Retribution Read online

  REV: Retribution

  The REV Warriors Series Book 5

  T.R. Harris

  REV: Retribution

  REV Warriors Series

  Book 5

  by

  T.R. Harris

  ____

  Copyright 2019 by Tom Harris Creations, LLC

  All rights reserved, without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanically, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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  Novels by T.R. Harris

  The Adam Cain Chronicles

  The Dead Worlds

  Empires

  The Human Chronicles Saga

  The Fringe Worlds

  Alien Assassin

  The War of Pawns

  The Tactics of Revenge

  The Legend of Earth

  Cain’s Crusaders

  The Apex Predator

  A Galaxy to Conquer

  The Masters of War

  Prelude to War

  The Unreachable Stars

  When Earth Reigned Supreme

  A Clash of Aliens

  Battlelines

  The Copernicus Deception

  Scorched Earth

  Alien Games

  The Cain Legacy

  The Andromeda Mission

  Last Species Standing

  Invasion Force

  Force of Gravity

  Mission Critical

  The Lost Universe

  The Immortal War

  Destroyer of Worlds

  Phantoms

  Terminus Rising

  The Last Aris

  The Human Chronicles Box Set Series

  Box Set #1 – Books 1-5 in the series

  Box Set #2 – Books 6-10 in the series

  Box Set #3 – Books 11-15 in the series

  Box Set #4 – Books 16-20 in the series

  Box Set #5—Books 21-25 in the series

  REV Warriors Series

  Rev

  REV: Renegades

  REV: Rebirth

  REV: Revolution

  REV: Retribution

  REV: Revelations (coming soon)

  REV Warriors Box Set #1 – Books 1-3 in the series

  Jason King – Agent to the Stars Series

  The Enclaves of Sylox

  Treasure of the Galactic Lights

  The Drone Wars Series

  Day of the Drone

  In collaboration with Co-Author George Wier…

  The Liberation Series

  Captains Malicious

  Available exclusively on Amazon.com and FREE to members of Kindle Unlimited.

  Contents

  REV: Retribution

  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

  I. Part 2

  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

  Epilogue

  The End

  Author Notes and FREE BOOK OFFER

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  Novels by T.R. Harris

  REV: Retribution

  Prelude

  The planet Crious - designated ES-10 (Earth-Standard #10)

  The planet Crious is essentially a water world, with over eighty-five percent of its surface covered in vast, turbulent oceans. The few landmasses jutting above the waves are blanketed in dense evergreen forests and marshlands, and often drenched in prodigious amounts of rain and snowfall throughout most of the year. It’s a beautiful, lush world of blues, greens and snow-capped mountains and was once a favorite among the Colony Worlds of the Antaere Grid.

  However, Lead Insir Aric Nesan was never among those impressed with the verdant nature of the planet, and neither did he admire its relatively small native population. In his opinion, the planet was an anomaly, a member of the Order based solely on its fortuitous yellow star, as well as its compatible atmosphere and gravity to that of Antara. To him, it offered no other redeemable properties. However, of the fifteen hundred semi-habitable worlds within the Grid, Crious was one of only thirteen so-called Colony Worlds, those capable of supporting Antaerean life; a mirror world to Antara. For that distinction—and that distinction alone—the natives enjoyed the benefits and glory of belonging to the Order.

  And that was before the native Zinnieans threw away their blessed good fortune and sided with the heretics from Earth, at the start of the seemingly never-ending Antaerean-Human war. Aric never forgave the natives for their treachery to both the Order and the Antaereans. The hatred ate at him over the decades, haunting him during his many journeys throughout the Grid as a devoted warrior for the Order. From battlefield to battlefield, his frustration grew at the apparent immunity afforded the natives of the backward planet, a direct result of their proximity to Earth. Although his subsequent war-time efforts helped liberate many of the Colony Worlds from the infection of the Human beasts, Crious remained out of reach, shielded by the power of the Humans.

  Until now.

  Although Aric now stood in a cold, steady rain, driven by a biting wind howling down from the North, he had reason to smile. After today, there would be very few of the offensive natives left on Crious to sully the honor of the Order. Their end had come, and it would be by his hand that the Zinniean race would soon join the long list of extinct species in the galaxy, remembered only in the dusty pages of history.

