Explorations- the Lost

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Activating our own defenses,” reported Danielle, a female military AI. The primary defenses on the outer hull of the shipyard consisted of antimatter projectors and gravitonic cannons. The station also had a few antimatter missile tubes and blue energy sphere projectors.

  Marines and combat robots have taken up their defensive positions,” added Major Clarence.

  “How many did we end up with?” asked Lyla. She knew many of the bases and other Shrieels in distant galaxies had been stripped of their defensive forces in order to rush them to the Communications and Transport Hub.

  “I have nine hundred Marines and four thousand combat robots deployed,” answered Clarence.

  On the viewscreens, the battlecruisers and the defenses from the shipyard were destroying hundreds of the inbound shuttles but there were so many it was obvious some of them were going to get through.

  “We have reports of landings on several of the other research facilities,” reported Danielle. “Heavy fighting has broken out.”

  “Research facility seventeen has just been destroyed,” added the communications officer. “Several of the Eternals cargo ships rammed it.”

  Lyla shook her head. “Why are the Eternals so determined to destroy us?”

  “It’s their beliefs and culture,” replied Danielle. “They have been raised to believe they’re the supreme race.”

  Major Clarence looked over confidently at Lyla. “Well, today we’ll teach them the folly of that belief.”

  On the viewscreens, Eternal assault shuttles were making it past the defending battlecruisers and descending on the shipyard. The shipyard’s weapons destroyed many of them but soon reports began to come in of successful landings.

  “Fighting is breaking out in numerous corridors and compartments,” reported Danielle. We have confirmed reports of over one hundred Eternal warriors on the shipyard as well as nearly a thousand of their warrior robots.”

  “And they’re still coming,” said Lyla, gazing at the viewscreens. “What are we going to do?”

  “Hold them back,” replied Major Clarence. “We hold them back until reinforcements can be sent to help us.”

  Looking up at the viewscreens, Lyla could see the fighting was spreading across the hub. She wondered when this was all over if anything would be left. She felt great sadness as the work of hundreds of thousands of years was destroyed.

  -

  Eternal Admiral Trope was aggravated. Someone had given the order to use some of the cargo ships against one of the Originators’ research facilities. He had quickly sent out strict orders no more of those valuable facilities were to be destroyed; they were to be captured instead. Already he had reports of successful landings on a number of them.

  “The plan is succeeding,” commented First Officer Novast. “The Originators are in retreat and we’re beginning to take their research, manufacturing, and shipyard facilities. Very soon, we should begin to receive reports of successful breeches of the Shrieels.”

  “A glorious day for us,” replied Trope. “We will make this Originator base the center of our future power. With all of this behind us no race in the known universe will dare to stand against us.”

  Novast did not reply. He was beginning to suspect Admiral Trope had personal reasons for taking this Originator base intact, one which would not involve the Eternal Council back in the home galaxy.

  -

  Race was busy reorganizing his fleets. He still had well over four hundred thousand battlecruisers and nearly fifty thousand dreadnaughts.

  “How many juggernauts still survive?” He would need those for the next part of the battle.

  “One hundred and thirty-seven,” replied Colonel Williams. “We also have eleven of the forty-kilometer battlestations and the large one hundred and seventy-kilometer battlestation as well.”

  Race nodded. He was certain he had what he needed to finish off the Eternals. “We’ll wait a few more minutes and allow the Eternals to become more heavily engaged with our facilities. When they are, we’ll move in and engage in a major fleet battle. What’s the condition on the surface of the Dyson spheres?”

  “We’re still holding,” replied Commander Garratt. “On the home Dyson sphere the fighting is winding down. The last of the enemy should be eliminated in the next half hour. On the other three the fighting is still quite heavy. They’re going to need some assistance to clear the Eternal warriors and their warrior robots off the surface.”

  “Send in some battlecruisers on low trajectories and let’s see if we can give our Marines and combat robots some help.”

  “The Eternals still have a lot of ships near all four Dyson spheres.”

  “I know, that’s why we’ll use a low trajectory. Our ships should be able to handle it and they may be able to get their strikes in before the Eternals even realize they are there.”

  Commander Garratt nodded. “I’ll set up the attacks.”

  Race turned his attention back to the large tactical holograms. Ships were maneuvering rapidly trying to form up into new formations. Very soon it would be time to take the battle back to the Eternals. This would be a battle that Race had to win or everything they had worked for over all of these long years would be lost.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The fighting in the shipyard was becoming more widespread as a large number of Eternal assault shuttles had now landed. The Eternals had used explosive charges to open up entry ports to get inside. Marines and combat robots met them throughout the station doing everything in their power to stop the Eternals’ advance. The Eternal fleet was also drawing closer and was now in open combat with the defending Originator battlecruisers.

  On the viewscreens, Lyla saw two of the defending battlecruisers explode in large fiery blasts hurling debris in all directions, some of which struck the hull of the shipyard. “Pull the battlecruisers back to the defending fleets,” ordered Lyla. “There’s no point in sacrificing them. They’ve done everything they can here.”

  Danielle nodded and quickly sent the order.

