The Omega Drive Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  About The Author

  Also Available

  Thanks

  Dedication

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  54

  55

  56

  57

  Epilogue

  Also Available

  The Omega Drive

  By

  Nik Whittaker

  Copyright ©2019 Nik Whittaker

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Rebecacovers

  About The Author

  Nik Whittaker is an Independent Author, currently working his way into the industry.

  Finding he always worked best through self-learning, he earned an Open University degree in English Language and Literature whilst working full time to pay

  the bills.

  Now, fueled by coffee and imagination he has begun his quest into self-publishing.

  Join him on his journey at www.nikwhittaker.com for all updates and information on upcoming releases and the path he is forging.

  Also Available

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  Visit Nik Whittaker at

  www.nikwhittaker.com

  Thanks

  Thanks to Kate, for all your support.

  To everyone who has bought my work, making what I do into something real.

  And to all the books, films, comics, and television shows that inspired me and fuelled my imagination over the years.

  Dedication

  To all of the people who support me and what I do.

  1

  The StarQuake entered the Moons’ orbit with relative ease, despite the battle raging on the surface. The ships' engineer, Vittoria Rixon, adjusted the goggles on her forehead, while she monitored the vitals of three other members of The Coyotes on the ground.

  “Y’all ok down there?” She asked, into the comms unit.

  “… can’t talk… heavy fire... ” came the reply. She thought it was Tanner, but the static made it hard to be sure.

  “Any chance of clearing up the comms, Jako?” She asked.

  Jako Quince was floating in his communication module, the Azimuth, which was docked at the top of the StarQuake. The ship design was reminiscent of the modular space stations of eons ago. Each of the crew had their own self-contained ships which attached to the main hub to form the complete ship. Jako, however, owned a communication module which he’d customised to enhance its performance. In doing so he had removed all artificial gravity discs, so he could navigate the assortment of consoles which lined the walls with more ease.

  He wore his custom skintight jumpsuit, which stressed his skinny physique, a side effect of his continued Zero-G lifestyle. Attached in several areas, the jumpsuit contained small air pressure valves, which he could activate through a series of neural triggers. These small bursts of air allowed him to manoeuvre his body to wherever he needed. Having used them for several years, he could move and change direction with great speed and accuracy.

  “Erm, hey V, I can boost the signal,” he replied, an air-jet throwing him from one console to another, “but, erm, I think the issue is they are a little, erm, occupied.”

  Back on the main heart of the StarQuake, Vittoria slammed a leather-clad fist into a panel of the engine room.

  “God Damnit! I know this op was a bad idea!” She yelled, grabbing a wrench from the counter next to her, and ducking out of the room. She wore a brown leather tunic, dirty with black grease and brown oil stains. A hiss of steam from a pipe near her head caused her to lean away and pull her copper rimmed goggles back down over her eyes as she tightened the pipe to stop the leak.

  “Erm, it was Tanner’s idea,” Jako spoke, his voice mumbling through the comms.

  “Yeah, to steal some Alpha fuel in the middle of a war! Fucking genius!” Vittoria shouted back, over the sound of the steam.

  “Well, yeah, but I guess we won’t get the blame, y’know, when the Assembly realise it’s missing. They’ll think it was the Syndicate.”

  Vittoria didn’t answer, she knew the plan was, theoretically, solid, but that was never the Coyotes problem. The plan was always solid; it was the execution that was shoddy.

  “I’m gonna make sure we’re prepped for a speedy exit Jako, lemme know if we hear anything from them,” she said, heading to the flight deck.

  *

  A shot flew over Tanner Loxley’s head, burying itself into the rock behind him.

  “Shit!” He yelled, ducking down, debris speckling his all-black combat gear. He wore a standard bulletproof vest, but underneath a black shirt, making him look more like a bodyguard than a soldier.

  “All right there,” Alacious Dack grinned, he was already laying in cover, checking his rifle’s ammo, half a clip left. He patted down his shirt and leather waistcoat, no spares.

  “Of course Dack, just admiring the locals hospitality,” Tanner grinned back.

  “Well I must say, of all the ideas you’ve had, this is one of the more ambitious,” Dack rolled his head to the edge of the crater, peeking out at the surrounding battlefield.

  Tanner and Dack were laying in a crater, in the centre of no-man's-land, in the middle of a firefight between the Galactic Syndicate and the Solar Assembly.

  “True, this may be a bit daring,” Tanner admitted.

  They had arrived on the moon, Ganymede, half an hour before the attacks had started. Their intel had suggested that the Syndicate had taken control of an Alpha stockpile, which the Assembly had stored in a dilapidated castle on Ganymede. The castle itself was a remnant of the initial expansion through the galaxy and had become a key supply point for the Assembly’s fleet. Landing out of sight, the Coyotes had begun on foot towards the target, when the firing had started.

