Star Crusades Nexus: Book 06 - Call to Arms (11 page)

Teresa’s attention shifted upon seeing more Jötnar marching in a column down in the open space of the base. Many were wearing a localized version of the PDS armor used by the Marine Corps while just a handful the more bulky JAS armor designed for direct assault. It wasn’t the numbers that surprised her; it was the way most of the engineers and personnel reacted around them

They are used to them. They’ve been here a long time.

“Wait, I thought the Jötnar here had been assisting development programs for new weapons and armor. Are you telling me that you’ve had Jötnar combat units here as well?”

The Admiral wiped his brow and then looked directly at her.

“Teresa, what do you think?”

He pointed down to those in the open central section of the base, so many meters below the surface.

“Prometheus has been a home to them for two decades now. Is it much of a surprise that many of them wanted to join combat units? All of the Jötnar here are trained in combat on Hyperion, as you might expect. They fulfill both an engineering and a military need here."

Teresa sighed and pulled out her secpad to make a note.

"It might have been handy to know that before I revised the defense plans. I have three companies of marines, a platoon of Jötnar, plus twice that number already stationed here."

She nodded to the four Jötnar who still said nothing.

"How many Jötnar do we have?"

Admiral Churchill smiled at this.

"Just under two thousand Jötnar work here, and every single one of them is part of the newly activated Red Watch."

Teresa hadn't even noticed it, but a quick glance at the nearest of the Jötnar showed a Marine Corps patch on his chest with a burning shield emblazoned upon it.

"The Red Watch?"

"Yes, it is the name of the newly assembled 24th Marine Corps Regiment that has been raised here, all under the watchful eye of their new commander. The name is apparently because they watch the border, and they wear maroon colored armor.”

Teresa raised an eyebrow at the last part.

“Maroon? Are they insane?”

The Admiral laughed at her question.

“They are Jötnar, don’t forget. It’s not like they are particularly proficient at hiding. As for this red, well, it is very dark, as you can see.”

Teresa looked at the four Jötnar carefully. She’d assumed it was the lighting in the room as their dark PDS Alpha armor looked like it was reflecting a red colored lamp. He was right. It was a dark maroon, more a brownish-red color. She looked back at him and sighed.

“It was General Rivers' idea,” he answered, almost apologetically, “After the Jötnar were given full access to the Corps, they were very keen to create their own identity within the Corps itself. The unit was only officially activated in the last three months, and in secret, of course.”

He licked his lip before moving to the next part, and it was clearly something he wanted to avoid.

“I can’t beat about this anymore, Teresa. Your deployment to the AJ Naval Station was a ruse. It was always our intention to bring you and your people here to provide the backbone for this new battalion. Ever since your injuries on Helios, you’ve been earmarked for this role."

He expected Teresa to be please, but she seemed angry.

"You dragged me out here on yet another false promise. What will you want next? For me to lead an assault on the Black Rift?"

That question seemed to stun the Admiral more than any other. Teresa even gave the idea some serious consideration before lowering her head and placing her hands at her temples.

"Admiral, I'm sorry. I'd just like some kind of stability. One minute I'm fighting on Helios, then I'm on Terran Nova, then I'm assisting with the 39th instead of rejoining my unit, only for this to happen."

The Admiral nodded in agreement.

"I know, it is a lot to take in. Your efforts in the 17th have not been forgotten. It will take weeks to get you back though, and they have their own problems right now. Your talents and experience in working with the Jötnar are second only to Spartan. Nobody else can pull this off."

He tried to point to his display, but it had gone, along with part of his usual window.

"Look, Prometheus is more than a base to us now. It is a trap to finally give us the chance to put our house in order before tackling the big problem of our time.”

"The Biomechs," she said quietly.

"Exactly. We want, no, we need the Biomechs to reveal themselves so we can shut them down, permanently. Once this remaining Biomech is destroyed, we will turn our attention to the Terra-Nova-Sol Rift and whatever Spartan has stirred up. That is why the rest of the fleet, including Dreadnought, have been sent through the Rift to T'Karan, to draw them out.”

The mention of the cradle of humanity put just a single thought in her mind.

“Spartan.”

She didn’t mean to speak out, but she’d been thinking of his whereabouts for so long, she couldn’t help herself. The fact he'd just told her that Prometheus was effectually undefended seemed to go unnoticed.

“He’s there, as is Khan and a few other Alliance contacts. We know the other Biomech is there. That is why Johnson’s agents deactivated the Spacebridge. It is trapped, and there’s nobody better to deal with it than…”

“Spartan,” she said again, but this time her face had actually brightened.

Anybody else might be worried, but not her. Spartan and Khan were born to destroy Biomechs, and as long as Spartan had a focus; she knew he would do whatever he needed to get the job done. She walked around the room, much to the Admiral’s surprise before stopping a few meters away and looking back at him.

"The two of us have given the Alliance, and the Confederacy before it, everything we could. My family has suffered, and now my three children are all on the frontline. You want me to sit here and babysit marines while Spartan plays your little game for you in Sol?"

