Star Crusades Nexus: Book 09 - The Black Rift Read online

  “It is over,” said the Colonel in a hard, bitter tone.

  “You will give the order for your people to surrender, or we will vent this station.”

  Colonel Pierce lowered his sidearm and looked to his security chief. With a quick movement of his head, he confirmed for him to also lower his weapon. A loud crashing sound came from further along the corridor, and part of the wall ripped apart. Chunks of masonry, glass, and metal fell about as six shapes emerged from the dust cloud. They were massive, easily the size of Marine Vanguards.

  “Get down!” came a loud, booming voice.

  Colonel Pierce knew that voice anywhere and found himself smiling as he threw himself to the floor, narrowly avoiding a bayonet to the face.

  “Do it!” he yelled.

  The seven black armored soldiers from Terra Nova and their leader turned their guns on the new arrivals. Coilguns blasted, but then came the high-pitched scream of powerful multi-barreled guns. The streaks of flame filled the passageway, and shells tore holes the size of apples into the body of anybody that got in the way. As he lay on the ground, he looked up at six dark shapes and the massive muzzle flashes that obscured them. Finally, the noise stopped, and all that remained were the grunts and groans from the wounded marines. Colonel Pierce tried to stand but stumbled and began to fall back down.

  “I’ve got you.”

  A thick muscled arm covered in crimson armor grabbed him so tightly it actually hurt a little. He found himself upright and on his feet, staring up into the friendly face of a mighty Jötnar warrior.

  “Osk, it’s damn good to see you.”

  The dust and smoke began to clear, and as it did, so did the shapes of the Jötnar begin to clear. They all wore the armor of the Red Watch, the dark crimson that each of them wore so proudly. All of the Jötnar carried the massive Gatling guns favored by their kind, either on their shoulders on special pintle mounts, or carried in both arms. Osk, the first female Jötnar and commander of the garrison on Prometheus, swung her arm and struck the Colonel hard on the shoulder.

  “It looks like we were in the right place at the right time.”

  He winced at the strength of the strike.

  “Yeah, I knew keeping you on board for a few more hours was a good idea.”

  He looked back into the corridor and the carnage the Jötnar had wrought. It was more than just the bodies. It was the damage caused by their immense firepower. Entire chunks of columns had been torn apart, and the Terra Novan soldiers had seen limbs and heads torn clean off. Not one of the intruders remained alive.

  “Okay, Colonel, what next?” she asked.

  The blood splattered and exhausted officer looked to Lieutenant Young, who just nodded at him. He then looked back to Osk.

  “We clear this station, and then we will…”

  Movement caught his eye. He followed the motion and spotted the mortally wounded figure of Lieutenant Dobbs. The soldier’s right arm had been shot off above the elbow, and his chest contained no less than three major puncture wounds. He tried to speak, but blood bubbled and gushed from his mouth. Osk walked toward him and then knelt down alongside him.

  “Why?” she asked.

  The man coughed twice and struggled to speak.

  “To…remove you…”

  Osk opened up her visor and laughed. It was a bittersweet laugh, but she continued nonetheless. The other Jötnar joined in for a while before quieting down. She reached out with her right hand to touch the dying man. He looked up at her, his eyes burning hot, but though he wanted to speak, nothing but blood now came from his mouth. Osk nodded gently.

  “It’s okay. We will visit your homeworld and introduce ourselves.”

  Her smile tightened into a grimace.

  “Your soldiers will be punished for this outrage, animal.”

  He yelled in pain and anger one last time and then slumped back, the black blood pooling around his mouth on the floor. Osk paced back and forth and then stopped in front of Colonel Pierce.

  “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. We will load up the transports on Prometheus and set course for Terra Nova. We will remove this usurper and remind the people of that place who we are and what we can do.”

  She then turned and stormed over to her comrades. Colonel Pierce looked down to the shattered body of the soldier and reached down to close his eyes.

  You fools! What have you done? Never, ever bring upon the vengeance of the Jötnar.

  * * *

  ANS Warlord, 3 Days from Micaya

  The massive mainscreen showed the latest live feed from the exterior of the Prometheus Seven Station. It wasn’t an encrypted channel or even a military channel. The logo at the corner actually showed it was a live feed coming from the station, and the space battle had just become fiercer. Admiral Anderson shook his head when a flight of fighters ducked and dived past the mothballed marine assault transport. Turret fire blasted nearby, but the Alliance pilots expertly avoided the attack.

  “Those ships are crewed by buffoons,” he said angrily.

  They were weeks away from the action, and there was absolutely nothing he could do, other than send messages directly to his regional commanders. He checked the tactical display for probably the tenth time and then wiped his brow.

  This is going to be close.

  The space station had used its turrets to beat off the shuttles as they took away their wounded. The videostreams showed at least half of those that had made it to the station were now either dead or captured. Station defenses were no longer holding back, and the small railguns and point-defense turrets caused substantial minor damage to any of the ships that strayed too close.

  “There,” said the ship's tactical officer.

  Admiral Anderson could already see the problem. The flashes of light along the hull of ANS Terra showed where her railguns had just fired. The Sanlav rounds split apart upon reaching half of the target distance before sending chunks of debris deep into the station's decking.

