The Originator Wars: Explorations: A Lost Fleet Novel
Page 38
Moments later the New Horizon made the transition into hyperspace and headed for the vicinity of the anomaly and the battle that was probably already being waged there.
-
It didn’t take long for the ship to reach its destination. Tension was high in the Command Center as the super exploration dreadnought prepared to exit hyperspace. The ship suddenly shook violently and then the shaking stopped.
“What was that?” asked Kathryn, looking at Andram and Arian.
“Gravity wave,” answered Arian.
“A reverse gravity wave,” added Andram, looking confused. “I’ve never encountered one before.”
“Dropping out of hyperspace,” reported Sible.
The New Horizon dropped out of hyperspace and the massive forward viewscreen showed the battle in front of them. Wreckage from Originator battlecruisers and dreadnoughts littered the area around the anomaly. There was also considerable wreckage from Creevak vessels.
“How many Creevak vessels are we dealing with?” asked Kathryn, her eyes focusing on the tactical display.
“Forty-six battlecruisers and seven of their battleships,” replied Captain Reynolds. “I’m using the designations Fleet Admiral Strong used in describing the enemy vessels.”
Kathryn winced as a silver beam from one of the Creevak battleships blew an Originator battlecruiser apart. “We’ll close to engagement range and use the blue energy spheres. Target those battleships first and then the battlecruisers. Increase our shield strength to maximum.”
“Rotate the energy shield frequency,” recommended Nomar. “It might help to stop that silver energy beam.”
“Do it,” ordered Kathryn. “Sible, take us in.”
-
The New Horizon rapidly accelerated and headed for the battle. Kathryn chose a section of Originator vessels which were battling two of the Creevaks’ large battleships.
The Creevak must have noticed the arrival of the New Horizon because the two battleships pulled back out of range of the Originator battlecruisers and dreadnoughts.
“Go get them, Sible,” ordered Kathryn, leaning forward in her command chair. She watched the tactical display as the New Horizon rapidly closed with her quarry.
The ship shot past the waiting Originator ships and then was within weapons range of the Creevak vessels.
“Fire the blue energy spheres,” ordered Kathryn. It was time to see how effective they would be against this new enemy.
-
From the bow of the New Horizon the most deadly weapon ever built by the Originators were fired toward the two enemy ships. The blue spheres struck the Creevaks’ energy screens and soon absorbed all their energy, causing them to collapse. The blue spheres then attached themselves to the hulls and began turning the vessels into black space dust.
-
Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the enemy ships were not immune to the powerful weapon. More blue spheres attached themselves to the two battleships and in just a matter of a few minutes the two massive vessels had been turned into drifting dust.
“Pull us back to the Avenger,” ordered Kathryn. On the tactical display, the other Creevak ships had broken off their attacks and were moving closer to the anomaly. It was obvious they were concerned about the arrival of the New Horizon and how easily it had destroyed two of their battleships.
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Jeremy took in a deep breath. The New Horizon had broken the enemy. They had no defense against the blue energy spheres.
“All the Creevak ships have pulled back,” reported Kevin.
“The blue energy spheres certainly seem to be effective against the Creevak vessels,” added Aaliss. “I suspect they’ve never encountered such a weapon before.”
Jeremy looked over at Aaliss and Ariel. “So we have the blue energy spheres and the Creevak have that silver beam. For the time being we seem to be at an impasse. Lieutenant Lantz, see if you can contact the Creevak. Perhaps after losing two of their battleships they’ll be ready to talk.”
For the next hour they attempted to establish communication but all communication attempts were ignored by the Creevak. Jeremy rearranged his fleet, knowing now it was a waiting game. He had to hold the Creevak at the anomaly until the battlestation arrived.
-
Several weeks passed and it was growing time for the new battlestation to appear. The Creevak had sent a few more ships through but seemed hesitant to move away from the anomaly. They had launched a number of probing attacks against the fleet. All had been turned back by the New Horizon and the ship’s blue energy spheres.
The new battlestation was armed with the blue energy spheres and should be able to take up a position closer to the anomaly with its more powerful energy shield. Once it arrived Jeremy was confident he could push the Creevak back through the anomaly. He had already requested additional fleet units from the Communications and Transport Hub. From what he understood, Rear Admiral Hailey Mann and her fleet were being recalled and would be sent out immediately.
“I have the battlestation on the long-range sensors,” reported Kevin with relief evident in his voice. “It should be here in four minutes.”
Jeremy looked toward the tactical screen. Over the last several weeks he had lost nearly half of his fleet and seven Indomitable Class Battlestations. In desperation, he had ordered the remaining battlestations protecting the Accelerator Ring to be sent to the anomaly. The New Horizon had been all across the battlefield. If not for the ship’s blue energy spheres there was no doubt in Jeremy’s mind the Creevak would have broken through the blockade.
“I’m getting some strange readings from the anomaly,” reported Aaliss.
“More ships coming through?” asked Jeremy, his eyes narrowing.
