“Ariel giggled. “You could be an usher. If the wedding’s going to be on the beach, you could even go barefoot.”
Kevin glared at Ariel. “Don’t even suggest that to Angela! Have you heard when the wedding’s going to be?”
“They’re waiting until the Simulin threat has been dealt with,” Ariel replied, her dark eyes looking over at Angela’s communications station. Currently there was another woman sitting there as Angela was over on the Distant Horizon visiting Kelsey and Katie.
“Just as well,” Kevin said. He was about to say more when an alarm went off on his sensor console. “What the hell?” he muttered sitting up straight and powering up the Avenger’s full complement of sensors. His hands moved rapidly over his console as he began calling up data on the disturbance.
“It’s a spatial vortex,” confirmed Ariel, her face turning pale. “It’s between the orbits of the third and fourth planets.”
The entire system of Gaia had been seeded with vortex detection satellites. The satellites were designed to detect any nearby vortexes and report on the type of ship that emerged.
“Video coming in from satellite two-twelve,” reported Ariel. “I’m putting it up on the main viewscreen.”
On the screen an eleven hundred-meter Simulin escort cruiser appeared, its six spires glinting dangerously in the starlight.
“Go to Condition One,” ordered Kevin, his eyes growing wide. The Simulins had finally found them! He pressed another button on his console as red lights began to flash and klaxons began to sound. “Commander Malen, report to the Command Center. A Simulin escort cruiser has just jumped into the outer system.” Then he turned toward Ariel. “Contact Jeremy, I think he’s on the Clan Protector, and inform him of what’s happened.”
“Yes, Kevin,” Ariel replied without hesitation. She didn’t bother to inform Kevin that being a sensor operator didn’t give him the authority to take the entire fleet to Condition One. However, because he was one of the Special Five, no one questioned the order.
-
Between the orbits of the third and fourth planet, the Simulin escort cruiser drifted slowly through space. Its sensors were already recording data on this star system it had discovered deep in the heart of the nebula. For several weeks now, Simulin escort cruisers had been jumping into the nebula searching for the hiding place of the mysterious organics and AIs, which had thus far eluded them. Now it seemed as if their hiding place had finally been found.
The ship’s commander gazed impassively at the sensor screens as the data came in. “The organics and the AIs have set up a base on the second planet of this system. This must be reported so this potential threat can be eliminated.” A massive search had been launched since the recent disturbance in the blue giant nebula. What the intruding organics had found was the Simulin’s greatest secret.
“They found the Great Sphere of the ancients,” commented his second in command. “That knowledge must be concealed at all costs.”
“They shall die without passing on the knowledge,” stated the ship’s commander. “The Great Spheres are the key to expanding our influence across other galaxies. Their existence must be kept a secret. Someday this entire universe will be a Simulin universe; there can be no other organics.”
Alarms began sounding as a spatial vortex opened up within one thousand kilometers of the escort cruiser.
“Enemy vessel detected,” reported the sensor operator.
“Engage our hyperspace drive,” ordered the ship’s commander. It was time to take what they’d discovered back to their waiting fleet.
-
Out of the blue-white vortex stormed the Warrior’s Pride. It had been on high alert and set up the jump as soon as the presence of a Simulin vessel had been confirmed. Grayseth hadn’t waited on orders; he knew this enemy vessel had to be destroyed before it spread word of the discovery of Gaia.
“Lock weapons onto that vessel,” ordered Grayseth as he stood next to the ship’s tactical station. “We must not allow it to take word back of what it has discovered.”
“Weapons locked,” confirmed the tactical officer.
“Detecting an energy spike,” reported the ship’s sensor operator.
“They’re preparing to open a spatial vortex,” warned Ganlon, the ship’s second in command.
“Fire!” roared Grayseth heatedly. “They can’t be allowed to escape!”
“Firing particle beams,” the tactical officer replied. Then, a few seconds later, he added, “Launching two sublight antimatter missiles.”
