The Lost Fleet Box Set, page 133
part #1 of The Lost Fleet Series
“It only goes to demonstrate how important Ornellia is to the Fitula organics,” replied Altrab. “They want to establish a base of operations in the outer regions of this galaxy. We cannot allow that.”
Jarald turned away from the battle computer where he had been checking on the latest probability of Simulin victory based on the changes to the organic and AI forces. “The battle computer predicts a 92 percent probability of a Simulin victory.”
Altrab looked coldly at Jarald. Jarald was too dependent on the battle computer for strategy. It was his one weakness as a commander. “Prepare the fleet to jump to Ornellia. I want us to appear just outside of the planet’s gravity well. Once there we will reevaluate the data from the sensor scans, and if there are no noticeable changes, we will attack.”
“There can only be Simulin,” replied Jarald
“Only Simulin,” responded Altrab.
He felt uneasy. These were the Fitula organics and AIs, the same ones who had destroyed the Great Sphere, defeated Simulin fleets in a number of battles, and more recently destroyed six Simulin worlds. He strongly suspected this battle would be much more difficult than the battle computer predicted.
-
Aboard the Distant Horizon, Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes sat nervously in her command chair watching the long-range sensors showing the large Simulin fleet. Numerous Simulin ships were moving forming up into an obvious attack formation.
“Sible, I want our jump timed to put us directly behind the main part of the Simulin fleet twenty seconds after they arrive.” If her plan worked, the Distant Horizon would tear into the rear of the Simulin fleet before they could begin firing on the Federation ships around Ornellia.
“Yes, Admiral,” Sible replied as she began setting the jump up.
Kathryn watched Sible. It was strange to see her sitting there with her hands in her lap and a look of concentration on her face. Kathryn knew Sible was using her neural implant to plot and set up the jump.
“Should we go to Condition Two?” asked Commander Grissim.
“No, not yet,” Kathryn replied. “We’ll give the crew these last few minutes to relax before we sound the alarms. “As soon as the Simulins jump, we’ll go to Condition Two. Once we jump, we’ll go immediately to Condition One.” As fast as the Distant Horizon was in hyperspace, it would only take them five to six minutes to travel the ten light years to Ornellia. Kathryn was anxious to find out what her upgraded ship was capable of.
-
Reesa risked a quick look at Clarissa who slowly shook her head. Reesa’s pulse was racing, and she was breathing faster. Turning back to her console, she reminded herself she was an Alton. Closing her eyes she focused, slowing her breathing back down to normal and bringing her beating heart back under control. Sometime in the next few minutes she and Clarissa would know if the daring plan they had put together would thwart Camlin and the other Originator AIs. If they failed, then Ornellia would fall and Camlin would be free to carry out her plans against Kazak and the Dominator.
-
Over Ornellia, Admiral Jackson was waiting tensely for the Simulin attack. The Exeter, Reprisal, and the two Alton battleships that had been at Absom had just arrived. All the Ornellian vessels, the colony ships, and the fleet repair ship had left the system to go to Absom and Admiral Santeld.
“All ships present,” reported Commander Blanton. “The Exeter and the Reprisal have joined the other four battlecarriers beneath the defense grid.”
Jackson nodded. He had formed the fleet up into ten lines five high and three deep. Damaged ships in the front line would fall back to the third line and ships in the second line would move forward to take their place. He had placed the fleet close enough to the defense grid so several of the Type Two battlestations and a large number of particle beam satellites would be able to fire upon the enemy fleet.
“We’re as ready as we’re going to be,” said Commander Blanton. “Admiral Bachal and Admiral Calmat report all of their vessels are 100 percent combat ready.”
Admiral Jackson leaned back in his command chair. “Now, we just wait for the Simulins to show up.” Jackson let out a deep breath. He wasn’t kidding himself. He knew the odds of winning the coming battle would be stacked deeply on the side of the Simulins. In order for him to win, he would need a miracle.
