Numbers and estimated weapons? demanded Prince Brollen. It was not unusual for an opposing enemy fleet to be in a food system.
Enemy fleet is composed of sixteen battlecruiser-size ships and seventy smaller support vessels, reported Military Leader Gallet. Most are smaller than our own cruisers. Scans indicate the ships are armed with sublight missiles equipped with nuclear warheads as well as energy cannons. None of their weapons will penetrate our defensive energy screens.
Very well, replied Brollen, his multifaceted eyes focused on his two military leaders. What of the defensive grid around the planet?
It consists of the same platforms we have encountered in the past, responded Military Leader Gallet. Twenty platforms are in orbit as well as sixty small defensive satellites. Scans indicate the satellites are armed with a single twin-energy beam turret. While the satellites might be good for shooting down missiles aimed at the planet, they pose no danger to our ships.
As Prince Brollen expected. This region of Galaxy X241 had not seen a harvesting fleet before, and, as a result, their worlds were weakly protected. His harvesting fleets would sweep through this region, harvesting all its worlds. Collector ships would be sent immediately to the Vorn habitats with plentiful food supplies as well as his special gifts for those Queens and other members of the Royal Court who had pledged their loyalty to him.
Our fleet is nearly in engagement range, sent Military Leader Ansolk.
Prince Brollen turned his attention to a viewscreen showing several ships of the defending fleet. Even as he watched, the first black antimatter beam flicked out from a Vorn cruiser and struck one of the smaller vessels. The beam cut right through the ship’s meager energy screen and piercing the hull. Moments later a brilliant fireball appeared as the ship blew apart. The fireball instantly dissipated as the oxygen in the ship was consumed. More Vorn antimatter beams struck other ships with the same deadly result.
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The enemy fleet quickly retaliated as energy beams leaped toward the Vorn ships. The beams struck the Vorn energy shields and seemed to dissipate as the screens simply absorbed the energy. The ships intensified their firepower, hitting the Vorn with every energy beam they possessed. The results were the same; the energy was merely absorbed by the Vorn defensive screens.
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Military Leader Ansolk sent additional commands to the attacking Vorn ships. Telepathy made contacting the other Vorn ships a simple matter. More black antimatter beams appeared, and a large number of the defending ships were blown into oblivion. Ship after ship blew apart as Vorn beams tore through the screens and into the hearts of the defending vessels. The Vorn ships continued to bear down on the now ragged defensive formation, continuing to destroy ships with their deadly beams.
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The defending fleet commander realized his fleet was now in a precarious situation and in danger of being annihilated. He quickly ordered his ships to launch every nuclear-tipped sublight missile in the fleet’s missile tubes.
Missile tube hatches slid open, and the missiles launched, targeting the approaching Vorn fleet. Many of the missiles were destroyed by antimatter beams just short of the Vorn ships but a few managed to reach their targets. In brilliant flashes of light the warheads detonated, but the flash rapidly shrank and then vanished altogether, as the energy was absorbed by the defensive screens. The defending fleet commander watched in dismay, knowing he could do nothing else. These were the Destroyers of Worlds, and they had come for his people.
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Military Leader Ansolk ordered the attack to be ramped up. He wanted to end this battle so Prince Brollen could begin the harvest of the food world. He was well aware of what had happened to the prince’s previous military leaders. Both had been deleted for failing to do their duty. He had no intention of meeting the same fate.
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Black energy spheres appeared and latched onto the defensive screens of the surviving defending warships. The screens were rapidly drained of power, and then the spheres reached the hulls of the vessels. Shortly the ships were left powerless, drifting in space. Vorn antimatter missiles arrived, and the last few ships in the defending fleet died as they were consumed by the antimatter energy. When the light faded away, the defending fleet was gone. Only a few drifting pieces of wreckage indicated anything had ever been there.
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Enemy fleet has been eliminated, reported Military Leader Ansolk.
