MERCS: Crimson Worlds Successors (5 page)

“General, we have searched the area twice.  We found traces—a few fired rounds, some scorched areas on the ground, but someone did a pretty fair job of cleaning up after whatever happened there.”  Colonel Evander Falstaff was the senior regimental commander, and he’d personally directed his people in scouring the apparent battle area.  “We also found some scraps of armor, mostly bits and pieces.  Some of it ours…”  He stared right at Cain.  “…and some of a different design.”  He paused.  “I’d bet the pay from our last ten jobs there was a nasty fight there, and whoever hit our troops…they were also powered infantry.”

The room was silent.  The implications were sobering.  Powered armor had become rare in Occupied Space since the Fall.  Few planets had the economic might to fund such expensive military units.  It was a major cause behind the growth of the mercenary companies, but even among those professional forces, only a few, the Great Companies, could field more than a handful of powered troops.

Teller looked up at Cain.  The commander of the Black Eagles was deep in thought, no doubt reaching the same conclusion as his second-in-command.  This was no rogue group of Karelians surprising one of their platoons.  Someone was fucking with the Black Eagles.  One of the other big companies—or another power, one that possessed secret military tech.  Either way it was trouble.

“I want to know who was behind this.  I want every scrap of that armor inspected.  I want every scorched patch of grass analyzed.  I want to know what kind of explosives these people use, the alloys in their armor, the types of guns that fire their ammunition.  And I want it now!”

“Yes, General.”  Falstaff’s voice was hesitant, and he looked at Cain nervously.

“What is it, Colonel?”  Cain’s eyes drilled into the regimental commander’s.  “Speak!”

“Sir, we are not properly equipped to analyze these materials here.  We did not come prepared for scientific study.”  He paused.  “I know you don’t want to give up on those Eagles, sir, but I don’t see how they could still be alive.  We’ve searched everywhere.  Whatever was out there is gone.”  He hesitated again.  “But if we get everything back to the Nest, Dr. Sparks can get a lot further than we can out here.”

Cain stared silently across the table.  He could see his officers all agreed with Falstaff.  Cain had always found it difficult to give up on anything.  He’d inherited his immense stubbornness from his father, who had long been the most pigheaded Marine in the Corps.  But Darius knew when to rely on the few people he trusted for perspective.  And if someone was beginning to fuck with the Eagles, the sooner he could identify them the sooner he could blast them to atoms.

“Do you all agree?”  There was a half-hearted chorus of yeses around the table.  Cain’s people didn’t like disagreeing with the commander they all idolized.  But Darius hadn’t assembled a weak-willed corps of yes men to lead his beloved Black Eagles.

“Very well.  We will leave in 48 hours.”  He panned his eyes down the table.  “But I want one last intensive search.  If there’s any debris out there bigger than a molecule, I want it collected.  And I want every potential refuge within fifty klicks checked out.”  He paused.  “Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” they replied, almost as one.

“Then get to it.  All of you.”

Everyone in the room jumped up and snapped off a salute before racing to the door.

“Not you, Erik.”

Teller stopped and turned toward his friend.  “Darius?”

“We need to be considering the possibilities if someone is targeting the Eagles.”

“Who would dare to come after us?”

Cain looked up, his eyes finding Teller’s.  “I don’t know, but that platoon didn’t just vanish.  Maybe it’s some freak thing we’ll never be able to answer…”  His voice trailed off.  It was obvious he didn’t believe that.  “But a powered armor equipped foe?  Could one of the other companies be coming after us?”

“What company could take us?  Or convince themselves they had a chance?”  Teller was shaking his head, but he stopped abruptly.  “But what about an alliance of companies?  With the Eagles gone, the way would be open for them to scoop up the best contracts—jobs that go to us now.”

Cain nodded, his face twisting into an angry grimace.  “Maybe…”  His voice was deepening.  “But why just a company?  Why hit us in such a small way?”

“Testing us?  Or trying out their tactics?”  Anger was creeping into Teller’s voice too.  “We’d better be on our guard, Darius.  If somebody is coming after us, the next time they will hit us a lot harder.”

Cain glared into his friend’s eyes.  “Oh, we will be ready.  If someone comes at us again, they will regret it…I don’t care if it’s every mercenary company in Occupied Space all together.”  His hands were clenched into armored fists.  “By God, they will regret it.”

Chapter 4

“We must accelerate our plans.  The Triumvirate must complete preparations for the New Era as quickly as possible.  I fear we have little time left.  We must accelerate our harvesting operations on Earth.  I propose we double all bounties.”  One stood hunched over the end of the table, holding himself up with frail arms.  His face was pale and spotted, his skin hung loose and sallow.  He was thin, wretchedly so, and his eyes were clouded and old.  To any observer, he appeared to be well past his hundredth birthday, though in fact, he was only 36.

