Explorations- the Lost

by Raymond L. Weil

  -

  “We just lost the Thunder,” reported the sensor officer.

  Grayseth nodded. He had known Commander Jarseth very well. He was an honorable Carethian who believed in the old ways. He would be missed. Several other dreadnaughts had been lost as well but the Creevak fleet was being decimated. Nearly half of its ships had been hit by the blue energy spheres and Grayseth’s fleet’s heavy weapons were laying waste to the rest of the enemy vessels. The battle would soon be over.

  Grayseth looked at the main viewscreen. He gazed upon a firestorm of destruction. The Hunter itself was firing hundreds of dark matter missiles every minute as well as energy beams. Any Creevak vessel targeted by the ship’s weapon systems was quickly annihilated.

  “Creevak ships are beginning to break off and retreat,” reported Rastell.

  “Pursue them,” ordered Grayseth. “We must destroy as many as possible.”

  -

  The surviving Creevak ships turned and began fleeing down the slot with the Originator fleet in close pursuit. Ship after ship of the Creevak fleet was run down and destroyed without mercy. Grayseth finally gave the order to stop when the last few surviving Creevak vessels began to pull out of range of the fleet’s weapons

  “Take us back over the battlestation,” ordered Grayseth satisfied he had won this battle. “What were our losses?”

  “We lost twelve dreadnaughts and seventeen others are reporting damage,” replied Rastell as he checked his console. “Most of the damage can be repaired.”

  “What about the Hunter?” There were a few amber lights glowing on the damage control console but no red ones. Grayseth wanted to make sure his flagship had come through the battle unscathed.

  “A few burn marks but no actual damage.”

  Grayseth nodded. “Excellent. As soon as we’re back over the battlestation we will begin our decent toward the black hole. The fleet will hold its position above us and keep any Creevak vessels that return at bay.”

  “It has been a successful hunt so far,” said Rastell. “There has been much honor won today.”

  Grayseth agreed. “When we return to the Dyson sphere we will perform a ceremony to honor those of our brothers who embarked on the Great Hunt today. They fought with honor.”

  “With honor,” repeated Rastell.

  -

  In the battlestation, Jeremy and Rear Admiral Jones had watched the battle on the large tactical displays in the Command Center.

  “Everything seems so fast because of the time differential,” commented Jones as he turned away from the screens.

  “It appears Grayseth lost twelve of his dreadnaughts in the battle and others are probably damaged,” added Ariel.

  Jeremy had known some dreadnaughts had been destroyed. The Creevak ships were simply too powerful. “What about the Creevak?” This concerned Jeremy as he was certain they would return and attack once Grayseth began the rescue part of the mission.

  “Grayseth pretty much devastated their fleet,” Ariel informed them. “The firepower of that juggernaut is astounding. It’s like a dozen dreadnaughts all rolled up into one. From what our sensors are showing only sixteen Creevak battleships and thirty-two of their battlecruisers survived . Most are exhibiting signs of significant damage.”

  Jeremy studied the tactical display. “No doubt they’ll call for reinforcements and renew their attack.”

  Rear Admiral Jones agreed. “I wonder how long it will take for their reinforcements to get here?”

  “Even when they do they have to spend some time coming back down the slot. Grayseth’s dreadnaughts are blocking it at the moment,” reported Ariel.

  “It also appears Grayseth’s juggernaut is moving into position to begin its descent toward us and the black hole,” commented Jones. On the tactical display, the massive ship was moving into position above the battlestation.

  Jeremy knew this would be the most dangerous part of the rescue mission. Grayseth’s ship was massive and would have to fight the titanic gravity pull of the black hole all the way. Jeremy felt a little reassured knowing the ship was powered by dark matter converters like those the Liberator was equipped with.

  -

  On board the Liberator, Jason and the rest of his crew had watched the battle on the tactical display and the viewscreens. It had been frightening to watch as ships on both sides were being destroyed. The battle had been very intense. It had been by far the biggest battle Jason had ever witnessed.

