-
Admiral Qurant spent nearly six hours in the system he had just destroyed. His ships had meticulously searched all the planets, moons, asteroids, and even the debris field around the system for any signs of Human habitats. A few mines had been found and these had been nuked to oblivion. During that time the damage his ships had suffered during the battle had been repaired. Every ship in his fleet was back to 100 percent combat effectiveness.
He looked over at Second Commandeer Anston. “Take the fleet back into hyperspace. It’s time we eliminated our next target.”
Second Commander Anston stepped over to the helm and a few moments later the entire fleet of fourteen thousand warships were back in hyperspace. In seven more hours they would be attacking their next target.
-
Admiral Race Tolsen breathed out a sigh of relief as his fleet exited the Accelerator Ring in the Epsilon Indi System near the planet Jewel. Jewel was the fourth planet out from the sun and extremely Earth-like. The planet was 54 percent water with ice caps at each pole. The climate was similar to Earth’s and the first explorers had sent back reports they had found a jewel of a world. Hence the planet’s name: Jewel.
“There’s massive ship traffic,” reported Lieutenant Justin. “Sensors are detecting passenger liners, cargo ships, and Originator transport vessels all lining up to go through the ring. There’s a steady flow of shuttles coming up from the planet and rendezvousing with ships in orbit.”
“They’re using every vessel of every type to evacuate the planet,” commented Commander Haskins. “They know time is running out.”
Zamdol closed his eyes briefly. “It’s not possible to evacuate this world before the Eternals arrive. They may be able to evacuate at most between 8 to 10 percent of the population.”
“Place the fleet on the far side of the ring,” ordered Race. “That’s the most likely direction the Eternals will come from. Is the Accelerator Ring ready to self-destruct?”
Zamdol nodded his head. “Yes, the military AI in charge of the ring has twelve antimatter warheads ready to detonate upon command. They are in strategic locations to ensure no technology can survive which might allow the Eternals to duplicate and build their own rings. He also has combat robots at those locations to ensure the warheads are not disarmed by the Eternals.”
Race looked at the viewscreen showing the massive Accelerator Ring. His fleet was still coming through. He had six hundred dreadnoughts and four thousand battlecruisers to take on the Eternal fleet.
“What’s the status of the Federation fleet in the system?”
“It’s considerable,” replied Commander Haskins. “There are 212 battleships and 573 strikecruisers. In orbit around Jewel are six Indomitable Class Battlestations and twenty Type Two Battlestations. In addition, there are twelve hundred defense satellites armed with particle beam cannons. There’s also a large shipyard and two civilian stations. The shipyard is heavily armed and the civilian stations only have defensive weaponry.”
“Who is in command?”
“Rear Admiral Victor Merlin. He’s from Jewel and is reported to be a good tactician. His officers like and respect him.”
Race stood staring at the viewscreen as the last of his fleet exited the Accelerator Ring. It deactivated and almost instantly reactivated as the waiting ships with Human cargo began moving into the swirling vortex. “We’ll form the fleet up in an inverted cone formation. I want two hundred of the dreadnoughts at the apex of the cone with the rest spread throughout the formation. We’ll try to keep the Eternals from the ring for as long as possible.”
Race then contacted Rear Admiral Merlin. “Rear Admiral Merlin, I’m taking command. What’s the current status of your fleet?”
“We’re ready,” replied Merlin. “I must say I’m pleased with the arrival of your fleet. I was afraid the Federation had written us off.”
“Not yet,” replied Race. “We’ll do the best we can to hold the Eternals off but even my fleet may not be enough. We are looking at engaging about fourteen thousand Eternal warships.”
“Fourteen thousand!” repeated Merlin, sounding stunned. “Are any more reinforcements on the way?”
“Not at the moment. I want you to position your fleet around the Indomitable Class Battlestations. We’re going to do everything we can to keep the Eternals away from Jewel.”
Race leaned back in his command chair. The primary viewscreen was focused on the Accelerator Ring and the rush of ships trying to enter the vortex. There were several Originator battlecruisers hovering near the ring acting as traffic control. Race had Communications tune into the comm frequency the battlecruisers and civilian vessels were using. Orders were flying out from the battlecruisers instructing civilian ships of their proper place in the line and spacing. There was a semblance of order as the convoys were formed, though Race knew from the panicky voices of the ship captains they wanted out of the system as rapidly as possible.
“Commander Haskins, assign one of our dreadnoughts to aid in setting up the convoys.”
“I’ll assign the Clements. Their commander has experience with fleet traffic control. He should be able to get this mess better organized.”
Race nodded. He wanted as many people as possible out of this system. When the Eternals arrived he didn’t know how long he would be able to hold them back before he was forced to withdraw.
-
In orbit of the Moon, Rear Admiral Massie Tolsen was reading the latest reports on fleet readiness. She had already sent a request to the Dyson sphere for four thousand more battlecruisers.
“The Eternals have hit the Altons as well,” reported Commander Macleod. “Messages from the Alton homeworld indicate two systems destroyed with heavy loss of life. Admiral Bachal is requesting additional reinforcements from the Dyson sphere. Scans of the Eternal fleet in Alton space indicate its strength at around thirteen thousand vessels.”
