The two looked at each other with barely concealed bitterness. On one side the civilian who had worked his way up to this position in the regime, a Minister of Information and Propaganda, and one of the men responsible for the success of the movement. And on the other, the great war hero of the Alliance, a soldier that had fought and bled for his people on numerous occasions. They were on the same side, and yet polar opposites.

  “My people are ready, but have been taken to fill the transports of the Grand Admiral’s ships,” he said confidently, “We have the numbers for only one strike. After that, we will be engulfed by the Alliance reserves. The rest of my forces remain here.”

  Everyone looked surprised to hear this, all apart from General Narek. He actually appeared relieved to hear these words.

  “I believe that once we’ve struck our first blow, we’ll find many will want to join us. We have enough for what is needed, but no more.”

  He then looked to the Minister for Information.

  “After all, are we not all tired of the alien menace that lingers as a perpetual threat to our very existence? The very threat that would have left us in thrall to the monsters brought to our door by the meddling of our Alliance overlords? If we’d never travelled to the Orion Nebula we would have avoided the bloodbath, and continued to make our own way in the galaxy. We know this, and so do our people. There’s a deep-seated fear and resentment of non-Humans. After all, never before have we seen such death and destruction as when we became involved with them.”

  His one eye shifted back to the General.

  “My people will do what you have asked of them, knowing that they face imprisonment or death as the price.”

  “I can ask no more of any man or woman,” agreed the General, “If the stars align as we hope they will, we can unite humanity with the minimal of violence, and that is my sincere desire.”

  Each of them nodded in agreement.

  “But if violence is necessary, then we will unleash a firestorm unlike any they have ever experienced. We will cleanse every colony of the taint of alien interference and ensure the domination of human, not extra-terrestrial life throughout the galaxy.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless', Centauri Rim

  Two days later

  The taskforce crashed through the dust field like a group of ocean-faring icebreakers. Their armoured bows pushed aside small chunks of debris as they powered on towards their destination. This was no exploratory force, but a fully-fledged battlegroup formed around the upgraded and enhanced assault carrier, ANS Relentless. Two pairs of Crusader Class heavy cruisers that had been freshly added to the fleet, as well as a significant escort force of six Liberty Class destroyers, flanked her. Moving ahead of them was a small group of Dragoon Class frigates, as scouting for signs of their illusive prey.

  Captain Galanos gritted her teeth as she watched the next large cloud of approaching cloud of rock ice from inside the safety of her flagship. Her gut instinct told her to authorise the use of the ship’s multiple weapon systems, but her brief was simple. She needed to reach the target before they learnt of their approach. Even so, her second-in-command, Commander Harper still turned to her with the same question as thirty minutes earlier.

  “Captain. We…”

  “No,” she said with a gentle shake of the head, “Relentless can take the beating. We cannot risk using our weapons. We have to reach Planet 443 and quickly. I don’t want to take any chance of letting them know we’re coming.”

  Commander Harper snorted in derision at the mention of the planet’s now official designation.

  “I cannot believe these Separatists have the audacity to try and live out here. The place is a wasteland.”

  “You’re correct. But it is a wasteland far from the control of the Alliance. They have captured ships travelling through the area and have become a hub for crime and corruption. In my experience, both of those have a habit of spreading, and fast.”

  The fleet burst through the next barrier of rock and into what seemed almost like an oasis in the middle of nowhere. The other ships pushed ahead to check for potential danger, while Relentless reduced her speed to half of her previous rate.

  “This is the place, according to our pilots,” said Commander Harper, “Are you sure about this? We have two other columns advancing into the Rim as we speak. If we wait we can launch a coordinated strike directly into the Rim. With three separate forces they will be forced to deal with us, and as one engages in battle, the others can spread out to hunt down stragglers.”

  “And once we find them, we descend on them like crows to carrion?”

  “Well, yes,” replied her second-in-command.

  “It’s a valid suggestion, Commander. But this is where I want to be. Your plan does have merit. But let’s give our videogamers a chance to prove their worth once more. Command is very clear. Public opinion is not on our side out here in the Rim. There are politicians agitating for us to withdraw.”

  “Madness. Withdrawal will leave the Rim in the hands of these Separatists. What action will they take next? Annex Euryale, and then beyond? Typical politicians, always looking for an angle.”

  “Perhaps, but we’re not a military dictatorship. If our civilian government wants us to cede this area, then cede it we will.” But then she raised an eyebrow almost comically, “And that is why Command has authorised all forces in the area to end this conflict in a single overwhelming strike, and then that is what we shall do.”

  Even as she spoke, she signalled towards Commander Higgins.

  “Commander, what is your status?”

  He turned away from his display and looked back to her.

  “All fighters are standing by, Captain. Our entire arsenal is primed and ready for whatever the Separatists can thrown at us.”

  “Good, then it is almost time. Be ready to send in the Knighthawks on my command.”