  “Grayseth’s fleet is victorious and he only lost twelve of his dreadnaughts,” reported Clarissa.

  “Even twelve is too many,” replied Jason. He knew many of those dreadnaughts were crewed primarily by Carethians. It amazed him what they were willing to sacrifice to rescue his father and the others.

  “They were honorable deaths,” commented Braleseth, feeling pride at the sacrifices his people were willing to make to rescue his father’s clan brother. “If they had to do it over again, they would.”

  “The Hunter is positioning to begin its descent toward the battlestation,” reported Layla.

  Mitch did some quick calculations on his computer screen. “It will take them about four hours to reach us and that includes taking the time dilation into account.”

  “This is going to be a long four hours,” said Clair, folding her arms across her more than ample chest and staring at the viewscreens.

  “We’ll all be going home soon,” said Elizabeth. “This nightmare will finally be over.”

  Clair looked over at Clarissa. “Does Mom know about Jason and I sleeping together?”

  Clarissa was silent as she thought about her reply.

  “I’m going to take your silence as a yes. How did she find out?”

  Clarissa let out a deep sigh. “She went to check on you and you weren’t in your quarters. She figured out pretty quickly where you were. I explained nothing had happened.”

  “Was she upset?” Clair could just see her mother throwing a temper tantrum in the corridor.

  “Yes, but I talked her into waiting to speak to you until this mission is over. I would not mention anything to Jason as he has a lot on his mind at the moment.”

  Clair nodded. “You’re right. Now I just need to figure out how to explain this to Mom.”

  “Just tell her the truth; you’re in love with Jason. I suspect she’ll understand.”

  “I don’t think it will be that simple,” replied Clair. This was a conversation with her mother she definitely was not looking forward to.

  “The Hunter is beginning its descent,” reported Layla.

  Everyone’s eyes returned to the tactical display and the viewscreens.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” sent Clair as she turned to watch the Hunter.

  -

  Grayseth felt his flagship shake as it began its descent into the gravity well of the black hole. On the viewscreen, the battlestation was visible and behind it the event horizon of the black hole. Grayseth knew if they got too near the event horizon thousands of years could pass for the Hunter.

  “Adjusting energy screens,” reported Thomal.

  The shaking diminished until it was barely perceptible.

  The Hunter steadily sunk deeper into the powerful gravity pull of the black hole.

  “Are we sure we have enough power to escape this monster?” asked Grayseth, looking over at Hamore Donne.

  Hamore nodded. “More than enough. If I’ve calculated correctly we have 40 percent more power than we’re going to need.”

  “That’s comforting,” commented Rastell, his eyes focused on the viewscreen. The black hole looked ominous and frightening.

  The Command Center was unusually quiet as everyone watched the viewscreen. It was hard to imagine the battlestation had spent years in this location. What would it have been like to have this monster black hole so close to you all of this time? It was an indication of the grave desperation Jeremy and the others must have felt to move the battlestation to its current location above th
e event horizon.

  “How long will our travel time be?” asked Grayseth. He was anxious to see his clan brother after all of these long years of being apart.

  “Four hours total; maybe a little less,” answered Lexi. “We have to be careful during our descent due to the gravity from the black hole. We’re actually accelerating away from the black hole and allowing its gravity to pull us down. The closer we get to the battlestation the more powerful our acceleration will have to be.”

  “How soon before we can contact the station?”

  “Two hours,” replied the communications officer. “Any sooner and the radiation from the event horizon will scramble our communications too much. The original probe sent its message a dozen times just to make sure enough of it got through.”

  Grayseth knew he could not rush it. No matter how badly he wanted to see his clan brother this was still an extremely dangerous trip. “Any sign of additional Creevak warships?”

  “No, not yet,” replied Rastell. “But we’re going to be gone for at least a full day and a lot can happen in that length of time.”

