Star Crusades Nexus: Book 09 - The Black Rift by Michael G. Thomas Page B

communications officer.
    “Combine all of our external and internal feeds into a single stream. I want this broadcast to every repeater station in the Alliance. If Harrison thinks he can start his own personal fiefdom, he can forget it. We’ve had our civil war, and we’re not about to have another one. This will go out live.”
    He then walked to the Chief Engineer.
    “Keep the Rift open for as long as you can, but keep a close eye on it. If those ships try and make a break for it, you know what to do.”
    “I can close it right now, Sir?”
    Colonel Pierce shook his head.
    “No, the Rift is our gateway to T’Karan and to the Admiral. That is the only direction we can expect help. Just watch them. They cannot be allowed to enter T’Kari space.”
    With a nod the man went back to his screen, and now all Colonel Pierce could do was watch and wait. He looked to the screen on his right where a flashing message simply read that his status had been received. What kept drawing his eye was the counter. It read seven minutes.
    Come on! Hurry up.
    Lieutenant Young still waited, but he twisted his head and looked back for a second. He spoke quietly into his intercom and then stepped closer to the Colonel.
    “Sir. They’re armored up and ready.”
    “Good. Don’t use the comms. I need this kept quiet, and if they’ve got access to our records, they probably already known our communications procedures. Send a runner down there and bring them back.”
    Lieutenant Young saluted smartly and then moved off at a jog.

    * * *

    ANS Terra, Prometheus Sector
    Captain Jerome scratched at his cheek and looked over his shoulder at his crew. He remained completely confident in his mission, but the sight of the vast station was hard to ignore. He recalled his orders from Terra Nova and looked at it again.
    They know we’re Alliance military, so why are they resisting?
    He glanced down at the tactical schematic and overlay on a smaller screen. The armor and weapon systems were impressive, but he also knew the station's weak points. President Harrison had given him unlimited access to the Naval archives, at least the data that was still accessible. For some reason, large parts of it had been removed or destroyed. It wasn’t something he’d given much thought of, mainly down to his joy at being given such an important role. In all of his years on the planet, he’d thought his chance at starship command had long gone. The Navy was not interested, even though his record and credentials were perfect.
    Racist, self-righteous liberals!
    His opinion of the multi-colonial fleet had diminished year by year, spurred on by his inability to penetrate its ranks. He wanted command more than anything, and now he had it. While he’d been struggling to be accepted, he’d seen cadets from the Biomech spawned warriors on Hyperion joining up. One of the youngest had even been placed in charge of a frigate.
    All appeasement to these creatures and their masters; first they burned our world, and then they pretended to be our allies by burning it again. We will deal with all of them in time.
    He’d studied the plans for the station on his way out here, and what appealed to him the most was that the Prometheus Seven Station had never been intended as a military installation. Modern stations were designed with small entry points with each one being protected by redundant systems. This station was a grand affair from days of old, with massive landing docks, grand entrances, and staircases. Many of the interior sections had been designed to look more like early twentieth-century ocean liners. The exotic and degenerate had all been part of its interior aesthetic, and every part of it sickened him.
    He smiled to himself.
    This place is nothing more that a decadent hotel for the collaborators and their friends floating over a hellhole of a planet. If only Terra Nova had been stronger in the last war, we could have ended it on our terms, not theirs.
    He had no