Explorations- the Lost

by Raymond L. Weil

  After several minutes the lid on the stasis chamber slid open and one of the female medical AIs helped his daughter out of the stasis chamber. Alyssa had long blonde hair and eyes the color of the deepest oceans.

  “Father?” she asked hesitatingly, finding it difficult to talk. One of the AIs handed her a drink to help with the dehydration. “Where are we?”

  “The Communications and Transport Hub,” replied Zafron, feeling a long lost warmness spread through him “We’re home and we’re not alone.”

  -

  A week later everyone was gathered at Jeremy and Kelsey’s home for a barbeque. It had been a busy week with numerous debriefings and Jeremy stepping down as fleet admiral.

  “I’m glad this week is over,” said Kelsey as she placed a tray of meat down on the table near Jeremy.

  Jeremy nodded in agreement. “I’m still getting used to the idea of not being in charge of the fleet.” Across the yard, Marille and Angela were busy putting out more food on two large tables. Ariel and Clarissa were helping them and talking nonstop.

  Kelsey came closer and put her arms around Jeremy. “Are we really going to stay home?”

  Grinning Jeremy nodded. “This is a big Dyson sphere. There’s much of it we haven’t even seen. I understand several of the habitats even have dinosaurs.”

  “Just so we don’t go hunting them,” answered Kelsey, looking over at where Brace, Kevin, and Grayseth were talking. She could already imagine Grayseth hunting a dinosaur and claiming it was some type of rite of passage. “What about the kids?”

  “They’re still young,” replied Jeremy as he turned several large steaks. “I’m going to arrange for a new super exploration dreadnaught to be built. In many ways it will be like the New Horizon only larger and more powerful. If the kids are going to be flitting around the universe, I want it done in something which can protect them. They’ll have an escort of dreadnaughts as well.”

  Kelsey was pleased to hear this. While she would still worry about them, her fears would be greatly lessened by them being on such a powerful ship. “Any idea who the commander is going to be?”

  “Kathryn,’ replied Jeremy. “She’s agreed to put off her retirement for a couple of years to help train the children. I think she’s actually looking forward to it.”

  “Have you told them?” asked Kelsey, nodding her head toward the children who were all sitting at one table talking.

  “Not yet, I’ll make the announcement after we eat.”

  Looking around the yard at all of their friends another thought entered Kelsey’s mind. “You know we’re going to need a bigger house.”

  Jeremy laughed. “I wondered when you would get around to that. If you want I can have a couple AI architects come by in a day or two and we can discuss it.”

  Kelsey smiled. “I’d like that. I want to have a lot more of these gatherings in the future.”

  “And so we shall,” promised Jeremy.

  -

  Clair was sitting next to Jason with her leg barely touching his. At least he didn’t pull it away like he used to. “So, how long are we going to stay at the hub?”

  Jason shrugged his shoulders. “My father wants all of us to complete some more courses at the academy. I think they deal with what my father believes we’ll be facing in the future. A lot of them deal with first contact.”

  “I trust your father. If he says we’re going to need them it would be wise of us to do as he says.”

  “I agree,” replied Jason. He was very aware of the perfume Clair was wearing. He had noticed she was doing that more often recently. “Are we still going to the beach?”

  Clair laughed. “I was wondering when you would get around to that. I’ve already made reservations for all of us and before you ask, I did get separate rooms for the two of us. It will be up to you if we need both of them.”

  Jason didn’t reply. He had some serious thinking to do.

  -

  Kevin walked over to Jeremy and put another tray of meat down. With Grayseth, Marille, and all the cubs they would go through a lot of food. “How are the steaks coming?”

  “First batch is nearly done,” replied Jeremy. “I’ll start on some hamburgers next.

  “Sounds good, however, tonight I think I’ll just eat a steak.”

  Kelsey nearly dropped the plate she was holding. “What!”

  “Something different,” replied Kevin as he turned and headed over to where Katie was standing.

  “I wonder what’s gotten into him?”

  “Who knows,” replied Jeremy, grinning. “At least he sounds more like the old Kevin.”

  Kelsey and Jeremy stood near the grill watching the meat cook. There was a light breeze and the temperature was in the seventies. In the distance, they could see the main part of the city and the Tower.

  “Let’s move out into the country,” suggested Kelsey. “Let’s get away from all the traffic and the people.”

  “Like Fleet Admiral Streth did,” commented Jeremy. “That’s why he built the cabin by the lake.”

  Kelsey nodded. “We could still have everyone come out to see us.”

  Jeremy saw the kids laughing and Jason reach out and take Clair’s hand. With a satisfied feeling, he knew he could get used to this. For the Special Five their part in leading civilization against the darkness was over. It would be up the their children to take over that mantle now. A new day and a new era had come to the universe. Jeremy hoped it would be a peaceful one.

  The End

  If you enjoyed the Originator Wars Explorations: The Lost please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and also help sell books. Reviews can be just a few short sentences, describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website, link below. Thank you for reading The Lost and being so supportive.

