by G J Ogden
“I do not believe there is enough organic material available in the Beagle hound to produce a sufficient run of new meal trays, Captain,” the computer chipped in.
“I wasn’t being serious, computer,” Sterling said, closing his eyes. “And I also wasn’t talking to you.”
“Then who were you talking to, Captain?” the quirky AI asked.
“Myself. Or no-one. What the hell does it matter?” Sterling snapped. He was in a foul mood and since the computer was the only intelligence available to him, he decided to take out his frustrations on the AI.
“I have recently added some new counselling programs to my repertoire, Captain,” the computer continued, still in a cheerful tone. “Would you like me to begin an anger management session?”
Sterling laughed. “No, I would not,” he replied. Then he frowned and opened his eyes. “Who the hell are you running these classes on, anyway?”
“Many members of the crew find my meditation and stress relaxation programs to be beneficial,” the computer said. Sterling thought he could detect a hint of pride in the AI’s voice, but then shrugged it off as his imagination.
“Like who?” said Sterling, growing more curious.
“I’m afraid that would violate my doctor patient confidentiality clause, Captain,” the computer replied, this time sounding more subdued and suitably serious.
“You’re not a damned, doctor, you’re a collection of circuits,” Sterling snapped.
Sterling was about to order the computer to reveal who it was running its courses on when the scratching sound started again. Cursing, Sterling got off the bed, muttering to himself then opened the door.
“Will you get lost?” Sterling snapped.
However, instead of seeing Jinx the Beagle hound, Sterling came face-to-face with Mercedes Banks.
“Is that an order, Captain?” Banks replied, folding her arms tightly across her chest. Jinx then trotted past and sat next to her boot.
“Sorry, Mercedes, I thought you were the damn dog,” Sterling said, stepping back from the door and inviting her in. “It’s been scratching at my door for last few minutes and driving me mad.”
“She just wanted to say hello,” Banks replied, stressing the word, “she”. Sterling’s first officer then moved inside and planted herself into his desk chair. Jinx trotted in after her and jumped up onto the bottom of Sterling’s bed.
“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sterling said to the dog. However, Jinx had already paced around in a circle and curled up on the covers.
“See, she likes you,” Banks said, smiling at the hound. “Though I don’t know why,” she added, pointedly.
“How come you’re still on the ship?” said Sterling, sitting back down on his bed. “I thought you’d be in the wardroom on the station, working your way through F-COP’s supply of meal trays.”
“I didn’t like the company,” replied Banks, spinning around in Sterling’s chair. “Besides, I’m not really in the mood.”
“It will all work out fine, Mercedes,” said Sterling, choosing to be the optimist of the duo for a change.
“What makes you say that?” replied Banks, who was still spinning around in circles.
“Because the alternative is that I murder Wessel and his pissant son and end up on a penal colony for the rest of my life,” said Sterling. Then he realized he was only half-joking.
“I’m wondering if that might be preferable to serving in his useless Earth Defense Fleet,” said Banks, stopping herself spinning by planting her boots on Sterling’s bed next to him. “They can’t even defend against stray meteors, never mind a Sa’Nerran invasion force.”
Sterling’s computer console on his desk chimed an alert. “Oh good, more orders,” said Sterling, sarcastically. He turned the screen so that he could see it and switched on the terminal. There was a new message, transmitted on a secure, encrypted channel. Sterling glanced at Banks, who also appeared to recognize the unique frequency. It was the Omega Taskforce channel. It was Admiral Griffin.
“Grab the secure ID chip from my top drawer,” said Sterling, pointing Mercedes in the right direction. His first officer swiftly obliged and Sterling slotted the chip into his console. He then placed his hand on the ID scanner and cleared his throat. “Unlock Omega Directive, authority Sterling Alpha One.” The message unlocked and new data flooded onto Sterling’s console.
“What is all this?” said Banks, frowning at the screen. “It looks like co-ordinates and surge-field configurations, but I don’t recognize any of them.”
Initially, Sterling was as confused as his first officer was. Then it dawned on him what Griffin had just sent them.
“These are the locations and surge-field configurations of other hidden apertures,” Sterling said. Suddenly, he felt that things were starting to looking up. “Griffin has given us a route back out of Fleet space.”
“But why?” Banks asked. “There’s nothing else in the Void that’s of use.” She then reconsidered her statement. “Or is there?”
Sterling shrugged. “If there is, she’s not said what, at least not in this message.”
