Retribution: The Augmented Human Rebellion - Book 2 Read online

  Retribution

  Book 2

  of

  the

  Augmented Human

  Rebellion

  by

  Terry Lefler

  ***

  CONTENTS

  Prelude

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  About the Cover

  About the Author

  ***

  Prelude

  The battle has left Ensign Melissa Meyers severely damaged, and in agony from a severed limb, broken bones, bleeding wounds, and extensive burns. Her left leg was severed above the knee and her right femur is broken, in a compound fracture. The splintered bone is protruding through the skin, but the blood loss, at that site, is not severe. The severed leg is the most immediate threat to her survival.

  You don’t need to be a medic to know that her prognosis is not good, and that the easiest thing to do would be to give into the unconsciousness that is closing in on her mind. Bleeding-out would only take a few minutes and her misery would be over, but her survival instinct is strong, and she manages to push away the fog in her mind.

  The young Ensign is in shock, from her wounds and from the horrific scene of carnage around her, but training and practice take over. She quickly applies a tourniquet to the stump of the severed leg - to stop the gushing of blood - and then shoots herself up, with a double dose of pain meds and stimulants, so that she can continue to function.

  Crawling to the stasis pods is an ordeal, but she endures the pain and picks the first pod that looks like it might still be functional. With one push of a button, she instructs the pod to open and programs it to eject, as soon as she is inside.

  After a fruitless struggle to get the boot off of the foot attached to the broken leg, she gives up the effort and simply cuts the boot bindings, so that the stasis gel will be able to make contact with the flesh of the foot. Then she removes her clothing and works to cut open the fabric of the trousers, which she can’t remove.

  Ensign Meyers finally cuts away the last of her uniform, and is ready to abandon ship. Everyone else in Laser Canon Cube 72 is dead, and the nearby explosions tell her that the Terran battleship Carnivore is almost dead, as well. The Captain ordered “abandon ship” shortly before the Klung missile ripped a jagged tear in the hull, along the entire starboard side. Since the Klung don’t believe in surrender or the rules of war, the sailors will be under attack, while they evacuate.

  ***

  Plunging into the stasis gel head first would be the fastest way to enter, but she is afraid that the dangling leg might get caught on something, and would keep the pod from closing, so she lowers herself into the pod by dropping the booted foot in first.

  As soon as the wounds are touched by the stasis gel, the bleeding and the pain stop. The pain from the internal injuries will not cease until the anesthetic reaches her brain.

  It always felt weird to breathe the gel, during the training sessions - her instinct rebelled every time - but she learned the trick of imagining that the gel is thick air and slowly taking a deep breath. Shortly after the gel enters her lungs, the anesthetic reaches her brain and the wounded Ensign feels her trauma being replaced by a feeling of well-being. Within minutes, her mind is floating away to a quiet place – a quiet place is where she wants to be right now.

  ***

  With one push of the pod’s ‘Emergency 3’ button, she had programmed the stasis pod for a clandestine escape routine – specifically designed for this battlefield situation. The pod will be jettisoned from the crumbling battleship, and will enter run-silent mode for 10 standard days. She programmed the pod that way, because her Terran Navy Fleet is losing this naval battle. She hopes to disappear, until the Klung Navy Fleet has mopped up the rest of the Terran Fleet, and has departed the area.

  After a 10 day delay, the stasis pod will begin to broadcast a distress signal. Hopefully, friendly forces will detect the signal and recover the pod. If not, Ensign Meyers will never know about it.

  ***

  Typically, the Terran Navy will send search and rescue teams to reconnoiter the battlespace and to search for survivors. If not, the stasis pod will keep Ensign Meyers alive for about 3 months, as it floats in deep space with the rest of the battle debris.

  The pods’ computer will monitor the Ensign’s condition, and will deep-freeze the body if her condition deteriorates to a point where her prognosis for survival is doubtful, or if the pod is running out of power. Perhaps medical science will advance to the point where her frozen remains can be rejuvenated, at some future time.

  ***

  Terran Navy

  45th Refurbishment and Augmentation Center

  “Wake up Darling. It’s time to rise and shine. …….. Wake up Darling. It’s time to rise and shine.”

  “Who could that be?” she thinks. “Nobody call me Darling. Who am I anyway? “

  Nurse Cecil Linkion keeps calling to her, as he splashes cold water on her face. “Wake up Darling. It’s time to rise and shine.”

  It doesn’t take long for Ensign Melissa Meyers to hate Nurse Linkion - and nobody better ever call her ‘Darling’, again.

  Gradually, Melissa Meyers fights her way, up through the fog in her mind, with only one objective - she hopes to strangle the person who is pouring cold water on her, and keeps calling her “Darling”.

  Finally, she opens her eyes and tries to focus on the object of her wrath. At that point, Nurse Linkion stops splashing cold water on her and says: “Well, there you are, Darling. I knew you were ready to wake up. You were probably just dreaming about some lover, or maybe about a walk on the beach of Oriah Prime.”

  “Where am I? ……. Who am I?” asks Ensign Meyers.

