Armageddon Read online




  Armageddon

  Armageddon

  A Col Sec (Wildfire Initiative) Thriller

  By

  Jan Domagala

  Armageddon

  This is a work of fiction, any similarity to anyone living or dead or companies or institutes is purely coincidental.

  Copyright Jan Domagala 2018

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Acknowledgments

  Other books by

  One step away

  Armageddon

  Fin | For now

  Kurt and the rest of the Wildfire Initiative will return soon.

  Sign up for Jan Domagala's Mailing List

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  I WOULD LIKE TO THANK everyone who has helped me along the way. My family obviously, without their support I wouldn’t be able to do this. I would also like to thank the extremely talented Vivian Head for her invaluable guidance with proofreading and editing. Cover artwork was provided by Jessica Tahbonemah of Magic Quill Graphics.

  Other books by

  Jan Domagala

  in

  The Col Sec Series

  Ronin

  OMEGA

  Discovery

  Retribution

  Extinction

  Resurrection

  The BlackStar Gambit

  War Dogs

  One step away

  PROLOGUE

  1

  “Tell me you have eyes on the target,” Guardian shouted. He was running through the narrow confines of the street, his eyes darting this way and that.

  “Not yet,” replied Cowboy.

  “Me neither,” Hacker added.

  “I have eyes on the target,” Hellcat said triumphantly.

  “Relay your co-ordinates and we’ll converge on them,” Guardian said urgently.

  The street he was running through was festooned with market stalls decked out with miscellaneous items the natives of this planet sold to make a living. At this time of day, close to noon, the market was at its busiest and it was difficult, almost impossible, to get through quickly.

  “He’s on the roof of the market and he’s getting ready to launch,” Hellcat said urgently. “I’m sending the co-ordinates now but hurry,” she added.

  Guardian read the data sent via her Neural Interface to his, which downloaded directly to his brain and he increased his pace.

  He leapt onto a barrel at the side of one of the stalls and then onto one of the roofs. He quickly looked in the direction Hellcat had indicated and saw the man they were after.

  He had a small device about the size and shape of a suitcase at his feet. Next to that he was setting up something that appeared to be on a tripod. When he took a closer look he saw it was a long cylindrical tube about six inches in diameter and about as long as the man’s arm. It was a mortar, capable of launching a bomb up to a mile away.

  To his right the man saw Hacker reach the top of the stalls as he had moments earlier; to his left Cowboy did the same. From behind the target he could see Hellcat. None of them could reach him in time to prevent him from launching the bomb.

  Guardian saw the target look around him at the approaching team and imagined he had a satisfied smile on his face.

  The target reached into the other container and took out an object. From this distance he couldn’t quite see the size or shape but he instinctively knew what it was.

  Guardian ran as fast as he could towards the target but he knew he wouldn’t make it in time, as did the others who did likewise.

  He was still too far away from his objective when he saw him place the object over the mortar tube and drop it in.

  Immediately the target stepped back as he activated the mortar.

  Guardian froze as he saw the object sent flying high into the air arcing towards the city.

  They had failed.

  2

  Twelve hours earlier

  “Glad you could make it Captain Storm, I hope you and your team are rested,” General Gemmell said from behind his desk. His grey eyes took in the four people standing to attention in front of him.

  They were in his new office as Commander in Chief of Col Sec operations. He had been promoted to General since the removal of his predecessor and former commanding officer, General Sinclair, after the incident in Washington DC that saw a good portion of the city destroyed by a Quantum bomb with the loss of life totalling millions.

  Since then Gemmell had been in command of all operations including the Wildfire Initiative. It had taken him a good three weeks to come up to speed with everything that Sinclair had been running. Even though he had been Second in Command there had been aspects of the Wildfire Initiative that had been kept from him on a strictly need to know basis.

  As Second in Command some details were above his pay grade, but now having full control permitted him full disclosure and he was struggling to come to terms with some of the details.

  Nevertheless, he was dealing with it and due to the new scrutiny Col Sec operations had been placed under since Sinclair’s departure, it had not been easy.

  “We are, sir, and we’re ready to get back to work,” Captain Tony Storm, call sign ‘Guardian’ said. He kept his gaze straight ahead as he stood rigid along with his team of Privates – William Ives, John Wayne and Josephine Pope, call signs Hacker, Cowboy and Hellcat respectively. Together they made up the Red Team, an autonomous squad that could act without control from Col Sec.

  “As you all know, due to the constraints placed upon us by the Confederation Committee, we can no longer act with impunity. We are under closer scrutiny now than ever before so we must be careful. In that regard I am altering the designation of your team. I doubt the Committee would look kindly upon a team that can act autonomously so from now on you are back under the auspices of Col Sec Intelligence Division. The Division will be run as a separate group answerable only to the President and the Council. You will be a tactical intelligence unit working directly under the control of the new Commander, Colonel Boerkamp. Your designation will be, Fireteam Alpha,” Gemmell said.

