The Lost Fleet Box Set, page 125
part #1 of The Lost Fleet Series
“Punching out!” yelled a frightened Lieutenant Fry over the comm just before the first of the two missiles slammed into the belly of his bomber.
In a flash of light, the bomber exploded, breaking up into a thousand pieces that fell back into the forest, starting more fires. The other missile continued through the bomber’s former location and then ran out of fuel to fall harmlessly back to the ground.
“Anyone see Lieutenant Fry?” Marsha demanded as she turned her bomber toward where the lieutenant’s bomber had been destroyed. She looked intently hoping to spot his parachute.
“Got him,” called out the pilot flying the Anlon fighter that had been trying to aid the lieutenant. “His chute’s open and he appears to be fine. He’s waving at me.”
“Except he’s going to land in a damn nest of Conqueror Drones!” exclaimed one of the other bomber pilots. “He won’t last long.”
“I’ll have my fighters circle his position until he can be picked up,” said Captain Scott. “We still have a few cannon rounds left.”
Marsha nodded to herself. She had already sent a request to the battlecarrier Exeter for an emergency pickup. A ready shuttle with a squad of heavily armed Marines would be on the way shortly. However, it would take about twenty minutes for the shuttle to arrive. That was how long the fighters would have to keep the drones off the lieutenant. Marsha could well imagine how Lieutenant Fry was feeling. No one wanted to be on the ground where there were Conqueror Drones. Checking her sensors, she still saw movement under the forest canopy. Not near as much as before, but there were still drones active on the ground.
“All Raiders return to the Exeter,” she ordered. Marsha took her bomber up to a higher altitude and then slowly began to circle. She was going to remain until Lieutenant Fry was rescued. She didn’t want to think of the other possibility if the drones reached him first.
-
Lieutenant Fry came crashing down through the forest canopy to land hard on the ground below. Standing up he quickly got out of his parachute harness and grabbed the pistol strapped to his waist. The pistol held explosive rounds, but he didn’t know how they would do against a Conqueror Drone.
“My ass is done for,” he muttered under his breath as he scanned his surroundings. All around him were trees and thick undergrowth. He could smell the acrid fumes from the smoke coming from a number of burning fires. He knew he was in a perilous situation. If the drones didn’t get him, the fires might. He should never have taken his bomber so low.
“Lieutenant Fry, this is Captain Scott, can you hear me?”
Fry had forgotten about his emergency transmitter. Grabbing it from his waist with his free hand, he answered the captain. “Yeah, I can hear you.”
“My fighters are flying above you and will attempt to keep the drones away. Captain Trask has already requested a SAR shuttle to be dispatched from the Exeter. It’s full of Marines and they’ll pull you out.”
“How long until extraction?”
There was silence for a moment and then Scott’s voice returned. “About twenty minutes.”
“Damn,” uttered Fry as he heard cannon fire from one of the Talons to the west. “Just keep those crabs off me. I’ve got a date with a gorgeous brunette tonight.”
Scott laughed. “I’ll see to it that you keep that appointment, Lieutenant.”
Lieutenant Fry looked around his location and spotted a large dead tree trunk that he could hide behind. It also had a slight cavity in it where he could partially wedge his body until the Marines arrived. “Why me?” he muttered as he squirmed inside the cavity. His body was now well hidden however; he knew the Conqueror Drones had a number of sensors, including infrared, which they could use to spot him. He only hoped with all the fires burning their sensors would be useless. There was also a lot of smoke around which was making it difficult to see far into the surrounding forest.
For several long minutes everything was quiet except for the occasional strafing runs being done by the fighters. He knew each time he heard cannon fire a Conqueror Drone was being destroyed that was approaching his location. Too many times he heard the sounds of the circling fighters overhead and cannon rounds. Suddenly, in front of him, he saw movement in the underbrush. Then large pincer-like claws appeared waving in the air followed by the rest of the drone. The damn thing looked just like an Earth crab only a thousand times larger. For a moment the drone seemed to freeze as it focused its attention on Fry and then the drone charged.