“I don’t think so,” replied Aaliss. “I’ve never seen readings like these before.”
“The battlestation is emerging from hyperspace,” reported Kevin, his eyes focused on his sensors.
Suddenly the Avenger shook violently. The metal in the ship groaned from increased stress.
“It’s a massive reverse gravity wave,” reported Aaliss. “It’s pulling us toward the anomaly.”
The lights suddenly flickered and went out. A few moments later the emergency lighting came on.
“Energy shield is down, all weapons nonfunctional, drive systems are offline,” reported Ariel, her eyes showing deep concern. “We’re trying to switch over to secondary power.”
“What about the Creevak?” asked Jeremy. If they weren’t affected they could destroy his entire fleet, including the New Horizon and the battlestation.
“I have a few outside cameras on the hull still functioning,” replied Ariel. “The Creevak vessels seem to be affected as well. We’re all falling toward the anomaly.”
Jeremy leaned back in his command chair a wave of helplessness sweeping over him. Without power, there was nothing he could do.
-
Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes was surprised when the power suddenly came back on. “What’s happening to the fleet?”
“Everyone’s lost power and are falling toward the anomaly,” reported Captain Reynolds. “Including the battlestation and the Creevak.”
“Where’s the Avenger?”
“Powerless as well and falling toward the anomaly.”
Kathryn looked at Arian and Andram. “Why do we have power and no one else?”
“I shut our antimatter reactors down,” replied Arian. “As soon as the gravity wave struck us I shut all of them down. A gravity wave such as that can hinder antimatter reactions. I suspect it affected the Creevaks’ systems as well.”
“Why are we falling toward the anomaly?”
“It’s generating a massive gravity field,” answered Andram. “Possibly caused by something on the other side in the Creevaks’ universe.”
Kathryn looked over at Kelsey. Kelsey had a frightened look on her face. “What will happen if all of our ships, the Indomitable Class Battlestations, and the new battle
station go through the anomaly?”
“I suspect they’ll start to regain their power,” replied Arian. “However, by then it will be too late. No doubt there are Creevak ships waiting on the other side and when our forces start to appear they’ll destroy them.”
Kathryn drew in a sharp breath. She knew what she had to do. The anomaly had to be sealed and there was only one way to do it. “Captain Travers, send a message to our battlestation outside the galaxy and inform them what has happened. Tell them I intend to take the New Horizon through the anomaly and destroy the Creevak forces on the other side. I don’t know if any of us will be returning.”
Kelsey and Katie looked at each other. They both realized there was a good chance they would never see their children again.
“Sible, take us into the anomaly. Major Weir, the Creevak vessels are helpless at the moment and we still have power. Use our antimatter missiles to destroy them. That will be one less threat we have to worry about when we get to the other side.”
-
Like an avenging angel of death, the New Horizon blew apart every Creevak vessel on this side of the anomaly. Then the Originator ships began to pass through. Dreadnoughts, battlecruisers, the surviving Indomitable Class Battlestations, and the new battlestation all passed through the anomaly. In front was the New Horizon ready to protect the helpless ships and stations behind her. It took several minutes for all the ships to pass through and then the site around the anomaly was lifeless. There were no intact ships or anything to indicate a fleet had been here. The gravity waves from the anomaly came to a stop and the rift sealed itself back up. Only the steady pulse of energy waves indicated it was still there.
-
Two million kilometers away a lone exploration dreadnought had recorded everything. For six hours the ship waited to see if any vessel would return through the anomaly. When all remained quiet, the ship sent its report off to the battlestation outside the galaxy.
-
Angela sat in shock at hearing the news. The Avenger and the New Horizon were gone! She looked down at the children with her and Brace. Jason was holding Clarissa’s hand and wouldn’t let go.
“What happens to us now?” asked Elizabeth who was one of Katie’s twins.
While the children were young, they understood what had happened.
“All of you will live with Brace and I,” answered Angela, fighting to keep herself from crying.
“I will be there too,” promised Clarissa.
Jason pulled his hand out from Clarissa’s. “We must learn everything we can. Someday we’re going to rescue our parents.”
Angela looked at Jason in surprise. For a moment he had sounded just like Jeremy.
“They may all still be alive on the other side of the anomaly,” announced Clair. “I agree with Jason.” Clair walked over and took Jason’s hand. “I”ll help you. We’ll rescue them.”
All the children gathered around Clair and Jason. There was a look of determination on their young faces.
Angela looked over at Clarissa. “Do you think it’s possible?”
Clarissa nodded. “Don’t forget who these children’s parents are. Can we expect no less from their children?”
“Then we’d better return to the Communications and Transport Hub. We have a lot of research to do and the children will require training.”
“I thought you were against all this special training,” said Brace, looking over at his wife.
“I am, but now it’s necessary. Our friend’s lives are at stake. Someday we’ll go into the other universe and rescue them.”
