The Originator Wars: Explorations: A Lost Fleet Novel
Page 35
“Fighters and bombers are rising from the surface,” reported Lieutenant Reynolds. “They’re going to attempt to intercept any missiles which get through the defense grid.”
“Some are getting through,” added Matol from his tactical station.
The viewscreens came back on showing the planet. Numerous flashes of light were visible where the Eternal missiles were being intercepted. The flashes continued into the defense grid and then down into the atmosphere where the bombers and fighters were located. Then ground based interceptors began launching and more flashes of light appeared, only closer to the ground. Suddenly four brilliant flashes occurred on the surface of Mars as some of the nuclear missiles made it through.
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One of the missiles struck near the domed city of Armstrong. The city’s dome was instantly shattered and fell onto the buildings below in millions of pieces. The blast wave from the nuke swept through the city, leveling buildings and uprooting trees. The heat blast from the nuke arrived, setting the city on fire. There was just enough oxygen in the air from the ongoing terraforming project to allow the fires to continue to burn. Above the surface of the red planet a towering mushroom cloud rose. In the city of Armstrong, out of eighty thousand inhabitants over seventy-two thousand were dead and most of the others would die shortly.
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Massie’s face hardened with anger. “Hit the Eternals with everything we’ve got! I don’t want a single one of their ships escaping. We’ll make them pay for what they did to Mars!” On the viewscreen, two additional mushroom clouds were rising on the planet.
The two forty-kilometer battlestations were now firing on the Eternal fleet. Using their gravity drives, the stations were moving closer to the Eternals. The battlestations were covered with weapon emplacements and missile tubes. The Eternals were still launching missiles but the targeting was becoming erratic as more of their ships were lost.
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Second Leader Abross knew he had committed several tactical blunders. The nanites in his mind helped to point out what he had done wrong. On the viewscreen, he could see where six nukes had struck the planet. However, six was not nearly enough to wipe the life off this world. “All ships are to target their antimatter missiles on the planet. I want it destroyed.”
His second officer looked at him in dismay. “If we do that, the Humans will destroy our fleet. It will give them too big an advantage in firepower.”
Abross pointed to one of the large battlestations on one of the viewscreens. “And what do you call that? Those two stations are going to destroy our fleet no matter what we do. The least we can do is kill the Humans on the planet.”
“We could withdraw,” suggested the second officer. “We could escape into hyperspace.”
Abross’s shoulders drooped. “For what purpose? When we return to the Empire we’ll all be sent to a penal colony or mining world for our failure. It is better to die here in combat with our enemy.”
The second officer did not reply. He knew Abross was correct. “I’ll have the missiles re-targeted.”
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Massie was moving her fleet steadily toward the Eternal vessels. She noted with great worry the Eternals were now firing all of their missiles at Mars. Admiral Johnston’s fleet intercepted some of them and the defensive grid even more. The two battlestations were intercepting the most with the Type Two Battlestations and the Indomitable Class Battlestations focusing their fire solely on the incoming missiles.
“The Eternals are only using their energy weapons against us,” pointed out Commander Macleod.
Massie nodded. “Our triplex energy screens can handle those. Move our fleet to pointblank range. We need to eliminate the Eternal ships as quickly as possible.” On the main viewscreen, a two hundred-megaton antimatter missile detonated on the surface of Mars. Massie felt nauseous as she saw the massive fireball and towering mushroom cloud forming. She knew millions of Humans had just died.
The Originator ships poured their weapons fire into the Eternal vessels. Fireballs and exploding ships spread across the tattered Eternal formation.
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Second Leader Abross stared at the tactical display feeling no emotion. His ships were dying at an alarming rate. It did not matter. His mission was nearly a success. Four antimatter explosions were now visible on the planet. However, the amount of missiles his ships were now launching were not enough to get through the defensive fire. He felt his flagship shake violently and could hear the sound of tearing metal. Somewhere nearby there was an explosion which shook the Command Center. The damage control console was full of red lights. His crew stood at their stations, unafraid of death. They were the Eternals and they were willing to die for their Empire.
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Massie had located what she believed was the Eternal flagship. It was already under heavy fire from several Originator battlecruisers. She moved the Hera closer until its own weapons began pounding the enemy vessel. She watched in satisfaction as the weakening energy shield failed completely and the Eternal battlecruiser was riddled with energy beam fire. Then, just to make sure, she had Matol launch two dark matter missiles into the midsection of the enemy ship. Two miniature suns formed where the Eternal battlecruiser once was. When the energy died away all that was left of the Eternal flagship were a few wisps of glowing gas.
“Enemy flagship has been destroyed,” confirmed Lieutenant Reynolds. “There are only a few surviving Eternal vessels left and they are being rapidly dealt with.”
Massie did not reply. She watched impassively as the last of the Eternal fleet was reduced to twisted and glowing wreckage. It had been a slaughter. The Eternal fleet had been destroyed and from the tactical display, only a few Originator or Human ships had been lost. However, the half of Mars that had been facing the Eternal fleet now lay in ruins. Massie drew in a deep breath. The far side of the planet had been spared though terraforming had probably been set back by decades. It would be days before they knew the total civilian losses. Mars had a population of over 1.7 billion. From the look of the damage done to the planet nearly half of them could be dead.
