The Omega Endeavor

By Ibrahim Yamini

It is 2434 in a faraway galaxy where the Bria race has just been wiped out. Commander Iaxxlys, the leader of the Larin fleet ostensibly responsible for the annihilation of the Bria, is awaiting execution. Spurred by the notion that the council has been infiltrated, Iaxxlyss first officer breaks him out of his holding cell and together, with several troops, the two escape the planet in an effort to save their people from extinction. The Larin civil war has officially begun.

One year later after Captain Radford of the Innerstellar Space Fleet is ordered to investigate a mysterious vessel that has appeared several light years away, he and his squadron are sent straight into a brutal encounter with an unknown enemy. After the Fleet learns they are the focus of the Larin civil war and prepare to defend the Sol System, Radford discovers the Larins may not be acting of their own accord. As a plot is revealed to wipe out all intelligent life and a mysterious race appears, now only time will tell if the Larins and the humans can put their differences aside to prevent mysterious forces from enveloping the galaxy.

The Omega Endeavor is the gripping tale of an epic space battle between good and evil as the future of mankind hangs precariously in the balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491747742

Ibrahim Yamini

Ibrahim Yamini grew up in Chicago where he spent his childhood obsessed with space exploration and combat through television shows, movies, and novels. Ibrahim currently resides with his wife in Panama City, Florida. This is the first book in a trilogy.

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The OMEGA

ENDEAVOR

Ibrahim Yamini

The Omega Endeavor

Copyright © 2015 Ibrahim Yamini.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

iUniverse

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-4772-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-4773-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-4774-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015904852

iUniverse rev. date: 08/21/2015

Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter 1 The Encounter

Chapter 2 Awakening

Chapter 3 Uprising

Chapter 4 The Recruits

Chapter 5 Ixxalys’s Dilemma

Chapter 6 The Merger

Chapter 7 Scavengers

Chapter 8 The Arciles

Chapter 9 Ranger Engaged

Chapter 10 Payback

Chapter 11 I Am Ixxalys

Chapter 12 Reunion

Chapter 13 The Chase

Chapter 14 Relief

Chapter 15 Internal Affairs

Chapter 16 Rebel System

Chapter 17 A New Enemy

Chapter 18 Drop Shipping

Chapter 19 General Tzi

Chapter 20 ATAC

Chapter 21 Rescue

Chapter 22 Escape

Chapter 23 Internal Struggle

Chapter 24 Visions

Chapter 25 Distortions

Chapter 26 Anomaly

Chapter 27 Recovery

Chapter 28 Reunited

Chapter 29 Captain Hunt

Chapter 30 Incoming

Chapter 31 The A’santiz

Chapter 32 Allies

Chapter 33 Rally-Up

Chapter 34 Invasion

Chapter 35 Fleet Engagement

Chapter 36 Super Weapon

Chapter 37 A Hero’s Welcome

Epilogue

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Are you actually reading the acknowledgment page? Well good for you! Most people just flip right past but you are that diamond in the rough that is interested in reading the author’s comments. I don’t want to take up too much of your time because there are some planets that need defending, aliens that need killin’ and ships that need explodin’.

If you read this far please take the time to recognize a few key players in my life who finally helped me get this book out of my head and into the world.

My lovely wife Myeshia who supported me from the beginning to end, who has a sunshine smile as bright as the nearest star.

My good friend Stephen Hoag a.k.a. Szinboru for providing the illustrations for The Omega Endeavor.

My friends; Wayne Morris, Polo Santiago, Daniel Bandy; a.k.a. General Tzi, Josh Hunt and Mike Hammond who have listened me to read this story countless times over Xbox Live and couldn’t wait for me to finish it.

I would also like to give a special thanks to Jonathan Clason, who helped me fine tune my writing style with more focus and clarity.

All of those who supported me from afar in my endeavor while I worked tirelessly to complete my first novel.

And finally, I would like to thank you, the reader. I hope you have as much fun reading the story as did writing it.