  This ends the series for now. There will be a short story that will come out later dealing with the surviving Hocklyns. I am also considering a three-story arc in the Originator Wars universe dealing with the Creevak. If I do this, it will be later in the year. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading about the Special Five and their adventures. I know that I have enjoyed writing about them.

  Thank You

  Raymond L. Weil

  For updates on current writing projects and future publications, go to my author website. Sign up for future notifications when my new books come out on Amazon.

  Website: http://raymondlweil.com/

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  Read on to discover a new military science fiction series coming out in February of 2020.

  The Forgotten Empire: Banishment

  (Book One)

  Chapter One

  The Eighth fleet of the Human Empire was on patrol in the Shoran Expanse. It was an area containing just a few stars and several large dust clouds. The fleet was on watch for pirates who had been raiding the space lanes between several heavily populated Human worlds. So far, the patrol had been uneventful with no signs of any pirates. Of more concern was the growing tension between the Confederation and the Empire. There was a distinct possibility war could break out any day. High Prince Aiden Starguard had not wanted to bring his fleet out here with the current tensions, but his father insisted. His father felt that by Aiden putting in an appearance away from the capital it would help calm the population. Aiden’s father and sister both believed war with the Confederation was far fetched. Aiden was not so certain.

  The tension between the Confederation and the Empire was steadily growing with demands from the Confederation for the Empire to cease its expansion and to allow Confederation warships into all systems controlled by the Empire for inspections. Aiden’s father had sent a firm no and reminded the Confederation they had no say in what the Empire did. It greatly concerned Aiden that every day reports of increased Confederation fleet activity was being reported near the borders of the Empire. Today it looked as if the situation between the Emp
ire and the Confederation had taken a sudden turn for the worse.

  Aiden gazed with deep concern at the tactical display. He was on board the Empire Class Dreadnaught Vindicator, which was the flagship of the Eighth fleet. It was also the Empire’s largest force of military ships. During the last two hours confirmed reports of Confederation ships entering Empire space had been growing.

  “We’ve lost contact with the Hadrian Star Cluster, the Vortex Worlds, and the Lamina Stars,” reported Admiral Malden Cross, his eyes narrowing sharply. “All reported large fleets of Confederation warships in their vicinity before we lost contact.”

  “We’ve also not been able to contact the Third, Fourth, and Twelfth fleets,” added Lieutenant Breams from Communications. “There were some vague references about encroaching Confederation warships and then silence.”

  “We are receiving reports of Confederation fleets and ships in numerous systems of the Empire,” added Admiral Cross as he stepped away from Communications. “Star Command has just issued a warning of possible conflict with the Confederation. They are still trying to determine exactly what’s happening. Admiral Vexx believes we are now possibly in armed conflict with the Confederation and has ordered us to act accordingly.”

  “So they finally made their move,” said Aiden with a deep frown covering his face. He could feel his heart pounding at the implications. This was exactly what he had warned his family about. The Empire’s fleets were scattered and could easily be picked off one by one by the Confederation.

  “The Confederation has always feared us,” replied Admiral Cross. “For years they have been displeased with our rapid colonization of worlds. We pushed them too far and now we’re going to pay the price.”

  The High Prince let out a deep breath. “I warned the Royal Court that we were treading a dangerous line. The Confederation has ruled the galaxy for nearly thirty thousand years and was not going to allow us to become a major threat. I’m surprised they waited this long.”

  “But our fleets,” said Captain Brunson, his eyes narrowing. “We have hundreds of warships!”

  The High Prince shook his head. “We have hundreds and they have thousands. The seven major races of the Confederation control hundreds of thousands of inhabited worlds. For decades they have been limiting our trade with other civilizations. They have placed taxes on our trading vessels and even severely limited the items we can trade for.”

  “We are receiving reports of large Confederation fleets in the Mall Cluster,” reported the communication officer. “There are unconfirmed reports of several cities being bombed.”

  “The Mall Cluster,” said Captain Brunson, raising his eyebrow sharply. “Surely the Confederation isn’t considering attacking our homeworld?”

  The High Prince nodded his head. “They would if they want to end our threat completely.”

  This was something else Aiden had warned his father and the other members of the royal family about. The Confederation, while they often moved slowly, would eventually move against the Empire. Now it seemed as if his warnings were coming true with dire consequences. He just hoped the reports of cities being bombed were nothing more than wild rumors. There were hundreds of billions of people in the Empire.

  “Set a course for home and recall all fleet units,” ordered Aiden, making a quick decision. “If we can show a united front perhaps the Confederation will pull back.”

  Aiden knew the odds of that were remote. While the Confederation moved very slowly in making decisions, once one was made, it was never reversed. “See if we can contact my father. We need to know exactly what’s going on.”

  A few minutes later the one hundred and twelve ships of the Eighth Fleet were in hyperspace and speeding toward the Mall Star Cluster hoping they were not too late.

