The Jumpgate
By
Robert Stadnik
An Exodus Universe Novel
The Jumpgate
Copyright 2019 Robert Stadnik
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Book Cover Design by ebooklaunch.com
PROLOGUE
LOCATION: Rogue TERRA starship PHOENIX, just outside the Ni star system
YEAR: 2145
The massive human starship rocked from several energy blasts. The armada of Screen ships attacking were relentless. Jacob Diego had to grab a wall handle to prevent himself from falling to the ground. When the ship stabilized, he rushed over to the console where Professor Donavin was feverishly working. He could see why he was pulled to engineering from his security duties. PHOENIX was up against over 170 Screen vessels. They needed anyone with engineering skills to help repair and maintain systems during the battle. The crew did what they could to prepare, but it was still overwhelming. None of them had ever gone through such a large-scale battle.
“I’ve managed to reroute energy from the damaged primary plasma grid through a secondary network,” Lieutenant Diego reported to Professor Donavin.
Donavin checked the readings on his console. “It’s holding, but I don’t know for how long.” Another set of blasts rocked the ship. “Damn Screen! Can’t they give us one minute?” Donavin took it as a personal insult that the Screen were trying to destroy a ship he worked so hard to build.
Another volley of attacks caused PHOENIX to rock again. Alerts blared on the various consoles in engineering. “We’ve got ruptures in the secondary conduit network,” an engineer reported from a station across from Donavin and Jacob.
Donavin adjusted his eyeglasses as he checked the damage. “We need to close the rupture in Zeta 9A; otherwise it’ll bleed over to the primary network and melt the entire grid.” Donavin wiped the sweat from his head as he tried to adjust the energy flow. “They had to hit a vulnerable area…” He slammed his hands on the console. “I can’t reroute the flow.”
“I can go and fix it,” Jacob offered without hesitation.
“Ops to engineering,” came the voice of Alex’sis Brandus. “We’ve got fluctuations in our weapons network.”
“On it,” Donavin replied as he looked to Jacob. “Get that rupture sealed or we’re dead. I’ll take care of the weapons systems.”
Jacob grabbed a toolkit and rushed out of engineering without saying a word. There was little time to waste. They were barely keeping up repairing all the damage the ship was taking from the enemy vessels. PHOENIX was huge, but it was being outmatched by the Screen armada it was fighting.
“Alert, enemy hostiles have boarded the ship. Repeat, hostiles on board,” communications officer Bret Richards reported over Jacob’s pip as the lieutenant ran through the only corridor in and out of engineering. He pulled his pulse gun and activated it. The last thing he needed to deal with was enemy combatants. He had to get to the damaged grid. PHOENIX was fighting overwhelming odds. If they couldn’t keep up with repairing critical systems, they were doomed. A part of him felt he needed to help defend the ship from the boarding parties. He ignored that thought. He needed to help with repairs, not engage in combat. There were plenty of people handling security.
The ship was taking a lot of damage from the ongoing attacks. When Captain Roberts announced they were coming here to protect the Ni from a planned Screen attack, people became nervous. Despite the ship’s massive size and victories against the Screen in multiple encounters, many of the crew felt protecting the Ni wasn’t in the best interest of their mission. But they respected the captain’s decision and were willing to follow his orders. On Professor Donavin’s recommendation, anyone with engineering experience was assigned to repair duties for the fight. Although he was a security officer, Jacob had extensive training in the ship’s engineering systems and was reassigned. With civilians supporting security in repelling boarding parties, Jacob could afford to help the engineers.
The lieutenant tried not to think about the ship being pummeled with weapons fire. The human starship was massive. It bristled with its own arsenal of weapons to defend itself, but it was outmatched by the sheer number of Screen vessels attacking it. The engineers could only do so much in helping to keep the systems running. PHOENIX needed to prevail in battle or withdraw if they were to survive. Jacob already knew retreat was not an option. Captain Roberts was intent on protecting the Ni.
Jacob reached the entry to the maintenance shaft and hit the button. The door wouldn’t open, forcing him to pry it open with his hands. He wasted no time crawling into the small space. He could see the rupture in the conduit network up ahead. Sparks flew around him and lights flickered in the distance as more blasts struck the ship.
“Donavin to Diego. I need that conduit fixed!”
“I’m in the shaft and approaching the rupture. Give me a of couple minutes.” The professor’s tone made it clear the situation was dire. Jacob needed to fix the conduit ASAP.
“Hurry! We’re barely keeping the systems running. Shields are beginning to fail!”
Jacob moved quickly through the maintenance shaft despite the constant rocking of the ship from the Screen’s repeated attacks. Once he reached the damaged conduit, he pulled out a scanner to assess the damage. It was bad. The best he could hope to do was isolate the rupture and try to reroute power through a nearby junction. It would take time to fix. The nearby conduits were already pumping plasma energy beyond their capacity. Any of them could breach. If they did…well, the lieutenant wouldn’t be around very long to think about it. Plasma tended to make human flesh melt.
As he began repairs, a massive set of explosions shook the ship violently, preventing Jacob from fixing the conduit. Another set of explosions rocked the ship so hard it threw him from side to side and knocked him unconscious. For the remainder of the battle, he lay motionless in the conduit.
