Star Crusades Nexus: Book 05 - Prophecy of Fire (21 page)

What is normal with our family?

She tried to remember the last time they’d been together. The best she could manage was when she’d first arrived at the medical station on Terra Nova. Spartan had been gone for so long she’d forgotten he wasn’t even there, and that sent shivers through her body. Teresa was still in shock at the news from Earth.

“Major, we have docked,” said the young crewman nearby.

Teresa looked at him before realizing they had entered the aft hangar bay and already linked up to the docking clamp inside the landing bay. She looked out of the window. Instead of the blackness of space, there was the gray interior of another ship.

Ah, well, let’s get this sorted.

She lifted herself from her seat and walked to the door. She was the only passenger, with the bulk of the space being used to transport fresh food and materials for the voyage. She moved out of the small doorway and ducked slightly to avoid striking her head on the bulkhead. She wore her Marine Corps uniform with the long coat that was cut in a similar fashion to that of the Navy. Her long black hair was technically well past the regulation length, but so far nobody had been brave enough to bring it up with her. She’d tied it back to keep it out of the way. Just a few more steps and her feet touched the reassuringly firm metal floor of the massive warship. A man’s voice called out, and a group of officers stood smartly to attention. Teresa had been so busy looking about the expanse of the hangar she’d failed to realize they were waiting for her.

Great, the welcoming committee!

She stepped away from the shuttle and moved to the line of officers. A tall blonde woman smiled as she stopped in front of her.

“Major, it is good to see you. Welcome to ANS Dreadnought, the most powerful ship in the fleet. I am Captain Vetlaya Nikova, commander of this task force. I’m afraid I don’t have much time for formalities. We leave orbit in thirty minutes.”

“Captain,” replied Teresa, “we are not staying here with the 2
^nd
Heavy Strike Group?”

Captain Nikova smiled, but Teresa could see it was a front.

“No, the 2
^nd
is fully formed and already en route to the Proxima Rift. They are establishing a blockade force on both sides to keep Terra Nova safe. We have to maintain the link between Proxima and here.”

“I see.”

“We have a different job, to operate as a reserve for forces assembling out on the border. We will be linking up with a small T’Kari contingent and reinforcing the Admiral Jarvis Naval Station. If trouble kicks off at Helios, we’ll be just hours from the Rift.”

“My transfer orders say I should be rejoining my unit upon their return from operations in Helios. In the meantime, I am to assist in the command of the 39
^th
?”

“That is correct. The 39
^th
is a temporary field unit made up of units we’ve been able to scrape together.”

She looked a little embarrassed.

“I’m afraid I have duties to attend to, Major. We will be joining the 3
^rd,
and time is critical.”

She paused and reached down to take out a small pouch. With no attempt at ceremony, she reached out to Teresa with the small object in her hand.

“I’m sorry about the lack of, well, you know. Due to your new command, you have been given a temporary promotion to Lieutenant Colonel.”

She placed the pouch in the palm of her right hand.

“We’re spread out thin, Colonel. I need your unit ready for combat and fast. Major Terson will bring you up to speed with regards to your posting.”

That was it, and as Teresa stood still and looked at the small metal objects in the pouch, the ship’s Captain walked away. With these niceties over, the Captain and her small cadre of Navy officers vanished from the hangar, leaving just Teresa, Major Terson, and three captains. Teresa watched her go with more than a little annoyance showing on her face.

“Don’t blame her, Colonel. You see we are not technically a Strike Group. We shouldn’t even be leaving this sector, not for at least six months. Instead, we’re operating as a reserve for the 3
^rd
, and Captain Nikova is not happy.”

“Yes, I can see that. Things are a little more strained than I expected. Is it normally like that here?”

The younger Major smiled and nodded to her officers.

“No, we were all rushed here, along with most of the other marine units and ships for this. We are seriously under strength, just three complete companies made up of a bizarre assortment of platoons. These are our three company commanders.”

Teresa looked up from her new insignia at the marines.

“I don’t understand. My orders were that my transfer was a temporary one to the 39
^th.
What’s going on?”

 
Major Terson nodded in agreement.

“That was correct, maybe an hour ago. Since then, reports are coming in of major reversal in Helios. Reserve units are being called up, including half of this ad-hoc battalion. I hate to break it to you, Colonel, but your posting to the 39
^th
will be for the duration.”

“Duration?” she asked, still not entirely comprehending what the Major was saying.

“Have you not seen the news? The Alliance has announced formal declarations of war against the Biomech invasion of Helios.”

Were we ever at peace with them?

“I see, and I am in command of this unit until this so-called war is over?”

Major Terson nodded once more.

“Yes, Sir.”

Teresa sighed to herself but let none of her frustrations show. Although she wanted to be back with her unit, it was clear that rejoining marine units engaged in hostile action in Helios was now impossible. The journey to the fleet would take her multiple trips to the relevant Rifts, including travelling to Proxima, Prometheus, T’Karan and then the final Rift to Helios.

