“Estimate time to arrival, thirty-three minutes, Spartan.”
Spartan rose from his seat to leave the deck. As he reached the door, he looked back at the Colonel who was waiting there, in awe at the sight of the moving starfield.
“Spartan, you’ve created something incredible here.”
Spartan shook his head.
“No, Colonel, I created none of this. The designs were from Old Earth and improved with tech from the Biomechs. This is a collaborative project between hundreds of people. All I did was help get them together.”
He considered his next words.
“I’ll be in touch as soon as I have information from the surface.”
Colonel Black nodded.
“We’ll be waiting. Don’t get yourself caught. Remember the mission; it’s a recon and rescue, not the prelude to war. Don’t get embroiled in local troubles. The only backup we have is this ship.”
Spartan went through the doorway and into the passageway.
Like there is any difference between recon and war.
He stopped and nodded towards the alien commander of the ship.
“Five-Seven. Colonel Black is now commander of this ship and this operation. He will be your point of contact until my return.”
“Yes, Spartan.”
The Thegn looked to his left and to the Alliance Officer.
“Colonel Black, you are in command. Your orders?”
Colonel Black couldn’t help smiling at the authority Spartan had over the crew.
“Continue as you were, Captain Five-Seven. We have a job to do.”
He moved to the chair Spartan had been using and lowered himself gently to the firm material. The journey through deep space was the first for him in such a command position. Though there were no orders he needed to give, he was still the man at the top, the one that would be required to make a snap decision if it came to that.
My first ship!
They continued on to their destination, and Colonel Black used it as an opportunity to relook at the geography of the region they were approaching. Karnak had been well charted when the raiders and pirates had been removed. He had taken part in several commando raids back then, witnessing the savagery of the raiders. They were fast, deadly, but also weak and avoided close quarter combat with humans.
The imagery did little to hide the fact that barely more than three million settlers now lived there. On top of this, there were at least ten thousand Anicinàbe, and he suspected that whatever the official figure was, it was sure to be way off. There were many towns, some of which were no more than a dozen homes, and also more than thirty cities, many of which were long abandoned. All were connected via barely maintained roads. From the latest information, the best-maintained parts of Karnak were the spaceports and surrounding cities.
He stopped the map and focused in on the mountain region. There were icons showing a single major city, with a large spaceport and major rail connections heading out in all directions. The spaceport and largest city were marked up as Montu, a city within a large open plain and settled between two tall mountain ranges.
So, this is the capital of the Khagi region and home to the largest of the spaceports.
He smiled, thinking back to the original strategy.
No wonder the General wanted to go there first. Whoever controls Montu, controls access to the arrival of most incoming resources.
He moved the map along and examined many of the other towns, cities, and mines. It was one of the least developed planets, yet there were still mines deep underground that had been there for centuries. What remained of the old transport system showed that at one time, the planet had been given the chance to develop.
Look’s a lot like Eos. A lot like it.
The moon Eos was a refinery satellite of the massive gas giant known as Gaxos. It was an industrial site for the Helions and saw some of the fiercest fighting in the last war. Now much of it was an arid wasteland with a vastly reduced population. It was a prized location, but one that few people would choose as their home.
He barely even noticed Kanjana off to the left. She was at the lower deck where a circular bay provided a spherical point at which to look out into space. It was a point on the ship designated for navigation and dropship control. A pair of Thegns busily managed systems while she looked out into space. Kanjana looked one last time and moved back before spotting the Colonel looking at her. He seemed strange in his non-military clothing, yet commanding the ship.
“I haven’t been back into the Anicinàbe territories since I came to Taxxu.”
He nodded, as though understanding the gravity of what they, and she in particular, were about to do.
“I understand. It must be difficult.”
Kanjana shook her head.
“Oh, not at all. This region is my home, but I have few friends here. Thayara fought with the enemy, and her disgrace continues on through my family. Some see her as a hero, but as many see her as a puppet.”
Colonel Black could well understand the problem, but he decided not to mention quite how Thayara was considered back home. She had led the armies of the enemy in the last war, to the everlasting enmity of the other races. Spartan had been her ally, but only as part of a long-established ruse. Even so, Spartan was still spoken of as a hero and a monster in the same breath.
“You may not have that many friends, but I can promise you, the General and the Alliance will thank you for this operation. Maybe even the Byotai...eventually, assuming we are able resolve this border crisis.”
The view of the planet was the first he’d seen in the flesh before of Karnak. The world was nothing particularly special, but he was interested in the number of civilian ships still trying to leave.
“Scan the area. I want no surprises while we’re here.”
Five-Seven moved his hands in front of his screen.
“Yes, Colonel Black.”