There is one very large space station or shipyard in orbit, added Military Leader Gallet, looking at Prince Brollen. Should we target it?
Eliminate it and then clear the space around the planet of the defensive platforms and the small defensive satellites. I wish to taste this food species to see if it is worthy to be added to my private collection. Prince Brollen was always looking for new food species to be added to his private cache. He had a number in his collection which had very unique tastes.
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On the surface of the planet, the inhabitants looked into the night sky in fear. Small fiery explosions indicated the ongoing destruction of the few defensive platforms and satellites which were supposed to protect them from incoming missiles or the occasional pirate ship that preyed on this sector. Rumors flew on the few operating media stations that a fleet of the Destroyers of Worlds had arrived in orbit.
“What is our situation?” asked the president of the ruling council.
“It is over,” answered the planet’s military leader, lowering his head. “Our fleet has been destroyed, and the defensive platforms and satellites have been wiped from orbit. We are defenseless.”
“Surrender!” called out one of the councilors. “Contact these Destroyers of Worlds and offer our unconditional surrender. Surely they will accept that.”
The military leader looked at the councilor with pity in his eyes. “They will not accept our surrender. They have come for us.”
“But why? What can we offer them that they don’t already have?”
The military leader shook his head. Many of the people had paid little attention to the threat from the Destroyers of Worlds, since none of their black-ship fleets had harvested a world in this region of space. He had tried to warn them of the danger, but they had refused to turn away from the path of Enlightenment and to accept the reality of the situation. Too many centuries of peace would be their downfall. They had conducted themselves as if everything were normal instead of putting all their efforts into adding to the defenses of the planet. Rumors and reports of entire worlds being culled by the Destroyers of Worlds had been met with disbelief and an adamant refusal that it could happen here to their world. Now it was too late.
The president of the ruling council knew why the Destroyers of Worlds had come. He had listened to the military commander for many long hours, refusing to believe they could be in any danger. “We are food for them. They will take all our race to be consumed.” The president could not face the military commander and looked toward the floor. He had failed his people, and, because of that, they were all doomed.
The councilor pleading for surrender turned pale in disbelief. “I don’t believe that. There must be something we can do! Something we can offer them.”
Before the president could reply, a black beam swept through the council chambers. Moments later all that was left of the president, the military leader, and the council members was a black ashy substance, which was pulled from the room through an open window. They had become food for the Destroyers of Worlds.
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Prince Brollen walked over and pressed a button upon a small control panel in converter room three. Instantly a receptacle slid open, and a gray pellet in the form of a small cube was ejected onto a tray. The prince took the pellet and popped it into his mouth, crunching the pellet with his mandibles and feeling the invigorating strength that instantly flowed through him. This pellet was made from the organic material of one of the civilized inhabitants of the planet they were culling. It had a slight sour taste to it which was intriguing but n
ot to the point that it would be a good addition to Brollen’s private collection. The prince was disappointed, but not all food species were suitable for the prince’s palate. He was very particular in what he considered to be suitable for his private cache.
How much longer until the culling is complete? he sent to Military Leader Ansolk, still in the Command Center.
Another hour and then we will drop the planet-cleansing spheres. Will we be adding any of these food pellets to your private collection?
No. While many are suitable for the Royal Caste, they are not what I desire. We will turn the entire lot over to one of our Collector ships.
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An hour later white spheres of energy fell on the planet. Everywhere they touched, they popped like giant bubbles, releasing uncontrolled energy that swept across the surface of the planet. Buildings were leveled and dams knocked down. Power grids and roads were annihilated as the planet’s infrastructure was ruthlessly destroyed. When the white energy spheres stopped falling, much of the world was on fire. The atmosphere turned dark, as ash and other pollutants blocked the sun. In one hundred years the planet would once again be a green and habitable world, but there would be few signs of the constructions of the former inhabitants.
