Explorations- the Lost

by Raymond L. Weil

  Several more minutes passed and the fleet was nearly back to where the Liberator and the New Horizon would enter the slot.

  “Two more minutes,” reported the sensor officer.

  Jeremy nodded. He would feel better once those two ships were clear and had transited back to the home universe.

  “Enemy battlecruisers are coming through en mass,” warned the sensor officer as alarms sounded. “The battleships are right behind them.”

  “This is it,” said Jeremy, feeling tense. “They’re going to try to enter our formation and fight us at close range.”

  “Warn all of our ships,” ordered Grayseth. His brown eyes were large with determination. “As soon as the Liberator and the New Horizon have made transit we’ll pull back and do the same.”

  “Admiral, a number of the commanders on our dreadnaughts are requesting we pull back now while they hold the line,” reported Rastell. “They are concerned about the rescued personnel we have on the Hunter. They say we are honor bound to protect them.”

  Grayseth blinked his eyes, unsure as to what he should do. Part of him wanted to stay and fight but he had hundreds of Creevak battlecruisers and over four hundred Creevak battleships rapidly closing with his fleet. On board the Hunter he had tens of thousands of rescued fleet personnel he needed to protect.

  “Place us at the rear of the fleet,” he ordered, deciding on a compromise. At least from that position he could support the fleet for a few more minutes before he gave the order for the entire fleet to turn and make the transition back to the home universe.

  -

  The Hunter began falling back through the formation. The other dreadnaughts moved in to shield their clan leader and the survivors from the battlestation. This battle was for honor and if it was meant for them to go on the Great Hunt on this day then they would do so.

  The largest portion of the Creevak battlecruisers were hit by blue energy spheres but some of the cruisers made it into the dreadnaught formation. They began launching missiles and firing their red energy beams at point blank range. Right behind the battlecruisers the Creevak battleships hurtled forward, launching additional missiles and firing their deadly silver energy beams.

  In the Originator formation dreadnaughts began to die as their shields were overloaded and missiles and energy beams struck the hulls of the powerful warships. But the Creevak were suffering far heavier losses. The front half of the dreadnaught formation now looked like a burning furnace of fire. Ships on both sides were dying with growing regularity. Massive explosions tore them apart and energy beams riddled others, leaving behind lifeless hulks.

  -

  “The Liberator and the New Horizon have reached the slot,” reported First Officer Rastell.

  “Order them to make the transition back to our universe,” said Jeremy hastily. He wanted them out of harm’s way as soon as possible.

  “We have Creevak battleships coming through our fleet formation,” warned the sensor officer. “They’ll be able to fire on the Liberator and the New Horizon before they can make the transit.”

  “Destroy those battleships!” roared Grayseth. “They must not be allowed to fire.”

  Jeremy looked up at the viewscreens and saw dozens of Creevak battleships coming through the formation. The Hunter was under heavy fire and responding in kind. “Grayseth, it’s time to leave. Let’s get the Hunter out of here and inform all of the surviving dreadnaughts to do the same. It’s time to go home.”

  -

  Rear Admiral Barnes saw the Creevak breaking through the dreadnaught formation. Even the added firepower of the Hunter wasn’t enough to stop them. “Major Weir, prepare to fire weapons on any Creevak battleship which gets within range. Sible, how soon before we can transit back home?”

  “Two minutes,” Sible replied. “The drives have to be charged. We used a lot of energy coming through the gravity field of the black hole. We’ll have to be very close to the Liberator. They’ll use their intradimensional drive to punch a hole between the universes and we’ll follow them through.”

  “Firing weapons,” reported Major Weir.

  Shifting her eyes to the viewscreens, she saw blue energy spheres heading toward the nearest Creevak battleships. “Order the Liberator to take up a position behind us so we can shield them.”

  “Message sent,” replied Captain Travers.

  Kathryn drew in a deep breath. This was going to be a long two minutes. Even the New Horizon might have a hard time surviving against so many enemy battleships.

