The Lost Fleet Box Set, page 118
part #1 of The Lost Fleet Series
Kathryn felt her heart begin to pound. She knew Fleet Admiral Strong had never fully trusted the Originator AI. This seemed to confirm his suspicions were correct. However, this secret was much greater than anything any of them had imagined.
“I don’t understand,” said Kathryn, sounding confused. “I thought all the Originators were suffering from the deadly pathogen created by their immortality drug. Even if some are still in stasis, what good will it do?”
“They were infected,” confirmed Camlin, and then in a softer voice. “But we have the cure.”
Kathryn felt a little faint and then, after taking several deep breaths, she turned back to Clarissa and Commander Grissim. “I think we need to have a long talk over what happened back at the Dyson Sphere. Then I want to go on a tour of my ship and see just what changes are being made.” Kathryn was highly curious how Clarissa had activated the vortex to bring them here. She also wanted to know the status of the surviving crewmembers. She had a lot of questions and she was determined to have them answered.
Chapter Two
Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong stood in the Command Center of the battleship Avenger gazing at the multitude of viewscreens on the front wall. One showed a view of Gaia and the fifteen-hundred-kilometer-wide green belt surrounding its equator. Another was focused on the Clan Protector, the huge heavily armed shipyard that orbited the planet. Other screens showed the myriad of warships and battlestations that protected Gaia from possible attack.
“Grayseth is due back in a few more days from his mission to destroy those two Simulin bases nearby,” Commander Kyla Malen reported as she stepped closer to Jeremy. There was only a small crew on the battleship as most were down on the planet on leave. “Are we still going to establish regular patrols in the immediate area of space surrounding the nebula to monitor Simulin activity?”
“Yes,” Jeremy answered as he shifted his gaze over to Kyla. Kyla had been with him for quite some time and was a trusted officer and friend. “I’ve spoken to the Command AI, and we’re going to send out a number of small patrols consisting primarily of the new warspheres and the Gaia class battlecruisers. I want to make sure the area of space around our nebula is too dangerous for the Simulins. We will also be emplacing hyperspace detection buoys in all of the surrounding star systems.”
Commander Malen nodded her approval. “What do you think the Simulins will do since Kazak destroyed Malkor? Between the destruction of the Dyson Sphere and what Kazak did, they lost a lot of their warships.”
“Malkor was their home system here in the Triangulum Galaxy,” Jeremy replied, recalling how Kazak had made their system go nova. “Kazak destroyed six of their inhabited planets when he took the Dominator off on his own. The Simulins lost a large portion of their fleet and for the moment are on the defensive. We have to take advantage of their current weakness and prepare for future conflict. The war with the Simulins isn’t over. Not by a long shot. That’s one reason why I want to establish control of the area of space surrounding the nebula.”
“They still have a powerful fleet,” commented the beautiful dark-haired woman standing behind Jeremy and slightly to his left. “They have a large population base and numerous worlds to draw resources from. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say their shipyards are working overtime rebuilding their fleet.”
Jeremy turned to face Ariel. Ariel was an AI and a close friend and confident of Jeremy’s. “That’s why we need to find more allies. Admiral Jackson is currently at Ornellia with a portion of the fleet and is in the process of rebuilding the Ornellians’ home world. If he’s successful, it will give us a base to explore the further reaches of this galaxy and perhaps find the allies we need. We can’t defeat the Simulins on our own. At some point in time, they’re going to attack and try to eliminate us from the equation.”
“We still have the Dominator, surely that alone will give the Simulins pause in attacking us again,” Kyla pointed out. “Particularly after what Kazak did to their worlds.”
“For the immediate future, yes,” answered Jeremy in agreement. “We have no way of knowing but I strongly suspect the Simulins will be expanding their fleet and trying to develop a method to deal with the Dominator. After all, it’s only one ship.” He was also concerned about how angry the Simulins would be after losing six of their inhabited worlds. Jeremy was worried that Kazak might have stirred up a hornet’s nest by destroying those planets.
