Kathryn, Admiral Pence, Commander Zafron, and Commander Belson were there to greet him as he stepped off the ship.
“Councilor Bartoll,” said Commander Belson, stepping forward and bowing slightly. “I am Commander Belson, the current military commander of the Originators who came to this star cluster.”
Bartoll nodded. “From what I could see on our approach this station is quite impressive. Are there really fifty thousand of our people in stasis?”
Belson nodded. “Yes, and we’ve already brought nearly twenty thousand of them out of stasis and given them the cure for the pathogen.”
“I assume Rear Admiral Barnes and Commander Zafron have informed you of the current state of affairs on the Shrieels and at the Communications and Transport Hub.”
A sad look passed over Commander Belson’s face. “Yes, I had hoped the cure would come many years ago. It was distressing to learn the Anti-Life are free and causing such pain and destruction across so many galaxies.”
“Yes, I was shocked to learn of their escape from the hyperspace interference field. We have already suffered a major attack by them recently against the Shrieel in Galaxy X-938.”
Kathryn wasn’t aware of this. The attack must have occurred after she left on this mission. “Did we stop them?”
“Yes, but we suffered heavy fleet loses. If not for the sacrifice your people made we might have lost control of the Shrieel.” Councilor Bartoll turned back to Commander Belson. “I fear a major war with the Eternals is beginning. It is essential we get our people here back to the Communications and Transport Hub as soon as possible. I can make arrangements for some of our transport ships to come here and safely take everyone back.”
“There’s a problem,” Kathryn said a little hesitantly, not sure how to tell Councilor Bartoll what they had hidden from him. “One we haven’t told you about at the request of Commander Belson.”
Councilor Bartoll’s eyes narrowed worriedly, switching his gaze to Commander Belson. “What is it? Do some of our people wish to stay here? They will be much safer at the Communications and Transport Hub. We are greatly increasing the defenses there as well as the size of our fleet.”
“No, but when Rear Admiral Barnes told you there were fifty thousand of our people in stasis, we were only including those on this station. There is another and much large stasis facility below the surface of the planet this station orbits.”
“Why didn’t you mention this before? We could have made arrangements to bring some of our larger transport ships.”
“I wanted to get to know Fleet Admiral Barnes, Commander Zafron, Nomar, and Cynthia a little better first. I met Cynthia before she left on the Seeker. I wanted to be satisfied I was making the right decision in revealing the presence of our primary facility. We also have some of our own transports available.”
“This is a different time and age,” replied Councilor Bartoll, his eyes focusing on Commander Belson. “We will have to make adjustments if our civilization is to continue. We have some important decisions to make about the future, but a lot of that depends on how many of our people you have here in stasis. I was thrilled to learn of the fifty thousand and now you tell me there are more. How many more?”
Commander Belson hesitated briefly and then answered. “Twelve million.”
Councilor Bartoll’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Twelve million?”
“Yes,” Kathryn responded. For a moment she was concerned Councilor Bartoll was going to pass out. She could see he was trying to put his mind around what Commander Belson had just said. “I’ve been down to the surface and I’ve seen the facility.”
Councilor Bartoll seemed to recover and rapidly gained back his composure. His face broke out into a wide smile. “Rear Admiral Barnes, I believe we’re going to need more ships.”
Kathryn nodded. “I believe you’re right.” It was time to take the lost Originators home.
Chapter Thirteen
Squadron Commander Mallon gazed intently at the tactical display in the Eternal battlecruiser Equinorl. They had been following an Originator fleet they had detected which was on a course for a star cluster just outside of a galaxy that once contained a Shrieel. The squadron had been running their stealth fields at maximum and rotating the frequency in the hope they would not be detected. The gambit seemed to have worked as the Originator ships never dropped out of hyperspace until they reached what appeared to be a nondescript star system in the cluster.
Mallon had slowed his battlecruisers and they were now creeping up on the outskirts of the cluster at a low hyperspace speed. Mallon hoped they could close the range enough without being detected to scan the system the Originator ships had dropped out of hyperspace within.
“What are they doing way out here?” asked Second Commander Chattel.
“Perhaps after the Shrieel in the galaxy behind us was destroyed the AIs established a new presence in this star cluster.”
“I would like to know who or what had the firepower to destroy a Shrieel.”
“We may never know. The entire region around the Shrieel has turned into a supernova, and there are hundreds more in the region. “It’s almost as if a great battle was fought in that area of the galaxy using weapons of unheard of power.”
“A battle that destroyed entire star systems and the Shrieel,” said Chattel, his eyes showing disbelief. “What type of enemy could do such a thing?”
Squadron Commander Mallon turned to stare at his second in command. “Perhaps it was this proxy race of the Originator AIs. After what we have observed of the destruction of the Shrieel in this galaxy, they may not be a proxy race but the new rulers of the Originator Shrieels. While we talk about conquering the Shrieels, this other race may already have done so.”
“If that is true we need to get that information back to the council!”
“We will,” replied Mallon, turning his eyes back to the tactical display. “But first I want to know what is so important about this star cluster that brought the Originator AIs out here.”
