by G J Ogden
The Exile
Omega Taskforce: Book Three
G J Ogden
Contents
More by G J Ogden
Chapter 1
Here we go again
Chapter 2
The courage to act
Chapter 3
The battle titan
Chapter 4
Intense dreams
Chapter 5
A brief moment of respite
Chapter 6
Justice versus the law
Chapter 7
Clanging balls of steel
Chapter 8
What lies beneath
Chapter 9
The ghosts of fleet’s past
Chapter 10
Judgement time
Chapter 11
Between duty and humanity
Chapter 12
Thrace colony in the void
Chapter 13
Uninvited guests
Chapter 14
Reluctant saviors
Chapter 15
The crazy old man
Chapter 16
A moment of weakness
Chapter 17
New discoveries. New questions.
Chapter 18
A gateway to the unknown
Chapter 19
The good homewrecker
Chapter 20
A taste of its own medicine
Chapter 21
A duel in Sa’Nerran space
Chapter 22
The prognosis
Chapter 23
Permission to speak freely
Chapter 24
Relics of the war
Chapter 25
Those we leave behind
Chapter 26
The unique warrior
Chapter 27
I hope he’s worth it
Chapter 28
A necessary evil
Chapter 29
A very important patient
Chapter 30
Fortune and providence
Chapter 31
A mutineer and a friend
Chapter 32
Blood and port wine
Chapter 33
An ignominious end
Chapter 34
An unexpected assignment
Chapter 35
An uncertain future
Continue the journey
About the Author
More by G J Ogden
Copyright © 2021 G J Ogden
All rights reserved.
Published by Ogden Media Ltd
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Laercio Messias
Editing by S L Ogden
www.ogdenmedia.net
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
Chapter 1
Here we go again
Captain Lucas Sterling stepped onto the bridge of the Invictus and paused for a moment to drink in the view. The ship was still docked inside the Fleet Dreadnaught Hammer while it underwent repairs, but the bridge had already been fixed up. Returning to it felt like opening the front door of his house, hanging up his coat and dropping into his favorite chair after a long, hard day.
The notion of “home” was as alien to Sterling as the Sa’Nerra’s waspish language. Since joining the United Governments Fleet, over half his lifetime ago, Sterling had lived wherever his duties had taken him, with no one place feeling any more unique or special than another. The Invictus was different, however. This was his ship and his crew. The act of stepping onto the bridge of the Marauder-class warship was as close to a feeling of belonging as Sterling had ever experienced in his life. An icy cold shiver ran down his spine as he realized how close he had come to having it all taken away.
It had been two days since the destruction of G-COP at the hands of Emissary Clinton Crow, but barely a minute had passed without Sterling reflecting on what happened. They had managed to repel the Sa’Nerra this time, but the attack had just been a prelude to a full invasion. The alien war fleet was en route to G-sector, but rather than face them the War Council had ordered a retreat. G-sector was being surrendered to the Sa’Nerra in what was one of the biggest defeats of the fifty-year war.
However, while Fleet forces were withdrawing to F-sector, Sterling was preparing to go against orders and head in the other direction. Officially, the Invictus was also to withdraw to F-COP, but an Omega Directive from Fleet Admiral Griffin had ordered them back into the Void. Their mission was to find and retrieve disgraced and exiled Fleet scientist, Dr. James Colicos, at all costs. It had been Colicos’ experimentations that had led to the creation of the neural weapon and he was the reason the Sa’Nerra had it in their possession. Only Colicos could undo the damage he’d caused and find a way to reverse the effects of Sa’Nerran neural control.
Unfortunately, the War Council had not agreed, which was why the burden of retrieving the scientist fell to Sterling and his crew alone. However, this time Sterling would not have the cover story of the “Void Recon Squadron” to shield him from scrutiny. Obeying Admiral Griffin would require disobeying a direct order from the Secretary of War. Yet Sterling still believed in the Omega Taskforce. Sometimes doing what is necessary means breaking the rules, he told himself.
Sterling had been so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed Commander Banks also enter the bridge. She was now standing alongside him with Jinx – their surprise stowaway beagle hound – trotting along in tow.
“It always amazes me how quickly they can bang these things back together,” said Banks, who was also inspecting the spruced-up bridge. “The Invictus looks like it’s fresh out of the shipyard.”
“That’s what fifty years of war does for you,” commented Sterling, smiling over at his first officer. “The engineers on the Hammer are some of the best and most experienced in the Fleet. This sort of work is no more taxing to them than tying their bootlaces.”
