in development. She was to have been used for shock and awe, yet this war had taken a dangerous turn, and her talents were needed on a dozen battlefields. Lessons learned from Raiukat would be used at shipyards to create standard templates for the next generation of advanced warships, designs that would soon be put into full production and refit the Interstellar Empires ranks with the most advanced ships ever seen.

  The mighty Raiukat was a substantial vessel, quite unlike anything used before by either the Byotai or the Anicinàbe races and marginally bigger than an Alliance battlecruiser. At first glance, she bore the long, elegant hull of a light cruiser, much like those used in the border wars, but the central hull and engine systems were much bigger than normal, the movable armour plating system matching many of the characteristics used by the former Byotai Empire. Stranger still were the multiple warp generator plates fitted behind the heavy, reinforced bow of the ship, similar to the curved shells of crustaceans. This gave the front of the ship a more bulbous look than its contemporaries, and marked it out as something very different, giving the impression they were designed for ramming, or at the very least direct, full frontal attacks.

  Raiukat was never alone and orbited the planet with her escort of smaller vessels trailing behind. Though several more cruisers lay close, most of the ships were the much smaller escort frigates, each bearing some of the same design features, especially the enlarged frontal armour sections and war generation plates.

  This was just one of several Star Empire contingents around Karnak, and more arrived with each passing day. Together there were now almost fifty ships in the immediate area, and with each new arrival, the blockade of the war-torn planet became harder to break. Of them all, the colourful ships of the Sekieki Imperial Squadron stood out the most, a first look at what the future might bring, once victory was obtained.

  The assembled officers and soldiers of the flagship waited in silence on the deck. Each upright, erect, and positioned in neat rows on the metallic flooring. The days of being little more than Anicinàbe bandits and raiders in loose clothing akin to corsairs and pirates were gone. They were now the elite, the finest officers, crew, and soldiers in the Orion Interstellar Empire, and serving aboard the most distinguished vessel in the entire fleet.

  "Attention!"

  The words came from the ship's captain, the ex-Byotai Imperial officer, Catecahassa. After months of combat, he now commanded all space forces along the Karnak border. He was from a family of no note, and with no name to mark out his right to distinction. He was a nobody, a mid-level officer born into a conservative military hierarchy that rewarded birth over merit. In the opening hours of the rebellion, he'd led a coup, using a small cadre of young, loyal officers against their former masters. Now he was amongst the most important military officers in the new regime, and arguably the single most successful military commander this regime had access to.

  "Silence on deck."

  Many ambitious men and women had achieved greatness, but Senior Centurion Catecahassa had a string of incredible victories to his name. Within the first day of the revolution, he'd captured a Byotai heavy cruiser, a ship he'd used as his flagship until three weeks ago. He'd been responding to a distress call when he'd run into Raiukat in the middle of a resupply operation. The ship was under attack, and her escort scattered. There were a dozen stories about what happened next, but most shared the tale of how the enemy had boarded Raiukat and killed her captain. After which Catecahassa personally attacked the ship and killed the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. That victory had left him with the Grand Cruiser, and he'd used her effectively ever since.

  His was a rising star; he knew it, and so did everybody that met him. Though temporary, he'd grown used to the ship and its crew. Togethe
r they'd achieved victories few could have imagined. So much so, many believed the Princeps himself still travelled aboard, even though he spent most of his time aboard his own high-speed cruiser. Catecahassa had never tried to hide those stories. It was not a bad thing for both his friends and his enemies to believe he played host to the leader of the entire movement. Yet now Catecahassa and the great warship had been recalled to Karnak, along with most of his best ships, summoned to meet the new Princeps as he was calling himself.

  Why am I here? Reward or punishment?

  Catecahassa was tense, as were most on the ship. Betrayal had been commonplace for months, and with shifting loyalties, one could never be too sure whom to trust. Catecahassa was unusual, and had nailed his colours to his mast early in the campaign. He just hoped and prayed he'd chosen the right side this time. Catecahassa gulped uncomfortably. Just thinking about the possibilities made him break out into yet another cold sweat.

