Legions of Orion (Star Crusades Nexus, Book 1)

by Michael G. Thomas

  “You should use cover. They are strong!” said Ayndir.

  She took up a position behind the nearest column of the centre structure. The shape was perfectly formed with gaps for shooting while staying protected. Spartan was fascinated, but snapped back to attention when a booming sound to his left announced the arrival of the enemy. The great metal blast shield ripped from its mountings. Right away, a number of small objects rolled inside, followed by a bright flash and sonic burst. Luckily, the PDS suit was able to filter it all out, and in they came. To Spartan’s astonishment, the figures looked almost identical to the T'Kari, except for their flowing robes, gold coloured armour and large ration of edged weapons. Their armour and clothing style were just the same, yet there was a familiarity about them he couldn’t shake off.

  “Uh, Spartan...do these guys look familiar to you?” asked Gun, at the same time as he opened fire with his Gatling gun. He was the first to fire, and the overwhelming volume of fire from his weapon cut a dozen figures before the rest joined in. It didn’t take long before more breaches were made, and the entire underground site turned from calm tranquilly into yet another blood soaked battlefield. As Spartan loaded a new magpack into his carbine, he spotted the faces of the Jötnar. Each of them howled with bloodlust as they blasted away.

  Gods help them if any of those things get near Gun and his people. He thought with surprising amusement.

  * * *

  Jack and Wictred worked their way through the damaged corridors of the long abandoned frigate. The systems were still off, and the temperature had already fallen over ten degrees and was continuing to worsen. They’d left the others under the command of the Chief, who seemed to be the only one with any idea as to how they could get away from the ship. As they continued onwards, Jack wondered what else was happening through the New Charon system. From what he’d seen, it was clear that somebody wanted them gone. The thing he really wanted to know was who they were and what they wanted.

  “Jack, it’s through here,” Wictred said quietly.

  The two entered the computer room to find cables and equipment drifting about the place. Jack thought back to his last conversation with the Chief and tried to remember where he said they needed to go.

  The control nodes on the primary console.

  He looked about and found the unit with the static body of a dead crewman draped over it. Jack kicked at the wall and moved effortlessly to the unit. He traced the control node with his hand until reaching a flat panel about the size of his head. He pushed it in about a centimetre till it clicked and then slid open to reveal three circles, each with an analogue dial sat on top of it. Between the three circles was a small hexagonal hole. Jack reached for the control-key the Chief had given him. As expected, it matched the hole perfectly.

  “Wictred, we need the other one,” he called out.

  Wictred was already moving from one body to the next, but so far had found nothing of use, other than a half loaded navy issue pistol. He tucked it inside his belt and continued the search. Jack looked below their position, now nervous that they might not find a senior member of the crew in this part of the ship.

  “Maybe they got out,” suggested Wictred.

  “Wait!” said Jack. He could see a shape jammed down behind one of the shattered computer displays. “Look, if I’m not mistaken, that’s the body of a sub-lieutenant. Check him out.”

  It didn’t take Wictred long to get to the man, and within a few seconds, he held up the control-key triumphantly. According to the Chief, all senior command staff carried one, as well as the commanding officer of this part of the ship. It needed both keys to activate and would also send an automated message to all other command staff. They could then instantly override the self-destruct system in case of accident or sabotage. Jack just hoped there was nobody left on board that might stop them. The idea that others might still be alive on the ship was a thought he did his best to avoid, but from what he could see, the ship was a barren vessel and one that would kill anybody within the hour, no matter what he did.

  At least this way we can take some of those bastards with us!

  “Okay, over there and open up the secondary port,” he said, pointing to a partially damaged computer system.

  Wictred wasted no time and quickly covered the space to the unit. With a quick push, the slat at the front popped open to reveal a smaller but similar entry unit to the one near Jack. Wictred placed the key near the hexagonal hole and looked over to Jack. On his nod, the two pushed in their keys, and both units flashed yellow.

  “Yes!” cried out Jack, pleasantly surprised that this part had worked at all. He’d half expected something to fail or interfere with their task. He checked the time displayed on the front of the unit, quickly calculating how long they had.

  Two minutes till the lifeboat gets here. Crap! We’re behind schedule!

  Each of the circular parts lit up, and he thought back to when the Chief had given him the details of what to do. The circles clicked as they were twisted, and he recalled the nine-digit code needed for the trigger. He started with the first wheel, and immediately a colour display showed the first character speeding through numbers and letters.

  “You sure you remember what the Chief said?” asked Wictred suspiciously.

  Jack continued entering the code.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but yeah, I’ve got it.”

  With each series of twists, the list of numbers and letters increased until finally, the entire nine-letter code was finished. Upon adding the very last one, the system beeped, and its lights turned red. A quite voice came directly from the unit.

  “Auto-destruct sequence activated. Three-minute silent countdown is in progress. Please evacuate the ship immediately.”

  Jack looked to Wictred, who actually appeared nervous for the first time.

  “What the hell are you waiting for? Go, now!” he cried.