  -

  Jason winced as the first Creevak antimatter and fusion missiles began impacting the New Horizon’s energy shield. “Can the New Horizon survive that?”

  “Maybe,” replied Clarissa. Clarissa looked intently at Jason. “I would recommend turning command of the Liberator over to Ariel. She is the most talented military AI in the fleet. She could make a big difference during this battle. If we don’t we could lose the New Horizon.”

  Jason looked over at Angela for advice.

  “It’s your decision,” Angela replied. “But I will say one thing; Ariel is one hell of a warrior.”

  Looking over at Ariel, Jason nodded. “Ariel, the ship is yours. Take out as many of those Creevak battleships as you can.”

  Ariel smiled. She had already downloaded all the information on the Liberator’s systems and weapons. This was going to be fun. It had been a while since she had fought a warship. “Buckle yourselves in. This might be a little rough.” Suddenly the Liberator shot forward up and above the advancing Creevak ships. As the ship did Ariel fired the ship’s two blue energy sphere projectors nonstop. In addition she was launching a rain of dark matter missiles upon the Creevak warships as quickly as she could reload the missile tubes.

  Ariel’s aim was deadly. Two dark matter missiles impacting within a meter of one another could easily crack a Creevak energy shield. In just a few seconds four Creevak battleships blew apart from Ariel’s deadly attack.

  -

  Jeremy winced when he saw the Liberator go on the attack.

  “She already destroyed four Creevak battleships,” said Thomal, sounding amazed. “How is that possible?”

  “It’s Ariel,” replied Jeremy.

  He had witnessed Ariel attack like this before. The beautiful AI could be very deceiving. While she looked like a sexy knockout she was anything but. She was the deadliest military weapon every built by the original Human Federation of Worlds. She was now demonstrating that with the most advanced ship the Originators had ever built. She was handling the ship like a Kendo Master. The Creevak were having a hard time even hitting the rapidly darting and dodging ship. While they were trying to do that the New Horizon was making them pay by taking out even more of the enemy with her blue energy sphere projectors.

  The Hunter shook slightly and Jeremy looked over at the damage control console. Everything was still in the green. No wonder a fleet of these vessels had been able to reinstate the hyperspace interdiction field around the Eternals’ home galaxy.

  “All dreadnaughts are pulling back,” reported the sensor officer. “However, the Creevak are still mixed in with our fleet.”

  “Target those Creevak vessels attacking the New Horizon and the Liberator,” ordered Grayseth. “As soon as they’re eliminated and the exploration dreadnaught and the Liberator are ready to transit we’ll all leave.”

  On the main viewscreen, a massive explosion suddenly erupted as another dreadnaught was destroyed by Creevak weapons fire.

  -

  Ariel had just destroyed two more Creevak battleships when several large explosions shook the ship. Lights flickered and several red lights appeared on the damage control console.

  “What happened?” asked Jason, his hands gripping the armrests on his command chair.

  “They’re just launching where they think we may be,” answered Ariel as she dodged past several inbound missiles. “I’m pulling us back to the New Horizon. Our interdimensional drive is fully charged and we can m
ake the transition back to our universe. We must be next to the exploration dreadnaught so they can follow us through the hole we’re going to punch between universes. Sible reports she’s ready.”

  Jason nodded. “Take us home, then.” He was ready for this battle to be over.

  -

  The Liberator turned and headed back toward the New Horizon, preparing to initiate the transfer between universes. The pursuing Creevak battleships were launching more missiles and firing their silver energy beams in an effort to destroy both vessels.

  The New Horizon was launching a steady stream of blue energy spheres and the last of her dark matter missiles. Space was littered with black space dust and the wreckage of dozens of Creevak battleships.

  The Liberator activated her interdimensional space drive and was just about to make the transit when a silver energy beam managed to penetrate the ship’s energy shields. A large explosion shook the vessel as part of its hull was blown off. Then the Liberator and the New Horizon both vanished as they left the Creevak universe.

