War Zone (Star Crusades: Mercenaries Book 5)

by Thomas, Michael G.

  "On'Sarax is down. Stop your attack, or she dies!"

  Gun clenched his fists, simultaneously pointing his Gatling cannon at the senior executive. He hesitated and almost immediately that great, booming voice filled the space.

  "On'Sarax rests with us. End him."

  Gun smiled at Mr Walker and then activated his helmet armour. The motorised Gatling gun spun up, its whirring noise sending a chill through Mr Walker's body. A small number of his mercenaries moved to his flanks and foolishly aimed their rifles at Gun. Without giving them a chance, he gunned them down and moved even closer to his new, hated foe.

  "You would end the life of the last Biomechs, just to kill me?"

  Gun laughed.

  "You're a fool, Walker. Do you think we're stupid?"

  The look on the executive’s face made Gun's day. He leaned in closer, smelling the mix of fear and confusion.

  "They were never here."

  "What? Tell me, what do you mean?"

  Gun scowled. "No, go to your grave knowing nothing...Mr..."

  Gun activated his helmet armour and ignored the odd round that glanced off his armour. He trained the weapon ahead and opened fire.

  "Walker."

  At the exact same time as his body exploded, the thermite charge detonated as promised, tearing apart the ancient Biomech armour and its legacy of thousands of years. He stepped through the gore and opened up on those behind the barricade. Dozens fell before they started to drop their weapons. Gun didn't stop, not until the entire unit finally surrendered, and the sacred chamber was free of the sounds of battle. Once certain it was safe, he opened up his visor, took in a breath of air, and then roared that terrible howl he reserved for the most barbaric and animalist occasions.

  A pair of blood-soaked marines approached, and the tallest deactivated his helmet to reveal a familiar face. Gun relaxed upon seeing him, especially when the battered Maverick unit containing the exhausted Lieutenant Yarmuk joined them.

  "Captain Wilson, Lieutenant Yarmuk. Glad to see you both here."

  The marines shared a glance, but the Captain's brow tightened with confusion.

  "I've sent more units into the ship to look for infiltrators. That was a close run thing."

  Gun said nothing and merely gave him a short nod of acknowledgement.

  "But the Biomechs. We lost them all in the fight. Didn't we?"

  Gun chuckled again. "Walk with me."

  They passed the scene of battle to the place where On'Sarax had risen from her slumber. Large doorways led behind and towards a much larger facility. On they went, passing long fabrication systems working tirelessly to modify, weld, and assemble sections of heavy equipment. The place was little different to the previous chamber, just larger, brighter, and filled with renewed and fully automated activity. Two-dozen IAB marines, fully armoured, though a little battered from combat, waited there as well as a dozen Thegns with firearms at their shoulders.

  "I already said, they were never in the fight. The machines were old and worn down, though. It was their time. But trust me..."

  He moved his head close to the two marines.

  "From today, they are back, and stronger than ever. It is to their benefit, and to ours."

  A long mechanical hiss called out from the back of the chamber, and the cogs and wheels started to turn. Then came more and more as systems activated all around them. Lights in the ceiling activated fully and bathed the place in white light.

  "This was not supposed to happen for another five years, but it appears Mr Walker and his CTC friends have changed the timetable. The first three have been ready for more than a year."

  He extended both hands upwards and towards the clanking machinery.

  "Witness something not seen before by our eyes."

  They watched the systems run through their long procedures until after what seemed like an age, a series of long metal plates moved aside to reveal a massive bipedal machine. Gun waited motionless, but the two marines took a step back. More of the units clanked and groaned before the massive metallic shutters slid aside, revealing more of the unique, and strangely captivating machines. Gun nodded politely as the first two approached and stopped before them.

  "Let me introduce Z'Kanthu and On'Sarax reborn."

