Fernix (Harmony War Book 4) Read online

  “Holy shit,” Fernandez said, the fight going out of her as her lightly tanned skin paled.

  “Whoever they were, I could never trace back to them. They cut themselves out of official channels and the back doors I tried to use. They’re good, and they might know that I was looking for them,” Jones warned.

  “This is getting better,” Fernandez sighed, shaking her head.

  “Yeah, so if you plan for them to have accidents, you better damn well be sure that they won’t be traced back to us,” Jones said, his eyes holding hers.

  But if it doesn’t come back to us, then we’ll be just fine.

  “Yes, sir, understood,” she said, looking into his eyes, and understanding the thoughts behind his stare.

  “In the meantime, we keep the armor out of their hands for as long as possible,” Jones said.

  Chapter 6

  EMFC Fearless

  Heading for Fernix

  12/3267

  The situation was delicate.

  Moretti wanted to help out his friends, but he also didn’t want to show who he was to more people than he needed to. There was also the fact that if anyone asked him for orders, then Moretti would have to run to Nivad to get clearance. Nivad wasn’t going to care about why people were training in powered armor or not.

  What he was going to care about was why Moretti was so invested in having a group, that he had helped save, train in powered armor. It was not something that Moretti wanted the head of the ministry of intelligence thinking about.

  So instead he bided his time, waiting for a report or something that would allow him to send an anonymous message to someone on Dauntless and get them to provide the Reclaimer Regiment with powered armor to train in. But it looked like the window for that was already diminishing. There was less than a week to go until they were all put into cryo for their trip to Fernix.

  Moretti looked at the telemetry that the Carriers were tracking; they could see the engine trails of the freighters. With the projected routes it was easy enough to find them. It would take years to catch up with the ones headed to Fernix, but they could.

  Moretti wished that they were in Fernix already. Harmony were just getting more time to build up their forces. The EMF got the same thing, as evidenced by the Carriers that were already starting to arrive outside of the system’s Oort cloud.

  He sighed. He had a major’s cabin all to himself.

  Daher’s hands found his chest. It was the middle of the night cycle and his worries had pulled him from his bed and from her.

  “Come back to bed,” she murmured in his ear, tired and enticing.

  Moretti thought to argue but he knew that he would get little done staying awake and staring at reports in the hope that he could change their cold analyses.

  “Okay.” A swipe of his hand cut off the holograms around his desk and he allowed himself to be pulled back to bed.

  Something was gnawing at him, he knew it was nerves and the knowledge that Fernix would be a battle the likes of which had not been since governments were in power on Earth.

  Chapter 7

  Legion Headquarters

  Roma, Hellenic System

  12/3267

  Legate Nerva walked through the headquarters with purpose. The place had changed since he had last visited it. When he had first seen the headquarters, it was just red rock being carved into a building. Now, it was a sophisticated nerve center for the entire legion, that spanned over the union’s protectorate.

  People walked around with holograms floating in front of them, elevators threw people up in the air and brought them down from the two hundred floors of the headquarters. Only forty of the floors were above ground.

  Powered armor troops moved around the area in packs, changing or roving guards.

  They weren’t the crude armor that the EMF or Harmony were using, it was powered with tech that was generations ahead of anything in Earth and Her Colonies. They weren’t just rough exoskeletons with armor slapped on, these were tried and tested war machines.

  Nerva continued his walk, people turning and looking at him as he walked through the main foyer of The Legion headquarters and stepped into a lift.

  It sent him flying downwards but it felt as if he was standing still. NIDenise had already input the destination and overlaid a route to Legate Aurelius’ office.

  He stepped out of the lift and towards two legionnaires behind armored glass wearing powered armor. Nerva didn’t miss the murder holes in the glass.

  “Please step into the scanner,” one of the legionnaires said through their armor’s speakers, indicating a tube with doors open to him.

  Nerva sighed and stepped in. It whirred for a few moments, the door on the other side opening.

  “Have a nice day, Legate,” the legionnaire said.

  “You too, Legionnaire,” Nerva replied.

  The place was a maze, filled with people walking around and not talking. Nerva found it weird, having been around people that needed to talk to communicate. Someone with a good control of their NIAI could think their words and sentences at one another.

  The perfect silent communication. Few actually used it regularly, people liked talking too much.

  Though these aren’t your regular people, you’re in spy territory now, Nerva thought to himself, arriving at Aurelius’ office.

  The door opened as he reached it and Nerva stepped in. Immediately his old friend wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug.

  “Watch it there, you might hurt something,” Nerva warned.

  “Hurt something, how could I hurt the grand Legate Nerva, defender of Roma itself?!” Aurelius said, a wide smile on his face as he stood back and took Nerva in. “Keeping in good shape, I see.”

  They were a good number of stories below ground but the screen showed the red stones, purple grasses and blue lakes of a country in one of Roma’s more exclusive underground caverns.

  “Thank you, shall we get to work?” Nerva sat on the couch, taking an offered cigar from Aurelius’ hand.

  “Feels like a lifetime ago that we last met face to face,” Aurelius lit Nerva’s cigar and then his own.