  With that, the two pushed away from the units and to the far door. It was a short route to the Six Alpha docking point, only three sections, but with the silent countdown ticking away in their ears, the two of them moved as fast as their bodies would let them. Wictred made it to the Six Alpha section and turned, waiting for Jack to arrive. He moved in a few seconds later, and the young Jötnar pushed the door shut behind him and pulled on the seals. The two then turned to face the external airlock, a double layered system that was designed to allow automated supply units to dock with the frigate. Jack hit the first manual control that triggered the opening of the seal. There were three seals in this section, and the final two could only be activated once a unit was connected to the exterior of the ship. It was a simple system, designed to avoid accidental breaches and fatal accidents. Wictred smashed his fist onto the panel, but the final two sections didn’t open. Even more serious though, his fist managed to break the panel to leave nothing but exposed circuits boards and wiring.

  “Wictred! What have you done?” exclaimed Jack.

  He pulled himself over to the panel and reached in, only to find smashed components and a scorch mark running along the metalwork. He turned back to Wictred, shaking his head.

  “We’ve got a big problem.”

  * * *

  Captain Thomas stared with cold, expressionless eyes at the formation of enemy ships on the main display. The six ships appeared to be almost the same size as ANS Devastation, but their design, intentions or even capabilities were a total unknown to him. The shapes were similar to images he had seen of prehistoric fish back on Earth, with the thickly ribbed hulls and chunks of plating fitted at every point. One of them had reached an Alliance frigate, but they were too far away to assist, and by all accounts, the sensors showed the abandoned ship looked no better than a hulk.

  “Tactical, what’s our status?” he asked for confirmation even though he could see the icons on his own status board. He just needed to hear it from somebody else. The assault on the medical frigate was a shock, but there were even greater concerns in New Charo
n, right now. Lights flashed up on the mainscreen, and it quickly altered its focus to show the spot that had been occupied by the medical frigate and the large enemy ship. In their place was a great cloud of metal and debris. Coloured flashes ripped through both structures until a great colour ball of energy tore the two vessels into tiny fragments.

  “Holy crap!” uttered the Tactical Officer before realising what he’d said.

  “Uh...the medical frigate is gone. Sensors indicate a strong possibility she triggered an autodestruct sequence. The enemy ship’s gone as well.”

  The display altered again to show all the changes that were occurring. The large structure of the primary enemy vessel had moved only a short distance from where it had arrived. The Tactical Officer highlighted the vessel on the computer system so that it indicated red on the display.

  “The main vessel has taken a stationary position at the mouth of its Spacebridge. We have six other vessels, roughly cruiser class, and they have split up with each on an intercept course with the moons around the gas giant. No...wait! They are all altering their course.”

  Captain Thomas scratched his chin as he considered their options. The major Alliance ships in this sector were spread out over a wide distance with none, other than ANS Devastation, anywhere near the Spacebridge.

  “Uh...Sir. They are on an intercept course with our Spacebridge and ANS Beagle.”

  That last part snapped him out of his thoughts.

  Beagle? What do they want with the bridge?

  He nodded to the helmsman.

  “Put us between them. They aren’t getting near our station.”

  “Aye, Sir,” answered Lieutenant Glinda Scookins. She was a short, white-haired woman with a clipped accent. She was fast though, and in just a few seconds, the course changes were laid in. Captain Thomas indicated for Commander Parker, his XO to approach.

  “Get the crew ready. I think we’re going to war.”

  “Aye, Sir,” replied the XO, who then turned to the communications with confidence.

  “This is the XO. Action stations! Marines, to your posts! Charge weapon system! Medical staff to your posts! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill.”

  The Tactical Officer did one final check before nodding to the Captain.

  “Sir, particle beams capacitors are charging, approximately ninety seconds until ready.”

  Captain Thomas nodded.

  “Good, let’s hope they work as well as the tests suggested. Get me Captain Vinson on the horn.”

  The face of ANS Devastation’s CAG appeared in seconds on the smaller screen to the right of where Captain Thomas sat.

  “Captain, I need your birds in the air. Put Lightnings out as escort. We have hostiles on the way.”

  “Understood, Sir, they’ll be out in less than sixty seconds.”

  * * *

  The destruction of the medical frigate and the enemy warship was the first major action in the space-borne struggle for supremacy in the New Charon sector. Even as the vaporised hulks drifted apart, the deployment of every ship in the system altered. All civilian ships and traffic in range of the Spacebridge returned to Prometheus immediately. All other military vessels set their course for ANS Beagle and the entrance to the Spacebridge itself. From the bridge of the ship, now nicknamed Charon Station, Captain Raikes watched the movement of ships around the nearby gas giant and its moons.

  “Confirm that, all unidentified ships have changed course to intercept this station?”

  The XO nodded.

  “Affirmative, Sir, with the destruction of our frigate and the enemy ship, they have redirected their efforts towards us. It looks like their objectives have changed.”

  “And the only defensive capabilities we have are two frigates?”

