War Zone (Star Crusades: Mercenaries Book 5)

by Thomas, Michael G.

  The Princeps indicated for them to move through the two long lines of personnel. Catecahassa turned and moved behind the two brothers as they walked at a relatively quick pace.

  "That is perhaps just as well," said Princeps Tahkeome, "Because today..."

  He looked back at his audience, and his voice increased in volume as he moved from private conversation to a loud statement.

  "...today, the Senate has announced its grand strategy, and each of us has a part to play."

  Catecahassa swallowed, but said nothing, waiting with bated breath for the next words. He technically had no right to a position on this ship, let alone the fleet. Yet deep down he desired more. The galaxy was moving through a transition, and he wanted desperately to be a part of what was to come.

  "The Byotai loyalists are putting up a fight, even with their fleet shattered and their forces scattered. Every day new ships defect to join us, but that is not enough. We need to end this violence."

  The Princeps stopped and nodded to his brother.

  "This quadrant centred on our old home of Karnak marks the border between our two great peoples, and its occupation will solidify the Empire into something unstoppable. The ancient Star Empire showed us that anything was possible. I want to make sure that it can happen again!""

  Catecahassa's eyebrows lifted as he listened. He tried not to appear surprised, but the quality of the rhetoric from the Princeps still astonished him. He'd heard that the man was able to inspire through the sound of his voice, and the way he moved. Now he was seeing it for the first time, he realised the stories were true.

  "Brothers and sisters, this is where our glorious Senate has offered leadership and taken on a bold and great responsibility. As with all things, the strongest foundation is with the triangle, the Great Trinity. The unity of this trinity will spread throughout worlds, solidifying our people, institutions, society, and the military. Already our armed forces comprises three services, and from today, so does our leadership."

  Tahkeome nodded as he spoke.

  "As the senior Legate, I have been granted the honoured position of Princeps by our great and noble Senate. I will provide the final voice and reason for our actions, the point at which debate stops and action begins. At my side are my brothers..."

  With his left hand, he placed his fingers around Tenskwatawa's shoulder.

  "Tenskwatawa. Due to his great efforts in managing both moral and civil order, he will become one of the three, a Legate in the new order. His noble morality will sweep through our worlds, rewarding the true virtues, and crushing those that seek solace in the machines of the great beasts."

  Catecahassa looked on in silence and tried his utmost not to shake his head in surprise.

  He doesn't even name the Biomechs by name. Instead, he calls on all enemies as the beasts. Does he want perpetual war, or is this mere rhetoric?

  Tahkeome's right hand then touched Catecahassa, and for a second, he almost passed out in stunned understanding. Never had he expected such an honour, and certainly not on such a momentous occasion.

  "And as the greatest living warrior, and commander of our victorious space forces, Catecahassa has been granted the position of Legate also. While the noble Tenskwatawa will seek to protect our spirit and morality, noble Catecahassa will provide the mailed fist, the strength and fire for when words will no longer be enough."

  With his hands still resting on their shoulders, he looked to the men and women.

  "As Legates of the new Imperium, we will bring civilian and military order inside our great empire, and end the madness of the last millennia, the decay and corruption of the biomechanical beasts and their many servants. "

  Tenskwatawa bowed correctly, putting the earlier failed efforts of the Senior Centurion to shame before stepping forward to speak. The lights near the camera pulsed as they moved to follow him.

  "My first duty will be to finally pacific Karnak and bring this quadrant to heel. Only then can I spread law and order through our territories, unifying our people both physically and spiritually at the behest of the Senate and our citizens."

  Catecahassa knew he should stay silent, but the tension was too much for him. All of this sounded grant and exciting, but all he could think about was his own actions over the last weeks. Was he to be reassigned, and if so, where? He turned to his master and whispered.

  "What of me, my Princeps? What should I do next?"

  Tahkeome lifted his hands and removed his golden helmet, revealing a mixture of beauty and alien ruggedness. There were traits from multiple races about him, yet he looked bigger and stronger than almost any of the crew on the ship.

  "The war on Karnak is coming to an end. The rebels are trapped in the ruins and underground. It has become little more than an infestation to be dealt with by our vermin killers."

  Tahkeome’s eyebrows lifted in mock amusement, and though it sounded as though he was speaking only to him, his voice was loud and booming so that every single person in the landing bay could hear what he had to say.

  "In the last month, noble Catecahassa has personally destroyed eleven Byotai warships, captured three starbases, and forced the surrender of an entire colony, all with little more than a handful of old and decrepit light cruisers from another age."

  Catecahassa still said nothing.

  "From this day forward, your place in this new endeavourer has been agreed, and you command our space forces with the same authority as the two of us did until today."

  Tahkeome looked to his brother before saying more.

  "The Senate has decided all that can safely guide our people through the dangers that lie ahead is a holy triumvirate. As first citizen, or Princeps, I will provide leadership to this group from the capital, and the two of you will be my fists in the great struggle to come."

  With both hands raised, he placed a hand on each of them and turned to face the crew.