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In orbit, Prince Brollen looked at the handiwork of his fleet. His multifaceted eyes held no sadness and his cold heart no sympathy over what had been done. This was the way of the Vorn and how it had been since they had come to this universe. On the main viewscreen, most of the planet was now obscured by ash and smoke from the burning fires.
Take us out of orbit and set a course for our next target, he ordered. Perhaps the next food species will be more to my taste.
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Moments later the Vorn fleet pulled away from the planet and soon after that entered hyperspace. The harvest would continue.
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In the far reaches of Earth’s solar system, four Vorn cruisers dropped from hyperspace. Their sensor-dampening fields were operating, and they had no fear of detection. The ships came to a full stop as their sensors picked up massive amounts of communication traffic as well as hundreds of ships moving about the star system.
I want a full sensor scan, ordered Military Leader Renwarld, in command of the four-ship scouting squadron. I want to know everything there is to know about this system. Renwarld had been on several scouting missions and knew exactly the information Prince Caluume wanted.
Moments passed, and then the Vorn at the Sensors turned toward the military leader. The third planet of the system is heavily populated. It is as the message said. Long-range scans indicate the planet has a population in the billions. Also millions are upon the fourth planet. Both worlds would be suitable to harvest.
Continue the scans. We will approach no closer as we do not want to risk detection in a system with so many ships. If Prince Caluume chooses to harvest this world, we need to have the advantage of surprise.
A very powerful defense grid is above the third planet, and we are detecting a number of large warships as well, added the Vorn at Sensors.
Renwarld’s twin antennae stood up straighter. He wondered if there were colony worlds in the vicinity. From the coming and going of the ships in the system, there must be other food species they were trading with. We shall stay here for a while. I want the courses of all inbound and outbound ships recorded. Perhaps they will lead us to other food worlds in this sector. If this mission was a success, perhaps Prince Caluume would increase Renwarld’s responsibility by placing more ships under his command. The higher one rose in rank and responsibility, a wider range of food pellets became available.
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On board the Class One Command and Control Center in orbit above Earth, Colonel Aubrey McMasters sat in the command chair in the small Command Center. Six others were in the room besides him. He was startled when an alarm sounded on the sensor console. “What’s that about?” Alarms very seldom sounded, and, when they did, it was generally due to a ship missing its jump point.
“I’m not sure,” replied Lieutenant Jensen, spending a moment studying the sensors and then turned toward the colonel. “The new sensors are picking up four ships out past the orbit of Neptune.”
“Who are they?” asked McMasters. He suspected one of their trading partner’s cargo fleets had miscalculated the jump, and, instead of emerging where they were supposed to, ended up near Neptune. It happened occasionally.
“I’m running the sensor results through our ship’s database. I should have the results shortly.”
“Communications, as soon as we have their identity, send them a message, directing them to make a short hyperspace jump to the location of either the Dante or the Wasp.” Those were the two light carriers currently in the system.
Suddenly, without warning, alarms sounded, and the Condition One alert was announced.
“Colonel, the entire defensive grid is going to Condition One. We’re also broadcasting a general alert to all our warships.”
“What?” said Aubrey as he rose from his command chair and hurried to the sensor console to see what was going on. Only one type of ship would cause the automatic activation of Condition One.
“They’re Vorn,” confirmed Lieutenant Jensen, his face turning pale. “We have four Vorn cruisers scanning the system.” The crew in the Class One Command and Control Center had been briefed about the Vorn. Specific safeguards had been put in place in case of a Vorn ship or fleet being detected. One of those was the Command Station automatically sending out a Condition One alert upon detecting a Vorn ship. The station’s sensors had also been modified so they could detect a ship hiding behind a sensor-dampening field.
