The Originator Wars: Explorations: A Lost Fleet Novel

by Raymond L. Weil

  Jeremy looked at the ship’s main viewscreen, which was focused on the satellite galaxy. It was a beautiful and awe inspiring sight since they were so close to it. It would take only a few days’ travel in normal hyperspace to reach the periphery of the small galaxy. “Tomorrow we’ll set out. We’ll give ourselves two weeks for the initial survey and then meet back here to go over the results.”

  Kelsey nodded. “That should be sufficient. Do we initiate any first contacts in this initial survey?”

  “I’d prefer not to,” Jeremy replied. “Let’s just scan the systems and gather as much data as possible. If we find a race or races we feel should be contacted we’ll send the Altons out with a small military escort to do so. We don’t want to frighten any potential allies.”

  “Two weeks should be sufficient with five search groups,” replied Kelsey. “We can also take more observations while we’re in the satellite galaxy to determine future targets of exploration.”

  “We have full communications with the Communications and Transport Hub with only minimal delay,” Kathryn informed Jeremy. “We also have the first Accelerator Ring nearly ready.” The Accelerator Ring would be necessary if they needed to return back to the hub. Without it the trip back would take well over a year.

  Jeremy looked at Kathryn and nodded. Then his face took on a more serious look. “The latest reports indicate the Eternals may be searching for Earth. The Originator Council is already making plans to help defend the Human Federation of Worlds as well as the Alton worlds. Large numbers from both are to be evacuated to the Dyson sphere in the home galaxy and then later to our Dyson sphere at the hub.”

  Kathryn looked concerned. “Can Earth survive an attack by the Eternals?” She hated to think Earth might be destroyed. While it was true there were other Human colonies, particularly in the old Human Federation of Worlds, it was difficult to think about. Earth was the cradle of Human life.

  Angela stepped over closer to the three. It was her duty shift at Communications. “Do you think it will get as bad as that?”

  Jeremy nodded. “No doubt the Eternals feel by eliminating the Humans and the Altons it will give them complete control of the war.”

  “But there are already over one hundred million Humans, Altons and Carethians on the Dyson sphere.”

  “Yes, but look at how many people we need to operate the battlestations and dreadnoughts. We could easily put one hundred million people doing just that. As it is we’re operating the dreadnoughts and battlestations with minimal crews and the battlecruisers with AIs only.”

  Angela frowned but nodded her head in understanding. “This war is so costly. Is it ever going to end?”

  “That’s why we’re here,” answered Jeremy. “If we can find allies in these galaxies we might be able to control the Eternals’ expansion. It will be difficult but it’s the only way.”

  Angela shook her head. “This won’t stop the fighting. Surely as smart as the Originators and their AIs are they can come up with something to bring this war to an end.”

  “They’ve working on it,” replied Jeremy. “So far they’ve come up empty. Until they do we have to figure on fighting a conventional space war against the Eternals for as long as necessary.”

  “Millions more will die,” proclaimed Angela with a sad look in her eyes. “It all seems so pointless.”

  “There are many Originator scientists working long shifts at the science stations at the Communications and Transport Hub seeking a solution,” said Arian. “Our AIs are working also and they are tireless.”

  “We will find a solution,” proclaimed Camlin with confidence. “We found a cure for the plague and we will find a solution to the Eternals as well.”

  Angela looked over at Kelsey. “I was so hoping our children would not be faced with war when they grow older. I don’t want to see them become entrapped in this conflict.”

  “That’s years away yet,” relied Kelsey, understanding Angela’s concern. She felt much the same way. “Perhaps by the time our children become adults the war will be over.”

  “The Dyson spheres are safe,” Kathryn reminded them. “With the defenses being added those who live inside will be safe from the war. Keep in mind the Originators control over six hundred galaxies around those Dyson spheres. All of those galaxies have massive Originator bases, which are even now being reinforced with the forty-kilometer battlestations. I don’t believe this war will go on forever. I feel confident it will end sometime during our lifetimes.”

  “I hope so,” replied Angela. “It would be nice to be able to stay on the Dyson sphere for long periods of time and not have to worry about the war. I know Clair is already asking questions about it.”

  Kelsey laughed. “Clair thinks she’s in charge of the children. She’s the oldest and she’s accepted that responsibility. It amazes me sometimes how the others listen to her and how well behaved they act in class.”

  “It’s Clarissa,” explained Angela. “The children are very careful not to misbehave when she’s around. If they do they’re assigned extra schoolwork.”

  Jeremy had to smile. “That would have worked on me when I was younger too.”

  Jeremy knew since Clarissa was assigned to the New Horizon, she had taken it upon herself to see to the children’s education. While still technically toddlers they were already learning subjects normally reserved for teenagers. He suspected their childhood was going to be very different from what was considered the Human norm.

  -

  Clarissa had the children in the special classroom, which had been designed by the Originators at her request. Each of the five sat at a small desk specifically designed for them. The top of the desk was an interactive touch computer screen. The children wore a small, silvery metallic looking ring around their heads, which could be used to transmit data directly into their brains. It also allowed them to interact with the interactive desktop during their lessons without the need for a neural implant.