  -

  For thirty thousand years the seven major civilizations of the Confederation have ruled the galaxy. Most of the seven races had possessed interstellar spaceflight for thousands of years before joining together. None of the seven races were humanoid though they controlled vast regions of the galaxy. Races in those regions while not treated terribly were not awarded full citizenship in the Confederation. They were second-class citizens with some basic rights. The seven major Confederation races tended to look down upon them almost as if they were lower life forms. They served the Confederation in whatever way the Confederation races saw fit. While to many this may seem cruel to the Confederation races it was simply the way life was.

  -

  On Golan Four in the Imperial Palace, High King Bramdon Starguard the Ninth leaned back in his chair in shock. “What’s the latest reports?” he asked, looking at his military advisor.

  “Large Confederation fleets are being reported throughout the Empire,” Kalen Lamply answered. “We have confirmed reports of antimatter weapons being used on Vidon Seven and Helgoth.”

  “Aiden warned us,” said High Princess Layla, her eyes filled with worry. “He said the Confederation would be coming and we didn’t believe him.”

  A number of voices began speaking as many of the Royal Court were in attendance. Some were in disbelief and others fearful of what might soon happen.

  High King Starguard blinked his eyes. “What is the status of our fleets?” He knew they didn’t have the ships to stop the Confederation. The fleets were only there for a deterrent. One that was failing miserably if the early reports were correct.

  “The third, fourth, ninth, and twelfth fleets are confirmed destroyed,” answered Lamply in a strained voice. “Everywhere we’ve tried to fight back, the Confederation has used overwhelming force and technology to crush all resistance. We have reports of Druin ground troops landing on numerous worlds.” The Druins were the most populous of the Confederation races and were a cold-blooded species. They were also ruthless killers.

  “Druins!” called out a member of the Royal Court, sounding fearful. “They have no emotions. They will show no mercy.”

  Others echoed the same belief. More people were talking trying to understand what was happening.

  High Princess Layla shifted her frightened eyes to Lamply. “What of Aiden and the home fleet?”

  “They are on their way back here as well as the second, sixth, and tenth fleets. No others have responded.”

  “This is the end,” said High King Starguard, deciding not to hide the truth from his people. He had made a serious miscalculation and now it was going to cost all of them.

  “Can we not contact the Confederation and beg for mercy?” pleaded Layla, her face showing her deep concern for the people of the Empire.

  High King Starguard shook his head. “No, we are being made an example of. The Confederation will destroy our Empire to ensure nothing like this ever arises again to oppose them. It is their way of keeping the galaxy under their firm control.”

  “And there is nothing we can do?” Layla couldn’t believe this was the end of everything she knew and loved. “There are over a thousand worlds in the Empire!”

  High King Starguard drew in a deep breath. “I fear those of us who survive will soon be serving the Confederation. Our days of freedom are about to end.” The High King knew he should have listened more closely to Aiden. Aiden had repeatedly asked for the defensive fleets to be increased in size. Bramdon had refused feeling the lack of warships would keep the Confederation from fearing the Empire. He had been wrong and that was about to cost them everything. The High King turned to face Lamply. “When the High Prince arrives, the defense of Golan Four will be left up to him. If he loses, then we shall surrender unconditionally to the Empire.”

  High Princess Layla folded her hands in her lap. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Very slowly she opened them and looked at her father. “What will happen to us?”

  High King Starguard shook his head with a sad look on his face. “That is out of our hands now.” Bramdon looked around the Royal Court. Nearly one hundred and forty men and women were in the large ornate chamber. Most were related to the Roya
l Family in some way either through birth or marriage. “I suggest everyone go home and spend this time with your families. There is no way to know what will happen after today.”

  Starguard watched in silence as everyone began to file out. He looked over at Layla seeing the uncertainty in her eyes. “Don’t be afraid. We will find some way to survive this.” In his heart he knew that was wrong. Many of those who had left the chamber or were in the process of leaving would probably be dead in the next day or two. The Confederation would not want any of the Empire’s leadership surviving. He just hoped their deaths were quick.

  -

  “Coming up on the Golan Four System,” reported Admiral Cross.

  “The second, sixth, and tenth fleets are in the system,” added Captain Brunson. “They are deployed around Golan Four. There also appears to be some survivors from our other fleets as well.”

  Aiden drew in a deep breath. He gazed at the tactical display, which was showing the nearer star systems. In a number of the systems around Golan Four large clusters of red threat icons were visible. The Confederation had a number of very large warfleets nearby. It was evident they were allowing the Empire to gather its forces for one final titanic battle. They would wipe out all resistance and end the Empire as it now was.

  “What does Star Command have to report?”

  “Heavy fighting throughout the Empire,” reported Admiral Cross. “Most of it is on the ground as the Confederation is moving to capture all government buildings. Our ground troops are resisting but the Confederation has landed millions of Druin troops. They are encased in battle armor and are crushing our defenses. Our own troop losses are already in the tens of millions. There are confirmed reports of the use of antimatter weapons on a number of Imperial planets.

  Aiden frowned deeply. Antimatter was not allowed on any ships of the Empire. It was just too dangerous. While the Empire knew how to make antimatter weapons, they had been forbidden so as not to anger the Confederation. Aiden knew if antimatter was being used, the civilian casualty rate could easily be in the hundreds of millions if not billions.