Galactic War

by Gerry A Saunders

  He noted that the Crillon shuttle wasn’t damaged as much as he’d first thought and was sure that it could be quickly released. There was no doubt in his mind that it was still space-worthy, as well.

  However, Captain Sykes had just received a disturbing update on the Conqueror’s crew from Ensign Lovett, that confirmed his fears.

  He had found Lovett’s intuitions reliable in the past. So, he must assume that the Conqueror’s Marines should be treated as hostile for the time being, as suggested by Lovett.

  “They're coming out Captain,” Sargent Manta stated. “Both lots.”

  “I see them,” Sykes confirmed. But was saddened to see Conqueror’s captain Striker among them.

  “Seal suits. Screens to max,” he ordered. Then, to the Lexington’s security AI link.

  “Close bulkheads 21 to 24,” he ordered the AI.

  Now that dock two had been isolated from the rest of the ship, Captain Sykes knew this would be another obstacle to Lord Garth’s attempt to take over the Lexington.

  As the Crillons came out of the shuttle, they gradually mixed with Conqueror’s Marines, and assembled well away from the Lexington’s inner airlock door, attaching themselves to partly dislodged handrails. While one of the Crillons placed four objects at equal distance around the airlock door’s rim.

  The man in the center of the assembled group was dressed in a light-blue uniform, with a golden colored bird-like emblem on the upper-left chest. Sykes knew that the symbol had been associated with Charlotte’s so-called, Trexis Empire.

  “Captain, they're going to blow the lock doors,” Sargent Manta warned as the Crillon quickly rejoined the others and secured himself to a handrail.

  Almost immediately, there was a blinding flash and both airlock doors shattered, with the fragmented parts flying outward, and straight into Captain Sykes Marines.

  Sykes’s men caught the full blast as the hail of twisted metal and glass crashed into them.

  Stunned by the blast, then being wrenched forward by the secondary lock’s decompression, caused so much disorientation among Striker’s Marines, that all Lord Garth had to do was to mentally instruct them to sleep until he awoke them.

  Captain Grant watched the demise of Captain Sykes’ Marines on his secondary internal ship’s monitor.

  Then Lord Garth stepped in front of the Dock’s remaining working camera. His broad smile seeming to fill Grant’s monitor.

  “Hand over your ship to me, now, Captain Grant. And I’ll let you live. Well, almost live,” Garth ordered.

  Grant felt Garth’s mental touch again, but it vanished almost as soon as it came.

  Then Grant saw a smirk cross Garth’s face.

  “Captain, Commodore Earhart’s three ships have just exited warp,” Lexington’s Security AI said.

  Up until now, Captain Grant hadn’t been too worried. But, if Alex Richardson was right, and Earhart’s ship was back on his side, now. Then why the smirk on Lord Garth’s face?

  Had Alex failed? Or, had Garth found Helen Richardson and her ship Arrow, tucked away, he wondered.

  Chapter 34

  Uptime

  T – 4 hours

  Charlotte waited until all four of Ronin’s transporters had touched down inside Delta’s smaller of two entrances, before closing the heavy steel door that kept the elements at bay. Then reactivated the entrance concealment field.

  Once the transporter force fields had collapsed Charlotte greeted the four humans.

  “Good to see you again, Cindy,” she said giving her a hug.

  Then said hello as she kissed Frank and Susanna on their cheeks.

  “You too, Charlotte,” they returned.

  “Gerry here is mine,” Cindy said introducing him to Charlotte.

  “Cindy has always taken in strays,” Charlotte jokingly stated, then deliberately gave Gerry a long and lingering kiss on his cheek.

  “Charlotte!” Cindy exclaimed, shooting a don’t go there warning look at Charlotte, who merely grinned back.

  “Right. Let’s get down to business,” Charlotte ordered them.

  “My Orb will let me know when we can move. But all of you must keep close to me. Keep your minds from wandering and ignore what’s going on nearby. No matter what, look straight ahead and do not speak until we’re inside the Time-Ship.”

  “Understood,” Frank replied, speaking for all of them.

  “So, Gerry, according to the Varons you know how to reprogram the Time-Crystal control system. Is that correct?” Charlotte asked.

  “Yes, and as well as being a damn good pilot, I have master’s Degrees in Temporal physics and Crystal growth,” Gerry replied, looking a bit smug.

  “That doesn’t explain what makes you so important. So, why,” Charlotte pressed.

  “It’s possible that my involvement in warp crystal development, while I was on Delta Pavonis’ planet DPav4, is relevant.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure, Charlotte. But there is a link between time travel and a unique piece of grey material found by the Crillon scientist Cazer.”

  “Ah, yes. You, remember Cazer, don’t you Frank,” Charlotte prompted.

  “Only too well.”

  “So, somewhere Up-time, Delta must have developed a huge, doped warp crystal, that is time orientated,” Susanna suggested.

  “Yes, and I believe that has to be how time travel started,” Gerry stated.

  “It also appears that I have a talent for correcting and re-writing algorithms on the fly,” he boasted.

  “So, that’s why the Varons think that you can find a way to destroy the crystal, without too much after-effect,” Charlotte suggested.

