-
Major Stark gazed at the viewscreens lit by the numerous explosions of the Jelnoid missiles.
“We’ve hurt them,” reported Lieutenant Rhoades from his sensor console. “Confirmed fifty-two kills. Eight other vessels heavily damaged.”
Stark nodded in satisfaction. Admiral Edwards’s fleet could handle what was left.
-
Battle Commander Traven gazed in shock at the shattered remains of his fleet. Missiles from the Humans ships were now impacting his vessels. His ships were returning fire with their own energy beams and more powerful fifty-megaton missiles, but, so far, it was ineffective. On the screen, he could see massive explosions striking the energy screens of the Human ships, yet they refused to go down. “Pull us back beyond their moon,” ordered Traven as he wondered how he would explain this debacle to the High Command. The power of those small vessels was far greater than he had imagined. What was even more worrisome was the range and speed of the Human missiles. He had not expected to lose so many vessels. He would defer to the High Command as to how to deal with this situation.
-
Admiral Edwards watched with relief as the Trellixian ships quickly reversed course and retreated beyond the orbit of the Moon. This was still too close, so Edwards decided to pursue and see if he could force the enemy to retreat even farther.
The Human fleet stayed in its cone formation and accelerated rapidly toward the Trellixians. They had gone less than sixty thousand kilometers when the enemy fleet entered hyperspace and jumped away.
“Reduce speed,” ordered Admiral Edwards. “Where are they going?”
“They’re heading out past the orbit of Mars,” reported Lieutenant Williams.
That was what Edwards wanted, so work could resume on the moon base. “What did we lose?”
“We have one battlecruiser with light damage, and we lost fourteen energy beam satellites and four missile platforms. None of the battlestations were hit.”
“We got off lucky,” commented Captain Nelson. “Next time they will know the range and power of our missiles. They won’t make this mistake again.”
Edwards agreed with Nelson’s assessment. “No, they won’t. At least we’ve bought ourselves some more time.”
Edwards leaned back in his command chair, relaxing. From here on out, the battles would be more intense and the losses no doubt heavier. It would now be a war of attrition. Could the losses the Earth forces received in future battles be replaced quickly enough before the next attack? Edwards knew a new phase for this war was beginning. He looked at a viewscreen showing a sea of stars. Somewhere out there were two battlecruisers with the hopes of Earth riding on the success of their exploration mission. His job was to make sure the planet was still under human control when they returned.
Chapter Thirteen
Lisa sat in the Command Center in front of her science console as the Vengeance shook violently. Alarms were sounding and red lights were flashing. They had dropped out of Fold Space, and, within just a few minutes, six Trellixian battlecruisers exited hyperspace nearly on top of the two human battlecruisers.
The enemy vessels immediately opened fire, trying to knock down the two ships’ energy screens.
“Turn those alarms and flashing lights off,” ordered Captain Erickson.
“Returning fire,” said Major Dolan as he fired the ship’s energy cannons. On the small viewscreen above his console he saw several of his beams strike one of the Trellixian ships.
“How soon before we can jump?” asked Captain Erickson, gripping the armrests of his command chair.
“Twenty seconds,” replied Brett as his hands flew over the navigation console, setting up the next jump.
-
The Vengeance and the Constellation both fired their powerful energy cannons. Beams of intense energy struck the energy shields of two Trellixian battlecruisers, tearing through them and causing massive damage to the hulls of the vessels. One of the battlecruisers blew apart when its engineering department was compromised.
The Trellixian ships fired all their weapons at the two Human ships, even their fifty-megaton missiles. The screens of the Human ships were radiant with light, glowing brighter and brighter from the amount of released energy cascading across their screens.
The Constellation fired a missile at the damaged Trellixian battlecruiser, blowing it apart. Wreckage from the destroyed ship slammed into the energy shields of both Human vessels, threatening to bring them down. Then both ships vanished as they escaped into Fold Space, leaving the Trellixian warships far behind.
-
On the Vengeance Captain Erickson saw several red lights glowing brightly on the damage control console. “How bad?”
“Nothing serious,” answered Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “We have several consoles shorted out and a few power relays which blew. Repairs should be finished within the hour.”
“The Constellation?”
“Similar damage,” replied Barrington. “Captain Baker expects everything to be repaired within the hour as well.”
“Take us back to Condition Three,” ordered Erickson since the danger was over.
Derek looked at the captain. “The quantum computer reports the Trellixians are searching for us and are positioning small squadrons of battlecruisers in likely systems along our flight path. It recommends either changing our path or not dropping out of Fold Space in systems that could contain habitable planets.”
Captain Erickson frowned. “How can we complete our mission if we do that?”
Derek shrugged his shoulders. “The computer predicts a 72 percent chance one or both of our ships will receive significant damage if we continue on our present course.”
Captain Erickson looked toward Lisa. “Any suggestions?”
Lisa nodded. “Change our course slightly by twelve to fifteen degrees and don’t drop out of Fold Space for a while. Put some distance between us and the Trellixians. Perhaps we can get past the region of space they have set their traps in.”
Erickson looked at Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “What do you think?”