  Grayseth leaned back in his command chair. There was nothing he could do but wait.

  -

  Rear Admiral Barnes drew in a deep breath. The battle in the slot was over and the Hunter was on its way to the battlestation. She turned toward Major Barkley who had just entered the Command Center. “Have our Marines get some rest. As soon as the Hunter docks they’ll be needed for crowd control. We need to get everyone on board the juggernaut as quickly as possible.”

  “Yes, Admiral,” replied Barkley. “I’ll see to it.” Barkley turned and quickly left the Command Center.

  Camlin was standing near Kathryn. “We have three corridors on the battlestation which have been enlarged to handle the station’s personnel.”

  “How long will it take for everyone to get on board the juggernaut?”

  “A little over three hours and that does not include any AIs.”

  Kathryn’s face turned pale. “Are you telling me we may have to leave some people behind and all the AIs?”

  Camlin nodded. “Yes, unless we can come up with more power from somewhere.”

  “We have the Avenger, Nightfall, and Beacon,” said Kelsey. “Can we attach their power systems to the battlestation?”

  Andram looked thoughtful. “It’s possible. I’ll speak to Nomar Krill and see if it’s practical. I can’t believe we overlooked those power systems.”

  Andram quickly contacted the Originator and soon finished speaking to him. “We can indeed use their power systems. Nomar is already gathering three teams of AI engineers to assist him in running the necessary power cables. He believes he can have it finished in about four hours.”

  “That’s cutting it close,” responded Kathryn. “How will that affect the station’s energy shields?”

  “It will add nearly thirty to forty minutes of additional power.”

  Kathryn looked thoughtful. “So that will allow us to load all the personnel except for the AIs. We still need another two or three hours worth of power from somewhere.”

  “But where?” asked Kelsey. She hated the thought of leaving the AIs behind even if they did have the hard drive with their engrams recorded.

  Kathryn looked at the viewscreen showing the Hunter. “What about the juggernaut? It has dark matter converters. Can we get power from it?”

  Andram looked surprised and after a few moments of thought nodded. “Possibly. I would need to talk to their chief engineer.”

  “As soon as they’re in effective communications range we need to contact that ship,” ordered Kathryn. “We may have just found a way to save everyone. Captain Travers, get me Fleet Admiral Strong. I need to talk to him.”

  -

  “I think we should go over to the Liberator,” suggested Katie, looking at Kelsey with pleading eyes. “I want to be with the kids when we leave this place.”

  “We have time,” replied Kelsey. “Right now we’re needed on the New Horizon. As soon as we can we’ll go over to the Liberator.”

  “I’m going to head over there now,” said Angela. “I’ll be waiting for the rest of you.” Angela wanted to be there in case the kids needed her. At the moment she knew Colonel Wilde and Leeda were both in the Command Center of the Liberator.

  -

  Kelsey watched as Angela left the Command Center. She wanted to do the same but she was needed here for now. There was a lot to be done before the ship would be ready for departure.

  “We’re have to keep some of the Marines on board,” said Major Weir. “I’m getting a lot of reports of unrest within the station personnel who are on board. They’re in crowded corridors and there have been a few scuffles.”

  “Have Major Barkley assign one hundred of his Marines to keep everything under control,” ordered Kathryn. “I suspect once we get underway everyone will calm down.”

  Kelsey checked the time. “It’s getting time to start serving meals. That might help as well.” The twenty thousand station personnel on the ship would be eating MREs as they were the easiest and quickest method to get everyone fed.

  “See to it,” ordered Kathryn.

  Kelsey sighed. She was going to need more of Major Barkley’s Marines.

  -

  For two hours the Hunter had dropped toward the black hole. The massive juggernaut seemed like an insect when compared to the power of the gravity pulling the ship down.

  “We have communication with the battlestation,” reported a jubilant communications officer. “I have Fleet Admiral Strong on the comm.”

