Star Crusades Nexus: The Third Trilogy

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Move it!”

  He took the lead and lurched back while firing short bursts at any targets he could find. The Animosh knew the site well and proved adept at hiding their cloaked forms in the shadows. He reached the doorway and ducked inside as three blasts tore chunks from the wall. More marines staggered out to join them and moved passed the line of seven marines. These had already stopped and dropped to their knees while behind them another three moved up close, each with their guns lifted. They provided a wall of flesh and armor for the retreating marines to fall behind.

  “Movement, quadrant six!”

  It was an unknown private that called out the warning. No sooner had he finished speaking, and a pair of marines staggered and then collapsed to the ground in front of them. They were the last few stragglers, and both were riddled with the holes formed by the deadly heat weapons of the Animosh. Behind them came their attackers, the feared paramilitaries of the old Helion state. Five of them rushed the corner, directly into the sight of the line of marines. General Daniels spotted them and barked out his order with calmness.

  “Fire!”

  A single L52 was capable of causing heavy casualties through weight of fire, but when fired in such a coordinated way, the effect was devastating. The marines fired in the rapid mode, whereby each barrel fired alternately and then loaded in another magnetic charge. The first volley shredded the formation, but the second finished them off. The Helion warriors took at least five bullets each before smashing to the ground in a huddle of blood and gore.

  “Cease fire!”

  General Daniels looked in the direction of the enemy and waited for signs of their foe. Icons on his visor showed his remaining troops, and he noted only half had made it past him and to the intersection or beyond. The remainder were pinned down or moving throughout the structure to escape the threat of the Animosh.

  I need more men!

  * * *

  Sergeant Harvey lifted her head and looked around the corner of the narrow doorway. Inside were two rows of large computer screens plus six Helion men wearing military fatigues but no armor. She started to move her leg and then spotted the four Animosh paramilitaries. As with the others, these fighters wore long robes that covered their garish armor. There was a mixture of thermal weapons in their hands. They kept moving about and looking back in the direction of one of the doorways further inside the room.

  “Where does it go?” Sergeant Harvey asked.

  Private Cooper glanced quickly and then also ducked back.

  “I think that shaft leads back down into the main control room. Where the General is still fighting.”

  Sergeant Harvey smiled; at least it looked like a smile to her comrades. She looked at them one at a time, doing her best to look calm and collected. They were technical specialists, but like all marines, they were trained as riflemen.

  “We have to take this place. We secure the room, and then get the device into position. We go in hard...and fast. Understood?”

  Private Cooper lowered the device to the ground, but Sergeant Harvey shook her head. She then lowered her glance just a little to focus on the device itself. Her meaning was clear, but she felt it important enough to explain.

  “We don’t have time to come back. You stay behind us. Ready?”

  They nodded in the affirmative. Sergeant Harvey moved up to the doorway and looked inside one last time. The operators were all still busy working away at the computers. Only then did she see the massive screen off to the right. It showed the shape of the planet, as well as several moons and a nearby Rift. Flashing red shapes around it showed objects appearing every few seconds. Her heart almost shuddered when she spotted the dotted line moving slowly from left to right.

  They’re pointing it at the Rift. We don’t have long!

  She didn’t hesitate, not even to check on the current position of the Animosh guards. The proximity flash grenade was in her left hand, and it was already out and flying through the air.

  “Now!”

  All four marines burst through the doorway and made it three meters before the grenade activated. Their visors turned black and then cleared almost as quickly. The Helion technical staff did absolutely nothing. The shock of the attack, combined with the flash of the grenade had stunned the entire group. Time appeared to slow as the marines surged inside, all firing as they went. This was controlled violence at its most extreme. Over fifty rounds had been expended from their coilguns in seconds, and two of the Animosh were already dead. The bodies lay slumped on the ground, riddled with dozens of bullet holes. The others were well trained though, and instead of fighting back against the overwhelming force, they stepped back and made for the other doorway that would lead back to their comrades.

  “Sarge!” Private Cooper called out.

  Sergeant Harvey had already seen them and chased after them as fast as she could. A thermal round struck her left arm and partially embedded itself in the armor. The super-heated projectile hissed and burned away against the armor but caused no immediate damage.

  “Secure this room, and set up the device!” she barked.

  More shots hit near the marine, but the two Animosh were barely taking aim. They had now run out of the doorway and were blasting away in the vain hope of deterring their pursuer. Private Cooper watched her vanish with her coilgun raised and firing short bursts at the two Animosh, and then looked to the others.

  “You heard her. Secure these civilians; I need three minutes to connect up the amplification nodes.”

  The two moved in amongst the Helion engineers and moved them away from the equipment. One reached out to a control panel, and Private Cooper thrust out with her carbine so that the still burning hot muzzle pressed against his cheek. The unfortunate soul winced in pain and muttered something, but the marine simply applied more pressure against his face.

  “Yeah, that’s right. You think about it…then get the hell back!”