The Simulin vessel was being displayed on the Warrior’s Pride’s main viewscreen. Two bright blue particle beams smashed into the ship’s hull and then one of the sublight missiles detonated against the vessel’s energy screen in a brilliant flash of light. The second missile shot through a six-meter gap in the screen, which had been created by one of the ship’s particle beams and detonated against the heavily armored hull of the Simulin warship. In an instant a small sun formed where the Simulin vessel had been.
“Target destroyed,” the tactical officer reported.
“A successful hunt!” boasted Ganlon, his face in a wide grin. “The Warrior’s Pride has shown she’s a worthy adversary in the hunt of the enemy.”
The crew nodded. To the members of the clan, the success of the hunt was a justification of their ability to defend the fleet and respond to threats.
“Jump us back to Gaia,” ordered Grayseth. “Our clan brother, Admiral Strong, will want a report of our action.”
-
Commander Malen had entered the Command Center just as the Warrior’s Pride exited hyperspace and engaged the Simulin vessel. Thanks to the hyperspace detection satellite, they had a front row seat to the action. When the antimatter missile destroyed the Simulin escort cruiser, the Command Center broke out into cheers.
“Any other Simulin ships being detected?” demanded Commander Malen.
“No,” replied Kevin as he checked the Avenger’s long-range scans as well as the data being transmitted by the hyperspace detection satellites. “There was only the one.”
“A probe ship,” suggested Ariel as she walked over to stand slightly behind and to the left of Commander Malen. “There are probably a large number of these deployed in the nebula searching for us.”
Commander Malen nodded. “Their search routes are probably known, so if one vanishes they have a record of where it was going.”
“We can expect another probe to appear once this one fails to return,” confirmed Ariel, as she ran some simulations and probability calculations. “There is a seventy-two percent probability of more Simulin ships appearing in the system within the next seventy-two hours.”
“I have Admiral Strong on the comm,” reported the communications officer. “He watched the entire engagement from the Command Center of the Clan Protector. He’s ordering the fleet, other than the AIs to go to Condition Three. The admiral is also ordering all crews currently on leave to be recalled.”
“Take us down to Condition Three,” ordered Commander Malen. Then she turned to Kevin with a disapproving look on her face. “I understand you ordered the entire fleet to go to Condition One.”
Kevin looked sheepishly at the commander. “Yes,” he answered. “It seemed like the prudent thing to do.”
Commander Malen nodded. “Next time wait until I reach the Command Center unless it involves a direct attack upon Gaia.”
“Yes, Commander,” Kevin answered in a subdued voice. His reaction had been automatic. After being involved in so many battles over the years, his instincts had taken over.
“You did right,” Ariel said over their private channel. “Commander Malen knows it; she’s just saying that for the benefit of the crew so they’ll respect the chain of command.”
“I know,” Kevin replied.
Looking up at one of the viewscreens, he could see the Clan Protector and the Distant Horizon. Most of the repairs to the ship were completed. Kevin wondered if he would be a
ble to see Katie again before the Simulins arrived. He let out a deep breath as he thought about their future. The Simulins would do everything in their power to root the Federation forces and the AIs out of the nebula. The next few days were probably going to be quite tumultuous.
-
Jeremy looked over at Rear Admiral Barnes who had joined him in the Command Center of the Clan Protector. “Grayseth bought us a little time.”
“But not much,” replied Kathryn, pursing her lips. “The Simulins will know we’re here now. It’s obvious they did track the transmitter on the Distant Horizon to the nebula.”
“We can have the Distant Horizon ready to undock in forty-eight hours,” Daelthon informed them. The large light brown Bear was standing at his command console, towering over the two humans. “The ship just needs some cosmetic touches on the interior. Her armor and weapons are fully functional. The ship is ready to return to the hunt.”
“The ion cannon?” asked Jeremy. He was anxious to see the new weapon tested, particularly after seeing how successful the Distant Horizon’s defense globes had been.
