Omega Taskforce Series: Books 1 - 3: A Military Sci-Fi Box Set

by G J Ogden

  “Yes, yes, I misspoke!” blurted Colicos, apparently seeing an opportunity for a reprieve. “It is possible. Just challenging. And agonizing. It is a painful process, and one that so far no-one has recovered from.”

  Sterling lifted the tip of the scalpel blade so that Colicos could see it. The scientist’s eyes grew almost as wide as the Sa’Nerra’s egg-shaped orbs.

  “Believe me, the suffering of your patients is nothing compared to what will happen to you if you fail, or refuse to help,” Sterling said.

  A neural link formed in Sterling’s mind. He allowed it through and connected to Lieutenant Shade.

  “Captain, MAUL has just surged into the system along with six phase-one Sa’Nerran Light Cruisers,” Shade announced, calmly. “Two of the cruisers were torn apart on arrival from the surge stresses, and the four that made it through took heavy damage. Even so, they will intercept us before we reach the aperture to Thrace Colony.”

  “Understood, Lieutenant, I’m on my way,” Sterling replied. He then tapped his interface to close the link.

  “Saved by the bell, doc,” Sterling said, dropping the scalpel back into the tray by the side of the operating table. “We’ll talk again soon.”

  Sterling then turned to leave, but Colicos’ indignant screeching followed him.

  “You can’t just leave me here like this!” the scientist protested. “Where is the surgeon!”

  Sterling peered through the glass and saw that Commander Graves was operating on Jinx the beagle hound. Banks was standing to Graves’ side, watching the medical-doctor-turned-veterinary-surgeon like a hawk.

  “My medical officer has a more important patient to attend to,” Sterling said, as the door slid open. “He’ll be with you when he’s free.”

  Sterling stepped outside and waited for the door to slide shut behind him, cutting off the panicked squawks of Dr. James Colicos as it did so.

  Chapter 30

  Fortune and providence

  Sterling strode onto the bridge with Commander Banks close behind and jumped onto the command platform. The viewscreen was already focused on the squadron of Sa’Nerran vessels that were in pursuit.

  “Report, Lieutenant,” said Sterling, aiming the statement at his weapons officer. Then he noticed that Lieutenant Razor was also back on the bridge, in her usual place beside the aft consoles.

  “We’re receiving a hail from MAUL, Captain,” said Shade, her voice containing the subtlest hint of intrigue.

  “Well, you’d better put it on the viewscreen then,” replied Sterling, also intrigued to hear what the commander of Sa’Nerra’s most decorated warship had to say. Sterling glanced across to Banks, who appeared just as curious to learn the reason for the communication request as he was. Moments later, the image of the approaching Sa’Nerran warships faded and was replaced by Emissary Clinton Crow, dressed in Sa’Nerran armor.

  “Captain Sterling, what a surprise to find you out here,” said Crow, sounding not in the slightest bit surprised. “I would have expected you to be with the rest of your Fleet, attempting to stave off our invasion armada.”

  Sterling smiled. “Oh, we’re just out here running some shakedown tests, you know? We have a few upgrades and I wanted to try them out.”

  Crow’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s not play games, Captain,” he said, suddenly taking a more menacing tone. “I know why you’re here and I know what you’ve done.”

  “Then you also know that no matter what you say or demand, my answer will be the same,” Sterling replied, calmly.

  “And what answer is that, Captain?” Crow spat.

  “That you can kiss my ass, Emissary Crow,” replied Sterling, with relish.

  Sterling ended the transmission and turned to Shade. “What’s the condition of the Sa’Nerran squadron, Lieutenant?”

  “MAUL has fallen to the rear of the formation, Captain,” Shade replied. “It’s in bad shape, but our scanners detect its weapons are still online.”

  “What about the cruisers?” Sterling added, updating his Captain’s console with the latest scan data.

  “They all took heavy damage during the surge,” Shade replied. “I’m reading multiple hull breaches and power fluctuations. They might fly themselves apart before they even reach us.”

  Sterling huffed a laugh. “I think we’ve used up our quota of luck for this mission, Lieutenant,” he replied. “What about the torps we jettisoned as mines?”

