Star Crusades Nexus: The Second Trilogy

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Planetary entry?” asked Gun in surprise, “You mean they are heading for us?”

  “It is likely. Get your marines ready and in shelter. The arrival trajectories are being sent to your command posts across Eos.”

  Gun scratched at his head in confusion.

  “I don’t understand. What about the fleet? Can’t you stop them?”

  General Daniels tried his best to look confident, but he couldn’t hide the concern showing on his face.

  “I’m not going to lie to you, Gun. Their fleet outnumbers us substantially, and these are not Helion or Khreenk ships. Look at the insignia on them.”

  The image blurred and then focused on a single one of the manta ray style ship. It showed the metallic serpent shape emblazoned on its flank. Hundreds of tiny craft hung like clouds around the ships, providing a protective cordon against attack.

  “The Biomechs, so they have returned with their…Biomanta ships!”

  Unlike anybody else that had seen the images of the enemy, Gun’s expression was unique. Whereas General Daniels looked concerned and grave, Gun looked almost excited. If the General had seen Gun’s response to the news, it might have scared him. Even as they finished their short briefing, Gun could barely conceal his excitement.

  * * *

  Every single one of the senior officers aboard ANS Conqueror waited at their posts. Even so, the ship felt eerily quiet as the crew went about their business as if it were any other day. Marine guards stood as silent sentinel at key locations everywhere from the hangars and gun control rooms to the CIC and engine rooms. She was a ship prepared for battle, the same as the other twenty ships in the entire fleet.

  “Tactical, any change?” asked Admiral Lewis.

  Lieutenant Vitelli shook his head.

  “No change, Admiral. They are still coming, and they are refusing our hails.”

  Admiral Lewis was in a difficult, if not impossible situation. This was the first time an actual Biomech fleet had ever been seen before. This wasn’t a group of lackeys or even allies. These ships were actual warships, and every one of them had set a course for the Helion moon of Eos.

  “Admiral, what if they don’t shoot?” asked Captain Marcus.

  The Admiral moved his eyes to look at his XO.

  “I know it’s a problem. If we fire first, we could trigger open war.”

  Admiral Lewis shrugged at his XO’s last words, looking less concerned than might have been expected.

  “Yes, very true, but if we let them through, they could bombard or even invade Eos without any contest by us.”

  Admiral Lewis moved his attention to the main screen and then to the tactical board showing the position of every single ship and unit in the fleet. General Daniels was also there, along with Colonel Brünner and two of his Marine Corps officers.

  “Admiral, I’ve been in touch with Colonel Gun and Koerner. Their forces have secured their military bases. They will be ready for whatever comes. They are awaiting further news from us.”

  How can they prepare for what they don’t know? he thought.

  “Good work, General. Your people have done their job, but it is my intention to avoid a ground fight. Hell, they might not even want the planet. What if those craft are planning on bombarding the moon from orbit?”

  He rubbed his chin and looked at the formation of ships on the display.

  “Now it is time for us to do our job. If they get past us, your people on the ground will have one hell of a time. Either we stop them, or at the very least we will thin out their numbers.”

  He beckoned for the tactical officer. As he waited for him to approach, he nodded to the General.

  “I promise you, not one of those ships will get past us without one hell of a fight. We have good ships, crew, and weapons.”

  “Admiral?”

  “Are we in range yet?”

  The man nodded.

  “Affirmative, Admiral, the fleet awaits your orders.”

  He looked to his XO and then to General Daniels, both appeared as concerned as him. The Biomechs were not just the Alliance’s enemy, they were perhaps the greatest enemy any living creature had ever known, and now they were heading for people he knew. Eos might be Helion territory, but they were now their allies, and thousands of Alliance marines and civilians were on that moon. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. Finally, he nodded to his communications officer.

  “Send out one final message. Tell them...they have thirty seconds to withdraw, or we will open fire. This is our sector, and we will defend it to the last ship and marine!”

