The Great Betrayal (12 page)

The door opened and in walked Wictred, as well as Sergeant Stone. They were as menacing as any two people could ever be. Both wore their black Marine Corps uniforms and were equally grim. Sergeant Stone looked serious, much more so than normal, whereas Wictred looked almost excited. As a juvenile Jötnar, he wasn’t as big as his cousins such as Khan and Gun, though he looked just as dangerous. Even so, he still looked like a troll compared to the others in the room. He nodded briefly at Jack before speaking to them all. He glanced at the Sergeant who simply nodded.

“You’ve heard the news?” he asked.

Most of the marines nodded, but Jack spoke first.

“The fighting is getting worse on Helios, and we have recognized the government in exile.”

“Almost. It’s much worse than the press are saying,” replied Sergeant Stone, with no obvious emotion.

Wictred nodded in agreement before continuing.

“The coup by the Animosh and their commanders was just the beginning. Harlan, the Minister for the capital was killed along with most of the civilian command structure. With the earlier losses in the uprising, there are very few left with any idea about what’s going on.
 
A small number of survivors are in hiding with the Zathee, but they won’t last long.”

Every one of the marines seemed excited at the news, even though none of them had a single idea what their role would be in whatever might unfold over the coming days or weeks. Sergeant Stone could see the video feed behind the group and spotted one of the clips he had watched just twenty minutes earlier. It showed a civilian transport that had been shot down while trying to make a break for the atmosphere. The burning wreck was scattered over twenty city blocks, and the casualties were substantial. He looked back at the marines with his hard, cold eyes.

“They have sent in their troops to put down the uprising. Casualties are over sixty thousand so far, and it’s going to get worse and fast.”

“Sixty thousand?” spat out Jack, “When news of this spreads, the Zathee will turn this into a full-scale war. This will go on for decades, and now we are involved?”

Sergeant Stone opened his mouth as if about to speak but instead took another breath. All the marines watched and waited for him.

“That’s why in eleven hours we will be joining units from our sister battalions on the surface of Helios.”

He looked at each of the marines, and all but Jack seemed ecstatic at the news.

“That’s right, marines, we will be part of the operation to stop this before it becomes a full-blooded war. The military coup was against what was left of the civilian government. Those that survived have contacted us directly and requested military aid. We will end this in the way only we can.”

“End what exactly, Sergeant?” asked Jana.

Wictred beamed at her, his large uneven teeth glaring.

“The fighting. The other Powers have voted to use the Narau to intervene to halt the bloodshed. But we will be landing with the first wave, and we will do things our way.”

Wictred and Sergeant Stone walked closer to the marines, not that it was necessary anymore, as each was listening intently to everything they had to say. Sergeant Stone finally stopped and stared at Jack.

“The rest of the Corps will assist in humanitarian operations; we have a different job though. You up for this, Private?”

Jack looked up at him, seeing nothing but the cold, emotionless eyes of the Sergeant. It was strange, but the idea of battle seemed to fill Jack’s body with adrenalin, and in an instant the depression and the bitterness had vanished.

So, this is it then? Fighting is the cure, for now?

“Yes, Sergeant, I’m ready!” he shouted out, and for the first time in days, he felt human.

The realization of the ancient Helion prophecy would focus attention on a hundred worlds. One of the most peculiar would be the old worlds of Sol. Long abandoned by those with the money or means to do so; the worlds of Sol were a shadow of their former selves. Their natural resources had been squandered over millennia of abuse, and of those areas still populated, many had long ago turned to crime. Earth itself, the cradle of humanity was a desolate planet with poisoned oceans, polluted skies, and a populate that had been forced to shelter in massive shielded cities dug just below the surface. Long ignored by the prosperous worlds of Alpha Centauri, Earth would return to significance in ways that the citizens of Helios or Terra Nova could never imagine.

The Lost World

General Daniels surveyed the strategic map inside the heart of ANS Conqueror with great interest. This part of the ship had been extended and improved as part of the massive repair work undertaken following the ship’s last unfortunate incident in orbit around the planet. A dozen other officers manned the computer units at the mapping unit that filled the center of the room. The walls were made of smoked, semi-transparent aluminum, and one of the sides was open and led directly into the CIC of the ship. He could make out the form of Admiral Lewis as he managed the fleet. A middle-aged Captain Hardy approached and saluted. He was the liaison officer between the Navy and Marine Corps, and the critical link between the vast forces now in position around the planet.

“Sir, all ships’ captains confirm the fleet is in position. We have forward elements from the 8
^th
and 17
^th
ready to drop.”

He nodded at the Captain and then looked back at the three commanders of the battalions. Of the three, the only one he knew particularly well was Gun, the Colonel of the 17
^th
Marine Battalion. In the middle of the group of officers was the young Lieutenant Colonel Diego Koerner, another veteran of the last year of the Uprising and the commanding officer of the 8
^th
Marine Battalion, the force that had already seen action in this part of space. The wildcard was Colonel Horst Brünner. He was by far the oldest and looked like he was in his early seventies. He wore a white mustache and looked every part the upper-class officer of Terra Novan ancestry.