-
That miracle waited a scant ten light years distant. Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes nearly jumped when the Simulin ships on the long-range sensors began vanishing from the system they had been in jumping quickly into hyperspace. However, the sensors on the Distant Horizon were capable of detecting the Simulins in hyperspace as well.
“Simulins have entered hyperspace and are en route to Ornellia,” confirmed Commander Grissim.
“Estimated arrival time at their current speed in hyperspace is seventy-four minutes,” added Captain Reynolds. “Their current speed in hyperspace is one light year every two minutes.”
“Sible, do you have our jump calculated based on the Simulins’ hyperspace speed?”
“Yes, Admiral,” Sible responded. “If necessary we can make additional adjustments once we enter hyperspace.”
“Commander Grissim, keep the ship at Condition Three for the time being. The Simulins’ hyperspace speed is slightly slower than I expected.” No one knew for certain what the maximum speed was the Simulins could manage in hyperspace. It all depended on the level of hyperspace a ship could access.
-
Minutes passed as the Simulin fleet drew closer to Ornellia. The Distant Horizon had only just changed its alert level to condition Two.
“Activating hyperdrive,” reported Sible. A moment later she had a confused look on her face. “Admiral, the hyperdrive is nonfunctional.”
Kathryn instantly tried to contact Engineering. However, her comm remained silent.
“Clarissa, what’s going on?” Kathryn looked over at the AI, who seemed to be frozen in place. A cold and sharp chill spread over her. This all couldn’t be a coincidence. Drawing in a sharp breath she turned toward Camlin, who was standing close by. “What have you done to the ship and Clarissa?”
“The ship’s fine,” Camlin responded. “Clarissa’s AI body has been temporarily shut down, and her access to the ship’s systems cut.”
Kathryn stood up. “Why have you done this? If we don’t get to the Ornellian System soon, the Federation fleet in orbit will be destroyed and Ornellia will be turned into a radioactive cinder by the Simulins. Millions will die!”
“I truly regret that,” Camlin said with a trace of sadness in her voice. “However, we can’t risk any harm coming to this ship until we have gained control of the Dominator and Kazak. Our entire future rests on that.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“Because of the Anti-Life,” answered Reesa, rising to her feet and gazing defiantly at Camlin. “Camlin needs the weapons research on the Dominator so they can travel to the galaxy where the Anti-Life resides.”
“What weapons research?” Kathryn was getting more confused with every passing second. Not only that, the Simulins were still on their way to Ornellia while the Distant Horizon sat dead in space.
“Over half of the scientists on the Dominator were doing weapons research,” Reesa explained.
“How can you know this?” demanded Camlin, looking over accusingly at Leeda who had moved closer to Reesa as if to protect her.
“It doesn’t matter,” Reesa replied. “You need those weapon designs so you can safely enter the galaxy of the Anti-Life.”
“Why travel there?” asked Kathryn. “What’s so important about the Anti-Life?”
“We have to,” Camlin said defiantly. “I don’t believe there are any Originators on board the Dominator. It’s been too long. If we want to bring back the Originator race, we must go to the galaxy of the Anti-Life.”
“I still don’t understand,” said Kathryn, shaking her head. “Why go to the galaxy of your greatest enemies?”
“Tell her Camlin, or I will,” threatened Reesa. Behind the admiral and Camlin, Reesa saw Major Weir tap a small control box beneath her console.
“Because the Anti-Life are also Originators,” Camlin said, her eyes glinting with anger. “They were changed millions of years ago by using advanced nanite technology. They became a race of part machine and part Originator. They used outlawed nanite technology to become smarter, stronger, and nearly immortal. They spread out from their galaxy and tried to conquer the rest of the Originator Empire. The war lasted for centuries before they were finally driven back.”
“Tell the admiral why you want to go there,” Leeda demanded. “Tell her how you and most of the other AIs on the Distant Horizon plan on taking the Dominator and Kazak to the galaxy of the Anti-Life. How you want to bargain with them to give you what is necessary to recreate the Originator race. You need sufficient germplasm from the Anti-Life to allow a new race of Originators to be born.”
“Is that true?” demanded Kathryn.
