Star Crusades Nexus: Book 03 - Heroes of Helios Page 5

  He paused before remembering the most important bit.

  “One more thing, we have two prisoners.”

  Jack was convinced he could hear the sound of his tough sergeant almost relaxing at the news, but it took two, perhaps three seconds before he responded.

  “Good work. The ship is secure. Stay with 3rd Squad and bring the prisoners to our entry point. I’ll meet you back on the boat.”

  “Yes, Sergeant.”

  Jack looked to his two friends and noticed both were grinning.

  “What?”

  * * *

  The Alliance delegation took their place in the official space given to them just an hour before. Seating had now been installed, and a temporary banner from one of the Marine units had been hung from the wall, trying to make the place appear less desolate than it actually was. At key positions in the structure sat scores of people, from what must have been hundreds of different worlds. Teresa looked on in astonishment at the people of all shapes and colors. What truly surprised her was how all of them were no bigger built than the T’Kari.

  “Did you expect they would be, well, you know, a little more...”

  “Alien?” finished Anderson with a wry smile.

  “Yes. After all this time, I thought we would see walking lizards or something. Instead, the Helions and the T’Kari look about as alien as they get.”

  Admiral Anderson spoke with General Rivers for a few seconds before moving back to her. More and more representatives filed into the great structure, and the chattering from them increased as they spotted the primitive looking humans.

  “The real question you want to be asking is, why? Is it just a coincidence that intelligent, sentient life has become established on hundreds of planets and yet appears very similar? Or did this happen because of some design or intervention?”

  Teresa smiled at him.

  “Admiral, are you suggesting some kind of god?”

  He laughed at her suggestion. Though in the military, he had spent as much time commanding warships as he had operating advanced laboratories and research facilities throughout the Alliance. Anderson was a man of science and war. She’d never heard him mention anything to do with religion.

  “Not at all. The thing I find most interesting is that perhaps our model of an air breathing, warm blooded mammal just happens to be the most efficient design to live and dominate planets such as the ones we currently occupy.”

  Teresa was unconvinced. Her knowledge of science was limited, but she did know that some animals were better suited to certain climates than others. Why would it be different for intelligent life to do the same? She imagined the world of Prometheus where Spartan had been held prisoner with General Rivers back in the War. There was no sentient life on that lump of burning hot rock. But if there had been, she would have thought an animal suited to the high temperatures would manage without hair and easily burned skin. She wanted to ask more, but the door to the vast chamber was drawing shut. As the great metal slab slid into position, so did the volume in the chamber decrease. Harlan appeared at the raised platform in the center of the great room. He started to speak in his native language, much to Teresa’s confusion. Gun nodded to the bank of earpieces in front of them. She grabbed one and let it hang on her ear. It was unfathomable and evidently not designed specifically for humans.

  “…the representatives of the Centauri Alliance, a system of more than twenty worlds and billions of citizens.”

  Teresa touched the shoulder of Admiral Anderson.

  “Do we really want to share this kind of information with them?”

  He tilted his head in the direction of Ambassador Broby Ramir.

  “Terra Nova has given us red lines we cannot cross. This isn’t one of them.”

  Teresa turned back to Harlan.

  “…first of us to defeat the Great Enemy in open battle. In their system they are in complete control.”

  A hush of surprise, perhaps even reverence spread around the chamber. Teresa and the others looked about them at the hundreds of officials from the other Powers, as they were known. She recognized the Helion and T’Kari delegation from the people but also the standards and insignia being used. The other four had not yet been introduced, and she was extremely interested in seeing them speak.

  “As is our tradition, any sentient race we encounter is offered a place at our table. This place is where we can meet and speak in safety.”

  He then looked directly at the Alliance delegation.

  “This is not a place that has any military or political power of its own. I will now let each of our people introduce themselves, starting with my own.”

  Another Helion, this time a slightly taller man with dull yellow clothes and a very closefitting skull cap. A device was attached to the side of his head that ran down beneath his clothing like a tube on a gas mask.

  “Welcome to Helios. I am Baja Agar, Proconsul of Helios, and it is with great pleasure I welcome our long lost friends of T’Karan, as well as our new friends, the Centauri Alliance to our world.”

  The assembled dignitaries made positive sounds at this announcement. There was no clapping, though a large number banged hands down on whatever they could find nearby. This continued for almost thirty seconds before the Proconsul could continue.

  "As is our custom, I will leave it to the leader of each Power to introduce their own people.”

  He moved away from the raised podium to be replaced by a group of three. All were female looking, at least in their form and narrow faces. They were tall, easily two meters, and slender. Their skin was pale, and they moved with silent elegance, almost like dancers. The one in the center looked around the chamber before concentrating on the Alliance delegation.

  “Welcome to Helios,” she started but in heavily accented English.

  Teresa and the others looked at each other in surprise. This was the first person they had heard speak English since their arrival, and it was most unexpected.

  “I am the Ambassador of the Klithi. We are a people of thirty-three worlds and seven stars.”