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Kha'Dri World Ship, Taxxu Prime, Centauri Alliance

  The two marines waited just behind Gun, opened mouthed and speechless. The machines were exquisite designs, each completely different to the next, and each as impressive as a mighty bronze sculpture. Unlike footage they had seen from the War, these were pristine and much more elegant than the worn out war machines of the past. On'Sarax spoke first.

  "These bodies perform exactly as specified, thank you, Commander. We will undergo full tests, but I am confident."

  Gun smiled at seeing the familiar, yet substantially newer version of On'Sarax.

  "The fabrication plant is fully functional. A few more years, and it will be ready to begin work on our comrades in deep sleep."

  Again Gun nodded politely, before all eyes shifted to Z'Kanthu. Even Gun seemed nervous as he waited before the gleaming machine. It spoke slowly, as though in a dreamlike state.

  "Gun, old friend."

  One arm extended out, and the hand twisted the wrong way before straightening out properly.

  "It is good to see you once more. I am not as I was, but I persist."

  Captain Wilson had worked on the World Ship for years, and even he appeared completely stunned by what he was looking at. Entire areas of the ship had been off-limits for years, but not once had it occurred to him that Gun and the others had been helping them work on maintaining themselves and their bodies.

  "You've been working on this in secret?"

  Gun shrugged.

  "It's their ship, and their facility. Their bodies are ancient, and the fighting in the War left them weak."

  He nodded to both of them and then pointed towards On'Sarax.

  "What better way to recycle their ancient armour than in the defence of this World Ship.

  "Yes," said Z'Kanthu, "We will restore our domain to play our part in the new order of things. It will take time, though. I have been in slumber since my end, and Kha'Dri is still whispering to me."

  Captain Wilson licked his upper lip as he listened. He had a thousand questions to ask, but before one of them could spring to mind, the ancient leader of the Biomech rebels spoke.

  "Kha'Dri tells me seven of us remain. Is that so?"

  On'Sarax turned to him, and a single red light pulsed. They were capable of many forms of communication, and oral transmission was perhaps the slowest. It took just a fraction of a second for them to say all they needed to before looking back at Gun.

  "Commander, Kha'Dri sees all. She is now fully active and monitoring this entire sector. She tells me there are three more CTC transports in the vicinity, all heading for the Spacebridge."

  Gun nodded.

  "Release them. We're in no shape to keep this fight up for now."

  "Very well."

  Captain Wilson opened his mouth to argue, but Gun silenced him with a look.

  "They can do no more here. We need to regroup, repair, rebuild, and ready ourselves for what is to come."

  "The Commander is correct," said Z'Kanthu, "I have reports coming in of similar attacks throughout CTC facilities. This is a coordinated action, and part of a long-term plan. There are Alliance starships on their way to the Black Rift. They will arrive within the week. There are no CTC units within a month of this System."

  A light on Z'Kanthu's body flashed white and then projected a detailed sector map in the open air between the small group. It showed Alliance controlled space, with colour dots appearing on multiple worlds, moons, and stations.

  "There are more reports coming in of violent attacks on Carthago, Kerberos, Euryale, Mars, and Prometheus. CTC is attempting to break away from Alliance control."

  The machine hesitated and then spoke again, this time
with a subtle shift in tone.

  "These attacks are no accident. There are long-range transmission showing signal traffic between Interstellar Empire units and CTC installations."

  Even Gun appeared surprised at that.

  "When did you hear that?"

  Z'Kanthu moved what must have been his shoulder muscles, and groaned as the plate and actuators shifted.

  "I communicate through Kha'Dri, and she sees all data traffic in the Helion System. Alliance naval forces are moving back to deal with the threat, and other groups are taking advantage."

  There was a pause, barely perceivable, but long enough for the machine to perform trillions of calculations.

  "Based on present incomplete data, my projections show a front-line deployment strength reduced by thirty-eight percent, higher in the Marine units. Whether CTC succeeds in whatever its plan is; they are removing considerable military assets from the border with the Orion Interstellar Empire."

  It was the second time Z'Kanthu had used the name.

  "The Interstellar what?"