PROLOGUE

August 22, 2440 Advanced Era: Ixxalys’s Log

"Once the galaxy viewed our mighty empire as the most formidable force in existence, and there were few who could challenge us. Now we are on the brink of collapse and are facing extinction.

"When the enemy emerged, my attempt to prevent their advances failed, and I lost my home world. Once the evacuation of Rana was complete, I used what little resources I had to stop the attack on our brethren. I could only watch as Earth’s armies fell. I was unable to prevent the onslaught, and I am powerless to defend my comrades: another failure.

With our alliance battered and broken, we continue to fight alongside our human brothers. I feel that this is a battle we cannot win. The struggle for Earth is over, and the war is lost. May your creator have mercy on you all. I am Ixxalys, Supreme Commander of the Larin fleet, and these will be my final words.

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Chapter 1

THE ENCOUNTER

April 4, 2435 Advanced Era (AE), five Terran years ago

L ieutenant Radford eased the throttle on his fighter. A month on patrol without a single contact, not even a scavenger, left him weary and exhau sted.

These patrols are pointless, Radford thought. There’s nothing out here. Then his battle computer came alive. It beeped twice and inexplicably went silent. Radford scanned his targeting grid and saw only friendlies. Maybe it was a glitch in the computer. A faint signal appeared, accompanied by another beep, but just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone.

Damn thing. Radford beat his fist on the console, and the blip reappeared. This time it remained for a few seconds and then faded. He scanned outside his canopy, but he could only see Collins’ fighter. He activated his comm. Cannon, you see anything?

Negative, Raptor. Vacuum’s clear as a starry night in Alabama.

My battle computer’s giving me some strange readings. First it picks up a bogie, and then it’s gone.

Well, I’m not reading anything on my end. You know how these things are.

Yeah, Radford knew how they were. Each new upgrade promised to be better, faster, and grittier than the last. Trouble was, the software usually took about six months to catch up. Still, all this silence made him nervous.

Keep your eyes open, Cannon.

Will do, Raptor, but this ride promises to be as quiet as all the— A bolt of white light lashed through the darkness and gutted Collins’ fighter. The little fighter separated in two for just a moment before the engine went critical and detonated in a brilliant cloud of flame.

The emptiness of space suddenly teemed with a flotilla of ships, their sleek design eluding all Radford’s efforts to identify them. His targeting console stayed silent. Radford broke right to avoid a collision, and a white beam of light shot past the underside of his fighter.

Holy— he shouted into the comm. They’re all around us.

Raptor, this is Roach. Who’s all around you?

Radford’s heart pounded. The sweat from his palms made the stick feel slippery beneath his grasp. He could barely make out the black silhouette of the sleek ship’s design.

Fighters … hundreds of them.

Negative, Raptor, Roach replied. I’ve got nothing on my con. Radford barreled through the nearest cluster, hoping to force them to stand down or risk shooting their own.

Forget the con. Open your eyes.

I’m telling you, I don’t see anything.

Damn it, Roach! Wake up! There was a brief moment of static. Radford was too busy to keep up his end of the conversation.

Wait a minute. I think I see them, but there’s only two. You sure those readings are— The comm went silent. Radford looked out of his canopy and watched Roach’s ship separate and explode in a flash.

Omega One, this is Joker. Nelson’s voice came online. We’re under fire. I repeat, we’re under fire.

No. Welcome to the party.

Roach is down. Radford continued to dance among the enemy ships. They held their fire, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. Soon they would find a way to isolate him, and then …

This is Justice. All Omega patrols, re-form on me. Captain Pierce’s voice brought a refreshing stillness to Radford’s nerves. Prepare to engage!

The Omega group broke formation and fired on the unknown vessels. Radford struggled to locate the alien armada, but only two ships remained.

"Ranger, this is Justice, Captain Pierce transmitted to their command ship. We’re under attack from hostiles, and I’ve got two down. They’re using advanced weaponry. I don’t know how this is gonna end."