  Tony kept his focus unwaveringly on Gemmell.

  “Have you any questions, Captain?” Gemmell asked.

  Tony waited to see if any of his team spoke up, especially Cowboy, but when none did, he simply replied, “None, sir.”

  “Then you’re to report to Colonel Boerkamp immediately for your new duties,” Gemmell said before adding, “Dismissed.”

  The four of them turned on their heels and marched out of the office.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Cowboy said once they had left the office.

  Hacker looked at Guardian for an opinion and said, “Well, what’s really going on?”

  “You heard the man; a team running around who act without checks and balances is not something the Committee want to contemplate, not at this moment in time at any rate, not with what’s going on.”

  “When have we ever acted without checks and balances?” Hellcat asked, but as the new girl she quickly saw the error in her comment. The others looked at her and smiled.

  “Whatever!” she said, her face colouring slightly.

  “Little Miss, ‘I’ve only been with the team five minutes’ is right though, when have we?” Cowboy responded.

  “You’re all missing the point here. Whether or not we have is irrelevant, it’s all about public perception. He’s trying to alter that perception to one that’s more palatable in these troubled times,” Guardian said.

  “And in the meantime it impairs our efficiency,” Hacker commented.

  Guardian looked at them all and said, “Let’s get to our new boss and see what he has in store for us. It’s probably best we’re not late on our first day.”

  3

  Colonel Boerkamp was pacing up and down in his office when Guardian led his team in.

  At forty-eight he was perhaps the youngest officer to have been given the reins of such an important unit. He was six feet one tall with a slim, lean body and dark hair that sat atop an angular head. Deep brown eyes darted this way and that as his sharp brain was pondering his latest assignment, hence the pacing. It was his way of working through a problem.

  “Fireteam Alpha reporting for duty as ordered, sir,” Guardian said as they marched into the office.

  “Ah, I see you’ve been briefed by General Gemmell. Good, it saves me the trouble and we can get right to work,” Boerkamp said sitting down behind his desk.

  “At ease,” he said and the four soldiers relaxed into the ‘at ease’ stance.

  “Here at Intelligence Division we are a little less formal. We still adhere to military code but there will be no need to salute unless you are in uniform, which is something else you will need to get used to. There will be no need for that either. You will be wearing civilian dress from now on unless the situation demands otherwise, such as formal ceremonies.

  “As regards to work, you are a tactical intelligence unit which means you are the sharp instruments I wield when the need arises. Today that need has arisen. We have learned of a terrorist, who’s been on our watch list for some time, suddenly popping up on our scanners. His name is Karl Vosu and he is currently on the planet Potera.”

  “What has he done, sir?” Hellcat asked.

  “What hasn’t he done is more to the point. We are interested in the several counts of terrorism he is wanted for, so I want you four to go to Potera and apprehend him,” Boerkamp said.

  “Is this a capture and detain order,
sir?” Guardian asked.

  “Preferably yes, but if he resists and there is no other way you have an executive order to terminate.”

  “Copy that, sir,” Guardian said.

  “Does this mean we’re spies now, sir?” Cowboy asked with a half-smile.

  “If the question you’re really asking is, are you assassins, then the answer is quite simply that you are soldiers carrying out orders,” the Colonel replied.

  Cowboy’s face dropped slightly, “No sir, I asked if we were spies. My father always liked the old twentieth-century Westerns and that’s why my call sign became ‘Cowboy’; he named me after an old movie star. I, on the other hand preferred the spy movies of that century, I always liked the idea of travelling around, saving the world from the bad guys, sir,” he elaborated.

  Hacker looked at his friend and said, “Dude, we do that on a daily basis now.”

  “Quite,” Boerkamp said hiding a smile. “Your transport leaves in one hour, I suggest you make preparations.”

  “Copy that, sir,” Guardian said, turning around and leaving the room followed by his colleagues.

  4

  The four of them returned to their quarters where they changed out of their uniforms and into something more casual.

  Guardian chose a tee shirt and cargo pants with military grade walking shoes, then packed a go bag and left to rendezvous with the rest of the team at the landing pad.

  He thought he would be the first to arrive but was surprised to see Hellcat already there and waiting.

  “What kept you?” she asked with a smile. She had chosen similar attire to himself, tee shirt and cargo pants with a pair of walking shoes that mirrored his own. Her light brown hair was cut close to her skull and her olive-toned skin gave testament to her Mediterranean ancestry. She stood at around five eight and her lean athletic body gave her a tomboyish air. She was attractive but went out of her way not to appear so.

  “Traffic was a nightmare,” he joked which elicited a groan from her.

  He saw her look him up and down appraising him. He was six four with a broad chest and an impressive physique. His brown hair was cut in a buzz cut and his steel grey eyes never missed a detail.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I was just thinking this is the first time I’ve seen you out of your uniform, not bad,” she said.

