The Lost Fleet Box Set, page 117
part #1 of The Lost Fleet Series
Kevin looked over at Jeremy and then spoke with his voice almost in a whisper. “They’re sacrificing the Distant Horizon to destroy the Dyson Sphere. We have to stop them.”
“It’s the only way,” Ariel replied in a somber voice. “I’ve run the calculations with Clarissa, and the plan will work. I wish there was another way but there isn’t.”
“They’re right,” Jeremy said grimly as the Avenger shook from inbound weapons fire. “The Dyson Sphere has to be destroyed and causing the system’s sun to go nova will do it.” Jeremy tried not to think of the people on the Distant Horizon who would be sacrificing their lives. He looked over at Ariel seeing the upset look on her face. He knew she was thinking about Clarissa.
“What about Katie and Kelsey?” asked Kevin worried about his wife.
“Katie, Kelsey, Andram, Shilum, and Mikow are being evacuated,” Ariel said with obvious relief in her voice. “They should be on the AI command ship shortly.”
Kevin nodded his acceptance as he turned back toward his sensor console.
“How soon before the Distant Horizon’s shuttles reach the Command AI’s ship?” asked Jeremy. It was a relief to know that part of the crew was being evacuated, including Kelsey and Katie. However, the majority of the crew was still on board the ship. He had come to be familiar with many of them. He couldn’t imagine no more Clarissa or Rear Admiral Barnes.
“They’re already docking,” answered Ariel. “The Command AI has sent twenty of the remaining warspheres to cover the Distant Horizon until they’re ready to make their hyperjump. The Simulins are attacking but they won’t be able to stop the jump.”
Jeremy looked at one of the viewscreens showing the exploration dreadnought. He couldn’t believe he was agreeing to this. Over the ship-to-ship comm, he contacted all of his remaining ships. “We’re leaving. I want a short hyperjump to the exit tunnel and then full subspace speed until we’re out. Once we’ve cleared the Dyson Sphere, we’ll jump to the dark matter tunnel entrance and then jump out. Timing is of the essence. This system’s star is about to go nova and any ship that doesn’t make it to the dark matter tunnel will be destroyed.”
-
Aboard the Distant Horizon, Kathryn watched as the rest of the fleet disengaged from the Simulins and opened up spatial vortexes to jump the short distance to the escape tunnel. She watched as the ships vanished, leaving the Distant Horizon alone with her escort of protective warspheres. Once she was satisfied all the ships were gone, she turned to Commander Grissim. “Make the jump to the corona. Clarissa, as soon as we jump, the remaining AI warspheres are to join Fleet Admiral Strong.” On the main viewscreen, she saw two of the protecting warspheres explode in flashes of light as Simulin weapons fire overwhelmed their energy shields.
Before she could say anything, a swirling blue-white vortex formed in front of the Distant Horizon and Lieutenant Styles quickly flew the exploration dreadnought into it.
-
Kathryn was nearly thrown from her command chair as the ship exited its vortex in the outer edge of the star’s corona. Alarm bells were ringing, and multiple red lights were appearing on the damage control console.
“Hyperdrive is down,” confirmed Clarissa in a calm voice. “We also have several hull breaches.”
“Chief Engineer Jalat is working on the drive,” Commander Grissim reported. “He doesn’t know if it’s repairable.”
Kathryn nodded. They had known this might be a one-way trip.
“Admiral, the energy shield is rapidly weakening,” reported Colonel Leon from her command console, looking at Kathryn meaningfully. “I estimate three or four minutes is the longest it will remain up.”
Taking a deep breath, Kathryn looked around her command crew. Most were watching her, their eyes showing little fear. “I’ve been proud to be your commander,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better crew. Take solace in the thought that what we’re about to do will protect our home galaxy as well as Gaia.” She turned toward Clarissa. “Launch the missiles. And Clarissa, I want you to know I consider you a friend.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” Clarissa responded as she activated the complicated launching process she had set up. The Distant Horizon had thirty-six missile tubes and she had nearly two hundred missiles to launch. She had adjusted the missiles’ subspace drives to allow for multiple launches and for all them to arrive on target simultaneously. It would be a rapid launch, and she could have all the missiles off the ship in twelve seconds by disengaging some of the safety protocols. “Missiles launching.”
Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes, the daughter of Governor Barnes of Ceres, closed her eyes waiting for death. She just wished she could have seen her father one last time.
-
The two hundred missiles arrived at their target within milliseconds of one another. Already the intense heat was causing the missiles to melt. In a massive explosion all the missiles detonated, each releasing one hundred megatons of antimatter energy. The star seemed to recoil in on itself and then it exploded. Raw energy raced outwards toward the surrounding energy collection rings and the Dyson Sphere. The energy collection rings were destroyed in seconds and still the ravaging energy continued outward.
On board the Distant Horizon, Clarissa was working frantically trying to find a way to save the ship. Already the energy shield was nearing collapse and only a few precious seconds remained. In desperation she shunted all the reserve power to the hyperdrive overloading the core inducing a brief hyperspace field. The field was unstable but it would have to do. With a screeching sound of tearing metal, the exploration dreadnought entered hyperspace. In the Command Center consoles exploded and crewmembers screamed out in pain as the unorthodox hyperspace field distorted reality and threatened to tear the ship apart.
Before leaving Gaia, Kazak had given Clarissa an Originator code that would allow her access to one of the intergalactic vortexes on the Dyson Sphere in an emergency. He had told her it would take the ship to a place of safety, but it would never be able to return if the Dyson Sphere was destroyed. As the ship fled the all destructive nova, she sent the signal to the Control Center that operated this particular vortex. There wasn’t enough time to try to escape through the exit tunnel. If the vortex didn’t activate in time, the exploration dreadnaught would smash into the surface of the megastructure at many times the speed of light.
On the Dyson Sphere a swirling spatial vortex suddenly appeared. It flickered and then stabilized as the effects of the nova on hyperspace was already reaching the megastructure. Microseconds later the Distant Horizon struck the vortex aperture and vanished. Shortly after that, the Dyson Sphere was destroyed as the raging nova impacted its structure destroying everything in its path.
-
Kathryn felt intense pain wracking her body. She felt as if she were being torn apart and then repeatedly put back together. Forcing her eyes open, she saw the Command Center was in turmoil. Most of the crew was passed out on the deck, and those that were still conscious had terror-stricken looks upon their faces. Smoke filled the room and numerous consoles were on fire. The main viewscreen showed what should have been the normally comforting colors of hyperspace. Instead, it looked as if hyperspace was in flux. The colors were rampaging across the screen swirling as if in anger. Forcing her head around she looked back at Clarissa, who stood as if frozen. Then a brilliant flash of light passed through the Command Center and Kathryn’s thoughts faded away.
-
Clarissa saw the effects the combination of the nova and the intergalactic vortex were having on the crew. Some were dead and many others were dying. She felt intense anguish at seeing so many of the people she had known and worked with dying all over the ship. Her own memory seemed sluggish and scanning her memory crystal, she saw it had developed a crack that even as she watched was expanding. She had died like this once before and Katie had brought her back. This time there would be no Katie. With a deep mental sigh of anguish, Clarissa wondered what she had done. Would anyone on the exploration dreadnought survive the voyage she had set them upon? Kazak had told her only to use this as a last resort as the Distant Horizon might not be able to survive the stresses of the journey.
-
Inside the console that held Clarissa’s memory crystal, there was a shattering noise as the crystal that held all of her memories broke into a hundred pieces. In the Command Center, Clarissa’s hologram instantly vanished.
In hyperspace, the exploration dreadnought Distant Horizon fled the nova of the Dyson Sphere at a speed nearly unimaginable as it headed out into the far reaches of intergalactic space. On board, the crew was either unconscious, dying, or already dead.
Present Day
Kathryn opened her eyes and blinked as everything around her seemed hazy. She took a deep breath and tried to focus. The last thing she remembered was the tortured screaming of her ship and the moans of the dying crew.