  He waited, the entire crew waited, and nothing happened. Five seconds ticked past, then ten. He looked at the large formation of Alliance ships and wondered what would happen if it came to battle. He had divided his force up into three divisions. The first was spread out over nearly a thousand kilometers and was made up of two Crusader class ships and half of the escort frigates under Commodore Hampel. Behind them were two more groups based around his Battlecruisers. ANS Royal Oak was protected by all the remaining escorts, while the other nine Crusader class heavy cruisers waited in a wide formation around his flagship, ANS Conqueror. Multiple fighter wings were spread out, half flying escort for the three divisions, and the remainder drawn up in five large assault wings to be used offensively in front of the fleet. He counted nearly ninety fighters in total, including Thunderbolts, Hammerheads, and even six Marine Corps Maulers that had been rushed out to provide additional fighter cover with their multiple point-defense turrets and large ordnance bays.

  Admiral Lewis continued to countdown silently to himself. Twenty, twenty-five and then a crackled video feed appeared on the main screen. It showed a dull gray machine, flanked by two more that looked almost identical. It seemed motionless, and for a brief moment, the feed looked as though it had frozen. Then came the sound.

  “Surrender,” was all it said.

  Admiral Lewis moved his head back slightly as though confused at the word. He shook his head before answering.

  “I am Admiral Lewis of the Alliance Navy. Eos is under my protection. Who are you, and why are you here?”

  Again came the pause before the machine spoke again, in its dull, monotone voice.

  “We bring your doom.”

  The CIC was silent. The men and women watched the machines with confused fascination. As to how they understand their own language was of little interest right now.

  “Is that a threat?” asked General Daniels, his voice bitter and sarcastic.

  A noise not too dissimilar to laughter came from the middle machine. It twisted slightly and took a single step closer. The front of the machine opened up to reveal the shattered remnants of some creature. The remains floated inside a translucent orb of green fluid. Some of the crew recoiled at the sight but not the Admiral. He looked at the thing and said nothing. The more he looked, the more he was convinced he could see the outline of a brain inside the green cloud of fluid and gas.

  “We have returned to reap your harvest.”

  The video feed finally cut, leaving just the image of the three horrific machines. They barely moved other than the central one whose frontal armor closed up around the ancient body that lay within. General Daniels turned to his friend.

  “Well, it seems clear enough to me. These bastards are insane, completely, hopelessly insane. Does that make your decision any easier?”

  For the first time that day Admiral Lewis seemed to smile.

  “Indeed it does.”

  It wasn’t entirely true. Until the enemy opened fire, there was a chance this was nothing but rhetoric. The ships were still moving toward them, yet his last briefing with Admiral Anderson and General Rivers had been clear. The Biomechs were the enemy, the greatest threat to humanity, and he had orders to strike at them wherever he found them. He then nodded to his tactical officer and lifted the intercom sitting in its cradle on the unit in front of him.

  “This is Admiral Lewis; you may start your attack.”

/>   Scores of confirmations flashed about the display as individual ships and fighter squadrons acknowledged their orders. The entire fleet must have been waiting on tenterhooks because no more than five seconds later the bombardment began. Even General Daniels was impressed at the sheer amount of fire being leveled at the approaching fleet. He looked to his colleague and friend and tapped his shoulder.

  “Admiral, it would appear the Battle for Eos has begun.”

  Admiral Lewis tried to look confident, but even as the first impacts were made, he felt a little queasy. It wasn’t that they were engaged in battle, it was the small number of words from the Biomech commander. He had said they brought their doom. The only mention he was aware of, was the ancient prophecy spread from Helios and out to the worlds of the Alliance, T’Kari, and the others. He recalled it referred to the return of the Biomechs. There was something that worried him even more.

  What do they hope to gain here, on this unimportant moon? What is their plan?

  * * *

  “Three minutes!” called out the co-pilot over the internal speakers.