  First, the Assembly’s artillery strikes had devastated the landscape, large craters several meters wide and as many deep pockmarked the areas.

  Second, the Syndicate had set-up a perimeter defence of the castle on one side, whilst the Assembly had dug in ready for orders to attack. The Coyotes’ has somehow found themselves in the centre of the battle, both sides surrounding them. Tanner and Dack had dived into one of the craters, Tylr and Lyla had launched themselves into a different crater.

  “Any bright ideas for this one?” Tanner glanced over to Dack. This wasn’t the craziest situation they had ever found themselves in, but it was a strong contender for the top five.

  “What say we check out the main course?” Dack asked, brushing aside his waistcoat, and pulling a smokescreen grenade from his belt, “I hear they do a fantastic smoked salmon this time of year
.”

  “After you, my friend,” Tanner gestured to the rim of the crater.

  “Thank you,” Dack bowed from his prone position, before pulling the pin in the grenade, and throwing it out into the space around the crater.

  Several moment later, and the whole area flooded with thick smoke spanning several meters in all directions. The firing slowed as both sides hesitated to fire into the smog.

  “Shall we?” Dack stood, taking a moment to listen for gunfire. Silence.

  “Onwards to victory!” Tanner jumped to his feet, and the two climbed out of the crater and scrambled through the smoke which had extended even further across the battlefield.

  2

  They took several crouched steps forwards, not completely confident a stray bullet or energy blast wouldn’t be fired.

  “So what’s the plan now?” Dack whispered, the smoke creating an atmosphere he didn’t want to break.

  “I don’t know,” Tanner answered with a shrug. “My plan was just the overall concept. I thought you'd deal with the intricacies of the situation.” The sarcasm wasn’t lost on Dack.

  They had managed to get this far, sneaking past both the Syndicate and Assembly armies unnoticed, which was either luck, skill, or a cocktail of both.

  The two sides had been at war for the past ten years, ever since the Endlings had arrived in the galaxy. A group of nine aliens of varying races, who brought with them several huge advancements in technology, including the Alpha Energy, which had revolutionised the galaxy. It had caused a division between those who felt the alien council was a benefit, and those who rallied against being ruled by aliens who weren’t residents of the galaxy, and therefore shouldn't have any control over them.

  The Solar Assembly was formed, ruled by a Council Of Twelve, the Endlings making up nine, with three human ambassadors. Whilst on the other side, the Galactic Syndicate rallied in opposition, formed by the large corporations, who felt they should have more say in the galaxy's running, and in turn, their own finances.

  It didn’t take long for lines to form, with several planets becoming aligned to one side, or the other. It had all come to a head, when the Assembly put restrictions on the Syndicates’ access to the Alpha Energies.

  Before long the Syndicate had begun attacks on Alpha bases, stealing the energy they needed. One thing lead to another, and defences were built, then the fighting began.

  The Coyotes’, were neutral in the wars so far, despite them coming from varying backgrounds. They worked either for themselves, or as hired mercenaries for whichever side payed the most. The job today, however, was a personal resupply mission, as they were running low on Alpha themselves. Tanner had come across the intel of the High Garden Castle being seized by the Syndicate, and the Assembly preparing to take it back. Which was the perfect cover for them to perform a snatch and grab in the midst of the fighting.

  An explosion next to Dack threw him to the ground, spinning him several times from the shock-wave.

  “Damnit!” He yelled, pulling himself up. He hastily checked over his body, and found no injuries, before he searched for Tanner but the smoke was too thick for him to see.

  “Tanner?” He called out, pausing for a reply.

  Silence.

  He realised that he had completely lost his sense of direction, another explosion vibrated the ground, and he crouched to keep his balance.

  This whole op had gone to hell! He needed to get some focus on the situation; he closed his eyes and listened.

  *

  On board the StarQuake, Vittoria had stopped the leak in the pipe, and was now climbing the short ladder up into the flight deck. The room comprised five individual metallic seats, arrange like the dots on a die. Each seat had its own console, and they all faced a large glass window which showed Ganymede from its orbital view. The room was large enough that several more people could stand in the area with ease. Apart from the canteen, it was the place where the Coyotes spent the most time together. The only exception was Jako, who rarely came down from his communication module, but was always connected through comms.

  Vittoria settled into the centre seat, usually reserved for Tanner or Dack, whichever decided they were in charge that day. The crew ran mostly as a democracy with no real leader unless it was called for.

  She tapped several buttons on the console, running a diagnostic scan of the ship while kicking the engines into gear.

  “Jako, any news?” She asked.

  “Well, erm, from the bio-scans they all look fine, but the radar is pinging them in different locations. I, erm, think they’ve been separated,” he replied over the tannoy.