The lieutenant aimed his pistol and very carefully began firing off explosive rounds trying to hit the same spot each time. One, two, three, and then four rounds struck the drone slowing it down, but it still continued forward waving its claws seeking to tear Fry to shreds. Five, six, seven, and then the eighth round struck the drone causing it to stop and then collapse to the ground scarcely three meters from the lieutenant. The drone’s large pincer-like claws continued to wave as it struggled to stand back up. Pulling himself out of the niche in the tree stump, Lieutenant Fry put a fresh magazine in his pistol and then very carefully aimed two more shots where he knew the metal crab’s central processor was located. With a final jerk, the Conqueror Drone stopped moving.
“Damn,” said Fry in surprise. “I actually killed it.” He walked over and kicked it satisfied that it was dead. More noise in the undergrowth drew his attention. Much to his mortification four more drones appeared. “Guess I won’t be seeing that brunette tonight after all,” he muttered as he backed into his niche.
A sudden roar of weapons fire suddenly rang out as explosive rounds tore into the four drones. One dropped instantly and the others seemed momentarily confused. Then more rounds struck, dropping them one by one.
“Lieutenant Fry,” a voice called out.
Fry wriggled himself back out of his protective niche and stood up. Looking behind the tree stump, he saw six heavily armed Marines standing there.
“I believe you called for a ride,” said the sergeant as he walked up to the lieutenant.
Lieutenant Fry grinned. Maybe he would get to see that brunette after all. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”
The sergeant looked over at the Conqueror Drones as one of his Marines walked over and carefully blew a hole in the carapace of each one where the central processor was located. “Your ride’s over this way,” the sergeant said gesturing back behind him. “I believe you have a pair of squadron commanders circling overhead that will be very glad to hear from you.”
Fry remembered the emergency transmitter. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about it. Pressing the send button, he spoke into it. “Captain Trask, Captain Scott, the Marines are here and we’re proceeding to the extraction point.”
“That’s great,” replied Captain Trask. “When you get back on board the Exeter we need to have a little talk about your flying so low.”
Fry gulped as he knew he was in trouble. Glancing at the destroyed Conqueror Drones, he thought he could handle a chewing out from the captain. At least he was still alive.
-
In orbit above Ornellia, Admiral Jackson was on board his flagship, the battleship Dauntless. “What’s the latest status on the battlestations?” The six Type Two battlestations in orbit around Ornellia were going through routine maintenance checks.
“Checks are complete and all six are combat ready,” reported Commander Sharon Blanton. “The six hundred particle beam satellites are all functional as well.”
Jackson nodded. He had recently received a message from Fleet Admiral Strong informing him of the events with Kazak and the Simulins. That helped to explain why he hadn’t been attacked again.
How are we doing on emplacing the FTL detection buoys in the surrounding systems?”
“Admiral Bachal has four of his battlecruisers engaged placing the buoys. He expects to have all the systems within twenty light years of Ornellia covered within the next week.”
Jackson looked up at one of the large viewscreens showing the Ornellian home world. The Altons had already removed much of the radiation from the planet, particularly around areas where there were survivors.
“I’ve requested reinforcements from Gaia,” he said as he turned to face Commander Blanton. He folded his arms over his chest. “I believe it’s only a matter of time before the Simulins go back on the offensive, and there’s a good chance we’ll be their first target.”
Commander Blanton nodded her agreement. “With all the survivors we’re finding on Ornellia and the other worlds of their empire, we need more ships. I wouldn’t mind seeing a few colony ships sent out here to help in moving them from their other planets to Ornellia. At the rate we’re going now, it will take years.”
“I expressed that concern as well,” Admiral Jackson said.
He knew every day the number of Ornellians surviving on the other worlds of their empire was decreasing. All of their worlds were infested with Conqueror Drones, drones that had one mission and one mission only: seek out and kill any and all survivors.