“What about Kazak?” asked Commander Malen, raising an eyebrow. “Has he made any more demands?”
“No,” replied Ariel, folding her arms across her chest. “A number of Alton geneticists and medical specialists have gone on board the Dominator and are studying the information Kazak has on the life prolongation drug the Originators used. Andram believes it’s a long shot that they will be able to find a cure for the deadly pathogen that destroyed the Originator race. The Originators themselves searched for years and were not able to find a solution.”
A serious look of concern spread across Commander Malen’s face. “Kazak may not like hearing that. He’s waited millions of years protecting those Originators in the central compartment. He may make more demands if the Altons don’t show any results from their research.”
Jeremy nodded his head in agreement. He was deeply concerned about this as well. Kazak was in control of the most powerful ship ever built by the Originators, one that could easily destroy Gaia if Kazak chose to do so. He was only cooperating now due to the medical research the Altons were doing on the Dominator.
The hatch to the Command Center opened as the two heavily armed Marines who were always stationed there allowed a blond haired woman into the room.
“Kelsey,” said Jeremy, acknowledging his wife. “How are things over on the Dominator?” Kelsey was the Dominator’s commanding officer.
“I want a new job,” muttered Kelsey, coming over and sitting down in the empty chair in front of the sensor console. Kevin was down on Gaia with his wife, Katie. “I wish the Distant Horizon was still here.”
Jeremy understood Kelsey’s misgivings about commanding the Originator vessel. Kazak had insisted on Kelsey taking the position as part of the agreement the Originator AI had made to allow his vessel to become part of Jeremy’s fleet. “I’ll speak to Kazak. Perhaps since the ship is back here at Gaia, he will relent and allow me to name someone else as the ship’s commander.”
“Would you?” cried out Kelsey, her eyes glowing with hope. “I’m not comfortable in the role of a commanding officer. I’d feel much better sitting in front of a navigation console.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I would like to get you, Mikow, Katie, and Andram off that ship.” Jeremy had never felt comfortable assigning them to the Dominator.
Kelsey’s eyes widened, and she stared intently at Jeremy. “You still don’t trust Kazak, do you?”
“No. This entire situation with Kazak is such an unknown. We have no idea how he was programmed and what actions that programming may cause him to take in the future. He could take the Dominator and leave without a moment’s notice and there’s nothing we could do to stop him.”
Kelsey bit her lip and let out a heavy sigh. “Perhaps it’s best I stay on the Dominator for now. At least I can help keep an eye on Kazak and he is talking to me. As long as I’m on board, he might be more hesitant about doing anything drastic.”
“Admiral, I would be willing to transfer over to the Dominator as executive officer if that would help,” volunteered Commander Malen. “If you feel Kazak is a real threat, I could be a lot of help to Kelsey if she wants to stay in command.”
Jeremy leaned back in his command chair. He would really like to get his wife and the others off the Dominator. However, he also needed to keep a close watch on the Originator AI, and Kelsey and the others were the best bet for that. Kazak seemed to trust Kelsey and the two were working well together. Kyla would also be a great help in taking a lot of the command pressure off Kelsey.
“For now, we’ll leave things as they are,” said Jeremy, reaching a decision. He looked back over at Kelsey. “It may be a good idea to transfer Kyla over to the Dominator, at least for the short term. That will give you an experienced and trusted officer you can turn to in case of an emergency.”
Kelsey turned toward Kyla. “Are you sure you want to do this? Kazak can be very demanding at times.”
Commander Malen smiled. “I’ve been an officer long enough to know a challenge when I see one. I think it will be interesting, and I’m looking forward to this posting.”
“Remember, it’s just temporary,” Jeremy said, shifting his eyes over to Kyla. “I need you on the Avenger if we go into combat.” Jeremy was well aware Commander Malen was the glue that held the crew together, making the Avenger the top rated fighting ship in the fleet.
Kyla nodded. “I’ll make the necessary arrangements and will transfer over to the Dominator in the morning.”