  The machine spoke, but the audio was much too fast. It took a few seconds before his speech returned to a more normal tempo.

  "This regime, they take the name of the ancient Orion Interstellar Empire, more commonly called..."

  "The Star Empire."

  "Correct."

  The two marines nearby listened in stunned silence as their massive, artificially created officer spoke with the ancient machine. It was a conversation that must have left them feeling like schoolchildren. The Biomechs were far more interested in speaking with Gun, though, showing little interest in even mentioning the mega corporation again, or giving the marines a cursory glance.

  "Commander Gun, tell me, where is my killer? Where is Spartan?"

  Both marines looked on nervously, but Gun could do little more than grin as he answered. He knew the old Biomech well enough to know when he was being intentionally obtuse. Spartan had certainly killed him, but there was no animosity between any of them. The question was, of course, related to what was happening with CTC, and the ongoing unofficial war along the Byotai border.

  "He's on that old border world of Karnak, and he needs help, fast. I was intending on assembling a task force before this happened. Now the World Ship is in danger, and we have trouble of our own."

  The ancient creatures hesitated, and for a second, it looked as though both had frozen. Unlike the living, when they chose to stop, they would become as still as statues, with not a sound coming from them. When Z'Kanthu finally spoke, it even made Gun shudder with surprise.

  "We can secure the rest of this facility and bring it back under Alliance control. We have engineering teams, and my Thegns will provide technical support. They appear to have learnt much since their freedom from their masters....as have you."

  Gun lowered his head a fraction, perhaps merely in acknowledgement, but also with a degree of mutual respect. Like the Thegn foot soldiers, he, and his own people were also part of the grand Biomech experiment. The Zealots back in the Great Uprising might have artificially created him, but all of that knowledge and technology had come from their secretive alliance with the Biomechs. In a bizarre twist of fate, Gun shared a common ancestry with Thegn, Biomech, and Human.

  "Do not worry about CTC. Their limited forces are already defeated on Kha'Dri, and those that escaped will be dealt with by the Alliance. They won't try and take this place again, not with us now awake and ready for them. If any CTC personnel board Kha'Dri, they will have me to deal with."

  Z'Kanthu pushed out his arms and flexed his metallic muscles, while a single red eye glowed. Every extension, twist and turn seemed like the first time he'd ever tried it. This seemed to go on forever until he stopped, and then pointed one hand towards Gun.

  "I place myself at your service, Commander. What may we, The Twelve, do for you?"

  Gun's mouth opened into a wide grin. He'd hoped that's what the machine would ask, and there was just one thing on his mind. The name always amused him, when he knew full well there were just seven Biomechs remaining. The name referred to another time, back during their rebellion against their kin, but few people knew that.

  "Once this place is secured...come with me to Karnak, and bring Spartan back."

  The alien Biomechanical creature answered without moving a single servo.

  "Your wish is mine to grant. I can offer you technical and tactical support, but I will not lead."

  Gun looked positively radiant as he listened.

  "Would you like to confer regarding your strategy and logistics? According to Kha'Dri, we can have at least two ships ready to leave by the twenty-third day of this month. With some changes I can bring this to the nineteenth, and include a prototype transport."

  Gun considered that for a moment. Before he could answer, Lieutenant Yarmuk approached, his heavy Maverick armour getting the attention of the even larger Biomech machine.

  "Commander, we have an urgent distress call from Karnak. It carries the encoded signature of Syala of the Black Widows. It’s fragmentary, but not good enough to access. Apparently, it was sent several hours ago. Star Empire naval forces blocked the Spacebridge during transmission, so just the last part came through."

  "Well, what is it?" Gun asked.

  Z'Kanthu twisted at the neck and projected a videostream to his front. It was white and blue, but with the noise and distortion, it might easily have shown a series of explosions. Z'Kanthu made an odd series of noises as he attempted to do something with the file.

  "I have the same information, a forty-seven gigabyte data stream with over eighty-eight percent data corruption. It is encoded with a secure cipher as well. This is a...problem."

