The Great Betrayal (5 page)

It was obvious to Captain Campbell that the Narau commanding officers had no idea how to act in a battle situation. The Alliance had been involved in battle since its early inception back in the Great War, roughly seventy years earlier. Even when not at war, they faced insurrections and pirate raids throughout the scattered colonies. Thankfully, the Admiral seemed to appreciate this and quickly deferred to the man as he checked the incoming signals.

“Yes, this is good,” he said without even looking at him.

He gave a series of coarse commands to his crew. Most were surprised at what he said, but not one of them dared to question his orders. In seconds, the ship shuddered once more, and vibrations spread through every part of the mighty vessel’s hull.

The engines, he’s changing direction!

The Admiral threw him a quick glance.

“If we survive this, I will owe your commander a life debt. Now, hold on, we have a small chance of getting through this.”

The ship shook violently as dozens of kinetic rounds slammed into its hull. The Khreenk warships were well built and very strong though. After a minute of nearly continuous bombardment, they were away from the ruins of the fleet and accelerating on a vector that would move them slightly from their original destination. More importantly, by accelerating, they were making use of their already substantial momentum, and each second took them further from harm.

* * *

It was a large room, easily capable of holding fifty officers, perhaps more. Models of dozens of ships from the Alliance and the Confederacy’s past adorned the walls, and in the center stood an oval table; on it a model of the station that was still under construction. Everything seemed smart and clean, perhaps too clean. It was a measure of the brand new station that every part of it looked as though it had just arrived from an Alliance factory. At one end of the table was a floating video projection showing multiple feeds of violent events on the world of Helios. There were a large number of explosions before all but one of the feeds turned black.

“This is the most important section,” said the officer on the right-hand side. His face impossible to make out while the unit ran and the lights were dimmed.

A crowd of people ran down a shattered street, and small ducted fan bikes and vehicles flashed by overhead. A large tower structure crashed to the ground as the camera team ran for cover before being washed with dust and debris. The aircraft slowed down and opened fire at those running, finally striking an area near the camera crew. The last shot was of the camera on its side, facing down the street toward four dead Zathee, the largest ethnic group of Helions that were now in open revolt.

Captain Hart, a rough looking officer nodded as though the footage had just answered any question they might have. A dozen people sat around the table, including Rear Admiral Lewis, the commander of the 4
^th
Heavy Strike Group. General Daniels, the commander of the 2
^nd
Marine Corps Regiment plus the captains of the largest ships in the fleet.

“Our tactical reconnaissance drones have avoided detection so far, but without boots on the ground, our information is sketchy at best,” explained Captain Hart.

“Captain, thank you,” stated Admiral Anderson, the commander of the station.

He looked toward the virtual presence to his right of General Rivers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He was the highest-ranking military officer by law in the Alliance. His word carried the weight of the President and of the Alliance’s civilian authority.

“So, with this limited intelligence, we have been called on to assist in organizing a task force. To do what, exactly? Can you apprise us of the situation on Terra Nova?”

The time delay from the Admiral Jarvis Naval Station through T’Kari space and then to Terra Nova took considerable time. The signal was collected and repeated at Rift Spacebridges in T’Kari space, Prometheus space in Proxima Centauri, and finally Alpha Centauri, the home star system of the capital of the Alliance. A counter ran next to the video display, and it ran down as they waited for the General. While waiting, Admiral Anderson looked at the others.

“Since the start of the rebellion on Helios it has spread. The Khreenk Federation has offered assistance and to mediate a peace settlement. At the same time, T’Kari scouts report similar uprisings on many of the Helion’s other worlds.”

“Other worlds?” asked Captain Alyani Tinychai, commander of ANS Serenity.

Anderson pointed to Captain Hart who brought up an image of the Helios System on the projector unit.

“Helios is just one star and one planet. They use the term interchangeably. Just as we do though, they have many moons and dozens of other stars and worlds. They have been cagey at telling us everything, but so far we have already charted three more stars, each with inhabited worlds. All of them within six light years of Helios.”

Captain Tinychai seemed intrigued at this information.

“So the rumors of the Helions commanding a large empire were true, after all?”

Anderson shrugged.
Captain Jose Pezal pointed at the Rift on the edge of Helion space. It was marked as the exchange point between Helion space and the
Khreenk Federation.

“Admiral, where do we stand with the other empires, then?”

Before he could answer, the counter ran to zero, and a fuzzy image of the General appeared, correcting itself as more data arrived.

“Admiral Anderson, thank you for arranging this important meeting. There is urgent news from our new ambassador on Helios, as well as from our other contacts throughout the Orion Nebula.”

He paused while a clerk handed him something.

“As you are all aware, we have been collating data on these new regions of space. There are planets, races, and factions we had no idea even existed. Our big concern is this prophecy that the Helions keep referring to. We have analyzed all records we have access to, and it is clear they are convinced the Enemy will return to Helios for vengeance.”

Admiral Anderson nodded as if he were in a discussion with the General.

“Now, this prophecy is a common theme with each of the races, and there are even hints on Hyperion in our own territory. Normally, we would ignore this, but there is one thing they all have in common. It is this.”