Massie looked concerned. “That’s forty-one thousand ships they’ve committed to wiping us and the Altons out.”
“Is that all of them? Is there a reserve force hanging out there we don’t know about?”
Massie narrowed her eyes. “It’s a possibility. Maybe we should begin sending some scouts to all nearby systems and see what’s out there. I’ll contact Fleet Admiral Nagumo. That would be a good job for his light cruisers as they’re pretty useless against an Eternal battlecruiser.”
“Your brother has taken his fleet to Jewel. He’s going to be engaging a superior Eternal fleet. He could use some reinforcements.”
“I know,” replied Massie. “We need to get more ships from the Dyson sphere to help even up the odds. We’ve been hesitant to bring in all of our forces until we knew for sure what we were facing.”
“People are dying,” pointed out Commander Macleod. “We need those ships now.”
Looking at the viewscreen focused on the Moon, Massie drew in a deep breath. There was a risk bringing in so many ships from the Dyson sphere. The Eternals were no fools and knew there was a Dyson sphere in this galaxy. They might have another massive fleet nearby waiting to see what ships the Originators were willing to commit. If too many ships were pulled away from the Dyson sphere there was a chance the Eternals might target it. Or they could be waiting to see what forces the Originators committed before they send in their main fleet. That was what was worrying Massie and she knew Race had been concerned about this possibility as well. What if the three fleets the Eternals had committed were only probes and the primary fleet hadn’t made its move yet?
-
Admiral Qurant waited patiently as his fleet moved closer to its next target. This was a more heavily populated system and very heavily defended. He was also concerned about an object reported to be near the inhabited planet. It was a mysterious ring one hundred kilometers in diameter. The stealth ship had reported there were several Originator battlecruisers near the ring and looked as if they were guarding it.
“It must be of Originator design,” said Sec
ond Commander Anston.
“But what is its purpose?”
“Perhaps it opens a hyperspace vortex?”
Qurant considered what Anston said. “Why such a large vortex? Even if it does open a vortex it must have some other use.”
Anston nodded his head in agreement. “We should send some of our warrior robots to capture the construct. It may tell us a lot about Originator technology.”
“See to it,” ordered Qurant. “Contact the other ships in our fleet and inform them the ring is not to be damaged. We want to capture it intact.”
“We will be in range of the system within two hours,” reported the navigation officer.
Admiral Qurant suspected there would be a much greater battle in this system. The Humans would not want to lose control of the ring and scans from the stealth battlecruiser sent to this system had found a substantial defensive fleet as well as a powerful defensive grid. It would matter little in the end. He had the superior fleet and he would destroy the defending fleet, the defenses, and then nuke the planet.
-
Admiral Tolsen sat in his command chair watching the tactical display for any signs of the Eternals. Ships sent to the Epsilon Eridani System had confirmed both Bliss and Serenity had been destroyed. The same with the planet of Haven in the Goombridge System. That was nearly two billion Federation citizens slaughtered by the Eternals. Race wondered if he could have done anything differently to save those worlds. He might have committed more warships but in the end the results would have been the same. He would have suffered major fleet losses and the worlds would still have been destroyed.
“Several ships in hyperspace have reported detecting the Eternal fleet,” reported Lieutenant Burns. “They’re about two hours out.”
Race let out a deep sigh. He had hoped for more time to evacuate more civilians. “Contact Rear Admiral Merlin and inform him we expect the Eternals to arrive in about two hours. Also, contact the government on Jewel and let them know. Tell Commander Jones of the Clements he has two hours to get all those ships through the Accelerator Ring. I want all fleet units including Rear Admiral Merlin’s fleet and the defense grid around Jewel to go to Condition Three.”
“Have all the moon, asteroid colonies, and outposts been evacuated?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Commander Haskins. “From the reports I’ve received from Jewel the last evacuees from the colonies and outposts went through the Accelerator Ring two days ago. We only have the planet to worry about.”
Race nodded. There were probably still more than two billion people on Jewel. He felt a tightness in his throat knowing there was not going to be enough time to evacuate them.
-
Admiral Qurant gazed at the tactical display, now showing the Human system his fleet was approaching. It was obvious a large Originator fleet was in the system close to the mysterious ring. “We will engage the Originator fleet first and once we’ve destroyed it take possession of the ring. Once we’ve accomplished that we’ll move on the planet.”
“We have confirmed the ring has an operating spatial vortex. Many Human ships are entering the ring. There are some large Originator transport vessels here as well.”
“Fleeing the system, no doubt,” replied Qurant. “It will do them no good. Wherever they are going we’ll eventually destroy that system as well.”
Second Commander Anston was studying the tactical display which was constantly updating. “We are going to lose a sizable portion of our fleet in order to destroy this system. Our scans are indicating over five thousand defending warships plus a defensive grid around the planet. The shipyard in orbit of the planet is quite large and probably heavily armed.”
Qurant turned his eyes toward his second in command. “I’ve already considered all of the possible scenarios we will be facing in this system and have taken the necessary steps to ensure our victory. These Humans will die just like all the rest.”