  Lyla felt strangely alone as she watched the remaining battlecruisers depart and head for the fleet. It had been recommended by the Originator Council she not stay on board her shipyard but Lyla had refused. She felt no one knew the shipyard better than she did, and she would be invaluable in its defense. She was now wondering if that had been the correct decision.

  “Fighting is intensifying throughout the station,” reported Major Clarence. “We have large numbers of Eternal warriors as well as their warrior robots now on board. We’re setting up pinch points to keep them away from sensitive areas but I don’t know how long we can keep them back.”

  Lyla nodded. She understood the situation was becoming more precarious with every passing minute. “Danielle, began deleting files on all the computer systems except those in the Command Center. I don’t want the Eternals gaining access to any of our technology. Also send the self-destruct command to all of the blue energy sphere projectors.”

  “Implementing,” replied Danielle. “It will take three point two minutes for all files to be deleted. Blue energy sphere projectors have self-destructed.”

  “Thirty-three of our science, manufacturing, and shipyard facilities are now reporting invading Eternal forces,” the communications officer informed Lyla. “So far only one science facility has been destroyed.”

  “I’m sure they want to capture as many of our facilities intact as possible,” said Major Clarence.

  Lyla was in agreement. “They didn’t come here to destroy the Communications and Transport Hub but to capture it.”

  “That analysis seems to be correct,” replied Danielle. Danielle was using the internal sensors and systems to monitor the advance of the Eternals throughout the station. “I would recommend we seal off the corridors leading to the Command Center. We have several groups of Eternals heading toward us. Our defenders are just spread too thin.”

  “I’m pulling more of them back around the Command Center,” Major
Clarence informed them. “Don’t seal off those corridors until I have more of my Marines and combat robots inside.”

  “You have twelve minutes,” replied Danielle. “That’s how long it will take for the first group of advancing Eternals to reach the nearest corridor.”

  Major Clarence nodded. “That’s long enough. I can have several platoons of Marines and two full companies of combat robots in those corridors by then.”

  Lyla looked at the viewscreens which showed the Eternal warriors and their warrior robots advancing through the shipyard. Many of the viewscreens showed heavy fighting, some even hand-to-hand. It sickened Lyla to see so many Marines falling as they tried to defend her shipyard. “We’re not going to be able to stop them, are we?”

  Major Clarence slowly shook her head. “No, we’re too badly outnumbered. All we can hope for is to slow them down until help arrives.”

  Lyla looked around the large Command Center. There were several other Originators at their stations as well as numerous Originator AIs. There were also a number of heavily armed Marines and some combat robots. Turning her eyes back to the viewscreens, she watched the fighting. She had never imagined anything could be so horrible as what she was seeing on those screens.

  -

  Race was hurriedly reforming his fleet formations. Into his own formation he had added Admiral Grayseth’s fleet, Rear Admiral Olsen’s fleet, and the remains of Admiral Zafron’s ships. He had also added one of the fleets that had jumped in from the Dyson spheres.

  Rear Admiral Cross was reforming his fleet as he had the remnants of Admiral Mann’s fleet joining his. In addition, Admirals Bachal and Calmat had added their forces to those of Rear Admiral Cross.

  “Ten more minutes and we’ll be ready,” reported Colonel Williams.

  “The Eternals are losing quite a few ships in their attempt to take over our facilities,” added Commander Garratt. “I would estimate we took out at least 48 percent of their assault shuttles. They’re now losing some of their battlecruisers to the defenses.”

  Race nodded. This was what he had hoped. “Have they destroyed any more of the research or manufacturing facilities?”

  “No,” answered Colonel Williams. “We believe the one they did destroy was by mistake. Since that one facility’s destruction no more of their cargo ships have targeted anything other than our warships.”

  Looking at the viewscreens, Race saw they were still full of explosions throughout the space of the hub. “We’ll advance using the forty-kilometer battlestations to punch a hole through the Eternal fleets. I want one thousand dreadnaughts assigned to defend each one. I also want one hundred battlecruisers protecting each juggernaut. It’s time we destroy these Eternals once and for all.”

  -

  Admiral Grayseth was ready to engage the Eternals. So far his fleet’s fighting had been limited to skirmishes only.

  “We have achieved our position in Fleet Admiral Tolsen’s formation,” reported First Officer Rastell.

  Grayseth took a moment to study the tactical display. The fleet formation was built around five of the 40-kilometer battlestations. The combined fleet also had eighty-four juggernauts. For support vessels there were fifty-seven thousand battlecruisers and four thousand two hundred and ten dreadnaughts. The battlestations and the juggernauts would provide the heavy firepower particularly since the juggernauts were all armed with the blue energy spheres.

  “How soon will Rear Admiral Cross be ready to attack?” asked Grayseth. On the tactical display, he could see a massive fleet of Originator vessels forming up.

  “Another twenty minutes until they have all of their units in one large fleet formation. They will have seventy juggernauts, four of the forty-kilometer battlestations, forty-three thousand dreadnaughts, and nearly four hundred thousand battlecruisers.”

  “A mighty fleet,” stated Grayseth impressed. “Let’s just hope between our fleet and Rear Admiral Cross’s it will be sufficient to destroy the Eternals.”

