Infinite Retribution

Exodus Universe

Robert Stadnik

Copyright © 2021 Robert Stadnik

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

ISBN: 978-1-953865-05-2 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-953865-06-9 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021903188

Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

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Table of Contents

Prologue 4

Chapter One 8

Chapter Two 21

Chapter Three 34

Chapter Four 44

Chapter Five 67

Chapter Six 76

Chapter Seven 92

Chapter Eight 98

Chapter Nine 106

Chapter Ten 114

Chapter Eleven 120

Chapter Twelve 126

Chapter Thirteen 132

Chapter Fourteen 136

Chapter Fifteen 148

Chapter Sixteen 161

Chapter Seventeen 166

Chapter Eighteen 179

Chapter Nineteen 187

Chapter Twenty 195

Chapter Twenty-One 210

Chapter Twenty-Two 217

Chapter Twenty-Three 224

Prologue

DATE: September 2146

LOCATION: Human Solar System, near Mars

T he Onixin, Senfo, and Quix ships will comprise the defense fleet. Our capital ships will remain in the rear of the formation, supporting planetary defense of Mars.

Commander Annette Nikols and her captain, Rich Melicoast, were not happy about Admiral Vespia’s orders. Their ship, the

aurora

, was part of a large armada waiting for the Screen invasion force to appear in the solar system. Instead of being included in the battle plans, the capital ships were being relegated to the sidelines, deemed too inferior to go toe-to-toe against any Screen vessel.

Captain Melicoast wasn’t taking the orders lying down. We’ve been training for this for years. This is our home and we should be dictating the battle strategy, not taking orders from traitors and their alien allies.

I’m not interested in coddling your ego! Vespia shouted back over the communications line. "In case you forgot, one of those alien ships disabled the

solara

in a single shot. You will follow my orders, or I’ll have you removed from command of the

aurora

. Is that clear?"

Captain Melicoast had no choice but to concede. He knew that the

aurora

and the other capital ships were not equipped to fight against any alien vessel, friend or foe. What bothered him was that the admiral was supporting the battle plans of a traitorous cadet that had stolen

TERRA

’s experimental starship. Acknowledged, Admiral. But I will be filing an official protest with the council when this is over.

I am the council, Vespia replied before cutting the communication line.

The captain returned to his command chair and sat down, rubbing his forehead. He had not made a friend in her, but didn’t care. He was certain other members of the council would listen to him when this was all over. The traitors needed to be held accountable for what they had done. They’d stolen the

exodus

. They’d angered the Screen enough that the aliens were coming here to wipe out the human race. It didn’t matter to him that the traitors had cobbled together an alliance of alien races to help defend the human solar system. They’d gone against a long-standing policy that had kept the peace for nearly a century. Even if the defense fleet and capital ships were victorious, he was certain lives would be lost.

Annette Nikols, the captain’s executive officer, approached him. We could still engage the Screen during the battle. With all the ships out there, there’ll be so much going on that no one will notice us moving to the front lines.

Rich chuckled at her suggestion. A tempting offer.

We may be at a tactical disadvantage, but that shouldn’t stop us from joining the fight, she said. "We have the right to defend our star system. We know our defensive capabilities better than our alien ‘friends.’ And the

exodus

has been gone for three years. They don’t know what enhancements we’ve made to our defense network."

Rich nodded in agreement. If they could participate in the battle in a more offensive manner, it could garner the captain some fame. He could see it now: the hero of the

aurora

bravely taking his ship into battle. Have tactical and operations analyze the Screen data provided to us to develop an offensive strategy.

Annette smiled. With pleasure, she said as she headed

over to operations.

Years before, when the

exodus

had escaped the solar system, the

aurora

had tried to stop her, but the capital ship’s weapons had been ineffective against the experimental starship. It had been an embarrassment for the seasoned

aurora

crew. Now they had an opportunity to redeem themselves and show both the returning

exodus

and alien allies what they could do.

After a few minutes of consulting with tactical and operations, Annette returned to Captain Melicoast. We’re all set. Just give the word and we’ll head into the fight when it starts.