  -

  “All ships, make transit now!” ordered Grayseth. He had seen the Liberator get struck by the Creevak energy beam. He hoped everyone had survived. Looking to his side he saw the stricken look on Jeremy’s face. “I’m sure they’re okay.”

  Jeremy didn’t reply. He couldn’t imagine what his life would be like if Kelsey or Jason had just been killed.

  Moments later the Hunter and the surviving dreadnaughts made the transit, leaving the Creevak universe behind.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The Command Center of the Liberator was full of smoke. Jason shook his head trying to clear it. “What happened?”

  “An unfortunate shot,” replied Ariel, as she checked the ship’s systems. “A Creevak silver energy beam struck us just as we began our transition. During transition our energy screens are at their weakest.”

  “Clair!” Jason heard Angela scream. Looking toward Clair’s station, he saw her bent over her console.

  Angela rushed over and grabbed her daughter. There was a wicked cut across her forehead and she was bleeding profusely. “We need to get her to Medical immediately.”

  “I’ll take her,” said Clarissa, going over and unstrapping Clair from her chair and gently lifting her up.

  Jason was stunned. He didn’t know what to say or what to do.

  “What’s the status of the ship?” asked Layla, recognizing Jason was out of it for the moment.

  “We have a large hole in our side and six compartments open to space,” replied Logan. “Emergency bulkheads have been sealed so for now we’re airtight. We have other minor damage throughout the ship.”

  “Did we lose anybody?”

  “Don’t know,” replied Logan as his hands played over his console calling up information. “Those compartments should have been empty.”

  “I don’t believe we lost anybody,” reported Ariel. She watched worriedly as Clarissa carried Clair past her followed by Angela.

  Jason’s eyes were on Clarissa and Angela as they vanished through the hatch. Kelsey and Katie were following as well.

  “Jason,” sent Elizabeth. “We need you.”

  “Jason,” said Kevin, who was close by. “She’ll be okay. You need to take command.”

  Jason blinked his eyes and took a deep breath. “Mitch, where are we? We should be near the super battlestation.”

  “We are,” confirmed Mathew. “It’s four hundred thousand kilometers distant.”

  “I’m getting a hail from the New Horizon,” reported Elizabeth. “They want to know if we need any assistance.”

  “Tell them not at the moment. We’re still analyzing the damage but our situation is stable for now.”

  On the tactical display, other ships began to appear. The Hunter and twenty-three dreadnaughts were now surrounding the Liberator.

  “Grayseth lost a lot of ships,” said Mathew in a subdued voice.

  “Many of my clansmen have gone on to the Great Hunt,” said Braleseth as he eyed the tactical display. “They died with much honor. Their sacrifice will long be remembered.”

  “I’m sending some of the engineering AIs to inspect the damage,” reported Logan. “Until we see for sure what has been affected I recommend we don’t move the ship.”

  “I’ve got a query from the Hunter wanting to know if anyone was injured,” reported Elizabeth. “Should I tell them about Clair?”

  Jason could feel his heart beating in his chest. It hurt to look at Clair’s console and see the blood it was covered with. “Just Clair and she’s being looked after in Medical.”

  “Message sent.”

  -

  For the next few minutes reports came in from various compartments in the ship. The engineering team was spreading out checking the ship for further damage. The hole in the hull would need a space dock to repair. Finally, Logan turned toward Jason. “We’re going to need about two hours to get the ship back to full operation. We have some power relays and a few other power issues. Mason is breaking out the spare parts and will inform us when the repairs have been completed.”

  “Jason, I have your father on the comm,” reported Elizabeth, looking at him with a nervous look in her eyes. “He sounds very concerned.”

  “He’s worried,” said Ariel who was still standing next to Jason. “Just tell him everything’s under control and you will get back to him as soon as you can. Inform him it will be two hours before we can get underway. He’s been on damaged ships before.”

  Jason did as Ariel recommended. He could tell his father was worried about Clair. He asked Jason to keep him informed.

  Several of the AI engineers entered the Command Center and began checking some of the consoles. “We had a few shorts in the systems in here,” one of the AIs informed Jason. “It will only take a few minutes to replace the control boards.”