  Teresa looked confused.

  “How is she doing that?”

  Gun had no answers, but Anderson looked less shocked. He moved forward slightly from his position in the middle of the group.

  “Ayndir has already given us a short brief on each of these people. According to her, the Klithi is a mildly telepathic race. They can read body language and minds like we hear language.”

  “What? They can understand what I think from how I move?”

  “Yes, your body movements betray you, and your mind and those near to you give them even greater details.”

  Gun raised an eyebrow at the information. The three Klithi were the exact opposite of him. Whereas he was wide, strong, and muscular, they were thin, weak, and poorly built. Even so, he was impressed with how they moved.

  “I would be happy to discuss political relations and economics with your ambassador.”

  That was all she said before nodding to the T’Kari. This time she spoke in their tongue, and the Alliance delegates were forced to rely upon the translator equipment. Teresa looked at the other groups, noticing only a few of them seemed to need the technology. It left Teresa feeling like a primitive in comparison.

  “Ayndir, of the T’Kari. It is good to see our old friends and allies in Helion space. We welcome all of your people back as one of us.”

  That was it, and as quickly as she had arrived and she was gone. The next up was a gruff looking man with dark gray clothing and body armor covering the right-hand side of his body. A band like a metallic visor ran around his head and hid both the man’s eyes and ears from view. Of all them there, he was the most like Teresa’s own people.

  “Greetings from the Khreenk Federation to both of you.”

  Teresa could see the man’s face was scarred, even from that far away. As he tilted his head, a glint of metal revealed where sections of his skull must have been replace or augmented with machine part
s.

  “Our ambassador will meet with you shortly.”

  He then stepped back.

  “That was…short,” said Gun in a louder tone than he anticipated.

  A number of the Khreenk delegates turned and looked at them. It took a few seconds before Gun realized the translators must have been two-way. He smiled at them unapologetically and then looked back to Anderson.

  “Well, am I wrong?”

  Anderson shook his head in irritation.

  “Gun, this is a delicate moment.”

  “Then perhaps they can be a little more accommodating.”

  The next of the ambassadors approached the raised platform, and Teresa started to feel a pang of boredom. Much that these different people were something extraordinary, these public affairs were dull beyond belief. She turned her thoughts from them and instead to what she had seen outside. The platform leading to the vast chamber had been just one of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of massive buildings, and the skies had been filled. Thoughts of the sky turned to the space around the planet, and then as before, her mind wandered to Spartan.

  He’s been away so long now, I'm beginning to wonder if he might ever return.

  She felt something prodding her and looked to find Anderson tapping her. He pointed to the podium and whispered quietly, ensuring the translator unit was out of reach.

  “It looks like you might get your wish after all.”

  Stood on the raised platform was a single person, but unlike anything she had ever seen before. Barely larger than a human child, the tan color creature wore no clothing other its thick hide. It head was near human, buts its eyes were red and almost reptilian in design. A ridge ran from the top of its head and disappeared down its back.

  “Okay, that is definitely not mammalian!”

  * * *

  The quarters put aside for the Alliance personnel were impressive. An entire floor of the substantial Foreign Affairs building had been allocated just for the Alliance. Teresa had already examined each of the dozen rooms, as well as the largest one that looked like a cross between a boardroom and a military briefing room. Though the place was furnished, there were no decorations of any kind. Ambassador Broby Ramir and General Rivers had already been called away for one of a dozen meetings with the many disparate groups in the building. Only Anderson, Gun, and Teresa remained, and all three were sitting and tired. Between them was a small crystalline table, on top of which sat a beautifully intricate decanter filled with a fluid.

  “Yours?” asked Teresa.

  Admiral Anderson smiled.

  “This place might be interesting, but you can’t beat a good vintage Kerberon bottle of port.”

  He handed the decanter to Teresa who poured herself a glass before giving it to Gun. He almost poured the contents directly down his throat but seemed to release it the last moment, pouring himself a glass filled to the brim.

  “So, what did you think of our new alien friends, the Byotai?”

  Teresa took another sip before answering.

  “Interesting, I thought they might be a match for Gun until they started to speak. It would seem looks aren’t everything.”

  Gun laughed gently in amusement.

  “Ayndir says they are a passive people, tough but not interested in the others.”

  Teresa brushed her hair with her hand and considered the events of the day. In just a few hours they had all seen things no human had probably ever even dreamt of.

  “Six empires, all of them very different. It’s incredible.”

  “True,” replied Anderson, “but don’t think for a moment that it is ever that simple. Looking outside, I see people from all six of those racial groups. I suspect there are even Klithi living here on Helios.”

  He stood up and walked to a leather case that lay near the table. From within its battered shape, he pulled a device the size of his head. It was unfamiliar to Gun, but Teresa recognized it as part of the equipment used on board Alliance warships. Anderson placed it in the center of the table and tapped a button on the side. Rings of blue and green lit up the sides as the device activated, and a heavily detailed three-dimensional model appeared above it.

