Conflict Unending
Page 11
Another Eternal battlecruiser was being systematically torn apart by antimatter beams. Huge holes were melted in the hull, penetrating deep into the ship. Secondary explosions began to rattle the vessel and then in one stupendous explosion, the four-kilometer vessel blew apart.
Across the Eternal formation, numerous battlecruisers were dying under the intense fire of the Originator dreadnaughts, battlecruisers, and the fleet base.
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“We’ve lost one hundred and fourteen of our battlecruisers,” reported Garald from Sensors. “Those ten dreadnaughts, the two hundred larger battlecruisers, and the fleet base are hitting us with dark matter missiles. Our shields can only stand up to a few hits from those warheads.” The previous fleet base and Originator fleet they destroyed were not equipped with the deadly missiles.
Fleet Commander Tarsal checked the tactical display. Originator ships were dying in large numbers as well . On the main viewscreen, an Originator battlecruiser was being torn apart by Eternal energy beams. In a sudden flash of light, the ship exploded. “Continue to fire on the Originator fleet. Ignore the station for now. Once we’ve annihilated the fleet we will destroy the fleet base.”
Tarsal knew that meant allowing the fleet base to methodically destroy more Eternal vessels but the defending fleet needed to be dealt with first, particularly the dreadnaughts.
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Malyk gazed at the tactical display. He felt saddened at seeing so many Originator battlecruisers being savaged by the Eternal fleet. Ship after ship was dying. They were taking many Eternals vessels with them but not enough to allow for a victory. The dreadnaughts were holding their own and causing considerable carnage to the Eternals. From the latest data, the defending fleet would be destroyed as well as the fleet base. “Are we still transmitting data?” An intergalactic communication vortex had been activated at the very beginning of the battle. The vortex could not be jammed or destroyed.
“Yes,” replied the AI in front of Communications. “All battle data is being sent to the Communications and Transport Hub. Fleet Admiral Strong should be seeing what we are.”
“The Eternals are focusing their fire on Carlton’s fleet,” reported Dasoon. “Very little weapons fire is hitting the fleet base.”
“In that case concentrate our firepower and begin picking off as many Eternal battlecruisers as possible.” Carlton knew as soon as the defending ships were annihilated, the Eternals would turn the full firepower of their fleet against the base. When that happened the end would come very quickly.
“Adjusting fire to fewer targets,” reported Halvor.
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The weapons fire from the station changed. Instead of being spread out across numerous targets to help the fleet, it was now focused on fewer Eternal warships.
Twenty dark matter missiles slammed into the energy shield of an Eternal battlecruiser, causing its immediate collapse. The ship beneath vanished as a firestorm of energy swept across it.
Forty gravitonic energy beams struck the same spot on an Eternal energy shield, blasting an opening in the screen. Six of the beams struck the hull, causing deep craters, which reached into the heart of the ship. With a violent explosion, the vessel broke in two.
The station switched its fire to the next two ships with the same results.
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Carlton watched impassively as his fleet was slowly destroyed. Each time an Originator battlecruiser died, it was less firepower that could be focused on the Eternal fleet. In the last few minutes two of his dreadnaughts had been destroyed as well. Several others were reporting damage.
“What’s the latest analysis of the battle?” he asked the AI in front of the ship’s computer station.
“We’re losing ships at a nearly one to one basis with the Eternals. So far they are concentrating their fire on our warships and not the station.”
Carlton could have accessed the information with his neural implant but he had a crew of AIs and he wanted them to perform their duties to the very end.
“That won’t last much loner,” Carlton said as he gazed at the tactical display showing fewer green icons with every passing minute. He noticed Malyk had adjusted the weapons fire from the station to target fewer Eternal vessels. The station was methodically destroying Eternal warship after warship. Unfortunately the Eternals had thousands of vessels. Even the powerful weapons of the fleet base would not be able to prevail.
Carlton felt his dreadnaught shake slightly and then stabilize. Several warning alarms sounded.
“Antimatter missile,” explained the AI at the Sensors. “We’re being targeted.”