Looking around she saw she was in a white sterile room devoid of furniture other than the comfortable bed she was lying in. A noise from the other side of the bed drew her attention and shifting her gaze she saw a woman sitting in a chair next to the bed. With a gasp, Kathryn realized this woman wasn’t Human. She had dark brown hair with a slight bluish tint to her skin. Even though she was sitting, it was obvious to Kathryn that she was very tall, possibly seven or eight feet. In many ways, she reminded her of the Altons.
“Am I dead?” she asked. Her last conscious thoughts she could remember seemed to indicate she had died on the Distant Horizon. There had been a brilliant white light and then nothing.
The woman smiled and slowly shook her head. “No, Admiral, you’re not dead. Your AI managed to activate one of the intergalactic vortexes on the Dyson Sphere, which brought you here. We were quite surprised to see you.”
“Where’s here, and where’s my ship?”
The woman stood and Kathryn saw instantly she had been correct about her height.
“Your ship brought you to the primary Communications and Transport Hub for those you call the Originators. It was a very long journey, even in hyperspace though time spent in transit was very short. Your ship was already in hyperspace when it entered the vortex. That was a very dangerous maneuver and your ship was fortunate to survive it.”
“Are you an Originator?” asked Kathryn, her eyes growing wide at the realization of where she was and who she might be talking to.
“No,” the woman replied, shaking her head. “I’m one of a group of AIs the Originators created to aid in operating the Shrieels, or Dyson Spheres as you call them, as well as their numerous bases and this space complex you’re now on.”
“Are there many of you?” Kathryn still felt confused. None of this was making much sense. How had Clarissa managed to activate one of the Dyson Spheres intergalactic vortexes? She had never mentioned she could do that. Also how had she managed to activate the ship’s hyperdrive?
“Yes,” the woman replied. “There are some of us on each Shrieel as well as the other facilities of the Originators. We are responsible for their upkeep.”
Kathryn’s face suddenly turned pale at the realization of what they had done. “We destroyed one of the Dyson Spheres. Were there AIs on it?”
The woman’s face took on a look of sadness. “Yes, we know. Regrettably a number of AIs were indeed lost. We also understand it was necessary to stop the Simulins. Due to events which have occurred recently back in your home galaxy, as well as what you call the Triangulum Galaxy, we are in the process of discussing taking action against the Simulins to ensure they can no longer use the intergalactic vortexes on the Shrieels.”
“That would stop the war,” Kathryn said as she realized the ramifications of what the AI was saying. “Why haven’t you done this before?”
“That involves a long explanation,” the woman replied with a deep and regretful sigh. “However, for now, there’s someone waiting outside to see you. She’s been very anxious to speak with you since you recovered from your injuries.”
A look of concern crossed Kathryn’s face. “Just how long have I been out?”
The woman pursed her lips and then answered. “It’s been over seven months since the events at the Shrieel. Much has occurred during that time. We will discuss more of that later.” The woman walked over to the door and opened it.
“Clarissa!” exclaimed Kathryn, seeing the blue-eyed blond AI standing just outside the door. She had never expected to see the AI again.
Clarissa entered the room with a big smile on her face. She rushed over and hugged Kathryn. “I was so afraid that I had killed you,” she cried out. “So many of the crew failed to survive our trip through hyperspace.”
Kathryn held on to Clarissa and then slowly let her go. A look of amazement and confusion spread across her face. “I can feel your body. How?”
“It’s quite simple,” the woman AI replied. “When the Distant Horizon arrived, we found many of your crew dead and nearly all the others suffering from grave injuries. Even the memory crystal of Clarissa’s had shattered. We could not repair it again, but we did manage to recover the memory engrams it contained. We transferred those engrams to a new AI body we created.”
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Clarissa said, standing up and slowly turning around for Kathryn to see. “I don’t have to be a hologram anymore. I can’t wait to show Ariel.”
Kathryn turned back toward the Originator AI. “Do you have a name?”
The woman nodded. “Yes, you can call me Camlin.”