  An understanding of the English language was completely unnecessary, and he quickly stepped back. The other two marines moved the prisoners to the other side of the control room and covered them with their weapons.

  “Okay, you’re clear,” said Private Alexandria.

  “Good.”

  She bent down and opened up the unit. She removed from the side a wireless sensor package and then moved along the control units. The device was able to match the control signals from the motors and actuators directly to the major circuits in the room. It took more than thirty seconds, but she finally stopped at a long bank of curved machines.

  “Here, this is where the motor drive actuators control circuits are based.”

  It was more for her than the others, but with the key control system identified; she went to work preparing the equipment. Most of its bulk was taken up by the power pack and capacitors. The unit had been activated for more than ten minutes and already showed as being charged for use. It was one of the assault kits being distributed throughout the Marine Corps for damaging or destroying Biomechanical machines and equipment, known as a pulse generator core, of more colloquially as a Pulsegen. Four sets of blue lights flickered in ever increasing patterns as the device increased in potency. There were also four pairs of thickly ribbed piping with magnetic clamps attached. She pulled them out one by one and attached them to the key areas around the weapon’s control circuits.

  “Is that going to do the job?” Private Alexandria asked.

  Private Cooper shrugged.

  “There’s enough energy to knock out every circuit within thirty meters. This tech will reduce it down to just three, but it will cause permanent damage by sending pulses throughout their entire system. This is the heart of the control system. If we’re lucky, this will stop the weapon.”

  Private Alexandria gasped in surprise when she looked at the massive display on the wall. More and more objects were coming through the marked Rift, and the dotted line from Helios Prime was now just ten or so degrees away from anchoring on the new target. She looked back
to Cooper and shook her head.

  “We’re running out of time. Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast!”

  * * *

  Four more marines had been killed in the withdrawal to the intersection, but now they were in the main corridor and able to control the space with gunfire. Shots bounced back and forth between both sides as the Animosh attempted to move in through the flanking corridors, but for now they were safe. Each time a Helion appeared, a dozen or more rounds hit them. He moved back, trying his best to disguise his limp until he could see the dust shrouded entrance. He checked the indicator on his visor that showed just over thirty marines in this part of the structure.

  No much, enough to do one thing, though.

  The Helions had not been keen in giving out information on their facilities. With each day of the bombardment, however, he had been able to get more and more out of them. The basic layout of this facility was available to him, with just the power station segments off limits. It gave him enough to formulate a plan.

  We need to hit them fast. What can we do to change this around?

  He used his eyes to scan through the blueprints until he reached the reactor entry points. Flashing lights from behind them caught his attention, but then one of the horrific Decurion war machines appeared. He’d seen images of them. He’d even fought their kind before, but never had he seen one configured like this. It scuttled into the corridor and waited.

  “General?” called out a sergeant.

  “Wait!”

  The machine stopped as if its operator had just pressed a button. Shadows behind it moved about, and then a number of Animosh warriors moved into the corridor with their hands raised in apparent surrender.

  “We will discuss terms,” it said in a machine-like voice.

  The speaker inside the General’s helmet crackled long enough for him to hear the voice of Admiral Lewis. The sound was still heavily damaged, but it was partially audible.

  “…fire, one chance to land…get out…sector four is overrun…Operation Citadel is a go…I repeat…scouring of Helios Prime in T plus five hours.”

  The rest was garbage, but it was enough for him. If the Operation was going ahead then that could only mean one thing, the entire fleet was coming through the Rift, and they expected to find the Biomechs on the surface and in great numbers. Citadel was supposed to be a massive counterattack. The word scouring almost made him cringe. It could only mean they intended on a massive orbital strike before landing. That meant he needed to get off the world, or under it before the rockets came down.

  We have to destroy this place. It’s our only chance.

  The lights around the frame were already flashing, but a loud warning siren drew his attention. He looked at the doorway from where they had entered. A single entrenched squad waited alongside an SAAR robot, its weapon system ready and alert.

  “What’s going on? Do not let it open!” he said to the nearest marine.

  The man was already running toward the door when it started to lift up. It made it just a few inches before the man managed to hit the correct sequence and locked the mechanism.

  “Outstanding work, Private, outstanding.”

  He then looked back to the Helion and shook his head while slowly lifting his weapon.

  “Son…”

  He pulled the trigger and sent a triple round directly into the Animosh trooper’s face. It staggered out of sight, and the rest of the marines blazed away at the small group of Helions and the single machine. Two more were killed before the others gave ground, leaving just the machine to return fire. It was quickly silenced by the marines, but not before taking another one with it.

  Yes, we will bring the entire place down on top of us.

  His mind was resolute now, determined to finish the job they had started. It might have worked if it were not for the doorway and the bright light coming from the end of the tunnel.

  “General, the door!”

  He dropped down and took aim, his training and reactions instantly taking over. The door moved slowly and then hissed up with a great cloud of dust. A blast of dust and debris came from outside and ran along the length of the corridor.

  “Watch your fire,” he said quickly.