  I've done nothing wrong, and I threaten nobody. I bring victory and success with each battle. How can the Princeps be anything but proud of my successes?

  He knew he was right, yet his body refused to listen as the entire body of men and women turned to face the approaching Ma'heen Armoured Assault Gunship. He knew who it was that came to his ship, and just knowing that unnerved him further. The Princeps was a ruthless and mysterious individual, a figure who'd torn apart the old Anicinàbe hierarchy in a bloody month long coup. From that savagery, he'd united the clans in a series of brilliant military and political campaigns, resulting in a single, unified state.

  The craft dropped down from its position nearly fifteen metres from the deck with precise timing and precision. The pilot then performed a perfect circular movement so that the left flank faced towards the assembled entourage, settling down on the platform with just a few centimetres marking its divergence from the landing marks. This particular gunship looked very different to any the crew had seen before and had been repainted since it had left weeks earlier. Gone were the pale colours, and in their place a bold new blue pattern that appeared to shift in hue with the light. One second it was pale blue, the next a metallic purple. Any detailing, markings, hatches, or exposed features were gilded in bronzed gold, giving the craft a regal look much like that used by the personal units of the now deposed Byotai Imperator.

  Catecahassa moved away from his crew and towards the gunship, his feet moving slowly and smartly as if on a parade ground. Before he made it halfway, the door opened with a hiss, and the long ramp lowered to the ground without a sound. First to emerge from the cloud of steam were four of the Star Empire honour guards. They were tall warriors, with the physique of a Byotai strongman and encased in armour from head to toe. Somebody gasped, and Catecahassa glanced to the right, keen to identify the sound.

  Who was that?

  Every pair of eyes remained locked forward, and try as he might, Catecahassa could not identify the perpetrator. He looked back towards the gunship, where it sat in silence in the centre of the vessel’s massive landing deck, deep inside in the belly of the warship. Lines of Star Empire Mahingan medium fighters waited like armed sentries along the flanks of the bay, the pilots dressed in their finery and waiting at their fronts. Catecahassa let out a slow breath as he waited patiently.

  Good, this looks good.

  Another four honour guards moved out, and now Catecahassa could get a good look at them all. Gone was the ivory amour so recently assigned to combat units, and in its place a new tone, with a slightly reflective surface layer. At first he thought their armour might be yellow, but then it shifted almost to white before moving back to a golden hue. The surface gave the impression of a fine satin resin that moved and stretched like a fabric.

  Nanocrystals! It has to be.

  Catecahassa found it hard to disguise his smile as he realised what was happening. They had fought long and hard, but the prize was worth it, both for the unity of the Empire and the valuable riches on the planet. With victory on the surface of Karnak, the Empire had access to the lucrative mines of Melantias far into the North of the planet's single continent. The paste was a valuable commodity, and the main reason for occupying the planet in the first place. Once processed into strands, the resulting nanofibrils had a bewildering array of uses, from electronics and computing through to use in the construction of armour and warships.

  "Senior Centurion Catecahassa!"

  The voice boomed out into the great hangar, and Catecahassa shifted his eyes from the exquisite form of the honour guards to the two tall figures moving down the ramp. They stepped onto the deck and moved towards the Legate. One was fully encased in the complicated and overlay crafted armour, while behind him ran a purple and gold trimmed cloak. At his flank, marched a bareheaded figure with a staff in one hand. They were tall, and though clearly Anicinàbe, still bore the bone structure and broad bodies of the Byotai. One eye was patched, and his face marked with scars and burn marks. As a pure-blood, former Anicinàbe clan leader, Catecahassa forced himself not to recoil at such impurity. The bareheaded figure appeared more Byotai than his comrade, though both were something very different to his own genetic background.