“Inform Admiral Johnston he has command of Mars defense. We’re going to New Tellus.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” asked Commander Macleod. “What if the Eternals send another fleet?”
“They won’t,” replied Massie. “All of their ships are either in Alton space or at New Tellus. We need to destroy that fleet. Jennifer, contact Fleet Admiral Nagumo and inform him I’m taking my fleet to New Tellus. We’ll be going into hyperspace to return to Earth and then transit to New Tellus through the Accelerator Ring.”
“Why don’t we use the one here?” asked Commander Macleod.
Massie shook her head. “I want to leave it open for medical transports and rescue ships. Mars is going to need a lot of help over the next few days.”
Massie looked at the viewscreen showing Mars. The atmosphere was a dark reddish brown and getting darker. Massie had no idea what a nuclear winter on Mars would be like but it looked as if they were going to find out.
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Fleet Admiral Nagumo was on board his flagship, the battleship Luna, when he received Rear Admiral Tolsen’s message. With a deep sigh, he leaned back in his command chair. The Eternals in the Solar System were defeated but the cost had been high. He knew it was essential to destroy the fleet in the New Tellus System so no more worlds or outposts of the Federation would be harmed. “Inform the Originator battlecruisers at the Accelerator Ring Rear Admiral Tolsen will be arriving soon and will be going to New Tellus. Have the ring ready for activation.”
While Tolsen was gone he needed to decide what kind of aid to send to Mars. He knew the affects of an antimatter explosion would be devastating and Mars had suffered four detonations of the deadly missiles. Cleanup from the attack would take decades.
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Race pulled his ships back closer to New Tellus. Many of his battlecruisers were damaged as well as some of the dreadnoughts. On the tacti
cal display, he saw the Eternals were continuing to advance. Their fleet was still in their wall formation with eight thousand ships in each of the front three layers with several thousand ships trailing the formation. Race guessed the trailing ships were probably the most heavily damaged.
Race turned toward Zamdol. “Any suggestions?”
“We should destroy the Accelerator Ring farthest from the planet. That will give us one less major asset we need to defend. Also, as the Eternals get closer they will try to seize it.”
There were two Accelerator Rings near New Tellus. One was near New Tellus Station and the other a little farther out.
“Do it,” ordered Race. “Tell the Originator battlecruisers guarding the outer Accelerator Ring to destroy it and then fall back and join our formation. In addition, request Admiral Crown join our fleet as well. We’ll try to stop the Eternals just short of New Tellus.” That would give him a little over ten thousand ships. Still not good odds considering what they were going up against.
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Admiral Qurant stopped his fleet just short of the Originator vessels’ missile engagement range. He wanted to make sure his fleet was in its proper formation and ready to initiate his battle plan. This time they would move forward much faster thus neutralizing the Originators’ greater missile engagement range. He was willing to enter into a missile and energy weapons duel with the Humans if necessary. He had them outnumbered almost three to one and should be able to easily overwhelm the fleet in front of him. After the battle he should still have enough ships to destroy the defenses around the planet and then use his nukes against the inhabited world of Humans.
“Fleet is ready, Admiral,” reported Second Commander Anston.
Qurant nodded. “Initiate the battle plan.”
Almost instantly the Eternal fleet charged forward. Qurant was right about being able to eliminate the Originator vessels’ greater engagement range. Both fleets launched missiles within two seconds of one another.
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Race felt the WarHawk shudder as several Eternal antimatter missiles struck its energy shield.
“Shield is holding at 92 percent,” reported Zamdol. “Returning fire with all weapons.”
Race wished the WarHawk were equipped with the blue energy spheres. They would make a huge difference in a battle such as this. Glancing over at the tactical display, he saw a number of green icons wink out. Some red ones were vanishing as well.
“We’re losing two ships for every Eternal vessel we destroy,” reported Commander Haskins. “We won’t survive long at this rate.”
Race had already decided when his fleet lost half of its ships he would pull back to the defensive grid to make a last stand. On one of the viewscreens, the outer Accelerator Ring exploded as the self-destruct charges were activated.
“Ring confirmed destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Justin.
“Hold our position,” ordered Race. On one of the viewscreens, the dreadnought Talon was under heavy attack. Its energy shield was weakening, allowing Eternal energy beams to occasionally penetrate. They were cutting deep into the hull of the ship and setting off secondary explosions. Race leaned forward, praying for the ship to get its energy shield back up. In a sudden explosion a massive blast tore the ship in two. The Eternals then hit the vessel with two antimatter missiles, destroying both halves.
“Talon confirmed destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Justin.
“Acceleration Ring is activating,” reported Commander Haskins with surprise in his eyes.
Race turned his eyes to one of the viewscreens focused on the lone surviving Accelerator Ring. A swirling blue vortex formed and from the vortex Originator dreadnoughts and battlecruisers began to emerge.
“Miss me, big brother?” a female voice asked over the command frequency Race was monitoring.
