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  Empire. Chuikova had started his military career on Karn and was a junior commander on Celbrius. Those planets were long since destroyed, their cities shattered and enshrouded in lethal clouds of radiation. If there were any survivors, society would be reduced to medieval by now, or worse, and those survivors would be forgotten by their own brothers.

  Von Jesonik continued, oblivious of Chuikova’s wandering mind. “I know I can trust you, Johann. This project is enshrouded with the utmost secrecy. Only the supreme chancellor, I, our Auger-Lord brethren, and now you know of its existence. The experiments within this complex are rumored to concern a new weapon that could turn the tide of the war in the enemy’s favor. That is why I am giving you this mission. Your assault force will comprise three platoons that are already garrisoned here. They know they were selected for a special mission, but they don’t know what it is. Captain Cruwell is assigned as your executive officer. He is a very accomplished officer who will serve you well.”

  “I take it you have a way to get us into fringe space undetected? It won’t be much of a mission if we are detected by their fleet. They have spies everywhere.”

  “Not to worry. Star Admiral Raus will take you to your drop point in his flagship. You will use a modified drop pod that that will enable you to return home if Raus is destroyed by hostile forces. The Auger-Lords have divulged this ancient technology. Even they fear our destruction.”

  “You speak too much of the Lords! Why do they hoard the technology of their ancestors? They could have given us a technical advantage decades ago!” Chuikova continued. “I sometimes wonder if they are prolonging this conflict intentionally. Their ability to foresee certain events must show them something.”

  In a hushed voice, Von Jesonik replied, “I suggest you don’t try to figure out their ancient ways. The Auger-Lords and their seers are guardians of power we cannot conceive, and they must maintain the balance of power. We have co-existed with them in harmony for thousands of years. To take sides against them would unfairly upset the natural course and have disastrous effects on the future.”

  “Very well.” Chuikova knew it was futile to argue, and he was a man of his word and a man of honor. Questioning the motives of the Auger-Lords and Auger-Seers was dangerous. Their reign reached back beyond memory; they had always been the custodians of unimagined power and energy.

  Most of the populace on Hellenheim caught only brief glimpses of the highly secretive sect of reclusive priests who called themselves Auger-Lords. Schools taught children about an ancient race that had been in their galaxy for hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps longer. These lords were able to harness tremendous amounts of energy by mining remnants of collapsed neutron stars. The neutron pulsar energy powered everything they possessed, including ships of massive size that could travel to the furthest reaches of space.

  With all of this power, however, came unpredictability. As it is told, one star mining crew unknowingly entered into the gravitational pull of a supermassive black hole while conducting mining operations in an uncharted solar system. Trying to escape the gravitation pull, the crew fired its pulse drive, which emitted a brief, intense electromagnetic charge from within the ship’s pulse drive core. The crew did not foresee that the electromagnetic charge would penetrate the black hole’s event horizon, along with all matter and light in the surrounding area. The ship was pulled through, toward the black hole’s singularity, still emitting its electromagnetic beacon toward its home planet. The forces of the singularity stretched and compressed the ship beyond its design tolerances, and combined with the already salvaged pulsars in the cargo hold, destroyed the ship. Instead of adding to the mass of the black hole, the release of energy transversed the ship’s electromagnetic beam to its point of destination, effectively destroying the Auger civilization.

  This history is documented in ancient texts and scrolls maintained in the chapel sanctuaries on Hellenheim. The Auger-Lords are direct descendants of whose who survived that disaster. They continue to influence political as well as military leaders when it suits them. The people of Hellenheim know little about them, only what the Auger-Lords permit to be taught. The Auger-Lords emphasize that their relationship with the human populace is symbiotic, formed when the first humans arrived from another galaxy.

  The Auger-Lords permitted certain technologies to be utilized for expansion of the human civilization and conquest of planets. The Auger- Lords were few in number, and through their relationship with humans, they had found the perfect means to extend their own reach. Throughout the millennia they lay in virtual entombment beneath the surface of their shattered world. Their bodies decayed, yet their minds evolved, with the remnants of their technology keeping them alive.