  "Soldiers, pilots, officers, and crew of the renowned Grand Cruiser Raiukat, let me introduce you to your Triumvirate, the people representatives and servants of the newly established Senate. All of us are from humble origins, different races, and backgrounds. This would never have been possible in the regime of old, where disunity, poverty, and personal privilege robbed all of us of a future."

  With his left hand, he touched his own chest.

  "The three of us will be your agents and will provide something all of our people have lacked for centuries. And none of us will stop until victory is ours."

  As the crowd cheered, the three triumvirs turned inwards to speak. At the same time, the cameras moved away, providing them with privacy. Tahkeome spoke first. A gentle hum filled the space as the white noise generators wiped out any chance of overhearing them, even though they remained in plain sight.

  "I will leave shortly and return to Ctenosaura to finish what I began years ago."

  The bald headed Tenskwatawa nodded slowly.

  "And what of the legacy project, is it on schedule?"

  Tenskwatawa visibly trembled with excitement as he mentioned the project.

  "Legacy project?" Catecahassa asked.

  Tahkeome smiled in reply.

  "Yes, there is much to do, my friend, and the Senate has just begun its important work. This grand project has been planned for a very long time, even before I was born. We could not move until the Prophecy of Fire was revealed, and the great enemy rained down fire on the old worlds."

  He stopped, and his eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. His eyes shifted to Tenskwatawa who nodded, but very slowly as though answering a secretive question.

  "It is our intention to assemble the finest engineers, artisans, and scientists in the central system. I must be there to oversee the grand projects."

  Catecahassa had heard rumours about this project from some of the other officers, though most of what he'd heard he'd discounted weeks ago.

  "You see, this is a personal project of mine, one I've been working on for many years now."

  "May I know more
of this project, Princeps?"

  Tahkeome looked at him with wide-open eyes.

  "Soon, Catecahassa, very soon. Until then you have your own mission to take care of."

  He moved in close, implying he was about to share some great and critical secret.

  "There are rumours that not all members of the Imperial household fell in battle. More dangerous is that the young Prince Kratha has escaped, and even now rallies soldiers and ships to his banner."

  Finally, the three faced off to the crowd. A silence spread through them as they waited for the final words.

  "Legate Catecahassa. The Senate gives you this Grand Cruiser Raiukat, as a gift in recognition of your great victories. Take her and our primary fleet, and hunt down this loyalist traitor. You will have the responsibility and final glory of ending the pitiful Byotai Empire, once and for all."

  Catecahassa felt terrified and elated at the same time, but more so when Tenskwatawa whispered in his ear.

  "Do not return without the Prince's head on a pike. Trust me on this matter. The Senate does not accept failure, and my brother...well, let's just say he is not as forgiving as the Senate, even on his happier days!"

  As the colour ran from Catecahassa's face, the two brothers lifted their hands to the crowd. Tenskwatawa even brought up his staff to draw their attention and raised his voice to a booming roar.

  "Now I give you my leave. Karnak awaits, and I intend on ending this war before the year's end. For the Empire!"

  Hundreds of men and women lifted their arms and shouted in reply, "The Empire!"

  As the tall brother departed, just Tahkeome and Catecahassa remained. The Princeps looked at his right-hand man with interest, especially the nervous tick at his cheek that now seemed to have faded. They shared a look for a brief moment.

  "Today is the dawn of the Interstellar Empire, my friend. Let our enemies tremble before us, and the new power that rises from the old. It is my intention to see the regimes of old stripped of the taint of the beasts once and for all. Are you with me?"

  Catecahassa nodded.

  "Of course, my Lord. I am with you, to the end."

  He looked back to the crowd while his heart pumped away, filling his cheeks with colour. Tahkeome spoke more quietly this time, and Catecahassa felt a chill through is body.

  "Good, very good, Legate. Let us hope it is a glorious ending, for us both."

  CHAPTER ONE

  3rd Battle of Movi, Southern Depression, Karnak

  5 December 2472

  From space Karnak may have looked peaceful, but down on the surface an entirely different story was taking place. What had once been peaceful settlements for workers and traders was now just another battlefield, in the middle of a terrible and costly war. The ground shook violently once more as the massive bombardment reached its final devastating climax. It wouldn't be long before the third and final battle for Movi began, and both sides could sense the end had arrived. The distant guns had not stopped in over an hour, and the constant shelling kicked up thick clouds of dust that hovered and lingered around buildings and walls, like ghosts of the dead risen to witness the horrors to come. The unseen shells were sometimes followed by the long trails of rockets as they screamed through the sky, to drop down and slam into the ground, creating massive mushroom-shaped clouds in the ruins.

  The enemy waited just over two hundred metres away, and so close the heat and smoke of the shelling washed over them. Some choked and coughed, but not one left their place as the very ground around them turned into some apocalyptic vision of hell. Occasionally, a shell would come down too close, and some of the waiting soldiers would be wounded. They fell with little noise and were removed to the rear by their comrades, or dispatched where they fell if too badly wounded to continue.

