The Star Cross: The Vorn!

by Raymond L. Weil

  Andrew blinked his eyes and frowned worriedly. “Can you imagine what Grantz would be like if he gets his hands on that much gold?”

  Kurt nodded. “No doubt he would be contacting you about setting up a line of pleasure houses on Newton.”

  “I wish he would quit bringing that up,” said Andrew, sounding peeved. “Emily is starting to believe Grantz and I are business partners.”

  “I’m sure Grantz would like that. He’s been very adamant when I’ve spoken to him that the two of you have a lot in common.”

  Andrew groaned putting his partially eaten sandwich back down on his plate. “Sometime after this war with the Vorn is over, Grantz and I are going to have to sit down and have a long and serious talk.”

  -

  Above Kubitz, a large cargo ship moved into orbit. It was from one of the smaller worlds of the Gothan Empire. It had already stopped at the Controller Station and paid the necessary fees to trade on Kubitz and remain in orbit.

  High Profiteer Creed gazed at a viewscreen showing the planet. “It’s been a while since we’ve been here,” he remarked. Looking over at the tactical display he had installed in the cargo ship’s small Command Center, he saw there were hundreds of ships in orbit. He also noticed the two Human battleships and the battlecruisers.

  “Months,” said Second Profiteer Hurkler. “We need to sell this gold, convert it to credits, and finish paying off our crews. They’re all anxious to get away from the ships and start spending.”

  “All in good time,” Creed replied. He was pleased to see the Human ships had not made any response toward his cargo ship. That indicated the Humans were unaware he was on board or what the ship contained.

  His battleship and two battlecruisers were just a few light years away. He intended to convert the gold to credits and then take the empty cargo vessel back to his waiting ships. Once there he intended to release the two battlecruisers and cargo ship and then take his battleship and a major portion of the credits to one of the more advanced worlds outside the Gothan Empire where he could live out his life in luxury. He would also make sure it had an adequate defense grid and fleet to keep the Vorn at bay. He had several worlds already in mind.

  “It’s going to take time to make the arrangements to sell so much gold,” said Second Profiteer Hurkler. “There are several of Clan Leader Jarls’ battleships in orbit as well though I don’t see his flagship.”

  “No, it’s not here. I made sure of that. Clan Leader Jarls is back in the Dacroni home system setting up a small colony on Dacroni Five.”

  “Just as well. From the reports we’ve received he has also added to the bounty on your head. We should not spend too much time here at Kubitz lest someone grows suspicious.”

  High Profiteer Creed grinned. “We have the time. No one suspects this cargo ship is anything more than what it is. I need to contact a few acquaintances on the planet to begin making the necessary arrangements to convert the gold to credits. In less than two weeks we will be gone from here and far richer than any of us ever dreamed possible.”

  -

  In the Human embassy, Profiteer Grantz had just received a message from Profiteer Waskom. Profiteer Larick had sent a message detailing the arrival of a cargo ship containing High Profiteer Creed’s gold.

  Grantz was careful about what he said in reply. He knew his Human friends most likely had his personal quarters monitored. It’s what he would do in their place.

  “I will meet you at the Loramar Pleasure House and we can discuss this in more detail. Also, contact the special teams we set up and inform them we will be in need of their services shortly.”

  Grantz disconnected from his comm device with a wide and devious smile on his face. He now had two options to become rich. He could take the cargo ship in orbit which would make him the richest Profiteer in the Gothan Empire. If that failed he could still kill Creed and deliver his head to Fleet Admiral Vickers. The total bounties currently on Creed had risen to nearly thirty million credits over the past few weeks. Grantz could well imagine the look on Vicker’s face when he presented Creed’s severed head to him.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  High Prince Brollen arrived in the new staging system with the last ships of the fleet he intended to use to harvest Galaxy X241. From all reports the harvest was proceeding according to plan. As his new mothership settled into orbit around, the star the one hundred and twenty dreadnoughts he had ordered built moved into a protective formation around his vessel.

