Ghost Soldiers by Michael G. Thomas Page B

will tell us little, other than that this one vessel is in their ship registry.”
    Spartan glanced to Gun who gave him the nod.
    “It is a patrol ship from the Trusska.”
    There was no response for a moment.
    “Yes, you heard me, the Trusska. The mythical race that apparently committed suicide centuries ago.”
    He turned around and pointed at the vessel.
    “At least one part of that derelict is of Trusskan origin. And all the Klithi would tell us was to keep well away. Their last message said Trusskan ships bring only death. They are moving their primary fleet to protect their Spacebridge to Helios. They suggest we do the same, and prepare for a major offensive! No wonder they're scared.”
    That brought a smile to both Gun and Khan’s faces. The imagery deactivated, and Gun took over.
    “In any case, we’ve been given orders to investigate the location from a safe distance. Once there, we will perform a full tactical scan and then send in boarding teams. If there is a risk to T'Karan, or Alliance territory, we have full authority to conduct a search and destroy mission. All options are at our disposal, including destruction from deep space. If it is as serious as the Klithi suggest, then downfall protocols will come into effect.”
    Spartan looked surprised.
    "Downfall? As in crew and equipment expendable?"
    Gun nodded.
    "Exactly, under those circumstances, any price must be paid to stop it."
    Lieutenant Armstrong lifted his hand, but he looked more amused that worried.
    “Yes, Lieutenant,” said Gun.
    “Downfall, on the word of aliens."
    He shook his head and clearly had little time for the Klithi.
    "What are we expecting to find, Sir?”
    Gun’s face tightened a little.
    “ANS Orion was lost with all hands, and we have a massive vessel moving into Alliance territory. The Klithi have never misled us before, and they are terrified of this thing. Our mission is simple; to get there weeks before a conventional fleet, and to find out what happened well before it can be a major threat to our colonies.”
    Spartan nodded twice as he listened.
    “And if we find hostiles, what does High Command sanction?”
    Now Gun seemed to positively beam at the question.
    “If we deem it a threat, we have full authorisation to destroy whatever we find out there.”

CHAPTER FOUR
     

    One event occurred in the Great Biomech War that has never been fully explained. A ship vanished in the T'Karan System and reappeared many months later in the Sol sector, near the planet Mars. The journey was vast, and in theory, only possible via the use of the Interstellar Network of Spacebridges. Survey ships would spend years looking for answers, but there are many that say the ship never really vanished. An even smaller group suggest those that reappeared in the Sol System might simply have been copies or clones of the original captives, a hypothesis generally laughed at by the scientific community. The alternative is that there is a Spacebridge out there, perhaps even an additional network that could provide the answers.
     
    Evolution of the Biomechs
     

    Admiral Jarvis Naval Station, T’Karan System
    IAS Euryale moved in a wide elliptical orbit around the vast space station. She was not the only one doing this, but no sooner had she arrived and the other vessels busily altered their courses. Of all the ships in T’Karan, IAS Euryale was now the furthest from the station. Her shape stood out against every other vessel, not due to her size or ungainly appearance, but because of the great double ring at her stern. This odd arrangement made her appear like no other. Neither the humans nor the myriad of races in the many worlds connected to the Helios Nexus used such technology. White flashes burned continually from her main drive as she moved onto her orbital course.
    Created over a decade ago, the Admiral Jarvis Naval Station was massive, and one that had no equal in the known galaxy. It was a thriving places, a centre for commerce,