-
Rear Admiral Barnes was on board the space station with Commander Belson, Commander Zafron, Councilor Bartoll, Andram, and Camlin. They were explaining in more detail what the three Federation races at the Communications and Transport Hub were doing.
Commander Belson looked over at Kathryn. “I understand you found the Dominator and the Seeker. You are to be highly commended for that. However, I am uneasy with the access you seem to have to Originator technology, particular weapons technology. If weapons of the type which exist on our warships and the Shrieels were to get out in the galaxies to races less developed, it could throw all of Originator space into turmoil.”
“All of our ships have at least one Originator AI on board,” replied Kathryn. “My own vessel has three. They have become valuable members of my crew, and I would do nothing to endanger that. They have been a great source of advice in some of the situations we have found ourselves.”
“We had the same fear,” Andram said in his fatherly type voice. “We Altons are the oldest race in our galaxy and our science is far in advance of any other civilization we have come into contact with except for yours. We had the same fears when we made much of our weapons technology available to the Federation. Thanks to the Federation Council those fears were soon abated. The Federation has only used that power for the good of the galaxy with only the occasional need for our guidance.”
“They still allow your race to control them?” asked Commander Belson, looking slightly confused.
“No,” replied Andram. “All of the Federation races prefer peace over war. They respect that we are the eldest race in the galaxy and at times depend on us to offer suggestions on how best to solve difficult situations that come up from time to time with other civilizations. In some cases an Alton science ship has been sent under escort by the Federation to act as an intermediary to prevent a possible confrontation. They always seek peace before war.”
This seemed to satisfy Commander
Belson. “We did the same back in our early days when we were still exploring space and had numerous exploration missions out. I believe we can do that again. I see no reason why the agreement you currently have with the three Federation races at the Communications and Transport Hub cannot continue. I will make such a recommendation when our two councilors have recovered sufficiently from the pathogen to meet with us.” The two councilors had already been given the antidote to the pathogen and in a few days would be well enough to participate in the talks.
Camlin was about to say something when her face suddenly showed alarm. “I was just contacted by Clarissa. An Eternal fleet has become entangled in the hyperspace interference field.”
“How did they find us?” asked Councilor Bartoll concerned by this news. “We can’t let them discover what’s here. That fleet must be destroyed at all costs!”
“They probably traced your fleet here,” Commander Zafron said. He spoke rapidly into a small communicator he had with him. “I’ve ordered Kazak to move the Dominator away from the station. He’s joining up with Admiral Pence. I’ve told Kazak to attack the Eternals and eliminate their fleet.”
“How many ships?” asked Kathryn. If it was a large fleet they could be in trouble. She knew the Dominator was their most powerful vessel but she didn’t want to endanger it.
“Only twenty,” replied Camlin. “They had their stealth fields on but when they struck the hyperspace interference field they became visible to our sensors.”
“Why didn’t we detect them before now?” asked Councilor Bartoll, his eyes showing strain. “If they were following us shouldn’t our long-range sensors have picked them up?” He felt distressed that he might have led the Eternals to the lost Originators.
“They should have,” Kathryn said. “Unless the Eternals have discovered another way to hide their ships from us.”
“Let’s go to the Command Center,” suggested Commander Belson. “We can observe everything from there.”
-
“What just happened?” demanded Squadron Commander Mallon. All of his ships had suddenly dropped out of hyperspace and now could not reenter.
“There’s a hyperspace interference field around the star cluster,” reported Second Commander Chattel. “Very similar to the one that was once around our galaxy but much stronger.”
“Find us a way through it!” ordered Mallon in a harsh and uncompromising voice. “I want to know what the Originator AIs are hiding.”
“We’re working on it,” Chattel replied. “We’re sending out various jamming frequencies trying to knock the field down around our ships.”
“Do it quickly. Someone is doubtlessly monitoring this field and have by now become aware of the presence of our ships.”
Mallon turned his attention back to the tactical display. At any moment he expected to see a fleet exiting the star cluster. His eyes narrowed as he wondered what could be so important inside this star cluster to erect a hyperspace interference field completely around it.
“Can we get any more details out of our long-range sensors on that star system?”
“No, the system is at the maximum range.”
“Hyperspace interference field has vanished,” reported the Eternal at the sensors. “Detecting inbound ships in hyperspace.”
“Send the Valmont back to Gardell to report on what we have found to the council,” ordered Squadron Commander Mallon. “We will follow shortly.”
“Ships exiting hyperspace,” the sensor operator reported. “Valmont has jumped.”
Alarms began sounding, and klaxons started blaring as two hundred 2,000-meter ships exited hyperspace around the Eternal vessels. Then a larger vessel dropped out of hyperspace directly in front of the Eternal squadron.
“Detecting a new class of ship,” reported the sensor operator. “It is five thousand meters long.”