Sterling advanced and stepped onto his command platform, then caught Lieutenant Shade glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Shade was at her weapons control station, as always. Sterling wondered idl
y if she’d ever left it. He nodded to Shade to acknowledge his weapons officer and she nodded back respectfully before returning to her work. Jinx the dog then jumped up next to Commander Banks at her station and let out a contented “yip”. The sound almost caused Shade to jump out of her skin. The weapons officer reached for her sidearm and spun on her heels, aiming the pistol at the dog, before stopping herself and doing a double-take.
“Don’t ask,” said Sterling, as Shade’s confused eyes met his own.
“Aye, Captain…” replied Shade after the shock of seeing a dog on the bridge had subsided. She holstered her weapon and scrutinized the miniature intruder for a few more seconds before returning to her work.
Sterling smiled as he glanced over to Ensign Keller who was also at his station. Sterling could see from his captain’s console that the helmsman was busy finishing off a diagnostic to recalibrate the helm controls. This had been necessary because of a much-needed engine tune-up that the Hammer’s repair crews had performed while they had been docked to the mighty Dreadnaught. Sterling allowed the ensign to finish, considering that it may well be the last opportunity they would have for some time to perform routine maintenance. There were no advanced repair facilities in the Void, and the few adequate facilities that did exist would likely not welcome a Fleet warship into their dock.
“How is it coming along, Ensign?” asked Sterling, drawing the gaze of his pilot.
“Almost done, sir,” replied Keller, the tone of his voice sounding almost as breezy as their ship’s quirky gen-fourteen AI. Sterling wondered what had caused the ensign to be in such a chipper mood when he noticed the glint of metal just beneath the collar of Keller’s tunic.
“How are you feeling, Ensign?” Sterling asked, remembering that his pilot had been officially dead only a few days ago. Commander Graves had managed to resuscitate the ensign then replace several organs, as well as his sternum and half of his ribs with technological substitutes. The fact that these cybernetic enhancements were highly-experimental and entirely illegal hadn’t bothered Sterling in the slightest. All he cared about was that his ensign was alive and ready to resume his duties.
“I feel amazing, Captain,” beamed Keller. “Though Commander Graves said that might be the result of all the drugs I’m taking.”
Sterling suddenly felt a familiar neural link form in his mind. He accepted it and prepared for the inevitable snarky or sarcastic comment that he was sure would follow.
“That’s just great… Our pilot is as high as a kite,” said Commander Banks through the link. She was looking at him out of the corner of her eye from her station beside Sterling’s. “Are you sure you still want him at the helm?”
“I’d trust a spaced-out Keller more than almost any other pilot,” Sterling replied, smiling over at his first officer.
“It’s your funeral,” Banks replied. Then she frowned. “No, wait, it'll be mine too…”
Sterling huffed a laugh, glad that his first officer was also in high spirits, though he guessed that this was largely due to her new furry companion. He closed the link then returned his attention to his helmsman.
“I take it that you’re up for some more daredevil piloting then, Ensign?” Sterling said to Keller.
“Of course, sir,” the ensign replied, still with a carefree nonchalance to his speech and mannerisms. “I’ll be finished long before we’re scheduled to depart the Hammer.”
“Change of plans, Ensign,” replied Sterling, more sternly. “We’re leaving now.”
This statement caused the helmsman to stop work and spin his chair around to face Sterling.
“As in right now?” asked Keller, raising an eyebrow.
“Is there another now that I should be aware of, Ensign?” Sterling replied, his answer causing a corner of Banks’ mouth to curl up.
“No, sir,” replied Keller, smartly. The ensign then spun his chair back to his helm controls, looking a little red-faced, but no less jaunty.
“All the crew is on board, sir,” said Commander Banks, this time speaking out loud. “We’re light on numbers, though. Fifty-four in all, including twenty commandoes. We weren’t scheduled to get replacements until we docked at F-COP.”
Sterling sighed. “It will have to do, Commander,” he replied, wearily. “What about the status of the ship? Were the Hammer’s engineers able to finish the repairs that were initiated at G-COP?”
Banks worked her console for a few seconds then half-nodded, half-shrugged. “Yes and no,” she began. Sterling saw the status report flash up on his console then Banks skipped across to join him at his station. “The important systems are all back online. Weapons, engines, armor…” Banks went on, tapping her finger on the various systems while she talked. “But several crew sections are still out of action and parts of engineering look like a building site. The former isn’t really a problem, considering we have fewer crew than usual.”
