Defiant (The Armada Book 1)

by Jack Hunt

  DEFIANT

  Book One In The Armada Series

  Jack Hunt

  Direct Response Publishing

  Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Synopsis

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  A Plea

  Newsletter

  About the Author

  Also by Jack Hunt

  Copyright © 2016 by Jack Hunt

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  DEFIANT is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For my Family

  Synopsis

  The year is 4024. A military space program defends Earth from an alien threat. As Earth expands its borders into the farthest reaches of space, colonizes new worlds and assists civilizations on the brink of destruction, alliances are formed. But not everyone wants peace.

  When United Earth's Ambassador makes a trip to a war torn zone to assess the crisis and support efforts and arrange the evacuation of allies from a hostile planet, communication is lost. After a distress signal is picked up, Alex Reid, a hard-nosed lieutenant on the brink of retirement is called upon to lead a team into rescue the UE Ambassador and staff.

  He figures it will be a simple extraction mission with the right team.

  Only problem, his new team is made up of an insubordinate group of marines who are about to be kicked out of the United Earth Defense Force.

  Chapter One

  Lieutenant Alex “Eagle” Reid shouldered his lightweight assault rifle, as he readied himself for the raid. After twenty-one years as a soldier in the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF), the anticipation of the unknown still gave him the same adrenaline rush.

  This was the kind of action he’d trained and lived for. It came as natural to him as breathing. He knew nothing else for the military was all he’d ever known.

  There was nothing quite like the thrill of discovering new worlds, reconnaissance and the heat of battle. Even now with a month left before he retired, he wasn’t quite sure if he was prepared to leave it all behind. He’d depended on his brothers for so long, that it felt like he was getting a divorce.

  His foot sank into the unusually red grains of sand on a planet void of water. Gravity wasn’t as strong on planet Vineer as it was on Earth. While their boots stayed on the ground, it felt as if they were running on a trampoline. There was a spring in each step they took. Above them two distant moons provided a faint glimmer of light as the rest of Special Ops Space Recon (SOSR) team arrived and moved into position.

  Entry had been the easiest part, no diving involved. They had lost many a man diving into a hostile atmosphere. The weather could change in a heartbeat. It was unpredictable much like the species they were about to go up against.

  Since joining the UEDF he had seen more men and women die than he could count. The idea of being on one team for an entire career was unheard of and yet they had been fortunate to only lose two men over the past four years.

  Thankfully an SOSR team was unlike the regular infantry that went into large-scale battles. The life expectancy of infantry was two years. SOSR handled direct action, counter-terrorism, training foreign nationals on different planets, special reconnaissance and unconventional warfare.

  “Phoenix One, boots on the ground, ready to go.”

  Eight of them had arrived in a Phoenix, a highly advanced craft used for insertion and extraction. Its speed and ability to avoid heat-seeking missiles had made it an elite fighting machine. When it wasn’t cloaked, it appeared as black matte. It was made from coliacan, a light but almost impenetrable metal gathered from ally planets. It had seen the test of time and long since replaced the heavy steel used to create the first line of Earth ships.

  “Lobo, it’s Eagle, radio check, over.”

  Reid heard over his comms unit, “Eagle, this is Lobo. Have you loud and clear, standing by.”

  The voice belonged to his teammate Bryce “Lobo” Harper.

  Eagle uttered the word HUD and a blue translucent Heads-Up Display appeared before him behind his helmet visor. A small map that outlined the frame of the hive-like nest they were about to enter moved ever so slightly as he turned his head towards one of the Mayoan guards at the entrance. A green blip pulsated.

  The operation was one of many they had conducted over the past year. It was a mission that required them snatching Akeo, a high-ranking leader of a militia group that had killed numerous UEDF soldiers. Unlike many of the planets they had visited where species were more than willing to accept Earth’s help, and work together for the greater good, the Mayoans had given Earth the finger, well, one of several. They were ugly bastards. A vertebrate species with six limbs and long tubular bodies that were supported by cartilaginous exoskeletons and flanked by numerous eyes. Let’s just say they weren’t winning any beauty pageants—that was for sure.

  Sixty seconds passed before Lobo came back on the line.

  “Akeo is in the nest.”

  The thud of a Mayoan guard hitting the ground, and red dust rising was their green light. They trotted forward as one unit hitting the place from numerous directions. Alex unloaded two suppressed plasma rounds, taking down one of the Mayoans on top of a metallic dome-like structure. His team unleashed hell, while pressing on towards the main entrance. They operated with laser precision, firing rounds only when required. Gage “Anvil” Hudson tapped his shoulder and moved into position ahead of him. Like ghosts they slid through doorways checking rooms as they went. The smell inside was acidic, the leftovers of bile that was used to form walls.