  The machine turned to Gun who looked rather nonplussed.

  "Odd that the message comes from the mercenary, and not from Spartan. Perhaps he is dead."

  That instantly caught Gun's attention. Z'Kanthu could tell Gun's mind was already drifting and did his best to settle the Commander.

  "I will have our cortex examine and unravel the corruption. There is something else though that will interest you. The Spacebridge to Karnak is open, and a wide-band transmission, uncompressed and unencrypted is coming direct from Karnak. The signal strength and quality mean one thing. It is coming from the capital."

  Gun suspected what this might mean, and at first when he spoke, no words were emitted. He cleared his throat and tried again.

  "Very well, show us."

  "As you wish, Commander."

  The imagery crackled and hissed, and then showed entire divisions of the dreaded ivory-coloured soldiers lined up and waiting in silence. Mixed in with these units were even larger formations of lightly armoured soldiers and civilians, many holding up banners and homemade standards hanging limp in the gentle breeze. These units were punctuated by much smaller formations of honour guard soldiers, easily identified by the darker armour gold detailing and their long flowing cloaks. Gun snorted and began to turn away.

  "Another parade, this means..."

  The view shifted as an aerial camera, probably a drone, swept along the front. The imagery vanished, but when it returned, it showed a cadre of officers, flanked by more of the soldiers in crimson armour.

  "Tenskwatawa!"

  His expression changed further when he spotted the almost completely naked forms of seven Jötnar. Four were unfamiliar to him, but three he would have recognised anywhere. The two tallest were Olik and Khan, both of whom bore terrible wounds on their bodies. Bandages and dressings covered their wounds, but they still stood upright, firm and proud. Next to them was a shorter figure, less hurt, but a wounded prisoner nonetheless.

  "Wictred," hissed Gun.

  The videostream moved and then halted for a long time on a bloodied, barely recognisable man. Tenskwatawa approached, offered water to the prisoners, and then turned to look into the camera. It was all beautifully stage-managed, right down to each individual expression.

  "Spartan, he lives."
>
  Even as he stood there, his body battered and hurt, he was still able to look long and hard at Tenskwatawa. His hands clenched opened and closed, and Tenskwatawa signalled for two of his guards to tighten the bonds. Gun began to laugh, to the surprise of all.

  "What amuses you?" Z'Kanthu asked.

  Gun nodded to the imagery.

  "Even now, Spartan speaks with us. This display is something we established ourselves, if any of us were ever captured."

  "What does he says?"

  Gun smiled as he answered.

  "Attack, he said. Nothing more. Just attack!"

  Tall banners unfurled behind the lavish displays of soldiers, bearing the two-headed reptilian iconography prevalent among the Star Empire. Gun watched with interest, but not in the people, or even the pageantry, but in the city. He already knew he was looking at Montu, and the place was much more strongly fortified than he remembered. The city lay between a ring of mountains, with a large part of the facilities partially submerged below the surface. Tall, prefabricated towers surrounded the city, and as the camera rotated from an aerial drone or aircraft, the concentric rings of walls and defences came into view.

  "They have produced an impressive defensive position," said Lieutenant Yarmuk.

  "Yes," agreed Gun, "And they want us to know this. Any attack from the ground will be forced to breach three layers just to reach the city inside. They've used the hill and smaller mountains as part of their defences. They have been busy."

  Z'Kanthu had already performed a full analysis, based on the information shown in the transmission. He extended one arm and pointed to the site.

  "They have multiple landing zones and impressive numbers of aircraft. An aerial assault will come under attack the minute it comes into range."

  Gun's nose twisted as he listened, but he still looked as confident as ever. He opened his mouth to speak, stopping as multiple soldiers moved tall slabs of metal behind the dozens of prisoners. Others pulled on cables, and one by one they were fastened into position so that none could move. It took almost a minute, and when they'd finished, all of them formed a ring in the centre of the city, facing inwards towards each other.