Exploration (Galactic Neighborhood Book 3)

by Alexander Elliott

  Thankfully, none of their nightmarish hobgoblins possessed more than an elementary brainstem, meaning they would never live or achieve consciousness outside the cylinders. This hideous work was evidently being kept a closely held secret, and was confined to the same building which held the cradle. Cole, Captain Bolitz and Dr. Norcross were shocked to their very souls when they viewed the data gleaned by the EMR.

  Thankfully, there was some good news to help offset the bad. There was no evidence found of the widespread use of human technology, though there was some limited research work being done on space based applications. Apparently, the only thing the Silestri managed to remove from Exploration was the cradle. According to their records, the ship’s AI reduced everything useable to slag by the time the Silestri boarded the ship and seized control.

  With little time available, the decision was made to destroy the vessel, thereby leaving no evidence it was ever in their system. It was also a signal to the human captives there would be no escape for them in the future. The buoys were now primed to erase any and all records, prototypes, or other evidence the Silestri managed to acquire or build. The slate would be wiped clean, leaving nothing behind for them to use.

  In order not to tip their hand early, the Silestri staff who worked at the facility would be allowed to enter the building as usual, though none would be allowed to leave. Their communications would be rendered inoperative, power would be cut off, and they would have no access to the cradle. With the creative use of force fields and shields, the buoys would create an informational black hole, and it would remain so until orders to remove the cradle were given.

  Two stealthed Sentinels were already in position above the building, and would eventually whisk it away to Pacifica where the newly constructed holding facility was waiting. The disposition of the building, its contents, and the Silestri staff was yet to be decided by Admiral Perry’s staff. Not all of the action tomorrow was going to be in the Sol system, and Cole would have a front row seat to witness it.

  Chapter 13

  Vibrissa system, prior to battle.

  The battle would begin soon. Talmew growled in frustration, his mind taking a well-worn path while he waited for the final signal from Dromew’s ship. He labored beyond exhaustion to present Prime Yarmew with a resurrected fleet which might have a chance to defeat the humans. As he knew from the beginning, his effort was in vain.

  The hobbled collection of spaceyard junk waiting to enter the spatial doorway was a grand throwaway gesture which would end in many deaths, but certainly not in victory. As an added insult, Prime Yarmew took fleet command away from him and gave it to Dromew, one of her favorite Sub’ords. Since they were all about to die anyway, it would hardly matter in the end, but Talmew hoped to be remembered for something more...significant.

  Yarmew’s declaration of Tok Choh would have made sense if the forces were more evenly matched and there really was a chance of Silestri victory. Talmew grudgingly acknowledged it produced a motivational affect on their forces, which was certainly needed, but he also believed there was another reason. Prime Yarmew was a weak and foolish leader who found a convenient way to cover up her mistakes by disposing of her fleet and any challengers to her position.

  The Tok Choh guaranteed each and every ship would fight to the death for her, in a useless effort to attain honor in battle. What good was honor to the dead? And yet, to survive the battle meant certain death at Yarmew’s hand for breaking the Tok Choh. Either way, he would not live to see Bastet another day, and it grieved his soul.

  The plan called for two scout ships to arrive first and determine the position of the enemy fleet. One of the scouts would return and download the data to Dromew’s ship, who would then advise the fleet of any changes. When the signal came to proceed, their ships would traverse the doorway in tightly clustered groups of four. They had never done it this way before, and it would be risky, but arriving in force would give them an advantage.

  Once through to the other side, their vessels would hide among the asteroids until the entire fleet arrived. Their formation would then advance en masse to engage the enemy forces. It wasn’t the most elegant battle plan, but it would help compensate for the myriad of weaknesses they suffered. Hopefully, it would also intimidate the humans into making costly mistakes while they attempted to evade Silestri weapons.

  Talmew’s attention was yanked back to the present with a raucous alarm from his panel. The scout ships were ready to traverse the corridor. Soon, the battle would begin.

  ####

  Sol system, Expedition’s bridge.

  A melodious chime alerted Captain Arlington’s bridge crew that the two Silestri scout ships were on their way. It was unusual to have such an advantage over an enemy, but she wasn’t complaining. The buoys in and around the Vibrissa system gave them real time information which would enable them to manipulate their enemy into doing exactly what they wanted.

  The humans would play their part to perfection, pretending this was a normal battle of enemy fleets, but all of them knew it was just for show. She was confident in Admiral Perry’s plan, especially since she helped put it together in the first place. The Admiral chose Expedition as his flagship, and she was honored to play host for this engagement. The secondary command deck was taken over by Perry and his staff, and his open comm link kept them in touch at all times.

  Less than five seconds later, another alert sounded, announcing an arrival through the Bastet corridor. Two black Silestri scout ships appeared at the corridor threshold, though one remained in place while the other ship began looking around. If all the cloaked vessels in the system suddenly appeared, the scouts would undoubtedly retreat with alacrity.

