Machine Gods (Star Crusades Nexus, Book 2) (12 page)

“
Where are we?” he
asked.

Spartan forgot for a
moment that these particular aliens seemed to lack the knowledge of
their kin with regards to conversation with other races. Again the
leader said something and moved its hands over the computer units.
A number of sounds flickered through this part of the ship and
other displays powered up.

“Spartan, do we want to be here?” asked Isamu with
trepidation.

With a flash, the
dark, curved wall changed to the ink blackness of space. At first
it was as if the wall had vanished, but Spartan had seen this
technology plenty of times before.

“
Don’t worry.
I
t’s either a projected display or the
outer skin can make itself transparent.”

He tried to sound
confident, but with every sound his hand kept moving toward his
carbine that hung loosely on its sling. As he watched, his eyes
adjusted to the light, and he could see hundreds, then thousands of
dots from the stars that surrounded them. A haze like the gas of a
nebula filled the lower half, and a group of gray shapes to the
right resembled a shoal of fish. It took a few more seconds to
realize that it was in fact a formation of ships.

* * *

Teresa waited inside
the CIC of ANS Crusader with a look of disbelief on her face. The
rest of the crew went about their duties as
normal
, but there was nothing normal
about the fleet assembled in front of her. In her decades of
military service, she’d witnessed many war fleets; most of the time
when being shipped to another battlefield on board a Marine
Transport, such as the venerable ANS Santa Cruz. Teresa Morato was
present during the epic space battle around Prime back at the start
of the War. Her body still winced at the memories of the injuries
she sustained while landing under fire on the Titan Naval Station.
Even so, the sight of such an armada of Alliance warships, civilian
transports, and a small group of T’Kari ships was something she’d
never before seen.

“This is supposed to be a peaceful expedition?”
asked Gun with amusement.

Teresa turned an eye to him, noting the
self-satisfied expression on his face.

“
Gun, you don’t have
to come,” s
he suggested
mischievously.

“Why not? Hyperion is running just fine with the
chiefs in charge. I could do with a little action.”

“What makes you think there will be action?”

Gun nodded to the assembled ships.

“
You think they are
all there because we are expecting an easy ride. Trust me on this
one. Helios is not going to be as simple as they say it
is.”

He then pointed to the Crusader class warships.

“
If you ask me, the
Alliance has a plan, and they aren’t keeping us in the loop. You’ve
heard the rumors of Biomech ships like that Guardian ship the
T’Kari destroyed in the Rift.”

He leaned towards Teresa.

“I’ve heard that others ships have been spotted
moving in and out of this part of space.”

Teresa exhaled slowly, almost sighing at his
words.

“Come on Gun, you know better than to listen to the
gossip on this ship.”

Gun raised his eyebrows in amusement.

“If you say so.”

Teresa was still
surprised at how his use of language had altered over the years.
She remembered him back when they’d first met as enemies on
Prometheus. He and a small group of his kin had turned on the
Zealots and their masters and helped them to escape. He’d only
known a few words back then and had carried a massive Gatling gun
strapped to his arm. It had earned him the moniker Gun and it had
stuck ever afterwards.

“
We’re meeting on
Hades within the hour
for a full briefing
with the General and the main T’Kari and Alliance commanders. Maybe
we’ll learn a little more then?”

Gun shrugged at her,
evidently unconvinced at her suggestion. She looked back at the
assembled fleet and gazed at the powerful lines of the many
Crusader class warships. They were large and filled with weapons
and marines. It sent a shudder through her body as she recalled her
own experiences when forces of this size were assembled. Then she
thought of Spartan and tried to imagine what he could possibly be
up to. That directed her thoughts to their venture since leaving
the Marine Corps, the APS Corporation. As they were leaving, she’d
had a short but angry conversation with the remaining board
members. Almost all of them were looking to dump their shares. It
had been painful, but their actions had made it much easier for her
to cut her links with the company. She’d handed over control of the
major assets still technically belonging to the company to the
Alliance before relinquishing control. Those still working would be
given the option of leaving with a modest financial package,
tempting offers of work as contractors for the military, or
enlistment with a bounty. She suspected the older generation would
take the money.

I wonder
what Spartan would think
.

Based on those she
knew, she was convinced the majority of the combat operatives would
choose direct NCO entry to the Corps after a short retraining
interval. It wasn’t ideal, but she kept telling herself that any
other decision would have left them in a much worse position. Gun
looked at her and knew she was thinking about the recent events
prior to leaving ANS Beagle. The XO of the ship approached them
both.

“
Commander,”
h
e said while nodding to Gun and then
looked to Teresa.

“
Major Morato, it’s
good to see you back in the Corps, and your promotion is well
deserved. You have served the military and the Alliance with honor
and dignity,” he said firmly and then tried his best to give a
friendly smile. “Back where you belong.”

Teresa recognized
the honesty in his voice; there was genuine warmth. For a woman in
her forties, it was quite a feat to be back in the Corps. It wasn’t
unique, of course. Many former marines had re-enlisted, but she was
returning with a promotion from her final rank as Captain nineteen
years earlier. Spartan had left as a full Colonel, but neither was
ever likely to get much further. Teresa realizing her mind was
elsewhere, returned her glance to the XO, and saluted
him.

“
Thank you, Sir. Has
there been any news of where I am to be posted?”

The XO shook his head.

“
No,
sorry
, Major, you will need to speak with
the General on Hades. He is making a few changes. There are rumors
the Jötnar Battalion may be reinstated. A concession I think to
keeping the peace and also finding your mercenaries official work.
Something tells me they are worried your people may get bored with
the PMCs being culled.”

Gun nodded happily.

“Yeah, would you rather have us on your side or
waiting about for somebody with a cause?”

