Operation Hellfire by Michael G. Thomas Page B

can put down a hell of a lot of fire."
    He smiled as he spoke.
    "Well, today you will be introduced to something very different."
    He licked his mouth with obvious relish.
    "Every member of this fleet is to be fully exposed to the military tradition, training, and equipment of the Byotai Empire. We will be fighting alongside them, but we can also expect to face many more in battle, all courtesy of our new friends."
    He nodded as though agreeing with something he'd just told himself.
    "Just as each of you has been trained to identify and utilise all Alliance small arms and equipment, you will now learn about these exotic and powerful new weapons, and how to recognise them when the time comes. If push comes to shove, we all need to know how to use them. Each of you is expected to be fully combat-capable, and if you are needed for infantry combat, you will step up and use whatever equipment is to hand. Understood?"
    "Yes, Sir!"
    The reply was loud and boisterous, made more so by the cramped interior of the training hall. He waited for a few more seconds, and then to their surprise he turned to the right and nodded towards the door. Nothing happened for several seconds, and for a moment Nate thought somebody has messed up. He tried to imagine the trouble they would be in, when in walked the armoured figure of Prince Kratha. Nate hadn't seen him since their violent escape from the Gas Mines. The alien entered the hall with his ever-present companion, General Honorius at his side. The pair kept moving at a slow walking pace until standing alongside the Alliance officers. Once there, the Prince spoke quietly to them before turning to the pilots and crew. Lieutenant Heiskell remained expressionless as he spoke.
    "Who better to explain Byotai weapons and tech than Prince Kratha and his military commander, General Honorius?"
    There was complete silence as they looked upon the two strange figures. Unlike Nate and his friends, many of them had not yet seen the alien, even though images of their escape had been viewed thousands of times on board the ship. The Prince was more than an alien warrior; he was now the ruler of the Byotai Empire, or whatever remained of it. That one fact alone made him something of a celebrity on the ship. Though the President of the Alliance was an important figurehead, it was nothing compared to the Royal Line of the Byotai, a family whose history was older than humankind's colonisation of the stars.
    "This should be interesting," said Rex.
    "Shh!" whispered Cassandra, while giggling.
    Weeks earlier Nate might have been annoyed. Back then he and Rex had been little more than archenemies, and Cassandra the girl he could never get the attention of. Now they were friends, perhaps not the greatest, but this posting aboard Relentless had brought them all much closer together. With the other new pilots, there might now just be ten of them in the Squadron, but the bond between them grew stronger every day. As well as those from the Academy, there was the brilliant, if pompous Bartholomew Hawkins, the Third, Augustyniak, Fletcher, and the flamboyant and noisy Foss twins. Every day they practiced together in the Fighter Control Suite, using the military Star Crusader Simulator to hone their skills.
    The Byotai spoke with the officers, and a low murmur of conversation quickly broke out in the group. Nate opened his mouth to speak with Cassandra but was pre-empted by another.
    "Can you believe this?" Hawkins asked.
    Nate looked to his left, and only then noticed that he was right there alongside him and looking at him, Rex, and Cassandra. Rex shrugged, but Cassandra had no issues with talking, perhaps even a little too loudly.
    "It makes sense, I guess."
    Hawkins shook his head ever so slowly so as not to draw attention to him.
    "Looks like we're all one big happy family now. Alliance and Byotai in it together."
    Nate's eyebrows rose.
    "You know that this Star Empire controls all the Byotai colonies in The Trinity, plus