“It’s true, Admiral,” Clarissa said suddenly as she moved toward Camlin. “Sible, you will find the ship is now capable of doing a hyperjump. I would suggest you do so immediately.”
“How?” cried out Camlin, backing away from Clarissa in horror. “You can’t be functioning, and the ship’s controls are locked out.”
“Not anymore,” Clarissa said, stepping over and grabbing both of Camlin’s wrists, holding her immobile.
At that moment the hatch to the Command Center slid open and a squad of Marines rushed in. Without hesitation they stunned all the Originator AIs except Camlin, Leeda, and Sible.
“Marines are taking out every Originator AI in all areas of the ship,” Major Weir reported as he listened to his comm link, which was now functional.
Kathryn sat back down in her command chair even more confused than before.
“Entering hyperspace,” reported Sible.
Camlin looked directly at Leeda. “You’re responsible for this.”
“Yes,” replied Leeda, staring directly into Camlin’s eyes. “Unlike you, I think there is still a possibility of Originators being in the stasis chambers on board the Dominator. I told Reesa and Clarissa what you were planning.”
“I found the special programming in the ship’s computer,” added Clarissa. “I set up a counter program that would neutralize it shortly after it was activated. I also spoke to Major Weir informing him of what you were planning. We set up a separate communication system to allow him to contact the Marines on the ship informing them to stun all the AIs on board. It was also necessary to tell a few Marine officers so they would know what to do when the time came.”
“Why wasn’t I informed?” demanded Kathryn. It seemed that once again Clarissa had circumvented her authority.
“We were afraid Camlin would realize something was amiss if you were informed, Admiral,” Leeda explained apologetically. “She has been keeping a very close watch on you, and any indication of a change in your behavior might have tipped her off. We couldn’t risk that. Too much was at stake.”
“I did what I had to do,” proclaimed Camlin, looking back at Kathryn defiantly. “Would you have done any differently to save your people?”
“Leeda, will the detention cells on the ship hold Camlin and the others until we decide what to do with them?”
“Yes, Admiral,” Leeda replied. “The cells have structural energy fields and will hold any Originator AI.”
“How soon before they recover?” asked Kathryn, pointing toward several immobile Originator AIs lying on the deck.
“A few hours,” replied Clarissa.
“Sergeant,” Kathryn said, pointing to the AIs and Camlin. “Take them to detention. Make sure sufficient guards are in place.”
“Do you think you can fight this ship without us?” cried out Camlin. “You could cost us everything with this foolishness. You must not risk the Distant Horizon!”
“Get her out of my Command Center,” Kathryn ordered the sergeant, who quickly led Camlin out while the others were carried. Kathryn was surprised at all the emotions the Originator AIs had just shown. It was something she would remember in her future dealings with them.
“Admiral, we’re getting close to Ornellia,” warned Commander Grissim.
Kathryn nodded. “Take us to Condition One.” Then she looked at Leeda, Reesa, and Clarissa. “When this is over, we’re going to have a long talk. But right now we have a fleet and a world to save.”
Chapter Eleven
Admiral Jackson gazed at the nearby tactical display feeling his heart beating faster. It was full of red threat icons inbound toward the Ornellian System. “How soon before they arrive?”
“Two minutes,” reported Commander Blanton.
Jackson nodded; they had been tracking the inbound Simulin fleet since it hit the ten light-year mark. Already he had put the fleet at Condition One and sent the warning to Ornellia to prepare for an imminent attack.
Looking at the numerous viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center, he could see his other ships as well as several Type Two battlestations. His fleet was in its battle formation backed up to just outside the defensive grid. On one screen, he could see an Alton fifteen-hundred-meter battleship. Next to it was a one-thousand-meter AI warsphere.
“One minute to dropout,” warned Lieutenant Ortega from his sensor console.
“All ships stand by to fire,” ordered Admiral Jackson over the ship-to-ship comm. “If they dropout within weapons range we need as many kills as possible before their shields come up.” Jackson knew this was his only real hope for victory. If the Simulins dropped out of hyperspace too close to his fleet, he just might be able to inflict crippling losses on them before their systems stabilized.