  “Tell us a story,” demanded Jason, staring at Clarissa. “Tell us about the early days of the Federation.”

  Clarissa turned her attention to Jason. The child was always rebelling against doing his class work. He would much rather listen to her tell them stories about the early days of the Human Federation of Worlds and how Ariel had been found on Earth’s moon.

  “We need to concentrate on our class work,” said Clair, frowning at Jason. “Clarissa can tell us a story when we’re finished.”

  Jason turned to look at Clair, shaking his head. “I don’t like studying. It’s more fun to listen to a story.”

  “If you don’t behave I’m going to tell your mom you’re not listening to Clarissa and doing your lessons.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” said Jason, his eyes widening and glaring at Clair. She was always trying to tell him what to do.

  “Why don’t we study for a few more minutes and then I’ll tell you a story about the survivors of the old Human Federation of Worlds and their lives inside Ceres? It’s a story I’ve never told you before.”

  Jason had a triumphant look in his eyes as he stared at Clair. “See, we’re going to get to hear a story.”

  Clair did not reply. At least they were going to study some more before Clarissa told them the story.

  -

  Clarissa continued to teach them the day’s lessons. She was glad she had a lot of patience or Jason would surely push her to the edge. She wondered how actual Human teachers dealt with such situations. The problem was the type of education the five children were learning and the methods being used to teach them had never been done with Human children before.

  The silver ring the children wore could imprint data into their minds but they would not understand it. It would seem like a jumble of nonsense. However, the lessons Clarissa was teaching helped to disseminate the information into something the children could understand. Several Originator teachers and psychologists had helped Clarissa design the teaching lessons she was giving to the children. Many
of the lessons were the same ones Originator children were being taught. Her only problem was Angela; she thought the children were learning too much too quickly.

  -

  Kevin stepped into the classroom. Angela had asked him to check up on the children and Clarissa. She still didn’t quite trust Clarissa about what she was teaching the children and the beautiful AI had to submit her planned classroom lessons to Angela ahead of time. This had started when Angela stepped into Clair’s bedroom one night and heard her repeating hyperspace equations in her sleep. Angela had met with several Altons as well as Originators to make sure Clarissa wasn’t ruining Clair’s childhood. The Altons and the Originators had explained to Angela there was nothing abnormal in how Clarissa was teaching the children. Teaching tactics like this had been used by both of the older races for thousands of years.

  Kevin stood at the back of the room listening. His children, Mathew and Elizabeth, were both paying attention while Jason seemed to be fiddling with the top of his interactive computer desk. Kevin had to grin. Jason was a lot like Jeremy and very seldom did what was expected. Stepping back outside the classroom Kevin looked at the two large heavily armed Bears who stood nearby. The Bears were part of Kelsey’s personal guard. Pack Leader Belal was in charge of the forty Bears on board the ship, which served as part of the New Horizon’s security detachment. Normally wherever Kelsey or any of the children were a Bear or two were present. It was something Kevin was getting used to.

  Kevin paused outside the classroom trying to decide what to do next. He had to report back to the Avenger in the morning. He was feeling a little hungry and there was a good cafeteria in this section. The cook had some interesting hamburger recipes. With a smile, Kevin decided to have a hamburger and fries before meeting up with his wife later.

  -

  Kelsey was sitting next to Andram and Arian discussing the star systems the New Horizon was going to explore.

  “K-Class and G-Class have the best chance of harboring life similar to ours,” said Andram as he studied the indicated stars on his computer screen.

  “True, but we’ve discovered life in nearly every type of environment imaginable,” added Arian. “On worlds of stars you would never believe could harbor intelligent life somehow it manages to evolve.”

  Andram nodded. “Your people have a much vaster experience than my own. We’ve been pretty limited to our own home galaxy. I’ve seen many of the animal exhibits on the Dyson spheres. They’re pretty impressive.”

  “We tried to gather different species from many of our explorations. Over 20 percent of all living space on a Shrieel is dedicated to preserving those species.”

  “I’ve seen actual dinosaurs in one of the habitats,” commented Kelsey. “It was very exciting.”

  “At the hub there is a computer catalogue of all the animals in the habitats on the different Shrieels,” explained Arian. “Our AIs have done a fabulous job maintaining the animals and their habitats over the years.”

  “Are there plans to add more animals?” asked Andram.

  “Possibly, if the war against the Eternals is ever settled. There are over two hundred Shrieels which is more room than our combined races will ever need. It would be relatively easy to add additional habitats suitable for more species. It is a project I would enjoy immensely. There may come a time in the far future where we will even construct more Shrieels. We still have the technology if we feel the need.”

  Kelsey nodded. She would like to see some videos of how they captured and transported the dinosaurs. She suspected it would be highly entertaining. “We have five star systems to investigate. I would like to spend some time in each one regardless of whether they contain any intelligent life or not. A good study of the makeup of those systems should tell us much about this section of the universe.”

  “I suspect it will be similar to our own,” replied Arian. “While there are theories about multiple universes existing side by side like giant bubbles, the natural laws in each are probably unique. I don’t think we will discover anything shocking in our explorations.”

