The Great Betrayal by Michael G. Thomas Read Free Book Online Page B

were correct.
    “True, except the million were executed autonomously by the soldiers as they left, all so that six might avoid death by the atomics.”
    This silenced the Admiral, at least for now.
      “With this information, we can determine the Biomechs were broken in this war. We know that small numbers of their soldiers, like the one we have here and the one destroyed during the collapse of the Hyperion Rift remain, each of them hiding and waiting.”
    He straightened his back and again took a deep breath, as if preparing for some great speech.
    “They have soldiers and ships throughout the old worlds, including our own. Their homeworld lies beyond the Black Rift, almost two thousand light years from Helios, and if the Helions are right, they have been working on their revenge since they were forced into exile.”
    He then pointed at the image on the wall of the first photograph ever taken of Helios. It was becoming one of the most widely copied images in the history of humanity.  
    “Helios is the Nexus, the point at which every one of our races reaches the rest. High Command has determined that the Biomechs remain as a clear and present danger. We must therefore prepare ourselves and the other races if we want to avoid extinction.”
    He looked at each of them, gauging their expressions.
    “The days of wondering are over. From today, we are on a war footing, and we must do everything necessary to ensure we are ready. Because when they come, we will see a war that will make the Uprising look like a picnic.”

CHAPTER THREE
     

    Many people have questioned naval tactics and strategies ever since the first armed spacecraft clashed. The first battles were between modified conventional craft with ultra long-range missile systems. Neither ship would usually see the other, as they would be attacked and destroyed at a distance of hundreds of thousands of kilometers. With advances in electronic warfare in the middle of the twenty-first century, the ability to strike at long-range became more and more difficult. The battles soon changed to the great battleship duels of the Great War and the carrier battles and ship skirmishes of the Great Uprising. Looking to the future, all hopes rested on the idea of the universal ship design, with a mixture of weapons, armor, defensive systems, and embarked fighters. Events in the Orion Nebula would put this idea to the test.
     
    Naval Cadet’s Handbook
     

    The training scenario on board the Alliance warship was not the most well prepared that Jack had ever seen. Since the news that the entire regiment was to be shipped out, they had been practicing a great variety of different missions, and this was the fourth in the last fortnight. The entire training hall and barrack area had been converted to represent an urban warzone, but it was hard to visualize the place as anything more than a glorified Marine Corps kill house. The buildings were wood and plaster, most of which were unpainted, and the destroyed vehicles no more than stacks of crates and boxes with camouflage nets and sheets laid over them to give form. He inhaled, but the fully enclosed PDS armored suit removed anything that could be a contaminant so he took in the clean, yet slightly oily air the built-in storage tanks provided.
    “I’m in position,” he said quietly.
    The others in his team were spread out, and according to the computer generated overlay, were also ready and waiting. He looked at his target and then checked on both sides for signs of anymore of the guards.
    “Sentries eighty meters ahead. No sign of the hostage.”
    He dropped to one knee and moved into position behind one of the broken walls. In a single fluid motion, he took aim through the optical sight of the L52 Mark II carbine and placed the target drone directly in the center. It moved slowly, its imitation arms moving about as it did its best to act like a realistic target. To the right of the sight were a number of details that constantly