  “Only your battalion is present in Helios, and there’s a reason for that.”

  He took another small sip of his port.

  “This is a tricky and delicate situation, and I need commanders I can completely rely upon. You’ve seen what happens when loyalties are confused. It leads to arguments, strife, and sometimes trouble.”

  Teresa didn’t look convinced.

  “Okay, that’s not the whole story. I spoke with Rivers about the operation before we traveled here. The big problem we have is lack of leadership in the Corps. With the culls after the War, it has been a lot harder to keep experienced commanders. You two are the only ones left in the Corps from the old days that saw combat.”

  He tilted his head slightly as though telling a joke, “Well, on the right side anyway.”

  Teresa moved her eyes in agreement at his sentiment.

  “Don’t forget, most of the units in Alpha Centauri never saw combat, that was left to us in Proxima.”

  He pointed at Gun.

  “You, my friend, are a rare commodity; a man with political and combat experience, and who is still physically able to lead from the front. If Spartan were here, I’d have all three of you doing this!”

  He wagged his finger though as if he was disagreeing with himself.

  “But there is something else. I want Spartan and Khan brought back, and I want to know where the hell they went. We have reports of at least one Raider ship traveling through an uncharted series of Rifts. High Command has flagged this potential backdoor as the single greatest threat after the Biomechs themselves.”

  Teresa looked unimpressed.

  “And Spartan?”

  “Khan!” muttered Gun, adding his old friend to the missing people.

  “Trust me; this is the best way of getting them back. Finding them is linked inextricably to finding the ship and any other signs of the Enemy. That is the reason we are all here in Helios.”

  Anderson stepped to the side and pointed at the structure.

  “Our techs have combined all the information given to us so far from each of the six groups that we’ve met. I don’t doubt for a moment this is the entire picture, but it should give you a better understanding of where we are.”

  The model showed the Helios system with a ring of Rifts around it; a small number of those Rifts were connected by fine lines to others systems. Some of which were at the heart of the six factions they’d just met.

  “It would appear the Helions are the de facto masters of Helios, and the stars and worlds within about ten light years. That is as far as we can tell. The Rift to T’Karan is one of the longer ones. Ayndir says their fastest ship can make it to Helios in just over three hundred years without the Rift. That would explain why the Biomechs have been trying so hard to get to Helios. Do you know how far away their worlds are without access to their own Rift?”

  Teresa and Gun both shook their heads.

  “Ayndir has shown me the last maps from their war with them. They say a ship would take even longer to travel to their world than to T’Karan.”

  “So the Biomechs we’ve fought against are the ones that were left in T’Karan?” asked Gun.

  “That would make sense. They had the skills and technology to fight a war but not to bring in reinforcements. That’s why they force us to fight amongst ourselves.”

  “Indeed,” said Anderson with a slow nod. “Now, the question is, how many more Biomech ships and their allies are out there, and where are they? We have to stop them ever getting near Helios, even more importantly, stop any soul from trying to breach the Black Rift.”

  He changed the image to show just Helios and its collection of Rifts. The Black Rift was marked by a different icon and color compared to the rest.

  “You saw what the Helions had to offer when the Biomechs arrived. One Gua
rdian ship was easily able to brush past their defenses. Do you think they could stop it getting through the Rift?”

  Gun snorted while Teresa attempted to be a little more politic.

  “It’s not surprising. They’ve been in a period of peace for a long time.”

  “Peace, you can only have peace if you’re ready to defend it,” growled Gun.

  Anderson nodded in agreement though to who wasn’t obvious.

  “We have something that none of these people seem to have, military capacity. Since my team built the Rift out to this part of space, we’ve ramped our military production. The improvements in our ship designs and manufacturing capacity on five separate worlds means we are able to start expanding the fleet.”

  He flicked the image off and sat down to face his two old comrades.

  “The original plan two decades ago was for a fleet of about thirty capital ships, a much smaller force than was expected for our new Alliance, with the ability to travel further and faster that has changed. We’ve found new planets and other sentient race and that means we need to be ready.”

  He slid his secpad across the table to the two of them. Teresa lifted it up and looked at the diagram showing a formation of ships.

  “Have you seen this?”

  They both shook their heads.

  “This is the first of our Heavy Strike Groups, a twelve ship combined unit based around one of the new Conqueror class battlecruisers. The plan is to have the first three groups for use in Alliance territory, with another two for expeditionary purposes. They’ll be ready within six months, and another three groups starting construction after that.”

  Gun raised his eyebrows at the news.

  “Sixty ships in six months? Impressive. So what?”

  Anderson smiled at his directness, but Teresa seemed to have already grasped the purpose of the discussion.

  “We have the warships and the warriors while they have the information we want. Right?”

  Anderson nodded twice and reached for the decanter of port. The pale brownish fluid ran out into the small glass. He passed it to them and said nothing more until the crystal unit was back in the middle of the table and sat upon its wooden cradle.