  The Hammerhead shook slightly, hitting a pocket of cooler air as they flew fast and low over the surface of Eos. Two more followed close behind and almost a kilometer away loitered a pair of Lightning fighters. They were not the only aircraft in the sky near Fort Macquarie, but they were the closest to the base.

  “Private Morato, that was some good soldiering back there,” said Lieutenant Elvidge.

  “Thank you, Sir,” Jack replied politely.

  “Command has been trying to get their hands on insurgents to interrogate, and I think the guy you grabbed is something out of the ordinary.”

  Jack nodded but said nothing more. The Lieutenant looked at him carefully, trying to gauge the character of the young man.

  “Son, you’ve been in action before, haven’t you?”

  Riku and Callahan both winced at his question. They were equally aware of the trouble Jack had with the combat on Helios during their last two operations. He might have emerged with physical scarring, but he was a different man now. The brutality of close quarter battle affected people different, yet for Jack it seemed to be more personal than for any of them.

  “Yes, Sir, two operations on Helios plus...well...a few minor incidents elsewhere when we first came out there.”

  The Lieutenant could sense the marine didn’t want to go any further and decided to stop where he was, instead looking at the small side window near him. They were barely larger than his hand but still provided a narrow view of Fort Macquarie. From just a few hundred meters up, the site looked incredibly flat, with not a single structure over two stories. The outer wall looked more like a minor barricade, and the towers placed at hundred meter intervals were barely visible. As they dropped down lower, it was clear the impression was based more on their height and the total surface area of the base because the Fort was anything other than small.

  “Home sweet home,” said Callahan.

  The place was always busy, but as they lowered down to the ground, something else was going on. Many of the aircraft waiting to be used were being hidden inside their enclosures, and the amount of marines in the open had almost vanished. Jack watched with a mindful eye, taking in all the details. The place looked completely different to when they had left for their operation.

  Back home and yet another drill, he thought.

  He looked at a dozen aircraft waiting on the landing pads in readiness for their next mission. Some were being loaded with supplies for other patrols, others waited as columns of marines ran from them and into the nearest buildings. Off to the right were the two main airstrips, each built to accommodate the fast-attack craft like the Lighting fighters. Though the craft were capable of vertical takeoff, they would be able to retain more fuel and take heavier combat loads using a conventional take off. One blasted off, leaving a trail of dust directly behind it on yet another mission.

  “Jack, what the hell is that?” asked Callahan.

  Both of them looked out through the door at the shape of a large transport craft waiting on one of the landing pads. It was easily twice the size of a Marine Mauler, and at least five ramps ran down from the lower levels. Lieutenant Elvidge leaned over and looked out at the vessel.

  “Yeah, that’s a Helion clipper. They use them to ferry people to industrial sites and moons. Since the treaty, they’ve been requisitioned for use by the New Helion Army.”

  The other marines looked at the vessel with disinterest, but Jack and Callahan seemed to have a morbid fascination with the craft.

  “I’ve seen one before, on Helios,” explained Jack.

  “Yeah, what was it doing?”

  Jack’s lip quivered slightly at the question.

  “It was one of the many ships I saw at the spaceport in the last hour of the revolution. I guess these things are pretty common then?”

  Lieutenant Elvidge sat back down and checked his harness.

  “Yeah, you could say that. Why do you think we suggested they used them? Have you seen the numbers of the NHA?”

  Jack shook his head, and the Lieutenant took that as a signal to continue.

  “The population of Helios itself is massive, nothing like any of our own worlds. Add that together to the colonies at their other four stars, and you have a formidable number of people.”

  Jack started to add them up in his head, but the Lieutenant didn’t wait.

  “According to them, they have a single habitable world at each star, and at least a dozen orbital colonies or moon colonies at each of them.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow, not quite believing what he was hearing.

  “So, five worlds and sixty colonies of different sizes. That must be about half of what we have in the Alliance.”