Squadron Commander Mallon stood still gazing at the massive warship which had just appeared on the main viewscreen. It was larger than his own battlecruisers. “Target that ship; fire all weapons! All ships to enter hyperspace.” Mallon couldn’t help but feel that ship was extremely dangerous. It was covered with weapon turrets and missile hatches. He had never seen a vessel like it before.
“We can’t,” Second Commander Chattel reported grimly. “The hyperspace interference field has been reestablished. We’re trapped.”
“Then we fight to the death,” Mallon said, his eyes flashing anger. “We are the Eternals and we will take our enemies with us. I want all ships to target that large ship. I want it destroyed.” The large vessel had to be a flagship and he wanted to kill its commanding officer.
-
From all nineteen of the four-kilometer-long Eternal vessels, energy beams and antimatter missiles slammed into the triplex energy screen of the Dominator. However, the Dominator had two antimatter chambers powering the ship’s powerful energy screens. The outer screen glowed brightly and some energy penetrated to impact the second, but none reached the third which protected the heavily armored hull. Torrents of energy raged against the energy shield as the Eternals hit the Dominator with every weapon they possessed.
-
Kazak stood calmly in the Command Center observing the attack on his vessel. He was the greatest military AI ever created by the Originators and had never known fear.
“Outer energy shield is at 72 percent,” reported the military AI in control of the ship’s triplex energy screen. “I’m rotating the shield through a series of harmonic frequencies to reduce the impact of the Eternals’ weapons. We do have some bleed through to the second shield. Stress on the outer shield is increasing. The tactical computer is predicting failure of the outer shield in two minutes.”
“Activate energy siphoning field,” ordered Kazak. The Command Center was staffed by eight Originator AIs including three recently created military AIs, who were operating the weapons console and the ship’s energy screen.
-
The energy-siphoning field had been modified by one of the Originators back at the Communications and Transport Hub to make it more effective against Eternal vessels. The field reached out and the power began to vanish from the Eternal battlecruisers as the field soaked it up.
-
“The energy-siphoning field is absorbing the energy from their screens,” confirmed one of the military AIs at the weapons console. “But it’s doing so slowly. It will take several minutes to completely drain their shields.”
Kazak didn’t want to wait several minutes to destroy his enemies. In that time the Eternals might find a successful way to attack and damage the Dominator. “Open hatches to our primary weapon system and target all nineteen Eternal vessels.”
-
“The large vessel has established an energy siphoning field of an unknown nature,” reported Second Commander Chattel. “It’s slowly draining the power from our energy shields. We can expect shield failure in three minutes.”
Squadron Commander Mallon drew in a deep breath. “Continue firing all weapons.” He felt frustrated as he gazed at the ship’s viewscreens. Energy beams and antimatter warheads were striking the large ship’s energy screen but none were penetrating.
-
On the Dominator, nineteen hatches slid open and from each a blue energy sphere launched. The spheres struck the weakening energy screens of the Eternal vessels, causing them to collapse. The spheres continued slamming into the armored hulls of the ships. The blue spheres spread out and began to break down the bonding of the atoms that comprised the hulls, turning them into a dark space dust.
Energy beams were still smashing into the Dominator’s energy screens and occasionally an antimatter warhead would detonate, releasing its deadly power. But as the seconds passed they became fewer and fewer.
-
Squadron Commander Mallon stared in disbelief as a single Originator warship was in the process of destroying his fleet.
“How can this be?” asked Second Commander Chattel, his eyes wide in shock.
Mallon sat in his command chair knowing he was soon going to die. “This weapon is far deadlier than anything we possess.”
“We must warn the council,” cried out Chattel.
“We can’t,” Mallon replied as the power went out in the Command Center. “We are going to die here.”
-
Kazak watched impassively as Eternal ship after ship was converted to dark space dust by the deadly blue spheres. There was no longer any weapons fire being directed at the Dominator. In a few more moments the last Eternal battlecruiser was no more. It had taken longer than expected to reduce the ships to dust, but in the end all nineteen ship had succumbed. Kazak, the Originators greatest warrior, had once more showed his dominance in battle.
-
Commander Belson turned toward Commander Zafron. “I was not aware the blue energy spheres were part of the weapons on the Dominator.”
“It was kept a secret,” Zafron admitted. “There were even some among the crew of the Dominator who did not know the ship had been armed with the deadly energy spheres.” Having the blue energy spheres on a warship was against Originator laws but the Dominator had been made the exception.
-
Kathryn gazed at the large viewscreen in the Command Center showing a view of the Dominator. The video was being transmitted by one of the large hyperspace interference stations. They had just gotten to watch a live show of the Dominator making mincemeat out of nineteen Eternal battlecruisers. Kathryn wondered what a fleet made up of vessels similar to the Dominator and armed with the blue energy spheres could do to the Eternals.
“Imagine if that weapon were loose in the galaxies controlled by us,” said Councilor Bartoll, suspecting what Rear Admiral Barnes was thinking. “If just one of those spheres was to reach a planet it could do terrible harm. Six or more, over time, would be capable of destroying a world. That is why the weapon must never leave the Shrieels.”
The Originator Wars: Search for the Lost: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 23