Star Crusades Nexus: Book 05 - Prophecy of Fire (10 page)

“They are coming here!” she blurted out, but nobody could hear her.

“I have given orders to our commanders in the field to mobilize our forces throughout the Alliance. The 1
^st
Heavy Strike Group is assembling at Prometheus in case they attempt to access the Orion Rift. The 2
^nd
is already here at Terra Nova to protect the bridge between Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri. The 3
^rd
is only partially complete and will wait as planned for us at T’Karan to give support as required. All other ships and patrol vessels are hereby brought to Condition One.”

What about me?

It was as if the General could hear her every word as he answered.

“As well as the fleet, all Marine and Colonial Guard units are to report to your respective barracks.”

She tapped a button to look at video feeds but stopped at the site of the massive comet being shown on one of the many news networks. It looked like a ball of plasma to her, but that wasn’t the concern; it was that the feed was being transmitted directly from the bridge of the Alliance flagship, ANS Conqueror, and the ticker line said fleet action in Eos.

Eos, that’s where Jack is fighting!

* * *

The massive bulk of ANS Devastation moved effortlessly through space as it made for its interception vector of Comet C34A. There were some in the Alliance press establishment that had started to nickname the comet as the Doomsday Comet, but it was a term that had been actively discouraged by the top brass, something that was apparently making it even more popular. They had already started to decelerate and had matched the elliptical trajectory of the object so that they would move alongside it in the next hour. The rest of the fleet was spread out, with half the ships maintaining an advance defensive screen near Eos along with the newly arrived ANS Royal Oak.

“Anything?” he asked his second-in-command, Captain Marcus.

The executive officer shook his head.

“Nothing, Admiral, the fleet is in position, and the comet is maintaining its course. All fragmented debris is accounted for, and the escort wing under Commodore Hampel has intercepted anything coming close. So far he has destroyed seventy fragments with no loss or damage.”

Admiral Lewis moved his head ever so slightly in acknowledgement. It was that time that occurred on every operation, the waiting game, and it never became easier. He took a sip from his flask of water and checked the tactical screen for the hundredth time.

So this is what the press calls a planet-killer. Not on my watch!

The emergency alerts blasted through the CIC warning every officer of a serious threat. It wasn’t the usual warning from an individual system, but the full battlestations that was activated during an incoming threat or emergency.

“What the hell is going on?” demanded Admiral Lewis.

He was busy watching the comet on the mainscreen, but the data he had been presented with suggested he could expect to face no potential threat until they moved in closer to the object. The scattered debris field was well out of range, and the escorts were doing their job screen the fleet. Nonetheless, the alerts were proximity and thermal signature alarms designed to warn of approaching weapons or ships.

“Uh...Admiral, this...this is...”

He twisted around and threw a bitter look at the tactical officer that he immediately regretted. All he could do was blame it on the situation.

“Snap out of it, man, what is the problem?”

The man had only just joined the crew of the Battlecruiser and lifted his shoulders as he took in a deep breath. There had been many crew changes following the battle against the automated fleet due to casualties, but most had been moved to other less experienced ships to try and boost the overall quality.

“It’s the comet, Admiral. Our sensors are detecting objects detaching from it.”

“Objects...as in fragments? Is C34A breaking apart?”

His immediate thought was that these chunks could potentially be a navigational hazard for his ships. It was unlikely, as the amount of open space between them and the comet made the odds of an impact almost impossible.

“No, Admiral. Sensors show active weapon signatures on the objects. So far there are forty-one...no, forty-five.”

He turned about in his seat to look at him, a look of horror on his face.

“Admiral, these are not chunks of debris. The threat assessment is of a large number of capital ships of unknown origin. It looks like a fleet, and they are moving to an entry vector for Eos.”

Admiral Lewis was stunned. The reports and plotting data for the comet had implied something unexpected, and he had assumed the object was being directed as a weapon.

It would seem there is much more to it than meets the eye.

Without even checking with the rest of the senior commanders, he grabbed the intercom and hit the emergency broadcast button.

“This is Admiral Lewis to all captains. Operation Inferno is aborted. Break off immediately and reform in a defensive posture around ANS Royal Oak. This is not a drill; every single ship is at risk. This is a threat Level One warning. Get out of here, now!”

He intended on calling out to General Daniels, but the man was already there, waiting along with his own executive officer, Captain Marcus who had recently transferred from the Titan Naval Station.

“Admiral, these ships are showing weapon signatures as well as extremely heavy armor. They are definitely not civilian. This is an attack, it has to be,” suggested the Captain.

General Daniels took another step forward so that he could get a better view of the large images on the mainscreen. It showed the shapes moving from the comet that was already getting smaller and smaller. He could see the list on the right as each of the objects was scanned, tagged and then sent to the rest of the fleet. What really caught his eye was the rising number of ships.

“Eight-two ships...and rising? We have a big problem,” he said more to himself than the others. He then turned and looked at the young Captain.

“Of course it’s an attack.”

The Captain, however, was a master of diplomacy, at least that was the impression given. He nodded, saying nothing but he looked less surprised than the Admiral. The ship groaned as the helmsman forced it to start powering up its engines to alter course. The emergency alarms blared their warning.