  “Almost,” said the Lieutenant, except their worlds are denser and more heavily populated. Helios has over six hundred billion alone.”

  Callahan had between listening with interest, but the last part surprised him.

  “Six hundred? How can that be? Isn’t Terra Nova less than ten billion?”

  They were now only fifty or so meters from the ground, and the downdraft from the Hammerhead caused vibration and shaking through the craft. There was a final blast from the engines, and then they were on the ground. With the door already open, they were able to step out onto the dusty surface. The other marines moved out of the craft, but the group of four stayed together.

  “Callahan, don’t forget the multiple-levels. Helios is a planet of cities; some call it one great city. They could manage trillions, assuming they can feed them.”

  Even Jack found it hard to believe the planet could have anything like that number. It did explain why the Alliance had been so keen to keep them on side though; billions of citizens would make the perfect cannon fodder if there ever were a renewed war with the Biomechs. They moved away from the dust cloud about the Hammerhead and found a squad of marines waiting for them, led by a short Lieutenant. Elvidge stopped, and they exchanged salutes.

  “Colonel Gun wishes to see you and your prisoners immediately.”

  Elvidge shook his head.

  “Lieutenant?”

  “Lieutenant Martinez. As I said, Sir, the Colonel insisted. It is urgent.”

  He considered arguing, but it wasn’t her fault, even if he had things he needed to sort out first. When your Colonel came calling, you had to do as ordered, especially when your commander was somebody like Gun.

  “Very well. The prisoners are on the next Hammerhead; perhaps your security detail could bring them along.”

  She nodded in reply and with a final salute, the newly arrived marines left the perimeter of the landing pad. It was a short walk to the center of the base, less than five minutes. Jack, Callahan, Riku, and the Lieutenant moved at a brisk pace along the designated walkway. It was no more than a marked out area on the hard, dusty surface of Eos. More marines moved about as they maintained continuous patrols of the compound. Before they made it halfwa
y, at least five more marine craft had landed, unloaded, and taken off again.

  “This place, have you ever seen a base like it?” asked Jack.

  The Lieutenant shook his head as they moved. Jack found he had to quicken his pace to match the speed of the officer. Groups of marines carried heavy weapons between them as they made their way to the outer wall. Jack watched one team as they slipped and dropped the tripod unit to the ground. He moved to help, but the Lieutenant grabbed him.

  “We have orders, Jack. The Colonel want to see us, and I’m guessing it’s more important than helping grunts drag their own gear about.”

  He agreed reluctantly, and they proceeded on their previous path. It took nearly thirty seconds before anybody spoke.

  “Sir, about the base?”

  The Lieutenant looked confused for a moment before remembering Jack’s question. He felt like an idiot for having such a one-tracked mind. Either that or he had the worst short-term memory in the battalion.

  “Right, the Fort. No, I don’t think so. This place is unique. The closest I’ve seen are some of the bases back on Prime, at the start of the Uprising but only on vids.”

  Jack recalled some of the stories he’d read about his father’s operations back then. Bizarrely, he had spent little time with the man and heard more of his exploits from others rather than from him directly.

  “My father, he was involved in the fighting back there.”

  Lieutenant Elvidge slowed just a little as he considered what Jack had said.

  “Jack Morato…Your father is?”

  He moved another three steps before replying.

  “Spartan.”

  The name had its usual effect, and the officer stopped to look back at Jack.

  “Spartan, the hero of the Uprising, the man that led the assault on Terra Nova and helped end the War? That Spartan?”

  Jack tried to smile.

  “Yeah, you’ve heard of him?”

  Elvidge continued back on the path and said nothing for a moment. They made it past the last of the Hammerheads and then onto the path by the warehouses and storage bins for the aircraft. Dozens of simple sheds had been erected to protect fighters and shuttles from the elements, and a Marine guard waited outside every third shed to keep an eye on them.