The Star Cross: The Vorn!
Page 1
The Star Cross: The Vorn!
A Star Cross Novel
(The Star Cross, Book 5)
By
Raymond L. Weil
USA Today Best Selling Author
Books in The Star Cross Series
The Star Cross (Book 1)
The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders (Book 2)
The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril (Book 3)
The Star Cross: The Forever War (Book 4)
The Star Cross: The Vorn (Book 5)
Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Copyright © October 2017 by Raymond L. Weil
All Rights Reserved
Cover Design by Humblenations.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
The Star Cross: The Vorn!
A Star Cross Novel
Chapter One
Prince Ortumad looked at the ruins of the staging system. Its single planet was gone, blown up by the attacking ships. All that remained was a spreading debris field of dust and rocks. The Vorn fleet in the system had been smashed and worst of all, the Intergalactic Transports and Collector ships had all been destroyed. It was an unprecedented disaster. All forty-eight Intergalactic Transport ships, seventy-eight Collector ships, three hundred and twelve battleships, and over three thousand cruisers had been annihilated. The prince felt stunned by the events of the last day and knew his life was now in serious jeopardy.
Prince Ortumad stood upright, having a basic humanoid form with two legs and two arms. That was where the resemblance ended. The average Vorn looked like a cross between a humanoid and a wasp. The head was covered with very short hair and triangular shaped with two antennae. Its eyes were multifaceted and could see in several different light wavelengths. They had small wasp-like wings, which normally stayed folded on their backs. Their hands consisted of seven thin digits with which to manipulate equipment. However, the most shocking aspect of the Vorn race was that they were telepathic. They could sense each other’s thoughts over a short distance and used telepathy, for the most part, to communicate though they did have a spoken language.
Prince Ortumad looked away from the viewscreens contemplating what needed to be done next. There were more Collector ships and Intergalactic Transports in the habitats, but many of them were being held in stasis and would have to be activated. There were probably less than ten transport ships still functioning. Some were in intergalactic space and others were at the habitats. There were also a few Collector ships in Galaxy X241 being loaded with food pellets. He knew he would have to wait for an Intergalactic Transport ship to arrive from the habitats so he could send it back to inform Queen Alithe of the unprecedented disaster in the staging system. Ortumad felt his pulse quicken as he knew there was a good chance she would call for his immediate deletion for failing the Vorn race.
Drawing in a long breath, Prince Ortumad turned back toward the viewscreens. The screens showed the wreckage of countless Vorn ships. On one screen, a massive 10,000-meter Intergalactic Transport tumbled in space. It was a twisted mass of wreckage with occasional explosions still erupting from its shattered frame. Ortumad shook his head in disbelief. This was the greatest disaster in Vorn history since coming to this universe. He wondered if somehow Prince Brollen had been the cause. Prince Brollen’s desire for power made Prince Ortumad feel uneasy and had for quite some time. It seemed since the prince had risen in command, the Vorn had suffered one setback after another. Now the staging system had been destroyed!
I want to examine the reports of all motherships lost in Galaxy X241. Prince Ortumad was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. How had the enemy found the staging system? His very life might well depend on what he found out.
To what purpose? asked Military Commander Madoul, looking confused.
Ortumad turned his eyes toward Madoul. I want to know how these food species discovered where the staging system was. That information is only in the navigation computers on Intergalactic Transports, Collector ships, and our motherships. This was a coordinated attack by at least two food species and the ancient race, which has stepped in recently to harass our harvesting of Galaxy X241.
You are implying one of our motherships was boarded and the information taken from its computer?
Yes, precisely. Prince Brollen has confirmed the destruction of every mothership we have lost. His multifaceted eyes drilled into Madoul’s. I want to know if he was telling the truth!
-
In Galaxy X241, Prince Lashall was involved in a battle with a powerful food species. His fleet of sixty battleships, seven hundred cruisers, and four motherships was being hard pressed by over four thousand attacking warships. For a moment he considered withdrawing. There were easier pickings in this region of the galaxy. However, this system had a large food species population making it very difficult to pass up.
Prince Lashall was on board his flagship, the mothership Ravager.
What does the battle computer say? he grimaced as another of his cruisers blew apart under the heavy energy beam fire from a group of attacking battlecruisers. The motherships were at the heart of the fleet formation, and so far the Vorn battleships and the black spindle-shaped cruisers were preventing them from being hit by enemy fire.
Ninety-two percent chance of Vorn victory, Military Commander Volmont replied. They do not have the dark matter missiles, and there are no ships of the ancient race present.
Prince Lashall switched his attention to the viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center. Two enticing blue-white food worlds were visible. This system was rich in the number of inhabitants who could become food for the Vorn. The two worlds in the habitable zone were teeming with life. In addition, there were numerous colonies on the moons and inside several of the asteroids. A number of large space habitats had been located as well. If Lashall could harvest this system, it would finish filling his cargo holds with food pellets. He could afford to lose some of the small cruisers to achieve that end.
