Star Crusades Nexus: Book 09 - The Black Rift (30 page)

“Seal the ship and spin!” he yelled.

Lieutenant Takeda didn’t even have to check for herself. With a single button press, an extra layer of seals activated. Gas pumped into the open sections that would seal any small cracks or holes. Then came the spin. This was far greater than the movement normally reserved for dogfighting. This was a desperate measure designed to force incredibly high g-forces. By the time of the sixth full revolution, the ship had almost driven them unconscious.

“Re…recover,” muttered Captain Garcia.

The pressure suit, including his naval PDS armor pushed down on his body, and the oxygen system struggled to keep them both conscious. Neither was able to initiate the recovery though, and it fell to the computer to take over. They made another four revolutions before slowing down and continuing on their previous course.

“That was…” started Lieutenant Takeda.

A single metal prong punched up through her chest and out in front of her face. She choked and a spray of blood burst from her mouth.

“Takeda!”

Captain Garcia automatically reached for the thermal shotgun fitted to the left wall. The point vanished from his pilot’s chest, and she stopped moving, her lifeless body held in tightly against her seat. Captain Garcia activated his open distress channel.

“Mayday, mayday, this is ANS Tempest. We have been boarded. Requesting…”

The area of metal plating behind Takeda ripped apart, and a hole big enough to climb through appeared. He flicked off the safety on the shotgun and took aim. Something moved, and he pulled the trigger. A flash of flame from the shotgun punched a hole into the torso of a Decurion as it came forward. The wrecked remains were then ripped out of the way, and he could see back into the empty cargo hold. With there being no torpedoes left, it was just a big storage area. He fired two more shots and had the satisfaction of spotting another of the machines take a blast straight to the center.

Got to get out of here.

He looked ahead and toward the Liberty destroyers. The flak corridor had increased, and there were multiple fighters weaving in and out. Behind them an odd blue hue was increasing around ANS Explorer. An urgent flashcom sounded in his ears, surprising him for a brief moment.

“This is Admiral Lewis. All ships must leave sector Three Alpha immediately. Get out of there!”

Something moved, and he glanced over his shoulder to see two more of the machines pulling themselves over wreckage. The only reason they hadn’t made it through already was because of the smashed Decurions and shattered loading racks for the now spent torpedoes.

“You have ten seconds. Get out of the blast zone.”

Captain Garcia looked about for the zone markers, but the next machine was through. He twisted about and caught his arm on the control column. The Mauler started to twist.

“Dammit!”

He leaned forward to alter the controls, just as a metal arm swung overhead. The sharp metal scraped across his helmet and cut a deep gouge. Even though it was little more than a glancing strike, it was enough to make him turn back around. Captain Garcia lifted the shotgun while the Mauler continued to spin out of control.

“Two seconds!” came back the voice from the Admiral.

Captain Garcia fired once, twice, and then a third and final time. Each blast tore chunks from the machine, but as he fired, another chunk of metal tore away to reveal another of the things. Then came a blue flash that filled the cockpit and everything outside. He looked back and spotted the approaching gantries and metal structures of the vast shipyard complex. At the same time, the machines scrambled forward to reach him. He extended out his arm and struck the emergency autopilot. The Mauler immediately righted itself and pulled up from the shipyards. Even as Captain Garcia breathed in a sigh of relief, an arm punched past his shoulder and embedded sharp metal into the control panel. The electronics sparked and flashed, and then everything outside vanished in the blue orb.

Great, death by shipyard, Decurion or blue orb.

The blue vanished and right in front of him was the massive section of shipyard, along with several dozen scuttled ships. The flashing blue faded as quickly as it had arrived, and now his course had been completely reversed. A glance at the navicomputer showed they had moved to the opposite orbit of the shipyards, and all of the debris was heading toward a closing target.

“What?”

Captain Garcia was completely stunned, not by what surrounded him, but by the massive shape of the Biomech Ark that grew larger by the second. Their total closing speed was in the hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

He didn’t even feel the puncturing of the spikes from the machines as the Mauler and a massive section of the orbital facility crashed into the Ark at impossible speeds.

Olik, Khan, Gun, and Osk are some of the famous names that rose to prominence during the Great Uprising. Each of them was an experienced warrior by the end of the conflict and would go on to great significance in the period of the Alliance. Like all of their kin, they proved loyal even when harassed and persecuted. Some of their comrades were killed in the interwar years, yet even when provoked, the Jötnar refused to turn to their more primitive sides. In many respects, they made better soldiers than conventional humans, and some speculate that if the Echidna Union had been more careful it might have been able to use their skills to destroy the Confederacy.

Heroes of the Great Uprising

ANS Warlord, Micaya Shipyards, Helios Sector

The cheering inside the CIC was deafening as each of the officers watched in awe at the new development. The sight of the Rift opening up in the middle of battle was a rarity, but this was beyond what any of them had expected. The plan for the engineering ship had been kept secret, though most assumed it would be used in the same way as at Helios Prime.