Pierce maintained his bearing, but his heart was beating fast. As far as he knew, no other race possessed technology superior to the Interstellar Space Fleet. The formation of the ISF had been the most significant achievement in human history. Since then, humans had encountered several alien races in their travels, but to the humans’ surprise, few societies had spacefaring capability. The races that did were focused on trade and did not have the ability to mount an interstellar war. Encountering a technologically advanced race, let alone a hostile one, did not bode well for Pierce and his team.

The ships have cloaking capabilities, he continued. I’ve never seen anything like it. The unknowns are extremely hostile. I’ll keep the feed open as long as possible. Pierce then turned his attention to his wingmen. Make sure your CAMs are transmitting. I want Central Command to see this. And Angel squadron should have rendezvoused by now. Strider, where are you?

A hail of fire entered the fray and quickly impacted the unknowns. Pierce’s command computer blared as more friendly forces entered the area. He looked at his con, and it showed eight of what would have been ten green blips of friendly forces.

All right, Justice! Captain Matthews came online. Heard you yapping. Angel, Omega, light those bastards up! Matthews hit one of the targets on what appeared to be the cockpit of the unknown craft. Direct hit! The craft absorbed the blast from Matthews’s attack, but there was no clear damage to the ship. Status check. You see any sign of damage?

Negative, Strider, Pierce replied. His heart beat faster, while his emotions ran rampant. He hid his feelings from his wingmen, and numerous thoughts flooded his mind. He could not break down, not now. Matthews’ comm quickly interrupted his thoughts.

All right, Justice. Gimme an update. What are we up against?

Stand by, Strider. I’m gonna try and communicate with them.

I don’t think they’re in a mood to talk, Matthews responded.

Maybe not, but it’s worth a shot. I’m transmitting a message in all known languages. Pierce knew it was a futile effort, but he had to use all means available to get out of this situation, if possible. This is Captain Pierce of the ISF, representing planet Earth of the Sol system. Cease your assault. We are explorers and have no hostile intent. If we have violated your territory, allow us safe passage, and we will return to our borders. I repeat: we have no hostile intent.

The mysterious vessels immediately focused their fire on Pierce. Having spent years as a combat instructor, Pierce was well versed in evasive-maneuver tactics, but he narrowly avoided being destroyed by the beams.

Like I said, they don’t want to talk, Matthews said. Okay, so, white beams. Anything else I should know?

It’s not looking good, Pierce responded. I only see two, but there might be more. Their stealth and weapons are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We might have to make a break for it until we can get more intel. Even as he said it, he knew his men would balk at a potential retreat.

Any weaknesses? Matthews asked.

I’m not sure, Strider. I’ve noticed they uncloak right before they fire.

Sounds like a weakness to me, and it’s eight against two. We still have the advantage.

I don’t think our numbers will make a difference, Pierce thought. He had fought in countless battles and numerous conflicts, but he had never encountered anything like this. He often felt a sense of fear before entering combat, but this was different. They had never lost pilots so quickly before. This wasn’t a battle. His men were about to be slaughtered. He tried to maintain his bearing.

Maybe, Pierce said, his emotions slipping through the comm.

Justice, if their tech is better, I bet their ships are faster too, Matthews said. We have to make our stand here.

Pierce didn’t want to believe it, but Matthews was right. Why would the hostiles let them go? You may be right, he responded. He shook his head to get back in the game. If this is my last battle, I’m gonna go down fighting. Since they don’t feel like talking, then neither do we. Light ’em up!

That’s a good copy. Angels, take ’em down! Matthews continued firing.

Bailey’s voice crackled. This is Eagle. I—I lost them again! The alien ships cloaked and uncloaked repeatedly. Stop hiding, you cowards!

Eagle, stay focused. Matthews flew through the two-ship formation, performed a 180 degree turn, and hit the lead ship as it uncloaked. There was no damage.

I copy, Strider, I just— A white beam severed Bailey’s ship, instantly breaking his connection. Bailey’s lifeless, dismembered body flew out of its ship and slammed into Nelson’s cockpit. A large clot of blood smeared the outside of his canopy.