As the captain nodded, his tactical officer alerted him. "Sir, sensors show the

exodus

has just entered the solar system. They’re on a direct course towards Mars."

The traitors have come home, Rich muttered in disgust, trying to contain the anger welling up inside of him. He had over thirty years of military experience. Being forced to take orders from a cadet was incomprehensible. He still had a hard time believing Admiral Vespia had agreed to let this John Roberts call the shots.

Annette felt the same as her captain did. There was no justification for these rebels stealing the

exodus

. The human race was now in danger. The presence of these alien ‘allies’ did little to ease her mind. The Screen armada easily outnumbered the ships defending the solar system.

The communications officer made an announcement.

"A wide-band transmission is coming from the

exodus

to the entire fleet."

Let’s hear it, Rich ordered.

"This is John Roberts of the

phoenix

. I’m taking command of the fleet. We’re transmitting our battle formation. Review it and reposition your ships."

Rich’s blood boiled at hearing the cadet’s voice. He had caused so much upheaval by taking the

exodus

: pitting

TERRA

against the government, inciting fear among the population, almost inciting a civil war. What’s more, this traitor had had the audacity to change

exodus

’s name to

phoenix

. He wanted to personally take Roberts to some vacant building and execute him with a shot in the head.

Acknowledge John Roberts’s orders under protest, Rich instructed the communications officer. He looked over at Commander Nikols. Be prepared to execute the tactical plan. We will not sit by.

Yes, sir.

Little did the captain know that Annette had another plan. She had served under him for many years and knew of his ego.

If they engaged in the battle and survived, Captain Melicoast would take advantage and garner all the attention. She could see him bragging that it was his tactical genius that allowed the

aurora

to engage the Screen and survive.

Annette couldn’t allow that to happen. She was long overdue for a promotion and could see it delayed if the captain carried out his plan. When this was all over, Annette would ensure the removal of Captain Melicoast and her ascendancy to ship commander of the

aurora

.

Chapter One

Date: May 21, 2151

"T oday is a momentous day not only for

TERRA

, but for the entire human race, Admiral Karla Vespia proclaimed to the audience in front of her. For almost five years, our engineers have worked diligently to build the newest generation of starships. We have relied on our capital ships to defend the solar system for many years and they have served in that capacity with distinction. These ships you see behind me—she referred to the three blue-and-gray starships hovering in space outside the viewing windows—will carry humanity forward as we join our allies in space exploration."

The crowd gathered at Luna Station broke out in applause. The attendees consisted of

TERRA

officers, government officials, members of the media, and visiting delegations from the Aldarian, Onixin, Quix, and Senfo homeworlds. With all the high-level officials gathered in one place, security had a heavy presence to ensure the ceremony occurred without incident. This was the first official gathering of delegates from the alliance and the government had made it clear that

TERRA

was to use as much security as needed. Hosting such a prestigious event was important in elevating humanity’s reputation in the alliance.

When the applause died down, Admiral Vespia continued. These new starships will launch humanity’s mission of exploration and will defend the solar system. She motioned to the ships behind her. "The

solaris

,

infinity

, and

discovery

represent the culmination of efforts begun by our flagship, the

phoenix

, and the alliance it cemented. She glanced at the officers standing to her right. We’ve handpicked these officers to command these ships and carry us forward into a new era as we continue to build upon the foundation of friendship with our new allies."

After another round of applause, the admiral concluded her speech. "It is with pride that I officially commission the TCS

solaris

,

infinity

, and

discovery

into service."

With her speech done, the dockmaster launched three wine bottles towards the newly-minted starships. The bottles struck the hulls of each ship and shattered, officially commissioning TERRA

’s

first generation of starships. The crowd erupted into applause one last time before Admiral Vespia stepped down from the podium to mingle with the delegation.

The previous day, Karla had attended a debriefing of the alien delegates that explained what would occur during the ceremony. One of the items discussed was that, as a symbolic gesture, humans hurled bottles of wine at ships going into service. The admiral had seen the look of confusion from the delegates, as none of them understood why humans would choose such an unusual method of launching ships.