Firing black antimatter spheres, reported Military Commander Volmont.
Lashall nodded. As long as the battle computer predicted overwhelming odds for Vorn victory, his fleet would remain.
-
In space, hundreds of the deadly black spheres left the firing tubes of the 1,200-meter Vorn battleships. Their targets were the 900-meter battlecruisers of the Cabbols. They were a four-legged species with two arms and two hands with nimble fingers with which to work equipment. They were an extremely intelligent race and had reached Enlightened stasis thousands of years in the past. They maintained a large protective war fleet operated by sophisticated batt
le computers. The ships themselves had no living crewmembers.
The Cabbol fleet consisted of 4012 nine-hundred-meter battlecruisers, and they had all been recalled to the home system to protect it from the Destroyers of Worlds. They were armed with powerful energy beams and hyperspace antimatter missiles. Currently the fleet was positioned between the Vorn fleet and the Cabbol homeworld. The second inhabited world in the system was open to attack, but the Vorn seemed determined to destroy the Cabbol fleet before beginning their harvest.
On the Cabbol flagship, the primary battle computer continued to analyze the progress of the battle. It was ordering entire squadrons to close and attack individual Vorn cruisers, concentrating the fire of their energy beam weapons as well as their hyperspace antimatter missiles. The computer was sending four squadron-sized groups to attack the heavier Vorn battleships and two squadron-sized groups to attack the cruisers. The strategy was working though the Cabbol fleet was losing a large number of vessels for every Vorn ship they managed to destroy.
-
In space, Cabbol warships were hammering Vorn spindle-shaped cruisers. Intense energy beam fire and antimatter missiles were slamming into energy shields. Each antimatter missile exploded with a yield of one hundred megatons. Space was awash with the glow of released energy. Occasionally a Vorn energy shield would fail and the ship beneath it would be vaporized or would explode. Vorn energy shields absorbed tremendous amounts of energy, which made them grow even stronger during a battle. However, if that shield ever became overloaded or penetrated it would release all of the stored energy, usually causing the destruction of the ship it protected.
Four squadrons of Cabbol battlecruisers surged forward, concentrating their fire on a single Vorn battleship. The Vorn battleship was firing back with black spheres of antimatter, which were draining the energy from the Cabbol energy screens. Once a screen failed a Vorn antimatter missile would strike the ship, turning it into a raging fireball of uncontrolled energy. When the energy dissipated all that usually remained were a few wisps of glowing gas. Cabbol ship after ship died in this destructive manner.
The Vorn battleship’s screen never collapsed and the last Cabbol vessel exploded, never achieving the goal of the commanding battle computer to compromise the Vorn energy screen. Almost instantly four more squadrons were dispatched to attack the same Vorn battleship.
Nearby two squadrons of Cabbol warships pounded the screen of a spindle-shaped cruiser. The screen flared brighter and brighter from the detonation of numerous 100-megaton hyperspace antimatter missiles. In a sudden flash of light the screen collapsed, releasing all of its stored energy. The Vorn cruiser was instantly obliterated. The remaining ships of the two squadrons were reinforced and sent on to their next target. The commanding battle computer was meticulous in its method of attack.
-
The Vorn fought back systematically. Black antimatter beams and black spheres of antimatter were striking Cabbol warships across the entire front of their fleet formation. The antimatter beams were penetrating the Cabbol energy shields causing widespread damage. Gaping holes were being blown in their hulls, leaving many compartments open to space. Ships struck by the black antimatter spheres saw their power drained, leaving them defenseless to other Vorn weapons.
Across the Cabbol fleet formation, massive explosions marked the death of defending ships. Vorn ten-megaton antimatter missiles were detonating against ships’ hulls, hurling glowing debris across space. Some of the debris was colliding against other ships’ shields causing them to collapse. The fighting was becoming more intense as the two fleets closed.
Vorn antimatter beams penetrated the screen of a Cabbol battlecruiser, cutting deeply into the hull. Multiple secondary explosions ripped open several compartments sending debris hurtling away from the ship. Cabbol energy turrets rotated, firing upon the attacking Vorn cruisers. On the hull of the Cabbol warship, a small Vorn antimatter missile detonated. Ten megatons of furious energy was released, vaporizing a major portion of the ship. The rest of the ship was riddled by Vorn antimatter beams leaving a partial drifting hulk. The Vorn cruisers then shifted their fire to the next ship in the Cabbol fleet.
-
On the surface of the capital planet, the Cabbol Grand Council was in session. Large viewscreens around the room showed the ongoing battle in space.
“We will lose,” reported Councilor Odom. “Latest projections indicate our fleet cannot defeat the Destroyers of Worlds’ ships now nearing our planets.”