“Well, there we have it. Zathee forces are reeling from chemical weapons, and the Animosh are leveling airstrikes on the urban areas. I have the authority from Admiral Anderson, commander of the Orion Sector, to contain this situation. You have seen the plan and made your preparations for operations in the capital.”

He tapped a button and up came a schematic of the areas under dispute. There were four large red spots on the map; each centered on government buildings, precincts, military bases, and landing platforms. A fifth in the center was larger and darker than the rest.

“You will note the entire planet is one massive urban area and technically a giant city. Our numbers are limited though; we will perform surgical strikes at key areas in and around the capital.”

He pointed at an area almost a hundred kilometers in diameter.

“This is heart of the planet, the place that will decide the future of both the planet and the rest of the Helion colonies.”

“General, what about the other colonies?” asked Lieutenant Colonel Diego Koerner.

General Daniels lifted his finger slightly as if remembering an important fact.

“Narau forces are operating a blockade of any military vessels moving between the colonies and Helios. This conflict is being contained, and if we are smart, we’ll be successful here. According to Alliance Intelligence, the other colonies are agitating, but it hasn’t moved to full-scale insurrection…yet!”

He held his chin in his hand for a moment before launching into the details of the operation. The assembled officers waited patiently and double-checked the details with those on their secpad.

“Now, let me summarize the overall plan. We have a multi-pronged operation that will stabilize this situation and return Helios to its people. First, we need to find and evacuate key Helion personnel that are on the run. Without them, the uprising will be without solid leadership. Second, we need to protect the civilians, and third, we will assist the government in exile at defeating this coup.”

All three of them had gone over the details of the operation a dozen times, but General Daniels was leaving nothing to chance. He wanted to ensure they knew both their own objectives as well as the overall strategy. In his experience, it was critical that everybody involved knew the plan from a high level. It was all too easy to get caught up in individual details and then ignore the big picture.

 
“Phase One is the rescue operation, and it will be conducted by Captain Carter of the 8
^th
Battalion.”

He looked at the young man with a thin black mustache. He was by far the youngest and most junior of those present, yet he stood up smartly and with an air of supreme confidence about him. Lieutenant Colonel Diego Koerner had selected him, as being his most experienced and dynamic officer. He’d had little time to check the man’s dossier, but from what he’d seen, there were few better at such a risky operation. He nodded at the man and then returned to his briefing.

“The Captain’s forces will land at the besieged Animosh precinct that has been taken over by Zathee rebels. Some of the survivors of the Helion government are trapped inside and completely surrounded by Animosh forces.”

The General placed his hand over the red shape on the map. An aerial image of the site showed the precinct was the size of a shopping center and flanked at each corner by large towers. It was the largest structure in the area, apart from a large domed building on the opposite side of the street.

“We’re in sporadic contact with them via an Alliance operative that is inside there. At last count there were over two hundred Zathee and a dozen Helion officials, including the Helion Vice President. There is more than just the precinct though.”

He moved the image to show the domed structure.

“Underneath this building is the crossover point for six major road and rail systems. Whoever controls this key location can slow the flow of weapons and troops. Right now, the Animosh are using it to move their forces underground and away from the street levels. If we block it, they will be forced to move overland and in plain view of our aircraft. We must secure this underground location for as long as it takes.”

He nodded in the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Diego Koerner.

“This is an aerial assault operation and will be conducted by your recon elements under Carter. It will be a high-speed smash and grab operation, right under their noses. They will secure the precinct structure, evacuate the officials, and then hold the precinct and transport hub until elements from Phase Two to link up with them. ”

He turned his attention to the vast bulk of Gun. Colonel Brünner seemed to pretend that Gun wasn’t there, and General Daniels made a mental note to examine this further.

“Colonel Gun, you will have the honor of leading the ground operation itself.”

He let that sink in for a moment and watched for the reactions of the other two Battalion commanders. As he suspected, only Colonel Brünner seemed to have any issues with having a former Biomech in charge of such an operation. Even so, the man said nothing, but he suspected he would be hearing about his decision to use Gun via other channels. Colonel Brünner was certainly well connected with High Command.

 
“Phase Two will, in my opinion, be the riskiest of the three phases. I’ve therefore decided to hand it to our renowned expert in direct action.”

Gun smiled at this, especially when he mentioned the phrase ‘direct action’. He couldn’t think of a better description for his preferred method of battle.

“This will be a major show of force, and the Colonel will land the entirety of the 17th on a broad front in the capital city. The Zathee have been alerted of this, but there is still a chance some will not have heard the news. You will act as a buffer and engage any forces attempting to strike the civilians. Nearly two thousand marines will secure a dozen strong points and box in the Animosh and any Helion troops still fighting for the generals that instigated the coup.”

He looked at Gun and noted the change in Gun’s face. He was now serious, and it reminded him of the grim determination he’d seen on his old friend’s face many times before.

“Spartan relied on you in the past, and now I will. You will need an iron will to maintain this line against any aggressors. Without you, our foothold will be temporary, and we could be forced to abandon our operation. I need temporary landing zones cleared for the next phase.”

Gun grinned.

“I’ve never let Spartan down, and nothing will change with you, General.”