“They’re on their way,” replied Colonel Thomas. “I would recommend you continue to advance through the station before the Eternals mount a major attack against your forces. Your reinforcements will find you.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Young. “We’ll continue to advance.”
“If our scans from the ships are right we should be near Engineering,” reported Sergeant Tucker. “It’s only a few compartments over.”
The Marines continued to advance until they reached the engineering section. Captain Young called a halt. Two other Marine detachments were approaching Engineering as well. He wanted to attack from three directions and in coordination with the other two groups of Marines.
A few minutes passed until everyone was in position and then he passed the order over his comm unit to attack. Immediately the lead combat robots blew the large hatch at the end of the corridor and charged inside. Energy beam fire met them instantly, blowing them apart. More combat robots followed as well as Marines. The intensity of the weapons fire was the heaviest they had encountered so far. Marines and combat robots were falling but so were the Eternals and their warrior robots in the large chamber. More Marines and combat robots charged in from other hatches pinning the Eternals and warrior robots between the three forces. The room was filling with smoke and even a few small fires were burning.
Human combat robots and the Eternal warrior robots became involved in actual hand-to-hand combat, tearing limbs and smashing each other with their fists. Robots on both sides fell. There were six Eternals still fighting in the engineering chamber and all were armed with energy rifles. They were standing in the center of the carnage calmly firing at the Marines, picking them off one by one. Finally someone lobbed an explosive charge into their midst, knocking them all down. Even so, several still managed to stagger back up and kill two more Marines before being riddled with energy beam fire from the remaining combat robots.
Captain Young looked across Engineering seeing numerous dead Marines and destroyed combat robots. All the Eternals and their warrior robots were down and not moving.
“Captain, look at this,” said Sergeant Tucker, standing near what appeared to be an antimatter warhead welded to the floor.
Young looked at the warhead and shook his head. “We need to disarm it. I’m guessing whoever is in charge is planning on blowing the shipyard if it looks as if we’re going to take it.” Young quickly contacted all the other active platoons of Marines and informed them to be on the lookout for antimatter self-destruct charges. He also contacted Colonel Thomas and informed him of what they had found.
“I understand,” replied Colonel Thomas. “We’re focusing our sensors on the shipyard and will inform you and the other platoons of the locations of all antimatter devices. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of antimatter warheads near the missile tubes. I’m going to swipe some Marines from the dreadnoughts as well as combat robots to secure those areas. They should be arriving in the next twenty minutes.”
Young was pleased to hear about the new reinforcements. They had lost a lot of Marines and combat robots just securing Engineering. A few welcome reinforcements had arrived, increasing the number of Marines and combat robots he had available. He just hoped all the antimatter devices were secured in time or none of them would be getting off this shipyard.
-
Commander Zafron was monitoring the progress of the Marines on the shipyard. So far nearly 40 percent of it was secure. He was growing concerned about the possibility of whoever was in charge of the station setting off antimatter charges to blow the shipyard. To try to prevent that he had recommended to Colonel Thomas no one approach the Command Center. He didn’t think the Eternal in charge would destroy the shipyard until the Command Center itself was in danger.
For the next thirty minutes he listened as the Marines and combat robots moved through the station. The reinforcements had arrived and were securing the outer areas as well as searching for any hidden antimatter charges. So far one more had been found and Commander Zafron was expecting the Marines to find at least one or two more. The last would probably be in the Command Center.
-
Captain Young and his Marines had just finished taking what he thought was the auxiliary Command Center. The fighting had been intense and once more they had located an antimatter device. It was quickly disarmed and then destroyed.
“I hope that’s the last of them,” commented Sergeant Tucker. “That makes three so far.”
Captain Young nodded. “There’s probably one in the primary Command Center as well. That’s where I would put one to ensure the station would be destroyed.”
“So what do we do then?” asked Sergeant Tucker. “As soon as we assault the Command Center, the Eternal in command will probably set off that antimatter charge.”
Captain Young grinned. “We actually have an Originator coming over. He has a device which supposedly will cancel out an antimatter explosion if we can get it close enough.”
“How close?” asked Tucker with skepticism in his voice.
“Twenty meters,” replied Young.
“Twenty meters! How the hell are we going to get that close without them spotting us?”
Captain Young frowned. “I’m still working on that.”
-
Rear Admiral Hailey Mann was also listening to the Marines as they advanced through the shipyard. She hoped the price they were paying was worth it.
“I have the ship losses and damage reports,” reported Commander Sutherland.
Hailey turned her attention away from the fighting in the shipyard to her second in command. “How bad was it?”
“We lost twelve dreadnoughts, and seventy-four battlecruisers. Another eighteen dreadnoughts have minor to moderate damage. As far as the battlecruisers go we have one hundred and twelve reporting minor to moderate damage.”
Hailey nodded. It could have been considerably worse. The entire fleet had lost slightly less than three hundred ships compared to the twelve hundred the Eternals had lost. Hailey knew it was because they had numerical superiority in this battle as well as the Dominator and its blue energy spheres. At the end of the battle they had been destroying Eternal ships at a nearly six to one kill rate.