CHAPTER ONE
May 2147
Location: Infinity City, Luna
Admiral Vargas reviewed the commander’s file. He wanted to be familiar with the officer’s career history before meeting with him. Despite reading the dossier several times, questions still lingered in his mind. Why would an officer, who served on the rogue starship PHOENIX, voluntarily choose to leave that ship? Everyone who served on it during the Screen mission were considered heroes by the public. Welcomed back into the fleet, every officer in TERRA clamored to get a post there. It made no sense for an officer to want to transfer off that ship. The admiral had no problem granting the commander’s request, but he wanted to know his motivations. Very few officers who served on PHOENIX during the Screen mission left for new assignments. It was a challenge for TERRA to figure out where to put them.
Vargas never had an issue making a tough decision, but times had changed. He had to be sure any decision he made didn’t impact him negatively. Ever since the Screen’s defeat and PHOENIX’s return, the government had been removing most of the high-level officers in TERRA, replacing them with Earth Security (ES) personnel. While PHOENIX was away, tensions grew between TERRA and the government, almost leading to an armed conflict between TERRA and Earth Security. Upon the starship’s return, the government made sweeping changes to TERRA. They installed people in key positions to reassert control over the military branch. Admiral Vargas was never one to make waves, and he had enough friends in the government to ensure his position was safe. Despite that protection, he felt he was in a precarious place. He thought through every decision before finalizing his choice. He had been in TERRA too long to los
e his career over a rash decision.
“Admiral Vargas, Commander Diego is here to see you,” came the voice of his bot assistant over the office speakers.
“Send him in.” The admiral stood up as the door opened. “Commander Diego.” He felt certain about approving the commander’s transfer but wanted to speak with Diego before signing off on it.
“Admiral,” Jacob replied. He stood in the center of the room with his hands behind his back, waiting for the admiral to respond. There was no pleasantness in his voice.
Vargas circled around his desk and approached the commander, extending his hand out. Jacob looked at it, seemingly unsure as what to do. Eventually, he extended his hand, and they shook. “It’s finally good to meet you, commander.”
“Yes, sir,” Jacob replied. “Forgive me, sir. I’m just not used to being treated with pleasantries.”
Vegas was quick to reassure him. “You don’t have to explain it to me. I’m aware that the officers who served on PHOENIX are not well regarded in the fleet, despite your popularity with the public. I’m not one of those officers. You and the others risked your lives and careers to free us from the Screen. I, for one, am grateful for what you did.”
“Thank you, sir.” Jacob was not convinced of the admiral’s sincerity. Since leaving PHOENIX, Jacob’s encounters with officers he worked with and for were full of people who held a high level of disdain for him, even hatred. “I wish more officers had your way of thinking.”
“I’ve been in TERRA for over thirty years,” Vargas said as he returned to his desk. “I may be old, but I’m not so set in my ways. I’ve been around long enough to see that changes need to happen if TERRA is to survive as humanity’s military arm. Earth Security would be more than happy to replace us. We have no choice but to adapt.”
Jacob was aware of the fallout from PHOENIX’s return. ES personnel had taken over enough key positions that they essentially now controlled TERRA. Many officers disagreed with some of the changes these ES people were making but remained silent for fear of being drummed out of the service. These changes were even affecting TERRA Academy. Enrollment was down as more young people finishing their secondary education were choosing to sign up for duty with Earth Security rather than try to get into the Academy. Even some Academy graduates were forgoing a position in TERRA and signing up for service with ES. The days of young people dreaming of a career in TERRA seemed to be gone. Projections were that, for the first time in the Academy’s history, there would be vacancies in the incoming freshman class.
Vargas picked up his data acquisition terminal (DAT) and looked at Jacob’s file. “I’ve gone over your history several times, commander. I still don’t understand why you chose to leave PHOENIX. Your performance reviews were stellar, in both security and engineering. Chief Davers even offered you a promotion as security chief of the night watch shift.”
“I’m not the only one who left,” Jacob pointed out. “Twenty-seven other officers vacated their positions.”
Vargas noticed how the commander didn’t even address the promotion offer from Davers. “I read all their files. Each of them had their reason for leaving PHOENIX, but there’s nothing in your file to explain why you left. You said it yourself—things have not been easy for you at the engineering bureau. So why leave PHOENIX?”
“All I can tell you, sir, is I have personal reasons for leaving. If that in any way would prevent you from approving my transfer…”
Vargas held up his hand. “It doesn’t. I’m more than happy to approve your request. I’m just perplexed by your decision. PHOENIX left to conduct deep space exploration. You already took a chance serving on that ship during the Screen mission. It seems space exploration would be natural for you, given your experience.”
“I feel my talents would be better served on a capital ship.”
Vargas was unconvinced by the commander’s response. “You do realize that all the capital ships will be doing are patrols for the foreseeable future. Until the new generation of starships are built, we only have the capital ships to defend the solar system. Even retrofitting them with alien technology, their inherent designs makes them substandard to the other alliance vessels.”
