Battle for Proxima (14 page)

Spartan nodded in agreement.

“Not a problem, sharing the knowledge is a good idea. I’ve got some good fighters. They are skilled and careful. With limited numbers, and in the most dangerous places, you don’t want hotheads.”

“Hotheads? Really?” said the Captain, grinning at Spartan and his two sergeants.

“Anyway, this all sounds good. As an independent platoon, we were likely to get wasted doing other people’s dirty work like a unit of attached armed sappers. An actual combat company will give us the men and resources we need to make this an effective force. A double-sized company could probably do the same work as a full battalion.”

“Of course. With manpower down, why else do you think they are really going for it? I bet the plan is to reduce the number of marine companies and convert the best to Vanguards.”

Before Spartan or his sergeants could respond, the internal loudhailers started a ship wide broadcast.

“A Code Alpha announcement will follow in three minutes from Admiral Jarvis and the command staff of the Confederacy.”

Spartan looked back from the speakers to the Captain.

“Any ideas on what that is all about?”

“No, I’m going to head to the briefing room. You coming?”

“Yeah, you head on, I’ll join you.”

The officers saluted, Captain Daniels moved away quickly. Spartan turned to his two sergeants.

“I need to see what this is about.”

Marcus nodded and after a quick salute marched off along the corridor. Spartan moved to Teresa who looked inpatient. He reached out and she grabbed his arm.

“I’m going to your quarters, don’t be too long, I’ll be waiting for you,” she said with a mischievous smile. Without saluting, she turned and walked away slowly. Spartan watched her go before the internal loudhailer reminded him of the impending message from the Admiral.

CHAPTER SIX

Before the Great War, the colonies of humanity lived in a relatively peaceful and independent status. Each colony replicated many of the dialects, cultures and attributes of their original colonists. The agrarian and heavily religious Carthago and the modern, industrious Terra Nova were inevitably going to clash. Their difference of ideals moved first to political disputes and then to an ideological struggle fought by proxy through their allies. The fires of war spread through the colonies in a matter of months. It took the deaths of over a quarter of a million soldiers in the sieges of Carthago before a ceasefire was finally called and the Carthago leadership and the Centauri League was dissolved. The consequence of the war was the formation of the Confederacy and also the start of the great Exodus.

 
The Unforeseen Consequences

The briefing room on board the CCS Santa Cruz was packed. Though most of the naval officers weren’t present, the bulk of the command staff for the 5
^th
Reconnaissance Battalion was there in force as well as the XO, Commander Malone. Stood in the middle of the room was Lieutenant Colonel Blake, flanked by several other command officers. Spartan recognised the other company commanders, including Captain Mathews, Captain Daniels and his least favourite officer, Captain Hobbs. She was stood off to one side with two of her NCOs. He watched for a moment as she spoke sternly to two of them, one was sent off and he quickly marched away.

“You really are one miserable cow,” he muttered to himself.

Towards the back wall was a series of large vertical displays, each one showing pertinent data for the current disposition of forces in the Proxima System. The display to the left showed the Fleet layout, including the circling frigates and fighter wings. The Fleet had already left the safety of the gas giant Khimaira fourteen hours ago. The navigation data was missing, so where their destination was could be anybody’s guess. On the middle display was the logo of the Confederacy, with the Naval Emblem motif directly in front of the purple banner. From the data being displayed, it was clear that the Fleet was it its greatest state of readiness since the siege of the Titan Naval Station. There were more ships in one place than at any time for years and they were poised, waiting for their orders. Marcus tapped Spartan on the shoulder. He was the only sergeant from the Vanguards present, not that it was critical as the message was going out to every ship in the Fleet.

“What do you think the news is?” he asked.

Spartan didn’t have time to respond as the large display unit faded out to show a lectern. Around it stood Admiral Jarvis, General Rivers and two civilians in suits to their side. It was unusual for civilians to be present at such a military announcement. Even more unusual, the man was wearing his badge of office from the Confederacy. He wasn’t familiar but was obviously important.

“Who the hell are they?” said an unknown officer at the back, before being hushed by the rest of the assembled men as the Admiral spoke.

“Men and women of the Confederate Military. I have several important announcements to make on behalf of the High Command. Before I get into the details, I would like to introduce the Leader of the House from Yama City on Kerberos, Dr Hamis and his assistant, Ms Baines. As some of you may already know, in the last three days a number of officials from the fallen colonies have been making their way to Confed military vessels and installations in safe areas throughout Proxima. So far, we have representatives at various levels from the colonies on Prime, Kerberos and Agora. The news they bring is truly shocking. Their home worlds haven’t simply changed one leader for another, they are suffering one of the worst forced relocations and genocides in the history of mankind!”

A stunned silence met her comments as they absorbed the words. They were all familiar with some of the worse attributes of the enemy regime, but the fact that there was genocide ongoing was still unknown to most of them. Many of them had family spread throughout the colonies and the thought of them being left behind in this struggle made their job that much more difficult. While they waited in space, their relatives could already be in damp prison camps or being ground to paste to create more Biomech creatures.

“I will pass you over to Dr Hamis, who can tell us more about his firsthand experience under the occupation of the Echidna Union and their armed forces.”

Dr Hamis nodded and stepped to the microphone. He was shorter than the Admiral and wore a grey, slightly crumpled suit. He coughed as he tried to clear his throat.

“Thank you, Admiral.” He turned to the camera and continued. “The situation on Kerberos is nothing like the public image. Since the revolution, the new regime has suspended all political parties, taking over all political and civil offices with members of the new Union bureaucracy. This organisation has been filled by the ranks of the Church, the Zealots and other groups that have been working against the Confederacy. This, however, isn’t the worst of it. In the last few weeks, the new state militia and police have been taking citizens away to forced labour camps, some to re-education centres and others have vanished after arriving at underground facilities. The Biomechs are providing the muscle and the members of the Church the organisation and support.”