  “It will be the greatest hunt we have ever embarked upon,” said First Officer Rastell.

  “We will still be outnumbered by nearly two to one,” pointed out Thomal from Tactical. “It will be essential that we protect the battlestations and the juggernauts. My scans indicate the Eternals still have nearly two thousand of their special cargo ships they have been using to ram our stations with.”

  Grayseth nodded. “That’s why we’re assigning so many ships to protecting them. If the Eternals cannot destroy our battlestations and juggernauts they can’t win the battle.”

  -

  Admiral Trope frowned as he studied the current tactical situation. Due to the Originators establishing the hyperspace interdiction fields he had four fleets cut off from his main force. Each one of those forces were near the four Shrieels.

  “If we pull any of those fleets back the Originators will take the opportunity to eliminate our forces on the surface of the Shrieels,” pointed out Novast. “They’re also too far away to be able to get to us before the gathering Originator fleets attack.”

  Trope turned his attention back to the tactical displays. The Originators had gathered an impressive fleet centered around their forty-kilometer battlestations and their mobile battlestations. Unfortunately, in his attempts to capture as many Originator facilities as possible his fleet had lost another thirty-three thousand battlecruisers. The latest reports indicated very shortly he would have control of seventeen of the facilities under attack. It seemed the Originator and Humans had suspected he would attempt to take their facilities from them and had filled them with Human warriors and Originator combat robots. Reports coming in indicated heavy losses for the invading Eternal forces.

  “We have reformed our fleet formation,” reported Novast. “We can begin advancing upon your command.”

  Trope nodded. “Do so. Also have all of our remaining cargo ships ready for ramming missions. When we engage the Originator fleet I want to take out all of their remaining forty-kilometer battlestations and as many of their mobile ones as possible. If we can do that we will have the advantage in firepower and be able to end this battle very quickly.”

  “I will transmit the orders to the cargo ships as well as to their escorts.” Each cargo ship would be escorted by a phalanx of Eternal battlecruisers ensuring they would be able to reach their targets.

  -

  On board Lyla’s shipyard, the fighting was becoming extremely intense. The Eternals had forced their way nearly to the Command Center while suffering very heavy casualties. Dead Eternals and Marines littered the corridors and compartments with parts from destroyed warrior robots and combat robots scattered along the way.

  “They’ll reach us shortly,” reported Danielle. “We’re not going to be able to stop them.”

  Lyla had been afraid of that. She reached over and picked up an energy pistol off a nearby console. The Marines and combat robots in the Command Center were gathered close to the only two entrances. Already fighting could be heard out in the corridors.

  “I would suggest you and the other Originators withdraw to your office,” said Major Clarence. “We can barricade the door and perhaps a rescue force will arrive in time.”

  Lyla looked over at the tactical display. Slowly she shook her head. “No, the main battle is just about to begin. It will be awhile before a rescue force can reach us. We will stay and fight. It’s the least we can do after the sacrifices your people have made for us. Danielle, delete all computer files in the Command Center.” Lyla was determined to prevent the Eternals from capturing any information on the juggernauts.

  “Files deleted,” confirmed Danielle.

  There were several large explosions in one of the corridors and then it grew strangely quiet. Checking one of the viewscreens Lyla could see several Eternal warrior robots attaching explosive charges to one of the hatches leading into the Command Center.

  “Any moment now,” said Major Clarence as she aimed her energy rifle at the main hatch.

  The
Marines were using some of the consoles for limited protection while aiming their heavy energy rifles toward the hatch. The combat robots stood tall, their weapons aimed at the hatch as well. In a sudden blast of fire and smoke, the hatch was blown open and the Eternals charged into the room. Heavy weapons fire broke out as the first Eternal warrior robots were cut down by defensive fire. However, more continued to pour through the now open hatch with Eternal warriors mixed in. Marines and combat robots began to fall as the return fire from the Eternals grew in intensity.

  Lyla saw several members of her Originator command crew fall to weapons fire. Major Clarence was killed when an Eternal warrior robot managed to fire an energy beam into her chest.

  Danielle came over to stand next to Lyla. “You are extremely brave for an Originator,” she commented as she blew an Eternal warrior robot apart with her energy rifle. Only a few Marines and combat robots were still fighting.

  Lyla raised her pistol and fired an energy beam blast into the face of a nearby Eternal warrior. She watched as his helmet melted away and he fell to the floor.

  “Good shot,” said Danielle as she stepped in front of Lyla, taking the brunt of an energy beam blast to her side. Danielle took out one more Eternal warrior robot before collapsing to the floor.

  Looking around, Lyla saw she was the last defender still standing. Without hesitation she fired her energy pistol at an approaching warrior robot, blasting off one of its arms. Suddenly she felt a warm feeling spread over her. Looking down she saw she had been struck by an energy beam in her chest. Then she was falling and darkness overtook her.

  -

  Race checked the tactical holograms one last time. All of his ships were in position. “Begin the attack,” he ordered.

  In the holograms his fleets surged forward, closing with the large Eternal fleet.