Admiral Churchill was not used to taking this kind of attitude from a mere Colonel in the Corps. Teresa was different though; she was of the same stock as General Rivers and even Spartan. He considered her request for a few seconds.

“I don't think you quite appreciate the gravity of this situation. You see..."

He wiped his head, and for the first time Teresa spotted the sweat on his forehead.

"Spartan was captured in T'Karan space, and that is in the Orion Nebula."

Teresa didn't look as though she quite understood the point he was making.

"So how did Spartan and Khan get to Earth?"

Teresa considered the question, but the answer was clear.

"The Rift network. They must have used a different entry point and from there moved to Sol."

Admiral Churchill smiled at her answer.

"Over a thousand light years? If there was a Spacebridge of that length, our scouts would have found it.”

Teresa shrugged.

"Well, there must be another Nexus out there somewhere, and it is the link between T'Karan and Sol, and who knows where else. That would give them a backdoor into the Alliance and completely bypass Proxima Centauri."

"Perhaps," answered Admiral Churchill, "Luckily, it seems Spartan disabled the Rift station, at least for now."

Teresa smiled as he spoke.

"Disabled is not destroyed, Admiral.”

It didn’t take her long to realize what Spartan would be thinking.

“This Rift isn't a weakness for us. It’s an asset, and it will give Spartan a backdoor directly to T'Karan. Once he gains access to their network, you know exactly what he will do."

Teresa appeared happy, but the Admiral was anything but.

You fools! Spartan will do anything but what you want him to do.

Even though they were light years apart, Teresa actually relaxed at this news. As far as she was concerned, it was the best news she'd heard for days. Teresa rose to her feet and motioned toward the door.

"Admiral, I think Spartan will resolve things just fine on Sol. If you give him a chance, he might end this war without even having to come within a light-year of Alpha Centauri."

The Admiral was so stunned at her words that he said nothing as she left. Only when the door shut, did his lips finally move. The planning with the other senior commander under the watchful eye of General Rivers had covered many eventualities. He couldn't believe that none of them had come up with that possibility. Alliance scientists had postulated the fact that there could be many more Nexus than those around Helios and the Biomech territories. The archeological digs on the T'Kari moon of Hades and on the planet Hyperion had already confirmed the existence of multiple Rift hubs, but the idea that there might be one that could link T’Karan and Sol was not one he ever remembered seeing.

Either they have another Nexus, or they’ve been using our own Spacebridges without our knowledge.

That very thought sent a cool chill through his body. He looked for his computer display, but Teresa has smashed it beyond use. He shook his head in annoyance and so pulled out his secpad and checked the secure Interstellar Network chart that listed every Rift from the modest planet, to planet locations through to the massive Prometheus-Orion Rift. He looked at it for a moment, especially the location of defunct Rifts that the scouts had already found.

How did you get there?

It only took a few presses on the secpad, and he was through to Director Johnson.

“Admiral? What’s wrong with your secure terminal?”

“Ms Morato is the problem.”

Johnson seemed to smile at him via the tiny screen.

“I see. What’s the problem?”

“Spartan. Are we any further with identifying the route he took to Sol?”

“Not entirely, but with help from the T’Kari, we have been able to access some of the Rifts in their area of space. One of them might be the one he took.”

“Interesting. Do we know where it went?”

Johnson pressed a button, and a series if maps popped up on the Admiral’s secpad. He found himself squirming as he tried to read the details. Director Johnson continued while the Admiral examined the map.

“It’s not much to go on, but the signature left behind shows a short journey of just a few light years.”

“That’s it?”

Johnson lifted his lip a little and nodded.

“Yeah, there’s no station or even remains there. Whatever they used to create the Rift has gone with them. Wait, I need to check on something.”

They exchanged pleasantries, and then he was gone, leaving the Admiral on his own and still looking at the starmap.

I don’t like this.
We have to send a team to Sol before Spartan kicks up trouble, and fast. God help us if the Biomechs could appear in that godforsaken backwater.

He moved through his list of contacts on his device and selected Admiral Anderson. It took only a few seconds to activate the secure channel through the Rift and out to ANS Beagle, the station that managed the Rift on the other side. It would then take minutes for his signal request to Admiral Anderson to reach the AJ Naval Station deep in the heart of T’Karan, the Alliance’s foothold into the Orion Nebula. He started to speak to himself, deciding exactly what he wanted to say, but something completely different interrupted him.

What the hell?

The sound wasn’t the secpad. It was the internal security alert.

"Emergency alert, hostile warships have broken the outer perimeter. Defense plan Titan is in effect."

Gods, they're here already!

He moved to the door, and his four escorts stayed close with him as he emerged into the well-protected corridor. The sirens continued to blare and marines, engineers, and crew rushed to their stations about the base.

"Colonel Morato got here just in time," said one of the Jötnar.

The Admiral looked at the massive warrior and tilted his head to the right.

"Your job is to keep this base secure. This Morato, can she do it, Osk?"