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

his head in amusement as he said the last line. The standoff continued only for another six seconds, but for both sides it felt like an eternity. They were well matched in numbers, with a dozen fighters on each side. Dobbs’ force had the advantage though, with each of his men in full tactical armor and carrying assault weapons. Only one of the defenders carried a carbine, the rest held no more than sidearms or the odd thermal shotgun.
    “Very well,” said Lieutenant Dobbs.
    He pulled the trigger, and at the same time the commander of the station dropped to the ground. One of the defenders was too slow and took the full brunt of the coilgun fire to the face. At this range, the subsonic rounds tore through flesh and bone with ease. The cadet was dead well before the blood even hit the wall.
    “Open fire!” Colonel Pierce ordered.
    With those few words, the battle for Prometheus Seven began, and with it the very fight for the soul of the Alliance. Shots rang out, but for every pistol shot or thermal shotgun round, there were a dozen coilgun bullets. The numerous interior cameras captured every weapon discharge. Colonel Pierce lifted his handgun up and emptied the clip in the direction of the intruders while simultaneously checking his secpad. He’d managed to drop the unit, and the screen was cracked, but luckily it still worked. There were five other breaches, but marine squads had reached them in time, and they were contained.
    Look’s like it will be decided here.
    Another of his crew was hit, but this time the man dropped down in time to avoid being killed. The round hit his cheek and did little more than cause a flesh wound, albeit a bloody looking one. Still the defenders kept up their fire. It was sporadic and poorly aimed, designed to do little more than keep the enemy busy. The secpad beeped quietly, and he nodded with satisfaction upon seeing the transmission status.
    That’s it. You keep murdering our people. Every round you fire is another nail in your coffin. And who is going to come and save the day, live on videostream for the entire Alliance to see?

CHAPTER FOUR
     

    Many of the first private sector industries were some of the oldest. Piracy, crime, and prostitution spread through the new colonies and trading routes. As ships arrived at refineries and shipyards, they brought with them so many vices that a new industry had to be invented from scratch, that of private security. It began with bodyguards and then moved up to escort ships. As with all arms races, as the private security increased, so did the means of the criminal. The first pirate attack craft rendered entire sectors deadly to travel and so came the first security squadron, the infamous, Crimson Squadron. This unit was based around an old converted freighter that was equipped as a Q Ship and marks the origins of the Private Security Sector.
     
    Origins of Private Space Travel
     
                                                          

    Taxxu, Uncharted Space
    Spartan opened his eyes and tried to focus on the shapes ahead. He could see the three machines, but only one of them changed into the correct color. As he watched, the machine shifted to blue and then red before turning to look right at at him.
    “Spartan, are you ready?”
    He looked at the red machine. Without a face or flesh it looked more like a metal golem. Apart from the odd movement of its cogs and motors, the thing was entirely stationary. He looked into its face and tried to see the eyes. All he could identify was the light red tint where its eyes were supposed to be. Spartan opened his mouth to speak but found words coming out without him even trying.
    “They are weak, ready for the invasion.”
    The machine turned to its comrade and then looked back at Spartan. It lifted one arm, but instead of a hand there was nothing but a thin spinning disk. It moved so fast it was impossible to tell if the edges were sharp or not.