  Two thirds of those inside trained their weapons on the doorway, while the rest kept a watchful eye on the other areas used by the Animosh. Even though he suspected he would be disappointed, General Daniels hoped against hope that this would be the help promised by Admiral Lewis.

  Here it comes.

  The area around the door flashed white, and then shapes moved on through, each silhouetted against the bright background. A few shells landed and exploded further out and on the ramps. The additional blasts sent even more dust into the underground facility. General Daniels tensed up, but all he could do was wait.

  “General, Biomechs!” the man closest to the doorway cried out.

  The first shape to emerge was a pair of Thegns. They rushed in and fired from their arm-fitted firearms. They were quickly cut down but not before wounding a marine. More came in after them, and then came the Decurions. Not one, but dozens of them. Five more marines were shot and then butchered where they stood. General Daniels watched the carnage from just twenty meters away. The Biomechs poured in like water into a pipe, crushing all that stood in its path.

  “Marines, to me!” he yelled.

  Those marines still able to move rushed to their commander. Gone were plans of escape or destruction of the base. The last marines formed up in a tight knot around their General like an ancient schiltron formation. Rounds clattered against their armor, but even a direct hit on one of their visors failed to deter the last of his command in their mission. One by one, they turned about and aimed their guns at the approaching Biomechs.

  “Kill them all!” were the last words most of them heard from General Daniels.

  Not one of the marines noticed Justitium Lyssk and his bodyguard of Animosh fighters at the opposite end of the long corridors. They stayed in the shadows in case they might be seen and watched in silence. It was like some form of sickening piece of entertainment, yet each watched blissfully at the final stand of the General, and the great onslaught of the Biomech reinforcements as they continued to surge through the outer doors and into the facility.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Why did the Alliance choose to travel to the Orion Nebula when there were already mysteries galore in Alpha Centauri? What so many failed to understand years after those tumultuous events was that the Alliance had only just come out of its own terrible crisis. With the Uprising still fresh in the minds of the adult population, there was a thirst for change. Alien worlds, cultures, and opportunities provided a distraction for a population tired and battered from years of conflict. The prophesied war with the Biomechs created a focal point that even the conservative haters of the Jötnar couldn’t ignore. As has been shown so many times before, even a hint of a potential external threat can move attention from home.

  The Economics of Exploration

  ANS Warlord, T'Karan-Helios Prime Rift

  T’Karan was once the domain of the T’Kari, an old and proud race that like many before it had been smashed by the might of the Biomechs. In the past, the T’Kari had lived on worlds throughout these star systems and many more. Each of these domains had been linked by the intricate series of short-ranged Rifts. Since the Biomech War, all that remained of this once advanced race were eight planets, an asteroid belt, and a myriad of moons. Most of these worlds were dead rocky objects or frozen ice worlds that offered little to the living. The remnants of their colonies were spread throughout the planet Luthien and the many moons such as Hades.

  Today the T’Karan System had been transformed, but this wasn’t a change in ecology, it was a change in its military and political status. With the star system now the single point in space connecting the Alliance to Helios, its fortunes had changed. The Admiral Jarvis Naval Station was the largest naval facility outside of Alpha Centauri, and the mi
litary buildup was larger than anything seen in humanity’s history. Ships ranging from civilian transports through to apocalyptical battleships filled the shipping lanes. Some were just weeks old, but there were also a few old vessels dating back to the Uprising, and even several old war barges that had been towed into orbit around the station. These primitive craft were similar to those still used in Sol to protect planetary colonies and to guard shipping lanes. T’Karan was more than just a star system. It was now the frontline for the war against the machines, a place where ships and warriors from dozens of worlds were congregating for the vast Operation Citadel.

  Admiral Anderson and General Rivers watched the Rift to the Helion warzone as it flickered and flashed. The mainscreen showed the view in perfect detail, with each ship showing up as the size of a man’s head. Squadrons of ships were moving as quickly as they dared through the tear in time and space. The first to enter were the mixed formations of frigates and Liberty destroyers. Unusually, there were also large numbers of fighters moving throughout the formation.

  “The Rift is still up. Has General Daniels secured the site?” asked the Admiral.

  He didn’t need to ask the question; the reports were already coming in via the ships already around Helios Prime. Even more obvious was the look on the General’s face, a look he had seen many times in the past.

  “Helios Prime is overrun. Satellites show over eighty thousand enemy ground troops, and more are coming down by the minute. The last order given was for all forces to move underground. The war for Helios Prime is over now. It is time for the resistance.

  “Not if we can help them in the next twenty-four hours,” said Admiral Anderson.

  General Rivers shrugged at this suggestion. He’d seen the dispositions of his own forces and those of the enemy. He had no doubt the Alliance could lead a successful counterattack against the Biomechs. In fact, in some odd way, he actually relished the opportunity to engage them in open combat. His real concern was that Prime was just one battle of a much more serious conflict. As always, the Black Rift loomed dark and foreboding into the distance, and he had little doubt that it had its part to play.