“The alliance is already providing us with military support,” Jacob reminded him.
That remark did nothing to ease Vargas’s concerns about TERRA’s ability to protect the solar system. “I know you and your former crewmates have a lot of faith in the alliance. I don’t. With the Screen gone, I expect the other races will focus more on their self-interests and be less inclined to engage in cooperative efforts. We’ve already seen it with the Cresorians. They’ve all but cut off diplomatic relations with the alliance.”
Jacob was quite aware of the Cresorian situation. He had only met the one who served on PHOENIX, Drix. Jacob found him to be a pleasant individual. It was a surprise that his race had seemingly descended into anarchy trying to rebuild their homeworld.
“Even though you’ll be serving as executive officer, I expect you’ll have a challenge getting SOLARA’s officers to respect you,” Vargas added. “Even Captain Dewis has voiced his opposition to any former PHOENIX crew member serving under him. If he had it his way, you wouldn’t even be allowed to set foot on his ship.”
That warning did nothing to dissuade Jacob. He was committed to going through with this new assignment. “I understand what I’m walking into. I accept whatever awaits me. I won’t let you down.”
The admiral studied the commander for a moment. He just couldn’t get a bead on why Jacob would choose to serve in what would undoubtedly be an uncomfortable and contentious commission. There were a lot of bad feelings from TERRA personnel towards the PHOENIX officers. It was made even worse when Captain Roberts refused to select any of the more seasoned officers to serve on his ship.
The admiral gave up trying to figure out Diego’s motivations and relented. “Alright, commander. Consider your transfer request approved. I’ll transmit the orders to Captain Dewis. You can report to the SOLARA as early as tomorrow.”
Jacob nodded. “Yes sir. Thank you, sir.”
“Dismissed.” Vargas studied the commander as he left the office. The admiral sensed that Diego had left PHOENIX because he was running from something. If that was the case, it didn’t seem to impact his performance. In both his time on PHOENIX and his recent tenure at the engineering bureau helping design the next generation of TERRA starships, he garnered excellent reviews on his job performance. The officers he worked under may have hated Jacob, but they couldn’t deny the excellent work he did for them. Hopefully, Jacob Diego would be able to weather the unfriendly atmosphere waiting for him on the SOLARA.
CHAPTER TWO
It was an uneventful last day at the Mars communications station for David Block. He told none of his colleagues that he was leaving permanently, or about his new assignment. He simply ended his shift and walked out without saying a word to anyone. It was no different than any other day. He kept to himself while at work and didn’t socialize with fellow officers off-duty. His days were spent sitting in his apartment alone in Crimson City, either reading a book or watching an entertainment show. He never imagined living such an isolated life. Things were supposed to be better for him. He was instrumental in helping his friends free humanity from the Screen. While they enjoyed public adulation and saw their careers skyrocket, David was left behind.
It was his name. The Block family was prominent and influential in TERRA. For years, the Block name meant respect and admiration from officers in the fleet. Even when TERRA could no longer post all the officers coming out of the Academy to positions, anyone in the Block family was guaranteed a place in the fleet. David’s father sat on the command council, which afforded the family additional perks. David was fortunate to be part of his family as he was not a remarkable individual. His grades at the Academy were average, and he had a timid demeanor. Despite his shortcomings, it was expected that he would eventually become an admiral, but in a low priority
position. He would never hold a position of importance. Even though his father recognized David’s lack of confidence, he still pushed his son to become more assertive in the hopes he could climb the ranks to a position of power. Although the senior Block knew it was unrealistic, he still held out hope that David could someday get command of a capital ship, maybe even a position on the command council.
None of that would ever happen. Since the Screen’s defeat, the government was swift in removing TERRA officers in key positions. One of those officers removed was David’s father, who was replaced with an ES officer on the command council. Those lucky few who weren’t removed were either ostracized by their peers or made so uncomfortable they resigned their commissions. David was no different. He was shunned by those he worked with at the Mars communications center. Things had become so bad he reached out to his friend John Roberts, who commanded the flagship PHOENIX. John refused to come back for his friend, instead sending a message back explaining he had responsibilities to his crew. David took it as an excuse. The John Roberts he knew would never have used obligation to duty as an excuse to not help a friend.
David had served a brief stint on PHOENIX, but he couldn’t get accustomed to living with the variety of alien species on the ship. He transferred to Mars, assuming working side-by-side with his other good friend, Billy Pedia, would satisfy him. Instead, Billy was promoted to head of the station and David rarely saw him. Even outside of work, David never heard from his friend. It was as if Billy didn’t want to associate with David because of his family name. It seemed everyone had abandoned the young man.
As soon as he got back to his apartment, David finished packing. Even if things didn’t work out at his new assignment, he wouldn’t return to Mars. There was no need to keep the lease on the apartment. On the coffee table he spotted a picture frame holding a photo of him, Billy, and John. It was taken their last year as cadets at the Academy. David picked up the frame and studied it. It was taken in front of John’s place in Dorm Row. David smiled, recalling the memories of those times. John and Billy took him under their wing and included him in all their fun. It was the last photo they took before John was whisked away to the EXODUS Project.
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