Carlton knew the battle wouldn’t last much longer. He was constantly adjusting his ship groupings as vessels were lost. It was becoming more difficult to keep enough ships firing on specific targets.
The main viewscreen was aglow with light. Thousands of beam weapons, antimatter explosions, and the larger dark matter detonations were prevalent. Space seemed to be on fire. Occasionally a brilliant flash would indicate the destruction of a warship.
“We must keep our fire focused,” Carlton ordered. He leaned back in his command chair. Unfortunately his life as a military AI would be brief. He had only been created a few short months back. It would have been nice to be able to serve the Originators longer.
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Fleet Commander Tarsal was not pleased with the way the battle was progressing. He was losing too many warships! At this rate he would barely be able to destroy the four fleet bases in this galaxy. The enhanced battlecruisers and dreadnaughts in the Originator fleet were causing much more damage to his fleet than expected. Those infernal dark matter missiles were knocking his ships’ energy screens down, making the vessels vulnerable to attack.
“Change our formation to englobe the Originator fleet and the fleet base.”
“We’ve lost five hundred and twelve battlecruisers,” reported Garald. “We’ve managed to destroy six hundred and seven of the Originators’ battlecruisers and two of their dreadnaughts.”
“How many of the larger battlecruisers?” These were the ones causing the most damage. Once they were annihilated the battle would swiftly change to being more one sided. There were only eight dreadnaughts left and once the battlecruisers were gone they could be easily dealt with.
“One hundred and seventy-four.”
“Focus our firepower on the remaining ones,” ordered Tarsal. “I want them eliminated immediately. Once they’re gone focus all of our fire on the remaining Originator dreadnaughts.”
“Orders sent,” replied Marloo from Communications.
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The battle continued as the Eternal fleet slowly closed on the Originator fleet and the fleet base. Originator battlecruisers began to die more rapidly as the Eternals’ superior numbers and firepower began to dominate the battle. The space around the fleet base was becoming littered with wreckage from destroyed vessels. The last enhanced battlecruiser died under the fire of multiple Eternal warships. Immediately after its destruction the Eternals shifted their firepower to the surviving dreadnaughts.
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A sudden bright flash covered the screen in the command center of the fleet base.
“What was that?” asked Malyk.
“It was Carlton’s command ship,” replied Dasoon.
“How many dreadnaughts and battlecruisers do we have remaining?”
“A little over six hundred battlecruisers and four dreadnaughts.”
“Send them to fleet base three,” ordered Malyk. “There is no point in sacrificing them here. They may be more helpful there where they can reinforce its fleet.”
“Message sent,” reported the AI in front of Communications.
On the viewscreen, the Originator battlecruisers and the four dreadnaughts broke off and accelerated into hyperspace. Soon all that remained were a few damaged cruisers which could not flee and the Eternals.
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Fleet Commander Tarsal was not pleased so many Eternal battlecruisers and the four dr
eadnaughts escaped. It meant a future battle at one of the three remaining fleet bases would be even more intense.
“Focus our fire on the base. Destroy it!”
“You don’t want to attempt to capture it?” asked Garald.
“No, not after the last one. That trap they set will only work once.”
On the ship’s main viewscreen, antimatter explosions began to cover the energy shield of the station. For many long minutes the shield held as every weapon the Eternals could bring to bear was sent against the fleet base. The shield glowed brighter and brighter. Cascades of energy raced across the screen and then it collapsed. One moment it was there and the next it was gone.
With its failure the full firepower of thousands of Eternal vessels struck the fleet base over a matter of a few microseconds. The fleet base didn’t explode or come apart; it simply ceased to be as its very component atoms were changed into drifting space dust.
“The fleet base has been destroyed,” confirmed Garald.
Fleet Commander Tarsal let out a deep breath. This battle had been more costly than he had planned. “We will stay here for a few days and repair our battle damage before going on to the next fleet base.” Tarsal considered contacting the nearest Eternal controlled galaxy and to request more ships. While they were on the far side of Originator controlled space Eternal controlled galaxies completely surrounded the region. It would take only a few weeks for additional ships to arrive.