  Based on the blips, there were nine inside the hive, but with the element of surprise on their side he didn’t expect it to take long. As they crept further in, they came across more Mayoans. Hudson took the first and Reid took out the next one.

  In the middle of the room was a holographic star map listing several planets that Earth had colonized. Over the past hundred years they had been exploring Earth-like planets, making alliances with races needing help or looking to learn about Earth’s culture. While colonization of distant worlds had reduced the amount of resources being used on Earth, it hadn’t come without a struggle. Not everyone was in favor of having new neighbors, especially ones that had gained a reputation for taking over planets, and creating wars.

  Earth’s reputation prior to the uniting of all nations preceded itself.

  What was meant to be peaceful expeditions into space had turned into a need for Earth to defend itself from alien threats. Accordi
ng to history, billions of dollars in black budget money had been funneled into the development of a defense system that almost looked like webbing around the planet. It was created by reverse engineering technology from downed alien craft. The same protective system that was used to shield crafts from plasma attacks would be used to protect Earth itself.

  Within a hundred years the government of Earth had created and activated a shield that wrapped the entire planet using cloaked satellite beacons. While unseen to the eye, it had protected Earth on numerous occasions from alien fleets bent on destroying the planet. And yet it was only the first line of defense.

  A military defense force was created; a combined effort that consisted of men and women from all nations. No longer was it the American, British, Australian or Russian military. It was Earth’s defense. A large portion of the moon’s surface was being used as a command center while mammoth warships guarded Earth with a vast fleet of starfighters.

  Many gave their lives in those early days while trying to hold back those that sought only destruction and control. The names of the fallen were forever engraved in golden plaques on Earth in the Halls of Records for future generations to see.

  After clearing several levels, Reid took point and led the men into the heart of the hive. The central room was unlike anything he had ever seen. The display on the HUD didn’t do it justice. All he saw initially was outlines. When he entered, it was like walking into a command center. Holographic screens enwrapped the walls 360 degrees. Inside were six Mayoans as well as Akeo. They were conducting a meeting when the team rolled in and drilled them with several shots apiece. His men didn’t stand chance in hell.

  Each SOSR team’s training was intensive, lasting a year. There was always a new group being trained while others were in the field. Those who weren’t SOSR’s were marines. With each new generation born on Earth or on one of its colonized planets, everyone had to give several years of service to the UEDF. It was mandatory. Of course, there were those who refused. Those who did were arrested and served time, building and fixing parts for ships.

  No matter what, everyone served; how they did it was up to them.

  Unlike others, Reid had never needed to be threatened into service. In his eyes, it was a privilege. From an early age, he’d always had his eyes on joining the UEDF and going down in history. He longed to become one of the ones who pushed the boundaries, established new territories and protected the young and old.

  “Lobo, status?”

  “All clear.”

  They were to get in and out. This wasn’t about winning a war or inflicting pain on the species as a whole. It was all about capturing Akeo and making him stand trial for his crimes. Justice was swift and most, if not all war criminals were banished to an ever-increasing prison in the deepest part of space called Z5.

  As Gage and four of the men fanned out to guard the doorways, Reid went over to Akeo.

  “Mayoan dialect,” he muttered to himself. So far the UEDF had managed to gather a library of languages. Instead of learning dialect, the system installed into their helmets allowed them to essentially dial into a language and speak as they usually would. It would then alter what was heard and the race would hear their language. Likewise, anything spoken to them would be filtered through the system and they would hear it in English.

  “What is this? You have broken the treaty between the Mayoans and Earth,” Akeo said.

  Reid shook his head. “We have?”

  “I will be in touch with the council.”

  “You do that, and while you are at it maybe you’ll explain how sixty of our men were killed at the hands of the Mayoans.”

  He chuckled. “Your accusations are unfounded. Where is your proof?”

  Red pulled out a small metallic contraption that resembled a pill from his pocket. He tapped the side and a translucent green holographic screen appeared before them. A video recording of the attack was replayed to Akeo.

  “Now you can either make this easy, or hard, but either way you are going in.”

  Akeo turned ever so slightly, one of his many hands trembled near the holster.

  “Don’t do it,” Reid warned him.

  One thing Mayoans were notorious for was not listening. Reid already had his finger resting against the trigger on his assault rifle. The very second Akeo went for it, he blew his hand clean off. He let out a shriek that came out more like a hiss, and a guttural cry.

  “Didn’t your mother tell you to mind your manners?” Reid said.