No! Nelson shouted.

Horrified, Pierce watched these events unfold. This was no game. They were all going to die. What remained of Bailey’s body slid off of Nelson’s canopy and floated into space.

This is Joker. We’ve lost Eagle. Angel Three is down. I repeat, Angel Three is down.

Dammit! said Matthews. Pierce, I’m gonna try something. Have your squadron sync to my targeting grid.

I copy, Strider. Pierce ordered all Omega and Angel fighters to sync their weapon systems with the Angel-one commander.

Wait for my signal. The friendly ships moved into formation around the hostile’s primary attack point and created a beam that emanated from one ship to another. Then they waited for their opportunity to strike.

It’s quiet, said Radford. You think they left? Maybe we don’t have to—

Stand by, Raptor. Matthews cut Radford off. I don’t think we’re done. He was right. The menacing hostiles appeared in the center of their formation and sat motionless.

Recontact! Radford came back online. They’re toying with us. They aren’t charging weapons.

Let’s see if they can stop this. Fire! Matthews commanded. The beams hit their target with enough force that the craft exploded on impact. All right, one down, one to go! Take that, you— Matthews abruptly went silent.

Pierce had just breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that this powerful and unknown enemy was not invincible. Without the help of the Angels, Omega would have been completely outmatched. He focused his attention on the destroyed craft—and his personal celebration ended. A motionless fire surrounded the ship’s chassis. It was as if time itself had stopped. A few moments later, the fiery explosion retracted, and pieces of the ship’s debris flew back into contact with one another.

Are you guys seeing this? What is that? Pierce’s voice trembled. Angel and Omega opened fire, but their attempts to destroy the transparent fragments were futile. Make sure your CAMs are still transmitting! Preserving a record of what happened here was paramount. They might not survive, but any intel gained could help during a future encounter.

Pierce’s mind scrambled. What were they planning? He studied the movement of the ships and saw that they were moving too close to avoid a collision. To Pierce’s surprise, the ships did not crash; they merged. Once the ships had merged, they rotated quickly, and a sharp stab of pain entered Pierce’s head. He tried to cry out, but the pain was so intense that he couldn’t utter a sound or reach his equipment in normal fashion. This was new. Physical attacks were one thing, but if the hostiles had perfected psychological warfare to this extent, the danger to the human race was incalculable. Forget what Matthews said, Captain Pierce thought. We need to leave now!

Br-Break formation! Pierce could barely focus. He reached for the controls, but his hands felt like dead weights. His neck strained, and he tried to hold his head upright to regain himself. The sleek vessels quickly changed to reflective orange as they rotated.

Pierce struggled to maintain control of his fighter. He might have to accept the dire situation at hand, and he prepared to issue orders that were nearly forbidden. We don’t back down, he whispered, but this … He took his helmet off and rubbed his fingers through his hair. The wet sensation in his palms prompted him to observe his hands. They were dripping in blood. His headache was so intense that a small portion of his head had split open. This did not matter, and he ignored the pain. Getting Angel and Omega home safely was priority.

This is Justice! he shouted. Bug out! Retreat to fallback positions! I repeat: bug out!

No one responded to his command. Pierce rubbed his fingers on his head again, but his helmet was still on and his palms were clean. Am I hallucinating? Pierce noticed that his comm light was flashing. He had never sent a message. He ignored the strange experience and tried again.

This is Justice! Break formation and bug out! Neither Omega nor Angel squadron responded to Pierce’s hails. Strider! Angel One! Matthews, respond! There was no response. Pierce could hear comm traffic, but his own transmissions weren’t getting through.

This is Strider, targeting coordinates thirty-six mark, sixteen mark, ten. Light ’em up!

What’s he targeting? Pierce thought. There’s nothing there. Pierce read the targeting grid and had a terrible realization: Matthews was pursuing Lieutenant Radford. Strider! What are you doing? Readjust your targeting array!