After weighing his options for a few minutes he sent the order for additional ships. He would wait for their arrival, finish destroying the fleet bases in this galaxy, and then move on to the next.
-
Rear Admiral Hailey Mann was in the Command Center of her flagship, the Victory. Looking at the tactical display, it was covered in green icons. These were over six thousand vessels in her fleet: two hundred heavy dreadnaughts and six thousand battlecruisers, all with the latest energy shields and weapons. On another tactical display, a second grouping of green icons was visible behind the first. This would be Fleet Admiral Lukel.
“Two more weeks,” said Commander Sutherland as he watched the viewscreens showing several nearby galaxies.
“Set up another fleet wide drill for tomorrow morning,” ordered Hailey. “We don’t want the crews to grow too relaxed from this prolonged journey.”
“We received an update from Fleet Admiral Strong this morning,” said Caria from the Helm. “The Eternals have destroyed the first of the four fleet bases in Galaxy X-268.”
Hailey was aware of the communication. “I was afraid that would happen. The only good news is the Eternals lost nearly six hundred battlecruisers with numerous others suffering damage. They will have to wait a few days for repairs before moving on. Not only that but part of the Originator fleet defending the fleet base escaped and went to fleet base three.”
“Maybe we should abandon the other two fleet bases and have all of their ships reinforce fleet base three,” suggested Commander Sutherland.
Hailey shook her head. “Fleet Admiral Strong considered that but believes if we did the Eternals might just destroy the two abandoned bases and ignore the third all together.”
“This war is going to get a lot more complicated,” said Sutherland with a deep frown. “I suspect the Eternals will be deploying more fleets in the galaxies without Shrieels in an attempt to pin down our forces.”
“You may be right,” answered Hailey, leaning back further in her chair trying to get comfortable. “Fleet Admiral Strong is thinking about doing the same to the Eternals. Four or five of our fleets attacking bases in their galaxies may take some of the pressure off ours.”
“The Shrieels and our fleet bases are all producing more warships,” Caria said. “New shipyards are being constructed in all of the Shrieels and at the Communications and Transport Hub. In time we will have many more ships available.”
Hailey took a deep and long breath. The scope of this war was mind-boggling. She was glad she wasn’t the fleet admiral. Glancing at the largest viewscreen, she could see a large, globular-shaped galaxy. It was hard to imagine there were billions of stars and probably hundreds of thousands of inhabited worlds in that galaxy alone. Hailey couldn’t help but wonder how and when this war would end, if ever.
Chapter Nine
Jeremy was inside the Tower scanning over the latest reports while he held a meeting. Commander Zafron and his fleet had returned to Galaxy X-938 for repairs. Jeremy looked at the ship losses knowing Commander Zafron had been fortunate to escape with what ships he did. The Eternals had set a trap for his fleet which had nearly worked.
“I’m going to be reinforcing Commander Zafron’s fleet and will be sending it back out in another week. I don’t want the Eternals to think they’ve driven us out of the Median Galaxy.” At the moment there were no Originator fleets active in Eternal space. This needed to be rectified as soon as possible.
“More dreadnaughts and more of the enhanced battlecruisers,” suggested Admiral Kalen. “There are a number already there at the Dyson Sphere. We may want to send two fleets to the Median Galaxy and use one to hit the targets and the other in reserve in case of another trap. The new dreadnaughts being produced there have the advanced dark energy cannons as well.”
This was something Jeremy would have to think over. It did have its merits as well as its bad points. He would rather have the two fleets acting independently but that might not be the smart thing to do. Adding the new heavy dreadnaughts with the dark energy cannons would help also.