  The harvest goes well, reported Military Leader Ansolk. Over eighty worlds have been harvested thus far. Soon the first fleets will be returning with the holds of their motherships overfilled with food pellets for our Queens. The Collector ships are already here, waiting.

  We will continue to harvest the weaker worlds saving the most powerful until we are ready to destroy them, replied Brollen. Food species 236, 111, 843, and the Ancients are to be avoided until that time. We must send a number of Collector ships back to the Conclave Habitat loaded with food pellets to satisfy our Queens. Once we have built up a sufficient food stock then it will be time to destroy those races.

  Military Leader Gallet turned away from the tactical display where he had been confirming the number of ships currently in the system. We can send out another thirty harvesting fleets which will greatly speed up the harvest.

  Military Commander Vasterus recommends keeping those fleets here until we see if there is any reaction from the more dangerous systems to our renewed harvest.

  Not necessary, sent Military Leader Gallet. All of our ships have been updated and we have sufficient battleships and dreadnoughts here to ensure this system is not endangered. Our Queens grow hungry. Let us speed up the harvest.

  Then do so, ordered High Price Brollen after a moment of thought. The sooner we finish the harvesting of this galaxy the quicker I can bring a new order to our habitats. Brollen fully intended to continue on his course for power. Sometime in the future, he would be the Vorns’ Supreme Leader. What about the fleet Military Commander Vasterus sent to that nebula to search for the Ancients? The Ancients concerned him the most. He was confident his fleets could subdue and harvest the other food worlds in this galaxy including those which had successfully resisted up to now. However, until they found the home system of the Ancients, there was no way to know their true power. As long as it remained hidden, the Vorn could not attack and harvest it.

  It should have arrived by now, reported Military Leader Ansolk. We will know shortly if the Ancients are truly a threat.

  This satisfied Brollen. He turned his multifaceted eyes toward the viewscreens showing the large dreadnoughts that protected his mothership. He was highly curious as to what a food pellet from the Ancients’ world would taste like. He would certainly add a large number to his private collection if the Vorn could harvest it.

  -

  Military Leader Victell stood in the Command Center of his cruiser gazing at the darkness ahead. For several days his fleet had waited outside the nebula trying to elicit a response from those within. Victell knew several of the other military leaders in the fleet did not believe this was where the Ancients were hidden. Every day doubt was spreading throughout the fleet. It didn’t help that he was junior to several of the other military leaders and they did not believe he should have been chosen to lead this mission.

  The other military leaders grow restless, Haycort reported from Communications. They question our delay entering the nebula.

  Victell was well aware of this. If this is indeed where the Ancients have their homeworld we could be facing tens of thousands of warships. We must be careful in our approach. Victell had come up with a plan that should allow the fleet to scan the center of the nebula. He then sent a telepathic message to all ships in the fleet that they would be entering the nebula in two more hours.

  While the fleet waited for the two hours to pass Military Leader Victell spoke telepathically to the military leaders in nine small spindle-shaped cruisers. Once he
finished conversing with them Victell felt satisfied they would learn what was inside the heart of the nebula. However, he had other plans for the rest of the fleet.

  -

  Lead Councilor Aalik was inside one of the Defense Centers gazing in worry at what was showing on the viewscreens and the tactical display. The Vorn were back!

  “Four hundred and sixty ships,” reported the Glaymon monitoring the sensors. “They’ve been sitting outside the nebula for several days as if waiting for something. They are also keeping their stealth fields up.”

  Aalik was thankful the Aggressives were feeding them this information from their sensor arrays. The arrays’ sensors could easily penetrate the Vorns’ stealth fields. After the last council meeting Aalik felt fortunate to have survived as Lead Councilor. The Aggressives had agreed to reduce their expansion to just two additional habitation squares with only a minor increase in their population. This only happened after the two new Aggressive council members managed to convince the rest of the council they had no idea what Councilor Valen and Marshton had planned. They were as shocked as the rest of the council at what Valen and Fleet Captain Kriegon had taken.

