The stations’ fire was unrelenting. One thousand, two thousand, then five thousand Eternal vessels were annihilated. Then the first dark energy beam station blew apart as its shield was overwhelmed and collapsed.
For twelve minutes the deadly exchange continued as the Eternals closed to pointblank range. They were simply overwhelming the defenses of the stations in an attempt to bring as many weapons to bear as quickly as possible.
More stations died as the Eternals continued their deadly attack. Twelve minutes after the first dark energy beam struck an Eternal vessel the last station was blown apart.
-
“What did we lose?” demanded Clondax. He was growing tired of these constant surprises. He had already suffered far greater ship losses than originally projected.
“We lost 12,237 ships,” Garald reported from his sensor console. “It only took one of those beams to destroy one of our battlecruisers. I’ve never seen anything remotely like them.”
Clondax shifted his dark eyes to the tactical display. Surely all the Originators had left were their fleets. He had them vastly outnumbered even after the losses his fleet had just suffered. It was time to end this. “Attack those three fleets,” he ordered. “I want every ship destroyed. Once that’s been completed I want a thorough scan of the planet. There has to be something very valuable they’re protecting and I want to know what it is.”
-
“Eternal fleet is approaching,” reported Kevin, trying to sound calm.
Jeremy let out a deep sigh. He had hoped the dark energy stations would destroy more of the Eternal vessels. The dark energy beams were all he had been led to believe, the stations just hadn’t been powerful enough and he didn’t have the ships to protect them. There were four stations left and they were in orbit directly beneath Rear Admiral Barnes’s fleet. All four were still under stealth and had not been detected by the Eternals.
He glanced at the tactical display. Commander Zafron’s fleet was near Jeremy’s and they would fight this final engagement together.
“Eternal fleet is in weapons range,” Ariel said as she looked over at Jeremy. “We can’t win.” There was deep concern in Ariel’s voice.
“We have to try,” Jeremy responded.
“You have already sent over eight hundred thousand Originators back to the hub,” said Aaliss, stepping closer to Jeremy. “No one would blame you if you left the system. We do not want you to sacrifice your ships needlessly.”
“I would blame myself,” Jeremy replied. “I came here to save all twelve million Originators, and I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen.”
-
Kevin didn’t say anything. He was coming to believe he would never see Katie again. He looked back at his sensor screen and the massive Eternal fleet bearing down on them.
“Weapons range!” he called out, bracing himself for what he knew was about to happen.
-
Intense weapons fire broke out between the opposing fleets. Eternal battlecruisers died under the heavy fire of gravitonic cannons, energy beams, particle beams, and the explosions of dark matter missiles. Eternal screens were being knocked down as beam weapons and dark matter missiles struck the shields. Once that occurred further weapons fire would destroy the ship.
In the two defending Originator fleets battlecruisers were being torn apart by heavy energy beam fire and the explosions of antimatter warheads.
The Eternals had the numbers and superior firepower. They pressed their attack and Originator ships began to die in ever higher numbers.
-
On the Avenger, the ship was under heavy weapons fire. All around her heavy dreadnoughts were dying as they were blown apart by Eternal weapons. The ship shook violently as several energy beams penetrated through all three shields, striking the hull and cutting deeply into the vessel.
-
In the Command Center, the lights dimmed and several consoles exploded. Jeremy felt Ariel suddenly grab him, breaking his safety harness, as she threw him across the Command Center. Feeling shaken Jeremy stood up and looked at his command chair. Ariel was lying across it with a large metal support beam having crushed her AI body. Jeremy hurried over, calling out to her but she did not move or respond.
“Jeremy,” a weak voice called to him. He recognized the voice as belonging to Kevin. He was lying next to his sensor console with a piece of metal sticking out of his chest. “I don’t think I’m going to make it back. You have to get back and tell Katie how I died.”