  The legions of the newly risen Orion Interstellar Empire were ready, massed in the tens of thousands throughout the shattered remnant of old Movi City. They had appeared in this part of the galaxy without warning, and with the assistance of the Empire's ships and transports, proving a new and terrible addition to the war. Some wore armour, but many were protected by little more than loose clothing and their eyes hidden behind red goggles. In their arms they carried a bizarre assortment of weaponry, from personally purchased firearms through to long pikes, swords, knives, and clubs. What they lacked in equipment, they more than made up for with determination, zeal, and most important of all, massive numbers. Small groups shouted and chanted, others sang songs never heard before by any Human.

  Deep underground, Spartan wiped the sweat from his forehead as he examined the video feed from his position. They were a short distance from the storm drain and could feel every impact as the ground was shredded by yet more heavy artillery. His helmet was open, leaving his bearded face exposed to the damp air. With each impact, he appeared to snarl, like a dog watching a hated foe from a closed window.

  "I'm starting to really dislike these people."

  The quality of the footage was lower than normal and displayed upon an old engineering panel propped up against the wall. His main interest was at the centre, where a group of bone white soldiers waited. Behind them hung a two-headed reptile banner, flanked by more of those armoured soldiers.

  "Listen to them," said Khan.

  "I hear them."

  Spartan and his unit waited quietly deep underground, listening to the sound of the chanting through the rock, masonry, and dirt. It was like some cruel, gothic concert, with howling and wailing as the Technos went through their rites. They'd fought them many times now, and the storm drain was the last defensible position left to them. Movi City, as the Byotai called it, was one of ten old settlements of the South and visible from the still smoking remains of Tanau just a few dozen kilometres away. Some called this place a city, others a commercial sector, but the most common name today was the graveyard of the Southern Depression. More had died in the one hundred square kilometres that marked the entirety of the Movi sector than in the rest of the Southern Depression combined. Spartan suspected the number would increase greatly by the end of the day. He looked to his old friend and gave him a wry smile.

  "It will start soon. Are our people ready?"

  Khan was no average soldier. He was the most experienced and toughest Jötnar Spartan had ever met, and that was saying something. Every Jötnar was a monster, a great synthetic Human, with the dimensions and strength of a troll of myth. His size was even more exaggerated by the heavy iron armour he'd been given by the Blood Pack. It lacked the finesse of the Alliance equipment, but did give him the kind of armour normally seen on siege machines and assault units. Right now, Spartan wished he had something similar for himself.

  "They're ready, Spartan. But our numbers..."

  Khan grunted his disappointment.

  "The Blood Pack is not what it was, and the Byotai militias are half the numbers they were last week."

  Spartan's eyes narrowed. "Half?"

  Khan nodded.

  "Yeah. Nearly a hundred deserted after the last fight. They're not soldiers, Spartan. We need a big win, or we'll lose without a fight. They are not like these maniacs."

  Khan nodded to the display and towards the chanting hordes of the enemy. These were not the elite soldiers of the Alliance, or even the battle-hardened militias of the Byotai. They were the auxiliary technophobe cohorts, more frequently known as Technos. And their arrival marked a new chapter in the unending war for control of the Tenth Quadrant.

  "They might be psychotic machine haters, but man...we could do with a few thousand of them on our side."

  Spartan laughed at his friend.

  "Yeah, I know what you mean. There are fewer more reliable soldiers than those indoctrinated from a young age."

  The Technos were not a race but an entire strata of society that had been radicalised over months and years. Their fear was not of technology per se, but a deep routed terror and rage against anything tainted by the dread Biomechs of old. Years of nurturing had turned hundreds of thousands of i
ndividuals into a crusading mob, desperate to hunt down and destroy anything associated with the terrors of the past. Another race or army might have broken and run from this battle, but not the Technos. They fought in a battle that was nothing like the futuristic battle so many might have envisaged. This was a dirty, blood-covered brawl amidst the ruins of the settlement nobody cared about, not even Spartan anymore.

  "I want this to be over, Khan, and soon. They can't take much more of this. I can't."

  For the briefest of moments, Khan was worried. He'd never seen Spartan so despondent, other than when he'd lost Jack and Teresa. It sent a pang of loss through his body just thinking of those events. A cursory look showed it wasn't nerves or fatigue that weighed down Spartan. It was the pointlessness of the war, and even Khan could understand that now. Several of his closest friends were missing in action, most presumed captured, or more likely killed, leaving those left to fight a cruel war in the mud and dirt of the ruins.

  "Then we need to crush them in this fight."

  Spartan looked at him with a strange, almost whimsical expression on his face.

  "Crush?"

  He then dismissed the suggestion with a shake of the head.

  "I'll be happy if we can just survive this."

  Spartan then leaned in close to Khan, just as another heavy bombardment shook the ground.

  "Victory will come, as soon as Gun can get here. You saw the last message from him."

  Khan grunted.

  "It wasn't really a message, was it? He only said he's getting ready, and he will come. You know the ships are still being refitted. It could be weeks, maybe months before he can launch, assuming he is allowed to."

  Spartan laughed at that.

  "Khan, he said he will come. You know him as well as I do. Do you think anybody could hold him back?"

  Khan grunted.

  "I suppose. It will still take weeks to get the ships ready. Until then they can do nothing."

  "True," agreed Spartan, "and until then, we keep in the fight as long as we can, and as long as these people have the stomach to fight."