“Massie!” said Race grinning. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. Have your fleet join up with mine. We have some Eternals who need to be taught a lesson. I assume you destroyed the Eternals in the Solar System?”
“Yes,” replied Massie. “They hit Mars pretty heavily but never made it to Earth. Fleet Admiral Nagumo is handling the defense of the system at the moment.”
Race began modifying his battle plan. With the unexpected reinforcements the battle situation had changed.
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Admiral Qurant watched as thousands of Originator ships poured out of the swirling vortex.
“Detecting 6,040 Originator battlecruisers and 308 of their dreadnoughts,” reported the sensor officer.
Admiral Qurant wondered where the ships had come from. The arrival of this new fleet had changed the odds considerably. He no longer had a three to one advantage in ships; it was more like a two to one advantage.
“Continue the attack. We will press forward and begin attacking the shipyards and the defensive installations around the planet.” Qurant planned on moving through the Originator fleet so his fleet weapons could strike the more important targets. No doubt both sides would lose many of their ships but he had the superior fleet and should be able to fight his way through the Originator fleet and still have a sizable force left.
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The two fleets merged and the fighting grew even more intense. It was almost like a massive dogfight but instead of it being opposing fighters it was between giant warships. Whenever possible Originator ships were trying to pair up to take on the Eternal ships now all around them.
Eternal antimatter missiles slammed into an Originator dreadnought, weakening its energy shield. Several energy beams flashed through the shield, cutting deep inside the ship. Several explosions blew hull fragments away from the vessel. Inside alarms were sounding and emergency bulkheads were slamming shut sealing off the damaged sections of the ship. Personnel trapped in the damaged sections hurried to put on protective gear before the oxygen was depleted. Emergency repair crews rushed to the damaged compartments to rescue trapped personnel and see if the damage was repairable. Most of the trapped personnel were AIs and could survive for a short time in the vacuum of space. They helped the Humans who were trapped with them get into protective gear. For some it was already too late.
The Eternal ships continued to strike the energy shield with antimatter missiles, trying to knock it down. More energy beams penetrated, striking the ship and causing even more damage. One energy beam struck Engineering, destroying part of the ship’s sublight control system. In an instant the dreadnought lost its ability to maneuver. Seeing the now helpless ship the Eternals intensified their attack. Suddenly the energy screen collapsed and several two hundred-megaton antimatter missiles slammed into the hull of the dreadnought. The ship blew apart as twin suns formed at its position. There were no survivors.
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Race watched as the Eternal fleet combined with his and then continued to move through his fleet. He had not expected this maneuver.
“What are they doing?” asked Commander Haskins, his brow wrinkled in confusion. “Why aren’t they stopping to engage our fleet?”
“They’re heading for the planet,” answered Zamdol. “They have superior numbers and are pushing through our fleet. Both sides will suffer significant ship losses but enough Eternal vessels will survive to be able to attack New Tellus.”
Race pressed an icon on his command console putting him in contact with Admiral Crown. “Admiral, the Eternals are attempting to push through our fleet to attack New Tellus. I need you to pull your ships back immediately and fall back to the defense grid. The planetary defenses are going to need your added firepower to prevent the Eternals from striking the planet.”
“I understand,” replied Admiral Crown. “We’re falling back now.”
On the tactical display, nearly one thousand warships pulled out of the Originator formation and headed for the planet.
“Massie, as soon as the Eternal fleet has passed through our formation we’ll turn and attempt to pin them between us and the planetary defenses.”
“Can the planetary defenses hold up to t
he Eternals?”
“There are four of our forty-kilometer battlestations, the asteroid fortresses, the shipyards, plus the actual defense grid. There are a significant number of Type Two Battlestations as well as the larger Indomitable Class Battlestations. I believe the defenses will hold. The Eternals have no idea what they’re about to go up against. I plan on crushing this fleet just as you did to the one in the Solar System.”
“Sounds like a plan,” replied Massie.
Race turned his attention back to the tactical display. Green and red icons were blinking out of existence at a rate almost impossible to keep track of. Ships were so close together that mere kilometers separated them. Occasionally they became so close there were collisions. When that occurred both ships died in a massive explosion.
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Admiral Qurant felt satisfaction as his flagship reached the rear of the Originator fleet and emerged into open space. In front of him was the planet and its defenses. On the tactical display, he saw more of his ships emerging from the battle. “Form the fleet up into a globular formation. No doubt the Originator fleet will attack us from the rear. In a globe formation we can deal with that as well as attack the planet and its defenses.”
Second Commander Anston hurriedly carried out the orders. He knew how important it was for the Eternal fleet to get into the formation quickly.
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General Madison Wilcox sat in her command chair at the heart of the Command Asteroid Fortress. Around her it was a beehive of activity as they prepared to activate the defenses and engage the Eternals. “As soon as they’re in range, open fire. We need to do as much damage as possible before they get too close to New Tellus.” Madison was deeply concerned by the number of Eternal vessels she was facing and how they had blown right through Admiral Tolsen’s fleet.
“Major Hill, launch all of your fighters and bombers. They’re to take up patrolling positions beneath the defense grid. Their primary mission will be to intercept any missiles that get through.”