  “Yes. And, that’s what worries me Charlotte,” Gerry replied, thinking about it.

  “In my opinion, destroying the crystal will still terminate the Human timeline, with no chance of recovery.”

  “I sense that you still have doubts, Gerry. Is that so?” Frank questioned.

  “Maybe, but my verbal outburst at Tamar still stands, Frank. I believe the Varons have a different agenda.”

  Just then, Charlotte’s Orb flashed green.

  “Time to go,” Charlotte ordered. “Remember what I said if we are to get to the Time-Ship in one piece.”

  The Galactic Navy Battlegroup assembly, Cobra,’ was 540 light years out from Monitor station, MV210.

  They were preparing to jump for the Earth Carrier Lexington’s galactic coordinates, having received a request for assistance from the ship.

  Admiral Hemming checked his impressive, but diverse group of seventeen ships that had been gathered from all three races. His ship, Dreadnought, was designated as the Galactic Navy battlegroup’s flagship, and he had been given the job of coordinating the vessels into a lethal battle group.

  Captain Stern was temporarily off the bridge for a quick visit to sickbay, right now. So, the Admiral was in control.

  Admiral Hemming was tall, with brownish hair and the green colored eyes that were common to all who had been injected with enhanced brain cells. Having been given two doses, he was confident that he’d cope with this tussle over the Lexington.

  He stood up straight, tugging at the lower part of his dark blue Admiral’s jacket. Its gold braid, glinting as he did so.

  “Seven-minute sync activated, Admiral,” Dreadnought’s tactical AI informed.

  “What the…!” Hemming gasped.

  “Exits,” weapon’s officer Barber yelled, as wormholes started forming around Hemming’s battlegroup.

  “Twenty-two of them,” he added.

  Then, before the group’s jump sequence could be canceled, twenty-two silver colored and cylindrically shaped ships exited warp, and within seconds had surrounded Hemming’s group.

  “Damn it… who are they?” Hemming asked, thankful that he wasn’t under attack…, yet.

  “Admiral, the only reference I have is that the ships have a resemblance to the Varon ship, as presented by the Solveron, Savron,” the tactical AI info
rmed.

  “I thought the Varons were extinct,” Science officer Turner put in. Then, “Just a minute, Admiral, we have received a request to converse with you from one of the alien ships.”

  “Keep the alien on hold,” Hemming ordered.

  “Tactical. Order all ships to combat mode, now. Shields, 50 percent. We’ll have to reset our jump to Lexington as soon as we can. Oh, and inform Lexington that we will be delayed.”

  Then to Turner. “Put the alien on the main screen,” Hemming directed.

  The alien’s head and upper body filled Dreadnought’s main screen. Its over-sized, hairless, and boyish looking head was much larger than a human’s, and its small mouth seemed to add to its overall look of frailty.

  But, Hemming saw that the alien’s large and almost black round eyes that were staring into his eyes had a steely look to them. Admiral Hemming also saw what must be a symbol of rank, or standing, in the shape of an eye on the visible portion of the alien’s ruby red colored attire.

  Hemming also sensed that this alien was struggling to mentally contact him over distance. In fact, he could tell that its mental ability seemed to be well below his own Grade 2 capability.

  Translator’s running, Admiral,” Science officer Turner informed, as they waited for the alien to speak.

  “I am Katron, a Varon Seer,” the Alien’s translated voice stated.

  Before replying, Hemming waited until the instantaneous two-way translation tag on his tactical display lit.

  “So, the Varon race obviously survived. And, looking at the number of ships you seem to have, you are technically well advanced,” Hemming said, while at the same time trying to locate Katron’s mind, which was nigh on impossible for someone below grade three.

  “We have several war fleets at our disposal, Admiral,” Katron replied, using Hemming’s rank out of courtesy.

  To Hemming’s surprise, he then found that Katron’s brain was conversing with his, courtesy of the two brain-cell injections that he’d been privileged to have been given.

  And that, inexplicably, the increased brain capacity created by these cells had given him just enough mental power to check out the validity of this alien’s threat.

  However, he found it difficult, at this range, to make sense of this Alien’s brain structure. So, Hemming concentrated on discussions still in the foreground of Katron’s brain and was quickly rewarded.

  So now, he knew that the Varon’s didn’t have any more fighting ships than the 22 here.

  Their spy drones had followed the human’s progress. And, the Varons feared the human’s mental ability now.

  They also believed that the Galactic Empire was aggressively expanding its territory and was becoming a threat to the Varons, mentally and physically.

  “Commodore,” Captain Stern prompted, having noted Hemming’s far-away look when he had come back from the sickbay a moment ago.

  Hemming briefly broke mental contact with the Varon’s other brain, to nod at Captain Stern.

  “Well, Katron. We have an important meeting, now. But, a get together can be arranged for later,” Hemming stated, wanting to finish the conversation.

  “No. You will stay here and talk now. Or be destroyed,” Katron angrily replied.

  “Come Katron. We both know the only warships the Varons have, are right here.”

  Hemming enjoyed seeing Katron’s face redden.