“Keep us at Condition Two, we’re still expecting Eternal reinforcements to arrive at any time,” ordered Hailey as she turned her attention back to the battle going on inside the shipyard. “I just hope we have the shipyard under our control before that happens.”
-
Captain Young, his Marines, and combat robots were standing in a corridor just short of the Command Center. Bralen Brill, an Originator scientist, had joined them along with another squad of Marines and six combat robots which had served as his escort. One of the robots was carrying a large electronic device.
“Will this prevent the antimatter warhead from detonating?”
“Briefly,” replied Bralen. “It will generate a prohibiting field that prevents an antimatter reaction. However, the field will only last ten minutes before the device burns out. Keep in mind this device is very experimental and we’ve only tested it in the lab.”
“So we have ten minutes to take the Command Center and disable the antimatter self-destruct device,” said Young.
“I’m sorry, but that’s the best we can do,” replied Bralen. “Get me to the antimatter device and I can disable it in less than a minute. I have the tools with me to do so.”
“Okay,” replied Captain Young. “Sergeant Tucker, get ready to move out.”
“We need to be at the hatch of the Command Center for the device to be effective,” added Bralen. “Its maximum effective range is twenty meters.”
“I know,” replied Young. “Sergeant Tucker, I need two combat robots to blow that hatch. Bralen, as soon as that hatch is blown that device needs to be operating.”
Bralen nodded. “The combat robot carrying the device knows what to do. Within ten seconds of the hatch being blown the device will be activated.”
Captain Young drew in a deep breath. He could feel his heart pounding. This either worked or they were all going to be dead. “Are we ready, Sergeant Tucker?”
“Yes, sir,”
“Okay, let’s do it!”
Two combat robots suddenly ran forward and planted explosives on the large hatch to the Command Center. They stepped back several meters as the explosives blew the hatch off its hinges. The two robots instantly charged inside. A third robot ran to the hatch and stepped to one side, activating the antimatter prohibition device. A loud hum filled the corridor.
“Move out!” shouted Captain Young as he led the rest of the Marines and combat robots to the hatch and inside.
-
Admiral Lydol was surprised at how quickly the Originator combat robots had blown the hatch. Smoke filled the Command Center and the twenty warrior robots inside began firing as Originator robots swarmed the hatch. With one final glance at the hatch seeing Human Marines starting to come in, he reached down on the console in front of him and pressed a large red button. He closed his eyes expecting to die instantly for the honor of the Empire but nothing happened.
“The antimatter self-destruct, there’s something wrong with it.”
Two other Eternals in the Command Center ran over to the device and began inspecting it. “It seems functional,” replied one of them.
Weapons fire was heavy in the Command Center as more Humans and combat robots made it through the hatch. Robots on both sides were falling as their bodies and processors were destroyed by energy weapons fire. Human Marines were falling to the floor, their armor penetrated by energy beams. The Eternals in the room were firing calculatingly at their targets but they began to fall one by one as the Human Marines and Originator combat robots targeted them.
-
Captain Young was inside the Command Center firing his energy rifle at the warrior robots. Smoke was thick in the room and he could hear screams of pain as his Marines were hit by energy rifle fire. He saw what looked like the Eternal commanding officer standing at a console repeatedly pressing a red button. Without hesitation he aimed his energy rifle and put a beam right between the eyes of his target. The Eternal looked surprised and then fell to the floor. Moments later the firing in the room came to a stop as the last warrior robot was disposed of.
“I found the warhead!” yelled Corporal Sullivan. “It’s over here.”
Bralen came into the room looking with distaste at the carnage and then hurried over to the warhead. He placed a device on the weapon and began entering commands. A section of the warhead opened and he reached inside and disconnected several pieces of electronics. “It’s disarmed,” he announced.
Captain Young felt immensely relieved. He immediately contacted Colonel Thomas and reported the disarming of the weapon.
“That’s the last one,” Colonel Thomas informed Young. “We’re not detecting any others besides the ones near the missile tubes and those are under our control. We have a few more sections of the shipyard to finish securing but it looks as if most of the fighting is done. Secure the Command Center and await further orders.”
Captain Young looked around. He had lost a number of his Marines and others were injured. “Sergeant Tucker, have the combat robots start policing this room. I want all the dead and destroyed robots moved out into the corridor.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Tucker as he began issuing orders.
Captain Young walked over and looked down at one of the dead Eternals. This was the first time he had actually seen one up close. He was eight feet tall and powerfully built and was completely bald. His form was muscular and seemed overpowering when compared to the slimmer forms of an Originator. The eyes were dark and cold. Young shivered and then turned away. This battle was over and they had won.