  “Typical. Prepare the Bullet Rose for extraction just in case,” she rolled her eyes.

  A light blinked on the panel in front of her, along with a muted beeping. An incoming call was being directed to the StarQuake. A moment's hesitation, then she tapped the answer button.

  “Hello, this is StarQuake,” she answered, in her most professional voice she could muster.

  “Vittoria? Is that you?” A voice boomed around the flight deck as the call connected.

  “Captain Jenkins?” Vittoria asked, the voice was familiar.

  “It’s Admiral Jenkins now,” a deep laugh rang out, “long time no speak cadet. Listen to me, we may have a situation here. We could use your team’s assist.”

  Vittoria flicked a switch on the console, muting the conversation.

  “Jako, you hearing this?” She whispered, though it wasn’t necessary.

  “I am, erm, we should hear him out, I think,” came the reply.

  Vittoria nodded before reactivating the call.

  “What’s up Admiral?” She asked.

  *

  Back on the ground, Tanner had stumbled into another crater after the explosion separated him and Dack. In the crater he found several dismembered bodies, the last explosion had hit its mark. Blood was splattered over the moon dust causing it to clump, and the smell of burnt flesh and iron assaulted his nostrils.

  He knelt down next to the bodies, checking their supplies. He gathered several ammo clips and an assortment of other items. Rolling a body over, he uncovered a satchel pinned beneath it. The face of a young boy stared up at him with the nothingness of death. Tanner paused, staring into the pupils of the boys’ eyes he felt an anger rise inside him.

  This kid can’t be over thirteen years old. This fucking war.

  He scanned the boys' uniform; he was one of the Assembly soldiers, not that it made a difference. Both sides had started propaganda engines to persuade more volunteers to join their armies. The promise of rewards and honour brought them in by the thousands.

  Tanner closed the boy's eyelids and said a silent prayer to whichever god was listening. At least the boy was at peace now and wouldn’t have to fight any more.

  A scream rang out across the battlefield, a few meters from his position. He grabbed the last of the gear, taking a final look at the boy, before scrambling out the crater and heading towards the sound. He wasn’t sure, but it sounded a lot like Lyla.

  3

  “Hey Lyla, where you at?” Tanner shouted out. The scream had come from his left, as he was feeling his way through the smoke to locate her.

  “Ov’r here!” Came the heavily accented shout from a crater in front of him.

  As he approached, he could see Lyla Rayne crouched next to a wounded Assembly soldier, he couldn’t be over seventeen.

  Another kid.

  “He’s losin’ a hell of a lot of blood, ah need something to cauterise it, fast,” she pointed to a large wound on the boys' side. Her one piece visor, which covered her left eye, was emitting a laser which was analysing the wound and feeding her information through its visual display. She wore a typical raincoat army jacket over a T-shirt, stained with old blood. Having trained as a medic, she also had a belt with several pouches, containing medicines and supplies.

  A noise from behind them made Tanner spin on the spot, drawing his rifle to eye level.
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  “Here use this,” Dack shouted, as he slid into the crater, “and please put that down before you hurt someone Tanner,” Dack slung his shoulder bag off and pulled out a flare.

  “Aye, that’ll do it,” Lyla grabbed the flare, and split it in half, igniting the flame.

  “Wait… I… please don’t!” The boy screamed, his eyes bulging as the firelight flickered in his eyes and he realised what was about to happen.

  “Listen t’me boy, ah ain’t no hospital doctor, ah’m a fully trained combat medic. Ah’ve not got time t’make you feel al’ comfy and relaxed. We need t’stop this from bleedin’ or ye’ll be dead soon,” before she finished the sentence she thrust the flaming stick into the bleeding wound. The smell and sound of sizzling flesh filled the surrounding air, before the unnatural scream from the boy overpowered it. A moment later, and the screaming ceased, as the boy passed out.

  “We good here?” Tanner asked, looking at the wound.

  “Aye, he’ll be ok til his people find him now,” Lyla said, wrapping a bandage over the injury.

  “Good, we need to get moving. As much as I love your desire to help the helpless, we aren’t a part of their war,” Dack helped Lyla to her feet.

  “Which way?” He turned to Tanner, who had been checking a laminated map he’d taken from his satchel.

  “About, five kilometres south,” he answered, checking the map.

  “All right then, let’s get moving,” Dack peered out into the smoke which was dissipating.

  The trio scrambled out of the crater and ran, their bodies hunched over, ready to dive to the floor if any more fire came their way.

  Two minutes passed, and they were coming to a clearing. The smoke had almost entirely gone. They could hear the sounds of war start up again, as both sides were taking shots at the opposition. The Coyotes found a clear route to the drainage tunnel they had been searching for, before the firing got too intense.