“Cannot anyone come to our aid?” asked Councilor Marshedd, with a desperate look in his eyes.
Odom shook his head. “No, not before our fleet is destroyed. We have sent requests to the Lakiam Alliance, but their nearest fleet will take four days to reach us.”
“Then we are doomed,” said Councilor Arrleen. She had a look of great sadness in her eyes. “We should have joined the Alliance when we were given the opportunity.”
Odom’s large brown eyes focused on Councilor Arrleen. “We believed with our fleet we would be safe. I fear we made the same grievous mistake as have so many other Enlightened Worlds.”
“Food for the Vorn,” muttered Councilor Marshedd, shaking his head. “That is going to be the fate of our race.”
“We must tell our colony worlds to begin evacuations,” said Councilor Arrleen. “At least some of us can survive and begin our race again. Our culture need not die.”
Odom was silent for a long moment. “I’m afraid that is impossible. I recently received word that all hypercom frequencies are being jammed. We cannot communicate with our colonies. We can only hope they realize what is happening and begin evacuations on their own. We did manage to get word out that a Destroyers of Worlds’ fleet had entered the system before all communications were jammed.” The Cabbols had known for days a Vorn fleet was nearby and called home nearly all of their warships as a precautionary measure. As a result their ten colony worlds were only lightly defended. They would fall quickly to the Vorn.
Their eyes returned to the viewscreens where their fleet was being systematically reduced to wreckage. They knew there was nothing else they could do.
-
The battle computer on the flagship continued to make adjustments in its fleet formation as more ships fell victim to the Vorn. Where once proud battlecruisers of the Cabbol fleet flew, there was now only glowing debris. Hundreds of ships were dying as they pressed their attack against the incoming Vorn. The computer ran a simulation of the current state of the battle and its likely outcome. The problem was the Vorn energy shields. They were just too powerful and only massive fire from entire squadrons of Cabbol ships could bring one down. The simulation estimated the fleet could destroy 12 percent of the Vorn ships but none of the Cabbol fleet would survive.
If the battle computer had been a living being, it would have known despair. But it was only a highly sophisticated computer and continued to send ships to attack the Vorn. It would destroy as many of the Vorn ships as possible while it still had a force to fight with. Its battle tactics were logical and designed to inflict maximum damage to the enemy. Unfortunately, it had never been designed to fight the Vorn.
-
Prince Lashall watched as another food species’ battlecruiser burned on one of the viewscreens. His twin antennae stood erect as the enemy fleet was slowly being pushed back toward one of the planets it defended. Occasionally several groups of defending battlecruisers would surge forward, firing their energy cannons and launching numerous hyperspace missiles at one of the ships in the Vorn fleet. Sometimes the Vorn ship would die when its energy screen failed, other times the enemy squadrons would be destroyed by Vorn black antimatter beams and the black antimatter spheres.
Most of the defending fleet has been annihilated, reported Military Commander Volmont. Only a few hundred of their vessels remain, and those are falling back toward the planet’s defensive grid.
How powerful is the grid? asked Lashall. In recent months the harvesting fleets had been
running into much more powerful defensive grids defending the planets of various food species. Some of the grids were actually capable of destroying Vorn cruisers. A very powerful defensive platform was being deployed with much more powerful energy beams.
Military Commander Volmont spent a few moments communicating with the Vorn at the sensor console. There are none of the more updated defensive platforms some of our fleets have reported encountering. The ones in orbit over both planets will pose no threat to our ships.
Then let us finish this, ordered Lashall. I grow impatient to taste a food pellet from this species.
-
The Vorn fleet proceeded toward the planet. The surviving Cabbol battlecruisers added their firepower to the defensive grid that protected the Cabbol homeworld. Two Vorn cruisers were destroyed as their defensive screens were overloaded. However, the Vorn were firing nonstop against the grid and the remaining battlecruisers. In orbit around the planet, bright flashes indicated the deaths of the remaining battlecruisers and the defensive platforms which were supposed to protect the planet.
-
On board the Cabbol flagship, the battle computer knew defeat. The latest projection showed a 99.7 percent chance of defeat. As the computer ran simulations that might offer a chance for victory a Vorn black antimatter beam penetrated the ship’s energy shield, blasting right through the ship’s Command Center destroying the battle computer. Moments afterward the flagship was destroyed by four Vorn antimatter missiles. Hours later its shattered remains would rain down upon the planet it was supposed to protect.
-
Above the planet, the bright flashes of light died out. All the defense platforms and the last few defending battlecruisers had been annihilated. The Vorn now had unrestricted access to the planet.
The Vorn fleet went into orbit and the four motherships descended to the proper altitude to begin the harvesting. On each ship, fourteen large hatches slid open. From each a black ray flashed forth to strike the surface of the planet below. As a black beam swept across an inhabited city all of its inhabitants were transformed into a black ashy substance, which was gathered up by an embedded tractor beam.