  Certain segments of the human populace were selected to become Auger-Seers. The Auger-Seers were tasked with integrating within society more openly, acting as eyes and ears for their masters. Few dared challenge this symbiotic relationship; the consequences were dire. Chuikova knew that further argument was futile and dangerous.

  “I knew I could count on you, Johann.” Von Jesonik reached out and clasped Chuikova’s hand in both of his. “My adjutant will give you the technical readouts of the complex and all mission parameters. You will train your strike element to your liking, and you will rendezvous with Admiral Raus. Captain Cruwell will assemble your men in Star Port Number One with the drop pod.

  “There are men on the front who I would like by my side, strong soldiers who—”

  “I am sorry, but there is no time. I cannot permit that.” Von Jesonik interjected. “I am sorry if I didn’t make that clear. There must be utmost secrecy. You will train Captain Cruwell’s strike force here on Hellenheim. You have your orders, and you are dismissed. I have other obligations to attend to.”

  “Of course, please forgive me.” Chuikova retrieved his helmet from the desk and saluted smartly. Von Jesonik came to attention and returned the salute. Chuikova retrieved his half-smoked cigar from the ashtray and exited Von Jesonik’s office. Ernst appeared as if out of thin air and quickly closed the double oaken doors behind him.

  Sergeant Matthias rose to his feet, from a sofa situated against a massive circular concrete column. He quickly dropped the red bulbous fruit he was savoring and quickened his pace to catch up with the colonel.

  “That was fast. What happened?” Both of their footsteps resonated loudly on the white marble floor. Ministry Administrators, their heads buried in their data pads scurried out of their way.

  “We will not be going back to the front, Sergeant.” Chuikova’s matter- of-fact tone told the sergeant that the colonel was seriously upset. He had always called him by his surname, Matthias. His commander hadn’t called him by his rank in quite some time, except in front of the troopers. Matthias had been at the colonel’s side through the duration of the Elohim Prime campaign.

  “We’re not going back to the front?” Matthias had a hard time believing the statement, but he was not entirely displeased. A little R and R with the ladies would be nice.

  The colonel stopped abruptly and looked Matthias directly in the eye. “I don’t like the idea either. A lot of the men are going to die needlessly back in that hell hole. He resumed walking toward the turbo shafts that led to the ground floor of the Ministry of War building.

  The colonel related his plans to Matthias as they walked. “We have been tasked with a new mission to recover a weapon the enemy has developed that may turn the tide of this war in our favor.” His voice was firm, and he spoke matter-of-factly. “Meet me at 0500 tomorrow in the main hangar bay. You have your orders.”

  “Yes, of course,” Matthias replied slightly dejected. “I guess I am not getting laid tonight. Damn.” Matthias started to leave when Chuikova stopped him.

  “Matthias?”

  The sergeant stopped and turned around. “Sir?”

  The colonel reached into his breast pocket, produced a cigar and held it out toward Matthias. With his other hand, he produced the lighter he had
liberated from Von Jesonik’s office. Matthias didn’t need any further invitation. A big smile broke out across his scarred face as he grabbed the cigar and accepted a light. After a couple of puffs, the cigar was lit. Nodding appreciatively, Matthias walked away, down a hallway, leaving the colonel to himself. After a solitary moment, the colonel replaced the lighter in his pocket, entered the turbo lift, and contemplated how he was going to lead this strike force of unknowns. More important, he wondered about this weapon that was supposed to turn the tide of the war. He faced the nightfall as the turbo lift rapidly descended the monolithic building, 200 stories tall.

  CHAPTER 3

  “Attention!” As Colonel Chuikova’s order echoed throughout the massive hangar, all the troopers snapped to the position of attention, their rifles clutched with both hands in front of their armored bodies. Three platoons were assembled inside an active hangar filled with spacecraft of all shapes and sizes, including a two-story-tall ovoid drop pod. When called to attention, technicians had been loading crates into the pod.

