He turned to a man in a suit, somebody Spartan didn’t recognise. With a few quiet words, the man took his place on the podium and then pressed a button. A detailed image of Terra Nova appeared; the planet rotating like a marble orb.
“Thank you, Major. As the official research delegate from Kerberos, I would like to thank those of you that helped free my world from near annihilation. Even now, we are still finding the bodies of those mutilated and savaged during the occupation. It is this tragedy that has inspired a new generation of scientists and researchers like myself to ensure we build a strong, dependable and long-term future. The Confederacy was weak, and many paid the ultimate price. All of us have a duty to ensure it never happens again.”
He turned and looked at the image of Terra Nova for a few seconds. The planet represented many things to those who had suffered in the War. The planet was the official capital of the entire Confederacy and had also been at the centre of enemy operations. It was also the site where the War had been decided. There were many with a great distrust of the planet and its people, who mainly seemed to have avoided the hardship faced by planets such as Prime, Kerberos and Carthago. He inhaled slowly and continued.
“I asked the Major for this meeting before we reach the conference because I have a few important observations I wanted to share with those of you travelling from Kerberos. The first is my thanks for your previous and continuing efforts to protect my homeworld. The second is my research that I think you will find interesting. When the Union left our planet, they gave us a legacy of destruction. But there is also something else they left behind.”
He lifted a small leather case and placed it on the table beside him. With a gentle click the case opened up, and he removed what looked like a small metallic idol. He lifted it to show everybody.
“This was recovered from one of the shuttles brought down as they tried to escape during our own little insurrection. I know some of you have already seen this amongst the objects taken from captured or killed Zealots.”
The screen changed to show a detailed image of the object. It was one of the common relics of Echidna. An item often carried by supporters of the religion and almost every member of the militant wing known as the Zealots. The shape was a bizarre mixture of a serpent fused with the classic shape of the mother goddess. Part monotheistic and part pagan, it mixed the essence of multiple religions together. As he held the artefact up, he moved a small computer device next to the relic for them to see. A number of indicators lit up, and it emitted a tone.
“As you can see, these are no simple metal devices. They give off a level of coded radiation that is astounding. So far, we have found no dangerous side effects, but, and this is a big but, they have one very important characteristic in common. They match the radiation patterns found at the destroyed research station in the Anomaly. We’ve been seeing these icons for decades now, but we didn’t pay any attention until the martyrdoms on Kerberos. Now that we’re looking, we’re finding more of them. Or more specifically, your teams are finding more of them.”
The mention of the Anomaly took Spartan right back to the last days of the War when the Confederate Fleet, outnumbered and desperate, had fought its last battle; a battle against the new Union of colonies run by the Church of Echidna hierarchy. The remnants of the Confederacy had fought battle after battle against the Zealots extremists and the biomechanical monsters they had been creating in secret.
He looked at the object and recalled seeing the symbols often tattooed, and sometimes even burned into the flesh of the Zealots with the same half woman and half serpent image. Even now, he couldn’t believe that a mere handful had used the bridge provided by the Anomaly to travel to Terra Nova where they had landed and destroyed the Core. One swift assault, and the brains behind the uprising had been knocked out. It was a shocking and bloody end to the War, and one that still shook the Confederacy itself to her knees. It seemed like years had passed since then, yet it was only thirteen months ago, and so much had changed. He looked back to the man who was still talking.
“What does this mean? We do not yet know, but you can be assured that the best scientists on Kerberos are working on this, and I intend on presenting my findings at the conference. There is a definite link between the Zealots, their religion, the icons and the Anomaly, and I do not believe for one second that they have gone away.”
With a polite nod, the man stepped down, and the Major moved back to his previous position.
“Based on the new intelligence on these artefacts, as well as the placement for three more Biomech research stations, we are now starting to make some progress. Interrogation of the Zealot commanders confirms there is a something more to the Church than we thought. Some of you may have heard mention of a Judgement Day, something I think almost all religions seem to share.”
A few of those in the audience laughed nervously at the mention of the concept. Spartan noticed a few doing their best to avoid the response. It was hardly surprising. There were followers of a hundred different religions in the new Alliance, and many shared a fear of the concept of a judgement day.
“Well, it is clear to us that adherents of the Church of Echidna are expecting theirs to arrive very soon. In fact, the most common timeframe we’re hearing is in the next six years.”
He waited at the last comment and let it sink in to the soldiers, marines and civilians. They represented only a small cross-section of society, yet even they seemed unsurprised at his words.
“I see you have heard this before, and some of you probably from the dying curses of Zealot terrorists. What if I told you that every indication from the last two months suggests something is going to happen? That the surviving Zealots are working on something, in secret, that will make the uprising seem like nothing more than a diversion?”
The last part really caught Spartan’s imagination. One thing he couldn’t argue with was that the War had concentrated the minds of all involved in one thing, victory. If somebody wanted a diversion, they couldn’t have done a better job.