-
Commander Zafron was pleased when he heard the shipyard was now secure. He called in several Originator construction ships waiting just outside the system. They would instantly begin making the necessary modifications to turn the shipyard into an Originator base. All his fleets had to do was keep the Eternals away for a few more days. He also needed to take care of the Eternal base on the planet but he didn’t think that would be a problem since he now had control of the orbital space. If everything worked as he had planned in another few weeks this galaxy would be firmly under the control of the Originators.
-
Rear Admiral Hailey Mann watched the large viewscreen as two Originator construction vessels dropped out of hyperspace and began working on the shipyard. It wouldn’t take them long to fix the damage and then make the modifications for a Human and Originator AI crew. “Order all ships to make what repairs they can,” she told Commander Sutherland. “We’re going to be here for awhile.”
Hailey leaned back in her command chair. The long-range scanners were still showing no incoming threats. At least for the next few hours she could enjoy some peace and quiet. After that, the war would probably start again.
Chapter Fifteen
Jeremy was in the Command Center of the battlestation listening as reports from the various exploration groups continued to come in. They were very similar. All advanced civilizations in the satellite galaxy had been destroyed between eighty and two hundred and twenty years ago. The destruction had been thorough with no survivors in any of the systems the Creevak had targeted. A few primitive systems with civilizations just on the verge of space travel had been found but none with interstellar capabilities.
“It appears the Creevak have a method of detecting civilizations which have developed hyperspace travel,” commented Shilum Torre who was in the Command Center along with several other scientists.
“I’m not so sure,” replied Jeremy. “There are other methods of FTL travel besides hyperspace.”
Nomar Krill looked thoughtful and then spoke. “Perhaps it’s the power systems that are being detected. Any type of interstellar drive takes considerable power. An efficient fission or fusion power plant at the very minimum.”
“That would explain how these systems are being found,” replied Jeremy after thinking about the ramifications of being able to detect nuclear energy. “I’m also concerned the Creevak may make routine sweeps of this galaxy to ensure no new races have developed those technologies. If that’s true they could reappear through the anomaly at any time.”
Colonel Bryson who was the commander of the battlestation had been listening. “Do we have sufficient forces at the anomaly to prevent any further incursions by the Creevak? We have no idea of the power of their ships though we know they possess energy weapons as well as antimatter warheads.”
A look of concern crossed Jeremy’s face. Several members of his staff had suggested placing the battlestation near the anomaly believing the heavy weapons the station was equipped with could handle any Creevak ships which emerged. He was hesitant to commit the battlestation as that would require all of his ships to operate near the anomaly. It would also leave the Accelerator Ring vulnerable even though the Indomitable Class Battlestations would remain to defend it.
“Because of the reports from our exploration task groups I believe it would be wise for us to send more of our dreadnoughts and battlecruisers to blockade the anomaly just in case the Creevak return. I’m going to assign ten more dreadnoughts and twenty more battlecruisers to the ships already there. For the time being the battlestation will remain where it’s at.”
“We’re committing a major portion of our fleet to guarding the anomaly,” said Bryson with a frown. “I know it’s necessary but I’m still concerned it may not be enough. How soon before the new battlestation is ready?”
Jeremy sighed. “At least two more months and then there’s the transit time. It will take longer to get here because of its size and the power needed to activate the larger Accelerator Ring.”
“Are we going to request more ships?”
Jeremy nodded. “I’m going to ask for a full fleet as well as more Indomitable Class Battlestations.”
Jeremy turned to face her. “Want to do some more exploring?” He knew they needed to find out if the Creevak had made it to the larger galaxy.
Kathryn nodded. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Get the New Horizon ready. We’ll leave the day after tomorrow.”
“We?” said Kathryn, raising her eyebrow.
“Yes, I’ll be bringing the Avenger as well as some other vessels. We need to find out if the Creevak made it to the primary galaxy. If they didn’t then they might not be as big a threat as we feared. There’s a possibility they don’t possess a space drive to allow them to travel intergalactic distances.”
“Should we take several of the other exploration ships?”
Jeremy considered this and then nodded. “Let’s take two more exploration fleets. I want the others to continue searching this galaxy. Maybe somewhere they’ll find some survivors who can explain what happened here.”
Looking at the Command Center’s main viewscreen, he could see the Accelerator Ring. It was inactive as there were no scheduled ships arriving or leaving. “I’ll tell Kelsey and the others of our plans.”
Kathryn nodded. She was used to having Kelsey, Angela, and Katie on the New Horizon. Particularly since Kelsey was her second in command. She was also still getting used to having children on board. At first that had worried her but the children were confined to the center section of the ship which was nearly indestructible. The section was also quite large with its own power sources, drive systems, and defenses if needed.
-
Later Kelsey listened as Jeremy explained his plans to explore the larger galaxy. They had extended their stay in the small house since Jason was really enjoying playing outside. He saw Clair and the others nearly every day and Clarissa stopped by several hours daily to go over his lessons. Jason complained about this saying he was on vacation and shouldn’t have to study. Jeremy and Kelsey were sitting on the back porch of the house watching Jason play on the large play set. He was currently going down the slide repeatedly.
The Originator Wars: Explorations: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 20