  Aric’s journey of retribution began seventy-four days before, after he and his forces arrived at Crious, having been ordered from the Human star system by the Tesnin, Denak Zaphin. At the time, Aric was furious that the leader of the Antaere would not allow him to continue his planned assault of the planet Earth. Granted, the Humans had managed to cobble together a sizeable fleet of civilian spacecraft to counter his superior numbers, yet they did not have the firepower to repel the combined efforts of the Antaere and their Ha’curn allies. Aric sincerely believ
ed he would have succeeded with his final assault, putting an end to the heretics and their contamination of the Order. However, the Tesnin did not share Aric’s belief. Instead, he and the Ha’curn were ordered to attack nearby Crious, and thereby make an example of the rebellious native population.

  “It is for the better,” Aric’s Second Insir had said at the time. “The defeat of the Humans must be overwhelming, an event to demonstrate Antaere resolve and power. We cannot merely win; we must be dominant. And because of that, we must first rebuild our forces. Until then, Crious will be a good diversion. ”

  Aric knew he was right, and for the Lead Insir the Crious operation had proved to be cathartic. He was at last given a chance to act on his decades-long animosity toward the Zinnieans and his simmering objection to their very existence. And one of the main catalysts for his hatred came from the fact that the traitorous population still professed devotion to the tenets of the Order, even as they rejected Antaerean authority over its maintenance. Aric found that dichotomy abhorrent. How could one worship the Order, but not the Antaere, the founders—the creators—of the Order? It was a statement without logic, insulting in its absurdity.

  But now Crious and the Zinnieans stood defenseless. The pink creatures from Earth abruptly deserted the planet ninety days ago, retreating to their home star system in a desperate attempt to save their wretched world from Aric’s advance, leaving their former ally to the mercy of the Antaere. Yet mercy was not what Aric had in mind. With the dramatic turn-of-events recently within the Grid, punishment was already being exacted on the natives of the planet Enif, as well as any other species who failed to support the Antaere during the war.

  It was Aric’s task to make sure the people of Crious suffered the most.

  And that was why Lead Insir Aric Nesan smiled, even in the cold and rain of this forsaken world.

  The last surviving members of the Ruling Council of Crious now stood before him in the dim light of early morning, their sentence about to be pronounced. There were eighteen of them, each standing slump-shouldered and defeated in the drenching rain. They knew their fate, with quiet resignation their final testament.

  Aric was tasked with making this moment one which would be remembered for many centuries to come, and to that end, cameras were set up to record the event. Images would soon be circulated throughout the Grid and even broadcast in the open to the single holdout world of Earth. The Humans would see the recordings as a vivid preview of their coming fate. The annihilation of the Human race would be just as humiliating and savage as what was about to happen on Crious. And there was nothing the Humans could do to stop it.

  Ignoring the rain, Aric stepped up to the ragged line of Zinniean dignitaries. At his side was a creature named Razgis, the leader of the Ha’curn forces under Aric’s command. The grey-skinned beast had a heavy metal file in his hand and was constantly sharpening the tops of the boneplates that ran along each side of his narrow head. The plates were as much a weapon as were the beast’s retractable claws and formidable energy weapon. The Ha’curn were the consummate killing machines; the people of the Grid knew this already. The videos would fortify that belief.

  Razgis salivated at the prospect of the coming purge, for unlike the senior Antaere officers within Aric’s command, he would personally partake in the upcoming bloodletting. He and his feline-like beasts fidgeted with excitement, anxious to begin.

  But first, Aric must deliver his speech, which would assign meaning to the day’s events. Context must be established; otherwise it would simply be viewed as a slaughter. After that, the Ha’curn would be unleashed.

  An Antaere soldier with a camera moved in closer to record Aric’s words. There would not be many, just enough to impress upon the Colony Worlds the seriousness of Denak Zaphin’s coming proclamation.

  The current leader of the Zinnieans was a creature named Hafsus. His name was of no significance, being so far down the line of leadership that one would have been hard-pressed to find it in a roster of government officials. He was simply a body for Aric to address during the speech, a face on which to focus the fate of a species.

  Aric knew what he had to say; now, it was time to make history. He nodded to the camera operator.