“The shipyards on the Dyson Sphere have been working around the clock building ships,” said Jeremy as he glanced at a report showing the current ship numbers. “Not only that, Rear Admiral Cross is there with a large fleet to help in the Shrieel’s defense. It won’t be difficult to shift a few warships to Commander Zafron’s command. If we add a second fleet, we would have to send it from here and assign another admiral to it.” Jeremy wasn’t sure this was wise as Rear Admiral Cross was defending the Dyson Sphere in Galaxy X-938, Rear Admiral Mann and Admiral Lukel were on their way to Galaxy X-268, and Rear Admiral Barnes was currently in the Federation. He really needed more admirals. Perhaps it was time he looked at the current fleet officers at the Hub and promote a few.
“I’m sure both Commander Zafron and Kazak will be pleased with the expansion of their fleet,” said Councilor Bartoll. “I will leave it up to you as to whether a second fleet should be assigned to the Median Galaxy.”
“Fleet construction is ahead of schedule,” reported Admiral Kalen. “I sent a request to Governor Barnes a few days back to see if he can find a few Federation admirals to send to us. We’re going to need them for the new fleets.”
Councilor Bartoll looked over at Jeremy. “Both Commander Belson and Commander Jontel have requested fleets to fight the Originators. I believe their two military AIs, Saber and Tanoak will be joining them.”
Jeremy nodded. “They will make fine additions to the fleet. I’ll contact them in the next day or so and see what we can arrange. As soon as possible I want to send additional fleets into Eternal space to begin hitting more of their shipyards. We need to force them to pull their ships back to their galaxies and out of ours.” Jeremy was convinced if he could cause enough mayhem in some of the Eternal galaxies, they would have to use a major portion of their fleet to defend them.
Dazon Fells shook his head. Dazon was a specialist on the Anti-Life, or the Eternals as they now called themselves. “It may not work. The Eternals consider themselves to be a superior race to all others. The modifications they have made to their bodies using the mechanical nanites have erased many of the qualities we would consider necessary for life. They have focused on the harsher emotions and either eliminated or severely reduced ones such as love, empathy, and compassion. In some ways they are more logical in their thought processes. They may be willing to allow the attacks on their galaxies if they can continue to destroy our fleet bases. Their views may be more long term orientated rather than sh
ort term.”
Bartoll shifted his gaze to Jeremy. “Dazon is correct. The Eternals will be willing to make great sacrifices if they can gain control of our Shrieels in the end. They may believe by destroying all of our fleet bases they can isolate the Shrieels and force us to surrender. That will not happen but it may be what they are seeking to accomplish.”
“We will not let them isolate the Dyson Spheres,” Jeremy said reassuringly. “We will do whatever is necessary to see that the fleet bases in the galaxies containing Dyson Spheres are not allowed to fall.”
“I fear we may lose control of a few of the galaxies where there are not Shrieels,” replied Bartoll. “We don’t have the ships to put large fleets in all of those galaxies.”
“We’re going to try not to allow that to happen,” said Admiral Kalen. “I’m already working on a plan to help secure those bases.”
Jeremy looked over at Councilor Bartoll. “We’re going to be bringing a lot of Federation military personnel to the Hub shortly. Are your people prepared for this?” Jeremy was anxious for them to arrive. With the ships being built in the Dyson Spheres and the large shipyards at the Hub more crews were sorely needed.
Bartoll nodded. “I have been meeting with the other councilors as well as some of the more important scientists of our race. They all understand the need for this. Most of my people will be in the other three Shrieels and will have little or no contact with the people from the Federation. The same for most of the scientists in the research facilities. The only exception will be those Originators working in the shipyards and helping teach your people some of the science involved in the battlecruisers and dreadnaughts. We have formed several teams who will be going on board the ships and showing your people how the equipment functions and how to repair some of it.”
“Won’t that take some time?” asked Admiral Kalen worriedly. “We need to get those fleets out and into Eternal space as soon as possible.”
“Not as long as you think using Originator instructional techniques,” Bartoll replied. “We have a sleep teaching aid which can place the knowledge directly into the brain. When the subject awakens the knowledge will be there, he just won’t know how to use it. The Originator teams will then take them to the ships and as they go through the hands on training the knowledge will change from confusion to an understanding of how the ships function.”