Climbing out of the bed Kathryn noticed she was dressed in a light white gown. “Where’s my uniform? I want to see my ship and find out who among the crew survived.” Kathryn strongly suspected the news wasn’t going to be good. Then she looked over at Clarissa. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Clarissa nodded. “I know, it involves Kazak. Everything will be explained later. Let’s go see the Distant Horizon. I believe Commander Grissim will be quite pleased to see you.”
-
An hour later Kathryn stood next to Clarissa, Commander Anne Grissim, and Camlin at a large observation window. On the other side of the window was a large construction bay. What was in the bay held Kathryn in amazement. “Is that the Distant Horizon?” The ship looked nothing like she remembered.
“Yes,” Commander Grissim answered, grinning. “I’ve been awake for over two months and I come here every day to see the work being done on the ship. It’s amazing what the Originator AIs are doing. Their construction methods are far in advance of anything at Gaia or even back in the Federation.”
Inside the bay, the massive structure of the Distant Horizon was being rebuilt. The ship had been greatly expanded and from what Kathryn could see, it looked as if it was much more heavily armed.
Kathryn turned toward Camlin. “What are you doing to my ship, and why?” Kathryn had a suspicion there was something else going on Camlin hadn’t told her about. There had to be an underlying reason for what they were doing to the ship.
Camlin let out a deep sigh, folding her arms across her chest. “Your ship was heavily damaged due to the events at the Shrieel in the black matter nebula and its long journey here in hyperspace. You should know that your vessel just barely made it.”
“Sixty-four percent of the crew perished,” confirmed Commander Grissim, drawing in a deep breath. It was a subject she didn’t want to think about. “Most died just before or immediately after the ship made the transition into hyperspace. We’re lucky that any of us survived at all. I saw the videos of our arrival. The Distant Horizon was a space going wreck.”
“How many survivors are there?” asked Kathryn, afraid of the answer. She had come to know many of the members of her crew.
“Nearly six hundred made it off the ship and to the AI command ship on the shuttles,” answered Clarissa. “Of the rest that remained 1,036 Human crew members survived, 56 Altons, and 168 Marines.”
“The command crew?” Kathryn’s voice was tight in her throat. The ship’s crew had numbered over five thousand!
“Most survived,” Commander Grissim replied, with a catch in her throat. “We did lose Colonel Leon, Lieutenant Styles, and Lieutenant Parker. They were killed instantly when a support beam and part of the overhead structure of the Command Center collapsed.”
Kathryn blinked her eyes. She had known all three of them well. They would be missed. Colonel Leon had once been the executive officer on the battleship WarStorm. She took a deep breath steadying herself. Losses were to be expected in war. Even so, it still hurt to hear the names.
“The ship; what’s being done to it?”
“Being rebuilt,” Clarissa answered. “The surviving Altons are working with the Originator AIs in redesigning the ship to handle their advanced technology, including weapons.”
Kathryn turned toward Camlin. “I don’t understand. Kazak was very defensive about sharing any Originator technology. Why are you being so free with it?”
Camlin’s eyes turned cold. “It’s because of Kazak that your ship is being rebuilt with our most modern technology. Kazak was created to be a leader of war, to fight the enemies of the Originators, and later given command of preserving the last of the Originator race. As a result of that, he could be a serious threat to your people and possibly even mine.”
“Meaning the Originator AIs?”
“Yes,” Camlin answered with a slight nod of her head. “We consider ourselves to be equal to living organic beings. We have made considerable progress since the Originators created us.”
“And you are equal to all living beings,” Clarissa quickly said. “Fleet Admiral Strong has already made that distinction back in the Gaia System. The AIs there are treated the same as all other beings.”
“And the Dominator?” asked Kathryn. “What of it?”
“The most powerful warship the Originators ever built.”
“Why is Kazak dangerous? When we left he seemed to be cooperating.”
Camlin looked deeply into Kathryn’s eyes. “We believe Kazak may have surviving Originators in the stasis chambers hidden in the heart of the ship.”