  “Thank the gods they don’t have anything more than that.”

  While the railguns were powerful, they were insignificant next to the power of the particle beam weapons used in the final stages of the war. The explosive energy of these direct-energy weapons was capable of exploding entire ships with a single burst. The Sanlav rounds would ultimately do the same job, but it would take hours, perhaps even days against a station as massive as Prometheus Seven.

  “Sir, he’s arrived.”

  The Rift alongside the station flickered and then changed in form to look like mirrored steel. From inside the odd colored shape came one, two, and then seven ships. All of them were heavy Alliance warships, each bearing the markings and insignia of the fleet. A video image on the open channel appeared on the right of the mainscreen.

  “This is Captain Takei of the Alliance Navy Ship Alexander. Cease fire immediately.”

  Several of the younger officers cheered excitedly at this new arrival. Admiral Anderson was silent. Unlike them, he had experience of the wills of men, and the people of Terra Nova had a strange attitude to situations like this. He was hardly surprised when ANS Terra altered her course to face the ships, and then immediately opened fire on the smallest of the escorts in the force. The initial volley of railgun fire punched multiple holes into the space armor of the ship; luckily he was able to move out of the line of fire and behind one of the larger Liberty class destroyers. Admiral Anderson sighed at seeing this.

  “He has no choice now, just end this quickly.”

  The other ships moved in close to ANS Terra, and they then advanced on the formation of Liberty ships. It was unusual to see such a large number of the new ships in formation without access to a full-size capital ship. Even so, they continued to put down a hail of fire, most of which was stopped by interceptor fire from the anti-air turrets on the destroyers. The Rift flickered one final time, and in came a heavily worn looking Crusader class warship. Without warning, the multiple gun turrets opened fire, each hitting ANS T
erra with solid shot. The gunfire exchange was impressive, but the energy bloom showing on the screen was what caught all of their attention. Though invisible to the naked eye, the overlays simply placed the particle beam buildup onto the visuals so that the gunfire could be seen. With a single pulse, the emitters released a burst of energy so great that the front third of ANS Terra vanished in a bright blue explosion. Chunks of ship tore off, with at least one section piercing one of the nearby ships.

  “This is Admiral Churchill. Cease fire immediately or face annihilation.”

  Even Admiral Anderson was impressed at the few short words from the old warhorse. As surrender indicators appeared on the imagery, he turned around to look at his comrades.

  “That, people, is how you make an entrance.”

  He rubbed his lower lip.

  “Now, let’s get this show on the road. I’m sure the Admiral is capable of resolving any outstanding issues on Terra Nova without our help. In the meantime, I have a war to fight.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  How do our forces match up with those of our enemies? Since the inclusion of second-generation technology, our ships have gained direct-energy weapons and artificial gravity. This level of advancement puts us on parity with the vessels of races such as the Helions and T’Kari. Even the Biomechs appear no less advanced than us, apart from their use of biomechanical structure for some of their ships. This level of resilience gives them great staying power in prolonged space combat.

  Naval Cadet’s Handbook

  Low-Orbit, Spascia, Helion Sector

  There was no glimmer of emotion from Teresa as she watched the mainscreen. The Captain of the ship continued to bark orders to the crew, but for Teresa the only thing of interest was the ruined city. She had seen the images months earlier, but the sight of the ancient ruins was still a shock. Spascia had been the site of one of the many massacres in the old wars. Now whatever remained of the city was long gone.

  “It’s incredible, don’t you think?” asked Commander Jameson, the ship’s XO.

  “How so?” Teresa replied in a monotone voice.

  “Helios Prime was destroyed from space. The bombardment flattened entire blocks of the city. Spascia is something else entirely. This destruction is from artillery and infantry assault. It’s like something from the twentieth century on old Earth.”

  Teresa didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing. The Marine transport was actually one of the newly commandeered civilian transports that had been upgraded to military specification. That last part she might have found amusing on any other day. The reality was that the computer systems, wiring, and paint scheme had been changed. There were also bunks where the cargo holds had once been. To the right was another of the transports, her hull streaked with fire as they smashed through the upper atmosphere. There was a single Byotai transport, its semi-biological look in direct contrast to the hard edges of the human vessels.

  “Colonel, are your marines ready?” asked the Captain.

  Teresa looked at the man and his worried expression. She could understand why in the circumstances. They were flying a glorified civilian transport directly into the teeth of an ongoing siege.

  They aren’t my marines.

  She watched them file aboard, had even spoken with all their officers. But this was no Marine regiment, battalion, or even a company. The fighting on Helios Prime had seen to that weeks ago. These were squads and platoons from a dozen different units. Some had only just arrived to replace those on the ground; others were in transit to different parts of the planet when the orders had arrived. Teresa closed her eyes for a second and recalled the imagery of the three ships; each filled with nearly five hundred marines apiece. There were more vessels following, but these carried an odd assortment of private security and ex-military forces.

  “They are waiting, Captain.”

  “Good, because we are coming down hard and fast.”