He paused for a moment and looked down at some notes.

“A large group in the government attempted a revolt three weeks ago against the Echidna personnel. At first we tried unarmed protest, but anyone who spoke out vanished in a matter of days. The revolt turned violent and in the end a number of us tried to remove them by force. It was a disaster. Almost all state officials were rounded up by militia forces, a small group managed to escape into parts of the city, where they are still trying to fight back.”

He stopped again and took another drink of water. His hands were shaking and it was incredible he managed to drink without dropping the glass or the fluid. He recomposed himself and continued.

“Before I was able to escape from the planet, with the survivors from the last uprising, I witnessed the arrival of several ships from the Rim containing Biomech reinforcements. The very same ships took prisoners from the camps and returned back on the same course. I tried to investigate further but the authorities discovered my people. We were lucky any of us made it out alive. Typhon and his associates have created a reign of terror on Kerberos. Forget what you have heard about Zealots, insurgents and the like. It is a very simple system. The colony is now being run by one man, beneath him are his political and military advisors, all taken from the groups we have been fighting. The Union now exists as a strong, autocratic regime where conformity to the state is required. The ultimate objective doesn’t seem to be a political takeover, they are preparing the colony for something big and taking away people to their camps is a big part of it. From the scattered transmissions we’ve detected throughout the sector, the other seceded colonies are experiencing the same.”

Ms Baines put her hand on the visibly shaken man’s arm. He looked at her and said something that only she could hear. He then moved away and she took his place at the lectern.

“My name is Ms Baines, I am the Doctor’s assistant and also a data specialist with the Department of Defence. It was my team who discovered the disappearance of citizens that started a month ago. We were working alongside Confed Special Agents to monitor substantial data streams being sent to Kerberos. Our investigation was halted and the agents have all disappeared. We know just one thing though. A person or faction, known as the Core, is co-ordinating the actions of the Union forces. Typhon may be the figurehead of Prime and Kerberos but we suspect he is just one commander, one of possibly three or maybe four, in the entire System that is under the direct command of the Core.”

She paused for a moment to let the information sink in.

“What?” Marcus said surprised. Several of the officers turned to glare at him but Ms Baines continued before anyone could complain.

“Our intelligence suggests the Union is laying the groundwork for the real threat, one that even Typhon doesn’t control. If you think things are bad on the colonies right now, just try to remember that it is almost certainly going to get a lot worse. There is a strong link between The Core, the factory colonies and the ships we have seen.”

Admiral Jarvis thanked the two, before taking her place in the centre.

“You have all seen the reports from the secessionists and their new masters. In the past, the rule of law and order was paramount. The hand of the Confederacy was light, more a big brother to help in times of trouble, than an overlord. This has changed. The new terrorist regime has turned on our people and enslaved them. This leadership structure, centred on what is being called the Core, matches our intelligence recovered from Kerberos and Prometheus. The options are limited, but I believe the enemy command has been sheltering in Alpha Centauri the entire time. By hiding in our secure backyard, they are able to monitor our movements and control their forces in safety. The discovery of the Anomaly gives us the chance to turn this around. It also explains how they seem able to slip men and materials out of the Proxima sector right under our noses. I will not share the intricacies of the plan yet. It is strictly on a need to know basic for command staff. All you need to know is that of right now, the Confederacy is going on the offensive. No more will we fight rearguard actions or engage the enemy piecemeal. Starting today, Operation Perdition has begun. The systematic and thorough cleansing of the Proxima of any taint of the enemy.”

The Admiral paused and looked directly into the camera, ensuring she gained the attention of everybody watching.

“The surviving civilian officials have been rallying to our outposts and ships for the last two weeks. A decision has been made to form a government in exile for all fallen colonies. The senior executives from each colony have been put forward to form a new Council for Proxima. Between them, Dr Hamis has been chosen as the civilian leader of the Confederacy in this star system. We do not accept the secession of any colony and representatives have been selected for those that are still under the yoke of the enemy.”

She turned to the man and nodded for him to continue. He still looked a little shaken at his position and possibly the shock of the terrible events he had witnessed on Kerberos and through the sector.

“In my capacity as Acting President, I have given Admiral Jarvis and the newly formed High Command of Proxima orders to start the reconquest of our homeworlds. Operation Perdition has been designed around the requirements of the members of the civilian council and the capabilities of our current military forces. The Council will operate under the same rules and laws as used in the Confederate Council, but with its scope limited to Proxima Centauri. When the System is brought back into the fold, it is our plan to make the Proxima System an independent member of the Confederacy, with each of the former colonies becoming a self-regulating state. Citizens will have greater responsibilities to the state, but they will also be able to expect much more from it.”

He waited a few seconds before continuing.

“From today, the Church of Echidna, the Zealots and any of their offshoots are banned and illegal anywhere in the Confederacy. Laws, orders and commands given by them are illegal and are to be ignored. Any decisions they have made since the commencement of hostilities are considered null and void. The role of the Church in state affairs has been a problem going back to the start of the war between alliances of Carthago and Terra Nova, generations ago in the Great War. Religion will be officially split from the state. It has no place in the role of government. We are a secular society and though any citizen may practice any form of religion, from today it will not be allowed to interfere with state or public life.”

This particular point seemed to grab the attention of some of the officers, a few of which were known to come from the ultraconservative planet of Carthago. On this old and battered world, religion was still an integral part of everyday life, even though several churches and practices had been banned for decades. There was still resentment on the planet to their treatment following the surrender.