“Wait, there is more,” said Banks, finding another file in the bundle of encrypted data. “It’s just a plain message again, like the last one she sent us.”
Sterling opened the file then read the contents out loud. “The Void Recon Unit has been disbanded but the Omega Taskforce remains. Do not let Colicos out of your sight. Standby for further instructions on this channel. The Omega Directive is in effect. Griffin.”
Sterling let out a long breath as he rubbed the back of his neck. It was barely more information than Griffin had communicated to him after the meeting with Clairborne. If anything, it left him with more questions than answers.
“Can she even give us orders now that we’re under Wessel’s command?” wondered Banks, who was still frowning at the screen.
“It’s not like all her previous orders were exactly above board, Mercedes,” Sterling replied with a wry smile. “We’ve always operated outside the boundaries of the regular Fleet. I don’t intend to stop now.”
Banks nodded. “Fair point, though if she’s no longer the Fleet Admiral, just how much can she get away with? How much can we?”
Sterling smiled. “I have no idea, but the way I see it, we have two choices. We take orders from Wessel and get used by him to take Griffin down. Or we carry on doing what we’ve always done.”
“And what’s that?” replied Banks.
“We do what’s necessary,” Sterling replied, suddenly growing in confidence. “We do whatever it takes to win the war, no matter the cost.”
Banks nodded. “The Omega Directive is in effect.”
“It always was, Mercedes,” Sterling replied. “It never stopped being in effect.”
Banks suddenly slapped her powerful thighs then sprang out of Sterling’s desk chair. “Come on,” she said, taking Sterling by the hand and hauling him up. Given his first officer’s strength, there was no way to resist her.
“Where the hell are we going?” said Sterling.
“The wardroom, of course,” Banks replied. She whistled to Jinx. The hound’s ears pricked up and she jumped off the bed. “I’ve just got my appetite back.”
Sterling laughed and followed Mercedes Banks out of the door. Jinx trotted along a few moments later, her robotic foot tapping on the metal deck plating in a brisk rhythm.
Sterling wasn’t naïve enough to believe that recovering James Colicos was the end to their problems, but he had hoped it would have been the start of the solution. As it turned out, Fleet was already a long way down the road to defeat. If F-sector was to fall and the Third and Fourth Fleets took heavy losses, defeat was almost certain to follow.
In the war against the Sa’Nerra, there is only victory or death… Sterling reminded himself, as he walked side-by-side with his first officer. To continue his mission, Sterling would be required to not only exceed his orders, but disobey them completely. T
his troubled him almost more than some of the terrible acts he’d already conducted in the Void under the Omega Directive. However, he also knew that it was necessary. And above all else, Sterling would do anything necessary to win.
Orders didn’t matter. Fleet didn’t matter. The United Governments didn’t matter. Only winning mattered. And he was going to win, whatever it took and whatever the cost.
The end (to be continued).
More by G J Ogden
If you like Omega Taskforce then why not check out some of G J Ogden’s other books? Click the series titles below to learn more about each of them.
Darkspace Renegade Series (6-books)
If you like your action fueled by power armor, big guns and the occasional sword, you’ll love this fast-moving military sci-fi adventure.
Star Scavenger Series (5-book series)
Firefly blended with the mystery and adventure of Indiana Jones. Book 1 is 99c / 99p.
The Contingency War Series (4-book series)
A space-fleet, military sci-fi adventure with a unique twist that you won't see coming...
The Planetsider Trilogy (3-book series)
An edge-of-your-seat blend of military sci-fi action & classic apocalyptic fiction. Perfect for fans of Maze Runner and I am Legend.
Audiobook Series
Star Scavenger Series (29-hrs) - click here
The Contingency War Series (24-hrs) - click here
The Planetsider Trilogy (32-hrs) - click here
About the Author
At school, I was asked to write down the jobs I wanted to do as a "grown up". Number one was astronaut and number two was a PC games journalist. I only managed to achieve one of those goals (I’ll let you guess which), but these two very different career options still neatly sum up my lifelong interests in science, space, and the unknown.
School also steered me in the direction of a science-focused education over literature and writing, which influenced my decision to study physics at Manchester University. What this degree taught me is that I didn’t like studying physics and instead enjoyed writing, which is why you’re reading this book! The lesson? School can’t tell you who you are.
When not writing, I enjoy spending time with my family, walking in the British countryside, and indulging in as much Sci-Fi as possible.
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