Jeremy stood looking in shock. Most of the crew were slumped over their consoles or lying on the floor comatose. Even Aaliss seemed to be nonfunctional. He hurried over to Kevin grabbing a first aid kit. It can’t end this way, he thought as he reached his best friend.
“You’re not going to die!” Jeremy said as he began trying to stop the bleeding. “You’re not going to leave me to face our wives alone.”
Kevin forced a grin and coughed, spitting up blood. “Katie will be very upset if I don’t come back.”
“You’re coming back,” insisted Jeremy. He was trying but he just couldn’t stop the bleeding.
-
On the heavy dreadnought Lancelot, Admiral Pence fought to keep his ship and fleet alive. Heavy smoke was prevalent in the Command Center and the ship’s outer energy screen was down. Several Eternal energy beams had already struck the ship opening up numerous compartments to space. Repair robots were trying to repair what they could and emergency bulkheads were closed across the ship.
“We can’t save her,” the executive officer said, shaking her head. She was holding her left arm which was bent at a wicked angle. “The other two screens are failing.”
Admiral Pence nodded. He would have liked to have been able to return to New Tellus one last time. He knew that dream would never happen. He looked at the main viewscreen, seeing his fleet dying around him.
In a sudden flash of light, the Command Center vanished as the Lancelot blew apart.
-
Commander Zafron studied the tactical displays as the ships around him continued to be destroyed.
“We just lost the Lancelot and Admiral Pence,” Kazak said as he fired ten blue energy spheres at a group of Eternal battlecruisers. We’ve also lost contact with the Avenger.”
Commander Zafron nodded. “Order all ships to fall back to Rear Admiral Barns. We will fight our final battle there.”
-
Kathryn groaned as she saw the green icon representing the Lancelot vanish from the tactical display. With relief she saw the Avenger falling back but they still had not been able to contact it; even Camlin had been unable to reach any of the Originator AIs on the ship.
“Pull us back to the four dark energy beam stations,” Kathryn ordered. “We will make our final stand there.” There was still a slim hope that with the Dominator and the four stations the Eternals just might break off their attack.
“Ships are falling back and the Eternals are in pursuit,” reported Clarissa. “I still cannot contact the Avenger or Ariel.” Clarissa had a look of near panic on her face.
This greatly concerned Kathryn.
“Your people fight as well or better than any Originators,” said Jontel.
Kathryn nodded. Looking at the tactical display, she knew they would give a good accounting of themselves but it wasn’t going to be enough. She wished she could contact Fleet Admiral Strong but there must be something seriously wrong with the Avenger for there still to be no communication.
“Captain Travers, contact Rear Admiral Mann. Inform her that I’m going to pull the Eternals down closer to the planet. When it’s time, I will contact her. She’s to send all of her defensive globes into the rear of the Eternal formation as well as her fleet. The four construction ships are to destroy the Accelerator Ring as soon as her fleet abandons it.” This would be a last gasp effort. If she could damage the remaining Eternal fleet enough, just maybe they would withdraw.
-
The battle intens
ified again and ships on both sides began to die. The four dark energy beam stations dropped their stealth fields and began firing on the Eternals. From the Dominator blue energy spheres were being launched as rapidly as possible as Kazak annihilated those Eternal ships endangering the five-thousand-meter ship.
The surviving Originator ships were determined to hold their positions protecting the Dominator and the four dark energy beam stations. There was no way to win this battle without them.
The Eternals pushed forward and suddenly one of the dark energy stations blew apart as it was pummeled by hundreds of Eternal energy beams and antimatter missiles. Less than twenty seconds later a second one died.
-
Kathryn grimaced as two of her exploration dreadnoughts were blown apart leaving fiery debris behind. The Distant Horizon shuddered violently and then it stopped.
“We took an energy beam strike just aft of Engineering,” Commander Grissim reported. “Our outer energy shield is down to 40 percent.”