“Then you had better introduce me to your officers.”

Major Terson twisted to her side and pointed to the small group of male officers. All three were older than her, with one showing pronounced gray hair and another was completely bald. She stopped at the gray haired man first.

“This is Captain Nathaniel Rivers. He has command of 1
^st
Company.”

Teresa looked at him carefully, trying to gauge the man’s character with just a few careful observations. The name Rivers was rather uncommon, but it could easily have been a coincidence.

“Captain, are you related to the General?”

The man looked at her with a stone cold face, showing even less emotion than she would have expected from Spartan. He said nothing for a moment, and then something must have jarred as he spoke with a start.

“Sir, Yes, Sir. My father is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.”

Teresa lifted her lip slightly at the mention of the man’s position. She was still surprised he had taken the post, being such an old and uncompromising warhorse.

“The Corps is my family, Sir.”

Teresa looked at him for a moment longer before speaking.

“Yes. I wonder how his leg is doing?”

It was a rhetorical question, but she enjoyed the look of surprise on his face at the mention of something so personal. Few knew of his leg trouble, certainly only those close to him.

“You know him?” he asked almost in a whisper.

“Know him? Captain, your father and I spilled blood together on a hundred battlefields. Both our blood and the enemies.”

The man had nothing further to say, so she moved on to the next one. Teresa knew exactly what he meant, and she wasn’t impressed. She had seen it often enough with the children of well-to-do families. Their children either resented the power of their parents and rebelled early, or took advantage of their privileged position to coast through their chosen career. This Rivers looked like he was every inch the career soldier. She spotted the campaigns markings on his tunic; all showed he had spent some time in the Corps, yet none were what she would consider frontline work.

“Captain Thomas Thompson,” said the Major.

Teresa walked on to the next of the group. This man was the tallest of the group, thin, bald, and with a narrow black mustache. His expression was a little softer than Captain Rivers, and she recognized a calm confidence in his face, something that reminded her of General Daniels. His uniform was no more decorated than his comrade, but she did spot the markings of the Jaeger, a relatively new mark of distinction for marines that had taken part in the great Jötnar hunts on Hyperion against the hordes of marauding Biomech creatures.

“You’re a hunter?” she asked.

The marine looked surprised she recognized the small marking.

“Yes, Sir. My platoon took part in the annual hunt. It was…interesting, Colonel.”

Teresa thought back to her time on Hyperion. Though she’d visited after the fighting with the Biomechs and their legions, she had never really warmed to the place.

“How did you find the climate?”

The man’s torso relaxed a little as he answered.

“Warm, and the air is something else. You’ve visited Hyperion, Sir?”

Teresa nodded slowly.

“Quite. I fought with Gun and General Rivers back at the end of the Uprising.”

The Captain raised an eyebrow at this.

“Colonel, you fought in the Battle of Hyperion? The last battle of the War…where the Biomechs tried to come through the Rift?”

Teresa nodded.

“Yes, I was there, along with my husband, Spartan.”

The mention of the famed warrior sent a chill through the small group.

“Hyperion was the last stand-up fight we fought in. Trust me, you don’t want a repeat of that event.”

She then moved to the third and final of the group. The short and squat man looked unlike most of the marine officers she’d met. Even so, in Teresa’s experience, she could be surprised by even the most unassuming of marines.

“Captain John Tycho, a Lieutenant recently returned to service after the casualties taken during our original foray into Helios territory.”

Teresa took the man’s salute and looked him over, starting with his head and moving down. She could see the scars that had been carefully sewn on his neck and face. It was his limbs that seemed the strangest though.

“Your injuries, you sustained them in a boarding action?”

“Yes, Sir, my platoon attempted to sabotage a Biomech cruiser. They rigged the entrances with improvised explosives and killed half my people.”

“That’s when you lost your legs?”

He shook his head.

“No, Sir, one of the Biomech creatures took them from me as we took the control room.”

He pulled up his left sleeve to show a fully mechanical arm. It was well built and fitted inside a sleek ceramic-looking housing to emulate the shape of the arm. The fist was more mechanical looking and fully articulated. He moved the fingers in sequence and looked back at her.

“They patched me up, and I’m back on active duty.”

“You’re combat effective?” she asked in a concerned tone.

Captain John Tycho turned his hand and extended it in front of him.

“Colonel. I had to pass the physical training tests the same as I did nine years ago. I came third out of thirty.”

“Impressive, well, good to have you here, Captain. We need marines with skills and experience if this struggle is going the way I think it will.”

Her mind drifted back to Spartan and the cuts and markings she had seen on his body. The report from Earth had been minimal in scope, yet she feared for what he had been through. They’d suffered enough with the loss of APS Corp, something she suspected Spartan would know nothing about. They’d both worked hard to build it from nothing, only to have it taken away by the cancellation of contracts. Teresa shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts and looked to the Major.

“Major, what do we have then? I’d like to see our unit.”

“If you come with us, we’ll show you our facilities.”

“Thank you.”