Clarissa turned and hurried away. Jason watched her leave wondering what she wanted to talk to the Alton scientist about.
-
Angela continued speaking with Rear Admiral Lance. “Are you prepared here if the Creevak manage to follow Admiral Grayseth back to this system?”
Anastasia nodded. “Yes, with this battlestation and the others we should be able to handle any Creevak incursion. Also, at the first sign of any Creevak vessels the Galactic Union will send three more fleets of three hundred vessels each to help defend this system. I’ll notify Fleet Admiral Tolsen and he’ll send more ships as well. We’re not going to allow the Creevak to rampage across our universe. The Eternals are a big enough problem for us to handle.”
Angela was pleased to hear plans had been prepared in case the Creevak put in an appearance. “I imagine Fleet Admiral Strong will have considerable information on the Creevak. He’ll also be able to tell us why the Creevak have not created a new anomaly.”
“I’m curious to find out what happened to all the ships and the Indomitable Class battlestations which went through with him. There has to have been some serious battles in the Creevak universe.”
“So am I,” replied Angela. “From the last probe data both the Avenger and the New Horizon are missing. I have been greatly concerned about what might have happened to those two ships.”
Rear Admiral Lance looked concerned as well. “I’m sure the crews were evacuated to the battlestation. Allarr Grall reminded me the other day neither of those ships could survive in the current orbit above the black hole the station is currently in.”
“I hope you’re right,” said Angela. “Care to get something to eat and we can continue our conversation?”
“Sure,” replied Anastasia. “I have some questions I would like to ask you about the Liberator.”
The two women headed off toward the nearest cafeteria still talking.
-
Jason went back to the Liberator to help with the system checks and to tell the crew they would be eating on the battlestation. One thing that did concern Jason after hearing Angela and the rear admiral talk was what it might mean if both the Avenger and New Horizon had been destroyed in combat. Jason didn’t care to think about it. He just hoped their parents had made it to the station before it dropped down into such a close and dangerous orbit above the black hole.
-
Clair had just finished the last of her system checks when Jason came back into the Command Center. He had a very worried expression on his face. “What’s wrong?” She didn’t want to draw attention to Jason. She had known him long enough to know he was deeply troubled about something.
Jason looked at Clair and responded. “What if our parents are dead? The probe data indicated that not a single one of our warships survived, including the Avenger and the New Horizon.”
Clair now understood what was bothering Jason. “I’m sure both ships were evacuated prior to moving the battlestation above the black hole. Your father would not allow anything to happen to Kevin, Katie, or Kelsey.”
Jason slowly nodded his head. “I hope you’re right.”
-
Later all system checks were complete with only a few minor adjustments needed. When they were finished Leeda announced the ship was ready for its mission. Clarissa, who had returned from speaking to the Alton scientist, concurred.
“Okay everyone,” announced Jason over the ship’s comm. “Those who want to may go over to the station and eat in cafeteria 17 which is just outside this docking bay. Also, everyone needs to get a good night’s sleep tonight so take some sleeping meds if you need to. Those of you going to the station will need to be back on board the Liberator in three hours.”
Jason turned toward the command crew who had been listening. “Let’s go, everyone. Have a good meal and then get a good night’s sleep.”
-
Everyone was sitting at a table in the cafeteria eating and talking excitedly about the mission.
“Do you think we’ll encounter any Creevak ships?” asked Andrea, her eyes wide.
Braleseth nodded. He was eating a large medium rare steak. “We’re bound to. The only question is whether we’ll have to fight our way through them or not. It won’t be a problem going in but it might be when we come back out.”
“Why’s that?” asked Carly. She was eating a steak about half the size of the one her brother had.
“We have to get to the decreased gravity zone between the two black holes to safely jump back to our universe,” explained Clair. “It’s going to be hard enough just jumping into the safe zone near the battlestation initially. The ship would never survive if we tried to jump back out too near the black hole.”
Jason looked over at the table where Colonel Wilde was sitting with her Marines. They were laughing and seemed to be having a good time. Of course, all of them had been in combat numerous times so this was nothing new to them. He wished he could feel that relaxed.
Elizabeth was just picking at her food. It was clear she didn’t have much of an appetite.
“Nervous?” asked Jason.
Elizabeth nodded. “I was just thinking tomorrow we’re going to get to see our parents again. I hope they’re not going to be disappointed in me.”
“They won’t be,” said Clair, reaching over and touching Elizabeth’s hand.
“Are you sure?”
Clair nodded. “Positive.”
“I think we’re all a little bit nervous,” said Mathew. He pushed his half-eaten plate of food away and rested his elbows on the table. “After tomorrow all of our lives are going to change.”
“For the better,” replied Clair. “This is what we’ve been working for all of these years.”
Clarissa came up to the table and sat down. “Excited?” she asked, looking at the group.
“Excited and nervous,” replied Elizabeth. “What do you think will happen tomorrow?”
Clarissa smiled. “All of you will finally be reunited with your parents and I’ll see Ariel again. I’m sure they’re going to have a thousand questions to ask all of you.”