The Inner Sanctum was a large triangular room, ten kilometers underground, cut from the solid stone of Vali’s deep crust.  The ceiling soared thirty meters above gleaming granite floors, and the center of the room was dominated by a massive table, also a triangle, carved from a single block of polished green stone and bearing the three interlocking rings that symbolized the Triumvirate.  There was a large door on each of the chamber’s three sides, the passages to the Triumvirs’ own private domains.  Each of the three men who ruled the massive, but utterly secret, Triumvirate had their own offices and private chambers which, by three-decade old agreements between them, were off-limits to the others.

One of the other men nodded.  He was called Two, and though, as with One, that was more of a title than a name, he had no other designation.  “I concur, One, yet I still feel compelled to advise caution.  We have been working many years on the Plan.  Indeed, for much of this time, we hoped this Triumvirate would be able to continue to rule and see the Plan to its ultimate fruition.”  He looked across the table at One before turning his aged head slowly to face his other companion.  “Alas, our greatest efforts have been in vain.  The science we need to sustain life has eluded us, and despite my earlier concerns about moving too quickly, I must now agree with One.  Time is not our ally.  Let us double the bounties.”

The third man took a breath as his colleague finished.  “I also agree.  While I still encourage that we move surely and without recklessness, I can feel the time running short as both of you do.  I fear we must finalize the Plan by the end of the next two Earth years or see all of our efforts fall to nothing.  Certainly we must, at the least, increase the productivity of our terrestrial operations.”

“Then we are all agreed,” One said.  “The Earth bounties will be doubled.”  He nodded his head for emphasis.  “Additionally,” he went on, “we must continue to create incidents between the major colony worlds and the Great Companies until there is war throughout Occupied Space.”  He paused and drew in a deep, ragged breath.  “Let us sow seeds of suspicion and distrust among the colonies, while continuing our campaigns to seize control of the targeted worlds.  We have two years, my colleagues.  Two Earth years to spread destruction and chaos, but after that, we can delay no longer.”  He coughed and took a few seconds to clear his throat.”

“Agreed,” said Three.  “It is a short time to prepare for the final phase, but whatever has been accomplished—and whatever remains undone—before two years have passed, we must activate Black Fist.”  He paused for a few seconds then continued, “Then we will release Force Omega to sweep away the remnants of the mercenary companies and the planetary militaries.  At last, we will achieve the final domination we have worked so long to bring about.  All mankind will be ruled by a single force, one that will direct and guide his future.”

One and Two both nodded.  “We are all agreed,” Two said grimly.  “I suggest that we begin by reviewing our operations to date.”  He glanced around the table, acknowledging the nods of his colleagues.  “Let us consider our most effective operation.  As you are all aware, fifteen years ago, we discovered a dormant base of the First Imperium.  That was a stroke of good fortune, facilitated by our decision to continue devoting moderate resources to exploration activities beyond the fringes of human habitation.  Our subsequent success in activating its AI yielded considerable results when it immediately executed the twenty year-old directive from the distant Regent—destroy the humans.”

Two cleared his throat, fighting back a coughing spasm as he did.  “The war now called the Second Incursion devastated a considerable swath of human-occupied space.  The casualties and physical damage inflicted set back the general development level of dozens of worlds, serving our purposes admirably.  As a bonus, the remnants of the old Marine Corps, Janissaries, and other veteran formations suffered very heavy losses, further diminishing the pool of retired veterans available to be recalled to service—a process that the passage of time has also aided.  The former colonies are incalculably weaker than they would have been had they been allowed three decades of unfettered growth.”

“Indeed, Two, the discovery of Zeta Omicron was a stroke of fortune, though it was not without cost.  The war pushed the colonies together again to face the alien menace, interrupting the natural progression toward rivalry and warfare among themselves.  Considerable efforts have been required to accelerate that trajectory and create and encourage conflict.”  Three leaned back in his chair, shifting his gaze between his two companions as he spoke.

“Indeed,” he continued, “our efforts helped to bring on the development of the mercenary companies, assisting in their founding and growth, if in clandestine ways.  The companies, while they also represent a potential military threat to the Plan, were an essential component to bring us to this point.  The colonies were too weak, especially after the battles of the Second Incursion, to project strength against rival worlds.  But the development of the Companies provided a way for them to strike at enemies, even to subjugate them.  And the costs they were compelled to pay bankrupted their treasuries and exceeded the economic value of the beaten and devastated worlds they conquered.”

One nodded.  “Your analysis is correct.  While the companies do represent a potential threat to the Plan, they have also contributed enormously to weakening the colonies.  Indeed, if you will review the most recent analysis of the development of Occupied Space, you will see that both total economic output and aggregate technology level have been declining at an accelerating pace for the last ten years.  The Second Incursion, and our subsequent encouragement of internecine conflict has created a tipping point, a reversal from advancement to decline.  Mankind is slowly sliding toward a dark age, though it is unlikely anyone outside of this room fully understands this.”

There was a brief silence before One continued.  “Moving onto other matters, Three, perhaps you can update us on the status of our operations regarding the Black Eagles?”