  “The troopers are ready for inspection, colonel,” said Captain Cruwell, who faced Colonel Chuikova and saluted. The colonel quickly returned the salute. The colonel began to pace down the first rank of the three platoons, Sergeant Matthias trailing him, chewing on the remains of his cigar.

  “I’ll make this short and sweet,” the colonel said, “because I have some heavy drinking to attend to.” A few of the troopers stifled laughs. “My name is Colonel Johann Chuikova. I am here to fight and to win this war. If you do not share that goal, step out of formation now and you will be reassigned to the front.” Seeing no one move, he continued. “All I ask is that you fight and give me all you have. You shouldn’t expect anything less from me.” The colonel stopped in front of the middle platoon and nodded at Sergeant Matthias. He spoke in a low voice to his veteran sergeant and asked, “What do you think?”

  Sergeant Matthias removed the chewed stogie from his mouth. “They are right out of basic, although they have received commando training. I think they are a good core. We have good snipers and heavy weapons operators, and our equipment is the newest available.” The colonel nodded in response to the sergeant’s assertions.

  New equipment was hard to come by nowadays, and its availability indicated that this mission was high priority. The troopers were issued a synthetic body skin that worked well against both heat and cold, as well allowing the skin to breathe. Troopers wore olive drab utility overalls over this second skin. Veteran troopers found out quickly that the body skin suit wore out quickly since it was meant to be changed and cleaned periodically, which was difficult to accomplish in battle conditions. It was not designed for extreme environments or for long-term uninterrupted use. Within a few weeks, troopers wore their utility overalls with nothing underneath. The body armor was designed well, with ballistic form-fitting plates protecting the legs and arms and a highly functional hardened ballistic vest encapsulated the torso. The most important component of the armor system was the jet-black helmet. Besides offering moderate ballistic protection, the slightly bulky helmet provided night vision, thermal imaging, and a targeting system integrated with the primary weapon sight. Although the troopers’ ballistic armor was sufficient protection against standard slug and projectile ammunition, it could not stop a projectile fired using magnetic cell technology due to the incredible speed at which they were launched from the rifle. Troopers were lucky to get fed a hot meal once a day, however medics and doctors were generous in their distribution of “brain-pills”, amphetamines designed to keep troopers awake and alert for days on end.

  The troopers were, however, allotted sufficient quantities of ammunition for whatever weapon system they carried. The Electro-Magnetic Battle Rifle, or EMR, was standard issue to basic troopers. The EMR, in its basic configuration, was referred to as a generation one and had few weapon attachments, only a bayonet and an advanced optics system that could detect heat which worked in conjunction with the trooper’s helmet. The EMR was built into a bullpup configuration, with the magazine and power cell located to the rear, behind the trigger mechanism. The bullpup design permitted a compact weapon design, with no sacrifice of barrel length, so that accuracy was not compromised.

  In addition to ammunition magazines, troopers carried extra power cells for their rifles. The ammunition was of a simple, caseless design composed of a metal projectile available only through the teaching and discoveries of the Auger-Lords. The power cells produced an intense electromagnetic field that launched the EMR’s ammunition, which could travel great distances.

  After a round exited the barrel, a telltale green energy wave followed it to its target, giving the impression of a laser or pulse energy weapon.

  The EMR had some drawbacks, such as overheating and power drains from defective cells. For these reasons, troopers often carried traditional projectile assault rifles and pump action slug throwers in reserve.

  Sergeant Matthias continued his appraisal of the new recruits for the colonel. “Corporal Scott’s and a few of the other troopers are versed in the operation of our analysis equipment. In short, this is definitely not your average recruit platoon. The troopers are highly trained, with most receiving simulated combat drops as well.” Colonel Chuikova nodded in understanding. These troopers may be well trained but they were also fresh. He could, however mold them to his needs more easily than if they were a veteran outfit from another command, used to procedures and command different from his.

  “Captain,” The colonel said the single word briskly. “Put them at ease,” the colonel instructed. “Tell them we will begin training in the morning. If there is something they need to do, they should do it now. I want to see you in my quarters in one hour, captain. I suspect you would like to know what kind of mission you will be undertaking.”