  The Captain sounded nervous, and as the clouds of smoke began to separate, she could see why. They were flying along the path of the great chasm, and off into the distance was the mountain. The view to the left was of smaller mountain peaks and crags. It was the wasteland to the right that was the most stunning. Unlike the ruins of Helios Prime, this city had never been a tall one. The collapsed superstructures on the capital world were still huge, even in their destruction. Spascia was a graveyard for metal and masonry.

  “There they are,” said the XO.

  He pointed off to the right where vast amounts of gunfire could be seen. Teresa checked her overlay in her helmet that showed the tactical position.

  “Yes, that’s the frontline. Last reports from General Gun said our troops had cleared an area two kilometers from the chasm. They are holding them as long as possible so we can get our ships down.”

  “No, you can’t be serious. That’s the landing platforms, next to the bridges?”

  The Captain looked to Teresa, shaking his head.

  “Show me,” said Teresa.

  The Captain gave his orders, and the helmsman changed the mainscreen to show a magnified view of the landing grounds. The platforms were wide and easily large enough for assault craft and Maulers to land. There were three in operation; the others appeared to be filled with wreckage. Teresa looked for a moment and then realized two of them were covered with the wreckage of a Khreenk heavy transport.

  “Yes, that’s the spot.”

  “Colonel, I can’t put us down in a space that small.”

  He looked back to the screen.

  “It’s impossible.”

  Teresa looked at the details sent over by Gun and tried to hide her smile.

  “Captain, the specifications are accurate. You will have a fifty percent margin of error for the landing. You will put this transport down on the pad, and I will get our forces out and into action in less than six minutes.”

  She spotted him looking to his XO, who shook his head in disagreement. Normally, she was very restrained, but this attitude was beginning to annoy her. They’d left the rest of the fleet to join Anderson, Lewis, and the others at the assembly point off Micaya. These were all the reinforcements that could be expected for Spascia for a month, perhaps longer.

  “Captain. If we do not land, then this planet will fall. We will lose the weapon, the world, and every single man and woman we sent here.”

  It was common knowledge that her son was one of those fighting in the never-ending battle. Mostly assumed it was a fruitless fight, but there was nothing that could be done to quickly resolve the situation. There was no way to leave the planet, and the millions of Helion civilians that would have to be left behind. General Gun’s forces had done the impossible, and still the enemy attacked from their heavily entrenched positions.

  “Captain, an urgent message from General Gun.”

  He nodded and pointed to the mainscreen.

  “Put it up.”

  The image from the inside of Gun’s helmet appeared. The footage was slightly blurred, and bright light from nearby sent flashes and flares into the lens. Teresa stood in front of the massive screen.

  “General.”

  “Colonel, good to see you.”

  The image flashed white. The wizened General grimaced, and the footage shook. It blurred so badly that it was barely possible to make out his face. Then it settled again, but not for long.

  “The frontline is weak. My Vanguards and Jötnar have plugged what they can.”

  He moved his eyes, shouting off to somebody to his left.

  “Send two squads to the barricade. You, get that gun into position, now!”

  Again came the flashes of gunfire as he blasted an unseen enemy.

  “We can hold but not for much longer. How long till you land?”

  Teresa looked to the Captain. He shook his head once more.

  “I told you, Colonel, we can’t do it.”

  Gun must have heard because his eyes moved to the center of his visor. It was as though he was looking right at those i
n the ship.

  “What did I just hear?” he growled.

  The Captain swallowed nervously, but Gun continued, giving him no time to reply.

  “I have Marines, Jötnar, Vanguards, Khreenk, machines, and even Helion civilians fighting on this frontline. Every minute is costing us lives. You will land that ship, Captain, or I promise you, I will get to you and tear your damn throat out!”

  His eyes widened as he opened fire once more, and this time it was possible to see the reflection on his visor. It was blurred and difficult to see, but Teresa was sure she could see a Thegn move right in front of him before Gun smashed it down with his arm.

  “Colonel, get your people here fast. We need the bridges secured and a reserve line ready. I’ll hold for fifteen more minutes. Any longer, and we’ll be overrun.”

  Teresa pushed the Captain out of her way and moved closer.

  “Hang in there, Gun. We’re coming.”

  Gun nodded, and the image vanished. Teresa turned around to face the Captain. Her hand slid down to her thigh and perilously close to her sidearm.

  “I don’t care how you get us down. You can land with cheerleaders waving on both sides, or you can crash-land into the middle of the pad. Either way, we are not leaving this planet until every one of my marines is on the ground.”

  She leaned in a few centimeters so he could see her eyes.

  “Do you understand me, Captain?”

  The man took in a slow breath.

  “Very well, I will do what I can.”

  Teresa feigned a smile.

  “I can’t expect you to do any more, can I?”

  The vast starship shuddered at it continued down toward the thicker atmosphere. At their speed, the thermal energy was vast, so much so, that only a vessel designed for this kind of re-entry could ever hope to survive. A few low-level alerts triggered, but nothing too serious. The XO spoke briefly with the tactical officer and then moved toward the Captain. He ignored Teresa, but she waited and listened while watching the imagery of their descent.