  As it was, they saw only what they were allowed to see, which was the limited number of vessels they saw on their last visit – with one important exception. Expedition was hiding this time around, giving the appearance of a more level playing field. The last thing Perry wanted to do was scare them off; so, like spiders in a vast web, Expedition and the rest of the fleet remained in stealth mode.

  Important changes were now incorporated into the system defense plan, many of them centering around the corridor area. Since the Vingah vessel was defenseless, with only Sentinels to protect it, the ship was moved into the moon’s shadow. Through the efficient use of stealthed buoys, the information team continued their work of monitoring the corridors, as well as Bastet space and the two EMR teams. The asteroid field was far from unguarded, however, as General McClure positioned a division of battlecruisers to watch the backdoor.

  His ships were in stealth mode as well, and they would not be seen by the enemy unless they tried to escape through the corridor. One other significant change involved the space station Guardian. It was well protected of course, but the decision was made to place it in stealth mode as well, though the connected ship yards were still visible. With only a cursory glance at the planet, it would leave the impression that the more obvious mobile forces were the only thing protecting the system, further encouraging the Silestri to underestimate what they may be facing.

  Further in-system, General Moreland waited aboard the Poseidon as the flagship of the visible fleet. There he was joined by fifty other ships, and although they were individually more powerful than any of the Silestri vessels, the enemy was unaware of this fact. To them, numbers seemed to be the primary consideration, and if every ship in their fleet came to the party, they would be bringing fifty eight battleships and cruisers and over thirty scout vessels through the corridor. If it gave them unwarranted confidence to outnumber the hapless humans, so much the better. They had absolutely no idea they were sailing into an elaborate trap, and the ‘outnumbered’ Sol system fleet waited patiently for their guests to arrive.

  The Silestri scout ship got close enough to get a good look at Moreland’s ships, and then made a beeline for the corridor, where it slipped through, leaving its companion to keep watch. The comm officer’s panel aboard Expedition soon came alive with anot
her alert, and Arlington smiled grimly. With a satisfied nod, she turned to the small viewscreen and addressed Perry.

  “It looks like they have taken the bait, Admiral. Their queue of ships is moving towards the corridor threshold as we speak.”

  Perry responded in his usual serene manner.

  “Understood, Captain. Please inform the fleet and stand by for further orders.”

  Arlington looked up at her comm officer and simply said, “Go.”

  With one word the well laid plans of the Sol system defense came alive aboard every ship, installation and weapons platform. Unaware they were being observed, the first four Silestri ships crossed the corridor threshold and immediately took up positions inside the asteroid belt. Less than thirty minutes later, their entire fleet was in place. After a short pause, the lead vessels emerged from their rocky hiding places and began to form up.

  Stealthed buoys tapped into their internal communications, and soon discovered which ship belonged to Dromew. The verbal exchange was almost humorous, revealing confusion, inexperience and a lack of cohesion.

  “Get your ships into position you (untranslatable) pathetic mewlings!”

  “The humans refuse to meet us. Victory will be ours!”

  “Rerouting power to the secondary coupling.”

  “We outnumber them, Sub’ord.”

  “Our lateral thrusters are inoperative.”

  “This channel is for command only!”

  By the time they got themselves sorted out, Moreland’s ships began moving in response to the enemy presence. They already knew what the Silestri were planning, at least initially, but they didn’t want to show their hand too early in the game. What they needed to do was draw them deeper in-system, away from the asteroid belt and into open space. The Silestri began their approach, building speed and tightening up their wall-like formation. As planned, a message from the human fleet, in English, reached Dromew’s ship.

  What the Silestri saw on his screen was the face of a dark haired, stern looking human male. His words were unintelligible, but he assumed the human was trying to rattle him with pointless threats. His colorful response came through loud and clear before he cut Perry’s message short and continued his advance. Before they reached optimal weapons range, Moreland’s ships sent a haphazard volley of low powered missiles in the general direction of the Silestri fleet. According to plan, they exploded harmlessly, missing every ship and causing no damage. It had the desired effect.

  Predictably, the aggressors increased speed and fired their own weapons at the seemingly ineffective humans, who then turned and fled. Only a few missiles actually reached their intended targets, and those were easily shrugged off by powerful shields. The Silestri seemed not to notice, and continued their attack with renewed zeal. From the safety of Expedition’s secondary bridge, Admiral Perry watched closely as the enemy fleet approached the point of no return. He glanced at the small screen with Captain Arlington’s placid face and gave the order.

  “Stage one, Captain.”

  She responded immediately.

  “Yes, Sir, stage one.”

  A signal was sent to the Sentinel watching over the corridors, and the single scout ship left there was enveloped by a powerful dampening field. The vessel could neither move nor communicate with the rest of the fleet, trapped like a bug in amber. News of the battle would have to wait, and it would be brought by someone else entirely.