* * *
ANS X-45 ‘Titan’, Karnak, Demilitarised Zone
Spartan walked along the deck of the vast operations level. He moved slowly, but confidently inside his heavily modified PDS suit, known in the SWD as M-3B Armour, the test variant of their now in limited production M-3 armour. It was closely fitted to his body and had much in common with the PDS Alpha armour used by the Marine Corps. The joint and articulation system was much the same, but the banded plate sections looked much closer to the style of armour often used by the Khreenk. Small circular discs were located on the back and along the limbs, each the size of an eyeball. These were the advanced data nodes, a method of integrating the armour into different machines and combat suits.
“That’s not standard spec,” said Olik.
The massive warrior walked around Spartan. He ignored him for the time being and went through a short series of movements to ensure the suit was moving correctly. It was completely silent as he stretched his arms and legs. The face of his helmet was open and showed his face fully to the others.
“Yeah, I know.”
Olik touched the outer material and noted it was rough to the touch.
“Thegn bioarmour. I thought we were holding that back for testing on the M-3 prototype?”
Spartan nodded with a narrow smile. Olik looked down and could already see that he’d answered his own question.
“Yeah, Olik. This is the prototype suit. Modelled on my physique.”
The enemy, now simply known as the Biomechs, had made extensive use of bioengineered warriors and creatures. The outer skin of the Thegn foot soldiers had a thick skin that was tougher than standard marine armour and able to self-heal over hours of use. CTC engineers had been working at Taxxu for years trying to replicate the system, with only modest success.
“The latest version is working, but you’ll remember our original plans?”
Olik tilted his head as he tried to recall.
“Healing?”
Spartan shook his head.
“No, the self-healing worked on the very first model. That’s
the armour being used on first gen Grunts.”
He pointed to the Jackal dropship, looking down to check the joints and seals. There was no reason why there should be an issue, but it was a one off piece of equipment, and that could lead to all kinds of unexpected problems.
Camouflage test.
Spartan tapped a button on his left forearm, and the suit began to darken. It looked as though he was standing in a shadow as the outer skin altered its colour. It was a subtle shift, but instead of light grey, he was now a mixture of black and dark grey, and still shifting.
“Yeah,” said Khan.
He’d moved alongside Olik and was now watching the colour change. It was changing to a pale ivory colour, but still retaining distorted grey patches.
“I said it would be worth the time.”
Olik laughed.
“There’s a reason only the one suit has it. We can build a hundred M-3 suits for the cost of one with the chromatophore technology.”
“True,” said Spartan.
The suit had now completely changed to a dull yellow, with darker patches throughout the chest. Spartan nodded with satisfaction. He’d seen the images of the surface, and now the suit had taken on much of its colour hues.
“But without the M-3B, I would never look this pretty.”
Olik walked around Spartan, finally stopping next to his kin.
“It could work. I though the tech was…well, unstable?”
Spartan sighed and stretched his limbs one more time.
“Okay, time for the real test. Activate the Maverick armour.”
They stepped aside as one of the larger cylinders began to hiss. The curved doors slipped open and inside waited one of the larger machines. It was much like the one they had been testing in the arena. No sooner had Khan pressed the button, and the machine was out of the cylinder. It walked slowly, but smoothly, to the centre of the deck and then stopped. The machine rotated forty-five degrees, and its front opened up. Spartan stepped towards it and reached out. Khan grabbed his arm and stopped him.
“The prototype armour has never been used inside a Maverick suit before.”
Spartan pushed his arm off and pulled himself inside.
“No time better than the present, old friend.”
Once inside, the Maverick armour a wave of nostalgia hit him. It was like he was strapping into a Vanguard machine again. This was the first time he’d stepped inside combat armour with the intention of taking it into battle for more years than he could remember. The harness clamped in around him, and the Maverick armour attached to the communication nodes with a reassuring clunk.
“Suits coupled.”
Indicator lights lit up inside the helmet as the suits effectively combined into one fighting machine. In less than five seconds, the computer system calibrated itself to the unique characteristics of the M-3B suit with Spartan sealed inside, and then activated. Thin photocells moved in close to his head and projected data at the periphery of his vision.
“Spartan, starting bandwidth test now,” said Khan.
He’d already closed his eyes and was going over the plan in his mind for the tenth time. It was a simple operation, at least in theory. He would land, along with half of the mercenaries, and move to the nearest Byotai compound to the target. He’d collect as much data as possible and then perform a full reconnaissance. He opened his eyes wide.
“Khan, old friend. You had better be ready.”
The Jötnar laughed.
“I always am. Don’t worry about me. You just make sure you don’t get your head blown off in the first five minutes, old man.”
The indicator on the HUD showed the data stream between the dropship and the suit had started. It moved up and down before settling at the expected speed. Video feeds, radar data, and IFF information arrived and was screened before being sent to the helmet overlay.
“Latency has settled to eleven milliseconds. Operating at high bandwidth levels.”
Khan’s voice continued inside the armour.
“Good. You’re synced to the dropship and the ship's computer. As long as you maintain a rough line of sight, you'll be good to go."
He looked at Spartan with an almost embarrassed expression on his face.