Matthews opened fire on Radford’s ship, ignoring Pierce completely.

Raptor, get outta there!

Lieutenant Radford did not respond to Pierce’s warnings, but he maneuvered to avoid the fire from Strider’s weapons.

This is Raptor! Radford’s voice shouted. Cease fire! Cease fire! Have you lost your mind?

Matthews did not respond. He was intent on destroying Radford’s ship. Pierce regained his composure and flew in to assist his wingman. He fired warning shots at Matthews’ ship, which caused him to alert the other Angels.

Bandit on my six, smear and clear!

This is Smoke. I got ’em! Smoke opened fire on Pierce’s rear, and Pierce easily evaded him.

Smoke, what are you doing? Don’t make me kill you. Smoke seemed to be in a trance and did not respond to Pierce. With the Angel on his own tail, Pierce had no choice but to break off his pursuit of Matthews and engage Smoke in combat.

Radford led Matthews to the center of the unknown crafts’ formation as Matthews opened fire on him, barely missing the tip of his wing. He was now on his own against the Angel One squadron commander. Matthews was an excellent pilot, but Radford was no rookie himself.

This is Raptor. I say again, cease fire! You are targeting friendlies. Again, Matthews did not respond. With Matthews giving him no choice, Radford flew dangerously close to the alien formation, barely avoiding a collision with the vessels. Matthews tried the same tactic, but there was no time to maneuver. He smashed into the unknown crafts, and his ship exploded on impact.

Oh no! We’ve lost the captain! Angela shouted. Suddenly the explosion froze, but only for a moment. Then it quickly retracted, and Matthews’ ship reappeared, his vessel unaffected by the explosion. The unknown crafts had suffered no damage, but they increased their rotation speed and changed their color once again.

Pierce barely noticed the vessels’ red transformation as he evaded the smoke, and there seemed to have been no deathly consequences for Matthews’s careless mistake.

No, Angela, Archangel, I—I’m fine. Matthews was distraught but clearly trying to regain himself.

What’s going on? Angela asked. Why is everyone shooting at each other?

Matthews did not respond. He pulled his ship to a stop.

I think they’re in our heads! Pierce shouted, avoiding the spray of fire from Smoke’s guns. They can make us see whatever they want! Pierce had figured it out: this was psychological warfare. He continued to avoid fire from Smoke, hoping that he would come to his senses.

Pierce, Matthews said with an overwhelming sense of calm in his voice. Matthews seemed to have forgotten—or no longer cared about—the imminent threat that was present. I saw them.

Pierce could hear Matthews’s transmissions, but Smoke’s skill was increasing rapidly. He knew for a fact that Smoke had not mastered some of the maneuvers he was performing while trying to destroy Pierce’s vessel. Had the unknowns advanced Smoke’s abilities somehow?

Pierce did not want to lose sight of Smoke, so he turned away from Matthews’s halted fighter. He located Smoke’s position on the con and then looked forward out of his canopy. He saw bold letters—Angel 1 Strider—only ten meters away as he flew toward it at full speed. He quickly jerked his control and dipped under the stationary ship, sparks flying as the bottom of Matthews’s vessel scraped the top of his own cockpit. Matthews’s voice said calmly, They are c—

Smoke slammed into the side of Matthews’s fighter, cutting him off. This time there was no retracted explosion, only debris.

Matthews? Smoke? No! Pierce screamed. He and Matthews had been friends for years and had fought together in nearly every conflict. His hands shook uncontrollably, but the worst was yet to come. He heard a cracking noise and looked up. The canopy of his cockpit had a hairline fracture that was expanding. Pierce observed the fracture descending down the center of his cockpit and laughed.

Justice, you all right? Radford asked.

No, we’re dead, every single one of us. Pierce’s comms had been restored, but he had given up all hope.

Justice, get your head out of your ass! Radford responded. I’m not dying here!

"So you can hear me now, huh? It doesn’t matter. It’s over,