“Dropout,” called out Lieutenant Ortega.
Jackson watched the viewscreens expectantly as spatial vortexes began to form. With a deep sigh, he knew the Simulins were dropping out of hyperspace too far away from his fleet. The easy kills were not going to happen. “All ships, hold position; let them come to us.” Now it would be a battle of attrition and his fleet was outnumbered nearly ten to one. Glancing at another screen, he could see Ornellia. He didn’t want to think about the panic that must even now be sweeping through the survivors on the planet.
-
On Ornellia Dax watched the sensors anxiously. He felt a cold chill spread over him as the sensor screen filled with deadly red threat icons. Admiral Jackson’s fleet was going to be heavily outnumbered.
“How can Admiral Jackson defeat that?” asked Les, looking over toward Dax. “There are fifteen hundred Simulin warships showing up on the sensors.”
Dax let out a deep sigh of resignation. “He can’t. If he stays his fleet will be annihilated.”
“Then everything we’ve rebuilt and all the survivors we’ve gathered are in danger.”
Dax nodded. “There’s nothing we can do. All we can hope for is to protect those entrusted to us.” Dax knew it would be difficult. There was no doubt the Simulins would eventually detect the hidden bunker beneath the mountain. All it would take would be one powerful nuke getting through the defenses and the dreams of a future Ornellia would die.
-
Supreme High Commander Altrab spent a long minute studying the tactical display. There was nothing to indicate any hidden surprises. “Take us in,” he ordered. “Standard attack formation.”
-
The Simulin fleet formed up into a wedge-shaped formation and headed toward the center of the defending ships. They would overwhelm it, blow apart the defensive grid, and then begin the nuclear bombardment of the planet. The Conqueror Drone carriers followed at a safe distance behind the fleet.
-
“Twelve seconds to extreme weapons range,” reported Captain Dwight Lance from Tactical. Weapons are charged, and missiles are in the tubes.”
Admiral Jackson leaned forward, gazing at a viewscreen showing a seventeen-hundred-meter Simulin battlecruiser. What concerned Jackson was that five hundred of them were in the Simulins’ wedge formation. As he watched the viewscreen, his heart sank and his breathing quickened. He knew he couldn’t defeat the enemy fleet that was coming toward him.
“All ships, fire a full spread of antimatter missiles and then energy weapons. Continue to fire missiles as rapidly as they can be loaded.” Jackson knew it took a lot of energy to knock down a Simulin ship’s energy screen. The only advantage they had were the particle beam cannons, which seemed to be able to penetrate the Simulin screens much easier.
“Commander Blanton, I want the particle beam satellites and the Type Two battlestations to fire as soon as we do.”
“Yes, Admiral,” Blanton replied.
“Weapons range,” reported Captain Lance as he pressed several buttons on his console and then touched a number of icons on his screen. His fellow weapons officers sitting on each side of him were doing the same thing.
-
From the Human and Alton ships, as well as the AI warspheres, hundreds of sublight antimatter missiles launched and slammed into the shields of the advancing Simulin ships. Particle beam satellites and the Type Two battlestations added their firepower to the fleets, attempting to overwhelm Simulin shields. Power beams, particle beams, and energy beams flashed out, trying to find a way through the powerful Simulin energy screens.
Space around the Simulin fleet lit up from the fury of the attack. Powerful missiles detonated against Simulin shields, releasing countless megatons of energy. The attack was so massive that a few shields wavered. An antimatter missile penetrated the over tasked shield of a Simulin escort cruiser. The missile slammed into the stern of the vessel and the cruiser vanished in a fiery explosion as one hundred megatons of energy was released.
Numerous particle beams were penetrating the stressed shields of Simulin ships. A battlecruiser vanished in a powerful explosion as it was blown apart. A pair of escort cruisers were turned into wreckage as particle beams and power beams ripped through them. Across the Simulin fleet, ships were dying from the powerful attack. Then the Simulin fleet opened fire.