Jeremy saw Kelsey had a relieved look on her face. He knew his wife had been going through a very stressful situation on the Dominator with Kazak. While Kelsey was perfectly capable of performing as the ship’s commanding officer, he knew she didn’t feel comfortable in that role. Once Kyla was transferred over, he would suggest Kelsey take a few days leave. It might be a good idea if he and Kelsey could spend a few days together down on Gaia at one of the seaside resorts. After the events of the last few weeks, he could definitely use the downtime and it would be nice to spend some quality time with his wife. He might even check to see if Kevin and Katie would like to tag along. It had been awhile since the four of them took some time off together.
-
Grayseth was on board his flagship, the Carethian battleship Warrior’s Pride. The ship was sixteen hundred meters in length and heavily armed. They had just dropped out of hyperspace in the target system.
“Detecting fifteen Simulin battlecruisers and twenty support cruisers on the long-range sensors,” reported the sensor operator.
Grayseth nodded as his eyes turned toward one of the large viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center. Grayseth easily towered over his Human counterparts and his dark brown fur spoke out loudly that he was not Human. Jeremy and the other Humans had nicknamed the Carethians, calling them Bears.
“AI warspheres have exited hyperspace,” reported Ganlon, his second in command. “All ships report ready for combat.”
Grayseth grinned in satisfaction, his incisors showing prominently as he prepared to give the order to initiate a short hyperspace jump to just outside the gravity well of the target planet. The Simulins had established a small orbiting base around the fifth planet in the system. Grayseth intended to destroy the small shipyard, depriving the Simulins of a means to repair and supply their ships in this region of space. It was all part of Fleet Admiral Strong’s plan to force the Simulins to pull back from the area of space surrounding the nebula Gaia resided in.
“Course plotted,” reported the navigation officer.
“It is time to go on the hunt,” intoned Ganlon. “It feels good to be seeking prey once more.”
“Indeed,” answered Grayseth. “We hunt for the glory of our clans and the safety of our people as well as our allies. May our claws strike with honor. All ships will jump in two minutes.” Grayseth looked around the Command Center, sensing the anticipation from the crew to commence the hunt.
-
In orbit around the planet, High Commander Arnthos gazed in consternation at the red threat icons, which had just appeared on his ship’s tactical display.
“It’s a fleet from the Fitula Nebula,” confirmed the sensor operator.
“They have come to destroy this base,” High Commander Arnthos said as he gazed at the small shipyard on one of the ship’s viewscreens.
He was well aware of what had happened at Malkor and the other Simulin systems. For the first time in his memory, the Simulins had encountered an adversary possessing superior technology and weapons. The ancient ship of the builders of the Great Spheres had destroyed six Simulin worlds including Malkor. It also seemed to be under the control of the organics from the nebula.
With the loss of the Great Sphere and Malkor, military operations in the galaxy had come to a halt. Fleets had been called back to protect the remaining Simulin worlds as the Grand Council worked at developing a new plan to conquer this galaxy and eliminate its organics.
High Commander Arnthos stood up and glared at the tactical display. Arnthos skin was opalescent and blood vessels as well as some of his internal organs were visible. “Prepare for imminent combat. The ancient ship is not with this fleet; perhaps we can destroy it.”
“It’s a powerful fleet. Those spheres are controlled by AIs and capable of destroying our vessels,” said the Second Commander. “They have the firepower to annihilate us. The battle computer projects a 70 percent probability of our defeat.”
“We are Simulin,” retorted High Commander Arnthos dismissively. “There can be none but Simulin.” Unlike a few other Simulin High Commanders, he would rather die than retreat. It was the Simulin way to destroy any and all organics who might be a threat.
“None but Simulin,” responded the Second Commander bowing his head slightly.
-
Far out in the system, Grayseth’s fleet made the jump into hyperspace. In front of each vessel, a swirling blue-white vortex formed and one by one, the warships accelerated and entered their respective vortexes. The journey through hyperspace was a short one and soon new vortexes formed just outside the gravity well of the fifth planet. While Grayseth’s ships were perfectly capable of exiting hyperspace inside a planet’s gravity well, there was no point in stressing the hyperdrives needlessly.