“What did Allarr Grall say about the probe?” asked Jason. He knew that Clarissa had spent considerable time with the esteemed Alton scientist.
“He’s confident the probe will function as designed. It will make the transit to the Creevak universe, scan for any Creevak ships and then spend some time scanning for the battlestation. Once the probe has completed all of its programming it will come back here.”
“Is there not going to be an AI on this one?”
Clarissa shook her head. “No, this is a very small and specialized probe. There’s not room for an AI.”
They all sat there talking for another hour and then headed back to the Liberator. Jason stressed how important it was for everyone to get a good night’s sleep.
-
Jason was in his quarters lying in bed. He had spent the last hour turning and tossing and getting very little sleep. He was considering taking the sleep med next to his bed.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes, Clair,” answered Jason. He was surprised she wasn’t already asleep.
“Did you not take your sleep meds?”
“Not yet.”
“Me neither, I’m coming over.”
Jason knew it was futile to protest. Once Clair had her mind made up she very seldom changed it. It was one of the things he really liked about her.
A couple of minutes later the door to his quarters opened and Clair stepped inside. She was wearing a long robe tied at the waist. “We both need to go to sleep.”
Jason was still lying in bed covered with a blanket.
“Here take this,” she ordered, handing him a small green tablet. It was the sleep med they were all supposed to take.
Jason took the pill and was surprised when he saw Clair take one also.
“Now scoot over. I think we’ll both sleep better tonight if we’re together.” Clair undid the sash on her robe a
nd let it fall to the floor. She was wearing a very skimpy see-through blue gown.
“I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep if that’s all you’re wearing.”
Clair’s face turned red and she smiled. “I’ll take that as a complement. Now scoot over and try to go to sleep.”
Jason moved over and Clair lay down beside him. He was acutely aware of her warm body touching his. He lay very still, almost afraid to move.
“Don’t worry, you can put your arms around me; I won’t bite.”
Hesitantly, Jason put his arm around Clair and pulled her closer. He was surprised at how soft her body felt.
-
“That’s better,” said Clair as she snuggled as close as she could. She was very aware of Jason’s arm across her breasts. She felt all warm and tingly inside. “We had better get some sleep.”
A few minutes later Clair heard Jason’s breathing slow down and she knew he was asleep. While lying in her room earlier she had decided if this was to be their last night before potentially going into a very dangerous combat situation, she wanted to share it with Jason. She felt the sleep med beginning to take affect and as she drifted off to sleep she hoped this was the beginning of many nights with Jason. She also felt very safe and protected in Jason’s arms.
-
Angela knocked on Clair’s door and after not getting a response opened it to make sure she was asleep. She was checking on all of the young people. Opening the door she saw Clair’s bed was empty.
“She’s not here,” said Clarissa nervously from behind her.
Angela turned around with a hard stare at Clarissa. “Where is she?” Angela already suspected but she wanted to hear it from Clarissa.
“She’s with Jason. They’re sleeping together.”
“What! They’re too young for that!”
“Calm down,” said Clarissa hastily. “Nothing happened. Clair just thought both she and Jason would sleep better if they were together. Right now they’re both sound asleep.”
Angela crossed her arms over her chest. “How long has this been going on?”
“Clair’s developed some very strong feelings for Jason though so far Jason hasn’t reciprocated. He’s still too wrapped up in rescuing his parents.”
Angela shook her head. “They’re both very young. It would be very easy for one or both of them to get carried away.”
“Clair won’t let that happen and neither will Jason.”
“Maybe,” replied Angela, recalling what she had been like at that young age.
“Besides,” added Clarissa. “I’m keeping a close watch on them and Andrea has been helping.”
“How did I miss this?” complained Angela.
“You’re still looking at them as children. They’ve all grown into young adults.”
Angela bit her lip and slowly nodded. “You’re right, but I had better have a little talk with Clair just to be on the safe side.”
“Wait until after the mission,” suggested Clarissa.
Angela was silent for a long moment. “I will, but once this is over I’m going to have a long talk with both Clair and Jason.”
Clarissa nodded. She had expected that. She was just glad she wasn’t going to be on the receiving end of that lecture.
Chapter Ten
Admiral Trope listened to the reports from the commanders of his stealth battlecruisers. So far they still had not found the Originators’ secret base. However, they had narrowed down the region of space between the galaxies in which the base had to be located. It was expected sometime in the next few weeks the base would be found.
“I have ordered all of our stealthed battlecruisers into the region of intergalactic space where we suspect the Originators’ secret base may be located,” Novast reported. “If it’s there, we will find it.”
Admiral Trope gazed at the large tactical display. It was covered in green icons. Every day the fleet was growing larger. When the last task force arrived he would have sufficient forces to overwhelm any sized base the Originators might have managed to build in secret. He would destroy the base and then descend on Originator space. He would be known as the greatest conqueror in Eternal history.
“What about the special cargo ships?”
“The first should arrive early next week,” replied Novast. “We have dozens of shipyards in galaxies not threatened by the Originators building them. The ships will have an energy shield, hull armor, and will be fully loaded with rods of steel. When one of the ships strikes an Originator mobile battlestation charges set inside the ship will hurl the steel rods forth in all directions, increasing the damage.”