  “For me it’s not nearly as long,” Nerva said, letting the fragrant smoke rise from his cigar.

  “We didn’t all have the luxury of being in cryo-sleep for the majority of the last six hundred years. Damn, that’s enough to make anyone feel old!” Aurelius complained.

  Nerva cracked a rare smile as he puffed on his cigar.

  Chapter 8

  EMFC Dauntless

  Heading for Fernix

  1/3268

  Tyler and Alexis were both awake, holding onto one another and making the most of their remaining time.

  A message came across their implants that it was time to get into the cryo-pods.

  “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Alexis asked, her eyes focusing again as she looked back at Tyler.

  “Because Fernix is one of the planets where Harmony came from; they’ve got solid supporters and they’re making a true military. One that has discipline and is liked by the people, instead of the sadistic twisted bastards that we’ve been dealing with on Masoul and Osdal,” Tyler said, sighing.

  “Forgot to add that our own Carrier is actively trying to fuck us over,” Alexis added.

  “Thanks, forgot about that one.”

  “Well, we’ve got a few hours until we go into the freezer, so I’m going to take a shower and grab some food,” she said. Che, now Tyler's warrant, had been kind enough to give them a night to themselves.

  Tyler watched Alexis walk to the shower, not a speck of smart clothing on her skin.

  “Well? You coming, or am I going to have to wash by myself?” she asked.

  He jumped out of bed and followed her into the shower. He sure as hell wasn’t going to let that invitation go to waste.

  This married thing is awesome, he grinned to himself, Alexis laughing at his boyish joy.

  ***

  Jerome opened his
eyes to look at the damned pod that he was going to be stuck in for the next twenty-five years.

  He rolled his shoulders in his armor; all of the Reclaimer Regiment were wearing their full armor, with helmets, ammunition packs, and their personal weapons attached to them.

  If they were needed to attack another ship then they would be ready as soon as they came out of cryo, even if the ship wasn’t pressurized.

  Jerome looked at the others getting into their pods, helmets on, as harnesses locked to their armor and pulled them in tight. Medics hooked lines up to their bodies and injected chemicals that would put them into a cryo-state.

  “Once more into the freezer. I should get a new job,” Dashtund complained.

  “Oh, shut up you big baby,” Dominguez said, pushing him lightly.

  Dashtund grinned, swinging her to the side, like a dance move Jerome had seen in some old holovids.

  “What!” Dominguez said, and Dashtund planted a kiss on her lips. She tensed, and then melted into his embrace.

  Dashtund pulled her up again, beaming as the obstinate Dominguez turned an interesting shade of red.

  “Jackass!” she said, punching him lightly, her other hand wrapped up in his.

  “Ahhh, I feel better already!” Dashtund grinned.

  The Triple-Twos and leaders of Reclaimer Regiment shook their heads.

  “Bout time you two just came out and said you were together,” Alexis said, holding Tyler’s hand. “Means we can go on double dates now!” she beamed, but Tyler winced and Dominguez looked horrified.

  “Oh, we have got to do some planning on that little idea,” Dashtund said.

  “Haas!” A woman’s voice called out, one that the Triple-Twos knew well. They turned to see a smiling Second Lieutenant Young running through the spine.

  Haas turned, part of the circle of leaders and Young jumped, wrapping her legs and arms around him and kissing the confused man.

  She pulled away looking around at everyone, still a limpet on Haas’ armor.

  “Heya, guys,” she smiled victoriously, and Haas blushed deeply.

  “Hey, Young,” Jerome said, the others greeting her with nods and smiles.

  “Triple date?” Dashtund asked.

  “Well, that is an idea,” Alexis nodded, her thoughtful look turning into a mischievous grin.

  “All of your Troopers are sealed in their pods,” a medic said to the group.

  “See you on the other side,” Mark said, pulling his helmet on, sealing it and heading for his pod. The other leaders seemed to take that as their signal.

  Jerome pulled his helmet on, and the smart cloth on his neck sensed the helmet, snaking up to connect with it to make a full body seal.

  He followed Mark, the two of them walking in silence.

  “See you on the other side bro,” Mark said stepping backwards into his pod, and pulling the harness down around him.

  “You too,” Jerome breathed as he walked, clearing his head. The next time he woke up, they would be fighting Harmony’s Chosen.

  Chapter 9

  Fabrication Plant Four

  Fernix Prime, Fernix System

  5/3270

  Akani looked over the moon as it passed below; it had more people living on it than all of Fernix Prime which it orbited. It was a rocky land mass, with a lower gravity than Fernix Prime. The whole surface was covered in factories that machined out specialist parts for every type of ship. It still produced a number of ships’ parts, but many of the sprawling factories below were manufacturing ammunition, weapons, powered armor, and the tools of Harmony’s war.

  The shuttle came down to land on Fabrication Plant Four. Six of the massive factories made up the entire surface of the moon, which had been turned into a cube.

  Akani checked his suit and walked out of the shuttle as its ramp came down. He was used to the magnetic boots that kept him attached to the planet’s surface.

  A grim looking man bowed as Akani stepped onto the landing pad.