Sterling nodded. “So long as we’re fighting fit, it doesn’t matter if we still look a little beat up in places,” he replied. He scanned the ship’s stores and his brow furrowed. “This might be a problem, though,” he said, enlarging the readout so that Banks could also see it.
“Ah, crap,” replied Banks before also letting out a weary sigh. The first officer glanced up from the screen and met Sterling’s eyes. “We’re light on food packs, water and parts. We can’t requisition them from the Hammer, since they know we’re getting resupplied at F-COP. That means we’ll have to stop in the Void to re-supply.”
“More importantly, we’re not carrying enough fuel to make it to the Void and back,” Sterling added. “We can go on rations and try to fabricate any parts we might need in the workshop, but fuel we can’t magic out of nothing.” Sterling noticed that Banks was looking at him like he’d just spat on her shoe.
“Go on rations?” Banks repeated, sounding utterly appalled at the suggestion.
“I’m sure you can manage for a few days,” replied Sterling, shaking his head. Jinx yipped and made a strange growling sound.
“See, our new acting ensign agrees with me,” said Banks, pointing to the beagle hound.
“The dog doesn’t get a vote,” Sterling hit back. “Neither do you for that matter,” he added, unsympathetically.
“Fine, but I should warn you that I can get pretty grouchy when I’m hungry,” said Banks.
“Noted, Commander,” replied Sterling, remaining blithely indifferent to his first officer’s plight. “We’ll find somewhere to take on supplies as soon as we’re into the Void,” he continued, clearing his console. “First, we actually have to get through the aperture with half of the Fleet and the Hammer standing guard.
“Diagnostics complete!” Keller announced. The ship’s helmsman still sounded annoyingly chipper. “Lieutenant Razor reports that engines are ready. We’re standing by to detach from the Hammer. I’ve locked in a course to the F-sector aperture and can engage as soon as we’re clear.”
“Belay that, Ensign,” Sterling called out, causing the ensign and Lieutenant Shade to stop what they were doing and become alert. “We’re not going to F-COP, anymore,” Sterling added. The expression on his helmsman’s face suggested that his statement had come across sounding more foreboding than he’d intended it to. Shade, however, simply stared back at her Captain with blank, unreadable eyes.
“Where are we going, sir?” Keller finally plucked up the courage to ask.
“We have new Omega Directive orders, which means we’re going back into the Void, Ensign,” Sterling answered, confidently. “Unfortunately, the other Fleet ships in the sector don’t know this, so I’m going to be in need of your talent for creative flying once again.”
Ensign Keller’s eyes grew wide, but then to Sterling’s surprise the pilot smiled. “I never liked F-COP anyway, sir,” Keller said, with a hint of rebellion. “Setting a new course now.”
“Here we go again,” said Banks, smiling at Sterling then hopping back across to her own station.
“Here we
go again,” repeated Sterling, though he muttered the words under his breath.
Sterling turned back to Ensign Keller, who was still eagerly awaiting his command. A sudden silence fell over the bridge with only the familiar thrum of the ship’s engines as a backdrop. It was like the distant rumble of thunder that suggested a storm was on the horizon. Sterling leaned forward and gripped the sides of his console. His fingers slid into the familiar grooves that he’d worn down over the last year of commanding the vessel. He sucked in a long breath and let it out slowly.
“Take us out, Ensign,” Sterling said to his pilot. “And prepare to run like hell on my order.”
Chapter 2
The courage to act
Sterling’s hands didn’t leave the sides of his console for the next ten minutes, nor did his eyes leave the viewscreen. Dozens of Fleet ships continued to buzz around the sector on regular patrol routes, many flying so close he could read the serial numbers on their hulls. Every chime from Sterling’s console sent his pulse racing, expecting it to be from a warship demanding to know why the Invictus was heading for the aperture. So far, though, no-one had challenged their progress toward the inter-stellar gateway.
Ahead of him on the viewscreen, Sterling watched the flashing beacons that surrounded the aperture grow larger and brighter. However, the beacons were not the only objects close to the perimeter of the gateway. Dozens of Fleet warships were also watchfully guarding the aperture in case the vanguard of the Sa’Nerran invasion armada decided to surge through and survey the battleground. Suddenly, Banks’ console chimed an alert, causing Sterling’s pulse to spike even higher. He cast his eyes across to his first officer’s station, waiting for her report.