“It’s ready,” Kathryn replied. “It’s not been tested, but the Alton technicians have assured me it’ll work.”
“We’ve installed six of them on the Clan Protector,” added Daelthon. “The Simulins will meet the full fury of the clan if they dare to attack the shipyard.”
“I’m sure the clan will be brave in the hunt and give a good accounting of themselves,” replied Jeremy in a respectful voice.
“How are Andram and his Alton scientists doing on their two projects to keep the Simulins out of the nebula?” asked Kathryn. It would be near suicide to fight a series of long, drawn out battles above Gaia. Eventually the Simulins would wear down the defenders.
“The gravity generators will be ready to deploy in two to three weeks,” Jeremy answered. “However, once they’re deployed it will take at least four weeks for them to increase the density of the hydrogen gas around Gaia’s system to interfere with hyperspace jumps. They won’t be much help in the short term.”
“What about Andram’s other project?” Kathryn asked. “I know he’s working on something he’s really excited about, but he’s keeping it close to his chest.”
“Shilum and several other Alton hyperspace specialists have come up with a new theory on what generates the properties in hyperspace that allow us to travel faster than light,” Jeremy answered, his forehead creasing in a frown. “Part of what they’ve learned comes from observing the dark matter around the Simulin’s Dyson Sphere and information Andram found on the computer drive we brought from Astral. They had to call in some Alton mathematicians just to work out the formulas for what they’re trying to do.”
“And what is that?” asked Kathryn. She still didn’t know what Andram was up to and he was supposed to be under her command.
“I don’t know,” Jeremy admitted ruefully. “Andram says he needs another week before he’s ready to run a test.”
Kathryn looked back up at a viewscreen, which still showed glowing gas and drifting debris where the Simulin escort cruiser had been destroyed. “The only problem is we may not have a week.”
Jeremy let out a deep sigh. Kathryn was right. The Simulins were coming and they would have to hold out until they knew if Andram’s device would work. If not, then they might have to seriously consider evacuating Gaia. If that came to pass, Jeremy didn’t know where they would go.
-
Hours passed and then two days slid by. Jeremy was spending much of his time in the Command Center of the Avenger with his eyes on the sensor screens. He could sense the heightened anxiety in the crew as they waited for the expected Simulin attack.
“Calm down, Jeremy,” said Ariel over their private comm channel. “You’re making the crew nervous with all of your pacing.”
Jeremy sighed and nodded. He knew Ariel was right. “Commander Malen, I’m going over to the Distant Horizon to speak with Andram.”
“Yes, Admiral,” Commander Malen replied.
Jeremy left the Command Center and stopped by the officers’ mess to grab a quick bite to eat. Stepping inside he was surprised to see Kevin sitting over at a side table eating a hamburger. He was supposed to be in his quarters getting some much needed rest.
Picking up a tray, Jeremy selected several food items and then went over and sat down across from Kevin. As soon as he did, Ariel appeared at his side.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Jeremy asked as he toyed with the potato soup on his tray.
“I tried,” confessed Kevin with a deep sigh. “I kept waking up thinking I was hearing Condition One alarms going off. I tried calling Katie, but Clarissa informed me she was asleep and asked that I not disturb her.”
“Protective Clarissa,” Jeremy said with a small chuckle. “Sounds like someone else we both know.” He looked over at Ariel, who only nodded.
“Both of you should get some sleep as well,” She announced with concern in her voice. “Doctor Ruyl will be glad to give you something to help.”
“It’s hard to sleep knowing the Simulins could show up at any minute,” replied Kevin as he ate a french fry covered in ketchup. He paused and looked down at his plate. “Even my hamburger doesn’t taste good today.”
“Nerves,” Jeremy responded, looking across the table at Kevin. “Everyone in the fleet’s suffering from it, except for the AIs.”
“I think everyone’s afraid they’ll show up in overwhelming force and drive us away from Gaia,” Kevin responded somberly. “When we first found Gaia, everyone felt that if we could never return home, at least here we had a new one, a place safe from the Simulins, one where we could raise our families.”
