Slaves of Hyperion (Star Crusades Uprising, Book 6) by Michael G. Thomas Read Free Book Online

part of the Confederacy. The planets were much better developed than their equivalents in Proxima Centauri and considered by many to be the old, more conservative colonies.
    “While we were busy fighting the Union, most of these colonies managed to avoid the Uprising. They infiltrated high levels of military and political life years before the War. If you recall, once the fighting started, they initiated a blackout. Only one fleet of ships made it through to us before the Union were able to clamp down.”
    Spartan looked to Teresa as he tried to work out what the Major was getting at.
    We know all of this, why doesn’t he get to the point?
    Teresa smiled uncomfortably but changed her expression as the Major turned to look at her. The short pause worried her, but he hadn’t noticed and instead looked to Spartan.
    “I know none of this is news. Since the fighting on Terra Nova, we have received the formal surrender of all remaining Union forces. Political posts and positions of military command have been scrutinised, and we’re making progress. Without the Core, their ships, communications and Biomech support killed them overnight. This disturbing news about the Atlantic Star is a worry though. As I said in the briefing earlier, there are still plenty of Zealots left out there, and some have the support of the locals. We still don’t know how they were able to obtain the technology, equipment or knowledge to cause so much trouble, and I suspect there may be more to come. If one ship has been lost at Hyperion, it means they still have some ships.”
    He tapped the screen and zoomed in on the green planet.
    “High Command suspect the Zealots may have been operating from a hidden base on some of the uninhabited worlds here. It’s been low priority with the peace keeping operations most of our ground troops are now involved with.”
    He paused and waited for the three to speak. Spartan looked a little confused before realising the Major wanted their opinions. He cleared his throat before starting.
    “Well, Sir, this entire sector was infiltrated far deeper than Proxima ever was. They could have been running the entire operation from Terra Nova itself from the start.”
    The Major looked unconvinced by his reply.
    “It is possible, of course, but how were they able to come almost from nowhere in this sector? We have never understood how the Zealots became so powerful and so quickly. It is as if they were elsewhere for months, perhaps years before. Maybe there is something out there we’ve not discovered yet? A missing link, as you will.”
    Teresa lifted her head slightly, implying she had something to add. The Major nodded towards her.
    “We know where the Zealots were. They’ve been underground for a long time. We’ve seen how these movements form and expand. The power behind them, the reason why we lost so early on, was that they had access to massive numbers of Biomechs and ships.”
    Major Daniels nodded in agreement. “Like on Prometheus?”
    “Exactly, Sir. That complex was kept hidden for years, and they had the capacity to create multiple generations of biomechanicals for the war effort. One other site could easily have done the same in Alpha Centauri. Unless they just transported them through the Anomaly.”
    He switched the device off and sat down.
    “Anyway, this is all conjecture. I have discussed this at depth with High Command, and they have already decided that our sister ship, the Santa Maria, is being fitted out for a special mission to conduct a systematic sweep of every moon around the inner worlds, including Hyperion. They will be taking an escort, as well as enough troops and supplies to eliminate enemy ground forces, if and when they are located. The new government is being pushed to hunt down anybody associated with this recent outrage, and it looks like it will coincide with a major hunt in this sector. The operation could take months, and that’s why I called you three in.”
    Spartan knew