  “Do you want to rephrase that?” he asked with a glint in his eye.

  “Why?” she said, then realised what he meant. Her cheeks coloured slightly but she held his gaze not wanting to give him that power over her.

  “Now we’re spies, you’ll have to let your hair grow,” she said trying to change the subject.

  “You too,” he countered.

  She ran a hand over her scalp and said, “We’ll see.”

  “Where’s our ride then?” Hacker said as he joined them.

  Guardian looked around to see which of the craft parked there would be available. There was an assortment of shuttles parked in various sections of the large landing pad but none of them looked like they would be theirs.

  “You know what, I have no idea. Boerkamp never said which one, just that it would be here,” he said shrugging his broad shoulders.

  “You guys haven’t figured it out yet?” Cowboy said as he strolled up to them. “It’s gonna be subtle, whichever one they give us. It’s not gonna be a military ride, we’re spies, remember?” he added.

  Just then they heard the arrival of another craft coming in to land. They looked up and saw an old shuttle making its way towards them. It looked around twenty-odd years old, probably more. There was scoring, plates, dents and scrapes across the hull as if it had been battered and ill used for most of its life.

  “Please tell me that’s not our ride,” Hellcat groaned.

  “I said subtle, not retired,” Cowboy commented.

  As it landed a hatch opened and a man appeared in the opening.

  “Gentlemen and lady, if you please, we’re on the clock here,” he said. He was dressed in work clothes suitable for a merchant flyer.

  “And you are?” Guardian asked unconvinced.

  “Ensign Whittaker, sir. Captain Storm, if you and your team would like to join me your ship is waiting in orbit. We have a slot for departure but we have to leave now, sir,” replied the young man.

  Guardian glanced at his team and said, “It seems this is our ride after all, let’s go.”

  They all entered the shuttle and found the interior was just as old and worn as the exterior.

  “Jesus, this is just as bad inside as outside,” observed Hacker as he looked for somewhere to sit.

  Guardian grabbed Whittaker by the arm. “This is space worthy, right?”

  “Perfectly, sir. If you’ll just take a seat we can get airborne,” replied the ensign.

  Guardian glanced at the others and nodded his approval. They all found seats and as they took their places harnesses came out from recesses to strap them all safely inside. As the shuttle took off Guardian listened to the engine noise and a smile crossed his lips. This was a decoy, it had all the trappings of an old shuttle but the workings were in fine order.

  They soon all relaxed when they knew their journey would be a safe one and began to look forward to their new job.

  The shuttle took them high into orbit where a freighter was waiting in a parking orbit around Earth.

  Guardian accessed the monitor on the wall close to where he was sitting, affording him the view from outside their craft. When he saw their destination he turned to the others and said, “It’s the Hyperion.”

  “That rust bucket, am I glad it’s her and not a real old freighter,” Cowboy said when he too saw their ship.

  The Hyperion was indeed an old freighter covered in rust and decay but the interior had been completely refitted to top of the line specs with new sensors, weapons and stealth shield. It was truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

  5

  Guardian led the team onto the bridge where they were met by Captain Parks.

  “Nice to see you again, Captain,” he said as he strode onto the bridge.

  “Same here, we’ve been seconded to Intelligence Division to be at your disposal,” Parks said turning in his command chair to look at them.

  “I understand so, too. Have you been given your orders?”

  He nodded, “We’re to take you to Potera, after that we follow your orders.”

  Guardian glanced away; it seemed he had been given more responsibility than he was at first told. “I’m sorry, if that’s a shock to you Captain, believe me it’s the same to me as well. I hope it won’t cause a problem though?” he said.

  “Not at all, I and my crew are used to taking orders, as long as you realise that whilst you’re on my ship, I am in command. If at any point I think your actions jeopardise the safety of this ship or her crew then I take over. Is that clear?”

  Guardian stepped forward to him and looked him in the eye. “I’m new at this game. I’m a soldier but I’ve been seconded to Intelligence Division the same as everyone else on board, but apparently I’ve been given command of this and subsequent missions. I understand how the chain of command works on a starship, believe me I do, but this situation may change. There could come a time when the mission takes precedence over the safety of all of us. When that happens you have to be clear the mission comes first,” Guardian countered.

  “By your own admission you’re a soldier, so what experience do you or your men have to run intelligence operations?”

  “None I grant you, but the missions we’ve been given are tactical intelligence operations, by definition it means we act as soldiers on the intel gained from others who have the experience you mentioned. Is that all, are we done here?”

  Parks gaze remained locked on Guardian’s. Storm felt he was being tested, gauged to see what he was made of.

  “We’re done,” Parks said and turned to face the forward viewscreen. “We’ll make the jump as soon as you’ve squared away your gear,” he added.

  It seemed he passed the test.

  GUARDIAN RETURNED TO the bridge when the Hyperion dropped out of hyperspace.

  They had arrived at Potera.