“Excellent,” replied Admiral Trope. “How many of the special cargo ships can we have available at the end of four weeks?”
“Two thousand,” answered Novast.
Trope thought about that for a long minute. “I want double that amount. We don’t know what we might face at the Originator base. I want to make sure we have the necessary forces to destroy it.”
Novast nodded. “I will send the orders.”
Turning toward the large viewscreens, Admiral Trope stood gazing at his fleet. Hundreds, thousands, of massive Eternal battlecruisers were lined up in various formations waiting for the order to attack. Trope felt great pride in what he had gathered here. One other thing he still needed to figure out; how to eliminate First Leader Zabian. His death would need to look accidental. He had already made arrangements for some of the admirals in the fleet to nominate him as the next First Leader as well as overall fleet admiral. He felt a slight throbbing pain in his head. His nanites did not like his current line of thinking. He had curbed the amount of control the nanites had over his emotions. He was finding some emotions had their uses. He had already decided the nanites would need to be redesigned. Their ability to suppress emotions would be eliminated.
-
Admiral Grayseth stood in the Command Center of the Hunter. The massive juggernaut was at the front of a fleet of one hundred and twenty dreadnaughts.
“All ships report ready to enter the Accelerator Ring,” First Officer Rastell informed the admiral. “We can depart whenever you give the order.
Grayseth nodded and walked over to his large command chair and sat down. “Activate the ring and take us through. It is time for us to go and rescue my clan brother.”
“It has been long in coming,” said Rastell. “This will be a glorious hunt.”
“Yes, it will,” answered Grayseth. His eyes moved to one of the viewscreens showing some of the dreadnaughts. Nearly half of those ships were manned primarily by Carethians. Every dreadnaught had at least a few Carethians in its crew. Rescuing Jeremy and the others with him was a matter of honor which all Carethians took very seriously. Large numbers of Carethians had volunteered to crew the fleet. Only the best at their respective positions had been chosen.
“Activating Accelerator Ring,” reported Lexi, the female AI sitting at the helm and navigation console.
On the main viewscreen, one of the forty-kilometer Accelerator Rings activated. A swirling dark blue vortex formed.
Lexi moved her hands deftly across her computer screen and the Hunter accelerated and dove toward the ring. Moments later the twenty-kilometer juggernaut vanished from the Communications and Transport Hub as the massive vessel was accelerated to intergalactic hyperspace speed. A full minute after the Hunter entered the ring, the first of the dreadnaughts approached and vanished into it. In a long formation two ships wide the rest of the dreadnaughts followed and soon the entire fleet was gone.
-
“Well, they’re on their way,” said Fleet Admiral Tolsen. He was sitting at his desk watching the ships enter the Accelerator Ring on the large viewscreen in his office. After fourteen long years they were finally going to attempt to rescue Fleet Admiral Strong and those stranded with him.
“What do you think the odds of their success are?” asked Hailey. She was spending most of her time at the hub organizing her fleets. She was glad she
had Rear Admiral Cross to share some of the responsibility.
Race stood up and walked over to the large window overlooking the city. He had a habit of doing this when he felt unsure. “I don’t know. It depends on how many Creevak vessels are waiting for them. Because all of Grayseth’s ships are equipped with the blue energy sphere projectors we’re hoping that will make a difference in any fleet battle. Keep in mind the dreadnaughts have to hold off the Creevak while Admiral Grayseth takes the juggernaut down near the black hole and docks with the battlestation. That’s not going to be an easy task.”
“Should we have sent more ships?”
Race shook his head. “No, we didn’t dare delay the rescue operation any longer. It’s only a matter of time before the Creevak figure out a way to successfully attack the station.”
Hailey was silent for a moment. “You know Grayseth will not return unless he has Fleet Admiral Strong with him. He will risk everything to rescue his clan brother.”
Race let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I know. I spoke to Grayseth about this but I knew all along they would either all come back or none of them would.”
In a way, Race was glad Grayseth felt that way. It greatly increased the odds of his success. Grayseth would be willing to take risks to succeed in his mission whereas some of the other fleet admirals would have hesitated.
Coming over to stand next to Race, Hailey gazed out the window. It was mid afternoon with a few fleece white clouds floating high up in the air. If she remembered correctly it was supposed to rain later on. “Has there been any indication as to where the Eternal ships we expect to attack us are gathering?”
“No, we’ve got hundreds of battlecruisers out searching. Unfortunately, they could be anywhere.”
“Are we still certain they’re going to attack a Dyson sphere or the Federation?”
Race turned away from the window. “We could be wrong,” he admitted. “They could be moving ships far away from Originator space to better establish their Empire farther away.”
“But Commander Zafron does not believe that does he?”
“No,” replied Race, shaking his head. “Neither does Dazon Fells. “He’s certain, after studying the information Commander Zafron sent, the Eternals are preparing to attack us. He’s even suggested it might be a three-pronged attack. He believes they may attack several of the Dyson spheres as well as the Federation and the Altons. It would serve to sharply divide our forces.”
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