  “Although many within the Grid claim they remain loyal to the Order, others have made this statement while also turning their loyalties from the Antaere priests and our revered leader, Denak Zaphin. Now, the people of Crious will learn that no such distinction can exist. When you dishonor the Antaere, you dishonor the Order. They are one and the same. You cannot leave one without leaving the other. And the Zinnieans of Crious have been among the most disloyal of all—second only to the heretics from Earth.” Aric turned from the Zinniean to look directly into the camera. “And I assure you, the Humans will share the same fate as the Zinnieans and do so very soon. After that, the Grid will return to stability, with only the Antaere to look to for guidance in all affairs of the Order. The Humans were never believers; in truth, they were anti-believers, bent of the destruction of all that you profess to worship.”

  Aric turned back to the Zinniean. “One cannot support those who do not believe and still follow the Order. It is disingenuous; it is a lie! And for the sin of disloyalty to the Order, the Tesnin, Denak Zaphin, orders that the population of Crious be sentenced to death. This proclamation applies not only to the leaders but to every member of the traitorous Zinniean race.” Aric turned to the slender, cat-like creature next to him. “It will be our Ha’curn allies who will carry out this sentence and in a manner for which they are uniquely suited. It will not be kind; it will not be merciful. But it will be just. The natives of Crious will get what they deserve. And then it will be the Human’s turn.”

  Once again, Aric turned to face the camera. “And let this be a warning to all who oppose the Antaere. No longer will citizens be spared for the sins of your leaders. These leaders carry out the will of the masses; therefore, there will be no future distinction between the two. All will pay for the sins of the few. Let that be the lesson you learn from the fate of Crious and Earth. The Order will be followed; therefore, the Antaere will be followed … and respected. And for those who do not adhere to these directives, there will be no Final Glory. We will purge your species from existence. Your heritage will be erased. Your history will end with your defiance.”

  Aric paused, letting his words sink in, before continuing in a milder tone. “Either that, or you can renew your devotion to the Order—and to the Antaere. However, you must do so through actions, and not hollow words. The choice is yours. It is the choice between life or death. Choose wisely or suffer the consequences.”

  Aric stepped back abruptly, not from fear of what was about to happen but to keep from being covered in Zinniean blood. His action was the signal for the Ha’curn. Now the beasts surged forward on leaping legs, claws extended and teeth bared, ripping into the line of defenseless Zinniean natives. It took only a few seconds before the eighteen members of the Ruling Council of Crious lay torn apart in heaps of bloody flesh. And the Ha’curn weren’t done. They began feasting on the bodies, gulping down huge slabs of sloppy meat, their eyes alight with almost sexual pleasure. Aric had heard of this practice among the Ha’curn—of eating their meals raw—although he’d never witnessed it in person. But the Ha’curn leader, Razgis, knew the importance of the moment. His people could consume food in a variety of ways; today they chose the most horrific.

  Only a handful of the Ha’curn were present for the ceremony that just took place; however, thousands more were spread across the smallish landmass, making it easy to purge the remaining population. Cameras would record the process in all its graphic detail. Even so, the elimination of the two million surviving natives would take time, during which the Ha’curn would fulfill their bloodlust—if temporarily. Then they would want more.

  The Zinnieans of Crious were to be the first planetary population in the Grid ever deliberately slaughtered to the point of extinction.

  Aric
smiled, knowing they would not be the last.

  1

  Captain Zac Murphy, United Marines, was surprised at the noise inside the cockpit of the M-308 Starfighter. It was like standing at the base of a waterfall, the thundering unnerving. He figured it was from their rapid transit through the atmosphere. The craft was built for both air and space travel, but for the moment, they were still in the stratosphere, thirty thousand feet up and climbing. It was only a short suborbital hop between D.C. and Nevada, and soon they would be in space where the ungodly roar would subside.

  Even with the noise, Zac and the pilot could communicate through their helmet headsets. He was in the rear seat, the one normally reserved for the Radar Intercept Officer, or R.I.O. In the age of space travel, the R.I.O. was much more than a radar operator. He was also the combat tactician, as well as the weapons monitor and gravity-drive technician. But this wasn’t a combat flight, but rather a cab drive across country. Only a single pilot was needed.