The Great Betrayal Read Free Page B

at least the Alpha Three docks. He just hoped they were the right ones. It took Jack almost ten more minutes until he reached the great observation deck that looked down onto the dry docks. The term was an anachronism, as the docks themselves were actually external to the station, and in reality, positioned in the void of space where they could be worked on in a weightless environment by scores of robotic workers. The docks were arrayed like a line of coffins, and in each was a ship in different stages of completion.
    It’s her!
    Jack stopped in his tracks and stared at the massive shape of the Alliance’s infamous Battlecruiser. He couldn’t believe that the two hundred and sixty-two meter long capital ship was finally repaired and ready for battle once more. The last time he’d seen the ship was when he had escaped from its burned hull, following their high-speed crash onto the surface of Helios. He looked at the ship and tried to count how many months ago it had been since the violent incident on the planet of Helios. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember.
    “I told you we’d rebuild her, and quickly too,” came a familiar voice.
    Jack spun about and almost lost his footing. His body moved, yet his head felt as if it were still in the same position. He almost fell to the ground again before righting himself and taking a lungful of air.
    You idiot!
    The shape of a man in a naval uniform moved about in front of him before he regained his balance. He focused carefully until he could make out the grizzled features of the commander of the station. He lifted his hand in an awkward salute that luckily the Admiral ignored. Anderson pointed to the gray warship.
    “The damage wasn’t as great as you might think. The internal systems were fully functional, even after the crash. The major problem was the layer plating.”
    Jack blinked and rubbed his eyes.
    “Plating?”
    Admiral Anderson could see the face of the Jack and recognized the hollow eyes and long face, an expression he’d seen hundreds of times before through three decades of war and loss. He extended an arm out to the ship and the flanks near the bow.
    “The layered plating extends all around to protect from kinetic projectiles. That is what took most of the thermal damage before the crash finished off the rest.”
    He turned back and smiled.
    “Engines, navigation, and weapons are all still working, apart from the keel turrets. We lost every one of them.”
    Jack was still stunned. He recalled the stories in the media about the loss of the ship and the ensuing public investigation. In the end, the blame had been laid squarely at the feet of the Helions.
    “I…uh…I never expected to see her again, not like this.”
    Admiral Anderson nodded in complete agreement.
    “You had better fall in with your unit.”
    He tilted his head slightly, pointing in the direction of Sergeant Stone and the rest of 3 rd Platoon. He saluted as best as he could, and then marched to join the rest of his unit. As he moved, he noted the scores of military personnel, each selected from the Marine Corps and Navy units stationed on board the largest and most significant Alliance base in the Orion territory, the newly constructed Admiral Jarvis Naval Station. Built in the heart of former T’Kari space, it was perfectly positioned as a strong foothold inside the Orion Nebula. One of the marines stuck out more than the rest.
    Wictred.
    His loyal friend was the only member of his team that survived the bloody battle on Helios. It was a memory he wanted to avoid, and as he moved in with the rest of his platoon, he lowered his eyes and tried to concentrate on the ship rather than the people around him. Admiral Anderson had moved back to a large group of high-ranking officers while the hundreds of assembled people waited in silence. Finally, he moved away and faced them.
    “Marines and sailors, you have been invited by your commander to witness the relaunch of our most