  Once the scout ship was secured, Perry ordered stage two, causing the ‘fleeing’ human ships to enter fold space at the same time. The confounded Silestri fleet slowed their forward momentum as their prey simply vanished from view. Before they could react, Perry initiated stage three. One moment the Silestri were alone in the Sol system, and the next they were surrounded by one hundred seventy two Alliance vessels, including Expedition.

  The enemy comm channels flooded with disbelieving curses, roars of frustration, and shouts of conflicting orders. With an impenetrable formation of Alliance ships on all sides, they had no choice but to essentially stop dead in space. The comm channels fell eerily silent, and then every viewscreen aboard every Silestri vessel lit up with the face of Admiral Christopher Perry. Though he spoke in English, his words were automatically translated into the Silestri tongue.

  “I am Admiral Perry, representing the worlds and peoples of the Alliance. Your forces have invaded our space and attacked without provocation. You have, in fact, been here once before and decimated Earth without warning or reason. Your aggression towards our people stops here and now. If you surrender peacefully, we will spare your lives and return you to Bastet unharmed. I suggest, Sub’ord Dromew, you order your people to comply with my request immediately. We await your response.”

  Dromew snarled at the arrogant human named Perry.

  “We will never surrender to you! Our world will never submit to human rule. We have destroyed you once before, and will do so again and again until you exist no more! My brothers, the Tok Choh calls us to action. We die with honor!”

  Dromew reached towards his panel and activated the fleetwide self destruct.

  Fortunately, Perry and his staff were prepared for this possibility. In a lightning fast one-two punch, every Silestri vessel filled with a strange golden light, just before the Alliance ships entered fold space. The enemy fleet exploded as one in an enormous cataclysm, sending a shock wave through the Sol system. Shields held as the energy and radiation rolled over everything in its path, slowing and weakening as it went until finally dissipating into harmless undetectable ripples.

  The Alliance fleet slipped back through fold space, and returned to their starting point. On board Expedition, the main flight deck became a temporary holding cell for nearly three hundred roaring, growling, hissing Silestri crew members. The fuss didn’t last long since the compartment was filled with fresh catnip grass harvested from Hathor. Despite themselves, the furious Silestri breathed in the fragrant odor and gave up their protestations in favor of more subdued amusements.

  ####

  Tensions were high on Bastet as they awaited news of the battle. The spatial doorway was being watched by an unarmed tug, virtually the only vessel left to the fleet, but there was nothing yet to report. The occupants of the building holding the cradle were frustrated by the strange circumstances which befell them earlier that morning, as they were held prisoner without power or communications, and were even barred by an invisible barrier from reaching their laboratories. Prime Yarmew was sequestered in her audience chamber with a small number of advisors, and had not been seen in public or in the palace since just after daybreak.

  Conversely, the human contingent on Bastet and in orbit were fully aware of the battle and its outcome. The crews aboard the Colorado and Zephyr cheered when the reports came in of their overwhelming victory, and they waited patiently for further orders. Likewise, the house slaves were quietly informed by the EMR who accompanied them in stealth mode. Their subdued reactions were still difficult to contain, and any watching Silestri might wonder what so many of the slaves had to smile about on this particular morning. They would soon find out.

  ####

  Without warning, and in an overwhelming show of force, the entire Alliance fleet simply blinked into existence around Bastet. Within moments, alarms began to blare through the city and Yarmew’s palace. She began issuing orders, sending the slaves back to their underground chamber, and then calling on all ground based defensive installations to fire at will.

  Shoals of missiles streaked through the atmosphere at the intruders, only to be snuffed out without getting anywhere near their targets. With careful precision, the Alliance targeted every defensive base on the planet, wiping them from the surface as though they never existed. Next came all military or research facilities, followed by every orbital weapons platform, ship, or spaced based facility. In less than five minutes, Bastet was rendered defenseless before the Alliance fleet.

  Expedition, escorted by two squadrons of battleships, moved from orbit
to settle in the sky directly above Yarmew’s palace. Nearer the ground, scores of Sentinels and buoys appeared out of thin air, and sealed the perimeter of the grounds to prevent escape. Though she and her advisers were being held fast in the audience chamber, she was receiving real time images on her viewscreen, and witnessed the systematic destruction of her defenses.

  Yarmew roared in angry frustration, cursing the human invaders she already vanquished once. While she expected her ships to be destroyed during battle, she assumed they would be able to cripple the human fleet in the process. She was completely unprepared for the forces which suddenly appeared in Silestri space, demonstrating technological marvels she could never have imagined.

  Equally alarming was the great silver orb dangling over her palace; a ship which looked exactly like the one they captured long ago. A ship, she reminded herself, which provided something she could use in the ‘negotiations’ to come. Her ruminations were interrupted by a gold light which flared briefly inside the audience chamber, depositing a single human male.