  The XO nodded but said no more. On the tactical display were the icons for all the major warships in the system. Icons over the heavy gravity world showed the Jötnar transports and one Alliance crusader class vessel. ANS Dragon and her small taskforce were busy establishing monitoring posts and a resupply station in the asteroid belt. He’d already spoken with Admiral Anderson who was mustering every ship he could find in the vicinity of Prometheus. He’d already sent through the second frigate to assist the station, but it wasn’t enough.

  That left only ANS Devastation anywhere within range of the Spacebridge for at least two days. The display also showed quite clearly that the six enemy ships would have to move past Devastation. The status markers showed the intentions of her commander, and the hold action he was taking made Captain Raikes nervous. He tapped the communication button and immediately reached the pale face of Captain Thomas.

  “Captain Raikes, good to see you. I’m deploying fighters and setting up a perimeter from the Rift.”

  “I see. You understand that the enemy vessels appear of a similar size and capability of one of our own cruisers? You won’t last long out there.”

  Captain Thomas nodded.

  “I understand. Even so, once they get past us, they will hit you. If ANS Beagle is damaged or destroyed, we’ll be trapped here and at their mercy. We need reinforcements and fast.”

  “Anderson is sending a taskforce in two hours. How long until the enemy reaches you?”

  The Captain moved away for a moment before returning to the screen.

  “They’ll be in weapons range in just over ninety minutes.”

  “Ninety?” replied Captain Raikes with surprise. “Can you hold for thirty minutes with six ships on you?”

  Captain Thomas simply smiled back at him.

  “Ask me again in two hours.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The space battle at the Siege of Titan proved once and for all that the actions of a single ship could change the course of a battle. The heroic stand of the Battlecruiser Crusader against incredible odds made the assault landings on the station possible, and with it the first real victory in the Great Uprising. Though the great warship finally met her end at the Fall of Terra Nova, she did provide the inspiration for an entire new class of ship. This class of warship would be proudly named Crusader and be fully battletested in the struggle for supremacy in the Orion Nebula at New Charon.

  Naval Cadet’s Handbook

  The first wave had been easily repulsed with only minimal losses to the T'Kari. Spartan, Teresa and their Jötnar allies were still stood outside the perimeter of the temple location in the centre of the room, much to the apparent dismay of Ayndir who continued to call them over to make use of the cover. Spartan, however, knew full well the strengths and weaknesses of his own people. They were bigger and bulkier than the T'Kari, and the limited cover offered them little protection. The open space gave them room to use their weapons.

  “Listen!” barked Gun.

  Spartan could hear nothing, but he understood the senses of the Jötnar and had grown to trust them without hesitation.

  “Get ready!” called out Teresa, and once more they lifted their weapons for battle.

  But this time the sound was different. The sound of hundreds of feet was replaced by dull thuds and grinding sounds. Teresa wasn’t sure, but Khan and Spartan knew what was coming.

  “Get back, it’s machines!”

  On cue, the damaged entrance ripped open and in walked one of the eight-legged machines, just like those Jack and Wictred had discovered long dormant. They surged forward in a rush as gunfire licked around them. Five more entrances ripped open, and more of the machines broke through, closely followed by scores of the T'Kari looking enemies. One of the machines managed to reach the temple, cutting down a T'Kari guard before Spartan and Khan jumped at it. Khan embedded his blade into its torso, and Spartan jammed his barrel against the thing’s back, blasting it with continuous gunfire. It flailed and struggled before collapsing but managing to shred Spartan’s carbine at the same time.

  “Spartan, over here!” shouted Gun as he continued blasting away. With his free arm, he withdrew one of the primitive looking slightly curved blades and tossed
it over to him. A Jötnar could swing it with one hand, but it took both for Spartan to swing the three kilogram weapon with speed and precision. Like a tidal wave, the enemy surged over them, and all the defenders could do was shoot, hack and stab for all they were worth.

  * * *

  Captain Thomas watched the approaching ships with trepidation. He’d given as much ground as he dared to them but any closer to ANS Beagle, and they could simply ignore him and attack the station. Deep down, he worried they would do that anyway. It was not like a ground or even an ocean based battle. Ship ranges were almost irrelevant in space, as were the gaps between ships. His plan was a simple one. He would put on one hell of a show to distract them, and hope he looked more hostile and dangerous than he actually was. Either way, it was a matter of minutes now before he would find out.

  “Sir, our weapon arrays are in range. From their current course and velocity, it looks like they are ignoring us and heading directly for the Spacebridge,” explained the Tactical Officer.

  Damn, he thought. That was the news he had been dreading.

  “We cannot let them get past us. Send the word to Captain Vinson. I want his air group in action.”

  He then turned slightly to Lieutenant Jesse Powalk, the Tactical Officer.

  “I want their attention, get it for me!”

  “Aye, Sir!”

  Unlike her sister ships, ANS Devastation was equipped with the latest particle beam direct-energy weapons. As they opened fire, the crew were surprised to see red streaks of energy as they bounced and reflected off the dust and gas that was prevalent in this sector, especially around the gas giant. The parallel beams struck the first heavily armoured ship directly on the bow section, but appeared to show no discernible effect.