  “Why don’t you go check on Clair?” suggested Layla. “Everything seems to be under control for now. If anything happens I’ll send someone to get you.”

  Jason looked around the Command Center and nodded. “Andrea, why don’t you come with me. I’m sure you want to know how your sister is doing.”

  Andrea nodded and stood up. Soon both she and Jason were heading toward the med bay.

  -

  Stepping into the med bay Jason saw Angela, Kelsey, and Katie talking to Carly.

  “She’s unconscious at the moment,” reported Carly. “She has a concussion and we’ve given her medication to make the swelling go down. We’ll know in an hour or two if she’s going to need more treatment.”

  “What about the cut on her head?” asked Angela.

  “We injected some medical nanites which should have the cut completely healed within the hour. There won’t even be a scar.”

  “That’s good,” said Angela, looking relieved. She looked over and saw Andrea and Jason.

  “I’m sorry,” said Jason, not wanting to face Angela. “I should have found some way to make the transition without endangering the ship.”

  Angela came over and took Jason’s hand. “You did nothing wrong. This happens in battles.” She looked over at Katie and Kelsey. “All of us have been injured at one time or another. You have no idea how often your father hovered over us as we lay in hospital beds recovering from an injury.”

  This helped Jason to feel a little better but not much. “Can I see her?”

  Kelsey nodded. “A commander can always see an injured crewmember.” She gestured toward a closed door where Clarissa was standing. “Clair’s in that room with one of the AI med techs keeping an eye on her.”

  Jason went over to the door and slowly opened it. He saw Clair lying on a bed with her head bandaged and hooked up to some medical machines. A med tech stood nearby and gestured for Jason to come in and shut the door. Stepping inside Jason walked over and sat in the chair next to the bed. Gazing at Clair he was amazed at how defenseless she looked. He sat there for a long time just staring and wishing she would wake up. He tho
ught of all the fun times they had shared together and how she always loved teasing him.

  How do I feel about Clair, Jason wondered? He knew he had feelings for her but just what kind of feelings. We don’t need to rush into anything, he reminded himself. His mind turned to her asking him for a kiss. A kiss was such a little thing. What if he never got the opportunity to give her one?

  Taking a deep breath, Jason stood up and leaning over the bed, gently kissed Clair on the lips. He was surprised when he felt her arms go around him and she started kissing him back. He let the kiss continue and then pulled back. “I thought you were unconscious.”

  “I was,” replied Clair with a gentle smile on her face. “I just can’t believe what I have to do to get you to kiss me.”

  The med tech came over with a smile on her face. “Lay back down, Clair. You have a concussion and you don’t need to be exciting yourself.”

  Clair let out a deep sigh and lay back down. She lay there gazing at Jason. “You do know that I love you.”

  Jason slowly nodded his head. “I got that impression.”

  “How do you feel about me?”

  Jason hesitated. “I’m not sure. You’re important to me and I don’t want anything to happen to you. How about this; when we get back to the hub we can go out on a date and see how we feel about it.”

  Clair nodded. “I would like that.” She reached out and took Jason’s hand. “Just sit there and hold my hand for a while.”

  “If the two of you are ready I’ll go tell the others Clair’s conscious.”

  “Go ahead,” replied Jason.

  Moments later Angela, Kelsey, Katie, and Andrea came into the room. Angela quickly noticed Jason was holding her daughter’s hand. She decided it might be best to ignore that for the time being.

  “Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” she scolded. “You have no idea how I felt when Clarissa carried you out of the Command Center with blood dripping from your head.”

  “I’m sorry,” replied Clair, her eyes focusing on her mother. “I don’t remember what happened. Are we back in our universe?”

  Angela nodded. “Yes, all of us are. As soon as we finish making some minor repairs we’ll be docking at the super battlestation. We’ll probably be there for several weeks before we start the journey back to the hub. Before we left I made arrangements for us to stay in our old home in the habitat.”