As Admiral Vespia stepped down from the podium to mingle with the delegation, Captain Annette Nikols turned to her fellow captains and shook hands with them. After congratulating the

discovery

’s captain, she turned to the captain of the

solaris

.

Congratulations, Captain Diego, she said as she extended her hand.

Jacob Diego shook it. You too, Captain.

"I want to thank you for all the help you provided during

infinity

’s build."

My team and I were happy to help, Jacob assured her, making it a point to give credit to the officers who were part of the construction project. I have to say I was impressed by your eagerness during construction. Very few people have the appetite to learn one alien technology, let alone several of them.

TERRA

’s

new starships were based upon the schematics that the

phoenix

had provided, which included technologies from all the alliance worlds. There had been a lot of turnover in the engineering bureau, as officers had been unable or unwilling to learn how the technologies worked. What should have taken only about two years to build had been delayed until TERRA officers with the aptitude to learn and willingness to take on the challenge could be found.

TERRA could have solicited the alliance to provide more engineers to help build these ships, but along with the government, they’d limited the number of aliens working on the project. It was important that humans carry the mantle of responsibility and enjoy the achievement as their own.

Annette nodded to Jacob. She’d taken pride in learning about all the technologies incorporated into these new ships. How do you feel about our first assignments?

Jacob didn’t waver in his response. Makes total sense.

The

solaris

was to patrol space around the solar system while the

discovery

was to patrol the space nearest the Cresorian homeworld. Given the hostilities the Creosorians had exhibited during the past four years, TERRA felt a show of strength was necessary to prove that humanity wasn’t weak and could defend itself if necessary.

As for the

infinity

, it would patrol the space once claimed by the Screen as their own. Even though the race had been eradicated and their homeworld now occupied by the alliance, TERRA felt it important to investigate those star systems previously controlled by their former enemy.

The systems should have been investigated by the alliance, but the Onixin, Senfo, and Quix were unwilling to remove any of their ships from defensive patrols of their own home systems. In addition, they had lent some of their vessels to TERRA to patrol the solar system until TERRA got its first batch of ships into service.

Annette noticed Jacob’s response had been brief. He wasn’t one to elaborate or volunteer any more information than what was requested of him. She had tried asking him about the ship he had served on previously as executive officer, the

solara

. TERRA had decommissioned the ship a few years ago, when they’d started construction of the new ships.

Annette found it odd that they would scuttle the

solara

before a replacement was ready. She’d heard rumors that it had been involved in some classified operation that resulted in the ship being severely damaged. But she’d never gotten confirmation if that was true. When she’d asked Jacob about it when they started working together, he’d given her the same line that TERRA put out: the

solara

was old and no longer needed to be in service. Annette found that to be an odd statement, as the

solara

was the youngest capital ship in the fleet and the other vessels were still in service.

Annette switched subjects. "I’ve read the long-range sensor reports from the alliance. None of them picked up any evidence of life on any of the life-supporting planets discovered in former Screen space. I expect

infinity

’s mission will be uneventful. The

discovery

may see some action with the Cresorians."

Jacob looked disappointed. I hope not. Even though they’ve declared war on the alliance, I don’t want us to get into a fight with a former ally. I’m hoping they’d think twice before trying to engage one of our new ships.

The Cresorians had descended into chaos since the Screen’s defeat. Leadership on their homeworld had changed so many times, the alliance had lost count. Despite the formal declaration of war, there was no outright fighting going on. Two years ago, a batch of eleven Cresorian raiders had tried attacking a Quix military cruiser. All the raiders had been destroyed, while the Quix ship barely suffered a scratch. Since then, the Cresorians had limited their attacks to civilian ships.

Annette wasn’t a fan of the Cresorians. She understood that Jacob had worked with them during his tenure on the

phoenix

, the ship whose crew was responsible for bringing the alliance together. She could respect a fellow officer not wanting to go to war given his personal history with them. The Cresorians had also helped the alliance defeat the Screen. It was unfortunate that their internal issues had degenerated them into a lawless race, but Annette was a military officer who looked at the facts. The Cresorians had chosen to make humans an enemy, and thus Annette would treat them as such.