The XO couldn’t tell
whether he was joking. The Jötnar leader had grown in intelligence
and wit over the years, to the level that the XO actually felt he
might be a better officer than some he had met on his own ship;
such was the Commander’s military skills and knowledge. He decided
to treat it as a joke.

“
Very true, I’ve
seen your people in action many times before. I thought it was
insanity to disband the Battalion to start with. Still, there will
be plenty of unhappy people when they hear the news.”

Gun clenched his fists in irritation.

“They can always fight their own battles, if they
have the stomach for it.”

The XO grinned at this.

“Quite.”

He
turned and walked back to the small group of
officers to speak with Captain Harris, the commander of the mighty
warship. He glanced at the two new arrivals and nodded.

“How does it feel to be back?” asked Gun.

Teresa smiled at him.

“
Feels like I never
left. Spartan would feel just the same.”

* * *

The T’Kari Assembly
was an unusual building. It had been carved directly into the rock
of the moon, and its doors were built from the same stone. The
primitive looking exterior betrayed the exquisite interior that was
filled with statues of T’Kari from eons past. Teresa and Gun waited
patiently inside the structure, soaking in the lavish detail. The
colors had faded and there was some damage, yet the vast room
retained its greatness, even after being abandoned for so long. Gun
nodded toward the entrance. As Teresa turned, she spotted a
procession of the alien warriors; their helmets removed and
carrying their rifles up on the shoulder like a human
soldier.

“They even look a bit like soldiers now, don’t
they?” chortled Gun.

He was less than
inspired by what he’d seen of the T’Kari in combat. They were fast
on their feet and agile, but their tactics were primitive. They had
no idea of how to fight in close range combat. In short, they were
the exact opposite of the Jötnar.

Maybe
that’s why they treat us like Gods?
Gun
wondered.

The procession
continued inside with Ayndir, the
T’Kari
leader at the front, along with several senior figures of their
people. Teresa looked around the rest of the Assembly Hall, noting
there were about fifty in total, and this figure included a
substantial marine contingent; as well as a Jötnar squad wearing
the armor manufactured in the factories of Prometheus. She looked
at each of their faces, trying to recognize as many as she could.
All the company commanders for the three battalions of marines were
there, as well as their commanding officers from the ships in the
small fleet.

Ah, there he is.

Teresa had spotted
Admiral Anderson was present. Though he now had to report directly
to the new office of the Joint Chiefs, he was still the highest
military authority in New Charon. She moved to the next man before
noticing the movement from Gun. She could see a look of genuine
pleasure on his face. There were only two people that did that, and
she turned, half expecting to see Spartan, but instead it was the
aged form of General Rivers, now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff. He saw her and smiled briefly before turning his attention
back to the T’Kari. Standing directly behind him was the younger
Brigadier General Daniels, a man with whom Teresa and Gun had
fought alongside just as much as General Rivers.

“
If Rivers
and Daniels are here, then we can expect a
fight,” Gun said gleefully.

A few of the
n
aval officers nearby snarled at him, and
Gun laughed, immediately drawing the attention of those in the
hall. Ayndir noticed him and bowed gently. It was a measure of the
importance they placed on the Jötnar that the other T’Kari soon did
the same. Normally, Gun would have simply laughed, but even he
realized the solemnity of the occasion and of their response. He
lowered his head in respect to them, and Teresa watched in
amusement. The procession continued once more, and Teresa leaned
into towards Gun.

“
Bowing to
the
T’Kari, are you? Very
nice.”

He scowled at her enjoyment of his action.

“
It’s hard to find
friends of the Jötnar. These T’Kari are the closest thing we
have.”

Teresa looked taken
aback at his comment. He could see she was hurt, and he lifted his
hand to rub his face.

“
With a few obvious
exceptions, of course,” he said, trying to make up for
it.

They turned their
gaze back to the group of high-ranking people and watched them move
around to the front. Teresa recalled when a more formalized command
structure had been proposed. There had been a lot of fuss, but she
could appreciate the importance of creating a military High Command
that could report back directly with the civilian command
structure. It was a new system and based upon the similar system
still being used by countries on Earth back in the twenty-first
century. The General was now the leader of the Joint Chiefs, while
active representatives from the Navy, Marine Corps, and the brand
new Colonial Guard made up the rest of the body. The Guard was a
territorial unit to provide disaster relief and short-term
emergency forces. It lacked heavy equipment and weapons or the
ability to leave their home colonies, something that was outlawed
by the Senate. General Rivers had been voted in over the last year
and advised the President directly on military matters. The others
stood near him were unfamiliar to her.

I don’t
know any of you
,
though,
she thought.

Teresa turned her
attention to Ayndir who had now reached the front and turned to
face the audience.

“
Greetings, my
friends, i
t is a pleasure to see you once
more as we embark upon this great adventure,” she said in a
high-pitched voice.

It was the first
time Teresa had heard her speak in English without the use of her
suit’s translator. By the look of the other people assembled, it
was also quite clear that nobody else had either.

“
Strange,”
Gun said quietly.

Teresa looked
disapprovingly at him, but his only response was a wide grin. She
looked back as Admiral Anderson and the Defense Secretary moved up
to the raised area near the front, between two beautifully carved
stone sculptures. They showed ancient T’Kari in primitive armor and
carrying weapons that looked similar to spears. Like much of the
art Teresa had seen, these two images were designed to show their
physical forms off to perfection. The T’Kari leader looked to her
two comrades and nodded gently. This was the first time Teresa had
seen her old commander, the General, in this position. He’d rescued
them during the fighting on Hades when a force had come through a
Spacebridge and attempted to wrest control of New Charon. Ayndir
placed her hands together, and a beautifully detailed model of a
star system appeared. She started to speak, but this time it was in
her native tongue, and it took a brief moment before the suit
translators kicked in.