  “Come, Charlie, let us get this done,” Akani said.

  “Yes, sir.” Charlie’s voice was deep and gravelly. He wore a black spacesuit with built in armored plates, and red accent lines cut up the space suit, making the man wearing it appear fierce and deadly, as if his large stature wasn’t enough to give that away.

  “How is production?” Akani asked, moving towards the airlock that led away from the landing pad and into the factory.

  Six Chosen, wearing powered armor with the same color pattern as Charlie, moved in around Akani, forming a circle of protection. Few knew that Akani was Fernix’s head of Harmony; that was what the politicians were for.

  Charlie was one of the few people who knew Akani’s real identity, and he was also the commander of the Chosen forces on the Blue Moon.

  “Everyone is meeting their quotas, most are exceeding. Having the EMF coming for us has lit a fire under their asses,” Charlie said.

  “Good. What about the weaponry?” Akani asked.

  “The heavy machine guns should punch through the powered armor plating, the bolt action rifles certainly will. The metal storm, we’ve added in the burst function so people don’t unload in one go. It’s pretty much useless on the powered armor, so we’ll be giving them modified bolt action rifles with large magazine capacities, with metal storm rifles for if they come upon non-powered armor wearing Troopers.” Charlie walked with Akani into the airlock, and it quickly cycled and they stepped out into the factory. Akani opened his mask, smelling the metal and heat of a functioning factory, an aroma he always associated with productivity.

  “The launchers?” Akani asked.

  “We’ve had some success with them, but for the most part they’re fucked.” Charlie sent Akani a video, and he saw someone with a tube on their shoulders which was pointed at a suit of powered armor. They fired the rocket and it promptly exploded, the person disappearing.

  “After that we started using dummies to fire the weapon system,” Charlie said.

  “Will we have anything functional by the time the Troopers get here?”

  “Probably, but I don’t know how effective it will be. I was hoping to get something like a tracking ability in the holovids to take down the Combat Shuttles,” Charlie shrugged at his own words.

  “Very well, what about the space forces?” They were walking through the production area keeping within the yellow lines. Workers looked up as they passed, saluting. Akani smiled and returned the gesture. His dour looks returned as soon as they were back in automated areas of the factory.

  “They’re going to make the EMFC’s lives living hell,” Charlie promised, his smile anything but kind.

  “Good,” Akani said, pulling up the newest reports on Harmony’s own Carriers, the fighters they held and their armaments. There would be ten of them completed by the time the EMF reached Fernix.

  “I never understood those EMFC’s just armoring their freighters on one side. They even have their bridge on the outside. We’ll smash the bastards,” Charlie promised.

  “I will hold you to that, Charlie.”

  “Yes, sir.” Charlie accepted the challenge with a slow smile.

  Chapter 10

  SLS Savior

  Heading for the Crecy System

  7/3279

  It had taken Nerva years to get away from Roma, and when he returned he’d been treated like some kind of celebrity coming back from the grave. He hated it, and turned to training with new legions that went through The Legion headquarters.

  He had built up connections within the legions and he met up with those that were still remaining. It had taken a lot of maneuvering, but he was finally going out with a reinforcing legion to help a human-occupied system repel their Maraukian invaders.

  It would take a matter of months to cross a distance that would have taken him centuries while asleep in cryo with Earth’s Military Force.

  “Well, this is looking more fucked every time I see it,” Nerva said to himself as he looked through the EMF’s i
nformation. They had quantum computing, but for AIs there was little protection against their interest.

  “It is quite the mess,” NIDenise agreed. Things were still not the best between the two of them, but they both inhabited the same body, so they had come to a new relationship.

  “Yeah, so far other Carriers have taken freighters, but Dauntless is up next and it looks like they’re all trying to get rid of the Reclaimer Regiment,” Nerva sighed, rubbing his face.

  While it had been years since he had last seen the people from Reclaimer, it had been weeks for them. There was no denying his feelings, he had never had children or taken a wife; he, like Aurelius, had turned his life towards serving The Legion, to helping his brothers and sisters in arms. That had taken him to Earth’s Military Forces.

  At first he had hated his work, but after a while he’d started to work with the people of the EHC. He wanted to recruit people that were good at fighting and smart. A number of dead Troopers ended up serving as legionnaires.

  While training them, he became close to them, none of them closer than the Victors. Mark, Tyler, and Jerome were the sons he’d had never had, Alexis his daughter.

  He cared for them, hell, he cared for everyone in his division, he’d got to know them and that was what made watching their battle so hard.

  He knew what was coming, and it could change Earth and Her Colonies forever.

  A new report came across his vision; the Reclaimer Regiment was being woken up to capture a freighter. There would be five more freighters before they reached Fernix, it would slow them by two years but when they got there, the rest of the assembled fleet would be moving into the system.

  Another report entered his vision. The scouting vessels that Nivad had commissioned had found Harmony’s FTL node outside of Masoul.

  Why did they have a scouting vessel? Nerva thought.

  “Unknown, but four others were sent out to scout the Luyten system and the other uninhabited star systems within twenty light years of Earth,” NIDenise supplied.