Second Commander Anston returned to his post. It was not his place to question the admiral. That was the quickest way to be sent to one of the penal colonies.
-
“We have them on the long-range sensors,” reported Lieutenant Justin. “Twenty minutes before they drop out of hyperspace.”
“Take all ships and the defense grid to Condition Two,” ordered Race. “What about the shipyard and the two civilian stations?”
“Civilian stations have been evacuated,” replied Commander Haskins. “The shipyard has just enough personnel to operate the weapons and perform some damage control.”
“The government on Jewel is evacuating all major cities,” reported Lieutenant Burns.
More time passed and Race looked at the tactical display. The Eternals were nearly here. “Take us to Condition One and prepare for combat. Use of dark matter missiles is authorized. I want all ships firing in five ship groups. We need to take out as many of those Eternal battlecruisers as rapidly as we can.”
-
The activity in the Command Center became even more intense as the Eternal fleet neared. It was well into the system before the first ships began to drop out of hyperspace.
“They’re here!” reported Lieutenant Justin.
Race watched as the Eternal fleet dropped out of hyperspace and then began to form up in a massive pyramid formation with the apex pointed toward his fleet.
“Contact in fifteen minutes,” reported Commander Haskins. “All commands report ready for combat. Commander Jones says he needs another thirty minutes to get the last ships through the Accelerator Ring.”
“Inform Commander Jones we’ll get him that thirty minutes. Also be prepared to blow the ring on my command.” There was no way Race was going to allow the Eternals to capture the Accelerator Ring. That was one bit of Originator technology he definitely wanted to keep out of their hands.
The Eternals finished their formation and then began advancing toward the Originator fleet. Their ships looked ominous and ready for war. There was no doubt in Race’s mind this battle was going to be brutal with losses on both sides. “I want a full barrage of dark matter missiles from every tube in the fleet. Concentrate on the apex of the Eternals’ formation. I want it smashed.” Race leaned back in his command chair. There was nothing more he could do.
-
On board the large shipyard, Colonel Emily Trevor gazed at the tactical display and the inbound Eternal fleet. She felt a cold chill run over her as she saw how many ships they were up against. “How’s the energy shield?”
“Up and functioning at full power,” replied her second in command, Captain John Tucker. “I’ve diverted all the power I can to the shield since we’ve shut down most of the station. Weapons are online and antimatter missiles are ready to fire.”
Emily looked over at Captain Tucker. “Remember, focus our fire on just a few of the Eternal ships. That will give us a better possibility of bringing down their shields.”
Looking back up at the main viewscreen, she could see several passenger liners entering the swirling blue vortex of the Accelerator Ring. There was still a long line of ships waiting to leave with more shuttles still rising from the surface of Jewel toward the few remaining ships which needed to be loaded. She hoped those waiting ships made it through the vortex. “What’s the status of the planetary defense grid?”
“Fully operational,” replied Captain Tucker. “The Indomitable Class Battlestations have full load outs of antimatter missiles. Their energy shields are also fully activated.”
“Ground defenses?”
“Ready. All interceptor missile batteries are ready to fire and the Marines and regular army units have moved out of the cities and taken up defensive positions in the mountains. Both emergency command bunkers have been activated.”
“The senator and the planetary governor?”
“One in each bunker.”
Emily knew all that could be done had been done. Now they just had to wait for the Eternals and see what happened in the battle between the Eternal fleet and the Ori
ginator fleet.
“We have half a dozen strikecruisers that are moving into position around us as well as two battleships.”
This would greatly increase their offensive ability. Emily was relieved she had at least part of the fleet to aid the shipyard. “Make sure we coordinate our fire with theirs.”
Captain Tucker replied he would.
Emily let out a deep sigh as she looked around her Command Center. She had a good group of officers and everyone had volunteered to stay behind on the shipyard. She hoped they weren’t all making a mistake.
-
“Thirty seconds to optimum weapons range,” reported Lieutenant Justin.
“Standby to fire,” ordered Race, leaning forward in his command chair. “Let’s make this count.” He knew how important it was to get the first strike in. Fortunately, the dark matter missiles had a slightly better range than the antimatter missiles used by the Eternals. Race watched the tactical screen intently and knew it was time. “Fire!”
-
From the Originator fleet tens of thousands of dark matter missiles launched. The Eternal fleet upon detecting the launches responded with their defensive energy beam turrets and interceptor missiles. Several thousand missiles were intercepted and space between the two fleets became filled with small explosions. However, the missiles were equipped with highly effective subspace drives and due to their fantastic speed were difficult if not nearly impossible to intercept and destroy. They began arriving at the formation of Eternal ships and huge explosions began to hammer the energy shields. Space lit up as if a supernova had just formed. There were so many of the four hundred-megaton dark matter missiles detonating that energy shields began to fail. In a matter of just a few seconds hundreds of Eternal vessels were turned into plasma and drifting wreckage.
The Eternal fleet moved into weapons range and launched their own wave of missiles. The missiles were of the new and more powerful two hundred-megaton range. Over 840,000 missiles were launched toward the Originator fleet.
The Originator Wars: Explorations: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 30