  “Disposition of our own forces?” Aalik asked. He knew a number of battleships and disk battlecruisers were always on patrol.

  “We have twenty battleships and two hundred disk battlecruisers prepared to meet them if they enter the nebula.”

  “Are Aggressives operating the battlecruisers?”

  “Yes,” replied one of the Advanced Glaymon military officers. “However, only Advanced Glaymons are on board the battleships.”

  Aalik nodded. It had taken a tremendous amount of political maneuvering to allow the Aggressives to maintain control over some of the battlecruisers. Once more they were restricted from being on board or building battleships of their own. Aalik was convinced this was a mistake.

  “Vorn are moving,” reported the Glaymon monitoring the sensors.

  On one of the viewscreens, several 1,200-meter Vorn battleships were visible. Moments later they vanished into the nebula.

  Aalik took a deep breath. He felt the weight of authority settle about his shoulders. Those Vorn vessels could not be allowed to reach the Dyson Sphere.

  -

  Military Leader Victell ordered the fleet forward; his own cruiser was bringing up the rear. As soon as the fleet entered the nebula all ships deactivated their stealth fields. They wanted to attract whatever was hiding inside. For nearly an hour the ships ventured deeper and deeper into the darkness, then suddenly the warning alarms on the sensors began going off.

  Ancient ships detected, reported Harran from sensors. Twenty battleships and two hundred battlecruisers, all disk shaped.

  Barlol, bring our ship to a stop and reverse course. Activate stealth field. Victell was certain the Ancients’ sensors could penetrate the field but he was hoping in all the confusion of the battle, his ship activating its stealth field and dropping further behind the Vorn fleet might not be noticed.

  -

  The fleets continued to close. In the Vorn fleet, Military Leader Talkor stared disapprovingly at the tactical display as Military Leader Victell’s cruiser vanished.

  They are withdrawing, sent the Vorn from the sensor console.

  Military Leader Victell should be deleted, projected the Vorn standing at Tactical.

  Nearing weapons range, sent the Vorn at sensors.

  Fire as soon as we have a weapons lock, ordered Talkor.

  It will be difficult to get a positive lock in this nebula, reported the Vorn at Tactical. The radiation and ionized gas are interfering with our targeting sensors.

  Do the best you can, ordered Talkor. We must blast our way through this Ancient fleet to see what they are hiding in the center of this nebula.

  Alarms sounded and red lights began flashing. Ancients have fired! reported the Vorn at the sensor console.

  -

  In space, the Glaymon battlecruisers opened fire, followed a few seconds later by the battleships. A number of energy beams struck Vorn vessels, penetrating and blasting out huge glowing craters in the hulls. Then five hundred-megaton dark matter missiles began arriving. Once again the battlecruisers fired first. In the Vorn fleet formation, ships began to die. In brilliant explosions of released energy six Vorn cruisers and two battleships blew apart. Hundreds of dark matter missiles were pounding the Vorn fleet formation.

  The Vorn reached combat range and opened up with every weapon at their disposal. Black antimatter beams flicked out to play across Glaymon energy screens. Black spheres of antimatter hurtled toward Glaymon vessels in a fruitless attempt to drain their energy screens. In the Glaymon formation, a battleship blew apart as twenty Vorn battleships focused all of their firepower into it.

  The Glaymon disk battlecruisers pushed to the front of the fleet formation becoming more involved in the battle. Vorn cruisers were now exploding with increasing regularity as the battlecruisers focused their powerful energy beams, penetrating shields, and causing major damage to ship hulls. Debris was blown away from the Vorn ships as their hulls became seriously compromised. All it took was a flicker in their energy shield and the cruisers would send a dark matter missile through, annihilating the vessel.

  The Vorn ships were focusing on the larger Glaymon battleships believing they were the greatest danger and allowing the disk battlecruisers to move even closer to the Vorn fleet.

  -

  Military Leader Talkor was nearly thrown to the deck as his battleship shook violently.