  Half-bloods.

  Once there, he bowed with a forced flourish, clearly something he was not used to, and definitely not before such large groups.

  "Princeps."

  Now that they were close, it was clear this new armour and clothing was something spreading fast through the officer corps. The two men could quite easily have been twins, with their build, stature, and poise exactly the same.

  "Meet Tenskwatawa, leader of our exiled brethren, and my brother."

  Once more the Senior Centurion performed his flourish, and the bareheaded Tenskwatawa laughed.

  "The etiquette of our ancient ancestors will take some time to adopt, but one day it will be second nature. I thank you for your noble efforts."

  Catecahassa instantly recognised the accent. It was from the clans often associated with the border. There were changes that more closely matched the Byotai tongue, yet it was subtle and probably went unnoticed by most.

  "Reports of your successes make mine appear...insignificant. The two of us have spent years preparing loyalists for this campaign, but you came from nowhere, an insignificant family, in the midst of the Cold Bloods."

  Catecahassa lowered his head, as though shamed.

  "Do not misunderstand me, my brother. We may not be family by blood, but your actions have made you closer than any other."

  Tenskwatawa nodded vigorously as he listed to his brother speak.

  "Tahkeome is correct. Your actions have proven more valuable than even blood. You are one of us, one of the few."

  Tahkeome smiled and placed a hand on each of their shoulders before he turned his head and gazed upon the ranks of crew and officers. The gentle flicker of lights marked the presence of more than a dozen ceiling-mounted cameras, along with their coaxial lighting systems. One by one they tracked the trio, and sent the video feed direct to the orbiting ships around Karnak. Tahkeome was the master of audience manipulation, and he could never let such an opportunity be wasted. The majority of those present were Anicinàbe, as would be expected, but there were still a number of Byotai, and even a handful of half-bloods.

  "We have started a new epoch, a great moment in time where the old is replaced by the new, and the many will be rewarded, instead of the privileged few. A grand utopia for the benefit of all races that work with us."

  There was nothing from the assembled officers. They watched in silence, but already Tahkeome detected the mood in the vastness of the ship. He could tell what a crowd was thinking, even before they did.

  "We will usher in a new era, one of peace, compassion, and best of all, reward for the individual though merit."

  He licked his lips, and then lifted both hands high as though in the middle of a sermon.

  "But first, we must unite the disunited. The scattered survivors of the Biomechanical plague need our help, and there are n
o others with the strength or guile to do what must be done."

  Tahkeome paused and took in a deep, calm breath.

  "We will march against the creatures that enslave the living. The Biomechanical monstrosities must never again be allowed to make a home in our galaxy. We will hunt them wherever they may live, and wherever they have tainted."

  A handful of the lower ranked crewmembers spoke up with their agreement, and Tahkeome nodded along.

  "The so-called Alliance, the Helions, the Khreenk, and the Klithi all bare the taint of the machines, and all will be cleansed with fire."

  As the excitement spread, he turned to his two immediate comrades.

  "Tell me, Catecahassa. How is my ship?"

  Catecahassa smiled at the question.

  "Raiukat is a fine ship, Princeps, with the best crew I have ever seen. Never before have I seen such a vessel. She has proven her strength in multiple engagements with the enemy."

  "Quite. And your victories, they have been numerous, have they not?"

  Catecahassa was unsure whether to be humble and modest, or whether he should use the opportunity for what it was.

  "Princeps, together we have annihilated the remnants of the loyalists. Never before has an Empire crumbled so fast and so violently. In each battle we have fought them ship-to-ship and been victorious."

  He pointed to the crew before him.

  "Our captured ships have proven critical, but these new vessels are faster and stronger than the ships of the line in the Alliance. I suspect we could even match one of their battleships."

  The smile grew on his face.

  "And that is a battle I would like to see, first hand. A part of me wishes I could remain here. Raiukat is unlike any ship I have served on."