“We need to strap in,” said Captain Marcus.

The other officers didn’t need reminding and quickly moved to the nearest seat and pulled on the straps. The ship’s computer began a loud, audible countdown from ten as the engines built up. At the same time, the retro thrusters twisted the massive vessel about to face its new vector.

“Seven...six...”

Admiral Lewis looked at the mainscreen again and was shocked to see the number had just moved past one hundred. What really sent a chill through his body was the magnified view from one of the many long-range scopes fitted to the Battlecruiser. It panned past a group of armored capital ships and toward a large formation of smaller vessels. The camera locked onto one and zoomed in to the target vessels. The image continually moved in and out of focus before it finally settled. The computer started a detailed analysis immediately and put the size at about half the size of an Alliance cruiser, except that this ship was odd, like nothing he’d seen before.

“What is it?” he asked.

The ship shook again, and then a powerful drone spread through the hull. All of them were familiar with the powerful engines, but the fact they were being used to get out of danger sent a palpable feeling of concern through the vessel. Everybody from Admiral Lewis down to lowly ensign knew something was going wrong.

“Look at the configuration,” said General Daniels as he studied the craft.

“What about it?” asked Captain Marcus.

“Well, for starters the shape of the bow and underside suggests it is designed for atmospheric entry.”

“The General’s correct,” called out Lieutenant Vitelli, “The craft’s configuration is similar to that of our marine landers like the Mauler, except this thing is much bigger. Look at the bow.”

They looked for just a moment, but Admiral Lewis could already see the section the Captain referred to.

“I see it. The craft looks heavily armored on the bow.”

General Daniels and Admiral Lewis’ eyes met across CIC. Lewis spoke first.

“That thing is designed to get to the surface in one piece.”

The General nodded in agreement.

“The question is, are they orbital weapons, or something much worse, like landing craft?”

The mention of the possibility the vessels intended to land people on the surface was something of a shock to them all. Then an image appeared on the mainscreen that stopped them all from speaking. It was a black shape that was emblazoned like a piece of heraldry running along the flanks of the ship. As the camera moved, it showed the same symbol on every single one of the other vessels.

“What is that?” asked the executive officer.

“Echidna,” hissed the Admiral between his teeth.

Admiral Lewis and General Daniels knew exactly what it was, and the mere sight of the metal serpent sent a chill through both of them. Admiral Lewis had already hit the emergency broadcast button when General Daniels started to speak.

“We’re in trouble, what’s the plan?”

“You know who they are. I need to contact High Command before they hit us. This could be over in minutes.”

General Daniels nodded grimly and walked back to his command room adjacent to the CIC. He had his own, much smaller staff to help coordinate Marine operations in this sector. There were only three people there, including Colonel Horst Brünner, the commander of the 4
^th
Marine Heavy Battalion. The rest of senior commanders were on the surface of Eos helping with the Helion efforts against the Animosh insurgency.

“It’s true then?” asked the Colonel.

Daniels looked at his with expressionless eyes. He had seen plenty of battles, but the sight of so many ships filled him with an emotion he hadn’t felt for a long time. It was an odd mixture of worry, dread, and hatred combined into an unreasoning desire to strike out.

“Colonel, this is the largest Biomech fleet we have ever seen. Over a hundred capital ships, and they are coming this way.”

He was no great fan of Colonel Horst Brünner, but even he could see the flicker of fear show on the man’s face. He was used to seeing argument for no reason from the man, but in that instant the Colonel changed.

“We’ve never come across the Biomechs in large numbers before. They always attack us via third parties. Are we ready?”

The General shook his head.

“Not by a long shot. We have a dozen capital ships and nine frigates. That puts us at odds of at least five-to-one.”

“What about our boys on the ground?”

General Daniels smiled at the question. He had always considered Brünner to be a self-righteous and bitter man, one concerned only with self-promotion and advancement. Now that it came to the real test, and the man thought only of their marines.

Maybe he isn’t the man I thought he was?

“We’ll get them all to safety, and fast. If those are landing craft of some type, we could see a full-scale Biomech assault on Eos. We have to save as many as we can and prepare for the worst.”

“General!”

The Admiral shouted from a dozen meters away. He stepped to one side to look back at the man. The look on his face had altered slightly to one of grim determination. The ship had stopped its maneuvering now and was accelerating back to the ships closer to Eos. The image of the Echidna stylized force was showing on every screen, and all he could think about were the Biomechanical monstrosities he’d faced on so many occasions before.

“Yes?”

“Your people have three hours. If I can’t stop this fleet, they will face the full wrath of this attack. Get them ready. This will be a battle unlike anything any of us have ever seen.”

The Zealots and their Biomech influenced masters were one of the greatest mysteries of the past. Their uprising started with suicide bombings and assassinations and soon spread to a military resolution with support, technology, and resources far outweighing what should have been possible. Only in the following decades would it become clear how far the Biomech influence had been in both the supply of technology and their political manipulation. The cunning of the Biomechs was second only to the Byzantines of ancient Earth.