  The colonel turned and walked away, Sergeant Matthias trailing behind, chewing on his stogie. Captain Cruwell executed an about-face and surveyed his eager and enthusiastic troopers.

  “At ease!” Cruwell addressed his men in a booming voice. “Fall out and assemble here at 0600 tomorrow to begin training.” Several of the troops cheered at hearing this, and the room swelled with the bellowing of a synchronized “Urrah!”

  Captain Cruwell made his way down the main hallway of the officers’ quarters, a long, featureless tunnel of metal. Most of these quarters were empty due to personnel being on deployment somewhere. He reached the colonel’s room and activated the call button.

  “Come in.”

  The metal door slid open silently. Captain Cruwell entered the colonel’s sparsely decorated quarters. The room was barren save for the rudimentary effects: a bed, two chairs, and a data access terminal. Behind a closed door was a shower and toilet. The colonel wore a black sleeveless shirt with the image of the eagle and sword on the left side of his chest, the symbol of the United Consortium of Planets (or what was left of them). Hellenheim had been the central seat of government over several planets in the system. Now most of those planets were broken, with the few that remained putting up resistance. The last UCP Governor’s conference before the outbreak of interplanetary war seemed to narrow on a rewriting of the social contract. With Auger-Lords now interjecting themselves as creators and de-facto rulers of anything and everything they could reach with their probing minds, open protest amongst the planets was quick. Also, the rise of Hellenheim’s supreme chancellor from out of nowhere was the breaking point. Unwilling to surrender anything further for a central government that seemed corrupt and unjust, the United Consortium of Planets quickly flamed into an all out war.

  The colonel sat in front of the data terminal, rapidly scanning the screen, the symbols scrolling both vertically and horizontally across the screen. Captain Cruwell noticed the distinctive fanged dreadwolf tattooed on the colonel’s right shoulder, with the inscription “Eternal—Death Never Dies” below it.

  “Please sit down, captain.” The colonel quaffed the small amount of murky rust-colored alcohol remai
ning in his glass. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No thank you, sir, I do not indulge in spirits,” Captain Cruwell replied. He shifted from one foot to the other. The colonel waved his hand at the second chair. The captain sat down and put his helmet on the table.

  The colonel poured two drinks and handed one to the captain. “I do not trust any officer who cannot handle a drink. Please, humor me.”

  Captain Cruwell looked at the glass and took a small sip. The liquid burned as it went down his throat, forcing him to cough.

  “Thanks,” the captain said.

  The colonel managed a weak laugh. “If you are to be my executive officer, I’d like to know your name.”

  “Captain Cruwell, sir. Sebastian Cruwell,” he replied weakly.

  “Sebastian, this is your first combat drop, is it not?” The colonel took a heavy pull from his glass. Setting the glass back down, he absentmindedly ran his finger inside the rim.

  “Yes sir,” the captain replied, his voice tinged with nervousness. “Although I have undergone simulator drops.”

  “I thought so. I hope it will not be your last. We will be shipping out in five days. Since you are my XO, I will brief you on the mission as best I can.”

  “Yes sir.”

  The colonel began to type on the data terminals keyboard. He reached up to a small camera looking device perched on the top of the monitor and adjusted it gently. Satisfied, the colonel pushed a single key on the keyboard and a large holographic image projected itself in the middle of the room, detailing a vast complex.

  “This readout is of a research facility deep into fringe space. Enemy concentrations are unknown. We are to strike and recover a weapon the enemy is developing. The supreme chancellor himself drew up the plans for the mission.” The colonel paused to take a drink. “Upon landing, the first element will be led by Sergeant Matthias. He will lead a veteran squad that accompanied me from the front and will assist in training the new troopers in the short time we have here. Matthias’s element will exploit the breach in the blast doors and make entrance inside.” The colonel indicated the doors on the map. The colonel activated another holographic image detailing three more levels of the complex. “Once Level One is secure, you will bring up the second platoon and breach Level Two. Level Two is the main genetics research wing where our objective is supposed to be.” The colonel pointed to a room on the image. “It is critical that you succeed as quickly as possible.”