His face moved to the side and was replaced by what looked like a common comet.

“This is C34A, a well known comet apparently amongst the races close to the Helions. It was last present during the defeat of the Biomechs and their incarceration on their own worlds. As you know, the Black Rift is the only fast route to cover the thousands of light years to their domain.”

The image returned to General Rivers.

“This comet is on its way back, and according to the Khreenk, the Helions, and all the rest, will signal the start of the next war.”

One of the younger officers muttered something and was quickly silenced by a nearby captain.

“Now, because of this potential threat, our entry into the Narau military as a temporary member has been accelerated. Our strength has already been recognized, and this places us at the heart of the political sphere of the Great Powers.”

The officers in the room looked at each other and then back to the virtual presence.

“The troubles on Helios have stark similarities with the problems we faced back on Proxima Prime at the very start of the Uprising. For those of us who were there at the time, you’ll recall how the situation changed from insurgency and terrorism to outright war.”

His image vanished and was replaced by a vast model that seemed to include all the territories of the Powers, including the Alliance. Helios was in the center and surrounded by four flashing stars.

“We know there are small groups of Biomech forces and their supporters, perhaps even around our own worlds. Alliance Intelligence has examined everything from the evidence left by them on Hades and Hyperion through to the prisoner that Admiral Anderson has on your station. Everything points to one thing; a long-term Biomech strategy to return to Helios.”

He paused to let that piece of information sink in. The video was not in real-time, so he had no way to gauge exactly how they would react. Even so, the short pause was about right as they started to chatter with surprise and confusion at his news. His voice finally returned.

“We have every belief that the remaining Biomechs will seek to exploit this situation anyway they can, perhaps to try and reopen the Rift to their worlds. The President has therefore authorized me to take major action in this sector as part of a Narau Force under the authority of the Helion government. These forces will operate from an orbital deployment area based upon four capital ships. Admiral, if you would continue.”

He stopped for just a few seconds as a number of further documents and video files continued to arrive. Admiral Anderson then continued the briefing.

“The T’Kari will conduct patrols of the Helios System, especially the access points to the other Powers while flying the Alliance flag. Their ships are ideally suited to this kind of operation, and it will leave us to concentrate on Helios. We will also be sending a smaller fleet to meet with contingents from all the other Powers to guard the Black Rift.”

“This is madness,” snapped General Daniels, without even thinking.

“The Helions have treated their people like dogs. The uprising has spread, and the Zathee have already offered us support if and when war comes to us. And now we plan to send ground forces into the middle of all of this? This will simply allow the Helions to maintain control.”

Admiral Anderson exhaled slowly, the sound getting all of their attention.

“You’re missing the big picture, General. It is our job to ensure peace and stability for the Helions. This will guarantee resources and warriors for the fight, if it ever comes to it. If we send in troops right now, we will start a war with the Helions, a war we cannot afford to become embroiled in.”

General Daniels opened his mouth but Anderson stopped him.

“I know, we could handle them, but what about the others? What if the Klithi or the Khreenk side with them? In minutes, we could be at war with every single one of them, all so that we can offer military assistance to the Zathee, a culture we only knew of months ago.”

He pointed at the display.

“As you can see, General Rivers has already sent us the dispositions for Helios. Additional forces are en route so the entire 4
^th
Heavy Strike Group can be committed to action. That is twelve ships under the commander of Rear Admiral Lewis plus the 2
^nd
Marine Corp Regiment that will operate from orbit over Helios. I will ensure this station is made available for support craft, resupply, and anything else you might need.”

He paused for a second, getting his breath before continuing. In that brief moment, he looked at each of them and could see the tension in their faces. This was evidently far more serious than any of them had expected.

Captain Harris, the commander of ANS Crusader, one of the most famous ships now in the fleet, lifted the palm of his hand slightly to get attention.

“Admiral, this all seems hasty. Have we learned something new from the Biomech soldier? Why the rush? Comets have been the harbingers for a long time, even on our worlds.”

That one question turned the room to total silence. It was common knowledge that the soldier captured during the initial foray into Helios had been brought to this place for study. What wasn’t known though was what had happened since. Admiral Anderson looked at the man and smiled in a gesture that was hard to fully understand.

“Captain, it is a good question but perhaps not one for today.”

The video stream from General Rivers returned. Admiral Anderson signaled for his audience to turn their attention to his image.

“I am sending over all intelligence required for this operation. I must take my leave of you. You have everything you need, and I expect nothing but the utmost professionalism in your approach to this problem. Any requests may be made through Admiral Anderson, who is in command of all Alliance forces inside the Orion Nebula. Good luck to you all.”

With the General now gone, Admiral Anderson switched off the video feed and looked out to the men and women.

“The Admiral Jarvis Naval Station is fully operational, and it will now be your permanent base of operations, as well as the most remote border fortress we have out here. It is our job to stabilize this part of space, to prevent the enemy from taking ground, and most importantly, to ensure that no Biomech ever gets within a single AU of the Black Rift.”