  Shade worked her console then the viewscreen updated to show the location of the torpedoes and the course of the Sa’Nerran squadron. “They’re heading straight for them, sir,” she announced. Sterling detected a modicum of satisfaction in his weapons officer’s voice. Killing Sa’Nerra was about the only thing that brought Shade close to appearing happy.

  “At their current speed the enemy squadron will be within optimal firing range in five minutes,” Banks then chimed in. “But it will take twice that length of time for us to reach the aperture and surge. Even then, there’s nothing to stop the cruisers following us through.”

  Sterling turned to his chief engineer. “This is the part where you explain your genius plan to boost our engine power, Lieutenant.”

  Sterling’s statement had been worded a tad facetiously, but he was deadly serious. The engineer was equally as deadpan in her reply.

  “I can give you more power, sir, but it’s the dirtiest hack job I’ve ever done in my life,” Razor replied. “I can’t promise how long the boost will hold, but I can promise you that it will be a close-run thing.”

  “Do it, Lieutenant,” Sterling replied. “Give Keller everything you’ve got.”

  Sterling turned to his helmsman. “I’m afraid that’s not the only miracle I need performing today,” he said, meeting the ensign’s curious eyes. “I need you to vector a surge deep into the Thrace Colony system. We need to emerge so far away from that squadron of alien killers that they have no choice but to give up the chase.”

  Keller twisted back toward his station and moments later a number of surge projections were displayed on the viewscreen.

  “I took the liberty of running some calculations already, Captain,” Keller said. The ensign’s head was turned away from the command console, but if the young officer had been looking, he’d have seen his captain swell with pride. “I can get us close to the aperture to Middle Star. Close enough that they’d never reach us before we surged.”

  Sterling slapped his hand on his console in triumph. If they could reach Middle Star then Christopher Fletcher’s fleet would deter the Sa’Nerra from continuing their pursuit. “Good work, Ensign. Enter the program and stand-by to surge.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Keller replied, continuing to tap away at his helm controls. “There might not be much of us left once we emerge.”

  “I don’t care if we have to get out and push the Invictus through that aperture to Middle Star, Ensign,” Sterling hit back. “Just get us there.”

  Lieutenant Shade’s console then chimed an update.

  “Captain, the lead cruiser is approaching the minefield,” the weapons officer announced.

  “Put it on the viewscreen,” Sterling said, sliding his hands into their familiar grooves on the sides of his console. “Let’s see if lady luck is still with us.”

  A magnified image of the lead Sa’Nerran Light Cruiser appeared on the screen. Its three companions were clearly visible to its rear, though MAUL was trailing far behind. Sterling updated his scans of the alien’s top gun and saw that it was faltering badly. Two surges through an unstable aperture were too much even for the Sa’Nerra’s mightiest warrior, it seemed.

  “Twenty seconds to impact,” Shade called out.

  Sterling held his breath and waited. If he could disrupt the alien’s pursuit even for a moment, it might be enough, in tandem with the engine boost, to pull the Invictus clear of danger.

  Several flashes lit up the viewscreen. Banks shook her fist and cried out, but Sterling’s head hung low. He knew that the flashes were not c
aused by torpedo explosions, but by Sa’Nerran plasma weapons.

  “The lead cruiser has targeted and destroyed the torpedo, Captain,” Shade said, confirming Sterling’s suspicions. More flashes popped off in the darkness. “They’re targeting the other torpedoes too. It didn’t work.”

  This time Banks slammed her hand down on her console. Despite the fact Razor had reinforced the stem, on account of the first officer’s frequent, super-human outbursts, the metal still groaned like an old shipwreck.

  “How the hell did they see them?” Banks said, throwing her arms out wide.

  “They didn’t,” Sterling said, realizing what had happened. “But MAUL did.”

  Banks cursed then squeezed her hands into fists. “Damn it, one day soon that ship is going down,” she said, seething with anger. “Even if I have to tear it into scrap with my own hands.”

  The Invictus was then rocked hard as if they’d collided with an invisible object directly ahead. Sterling was thrown over the top of his console and landed heavily on his back. Strident alarm tones pierced the air and Sterling was peppered with debris from exploding consoles and power relays.