“What do we do in the meantime?”
“Wait,” Jackson replied. “We wait and hope the reinforcements get here in time. We also try to rescue as many survivors as possible.”
Jackson’s eyes returned to the screen showing Ornellia. Much of the planet was dead with its vegetation wiped out in the Simulin nuclear attack. However, there were a few green areas around the mountains and the planet was slowly recovering. Admiral Bachal had mentioned that by using Alton terraforming techniques the planet could be fully restored in only a few decades. Jackson just hoped Ornellia was given those few decades so the planet could come to life once more. The Ornellians had been through enough; they shouldn’t have to see their world destroyed a second time.
Chapter Six
Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes sat in a conference room inside one of the huge constructs of the Originators. She still found it hard to believe she was alive and where she was. Next to her were Clarissa, Betrem Jalat, Reesa Jast, and Kelnor Mard. Across from them was a group of Originator AIs: Sible, Camlin, Jolban, and Leeda.
“It’s been two weeks,” said Kathryn. “Is the ship ready?” She had been spending much of her time on board the Distant Horizon familiarizing herself with the changes to her ship. She was amazed at some of the changes that had been made. She was also feeling excited about taking her out of the construction bay and seeing what the ship was capable of.
“It’s ready,” answered Jolban, his eyes focusing on the admiral. “However, I’m not certain your crew is. We’ve installed a lot of Originator technology. It may take awhile for your crew to learn the complexities.”
Kathryn turned to Jalat, who was her chief engineer as well as an Alton. “Can we fly the ship if we need to?”
Jalat nodded. “There are fifty-six Altons currently on the Distant Horizon. All are familiar enough with the Originator technology to work with it. Of the Human crewmembers only about 20 percent are proficient. They are learning but it will take time. Some of the technology is extremely advanced.”
Kathryn considered Jalat’s words carefully and then turned back to Jolban. “You said the ship’s computer is far enough advanced that it can fly and operate the ship if necessary?”
Jolban looked at Camlin and then answered. “Yes, but it is preferable to only use the ship’s computer in that manner in an emergency.”
“Kazak used his ship’s computer in that manner for an unknown number of years,” Clarissa said. “Is the computer on the Distant Horizon more advanced or less advanced than that one?” Clarissa already knew the answer as she had used both computer systems.
Leeda started laughing. “The one on the Distant Horizon is more advanced. Not only that, Clarissa is capable of operating all of the systems on the ship in an emergency.” She then turned toward Jolban. “I’ve been with the Humans long enough to know when they want something they won’t back down. Rear Admiral Barnes is ready to go home, and I suggest we let her. There will be sufficient AIs on the ship if there’s a problem.”
“There is the issue of a proficient navigator and helm officer,” Kathryn said, with sadness in her voice. “Both officers were killed.” Kathryn wished Kelsey and the others were here. She really missed them and they would be a huge help on the ship, particularly Katie, Andram, Mikow, and Shilum.
“Sible will be coming with us,” Leeda answered. “She’s well versed in navigation, hyperspace, and flight operations. She can navigate the Distant Horizon without a problem.”
Kathryn looked over at Sible. “Can you operate both the helm and navigation consoles on the Distant Horizon and get us back to the Triangulum Galaxy?”
“Yes, Admiral,” Sible replied with confidence. “I would enjoy flying a ship as large as your exploration dreadnought. Normally I only get to fly the small shuttles we use for transportation inside the Shrieel.”
“It’s decided, then,” said Kathryn decisively. “We leave tomorrow.” She was anxious to return to Gaia and find out what had transpired since the destruction of the Dyson Sphere.
The AIs looked at each other and then stood.
“I will notify the other AI leaders of the decision to leave tomorrow,” Camlin announced. Camlin then turned and left the room.
-
Reesa looked over at Leeda. “Are we doing the right thing? I mean Kazak might consider us a threat when we finally show up at Gaia.”