  Kelsey nodded. “Well, I can tell you the first time I saw a Dyson sphere it was a shocking experience. It was for all of us.”

  “But you knew building something like a Shrieel was possible,” pointed out Arian. “While it might have seemed fantastic to you at the time you recognized it as a feat of advanced technology.”

  “We did,” confessed Andram. “My own people have discussed building a Dyson sphere in the past. We’ve just never amassed the resources to commit to such a project.”

  Arian nodded. “That’s what I mean. Whatever we discover will be a result of technology we can at least understand in part. The natural laws which govern our universe predict that.”

  “This is a K-2 type star,” said Kelsey, pointing toward the star map she had up on a screen. “I would suggest we start our exploration there. It’s also close to the edge of the satellite galaxy so if we needed to withdraw it will be relatively easy.”

  “I agree,” said Arian as he examined information on the star. “It will be a good place to start.”

  -

  The three talked for a few more minutes and then Kelsey left the Command Center. As soon as she walked through the hatch two Bears fell in behind her. She had gotten used to the security escort that followed her wherever she went. She tried to talk Belal out of the constant security but he had ignored her, pointing out he was responsible for her security as well as that of the children. After that Kelsey just ignored her security. At least they tried to stay as discreet as possible. If you could call a seven-foot tall Bear discreet. They were sort of hard to miss.

  She made her way to the center section of the ship and the classroom where the children would be waiting. By this time Clarissa would be reading them a story. What the children considered to be stories were actually the early history of the Human Federation of Worlds. Clarissa had a way of telling the stories which totally enthralled the children.

  Stepping inside the classroom, she saw Angela and Katie were both there talking to Clarissa. Angela was frowning and shaking her head. As Kelsey got closer she could hear what Angela was saying.

  “I just think we’re moving too fast with their education. I mean the children are learning things I didn’t even learn in high school.”

  “I agree,” said Katie. “If we don’t watch it the children are going to miss out on their childhood. Why, just the other night I came home to find the twins putting molecules together from a science kit and arguing over which one had done it right.”

  Clarissa looked chagrined as she did not know how to respond. Kelsey felt sorry for the AI who had been such a big part of their lives. Clarissa had devoted her life to the Special Five and now their children.

  “I think Clarissa is doing a wonderful job,” Kelsey said, joining her friends. “It can’t be easy trying to teach the children with the educational techniques we now have available. I think the problem is you’re judging what Clarissa is doing against how we were taught at that age. I was born on Ceres and I can tell you my early education was far different from what was being taught on Earth. I think the same is true here. You must realize back on the Dyson sphere at the hub all children are being taught with these new methods. It’s the only way for them to learn Originator science and how to use their technology. What we take as abnormal now will be the norm in a few more years.”

  Katie still looked worried. “I just don’t want the kids to miss out on their childhood.”

  Before Kelsey could answer she heard Clair scream at Jason who had just tackled her and was trying to pin her to the floor. “I don’t think we need to worry about that.” Kelsey hurried over and pulled Jason off Clair. While Clair was a little bit bigger Jason was slightly stronger.

  “I won!” yelled Jason, trying to squirm out of Kelsey’s arms. “I told her I could out wrestle her.”

  Kelsey looked over at Angela and Katie. “Still think we’re going to miss out on their ch
ildhood?”

  “Guess not,” Angela said as she came over and helped Clair to her feet.

  “I’ll get even!” snorted Clair, her eyes hot with anger. “I won’t help you with your homework!”

  “Wait,” said Jason as he stopped squirming. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.” He disliked doing homework and Clair normally helped him with the harder parts.

  Clair glared at Jason for a full minute before her face broke back into a satisfied grin. “You carry my books for the next week and I’ll forgive you.”

  Jason looked at his mother and then back at Clair. “Okay, but only if you help me with my homework.”

  “Deal,” said Clair, extending her hand.

  Jason shook it and promptly went to help Clair gather up her schoolbooks as well as computer pad.

  “Children,” laughed Katie. “Mad one minute and best friends the next.”

  “I wonder if we were ever like that?” said Kelsey.

  “Jeremy was,” answered Katie. “Remember, I grew up around him when I was a teenager.”

  Kelsey nodded. That had been so long ago she had forgotten, back before they all went to the Fleet Academy on the Moon. “Sometime you need to tell me about those days.”

  Katie’s eyes widened. “Jeremy made me promise never to speak of them.”

  Kelsey grinned. This sounded interesting. “Let’s get the kids home. Tomorrow we set out on our first exploration mission.”

  -

  Clarissa watched as the three moms left with the children. Sometimes she felt flustered with the children. She knew they were still very young and sometimes their age showed in some of their antics. With a deep sigh, she decided to go visit Ariel. Ariel was busy over on the Avenger and it had been awhile since Clarissa had been over to the flagship. She could use one of her holograms but she preferred to visit in person when possible. She wanted to talk to Ariel about the children. Clarissa wanted Ariel’s opinion as to whether she was doing what was right teaching them using advanced Alton and Originator methods.

  -