“Watch and pray,” said Admiral Anderson.

None of them had really known what to expect when ANS Explorer had activated its Rift generator hardware. The blue pulse appeared not in front of the ship, but more than a hundred kilometres away and in the middle of the orbiting shipyard complex. It engulfed dozens of scrapped ships, gantries, walkways, and most of one shipyard spoke. With a flicker, they vanished and then appeared on an opposite orbital path in front of the Ark.

“Incredible, have you seen the closing speed?”

The vast horde of space debris, wreckage, and junk smashed into the Ark before anymore of them could speak. The large spoke that had been connected to the central shipyard hub was almost as large as the Ark, and it tore through the front of the vessel like it was wet tissue paper. On and on went the wreckage until it reached the center of the vast vessel. Then came another blue pulse, and half of the Ark disintegrated.

“Yes!” Captain Decker yelled.

Hundreds of secondary explosions ripped through the vessel as it tore itself apart from the inside. Three more bright flashes tore at the bow, and then the innards of the thing spread in all directions, leaving nothing but a dark, dead husk. Admiral Anderson sighed with pleasure at the great level of destruction wrought from the Rift.

“That, my friends, is how you bring down a big beast. You create a Spacebridge with objects in opposite directions and cause an almighty collision.”

He leaned toward the tactical display and lifted the intercom. With a lick of his lips, he glanced at the unit once more. With the Ark gone, the Biomech fleet was now heavily outnumbered and surrounded by the different allies. The Byotai were hunting down the remaining Cephalon command ship, along with their escort of Klithi and the remaining Helion ships. Admiral Lewis was busy defending ANS Explorer from a final big push at the center of the shipyards. His own ships were spread out and busy engaging the scattered Biomechs that appeared to have lost any focused battle plan.

“This is the Admiral. All vessels break and attack. Run these bastards down, all of them.”

ANS Warlord was already turning about on the spot and firing up its primary engines. A small group of Biomantas and two Ravagers twisted away from the wrecked Ark to escape, but they were too slow. Railguns fired first, each sending a mixture of armor piercing and Sanlav rounds. Explosions ripped through the first Biomanta, and then the primary weapons opened fire. There was no light, not even a sign of a weapon firing. Just the massive explosion as half of the second Biomanta vanished in a cloud of broken metal and flesh.

“Good work, keep it up,” said Captain Decker.

The experienced Captain moved about the CIC, encouraging her officers and keeping their guns on track. As the most powerful ship in the fleet, it came down to Warlord to inflict much damage in as little time as possible.

“That makes thirteen,” said the tactical officer.

“There are plenty more targets out there,” reminded the Captain.

Admiral Anderson left the management of the ship-to-ship battle to Captain Decker and focused his attention on what remained. He checked their dispositions and allowed a small smile to form on his face.

Perfect, this might actually work.

The Alliance forces around Admiral Lewis were increasing in numbers and had created an impenetrable wall around ANS Explorer. It left him free to move away to engage other targets that were trying to escape the shipyards.

Lewis can hold for now. This is an opportunity to end their fleet before they can escape.

“Admiral, there’s a distress call coming from the Black Rift,” said Captain Decker.

He looked to the ship’s Captain and noted she was busily talking to the communications officer.

What now?

“Put it on the mainscreen.”

She said a few more words and then walked back to him.

“Admiral, this is a problem.”

The display showed the empty region of space that had been guarded for so long. Instead of black nothingness, there was now the mirrored shape with one of the hated Biomech Rift Engines protruding out of it.

“So they are trying to open it again, just as expected.”

Captain Decker shook her head and pointed at the hundreds of ships moving themselves into battle array. They both looked at the dispositions for a few seconds before Anderson looked to her.

“Odd. The dispositions are standard for Alliance deployment. Look at the location of the flagships and the escorts.”

He pointed to the mainscreen.

“Tactical, isolate and enlarge that one.”

The group of ships blurred as the telescopes tracked and zoomed in on the larger vessel. As it stabilized, the size became apparent.

“That’s new, looks like a battleship or heavy carrier of some size.”

The shape of the ship had much in common with the normal Biomech ships. The engines, armored sections, and overall shape were like a super-sized Ravager class vessel. He moved his attention to the other vessels alongside it, especially those that looked like the Biomantas they were now all so familiar with. Although similar, there were noticeable changes. Every one of the ships had been embellished with extra equipment, more gun ports, and designs that covered their hulls. Many looked like ancient relics that had been modified dozens of times.

They’ve been waiting a long time for their return.

“Admiral, energy signatures building; there are more ships coming through.”

Scores of massive vessels leapt into view and took up position behind the array of warships.

“Wait, they are opening up another Rift,” said the tactical officer.

The tactical display showed Micaya and the other Helion worlds, but the Black Rift was a disconnected dot far off into the distance. A number of oval shapes appeared with one near to the planet of Micaya. More of the shapes flashed at different points around the Black Rift, the implication being that more Rifts were opening elsewhere.