“Once I have finished my briefing to the Alliance Security Council, I will see what else our forces have managed to uncover. But I want you all to know that this kind of intelligence wouldn’t have been possible without the intervention by units such as yours. Units that have recovered schematics, Biomech plans and even brought in leaders like the criminal Chraige Attez,” he explained, without looking directly at any of the handful in the room that had taken part in the mission.
Spartan knew full well who had done what, but it was in nobody’s interest to draw attention to any of them, even in this close circle of friends.
“We will be picking up another group of scientists from the temporary research site at the Anomaly in seven hours. After that, we’ll take the short trip through the bridge and rendezvous with the other representatives for the conference. We will be there for sometime, and I expect you to speak your minds. Let it not be said that you had ideas but didn’t mention them, when it might have helped. Each of you has knowledge and experience since the War that will be critical in shaping our future. As members of the Alliance Special Operations Group, your advice will be invaluable. Thank you.”
Major Daniels received a polite but slightly reserved applause as he stepped away from the podium and rejoined his security detail. A communications offer rushed up towards him to speak, and Spartan tried to understand what was happening. It was evidently important as the body language of the Major transformed in seconds. Teresa moved closer to Spartan and would have spoken but was cut off and interrupted by Sergeant Lovett, one of Spartan’s marines from the end of the War, who rushed towards him with the same urgency as the communications officer.
“Lovett? I thought you left an hour ago on the shuttle. Aren’t you transferring home for two weeks?” asked Spartan in surprise.
Lovett shook his head. His face betraying a bitterness that Spartan had seen so many times before. He reached out and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder.
Lovett’s eyes were red, and it was clear some terrible tragedy must have just taken place. He leaned in towards his two friends and shook his head.
“I was waiting on the shuttle when an instant communication arrived for me from High Command. It was about the Atlantic Star.”
Teresa looked to Spartan with a quizzical look on her face. From what Lovett had said, she assumed she should know something about this ship, but it was a complete unknown to her. Spartan looked equally confused.
“The Atlantic Star? Sounds like a passenger ship. What about it?”
Lovett nodded at his suggestion and took a few deep gulps of air before continuing.
“My fiancée was on the Atlantic Star, heading to Orthrus. The ship was hijacked three hours ago. It’s on the newsfeeds already, over a thousand dead.”
“What? By Zealots?” asked Teresa.
“No way of knowing, but they detonated the engines an hour later. The ship’s gone, no survivors. A rescue drone has been sent to assess the situation, but it looks like they didn’t even give them a chance to leave the ship.”
“Bastards!” snapped Spartan. “I don’t get it. I thought the last Core controlled ships had surrendered at Carthago? What were they doing at Orthrus?”
Lovett shook his head in disagreement.
“Not all of them, no way. But they never made it to Orthrus. If they had gone that far, the planetary defence force would have stopped them in seconds.”
He stopped and looked at the rest of the people in the room who were already dispersing. A few could see he was upset, but they were doing their best to pretend they hadn’t noticed. He looked back to Spartan.
“No, this was while they were taking on fuel at the unmanned supply station orbiting Hyperion. There was no air cover. She was a private liner. The last transmission said a Zealot boarding party were on board. Next thing we hear, the engines are detonating. There wasn’t even time to issue a mayday.”
Spartan didn’t know what to say, but Teresa, being more sensitive to people, moved closer and held him close. They’d spent months working alongside each other fighting for the Confederacy in its darkest hour. Even now, they still struggled against the remnants of the Zealots and their shrinking pool of supporters. He spotted movement and realised it was Major Daniels.
“Lieutenant,” he said and then looked at other two, “Sergeants,” he said in a rush and looked back towards Spartan.
“You and your NCOs in my quarters in ten minutes. We have urgent things to discuss. There have been developments.”
Spartan nodded and saluted, and then the Major was gone. He looked back to Teresa and Lovett. Teresa raised an eyebrow in question; Lovett on the other hand seemed completely disinterested.
“Come with me, this looks important. I bet it concerns the Atlantic Star.”
With that single mention of the passenger ship, Lovett snapped out of his trance. He grabbed Spartan as he made for the door.
“What is it?” he asked.
Spartan pulled his hand off his shoulder.
“Not here, come on, we will find out soon enough.”
Sergeant Lovett was still standing there when Spartan and Teresa left the briefing room. He watched them go before realising he was supposed to be with them. He shook his head and did his best to throw the thoughts from his mind and chased after them.
* * *
Spartan and his two Sergeants waited outside the door of the Major’s quarters for what seemed like an age. As always, there were two Alliance guards, both ex-marines, stood either side of the door. Unlike the other guards on the ship, they used standard issue L48 carbines. It was standard practice for those on ships to use special low velocity weapons that didn’t risk the innards or skin of the ship. These guards were the last defence for the commander, although safety concerns were secondary compared to protecting the commander of such a critical military unit. The guard to the left nodded to himself and then looked to Spartan.
“You can go in.”