Leeda looked uncertain and then replied. “There has been much debate as to how the military AI will react. Clarissa feels confident she can persuade Kazak to respond peacefully and allow us to administer the pathogen cure to the Originators on board. Once that has been done, Kazak will turn over control of the ship to them. It’s part of his basic programming.”
Reesa thought for a minute and then asked her next question. “But how will the Originators react when they are awoken and told they’re all that remains of their race?” She knew it would be a big shock to her and extremely disheartening.
“That is unknown,” answered Leeda uneasily. “They were the brightest and most intelligent of their time. We can only hope they will respond rationally.”
-
Sible turned her attention to Kathryn. “Have you picked out a destination yet?”
Kathryn nodded. “We need to spend a few weeks shaking down the ship for any equipment malfunctions as well as to let the crew adjust. I promised the Ornellians I would return someday and free their worlds. I would like to go there and see what’s left after the Simulin attack.”
“I will go on board the Distant Horizon shortly and begin setting up the intergalactic hyperjump. We will be using one of the accelerator rings to increase the ship’s speed.”
“Accelerator ring? What’s that?” There was still a tremendous amount of Originator technology Kathryn wasn’t familiar with. It seemed every day some new technology was casually mentioned.
Sible smiled and activated a viewscreen on the wall. A massive metallic ring appeared.
“I saw several of those when we arrived,” said Reesa, recognizing the ring.
“This is an accelerator ring. It can project an intergalactic vortex anywhere in any of the galaxies within eighteen million light years of the communication and transport hub. If there is a Shrieel in the target galaxy, the exit vortex will form there. It can also be focused to form an exit vortex anywhere in space.”
“How large is that ring?” Kathryn knew it had to be huge.
“It’s one hundred and ten kilometers across,” answered Sible. “The Originators and us never build anything small.”
“What about the nova we created when we destroyed the black matter Dyson Sphere?” asked Kathryn. “Won’t that affect it?”
“No,” Sible answered. “It would affect intergalactic vortexes such as the ones we create in the Shrieels. However, the vortex rings operate on another principle entirely. The nova you created will not have any influence on the vortex. We can exit anywhere in the Triangulum Galaxy.”
Kathryn stared at the ring for a long moment. Right there before her was a way back to the Milky Way Galaxy. She could be back at Ceres in just a few short weeks. With a deep sigh, Kathryn turned away. Kazak had to be dealt with first and then they could consider going to Ceres, if the Originator AIs would agree. There was still some contentious discussions amongst the AIs as to the future role of the Distant Horizon and how best to remove the Simulins from all of the Dyson Spheres. A number of the AIs wanted the ship restored to its previous technology level. However, a slightly larger group wanted Kathryn to lead a fleet of Originator warships against the Simulins in the galaxies they had ruthlessly conquered. Kathryn just hoped that group won out as it would allow the Distant Horizon to keep all of its current Originator technology including the intergalactic hyperdrive.
-
The next day, Kathryn was once more in her command chair aboard the Distant Horizon. She looked around the new Command Center, taking stock of the crew and the changes that had been made. The huge viewscreen now covered three walls and had additional capabilities. Eight consoles were in a semicircle just in front of her upraised command dais. Behind her was Tactical. It had been reduced to the point Major Weir and two other officers could now control all of the ship’s weapons and energy shields.
“Ship is ready to depart the shipyard,” Commander Grissim reported.
“Easy as pie,” quipped Clarissa, with a pleased smile.
She was glad to be going back home. She so looked forward to seeing Ariel and showing her the new AI body resting in a secure case in her quarters. Clarissa had requested her own quarters so her friends could visit her privately if they so wished. Unfortunately most of her friends were back on Gaia. She just hoped they were still all okay. She was greatly concerned what might have happened between them and Kazak. She hoped Ariel had been able to make peace with the Originator AI and keep him reasonable. Clarissa knew how contentious Kazak could be at times.