  “Yes, Captain. Four pairs will cover substantial ground. They will scan the entire sector within the hour. The Firehawks have the best sensors in the…”

  He stopped, realising he was telling her something she already knew, perhaps better than he did. It was force of habit from working with so many people that were unfamiliar either with his pilots or the tech onboard the ship. Captain Galanos, like most naval captains, knew every single nut and bolt on the ship like the back of her hand.

  “Oh…and, Commander.”

  “Yes, Captain?”

  “Make sure they play this one quiet. I don’t want them to go running directly into the front yard of a s’s armed camp. I know what they’re like. One chance for a fight, and in they go with all guns blazing. Today they are my eyes and ears, not my teeth. If they are discovered, then this entire operation is blown. Play is slow, smooth, and careful.”

  “I understand, Captain. They will be stealthy, just as we practiced.”

  He moved back to his own display and tapped the details of the waiting squadrons. Every single pilot on the ship was waiting and ready, with Firehawks, Lightnings, and all of the remaining Avenger drones fuelled and ready to launch. Commander Harper turned to move when Captain Galanos called him back.

  “Commander.”

  “Yes, Captain?”

  “If they find something, we’ll need to act fast. Make sure we’re ready to move at a moment’s notice. I want this ship left on a war footing until they return. There’s a chance they’ll find what we’re looking for. But there is also an equal chance they could bring trouble to our front door. Work with Tactical, and get localised firing patterns and ranges organised for the fleets guns. If anybody tries to jump us, we’ll blow them out of the sky.”

  “You think they will find something, Captain?”

  The Captain sighed as she gave that question some thought.

  “I’m almost hoping they don’t, Commander. But in all your time aboard this ship have the Knighthawks ever let us down?”

  He smiled in reply but said nothing else on the matter.

  “Exactly,” continued the Captain, “We will proceed as planned.”

  “Of course, Captain. We are ready to leave this area. But just give the word, and Relentless will be ready to enter a warzone.”

  * * *

  Deep inside the heavily armoured hull of the carrier waited the pilots of Knighthawk and Corsair Squadron. They sat in their fighters, with half of their number already attached to the launch rails, and ready to blast out into space with just a few seconds notice. All of them had done this hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times both in the real world and in simulation, and yet after all that time practicing it made little difference to them. Waiting was the same, every single time, and it remained the most tormenting moment of their lives. The ability to launch into combat was the defining characteristic of the embarked fighter units. And though they were not going to blast off into space alone, it remained a quiet and lonely time as they sat and waited.

  “Knighthawks. Wait for the command,” said Wing Commander Holder, “You are being sent your waypoints for the optimal search patterns…now.”

  Nate looked down at the displays fitted to his fighter at the exact same time as Billy. Coloured shapes showed the points they would be following, as well as markers to show the location of the other fighter units.

  “Wow,” said his friend, “That’s a long way from here. Have we got enough fuel for this run?”

  Nate nodded to himself, and for a moment completely forgot that Billy was sitting in front and could not see him unless he turned in his seat. Something that was difficult to do inside the cramped interior of the Firehawk heavy fighter.

  “We’ve got more than enough, assuming we don’t run into trouble. We can always request a buddy tanker drone is launched when we turn back.”

  “True,” said Billy, “It would take some time, but it would get us home if needed.”

  Nate looked to his displays, but he could see nothing that warranted much attention, even though he was desperate for something to take his mind off the long wait.

  “Billy. Double-check our systems one more time,” he said in a bored voice, “We could be here for some time.”

  “Okay.”

  The Firehawks carried no external ordnance, to ensure their profiles were as slim and evasive as possible to radar scanning equipment. The Corsairs, on the other hand, took no such measure. They all carried a combination of anti-air and anti-ship missiles from their hardpoints, with each ready to deal with any threat to the ship.

  Nate and Billy sat in silence as the seconds turned to minutes, and still no order had arrived. Though the outer doors were shut, they were still provided with the perfect view of the area around the warship. The Oasis, as it had been named, was a large disruption in the asteroid belt big enough to house a planet, and the safest possible place to leave a taskforce. Nate could feel the tension in his body as he waited inside the safety of the Alliance assault ship.

  We’d better be right about this!

  Nate had gone over their intelligence a dozen times now, and though deep down he knew everything they’d done had been done well. This was no spur of the moment mission, but something all of them had worked on for a ridiculous amount of time. All of the pilots and crew worked on their fighters, or practiced a myriad of different scenarios. But when this was done, and they were issued with short periods of downtime, the Knighthawks went to work again. There was no time to read books, catch up on current affairs, or to play games. Each of them had been working on their alternate lives inside the Star Crusader Arena simulation. And after all of that extra work, there was still a lingering doubt in the back of Nate’s mind.

  Because if this is a wild goose chase, we’ll be the ones that get the blame. I’ve seen it happen before.

