Read Star Crusades Nexus: Book 09 - The Black Rift for Free Online Page A

her eyes a little to check the time.
    Another four minutes.
    She was due to meet up with three of her junior officers to plan the next seventy-two hours of operations. It was a long, drawn out process that required constant reports, updates, and intelligence from a hundred different units.
    “Incoming counter-battery fire.”
    It was a faceless warning, followed by a shrill siren that was sent out every few hours. It had happened now so many times that she didn’t even check to see where the warning had come from. The only thing she did check was the Alliance authorization that came with the warning. It all came up as clear and official, yet something deep down made her nervous.
    They’re smart, those damned machines. One false alert to keep our heads down could give them a chance to do something unexpected.
    It was a quick thought, but also an important reminder as to how the enemy could so easily work around their procedures. It was enough for her to check on the position and rank of the marine that had called out the order. It was a sergeant, newly arrived and stationed on the northern bunker.
    Good. In that case I’ll get my head down.
    Teresa automatically moved from her position and down into one of the hundreds of dugouts now littering the ruins of Helios Prime. Three other marines waited there and looked at her nervously.
    “First bombardment?” she asked.
    Two nodded, but a third shook his head. Teresa looked at him and noticed the scorch marks along the man’s shoulder. She’d seen them before, and they were from a weapon unique to this part of the universe.
    “You’ve fought against the Helions?”
    The man nodded.
    “Yes, Sir, we were here during the Zathee Uprising.”
    Teresa looked down at her leg. A similar mark ran from her thigh right down to her knee. It was an odd thing to bond over, but the shared damage seemed to draw far more interest than it should have.
    “We were hit by the Animosh on more than a dozen occasions.”
    The man sighed in agreement.
    “I saw three of my squad die from those things. When are we going to get some armor that’s proof against them?”
    Teresa almost laughed at that question.
    “You’ve seen the damage those weapons can do against a Bulldog?”
    The man nodded.
    “Well, do you want to be walking around in that gear? Not even the Vanguards are safe against repeated hits from Animosh thermal weaponry. Fire and movement are better protection against them, not worrying about armor.”
    She looked away from him.
    Even if we did have new weapons and equipment, how would it get here? The Rift is still shut down.
    The sound of interceptor guns rattled loudly, the final indication that the attack was coming. The micro-radar trackers were so accurate they could identify and monitor projectiles down to 20mm cannon rounds. In seconds, the automated gun turrets opened fire, and the sky filled with trails of projectiles, just as had happened a hundred times before.
    Here it comes.
    The bombardment was much shorter than expected. The first salvo struck short and merely shattered already ruined structures, as the broken shells disintegrated overhead and then fell like metal rain. Nine more shots came in after them, each containing high-explosive ordnance, but only three made it past the interceptors in one piece. The first struck one of the recently installed inner blast walls, tearing through it a hole the size of a man.
    There’s more to come.
    Two more shells came down and shook the ground. There was no immediate sign of danger; just the expected shaking and rumble from the impact. Within three seconds, the all-clear signal blasted out thorough the base.
    “Up top, we’ve got a war to fight, Marines.”
    Teresa was out first and in the low cloud of dust. She looked about and was relieved to see no bodies or burning vehicles. More marines emerged from their hiding places, like rabbits appearing from a warren.
    “Back to your posts, move it!” barked a sergeant.
    The