Star Crusades Nexus: Book 03 - Heroes of Helios by Michael G. Thomas Page B

brim.
    “So, what did you think of our new alien friends, the Byotai?”
    Teresa took another sip before answering.
    “Interesting, I thought they might be a match for Gun until they started to speak. It would seem looks aren’t everything.”
    Gun laughed gently in amusement.
    “Ayndir says they are a passive people, tough but not interested in the others.”
    Teresa brushed her hair with her hand and considered the events of the day. In just a few hours they had all seen things no human had probably ever even dreamt of.
    “Six empires, all of them very different. It’s incredible.”
    “True,” replied Anderson, “but don’t think for a moment that it is ever that simple. Looking outside, I see people from all six of those racial groups. I suspect there are even Klithi living here on Helios.”
    He stood up and walked to a leather case that lay near the table. From within its battered shape, he pulled a device the size of his head. It was unfamiliar to Gun, but Teresa recognized it as part of the equipment used on board Alliance warships. Anderson placed it in the center of the table and tapped a button on the side. Rings of blue and green lit up the sides as the device activated, and a heavily detailed three-dimensional model appeared above it.
    “Only your battalion is present in Helios, and there’s a reason for that.”
    He took another small sip of his port.
    “This is a tricky and delicate situation, and I need commanders I can completely rely upon. You’ve seen what happens when loyalties are confused. It leads to arguments, strife, and sometimes trouble.”
    Teresa didn’t look convinced.
    “Okay, that’s not the whole story. I spoke with Rivers about the operation before we traveled here. The big problem we have is lack of leadership in the Corps. With the culls after the War, it has been a lot harder to keep experienced commanders. You two are the only ones left in the Corps from the old days that saw combat.”
    He tilted his head slightly as though telling a joke, “Well, on the right side anyway.”
    Teresa moved her eyes in agreement at his sentiment.
    “Don’t forget, most of the units in Alpha Centauri never saw combat, that was left to us in Proxima.”
    He pointed at Gun.
    “You, my friend, are a rare commodity; a man with political and combat experience, and who is still physically able to lead from the front. If Spartan were here, I’d have all three of you doing this!”
    He wagged his finger though as if he was disagreeing with himself.
    “But there is something else. I want Spartan and Khan brought back, and I want to know where the hell they went. We have reports of at least one Raider ship traveling through an uncharted series of Rifts. High Command has flagged this potential backdoor as the single greatest threat after the Biomechs themselves.”
    Teresa looked unimpressed.
    “And Spartan?”
    “Khan!” muttered Gun, adding his old friend to the missing people.
    “Trust me; this is the best way of getting them back. Finding them is linked inextricably to finding the ship and any other signs of the Enemy. That is the reason we are all here in Helios.”
    Anderson stepped to the side and pointed at the structure.
    “Our techs have combined all the information given to us so far from each of the six groups that we’ve met. I don’t doubt for a moment this is the entire picture, but it should give you a better understanding of where we are.”
    The model showed the Helios system with a ring of Rifts around it; a small number of those Rifts were connected by fine lines to others systems. Some of which were at the heart of the six factions they’d just met.
    “It would appear the Helions are the de facto masters of Helios, and the stars and worlds within about ten light years. That is as far as we can tell. The Rift to T’Karan is one of the longer ones. Ayndir says their fastest ship can make it to Helios in just over three hundred years without the Rift. That would