"All systems look good here. I think...”
Spartan stretched his muscles and then sent the signal to activate the external view. The sensors in front of his eyes altered, and the view changed to give the impression his face was open to the elements, even though a thick layer of curved armour protected his entire face. Khan was in front, and they both seemed to be of a similar height. He nodded in satisfaction and pointed to the dormant armour they'd brought with them, three sets of combat armour, each waiting like powered down robots further down the deck.
“I brought my standard equipment. When you need support, let us know. We will smash whatever you find."
Waiting next to him was Olik, and the two Jötnar together brought a smile to his face. They were looking on at the Maverick suit with quiet satisfaction. They might not have been the people that built the thing, but all had played their part in getting in into production.
“Just like old times,” he said.
Khan shook his head.
“Not all of those ended well. And the best of those were with Gun at our flank.”
Spartan couldn’t really argue with that.
“True, but we did dish out our fair share of carnage, didn’t we?”
Khan snorted.
“Oh, yes, that we did.”
Spartan grasped each of them one at a time by the arm and then entered the Jackal dropship. Everything seemed excessively large and vacant, and the six mercenaries waiting inside did little to disguise that. One day, if that ever came to fruition, he expected to see the innards filled with Maverick soldiers and their supporting Grunts. He scanned from side to side and could almost see them waiting in the drop cradles.
“Spartan, I see your reputation precedes you,” said Arana.
He leaned in, the servos and motors barely discernible aboard the craft.
“How so?”
Arana laughed and then activated her helmet. The visor dropped down so that only her mouth was visible. A black cloth-like material lifted up from her chest armour to encase her neck and finally her mouth. Spartan was surprised at how close this now made her look to a Thegn soldier.
“Your predilection for large armour and big guns. You are hardly known for your subtlety, are you?”
“True.”
He moved to the right-hand side of the dropship and stepped against the clamp. It was specially designed to hold his armour into position and directly over a circular marking on the ground. Once in position, he hit the release button, and the front of the armour opened up. He stepped out from the Maverick armour and looked back at the thing. Compared to him it was massive, yet the improvements made to the motors and servo systems had given it a lean, agile look, unlike anything the Alliance had used before. He touched the outer skin for just a moment. It was the same grey, rough feeling Thegn armour. He then turned back to look at the mercenaries.
"Not today, though. We go in for a full-scale reconnaissance before..."
He looked back to the armour.
"...we bring in the artillery."
Rods dropped down, and a semi-transparent smoked glass material filled the gaps. The outer layer extended down from above until the entire suit was enveloped in the light brown cylinder, much like those on the experimental assault ship.
"You think the Alliance will pay for that level of tech?"
Spartan looked at her, his face impassive and silent. Arana lifted up her hands in feigned surprise.
"Hey, okay. I'm just saying."
She looked to her sister.
"It's just that in my experience the Alliance uses people where it can, and tech when it has to. People are cheaper than machines."
Spartan smiled as he listened to her.
"In the past, perhaps. But now, these suits
will allow one marine to do the job of a hundred. The maths work in our favour then."
She sighed and joined her comrades to move to the manual clamps, ones designed for passengers or conventional marines. There were no windows, but that didn’t matter. The videostreams from both the Confederate class starship and the dropship were being continually fed to Spartan's experimental armour.
“Remember, we are not looking for trouble. Stay close, and this will be over fast.”
Arana shook her head.
“Spartan, I doubt this will be without trouble, and fast…well…”
She removed her Khreenk rifle, checked the magazine, and clipped it back in with a sturdy clicking sound.
“I don’t like anything too fast. I like to take my time and do it right. Agreed?”
Spartan looked at her, but this time he elected to say nothing.
Syala burst out laughing.
“You’re the first person to ever silence the great and powerful Spartan.”
Her tone was irreverent, but Spartan didn’t care. He’d already closed his eyes and was running over the mission, the maps, and everything he already knew. Like all soldiers, even retired ones, he knew how quickly the mission could fall apart. Out here, far from the control of the Alliance, they had few real friends. It was only the memory of those that had fought, many of whom died in the last war. General Daniels had narrowly avoided such a fate, but not Spartan’s son or his wife. All his blood were now dead, and only those around him, his warrior kin still remained.
Daniels and Gun are coming back; and anybody else I find. I’m not leaving one of them behind, not this time.
* * *
Colonel Black hadn’t expected trouble so quickly, but now the mainscreen seemed filled with dangers. Directly ahead was a group of three armed civilian ships. They had just moved out from the cover offered by the vast debris field circling the planet, much like the rings of Saturn back in Sol. According to his data, the ring was what remained of a large moon that collided with another object in the near past. It was now known as a haven for pirates, and was the key battleground during the clearance operation years before. There were more than forty known bases, all of which had been rendered uninhabitable in the fighting.
“There is a signal. It’s coming from the debris field,” said Five-Seven.