The Sergeant beckoned towards the ship as they moved aroundit.
“For the last nine months, High Command has been mobilising assets in ourold territories. We have been pulling troops back from Helios andbeyond. I mean serious numbers of assets.”
“So the outer colonies areundefended?”
“Some, yes. But most in Commandbelieve we need to deal with a problem closer to home. There’rerumours that troops have been mobilised from the1st,2nd,and 7th Divisions and are already on their way here.”
“The Terra Novans aredeploying off world?” Valentine askedbewildered, “That’s…very unusual.”
“Plus you said the2nd are coming? They’re the Old Terrans, right?” Alexisasked.
“Yes, one double-sized regiment, with more marines from Mars,Earth, Lunar, and other orbital colonies. Like I said, this is amajor operation. We’re talking entire Army groups.”
“For what reason?” Valentineasked, “We beat them here in Sol. Surelyone taskforce can clear Epsilon Eridani of whatever Skils areleft?”
Sergeant Jablonsky looked away for asecond as two marines approached. They spoke quickly, while Hawkinsmoved in closer and almost whispered into her ear.
“No way, Val. Command wants more than that if you ask me, a lot more. Wecan’t just let them burn Deimos to the ground and leave them be.They want more.”
“More? More what?”
“We’re not going to retaketerritory, we’re gonna hunt them, wherever we find them. I heardwe’ve had ships out at Eridani for months now.Sometimes the Skils get a few hits, andthe rest we do. It’s like the Wild West.”
Sergeant Jablonsky cleared his throat as he turned back tohis Novas. He was just in time for Hawkins to forget his place andlift his hands as he spoke.
“We going on the hunt, Sarge?Gonna bag us some Skils?”
“That’s enough, Hawkins.We’re not here to speculate. We’re here to getready. Now…go and get to our barrack space and get ready. Remindthe others.”
Hawkins’ nostrils flared, and then he turned and movedaway.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Harsh,” Valentine whispered.
“Oh, don’t worry abouthim,” Alexis said with a wink, “He likesto be pushed around, trust me.”
Valentine wasn’t quite sure whatshe meant, but then the look on Alexis’ face removed anyambiguity. Her eyes opened wide as shegrinned.
“Really, him? You’re serious?”
“Hey, you work with what you’ve got.And he’s got…”
She visibly shook and thenlaughed as the Sergeant nodded towardsdamage along the inner walls.
“Anyway, the Ski’ligs.Analysis of the siege has continued formonths. The fighting spread further than any of us expected, and sodid the damage. Deimos is in a real state.”
Valentine stopped at the wall and ran her artificial fingersalong the marks. She could make out the deep indentations fromshrapnel and gunfire.
“They weren’t just here to kill,they were here to try and cripple the entire colony. You might besurprised to know most of the casualties and damage were caused bythe Fallen, not the Ski’ligs.”
Valentine considered that fora moment and looked at the ship for a fewseconds. The signs of damage were well hidden, but she could stillmake them out. The Morato Class ship was one of the few theAlliance had constructed that could be considered even remotelyclose to aesthetically pleasing. Her streamlined hull was moreHelion than Human, and her armour and power systems had manysimilarities with the Byotai. In fact, the only part that matchedother classes in the fleet was the weapons.
“That makes sense.” She recalled those last hours of fighting,“Most of the attacks were wave assaults right at ourlines.”
“Yes,” said Alexis,“My thoughts, too. The Ski’ligs seemed to alwaystake cover and let others do the fighting for them first. What doesit matter, though? Deimos will get patched up, and I assume we’releaving soon to clear Epsilon of their taint.”
“The Ski’ligs are a bigger threatthan we ever thought possible,” saidSergeant Jablonsky, “I mean the biggest threat since theBiomechs.”
Valentine did not seem convinced.
“We held them off with a prettymodest force. I don’t think…”
“Thinking is irrelevant, LanceCorporal,” he snapped back more harshly than he’d intended, “Oncein physical contact they are able to turn an ally into a foe. Yousaw how they brainwashed entire ships filled with civilians. FleetCommand and the Council are terrified of this alienthreat.”
“Of course. Imagine what would happen if they landed on Prime orKerberos?”
“Or Terra Nova,”added Alexis, “They could turn ourpopulations against us, and that’s a war we lose even if we win.And that’s why our military is almost ready to go backin?”
“To EpsilonEridani?” Valentine asked.
“Yes,” said Sergeant Jablonsky, “We already have scouts out there,and that’s where we come in. Apparently, we will secure the systemfirst and use it as a jumping off point for ourcampaign.”
“Wait, you’re serious?I know the Captain was talking about this whenwe first beat them, but I thought the plan had beenscrapped?”
He smiled, but before he could say more, a squad of Mavericksmoved past. They made even the Novas seem tiny, and yet for alltheir size of nearly three metres, they were able to move with thesame speed and grace as a Marine. Valentine looked up the to theheavy weapons built into the armour and shook her head.
“What I would give to have one ofthose.”
Alexislooked towards the Sergeant as he stepped back to let them through.There was a quick glance, almost furtive, and then the machines hadmoved past.
“All things change withtime, Lance Corporal. You of all people shouldknow this best of all. Now…High Command wants the Ski’lig threatneutralised, not just stopped. There’s a public will to take thisfurther, and we will see it done.”
“What do you mean, Sarge?”
“I mean we’re not just retaking our lost territory. We’re takingthe fight to them, and we’re going in with a full invasionforce.”
Valentine could scarcely believewhat she was hearing. She’d assumed theywould be landing troops throughout the Eridani System andinstalling garrisons. There might even be a little combat as theymopped up any remaining Ski’lig forces. But this sounded likesomething much, much bigger. Even Alexis appeared surprised by thenews.
“You’re saying we’re going afterthe Ski’ligs? We’re actually taking the fight to them?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.We underestimated them before, saw them as insectoid intruders andlittle