Colonel McMasters felt his heart skip a beat. How had the Vorn found Earth? “Communications, send a message to the shipyard about what we’ve detected. They can notify the necessary governments on Earth. Then get me Fleet Admiral Colmes. We’ve got some Vorn ships we need to destroy. I also want to know why we didn’t detect those ships sooner. ” McMasters suspected, due to the number of ships coming and going from the solar system, no one had noticed the four Vorn ships approaching. He would take steps to make sure that error never occurred again.
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Fleet Admiral Colmes took a deep steadying breath. “How many ships are we detecting?” The Atlas also had the new sensor system which reached out thirty-two light-years and could detect ships running under a sensor-dampening field. They had already confirmed the data Colonel McMasters reported. It seemed that a simple programming error had failed to allow the Vorn ships to be identified.
“Four Vorn cruisers,” answered Lieutenant Madison Reese. “They are holding their current position and scanning the system.”
Colmes looked at his executive officer, Tamara Scott. She was up for a promotion and would soon be commanding her own ship. “Recommendations?”
“All our ships have been updated with the new antimatter chambers. We have the firepower to take out those four vessels.”
Admiral Colmes knew as soon as the Command and Control Center detected the Vorn cruisers, a message would have been sent automatically to Newton, notifying them of the appearance of Vorn ships in the solar system. Currently Colmes had eight ships escorting the Atlas, two more battleships plus six battlecruisers. The rest of the fleet was scattered across the solar system on routine patrol duty.
“All ships,” Colmes announced over the ship-to-ship comm to the escorting vessels. “We have four Vorn cruisers near Neptune. We will make a short hyperspace jump to engage them. All ships stand by to receive jump coordinates.”
“Coordinates transmitted,” reported the navigation officer.
“Ships are tied in to our computer for a simultaneous jump,” reported Captain Scott. “All ships are at Condition One.”
Admiral Colmes nodded. He hoped he was doing the right thing by engaging the Vorn and not waiting on a more advanced fleet from Newton to arrive. However, the Vorn were scanning the system, and he had to stop that. He co
uld not let them escape with valuable military data on Earth’s defenses. He hoped to surprise them before they left the solar system.
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Military Leader Renwarld watched patiently as the data accumulated on the system. He was surprised at how heavy the defenses were, considering how isolated this world was from the more populated regions of this galaxy. Renwarld called up data on this region of space and was surprised to learn that millions of years in the past a very intelligent food species had occupied hundreds of nearby worlds. That species had become food for the Vorn, and all traces of their civilization eradicated. Advanced science and technology could not be allowed to fall into the hands of newer food species who might arise from the ashes of the old.
Alarms suddenly sounded, and red lights flashed. On the tactical display, nine glaring red threat icons appeared.
Report, he demanded, shifting his triangular-shaped head toward the Vorn at the sensor console.
Warships, confirmed the Vorn. Three battleships and six battlecruisers. Their power readings indicate they may have weapons dangerous to us.
Renwarld looked toward a viewscreen which showed an 1,100-meter-long battleship turning toward his fleet to bring its weapons to bear. Emergency hyperspace jump, now! Renwarld had no desire to risk any of his four ships. His mission was to scout this system, and that was what he had done. Now he would return to Prince Caluume and report his findings. It was also disconcerting this food species had detected the Vorn cruisers through their sensor-dampening fields.
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“Vorn ships are jumping,” warned Lieutenant Reese.
“All ships fire!” ordered Admiral Colmes, leaning forward in his command chair, his gaze glued to the ship’s viewscreens. He didn’t want any of these ships escaping and reporting what they had found.
Energy beams and particle beams reached out, striking one of the Vorn ships. Simultaneously a dozen hypermissiles left the missile tubes, detonating against the energy shield of the Vorn cruiser. For a moment, the ship’s shield managed to absorb the energy, but the particle beams and energy beams were too much. The beams penetrated, and the ship exploded in a glaring fireball, hurling debris in all directions. Before Colmes’s fleet could shift its attack to the next Vorn cruiser, all three vanished as they made the jump into hyperspace.
The Star Cross: The Forever War Page 16