“We haven’t lost it yet,” Jeremy replied.
He well understood everyone’s fear. It would be tough if they had to leave Gaia. There was so much they’d have to leave behind; the two cities on the surface, and probably the Clan Protector, as it was now too large to travel through hyperspace. There were also the orbital defenses, which had taken them years to put in place.
Jeremy had just swallowed a spoonful of his soup when suddenly the Condition One alarms began sounding. Commander Malen’s voice came over the ship’s comm announcing the setting of the higher alert level.
“I knew it!” exclaimed Kevin, pushing his plate back and standing up. “They’re here!”
“Spatial vortexes are being detected in the same location as before,” confirmed Ariel. Even in the mess hall, she still had access to all of the ship’s systems. “Six have been detected so far; we’ll know shortly what’s coming through.”
“Let’s get to the Command Center,” Jeremy said as he stood up and started toward the hatch. “Ariel, inform Commander Malen I’m still on board and will be there shortly.”
Ariel nodded and promptly vanished as her hologram in the mess hall was deactivated.
Jeremy and Kevin rushed into the Command Center amid a beehive of increased activity. Walking over to his command chair, Jeremy sat down and shifted his attention to the tactical display nearest him. Six red threat icons were visible between the third and fourth planets of the system.
“What do we have?” he asked, wanting to know the makeup of the Simulin ships. There was no doubt in his mind they were Simulin.
“Four escort cruisers and two battlecruisers,” Commander Malen reported. “They’re holding their positions at their emergence points.”
Kevin sat down at his sensor console relieving the junior officer who had been there. “I’m detecting scans,” he reported.
“Grayseth wants permission to jump out and engage the enemy,” Angela said from her communications console.
“Tell him to hold,” Jeremy ordered. “We don’t know if these are all of the ships jumping in or just the beginning of a fleet. I don’t want him to become trapped out there.”
“Message sent,” replied Angela after a moment.
“Initiate jamming,” ordered Jeremy.
Instantly the scr
eens in the Command Center became covered with lines of static as the jamming signal began to be broadcast. They could still detect the Simulin vessels but detailed scans were now impossible.
For ten minutes, the six Simulin vessels sat there attempting to scan the area around Gaia and then they jumped out.
“They’re gone,” Kevin reported with a sigh of relief.
“They got what they wanted,” Jeremy said grimly. “They know where we are and have a general idea of our ship strength. The only thing they’re still unaware of is how powerful our defensive grid around the planet is and how heavily armed we’ve made the Clan Protector.”
“Don’t forget about our bomber and fighter squadrons,” Commander Malen reminded Jeremy. “We’ve never really used them against the Simulins. They might give us an advantage.”
Jeremy nodded. He’d discussed with Rear Admiral Marks about using the bombers to take out damaged Simulin vessels with weakened or non-existent energy screens. In every scenario they’d run, the bombers suffered heavy losses in their mission from Simulin defensive fire.
“Secure from Condition One and go back to Condition Three,” ordered Jeremy. Shifting his attention over to Ariel he asked what was on everyone’s mind. “How soon before they return with a warfleet?”
“Assuming the fleet is already assembled and just waiting on a report from the probe ships, we can expect a full scale attack within the next twenty-four hours. If they postpone the attack due to the information they gathered from their scans it could be another week or two if they bring in more ships.”
“Let’s hope they postpone it,” Jeremy said, hoping Andram could complete his research project in time. Leaning back in his command chair Jeremy knew their entire future in the Triangulum Galaxy now rested on the shoulders of the Alton scientist.
-
“Release docking clamps,” ordered Commander Grissim.
“Docking clamps released,” reported Colonel Leon. “Repair ships are pulling away and heading toward a lower orbit.”
Kathryn nodded. The repair ships were going beneath the defense grid since they were technically non-combat ships. They were armed, but only lightly with a few energy turrets and one main power beam.
The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness Page 22