As for the alliance, Annette had not initially been a proponent of being a member. She felt that humanity had been forced into banding together with the Onixins, Senfo, Aldarians, and Quix out of necessity to eliminate the Screen threat. But over the years, she’d seen the usefulness of collaborating with their allies. The alliance was providing security to the solar system until TERRA could get its fleet up and running, and had provided numerous advanced technologies that would have taken humans many years to develop.

Annette nabbed a glass of sparkling water from a passing waiter and held it up. I hope none of us are forced to engage them. Here’s to a successful first mission for both of us.

Jacob grabbed a glass of champagne and raised it as well. "And to the success of these new

solara

-class starships."

Despite today’s celebrations, none of these new ships would be leaving the solar system for another few months. They were still ironing out some of the kinks in the propulsion and operating systems. But the command council felt that today’s ceremony would give the construction crews the jolt needed to finalize testing of the ships.

Admiral Vespia approached the pair. I’m glad to see two of my officers enjoying themselves before their maiden missions.

"I was thanking Captain Diego for his help with

infinity

’s construction," Annette said.

Captain Diego helped accelerate construction on all the ships, Vespia clarified as she looked at him. Your help has been critical in getting them completed. You’ll also be happy to know that I just received confirmation that Earth’s orbital shipyards will be coming online next week.

"And seven more

solara

-class starships will be launched

by next week as well, Jacob added. Now we just have to get them staffed."

One of the biggest challenges for TERRA was finding officers to serve on these new ships.

solaris

’s crew were mostly transplanted from the capital ship

solara

, while Captain Nikols and the captain of the

discovery

were left to pick their crews. But it was proving difficult for TERRA to determine who would serve on the seven new ships coming into service. Except for the

solaris

crew, no officer had any experience in space exploration. TERRA had decided to select officers to command these new ships and let the ship commanders choose their crews.

You’ve done a great service to TERRA, Karla said to Jacob. Despite the delays in construction, you managed to produce a class of starship that will serve our needs.

To get a compliment from the head of TERRA was a rare occurrence. Admiral Vespia was tough. She demanded a lot from her officers.

I’m just as anxious to get our new fleet established. Jacob’s personal experience made him realize the importance of having a strong military. Although it had occurred four years ago, his adventure on the

solara

through a jumpgate was still fresh in his mind. The

solara

had been completely ill-equipped for the mission. It was only with luck and help from the alliance that the ship had returned home.

So far, the only starship in TERRA’s fleet conducting deep space exploration was the

phoenix

. Since its departure, TERRA had received only a smattering of transmissions from their flagship. Although

phoenix

reported encountering some friendly races, they also came across hostile species who wanted nothing to do with peace. Those transmissions only made TERRA focused on building new starships as quickly as possible so it could defend the solar system in the event a hostile race appeared. They could not depend on the alliance for defense indefinitely.

A junior officer approached the trio. Excuse me, Admiral. Yearden Thresha would like to speak with you.

Karla acknowledged her aide before turning to Jacob and Annette. Best of luck on your missions, Captains.

Both captains nodded to her. Thank you, Admiral, they said in unison.

As the admiral left, Jacob turned to Captain Nikols. Have you had a chance to meet with your Onixin navigation officer, Kordif?

Not yet. I’m still having a hard time accepting the idea of an alien serving on my ship. She saw Jacob was about to say something, but held her hand up. "I know you’ve had positive experiences working with aliens on

phoenix

and

solara

. I accept we need the alliance, but I’m old-school. It’s going to take time getting used to working with aliens on our ships."

Jacob smiled. As long as you’re open to the idea. Just remember they’re here to help us.

"I know things can’t go back to how they used to be. We’re in a new world now. The Screen are gone, TERRA’s working with alien militaries, and

phoenix

’s out there exploring the galaxy." Annette was careful with her words. She still considered the crew who stole

phoenix

to be traitors, but she reminded herself the outcome had been positive.

It helped that she worked closely with one of those ‘traitors’—Jacob,