  The Nurse looks at the information tag attached to his patient’s big toe and reports: “Your name is Melissa Meyers. You were recovered from a stasis pod in deep space approximately 12 years ago, and you are right now, in the Terran Navy 45th Refurbishment Center.

  “You have Melissa Meyer’s brain and a brand new clone body. And you are some good looking babe. I would ask you out for a date, except that you are over half a meter taller than me and I might feel intimidated.”

  Melissa only cares about her name, about being recovered 12 years ago, and about having a clone body. The rest is drivel. Now if the nurse will just shut up, so that she can think.

  And, as if reading her mind, Nurse Linkion says: “I’ll just leave you alone for a few minutes, while you get reacquainted with yourself. We have a hologram presentation for you to watch in about 15 minutes. That will explain a lot about who you are and why you are here.”

  ***

  Chapter 1

  Copus Vortex FTL Port

  “Captain on the Bridge,” announces the Comm Officer.

  Melissa Meyers is the first augmented human to rise to the rank of Captain of a Darinx Empire Navy vessel. Until recently, augmented humans had been restricted to ranks of Lieutenant and below, and were never in command of Darinx Empire citizens.

  The improvements in augmented human status came partly because the citizens of the Empire are demanding a change. They argue that if augmented humans are
being forcibly conscripted as soldiers for the Empire, then the Empire should grant them full citizenship when their first tour of duty is completed. The Empire has just approved that recommendation.

  Mostly though, the improvements came because of the Augmented Human Rebellion, which began about 30 years earlier. The Empire is afraid that the augmented humans will desert en masse. Such an exodus would spell doom for the Darinx Empire. Augmented humans do the dirty work in the Darinx military - especially in the Army - and their desertion would guarantee victory for the Verm Empire.

  One of the ways that the Darinx Empire is improving life for augmented humans is by improving the augmented human retirement planet. The planet Dresden is in the process of getting a real makeover, with improvements to infrastructure and social services. In addition, each retired soldier/sailor will receive a pension. The planet will be self-governed and will be represented in the Darinx Empire Senate.

  And now augmented humans get to keep their original name and the memories from their previous life. If the individual wants selective parts of their memory erased - or if they want their entire memory erased - they can have that done. And if they want to change their name, that will be arranged.

  Things are far from perfect for augmented humans, but the trajectory of change is in an upward direction.

  ***

  “As you were,” says Captain Meyers. “Any news Tactical?”

  “Nothing new, sir,” responds Tactical Officer Inchurito. “Fleet is still expecting the enemy to emerge in the Vortex, but we are monitoring 360 degrees, just in case.”

  “Good,” replies Captain Meyers, as she takes her position in the Command Chair.

  The Vortex FTL Port is a recent discovery in space travel. The Vortex is, essentially, a short-cut through Faster Than Light (FTL) space which cuts travel time, from weeks to days. The existence of Vortex entry and exit points was originally discovered by space travelers of the yert species some thousands of years ago. That technology was rediscovered recently, by archeologists who were studying the ancient ruins of the yert people.

  ***

  “Shiela, what is the ships’ status?” the Captain asks.

  Shiela is the name for the ship’s Artificial Intelligence (AI). At this point in the evolution of Artificial Intelligence entities they are much like a human, except without the body. They have emotions, feelings, a personality, a mind, and opinions.

  Because of their faster processing speed and massive computational capabilities, AIs outstrip humanoids in some areas of expertise, such as ‘weapons targeting’ and ‘defensive systems coordination’. Humanoids are generally better at ‘thinking outside of the box’ and for abstract concepts, such as developing new tactics and strategies.

  A Darinx Navy warship has become a blend of man and machine. When you add in the augmented human, with brain implants and sensory enhancements, the capabilities are extended even farther.

  It is the job of the ship’s Captain to get the blend just right for maximum effectiveness. Captain Meyers is just beginning that refinement process. This is her first command and the brand new light cruiser Compton will be getting its first battle experience.

  ***

  “All of Compton’s systems are nominal, Captain,” Shiela responds. “All of the ship’s operational units report Mission Capable status and the ship is at Security Level 4. Comm links to all Fleet vessels are nominal, and all Fleet ships report Ready conditions. Admiral Thrust has ordered all ships to maintain Battle Ready status.”

  “Thank you, Shiela,” the Captain replies. “Can you guess at the probability that the Verm Fleet will emerge in the Vortex?”

  Shiela answers: “From previous data points, I would divide the probability into three groups. If the Verm fleet is small – i.e. less than 100 ships – the probability is less than 25.3%. If the Verm Fleet is large – i.e. greater than 200 ships – the probability is 80.1% or higher. If the Verm fleet is between 100 and 200 ships, the probability increases exponentially between 25.3% and 80.1%.”

  “Thank you, Shiela,” replies the Captain. “That would seem to indicate that the Verm only use the Vortex FTL when they believe that they have an overwhelming number of vessels.”

  Shiela responds: “That would seem to be a valid statement, sir.”

  “Well then,” replies the Captain. “Let’s hope that they don’t use the Vortex.”

  ***

  “Ships emerging,” announces Shiela.