“You tried,” Nomar Krill said. “We can ask no more of you. Take your surviving ships and leave. We can order the four construction ships to set the Accelerator Ring’s power centers to overload, destroying it. You serve no purpose staying here and sacrificing yourself.”
Kathryn shook her head. It was time to contact Rear Admiral Mann and launch their final effort to push back the Eternal fleet.
“Admiral, look at the main viewscreen!” called out Clarissa. She had an excited look on her face.
Kathryn looked at the viewscreen showing the Accelerator Ring. It had activated and a spatial vortex was beginning to form. As soon as it stabilized Originator battlecruisers began to emerge. Not hundreds but thousands! In their midst were four hundred heavy dreadnoughts and what appeared to be one hundred of the large Originator cargo ships. From the cargo ships thousands of the new updated defense globes began to launch. They quickly formed up and hurled themselves at the Eternal fleet, followed closely by the Originator warships which had just exited the ring.
“Where did they come from?” asked Kathryn, stunned by what she was seeing on the viewscreens and tactical displays. That fleet couldn’t be here! It was impossible!
“It is Admiral Jackson,” confirmed Commander Grissim. “I see his flagship, the Dauntless.”
“He has forty-six thousand Originator battlecruisers and four hundred heavy dreadnoughts with him,” reported Clarissa jubilantly.
“How many of the new defense globes?”
“Two hundred thousand,” replied Clarissa. “They’re already on a course to engage the Eternals.”
“Eternal fleet is breaking off,” added Captain Reynolds excitedly from his sensor console. “I’m detecting vortexes forming in front of the Eternal ships. They’re leaving!”
The Command Center erupted in cheers as a massive feeling of relief spread through the command crew. They knew they had just escaped death.
Kathryn leaned back in her command chair still not ready to believe what was happening. The needed miracle had occurred, she just had no idea how Admiral Jackson had managed to pull it off. There was just no way he could be here with that fleet.
“Get some shuttles over to the Avenger,” she ordered, realizing there was work that still needed to be done. “Send plenty of medical personnel.”
“We did it,” Camlin said, her face looking ecstatic. “The Eternals are withdrawing and now we can save all of the Originators.”
“Yes, we did it, but the cost was heavy,” replied Kathryn. On the main viewscreen, the Avenger appeared. The ship was still under power and moving so someone must be alive on board. The fleet flagship had been brutalized. There were huge holes in its side easily hundreds of meters across. The ship was lucky to have survived. All across this area of space was the wreckage from thousands of destroyed vessels. Kathryn hoped she was never in a battle like this one again.
-
First Leader Clondax was in shock. Somehow or another the Originators had managed to put together a massive fleet to send to protect whatever was so important in that system. It had been tempting to stay and fight but the ship’s computer had indicated a high probability of defeat. Rather than risk losing his entire fleet, he had ordered Fleet Commander Tarsal to withdraw.
He would return to Gardell and inform the council of all that had transpired. It was now evident there were still living Originators and they had made several major weapons advances. The conquering of Originator space was going to be much more difficult than expected. A completely new plan of battle would have to be made and ship construction increased. It would take a while before they were ready to return to engage the Originators, but there would come a time in the future when the Eternals would return. At that time the Eternals would take the Shrieels from the Originators and establish themselves once and for all as the most powerful race in the universe.
Chapter Eighteen
Jeremy was busy working on Kevin when the hatch to the Command Center slid open and Doctor Ruyl came rushing in with several med techs.
“Out of the way, Admiral,” he ordered as he bent down over Kevin and began examining him. The other med techs began fanning out across the Command Center checking the rest of the crew.
Doctor Ruyl opened up his med kit and gave Kevin an injection of organic medical nanites as well as a pain killer. “That should stabilize him until I can get him to the med bay. Rear Admiral Barnes is sending over some of her medical staff. We have a lot of wounded coming in from all over the ship.”
“How did you know to come to the Command Center?” Jeremy hadn’t called him, he had been too rushed to get to Kevin and stop the bleeding.