“No, this can’t be happening,” said Admiral Anderson.

They all appeared in a circular pattern around the entrance to the Biomechs’ domain. In total there were six new Rifts opening, and it didn’t take the crew long to work out where they might be. Admiral Anderson looked to the display and shook his head as the data appeared from Micaya. Another Rift signature flashed by, and then an entrance appeared less than a thousand kilometers away, not far from the wreckage of three Ravagers and right in the middle of the shipyards.

“My instruments show that Rift leads right back to that battleship. The others are probably the same, Sir.”

It was only then he noticed the battle seemed to have slowed. The data from the other ships showed the manned vessels such as the Ravagers had stopped their attacks and were deploying to a position not far from where Admiral Lewis was waiting. He reached for the intercom and selected the fleet-wide channel.

“This is the Admiral. The enemy fleet is withdrawing and quite frankly, I do not care why. Do not take that as a signal for us to do the same. Rally your ships, reload your guns, and finish them fast. I want every Biomech vessel to be nothing more than an empty shell before these reinforcements can come to their aid.”

Even Captain Decker appeared taken aback by the order.

“Admiral, how can we attack them if they refuse to fight? What if they are going to the shipyards to prepare for a full withdrawal?”

Admiral Anderson walked two paces and pointed to the shapes gathering around the Black Rift.

“They are not withdrawing. This is a redeployment to hit Admiral Lewis. I am certain of it.”

He wiped his brow, the tension and stress beginning to show on his face.

“We might be minutes or hours from the total destruction of the entire Helios System. We have a chance to end this current battle in one swift action. Target the nearest ships and open fire. I want to see them burning. The rest of our ships need to get there fast.”

There was a moment of indecision, perhaps a struggle of ethics behind her eyes. It didn’t take long before a pair of Biomantas burned through the hull of a damaged Helion cruiser for her to make up her mind.

“Affirmative, Admiral, we will continue the fight.”

Seconds later, the primary particle beams released an incredible barrage of energy that struck a retreating Biomanta in the stern. The impact of such energy and at such speed quickly disintegrated the warship and scattered its ruined hull in a dozen directions.

“Sir, the rest of their forces are rallying at point six-two. They are facing off toward our ships around ANS Explorer.”

Anderson was busy checking the nearby enemy positions and giving orders to each of the squadrons. He could see the battle had turned, but also how spread-out his forces were. His eyes darted back and forth and then stopped as he watched the formation of ships around Admiral Lewis. Seventeen ships were now in a wide oval dispersion pattern, with the Battlecruiser ANS Conqueror in the center.

They are throwing themselves at Lewis, one last-ditch assault.

Even as he considered it, he came to another conclusion.

Or they are trying to force me to react? What if they want to force me to decide?

 
“Incoming signal, Sir. It’s on the open channel. Actually, Sir, it’s on all channels, using Alliance friendly IFF.”

He looked to Captain Decker at the same time as she turned to face him.

“On screen.”

The shape of two machines appeared. Both were bipedal and completely stationary. Behind them was a holographic representation of a star system with shapes moving about. The machine lifted up one hand and then pointed to the holographic map behind it. Admiral Anderson watched it for a moment and then nodded to his tactical officer.

“Scan and log all of that. Scrape any intelligence you can from it.”

As he watched the videostream, he moved his hands about the tactical display to send another group of Liberty destroyers to help those trapped in the middle of the ruined shipyard.

“Warriors of the Alliance,” were the first words he heard.

He looked back, and the machine continued to speak. There was no translator, and the voice sounded eerily familiar. It took just a few words before his throat felt dry, and he almost choked.

“I have been chosen to lead the people of Taxxu. I give you thirty minutes for your unconditional surrender, or you will face complete atomic devastation.”

Admiral Anderson shook his head.

“I know that voice.”

The officers continued to manage the space battle while moving the vessels into two large groups around each of the Admirals. The odd vibration rattled through the ship, but with the Biomech forces heavily reduced there was little immediate danger to ANS Warlord.

“You knew me as Spartan. Now I am warlord for the Machine Gods.”

Just the mention of one of the most famous warriors in the entire Alliance military sent a shudder through the ship. Even Admiral Anderson felt something akin to pain in his chest at hearing the words. He shook his head and spoke quietly.

 
“There’s no chance. Spartan is a hero of the Alliance. He has fought and sacrificed for most of his adult life.”

“He’s MIA, Sir,” said Captain Decker, “He could have been captured, indoctrinated or brainwashed, somehow? Wasn’t he a prisoner of the machines for months before appearing near Sol?”

The machine moved much more than the one alongside him, assuming the machine was the one actually speaking. Captain Decker spotted shapes on the tactical display, and two of her more junior officers ran over to point out additional forces creeping through the shipyard.

“Sir, the rest of their forces are coordinating a massive strike on our forces here.”

She pointed directly to Admiral Lewis’ ship.

“He’s outnumbered. Should I change course?”