  “Engine one has overloaded, Captain,” Razor called out, raising her voice to a yell to be heard over the commotion on the bridge. “I have to shut it down or it'll blow, taking half the ship with it!”

  “Do it, Lieutenant!’ Sterling called back, dragging himself to his feet. “What’s the status of engine two?”

  “It’s stable, for now,” Razor replied, rushing from console to console to perform the necessary actions. “But the momentum we’re carrying, plus the thrust from the remaining engine won’t be enough.”

  Sterling cursed as he clawed himself back around the front of his console. Banks was at her station, sporting several additional cuts and bruises, while Shade was also dragging herself back to her feet.

  “Get down there and do whatever you can, Lieutenant,” Sterling called over to his engineer. “If we can’t reach the aperture before they’re in weapons range, there’ll be nothing left of us to surge.”

  Razor acknowledged the order and staggered off the bridge as Sterling turned his attention to the damage report. Despite the violent reaction to the engine overload, the additional damage to the ship hadn’t been severe.

  “Sir, the lead cruiser is preparing to fire,” Shade called out. There was an urgency in her voice that was rarely heard from his weapons officer.

  “How? It should still be out of range,” said Banks.

  “They’ve pushed their engines beyond their limits to reach us, sir,” Ensign Keller called out. He too looked shaken and was sporting a fresh cut to the side of his face. “Their engines are burning out. They sacrificed their ability to return to Sa’Nerran space in order to catch us.”

  “Strengthen the aft regenerative armor,” Sterling called over to Shade. “Take power from anything but engines.”

  Shade acknowledged, then the ship was pounded by an initial volley of weapons fire from the lead Sa’Nerran Light Cruiser.

  “Armor holding, but we can’t take many more hits like that,” Banks said.

  “How long until we can surge, Ensign?” Sterling said. He could feel through the deck plating that the Invictus was tiring. It had already run a marathon and was now being asked to run a sprint. If it were any other ship, Sterling knew that it would have already faltered. However, the Invictus was no ordinary ship and she had no ordinary crew.

  “Two minutes, Captain,” Keller replied. Sterling could hear the despair in his helmsman’s voice. Despite his inexperience, Keller had seen enough action to know that they wouldn’t last another sixty seconds, never mind twice that.

  “Get creative with your evasive maneuvers, Ensign,” Sterling replied, maintaining the confidence in his voice. Keller and the rest of the crew had to believe there was still a chance, even if logic dictated otherwise. “We can make it. Just stay the course.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Keller replied, immediately throwing the Invictus into a series of chaotic moves using their RCS thrusters.

  Another blast rocked the ship, but Sterling could feel that it was only a glancing blow. Another slice of luck, though he knew that whatever good fortune had kept them alive this far was dwindling rapidly. He wracked his brain for another idea – anything that could buy them an extra sixty seconds – but he came up blank.

  “Surge detected!” Banks called out.

  “From where?” replied Sterling, suddenly feeling his heart thump harder in his chest.

  “Thirteen ships, directly ahead. They’re coming from Thrace,” cried Banks. “And we’re right in their lane.”

  “Hold your course, Ensign,” Sterling ordered, aiming a finger at his helmsman before Keller could even contemplate steering them wide. They needed to carry all the forward speed they had.

  Multiple flashes popped off ahead of them and thirteen new ships entered the system. Alarms wailed as the Invictus found itself on a collision course with one of them. However, unlike the battered Marauder, the new arrivals were fresh and agile, and their weapons were already armed. Plasma turrets flashed and mass cannons erupted sending a storm-front of death toward the Sa’Nerran Light Cruiser. The enemy vessel was obliterated in an instant.

  “They’re Fleet ships,” said Banks, continuing her scan. “The lead vessel is a generation one destroyer.” The Invictus’ first officer laughed and turned to him. “Well, I’ll be damned…” she said, shaking her head. “It’s the Bismarck.”

  The comm system chimed and Sterling immediately put the caller through. Like Banks, he already knew who it was.