“I told him,” a familiar voice said behind Jeremy.
Turning slowly Jeremy saw Ariel standing there. He looked over at his command chair and her AI body was still pinned by the heavy beam. “I don’t understand.”
Ariel grinned. “My computer crystal is still here in the Command Center. I transferred by memory engrams to it as soon as I realized my AI body was not going to survive. I then activated one of my holograms and went to get Doctor Ruyl. I also maneuvered the Avenger out of harm’s way back to Rear Admiral Barnes’s fleet.”
Jeremy nodded. “Why haven’t the Eternals destroyed us and what about Aaliss?” At any moment he expected the Avenger to be blown apart.
“That’s the best part,” Ariel said, her smile growing wider. “Admiral Jackson came through the Accelerator Ring with a massive Originator fleet and several hundred thousand of the new defense globes. The Eternals withdrew and from the long-range sensor readings are on a course for their home galaxy. The battle is over and we won. As for Aaliss she suffered a massive electrical shock. Her AI body is rebooting and she should be functional in a few more minutes.”
Jeremy watched as several med techs loaded Kevin on a gurney and took him from the Command Center. He saw Aaliss lying to one side of the Command Center with a repair robot monitoring her.
“Kevin will be fine,” Doctor Ruyl said as he turned to follow the med techs. “He’s just going to need a few days to recover. That piece of metal penetrated one of his lungs but the organic nanites will have it repaired good as new by the time I revive him. They’ve already stopped the bleeding.”
A large number of repair robots entered and began working on the damage in the Command Center. One of the first things they did was remove the beam pinning Ariel’s AI body to the command chair. Then they took the body out through the still open hatch. It was strange to watch that with Ariel standing next to him.
“I was growing to like that body,” Ariel said wistfully as she watched several of the repair robots carry it out.
“I’m sure the Originator AIs can make you a new one,” said Jeremy. “Do we have communications?” The screens were out as well as the tactical display. He was blind and wanted to know what was going on.
“Yes,” answered Ariel. “I had to reroute some subsystems but we can contact Admiral Jackson. I assume that’s who you want
to talk to. I’ll have most the viewscreens functioning in another minute or so. I do have the primary one working. I’ve already spoken to Clarissa; that’s how Doctor Ruyl knew about the medical personnel on the way.”
Jeremy nodded. “Yes, I want to know how Jackson got here a good two weeks early.” Jeremy knew the large cargo ships the hub was building for him couldn’t be ready. Jackson’s fleet couldn’t be either.
Moments later a grinning Admiral Jackson appeared on the main viewscreen. “Hello Fleet Admiral Strong; I hope everything is well on the Avenger. From here it looks as if your ship took a beating.”
“It did,” admitted Jeremy. “If not for your timely arrival by now the Eternals would have control of the system and we would all be dead. I have one question. Where the hell did you come from and how did you get all of those ships?”
Admiral Jackson took a deep breath. “From Ornellia. As soon as I arrived at the hub, I realized there was no way we were going to get the new fleet ready and to you in time. Admiral Kalen agreed so I took everything they had finished and went to Ornellia. I then requested Originator battlecruisers from every Shrieel, which could get them to me in time. It was only yesterday the cargo ships containing the new defense drones arrived through the Accelerator Ring. We already knew from communications with Rear Admiral Mann what was happening here. As soon as we realized the Eternals were making their final push we activated the ring over Ornellia and here we are.”
Jeremy leaned back in his command chair feeling lightheaded. It seemed as if his decision and Rear Admiral Barnes’ to help the Ornellians had just paid off. If not for them there would be no Accelerator Ring in that system. It was strange how things had worked out.
“Give Rear Admiral Mann ten thousand of your battlecruisers to protect the Accelerator Ring. I want the rest of your ships in orbit around this planet until the special transports I requested arrive.”
The Originator Wars: Search for the Lost: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 32