  Five minutes later, Reid came out with Akeo in tow. His remaining hands were restrained by moltif cuffs, which formed an ambient blue glow around his wrists. The Mayoans were no different than the other rebels. They were just another species that revolted against United Earth and would pay the penalty.

  Like ghosts in the night, the team boarded a waiting Phoenix, and rose into the air. A shot of blue light from the circular burners and it left behind the barren world. To some, what they had done might have seemed like madness but to Reid and the others, it was just another day on the job.

  Chapter Two

  Territory 32

  Planet Drozleon

  Species: Echobi

  Ambassador Linda Powers glanced out the helitank viewport as it entered the atmosphere. She wore a tight, dark bodysuit with the United Earth symbol on her right arm and breast pocket. Her dark hair was pulled back tight. To the right of her stood Sophie Reid, a sergeant in the marines. She had been tasked with escorting her on what was meant to be a quick trip to the Planet Drozleon to assess crisis and support efforts.

  Not every planet Earth had sought to colonize welcomed immigrants. The first step of colonizing had always been to establish contact, assess the needs of the planet and look for ways they could provide help. The next was to establish a permanent presence on the planet in the form of an outpost, in this particular case it was an embassy. While conflict had arisen from taking this approach, most, if not all soon accepted it.

  To date, Earth had established themselves on over one hundred and twenty-two planets.

  In time, as the relationship between Earth and other species strengthened, entire communities would be built to house new immigrants from Earth. While most understood that this was not a means to overthrow a planet but only to integrate within its social system, not everyone agreed. Some saw it as a threat.

  Sophie and Daniel Thompson had visited the planet numerous times before. The trips usually lasted no longer than forty-eight hours. Ambassador Powers would visit high officials, discuss the finer details of the treaty, check in on immigrants and ensure that any questions were answered.

  Before arriving, the ambassador had already been warned that the situation was volatile.

  They hadn’t taken this warning lightly. Sophie had brought along with her a fully equipped team of four marines to make sure that no harm came to the ambassador. They had already mapped out escape routes in the event that Echobi rebels attacked. Taking charge of the operation gave her a chance to prove her worth. Unlike her father, who had been hand selected many years ago to be part of the SOSR’s, she would have to work her way in, like most did. She wasn’t going to ride in on his coattails.

  “So you understand that things may go south. If they do, we are extracting you immediately.”

  “Understood,” Powers replied.

  So far, talk of attacks on humans had been nothing more than rumors; while it had occurred on other planets, a diplomatic approach was being taken with Drozleon.

  “Ambassador, we’ll be on the ground in the next five minutes.”

  “Thank you, Sophie.”

  Sophie turned towards the marines that were kitted out in exoskeleton combat gear. It was a thick armor that covered their vitals, made their work in the battlefield safe and allowed them to operate effectively in some of the worst conditions.

  “Sergeant, give the men the heads-up,” Thompson said to Sophie. She gave a nod and went to the far end of the helitank. Thompson was her co
mmanding officer. The sleek black shuttle was a monster to look at from the outside with burners either side, and one on the back. It was fully equipped for an attack. Though she hadn’t had the chance to enter battle in it, Sophie knew that it could hold its own if it came under fire.

  She was still getting used to being in charge of other marines. They didn’t take too kindly to a woman telling them what to do and they sure as hell made that clear every step of the way.

  “Alright, men, you know what to do. Once boots are on the ground, keep your eyes peeled for rebels. She is to be surrounded at all times. Stansfield, I want you on point, Heart and Castle, you are to cover our six, and Michaels, you are coming with me.”

  Stansfield toyed with his assault rifle and didn’t pay any attention.

  “Do we have a problem, Stansfield?”

  “You know how long I’ve been a marine?”

  “Unless it has any bearing on this trip, I don’t give a rat’s ass.”

  He met her gaze and glared. He’d been the same way ever since he’d been assigned to her unit. Stansfield had been a marine far longer than she had but instead of advancing, he preferred to get his hands dirty and talk shit. He popped a bubble with his gum, and snapped his jaw together.

  “Stansfield, a word with you.”

  She motioned with her head to have him join her a few feet away as she didn’t want to make him look like an idiot in front of the others. She’d seen too many sergeants do that with their units and she’d always made a point to never do it. Her father had taught her that teams attracted all kinds of men and you could strip them up and down with your words but she had to pick her moments and right now this wasn’t the time to make him look like an ass. She needed his head in the game. It had been a month since they’d last set foot on Drozleon soil and while the past few times had been touch and go, she couldn’t help think that ignoring their warning was a mistake.