  “Battle Stations, Compton,” announces the Captain.

  “All ships. Battle Stations,” announces Admiral Thrust. “Execute Plan Able, on my mark. …………… Execute”

  “Shiela, fire when ready,” orders the Captain.

  “Aye sir,” responds Shiela. “Commencing firing.”

  ***

  Plan Able calls for all ships to target the emerging enemy vessels before they can bring their defensive systems online. Ships are especially vulnerable to attack while emerging from Faster Than Light (FTL) space, because automatic defensive and offensive systems are inoperable until the vessel has fully emerged.

  That is why the Verm Navy only uses the Vortex FTL node when they have overwhelming numbers of ships in their attacking Fleet. The Verm know that they will take significant losses during the initial phase of battle, but they don’t care, because they have a seemingly endless supply of ships and crews.

  The Verm are a warrior species, who have conquered a large number of species and civilizations. They control a vast swath of the Orion Nebula and are intent on conquering the entire universe.

  The Verm Empire is a dictatorship whose leaders are ruthless and act without any compassion, or any evidence of a conscience. Genocide is a common occurrence during Verm Empire conquests. The targeted planets either surrender unconditionally, or the Verm military nukes the planet until any possibility of life is destroyed.

  ***

  “Defensive systems are on automatic and offensive systems targeting is under AI control,” reports Tactical.

  “Maintaining synchronous Fleet position,” reports the Helm Officer, Lieutenant Wu.

  ***

  The sight of a large number of disabled Verm vessels fails to cheer Captain Meyers. She knows that the Verm Navy is sacrificing its weakest vessels in order to provide a cover of debris and wreckage, for the remaining Verm warships to hide behind. In a few moments the tide of battle will turn, in the favor of the Verm Fleet, as their bigger and stronger vessels emerge unscathed from FTL space.

  She had pointed that very scenario out, in a Captains Briefing with Admiral Thrust. He was not happy to hear her comment and dismissed it as “poppycock”. Captain Meyers will feel no joy at being proved right. The rest of the Darinx Fleet is in danger of being destroyed because of the Admiral’s bad decision.

  “Why does it seem that incompetence is rewarded in the Darinx Military?” she wonders to herself. “Nothing to do now but follow orders, until the Admiral issues new instructions, or until the Admiral’s vessel is destroyed”.

  ***

  ……. ……… ……… “Tactical, lob some missiles over the top of the Verm wreckage, so that they explode at the Vortex opening. Separate their arrival by about a minute.” orders the Captain.

  “Aye sir,” responds Tactical. ………… ……… …………… “Launching 5 missiles in 60 second intervals.”

  The missiles begin to explode behind the Verm ship wreckage. Captain Meyers thinks that this method might be a way to thwart the Verm Navy’s plan of emerging behind a debris field. Secondary explosions indicate that Verm ships are being destroyed. If the Darinx Fleet would coordinate a ‘missile lobbing effort’, they would be able to destroy a lot more Verm vessels, as they emerge.

  She is just reaching for the comm button, in order to share her thought with the Admiral, when his image appears on the Compton’s front screen.

  “Captain Meyers,” the Admiral says, in a huff. “Stop firing those missiles. No one told you to do that. Follow Plan Able
. If you are not capable of following my instructions, I will relieve you of duty. Is that understood?”

  “Aye sir,” responds Captain Meyers. “It is understood.”

  ***

  And the Compton does follow Plan Able, as the Darinx Fleet fights valiantly against 3 to 1 odds. Some awful hours later, the Darinx Fleet is surrounded and is down to 15 vessels. At that point, a barrage of missiles overcomes the defensive system on Admiral Thrust’s vessel and the Flagship explodes.

  The second and third in-command ships have also been destroyed. Captain Meyers is no longer restricted by the Admirals orders.

  Captain Meyers comms the remaining Darinx Fleet vessels and says: “All Darinx vessels. This is Captain Meyers aboard the Compton. The pathway to the Vortex is clear. I recommend that we make a run for it, through the Vortex. We might be able to set up a trap at the other end.”

  Apparently there are no alternative plans, except to stay where they are and die. All ships signal agreement.

  Captain Meyers says: “All ships. On my mark. Turn to face the Vortex and proceed at full flank speed through the Vortex. Maintain your positions relative to the Fleet. The Vortex opening is large enough for all of us at the same time….. …. “Execute”

  And they are OFF and running. The Verm Fleet is caught off guard by the unexpected maneuver, and is slow to target the fleeing ships. ………… All 14 of the Darinx ships make it into the Vortex. That gives them three days of travel time, to the exit point in the Romalous system.

  They can’t make repairs to the exterior of a vessel while in FTL space, but they can make a lot of much needed repair to the ship’s interior and to the weapons systems. There is no way to communicate with other vessels in FTL space, but Captain Meyers knows that everyone else will be spending their time in the same manner.

  After the repair work has been planned and started, Captain Meyers leaves those tasks in the capable hands of her Senior Officers, and retires to the Command Conference Room with Lt. Inchurito, the Tactical Officer. She calls Shiela, the ship’s AI, to the meeting as well.