  It was something he found hard to dismiss, even when knowing that his commanding officer was somebody who could be relied upon. Captain Galanos had seen him and Nate mature from videogamers taking part in a contest to something so much bigger. But now the stakes had moved on, and so had she. This conflict was spiralling out of control, and Nate and his friends had offered the tempting chance to end the fighting in a single major action.

  “I’m getting strange readings from Relentless,” said Billy, “Is she powering up weapons?”

  “I don’t think so,” said Nate, “Let’s check.”

  “Commander Higgins. We’re picking up an energy build-up inside Relentless. Is everything okay?”

  “Affirmative,” said the gruff officer, “Relentless is getting ready for a fight. Everything is okay here. Just get yourselves ready.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Recently enlarged, up-armoured, and up-gunned, she was a force to be reckoned with. And with that renewed power came a newfound responsibility to the fleet. As the carrier moved closer to their destination, the tension reached painful levels. The last moments before a battle were something of a cliché, but it was completely true. In battle there was little time to think, and certainly no time for the mind to wander. But both he and his best friend Billy had been sitting in their F26 fighter for close to an hour now, and still there was no sign of the enemy. And with each passing moment the mighty carrier continued forward on its seemingly unending journey; one that took them through the vast and desolate area of space called the Centauri Belt, but more commonly known as the Rim.

  “How much longer?” Billy asked in a long, drawn out tone, “I thought we knew where this place was. It’s not like we’re looking for a small rock. Our data shows the origin of the transmissions, and the arrival of three different ships to the area. And we’re ready to go, so why not launch?”

  “Maybe another minute, maybe another hour. Just look at it out there. This dwarf planet hasn’t been seen for at least a year, and Relentless needs to be in the right position to withdraw if needed to in a hurry. Timing and positioning is critical out here. And if it goes wrong, you know who will get the blame, don’t you?”

  “I still don’t get it,” said Billy, choosing to ignore the question, “I thought the Rim was static and orbited the star like any other object in the system. So why is so much of it moving about on different courses and at different speeds? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “You’d think so, right? But you saw the briefing. Command thinks the Separatists are moving them intentionally. It makes navigation difficult, and planning for military action all but impossible. And worst of all, it makes the use of IS drives deadly. Nobody wants to travel at near light speed into an asteroid.”

  “I still don’t get it,” Billy shrugged, “A dwarf planet isn’t that small, so why is it so hard to find?”

  Nate laughed.

  “There’s thought to be at least a thousand of them out here in the depths of the Rim, with many of them a lot bigger than Earth’s own Moon.”

  Nate then looked to the live feeds sent directly to the displays inside the fighter. The other ships were making changes to their formation, and he could see pairs of Lightnings working their way around the fleet. It was a classic CAP patrol, and that could mean only one thing.

  “This is where we wait.”

  “This is it,” said Commander Higgins, almost exactly on cue.

  “Yes!” Billy said.

  “The fleet is ready, and patrols are already in the air. Scouting duties fall to Knighthawks. Launch!”

  Nate exhaled as the maglev launch system hurtled his fighter out into open space. The layered doors slid shut behind him with a barely perceivable motion to protect the soft insides of the ship. Nate pulled on the stick, and the fighter rolled to the right.

  * * *

  Separatist Headquarters ‘The Rock’, Centauri Rim

  General Avedis Narek paced back and forth along the observation deck while occasionally glancing towards the many vessels in the area. A number of militarised ships were forming up into lines of battle, but even he could see through the façade. They might look and move like military ships, but he’d seen the shipyards and the work being done. Many were carrying little more than steel plate welded to the outside of their hulls. In terms of guns, the majority were forced to use long retired army equipment. These were weapons never intended for use in space, and now housed inside the hulls of these modified ships, with just their muzzles extending out into the void.

  “They look impressive,” he said sadly, “A shadow of what we had access to before the great debacle with the Biomechs.”

  The other senior commanders waited in silence, but not Grand Admiral Hurik. She moved to his side and pointed to a line of ships that at first glance seemed to be cruisers.

  “The first tranche of ships will not stand up to much, but they’ve proved that we can build effective vessels, even this far away from the core planets.”

  “I agree,” said the General, “And they do not need to fight a war…only to start one.”

  He kept focussing on one particular point in space where a smaller ship seemed to draw his attention. Finally, he stopped and pointed at it.

  “What’s that transport vessel doing here? It looks a little out of place…”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary,” said Grand Admiral Hurik, “Our logs show it’s a machinery transport from Kerberos, an old Juggernaut Class ship. The reports state she was found drifting not far from our territory.”

  “That is a little unusual, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t think so,” she replied slowly, “Our commandos boarded the vessel two days after it was found. They salvaged the drifting ship and brought it here.”

  “I see. It does look a lot like a ship I saw over Terra Nova several months ago. Perhaps it is just me.”

  “It’s a common enough design. The same model has been used as a tug, for pushing cargo at spaceports, and for a time they were also used as small craft for Mercs.”

  “Ah…that’s where I’ve seen the design. It was used by Mercs in the Uprising, wasn’t it?”

 

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