He tapped the coded panel on the door, and with an almost discernible hiss, it slid open. Spartan stepped inside, followed closely by his Sergeants. Inside the room, the Major stood looking at a model of a ship on the computer display. The door shut behind them, and the three stood smartly to attention. Major Daniels turned from the model, a grim expression pervading his face.
“At ease.”
He looked to Sergeant Lovett first and did his best to look sympathetic.
“I’ve heard the news and I’m sorry, very sorry. The Atlantic Star was due to bring a number of important people to Orthrus to assist in the rebuilding. The loss will be felt deeply.”
He turned to the model and pointed to the engines.
“I don’t know if you heard, but no hostages were taken. Contrary to the news reports, the attackers simply smashed a tug into the engines and a second into the propulsion powerplant. She went critical in seconds.”
He turned back to the three and indicated for them to sit down. Spartan was no great fan of doing this, but the sombre occasion demanded it. Once comfortable, the Major tapped a button that removed the ship model and instead showed a map of the Alpha Centauri star system. Spartan had seen the map many times before but had never shown it much interest. Until the discovery of the Anomaly, the journey time between the two halves of the Confederacy had taken almost a year.
“Alpha Centauri,” he said slowly while tracing the paths of the planets with his left hand.
Unlike Proxima Centauri, it was a binary star system with a complex arrangement of planets and their many stars. With thirteen planets, of which only six had been colonised, it was still the oldest part of the Confederacy. The planets were much better developed than their equivalents in Proxima Centauri and considered by many to be the old, more conservative colonies.
“While we were busy fighting the Union, most of these colonies managed to avoid the Uprising. They infiltrated high levels of military and political life years before the War. If you recall, once the fighting started, they initiated a blackout. Only one fleet of ships made it through to us before the Union were able to clamp down.”
Spartan looked to Teresa as he tried to work out what the Major was getting at.
We know all of this, why doesn’t he get to the point?
Teresa smiled uncomfortably but changed her expression as the Major turned to look at her. The short pause worried her, but he hadn’t noticed and instead looked to Spartan.
“I know none of this is news. Since the fighting on Terra Nova, we have received the formal surrender of all remaining Union forces. Political posts and positions of military command have been scrutinised, and we’re making progress. Without the Core, their ships, communications and Biomech support killed them overnight. This disturbing news about the Atlantic Star is a worry though. As I said in the briefing earlier, there are still plenty of Zealots left out there, and some have the support of the locals. We still don’t know how they were able to obtain the technology, equipment or knowledge to cause so much trouble, and I suspect there may be more to come. If one ship has been lost at Hyperion, it means they still have some ships.”
He tapped the screen and zoomed in on the green planet.
“High Command suspect the Zealots may have been operating from a hidden base on some of the uninhabited worlds here. It’s been low priority with the peace keeping operations most of our ground troops are now involved with.”
He paused and waited for the three to speak. Spartan looked a little confused before realising the Major wanted their opinions. He cleared his throat before starting.
“Well, Sir, this entire sector was infiltrated far deeper than Proxima ever was. They could have been running the entire operation from Terra Nova itself from the start.”
The Major looked unconvinced by his reply.
“It is possible, of course, but how were they able to come almost from nowhere in this sector? We
have never understood how the Zealots became so powerful and so quickly. It is as if they were elsewhere for months, perhaps years before. Maybe there is something out there we’ve not discovered yet? A missing link, as you will.”
Teresa lifted her head slightly, implying she had something to add. The Major nodded towards her.
“We know where the Zealots were. They’ve been underground for a long time. We’ve seen how these movements form and expand. The power behind them, the reason why we lost so early on, was that they had access to massive numbers of Biomechs and ships.”
Major Daniels nodded in agreement. “Like on Prometheus?”
“Exactly, Sir. That complex was kept hidden for years, and they had the capacity to create multiple generations of biomechanicals for the war effort. One other site could easily have done the same in Alpha Centauri. Unless they just transported them through the Anomaly.”
He switched the device off and sat down.
“Anyway, this is all conjecture. I have discussed this at depth with High Command, and they have already decided that our sister ship, the Santa Maria, is being fitted out for a special mission to conduct a systematic sweep of every moon around the inner worlds, including Hyperion. They will be taking an escort, as well as enough troops and supplies to eliminate enemy ground forces, if and when they are located. The new government is being pushed to hunt down anybody associated with this recent outrage, and it looks like it will coincide with a major hunt in this sector. The operation could take months, and that’s why I called you three in.”
Spartan knew what was coming, and he wasn’t surprised.
“Lieutenant, they have everything they need, but they do have a need for a replacement reconnaissance troop.”
Spartan was about to speak, but the Major lifted his hand.
“No, before you say anything, it will not be you. This mission is important, but the rebuilding of the Alliance military is even more important. There is talk of shrinking the size of the fleet and relying more on local troops for combat operations. You have more experience than most of the senior command there, especially when it comes to operations against the Zealots and the Biomechs. I’ve a list of seven people already that want to speak with you about the fighting on Terra Nova itself.”
Star Crusades Uprising: The Second Trilogy Page 63