Clarissa smiled. She had all the confidence in the world in the children. After all their parents were the Special Five and the children would follow in their parents footsteps and no one or anything had better get in their way.
The End
If you enjoyed the Originator Wars: Explorations please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and also help sell books. Reviews can be just a few short sentences, describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website, link below. Thank you for reading Explorations and being so supportive.
Note from the Author: This book came out late due to the fact I suffered from severe Kidney failure in June of 2018. I was hospitalized for over three weeks and unable to write for nearly three months. I am now on home dialysis and have begun writing again. Once again I’m sorry for the delay. I also want to thank everyone for being so supportive during my illness. The e-mails and personal messages allowed me to get through some very bad days and to start reliving my life again.
Thank You
Raymond L. Weil
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Read on to discover another military science fiction series by Raymond L. Weil.
Galactic Empire Wars: Final Conflict
Book Six
Chapter One
Lieutenant Sue Adams threw herself to the ground as an energy beam passed overhead to strike a tree just behind her, setting it on fire. In the distance, she could hear loud explosions and the sky was full of smoke.
“Damn aliens!” muttered Sergeant Styles, who was lying on the ground close by. “Don’t they know we’re here to free them?”
“We’re Marines,” replied Adams over her comm unit. Both she and Sergeant Styles were encased in Type Seven battlesuits. The suits were nearly eight feet tall and could shield them from any type of hostile environment as well as being heavily armed. They were a deep black with hints of blue around the joints. “Besides, we don’t know if the incoming fire is from the inhabitants of this world or from Kleese conscripts.”
Lieutenant Adams used the advanced sensors in her suit to scan the land ahead of them. They were on the outskirts of a medium sized spaceport, which was the primary base of the Kleese on Promar Five. It was heavily defended with numerous pop-up weapons, which would suddenly rise up out of the ground and begin firing on any nearby target. Sue had already lost four Marines to the infernal weapons.
“Corporal Wright, I want an explosive barrage fifty meters in front of my position outward to three hundred meters. I want everything in that zone leveled!” From Sue’s position, she could see at least seven to possibly ten pop-up weapons. She was also certain there were more that hadn’t been activated yet. The Kleese over the years had learned how to make the Marines pay the maximum cost in lives for the ground they took.
Lieutenant Adams and her Marines were about five hundred meters from the perimeter of the spaceport. The ground was mostly level with a few trees, bushes, and several small gullies. The gullies were only a few meters deep, not deep enough to hide a Marine in a fully active battlesuit.
“Explosive barrage beginning,” reported Corporal Wright over the comm.
Immediately in front of Lieutenant Adams’ position dozens of explosions began striking the ground, hurling dirt and other debris up into the air to rain down on the watching Marines. All battlesuits had heavy explosive launchers on the backs of the suits and automatic targeting sensors that could put the explosives wherever they were needed.
Lieutenant Adams hunkered down as close to the ground as possible as the ground shook from the continuous explosive barrage. Smoke grew heavier in the air and she had to switch to the special filters in her helmet to allow her to see. Even as she watched she saw several of the pop-up weapons receive direct hits from the explosives, blowing them to pieces.
“That’s blowing the hell out of those emplacements,” said Sergeant Styles as he watched the pop-up weapons being annihilated.
The explosions came to a stop and Lieutenant Adams stood up and carefully peered through the smoke. The filters she was using allowed her to easily see through drifting clouds of smoke. T
he explosions had also set a few trees and some of the brush on fire. “Move out,” she ordered over the comm. “Staggered formation with scouts ahead. That means you, Private Bose and Evans.”
-
“Why am I always on point?” muttered Private Bose as he stood up and began jogging to the front of the Marine formation, his assault rifle held tightly in his arms.
Private Evans shook his head. “It’s your constant complaining. Maybe the lieutenant is trying to get rid of you so we can all have some peace and quiet.”
Private Bose stopped and glared at Evans though it wasn’t apparent through his helmet. “Naw, she likes me too well. She just wants me to have all the glory.”
“Shut up!” growled Evans. “We need to pay attention before one of us gets shot.”
The two quieted down and began advancing across the now uneven ground. Occasionally the two had to skirt bomb craters and twice they paused to examine destroyed pop-up weapons. Finally the two reached the perimeter of the spaceport and paused, standing behind a wall, which barely hid their eight-foot tall battlesuits.
Evans looked around the corner of the wall, seeing the hard surface of the spaceport stretching out in front of him. There was no doubt in his mind there were probably more hidden pop-up weapons. The Kleese were experts at hiding them. Toward the center of the spaceport was a tall tower, which most likely housed the Kleese in charge of this world. On several of the landing pads Evans could see two of the two hundred-meter assault ships. “We have two assault ships here,” he reported over his comm unit. “The Kleese may already have evacuated to them.”
-
“Why haven’t they taken off?” asked Bose. “What are they waiting for? They have to know this world is lost to them.”
“Our fleet,” answered Evans. “If they attempt to take off they’ll be shot down before they can make orbit.”