Three bowed his head slowly.  “Certainly, One.  As you are both aware, we unanimously agreed that the Black Eagles mercenary company has become dangerously proficient, representing an intolerable risk to the Plan.  Darius Cain has proven to be an extraordinary military leader, more proficient perhaps, than even his father.   This has been an unforeseen development, one we decided required immediate intervention.”

He paused for a few seconds, clearing his throat and taking a deep breath.  “Our subsequent operation to collect prisoners from the Black Eagles during their invasion of the planet Karelia was less successful than we had hoped.  We deployed two stealth vessels, each with a full Omega company aboard to ambush and capture a Black Eagles patrol.  Despite the fact that our forces were engaged with only a platoon-sized unit, they were fought nearly to a standstill.  In the end, they were barely able to withdraw undetected.  They were unable to compel any of the Black Eagles to surrender, and they only took three prisoners, all enemy soldiers who had been wounded and rendered unconscious in the battle.  Our casualties were extremely heavy, well over 50% of engaged strength, a loss ratio of five to one despite our numerical superiority.”

Two sighed.  “This is disturbing news on multiple levels.”  He flashed his eyes toward One then back again to Three.  “It appears we have underestimated Darius Cain, an error I fear is unforgivable in light of our knowledge of his father.  The younger Cain has succeeded in creating a fighting force vastly superior to any in Occupied Space, apparently including our own Omega warriors.”  He paused, looking briefly again at each of his colleagues.  “It is apparent we must escalate our efforts to destroy—or at least degrade—the Black Eagles.”

“I concur,” said One.

“And I,” added Three.

“Very well.”  He glanced down at a small tablet on the table in front of him.  “Our most recent intelligence reports suggest that war is brewing between Lysandria and Albemarle.  What is not generally known is that the Albemarlian Senate has just ratified an agreement with the Black Eagles to invade Lysandria for them.  One questions how they were able to afford it.  They must have pledged everything of value on the planet to fund the contract.”  He paused.  “Although the Lysandrians do not yet know of this development, it renders their position hopeless.  As a largely agricultural world, they simply do not have the financial resources to mount a defense that has any hope of stopping the Black Eagles.  They will be crushed, and Albermarle will be bankrupted…both desirable results for us.”

His voice began to fade, and he paused to regain his breath.  “However, I believe we can achieve an even greater benefit and thoroughly increase the effectiveness of this dispute.  As you are aware, we control a number of clandestine enterprises on Lysandria, local operations of interplanetary underworld syndicates, mostly.  I propose we arrange to provide financial support to the Lysandrian government, allowing them to hire one of the Great Companies to defend them.  Indeed, I suggest the Gold Spears.  They are among the strongest of the companies, one of the two or three that are even close to a match for the Eagles.  And, I believe there is bad blood between the two forces, which may serve to increase the intensity of the fighting and ramp up losses on both sides.”

“Brilliant,” One said.  “Though I suspect the Gold Spears are rather less a match for Cain’s people than they style themselves, they will no doubt inflict considerable losses on the Black Eagles.  We will not neutralize Darius Cain with a single operation, but your proposal is an excellent start.”  He turned his head.  “Three?”

“I agree entirely.  Let us commence the operation at once.”

He paused, a troubled look on his face.  “Before we proceed to reviewing the operations reports from the various planets, I suggest we discuss the other Cain son.  Elias Holm, as you all know, is a senior officer in the Atlantian patrol.  We have long considered him less of a threat than his brother since his efforts have been mostly in law enforcement and not military operations.  However, his investigative abilities have proven to be extremely effective.  He has penetrated several of our enterprises on Atlantia and, while they represent only a tiny portion of our revenue, I have become concerned he will discover the connections to our wider network.  And that would be a
significant
problem.”

“Indeed it would, Three.”  One looked troubled for a few seconds, but when he continued, his tone was more hopeful.  “His follow up beyond Atlantia’s system will be greatly hampered by jurisdictional issues.  Perhaps we needn’t be overly concerned.  With increasing interplanetary tensions, he will likely find it difficult to obtain the cooperation he will require to truly penetrate our organization at anything above the lowest levels.”

“I am inclined at first to agree,” said Two, “but then I ask myself, do we truly wish to once again underestimate a Cain?  We are in the unfortunate position of trying to put remedial action in place to address the power that Darius Cain has amassed under our noses.  And let us not forget how Erik Cain was able to defeat our predecessor on the eve of his triumph.”  He swallowed hard, and continued in a raspy tone.  “Perhaps it is wise to deal with Elias Cain now.  Just to be safe.”

“What do you propose?” asked One.

“I think the most direct option is probably the best.  Darius Cain is virtually untouchable, surrounded at all times by his fanatically loyal army.  This is not the case with Elias.  For all his ability and the law enforcement resources at his command, he is far easier to reach.”

“An assassination?”  Three sounded intrigued.  “Yes, that may be possible.  Even more so if we create a diversion, a way to draw him into an exposed location.”  His face slowly contorted into a twisted smile.  “And I have just the plan…”