  Grayseth felt his heart skip a beat. It had been over fourteen years since he had last spoken to his clan brother. Reaching forward, Grayseth activated the comm unit on his command console. “This is Admiral Grayseth.”

  “I’m going to have to speak to Race about making you an admiral,” came Jeremy’s voice over the comm. “How did you ever talk him into that?”

  Grayseth smiled. It was good to hear Jeremy’s voice again. “It wasn’t easy. I think he was afraid I was going to steal one of his fleets and come rescue you so he made me an admiral just to be on the safe side. It is good to hear your voice again, clan brother.”

  “The same here,” replied Jeremy. “I wasn’t surprised to hear you were leading the rescue fleet. I wish we could talk more but I need your communications officer to contact the New Horizon. The exploration dreadnaught is docked inside one of our repair bays. Nomar Krill has some questions to ask about using your power systems to increase the life of our energy shields.”

  “We have already been working on that,” replied Grayseth. “I will do as you ask and contact the New Horizon. It is good to know the ship survived. “How about the Avenger?”

  “It’s docked as well, but we can’t fly her away from the black hole. The gravity is too intense. We’re going to leave her here.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” replied Grayseth. He knew how hard it must be for Jeremy to abandon his flagship. “I will have Hamore Donne contact the New Horizon. He’s been working on a method to connect our power to the station’s.”

  “Excellent, I’ll see you when the Hunter docks. It will be good to see you again, clan brother.”

  “The same here,” replied Grayseth. He then signaled for the communications officer to contact the New Horizon and for Hamore Donne to take over the conversation.

  -

  Time passed and in the Command Center of the Battlestation, Jeremy and Rear Admiral Jones watched as the Hunter drew nearer and then came to a stop just outside the energy shields protecting the station. It took some delicate maneuvering and shield adjustment to get the Hunter all the way to the station and finally docked.

  “Energy shields have been extended to include the Hunter,” reported the tactical officer. “With the power from the Avenger and the other two dreadnaughts we have sufficient power to protect the station and the Hunter for two hours and forty minutes.”

  Jones nodded. “Our tec
hnicians along with those on the Hunter will be hooking up the juggernaut’s power supply to the station. That will give us an additional two hours of power for the shields. Let’s hope that’s enough.”

  “I’m going to the main docking port,” said Jeremy. “I need to speak to Grayseth.”

  “It’ll be crowded down there,” warned Jones. “Boarding will have already started by the time you get there.”

  Jeremy smiled. “I’ll manage.”

  Jones watched as Jeremy left the Command Center. He could well imagine the greeting between the fleet admiral and the large Carethian. He knew the bears were well known for their powerful hugs in their greetings.

  “Okay people, we have a ship to get loaded. Let’s get with it.”

  It was time to leave the station once and for all. While Jones hated abandoning his command, it would be good to get back home again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jeremy arrived at the main docking port where a large crowd of people were being guided into the Hunter by Marines from the battlestation as well as from the juggernaut. He spotted Major Barkley standing near the large hatch directing the loading. Jeremy knew three docking ports had been extended and attached to the large ship. People were being loaded through all three as rapidly as possible.

  Jeremy managed to force his way to the front and as soon as Major Barkley spotted him several Marines were sent to help clear a path.

  “I would have had the Marines meet you if I had known you were coming,” said Barkley as Jeremy reached him.

  “It’s fine, Major,” replied Jeremy. “I knew you had a lot to do.”

  A large Carethian was standing just inside the hatch. Spotting Jeremy he quickly came forward. “I’m First Officer Rastell. Admiral Grayseth is waiting for you in the Command Center.”

  “You have a fine looking ship,” commented Jeremy. “I’m sure it will bring much honor to your clan.”

  Rastell smiled. “Follow me and I’ll show you how to get to the Command Center. These new juggernauts are like a maze and it’s quite easy to get lost.”

  Rastell led Jeremy through the ship taking several fast turbo lifts to reach the command level. Once there they quickly made their way to the Command Center.