“We’ll be bypassing a number of potential systems, but I agree. If we keep doing this, at some point our luck will run out.”
“What if we bypass whatever it is the Trellixians are trying to prevent us from finding?” Captain Erickson asked.
“It’s another race the Trellixians are at war with,” replied Derek, looking at the screen on the quantum computer. “The computer confirms a 92 percent probability the Trellixians have found another highly developed civilization spread out over a number of planets that’s resisting their advance. The Trellixians are desperate to prevent us from reaching that race because of our Jelnoid technology.”
Captain Erickson looked thoughtful as he glanced at Ensign Lindsey Smith at Communications. “How far will our hyperspace communications system reach?” They had contacted Earth from Proxima Centauri.
“Ten or twelve light-years,” she answered.
“Isn’t it a safe assumption, if this race exists, they know the Trellixians are searching for us?” Erickson looked at Lisa, expecting an answer.
Lisa frowned and spent a few moments talking to Brett, Derek, Brenda, and Kia over their private comm system. Then she turned toward the captain. “It’s highly likely the other race has noticed a change in the Trellixians’ tactics. They must be wondering why. There is a possibility they are also searching for us.”
“How high?” Erickson asked Derek.
Derek checked his quantum computer and answered, “Sixty-eight percent.”
This seemed to satisfy the captain. “Lieutenant Masterson, change our outward course by twelve degrees. Ensign Smith, I’ll prepare a message for you to broadcast once we’ve gone ten more light-years. Perhaps we can notify this other race of our presence, and hopefully they will respond.”
“A hyperspace broadcast,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington, looking uncertain. “Won’t the Trellixians detect it as
well?”
“Most likely,” Erickson replied. “But, if these other aliens are out there, this might be the only way to find them before the Trellixians destroy one or both of our ships. It’s a calculated risk. By changing our course some, it might buy us time for the message to reach this other race, if it exists.”
-
Lisa looked at Brett meaningfully. This sounded extremely dangerous. For the first time during this mission she believed they might not ever return to Earth.
“We’ll be okay,” said Brett over their comm channel. “The energy shields on our ships are stronger than anything the Trellixians have. Even if they find us again, we should be able to escape.”
“Plus the quantum computer is becoming smarter every day,” Derek added. “I think it’s about to make the transition into an AI.”
Brenda’s eyes opened wide. “Are you certain?”
Derek nodded. “Yes, it’s been asking me a lot of questions the last few days. Once it makes the transition to an AI, its development should be even more rapid. I really believe it could help us tremendously with our mission.”
Lisa sincerely hoped so. She really wanted to make it back to Earth.
-
Major Dolan was busy, resetting the ship’s weapons to Condition Four. Next to him Ensign Carter did the same.
“How long can we keep doing this, Major?” asked Carter. “We received some light damage this time. What if next time it’s worse?”
Mark looked at the ensign. “This is a good ship, with a good crew. We should be able to handle anything that comes our way, as long as we’re careful.”
Although Mark grew more concerned each time they dropped out of Fold Space. The Trellixians were smart enough to realize it would take more ships to knock down the energy shields on the Vengeance and the Constellation. At some point the two ships would drop out of Fold Space and encounter such a Trellixian force. Mark had been hesitant to use any of their missiles so far. They only had a limited supply, and, once they were gone, they could only be replaced by returning to Earth. He was surprised the Constellation had risked using one in the last system.
Also would the hyperspace transmission be successful and reach the correct party? One thing Mark was certain of: it would make their ships easier for the Trellixians to find. At the end of his duty shift, Mark intended to meet with Lieutenant Brown as well as Corporals Peterson and Hambridge and set up additional Marine drills to repel boarders.
Taking a deep breath, Mark wondered what his Rangers were doing back on Earth. All Trellixian troops should have been eliminated by now, and it was doubtful the enemy could land more anytime soon. Colonel Branson would promote Captain Garcia to the rank of major and place him in charge of Mark’s Rangers. Garcia would do a good job. Mark hoped Sergeant Anderson was staying out of trouble. Mark did miss talking to the sergeant and hearing his views, and he wondered what the sergeant would say about this current situation.
Mark still wasn’t used to ship life compared to his life with the Rangers. He had comfortable quarters here, but his workouts were somewhat limited, and he normally didn’t carry a weapon.
Turning around, Mark looked at the main viewscreen revealing hundreds of stars. Somewhere out there was a race fighting the Trellixians, or at least they hoped so. That race was the key to saving Earth.
Before Mark left on this voyage, he had spoken to Colonel Branson and General Mitchell. They both had made it abundantly clear how important this mission was and why Mark should do everything he could to support the five special lieutenants on the ship. Mark knew, without help, Earth would eventually fall to the enemy. Mark was determined to do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen, particularly since his sister, Jennifer, was still on Earth in Complex One.
-
Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr studied the latest reports. The two Human ships had been spotted again and attacked. Once more they escaped with only minimal damage, if any. However, two more Trellixian battlecruisers were destroyed in the brief but violent battle. It had been a full day since that battle, and he had received no additional reports of contacts with the Human vessels.
“We’ve lost them again,” Second Officer Jaltor reported. “They must have changed course.”