  Major damage to the outer hull, reported one of the other Vorn. Several compartments are open to space. The battle computer is predicting a 92 percent probability of the Ancients winning this battle. It has also noted the smaller Ancient ships are causing the most damage.

  On one of the viewscreens, a second Ancient battleship blew apart after suffering extensive damage from Vorn black antimatter beams.

  We have lost over 62 percent of our fleet, reported the Vorn at the sensors. We must withdraw.

  Our mission is to reach the center of the nebula, sent Talkor. We must confirm this is the home of the Ancients! Talkor glanced at the tactical display. There was no sign of Military Leader Victell’s cruiser. Talkor felt anger. If he survived this he would see to Victell’s deletion and it would not be quick.

  The battleship suddenly jerked violently and more alarms sounded in the Command Center.

  Extensive damage in Engineering. Hyperspace drive has been destroyed, sent a Vorn in close proximity to Engineering. We have fires raging out of control. Secondary explosions are occurring. Then the telepathic message abruptly stopped.

  Military Leader Talkor could suddenly hear the tortured sound of tearing metal. Then the battleship blew apart, killing every Vorn on board.

  -

  When the Vorn fleet had first entered the nebula, nine Vorn cruisers had gone into stealth and rapidly accelerated away from the fleet. Their goal was to take separate routes to the nebula’s center while the rest of the fleet was engaged in battle with the Ancients. Two of those cruisers had been destroyed by Glaymon battleships on patrol. Seven others made it to their destination and scanned the unbelievable artifact they found. On the way back out four more of the cruisers were located and destroyed. Only three made it back to Military Leader Victell.

  -

  Military Leader Victell gazed in fear at the object being shown on the main viewscreen of his cruiser.

  It cannot exist, said Harran. That object is far larger than all of our habitats combined.

  Victell knew he was looking at the end of the Vorn. If the Ancients sent out their full fleet, they could destroy all of the Vorn forces in this galaxy and most likely the Vorn habitats as well. Victell was assuming the Ancients had a ship reserve similar to what the Vorn had inside their habitats. This information had to get back to the Conclave Habitat. The Queens must be informed about the impossible home of the Ancients and the true danger they represented.

  What is the
current status of our fleet? asked Victell, his antenna waving from side to side. Does it still survive?

  Only 18 percent of our vessels still fight, reported Harran. They cannot make it back out of the nebula. We are barely able to detect them.

  This did not surprise Military Leader Victell. We will return to the staging system and then go to the Conclave Habitat to report to Queen Berlyne. She must be told the Ancients are a far bigger threat than we believed possible.

  Moments later the four Vorn cruisers made the jump into hyperspace speeding away from the nebula.

  -

  Lead Councilor Aalik watched as the last Vorn ship vanished from the tactical display.

  “All Vorn ships have been destroyed,” reported the Glaymon at the sensor console.

  “Our own losses?”

  The sensor officer studied his console for a moment. “Three battleships and one battlecruiser.”

  “Our battleships fought poorly,” Aalik pointed out, not pleased with losing three of the powerful vessels.

  He strongly suspected if the ships had been crewed by Aggressives none would have been lost and the battle would have been over quicker. It would be difficult but this battle would serve to show the council how important the Aggressives were to the defense of the Dyson Sphere. Aalik would call another meeting and recommend the Aggressives be allowed to crew the battleships.

  “We also detected four Vorn cruisers leaving the vicinity of the nebula. We believe these are some of the cruisers we detected earlier close to the Dyson Sphere.”

  Aalik let out a deep sigh. There was no doubt those ships had scanned the Dyson Sphere and were now taking that information back to the Vorn. He would have to tell the council they must be prepared for a major attack from the Destroyers of Worlds.

  -

  Deep in intergalactic space, the Glaymon fleet under command of Fleet Captain Kriegon was well on its way. Sixty thousand battleships and one hundred and fifty thousand disk battlecruisers were in the massive fleet formation as well as the thirty ships from the Newton System. In six more days they would reach their target.