-
“All ships have exited hyperspace and are moving into attack formation,” reported Ganlon. “The Simulin fleet has formed up and is advancing toward us. All ships are at Condition One, energy shields are online, and weapons are ready to fire.”
Grayseth nodded. He was extremely proud that Fleet Admiral and fellow clan member Jeremy Strong had given his people the enormous responsibility of destroying the two Simulin bases near the nebula. By destroying the bases, it would bring much honor to the Carethian clans on Gaia, and it was good to be on the hunt once more.
Looking at one of the viewscreens, he saw one of the Simulin seventeen-hundred-meter-battlecruisers. The vessel was bulbous in form with six large metallic looking pylons on the bow, which stretched at least two hundred meters out from the main hull of the ship. Each ended in a sharp point and contained a dangerous energy weapon. The weapons could be fired independently and in most cases would cause serious damage or destroy the ships they were focused on.
“All ships, this is Grayseth,” he spoke over the ship-to-ship comm. “Advance and engage the Simulins. It is time to begin the hunt!”
On the tactical display, the fleet began moving forward. The forty AI warspheres formed up into four lines ten ships across with the ten Alton battleships, two Federation battleships, and six Gaia class cruisers forming up above and below the AI ships. Grayseth’s battlecruisers and cruisers were directly behind the warspheres where they could still fire, move forward, and assume the position of any ship that was destroyed or had to withdraw due to excessive battle damage. Grayseth’s own battleship was crowding the rear of the AI ships as he wanted to be heavily involved in the battle.
“Nearing engagement range,” Ganlon reported as he watched the main tactical display. “Simulins have formed up into a wedge-shaped formation and are slowly advancing. Their escort cruisers have taken up support positions around the battlecruisers.”
“A change from past tactics where they would have pushed forward and tried to destroy us,” commented Grayseth.
“They have learned that our ships are not so easy to destroy.”
“Engagement range,” called out the tactical officer. “Permission to fire?”
Grayseth took a deep breath. He could feel his pulse pounding and the rush of blood through his veins. It was time to complete the hunt. “Fire!”
From the forty AI warspheres dark blue particle beams flashed forth to impact the Simulin warships. Screens flared brightly as the deadly energy pounded the protective shields. The Alton battleships joined in firing their even more powerful particle beam cannons. Space became lit up with energy discharges and explosions as the battle began.
-
Particle beam fire from the warspheres slammed into the main part of a Simulin battlecruiser, setting off massive explosions and hurling glowing debris into space. One of its energy cannon spires was sheared off and then, in a blinding explosion, the ship blew apart. A glowing field of gas and wreckage was all that remained.
Particle beams and power beams from the Carethian battlecruisers struck a Simulin escort cruiser, blowing a gaping hole in its energy shield and blasting out a large section of the ship’s hull causing debris to begin drifting away from the vessel. A twenty-megaton Devastator Two missile burrowed deep inside, coming to rest near the engineering compartment. In a furious explosion of light, the warhead detonated, turning the escort cruiser into a mass of twisted wreckage.
A fifty-megaton Devastator Three missile slammed into the stern of a Simulin battlecruiser that had just lost its energy shield. A fiery nova suddenly appeared where the deadly warship had been. Across the entire Simulin fleet formation, massive explosions tore at the defensive screens and energy beams sought targets.
-
High Commander Arnthos felt growing anger as his fleet was being systematically annihilated by the AIs and the organics from the Fitula Nebula. His flagship shook violently as several particle beams smashed into the energy shield. One beam partially penetrated, blasting out a hole in the outer hull. Arnthos held onto his command chair until the shaking subsided. He had never fought the Fitula organics and their AIs before but now he realized why they were so dangerous. Unlike other organics he had annihilated in the past, this enemy had advanced weaponry that was dangerous to Simulin vessels. They advanced with a confidence he had never seen before, making him realize they had no fear of the power Arnthos represented.