Balforr rose and went to stand in front of the large hologram showing the previous course of the Human ships. “They may be trying to go around us. Contact Battle Commander Yuld and Battle Commander Bratakk and have them pull their fleets in closer to ours. We can’t let these Humans escape.” The High Command would be extremely upset if the Humans contacted the Voltrex.
“They can’t hide from us for long,” reported Carmol from Communications. “Several of our units report picking up a hyperspace comm signal they believe is originating from the Human ships.” Carmol quickly gave Balforr the coordinates of the ships picking up the transmission.
Balforr’s eyes narrowed. “They’ve guessed we’re trying to stop them from reaching another space-going race. Somehow they’ve deduced the existence of the Voltrex.” This could be dangerous. Under no circumstances could the Humans be allowed to contact the Voltrex. Balforr wondered if he should contact the High Command over this development. He shook his head, deciding to wait. No other resources were available to commit to this search.
“What are your orders?”
“Have our ships follow that signal. When the Humans drop from hyperspace, we’ll attack them with a much larger force than before.”
“We don’t believe they’re traveling in hyperspace,” Jaltor replied. “They’re using a Fold Space Drive, the same as the Jelnoids.”
The Humans’ use of Jelnoid technology was a constant reminder of just how dangerous they were. Balforr was determined to get his hands on that technology.
“The drive the Jelnoids used is faster than our hyperspace drive, though we haven’t determined if the Humans are using the exact same system. Theirs could be slightly different.”
Battle Commander Balforr used a laser pointer to pinpoint a star system inside the large hologram. “I want our fleet stationed there. From the broadcast our ships picked up, I believe the Humans will come out of Fold Space somewhere close to this system. When they do, we’ll jump in, disable their drives, and send troops to board them.” Balforr was certain this was the best place to set his trap. The Humans had made a serious mistake broadcasting their hyperspace signal.
“What if they get past us?”
Balforr switched the hologram to show a broader section of space. “If they do, then nothing will prevent them from reaching Voltrex space.” The Humans could not be allowed to reach the Voltrex. Balforr’s career was riding on that.
-
Lisa was in one of the labs with Brenda, trying to find a way to make the ship’s fusion power systems more efficient as well as seeing if the ship’s Fold Space Drive could be improved. Working on research was relaxing to Lisa and something she really enjoyed. So far on this mission, the group had already perfected the quantum computer, and now she and Brenda were working on these two new projects.
Lisa leaned back, looking at Brenda. “If I’m reading this right, our current Fold Space Drive isn’t as fast as what the Jelnoids were using.” Lisa ran a series of simulations, showing the power consumption of the drive.
“It’s the fusion reactors,” said Brenda. “They’re not generating the power the Jelnoids’ reactors did.” Brenda frowned as she considered what the difference might be. “It has to be in the alloys the fusion reactors are lined with.” Their fusion reactors were almost duplicates of the Jelnoid reactors with just a few minor differences.
“We’re using magnetic fields to contain the reaction,” said Lisa. “What does that have to do with the new alloys?”
“But the amount of power we can pull from the reactors is controlled by the new alloys. That’s limiting our ability to generate power for the entire ship, including the Fold Space Drive, the energy shield, and our weapons. The reactors are only operating
at about 60 percent efficiency.”
Lisa looked at Brenda. “Let’s change the design of the reactor, basing it on an alloy which will handle the full amount of energy the reactor can produce.”
“What good will that do?” asked Brenda, looking over at Lisa. “We don’t have the resources on the ship to produce such an alloy.”
“If these aliens we’re searching for actually exist, they might have one that would be suitable.”
Brenda’s eyes widened. “We have to assume their technology will be different than ours. If they are fighting a widespread war against the Trellixians, they might have such an alloy as well as other advances which would be useful.”
Lisa nodded. “We can trade some of our Jelnoid technology for parts of their technology.”
A look of excitement spread across Brenda’s face. “Let’s get the reactor redesigned.”
-
Major Dolan left the Command Center. For over two hours now they had been broadcasting the hyperspace signal, just a simple set of prime numbers broadcast repeatedly. Mark still felt uneasy about this. He told Ensign Rhymer to call him instantly if any response to the message came. Mark was concerned the next contact with Trellixian ships would be much more violent than the previous ones.
Going down several decks, Mark reached a small briefing room where Lieutenant Brown and Corporals Peterson and Hambridge waited. Taking his seat, Mark looked at the other three. “We’re broadcasting a message in hyperspace in an effort to contact a race we believe may be fighting the Trellixians.”
“I hope they’re killing a lot of those damn lizards after what they did to Earth,” said Corporal Peterson.
Mark shared the same sentiments Peterson did. No one from Earth would ever look at a Trellixian and not want to kill them. “The problem is, the Trellixians have probably detected the signal as well, which will make it more dangerous each time we drop out of Fold Space. We must be prepared in case they attempt to board the ship.”
“That could be a problem,” Lieutenant Brown said with a frown. “If they’re encased in their battle armor, the only thing we have that can kill them will be our pulse rifles. If we fire those in the ship, we could cause significant damage.”
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