Ghost Soldiers by Michael G. Thomas Page A

another mission until after repairs and new trials. There are plenty of other vessels in the fleet ready for a mission like this.”
    He looked around, noting there were no officers from the other two ships present.
    “The IAB is nowhere near capacity. Most of our units unformed, and of our three ships, one is incomplete; the other damaged from the fighting at Karnak.”
    “And Euryale, she is fully operational, is she not?” Gun asked.
    The Captain shook his head.
    “I need to replace a third of the crew. We need replenishment and new kit. I think you’ll find the Marine contingent will need assistance as well. Half of their Grunts are gone, and two of my dropships need replacing.”
    Gun looked to Spartan who said just a few words. Gun muttered and then looked back to the Captain.
    “Liaise with Five-Seven and get her ready. He has additional Thegn crew, each already trained with the Auxiliary. Load as much gear as you have time for. I don’t care how ready we are…in sixty minutes IAS Euryale will be leaving Taxxu.”
    The Captain rose to his feet to protest. Gun signalled for him to stay where he was.
    “You’ve told me your concerns, and they are noted. I have already sent orders to our replenishment teams to get started.”
    The man looked to Spartan, but he found nothing but the harsh glance from the commander of the 1st Battalion. Captain Delatorre was clearly unimpressed by his treatment and began to sit back down. Spartan felt obligated to say something.
    “Captain. We need your skills and experience, as much as we need the skills of our crews and marines. If you’ll give us a moment, you will understand why.”
    The Captain nodded and waited in silence, along with the men and women of 1st Combat Company. Gun shuffled his feet impatiently and signalled to one of the technicians. The imagery changed to show the T’Karan System.
    “Now, to the mission. Three hours ago we lost contact with ANS Orion, almost forty astronomical units from T’Karan.”
    A murmur of surprise rippled through the men and women. The distance was nothing in terms of long-distance space travel, but it was unusual for an unescorted patrol. The model changed to show the Alliance warship.
    “ANS Orion is one of the first Liberty class destroyers. She’s reliable, and so is her captain. They have seen action over the last twelve months and were fresh out of refit.”
    Spartan looked at the shape, and memories quickly returned of the battle at the Black Rift. He’d seen the shapes of Alliance ships, the last of the fleet that were making a desperate assault on the enemy. The Liberty ships were hardy things, yet he’d seen them crumple to the gunfire of true ships-of-the-line, and it had been far from pretty.
    “They were sent on a routine patrol when an unidentified object was detected. The distance was substantial and Orion already several days out when they got the call.”
    Gun licked his upper lip before continuing.
    “What they found was this.”
    The image changed again; this time replaced by the vast derelict. It rotated slowly so that the vessel could be seen from all directions. Some of the marines strained to get a closer view of the components.
    “Orion moved in nearer, and while investigating the derelict, they simply vanished without a trace. We’ve had no contact since, and our long-range scans are picking up nothing more than scattered debris.”
    He paused, letting that sink in.
    “I know what you’re all thinking. It was probably a collision or an accident, and you might be right. Apart from this.”
    He nodded to Spartan who then walked up to the model. As he moved his hands, the object twisted about and then stopped. A flashing blue line surrounded one section on the left part of the vessel.
    “The ship is modular, and this particular section is a patrol ship.”
    He looked at his small audience.
    “We’ve checked with the Helions and the T’Kari, and got nothing. But the Klithi are another story. They