  “Need any assistance, Captain Sterling?” asked Christopher Fletcher, with a wry smile.

  “You certainly know how to make an entrance,” Sterling replied, suddenly feeling the muscles in his body go limp. “Thank you for responding to my distress call.”

  Fletcher nodded. “Any chance to take down a few more Sa’Nerra, Captain,” the former Fleet officer replied. “The aperture is clear, so go ahead and surge to Thrace. We’ll take care of this lot then meet you on the other side.”

  “Understood, Captain Fletcher,” Sterling replied. “Be careful of the heavy destroyer to the rear of the group. It’s wounded, but still dangerous.”

  “I’d love a chance to take down MAUL,” Fletcher replied, “but it’s already seen the writing on the wall and bugged out.”

  Sterling glanced down at his console and saw that Fletcher was correct. The alien’s most decorated warship would live to fight another day.

  “And it’s just Fletcher, Captain Sterling,” the commander of the Bismarck then added. “I gave up my chance to become a captain long ago.”

  “Maybe it’s not too late,” Sterling replied, standing tall. “I’ll see you at Thrace Colony.”

  Fletcher nodded, then the comm channel closed and the viewscreen switched to a display of the thirteen former Fleet warships. Each one of them had first seen action before Sterling was even born, but all of them were still going strong, as were their commanders.

  “Ensign Keller, take us to Thrace Colony,” Sterling said, meeting his helmsman’s eyes. “Just a regular surge will do, Ensign. Nice and steady.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Keller replied, smartly.

  “It seems that luck is still with us, after all,” said Banks, stepping beside Sterling and leaning on his console. For once, she looked as weary as he felt.

  “That wasn’t luck, Mercedes,” replied Sterling, peering out at the warships on the viewscreen. “That was providence.”

  “Well, whatever it was, I’ll take it,” replied Banks.

  Sterling’s console then chimed and he saw that a message had been received. It was text only and transmitted from MAUL. Sterling opened the file and read it on his console.

  “You can’t run forever, Captain”, the message began. “Whether out in the Void or inside Fleet space, I will find you, and I will personally put you down. Fleet is finished. Earth is finished. You are finished.�
�� Sterling shook his head as Crow signed off the message with the man’s usual pomposity, employing his full title as “Emissary to the Sa’Nerra.” However, it was the final two words that pissed off Sterling the most. Two simple words that highlighted the depth of Crow’s betrayal. The message ended, “For Sa’Nerra.”

  Chapter 31

  A mutineer and a friend

  Sterling pressed his back against the wall of the Invictus’ narrow corridors to allow a maintenance crew to move past. It had been six hours since they’d landed at Bastion, after limping through Thrace Colony and surging to Middle Star. Chris Fletcher’s squadron of veteran former Fleet warships had made mincemeat of the Sa’Nerran Light Cruisers, but Fletcher had been unable to catch MAUL. The Heavy Destroyer carrying Emissary Clinton Crow had escaped back into Sa’Nerran space using the safe, regular aperture routes. Sterling should have been disappointed and frustrated by Crow’s narrow escape, but the truth was he was glad. Crow and MAUL were his. It was personal between them and if anyone was to take them down – Fleet or otherwise – it was going to be Captain Lucas Sterling.

  The maintenance crew was followed by a team of engineers from Bastion, loaned by kind permission of Fletcher himself. Then Sterling was finally able to continue on toward the medical bay. The door slid open and Sterling stepped inside to see Lieutenant Razor in one of the bays. Commander Graves and Commander Banks were standing by one side of the bed. However, it wasn’t the ship’s medical officer that was tending to Razor, but none other than James Colicos. The scientist’s robotic hand had finally been attached, but Graves had been unable to add any cosmetic enhancements with the time and resources the skilled surgeon had available. As such, the hand remained almost skeletal in appearance, with bare gunmetal-colored panels and visible mechanical joints. Nevertheless, the appendage appeared to function perfectly, responding as intuitively and naturally as a real hand.

  “Nice work, Commander Graves,” said Sterling, as he approached the medical bay. “Not that this asshole deserves it,” he added, glaring at Colicos.