  “Come to that, Katron,” he continued, “You know my seventeen ships can easily crush you if we have to.”

  Admiral Hemming could see the alien’s face take on a worried look on hearing this.

  “Then it is true. Humans are dangerous… You’ve looked into my mind,” Katron replied, sounding nervous.

  “Yes, and it appears that you are afraid of us. But you’ve no need to be, Katron… We are not the ogres that you believe we are.”

  Just then, Dreadnought rocked as a massive explosion almost overloaded the ship’s protective shield which was only running at 50 percent. The shield immediately went to 100 percent.

  “They’ve been floating stealth-mines towards us,” the tactical AI warned Hemming, as it relayed the warning to all other ships in the group.

  Another explosion rocked the Dreadnought.

  “Black-Field detector sweeping.”

  “Mines located and plotted, Captain,” weapons officer Barber advised.

  “Well, get on with it, and obliterate them,” Admiral Hemming bellowed. Annoyed that the weapons assistor AI hadn’t done it immediately.

  Dreadnought and several other ships immediately released a surgical particle beam onslaught at the detected mines. With, the thirty-second flash denoting the end of the Varons short and unsuccessful stealth-mine attack.

  “Katron!” Hemming exclaimed, forcefully addressing the now sheepish looking Varon who’s image was still on Dreadnought’s main screen.

  “You tried a sneak attack on us. And yet, you call us dangerous, why?”

  Katron didn’t answer, but Hemming saw a smile come over his face.

  “Incoming,” Barber warned as the two closest Varon ships to Dreadnought suddenly surged forward, releasing a barrage of Particle Beams.

  Dreadnought’s protective screen flared and bent inward as it tried to absorb the Varon onslaught. Field emitters flared then turned black as they were destroyed.

  The display on the main bridge sparked. Then shattered, as power conduits overloaded, weakened by the Varons particle beams penetrating Dreadnought’s protective screen.

  Dreadnought’s bridge heaved and twisted as her protective defense screen collapsed. While walls melted as a boiling vortex of energy ripped through her hull.

  Then, too late, Admiral Hemming cried out as his ship died with him.

  The Varon ships immediately warped out, leaving behind the Galactic Navy Battlegroup assembly, Cobra, stunned at the loss of their flagship.

  The Varons had achieved all that was asked of them. To delay the Cobra battle group reaching Lexington.

  Chapter 35

  No Return

  T – 3 hours

  “Remember, not a sound until we’re onboard the Time ship,” Charlotte whispered.

  “Let’s go.”

  Frank, Susanna, Cindy, and Gerry followed in Charlotte’s footsteps as they cautiously moved, unseen, across the Communications and Observation level, to the Gravity Lift.

  The gravity lift comprised of two, two-meter-wide oval tubes, in a figure-of-eight configuration that connected all three levels of Delta’s complex. With the Lift being floorless, and entirely open to observers at each exit level.

  An internal coating of controllable anti-gravity tiles provided the weightlessness to enable the lift to operate. While a small panel with illuminated Up-Down arrows indicated which tube you needed to be in for the direction you wanted to go.

  Charlotte could see that only the Down arrow was lit. Then checked to see if the Upside of the lift was being used. Once satisfied that it was clear, and no-one would notice them, she gestured to the others to follow her, one after the other.

  Once they’d acknowledged her request, she stepped into the Downside tube and immediately started her slow descent.

  Frank then began his descent to the third floor and the waiting Time ship.

  Susanna struggled at first with the seemingly bottomless pit that she was about to step into.

  “It’s safe. I’ve done it many times,” Gerry whispered in her ear. Which of course, he had not.

  Before long they were all traveling Down, and past the most dangerous and somewhat nerve-racking level that led into the Predictor and Habitation sections. Thankfully, all passed this level without detection and were relieved to see their third level exit point.

  Charlotte waited until all five were out of the Gravity lift, then checked that there weren’t any security droids following them down.

  The Time-ship looked enormous as it sat on its none-metallic berthing cradle. The vessel was just ninety-eight meters long and similar i
n shape to a Dumbbell. There was a bulbous section in the center of the ship, with an illuminated air-lock door, that was open.

  They could see a man in the open doorway urgently beckoning them into the ship. Once inside, both airlock doors closed and sealed, then the man introduced himself.

  “I’m Anton, the Time ship’s technician, and pilot,” he said.

  “So, you’re the sixth person…. Okay, Charlotte and Anton, you need to keep these Varon discs with you at all times if we are to survive,” Frank said as he handed one of the discs to Charlotte and the other to Anton.

  Anton then handed a small flat plate to Gerry.

  “This will display the route to Delta’s Temporal control and Crystal location, Gerry. Just in case we get caught.”

  “Great. But, surely it’s essential that we’re all together when the crystal shuts down, isn’t it?”

  “Of course. So, we need to move,” Anton replied as he sat down in the pilot's seat.

  “Come along, take a seat, time is not on our side,” Anton said, trying to hurry them up. The last thing he wanted was one of Delta’s flight controllers asking why the Time-ship was powering up. He knew that Delta could override his control anytime they wanted to, even while they were traveling within the time shaft. And, if caught, that would mean death for them all.