As Hedon listened, he wondered how Admiral Strong and Fourth Fleet were doing on their clandestine mission. They were deep inside Hocklyn space on the very edge of the galactic center. They had gone there to spy on the AIs and what they were building at the galactic core. Hedon hoped they were successful. Their mission would tell the Federation and the Altons just how much time was left before the AIs activated their terror weapon, which might just wipe out all organic life in the galaxy.
Chapter Three
Jeremy gazed worriedly at one of the main tactical displays. The holographic image showed everything within ten light years of the Avenger. This particular display was a development of the Altons and had been installed only recently upon the ship.
“Still nothing,” commented Kevin, coming over to stand next to Jeremy. Kevin was Jeremy’s best friend and the two had been together since the old days at the Fleet Academy.
“It’s been three weeks,” Jeremy replied as his eyes shifted over to Kevin.
That was the last time anyone in Fourth Fleet had seen the Alton science cruiser Deep Search. The Alton ship was one thousand meters long with two bulbous ends that looked like a dumbbell. Each end was three hundred meters in diameter. The forward section contained the living quarters for the crew and the rear section were the engines and power systems. The central section connecting the two was filled with numerous scientific labs and testing equipment.
“I knew we shouldn’t have let those Alton scientists go out on their own,” muttered Kevin, unhappily.
“Part of the crew is Human,” Jeremy reminded Kevin.
All Alton ships had Humans on board since the Altons, for the most part, were a nonaggressive species. Jeremy was deeply concerned that the Deep Search might have been detected by the AIs. The ship was only lightly armed and depended on its powerful energy shield for protection if attacked.
Kevin nodded. The Altons had requested that Humans be put on their ships, but they were still in a very precarious position as they waited for the ship to return. Four times in the last three weeks, they'd detected AI ships at extreme sensor range. There was no doubt in Kevin’s mind that if the AIs caught them this near the galactic center a major battle would erupt, one they might not be able to escape from.
“More ships would have increased the chance of detection,” Commander Malen commented from the other side of Jeremy where she had been watching the tactical hologram. Her hazel eyes focused on Jeremy. “The Deep Search is loaded with stealth gear and is covered in a new Alton composite hull material that supposedly makes the ship invisible to sensor scans.”
“Let’s just hope so,” Jeremy responded, still feeling concerned about the absence of the Alton ship. They were two days overdue from the time they were supposed to have returned.
“Garen was certain they would be quite safe,” Ariel spoke from behind Jeremy where she'd been listening to the conversation. The black haired beauty of an AI stood with her hands on her shapely hips, exuding confidence in her dark eyes. “They’re going deep into the galactic core to a position less than a light year from the black hole. From there, they will be able to observe the AIs' activity and study the structures that are being built in more detail.”
“Stars in that area of space are only .17 light years apart,” added Malen, shaking her head. “It will make traveling in hyperspace more difficult.”
“They have extremely efficient navigation computers on the Deep Search,” responded Ariel, stepping a little closer. “They can compute the navigational vectors almost as well as I can.”
“Tanith said they might have to go even closer,” Malen said, worriedly. She found it frightening to think about getting that close to the massive black hole at the galaxy’s center. If the ship were to become trapped by the black hole’s massive gravity, it could be pulled into the event horizon and vanish forever. Nothing, not even light could escape that deadly barrier.
“How close can they safely come to the black hole?” asked Kevin, looking back at Ariel.
“The AIs have built their structures at one tenth of a light year distant. The black hole will be exerting a gravitational pull of nearly six hundred and fifty gravities at that range. The AI constructs are orbiting the black hole at over two point two million kilometers per hour.”
“Garen said the Deep Search is built to handle the stress,” Malen informed them. She had spent considerable time discussing the Alton research ship’s capabilities with its captain and Garen, the brilliant research scientist that had dedicated his life to studying the AIs. “They can go closer in if they need to.”
“We can only wait,” Ariel said, knowing her friends were deeply concerned about the safety of the Alton ship. “They may be taking additional observations since we may never get this opportunity again.”
“We’ll give them two more days,” replied Jeremy, reaching a decision. “Then we’ll have to set a course back to New Providence. The longer we stay, the more likely it is that the AIs will detect our fleet.”
They were already past the deadline originally set to head home. However, Jeremy was determined to give the Alton research cruiser two more days to show up. If the Deep Search didn’t then they would have to assume the ship had failed in its mission and either been destroyed by the AIs or had been drawn into the black hole.
Leaning back in his command chair, Jeremy let out a deep breath. On another tactical screen, the whole of Fourth Fleet was prominently displayed. It was divided into two large task groups; the first was the battle fleet consisting of seventy-eight warships. Of that seventy-eight, there were twenty Alton battlecruisers. The second task group was under the command of Rear Admiral Susan Marks. She had ten battlecarriers under her command as well as thirty-four escorts. It was by far the most powerful fleet that Jeremy had ever commanded, but this close to the galactic center he wasn’t sure if even all of this firepower was enough if the AIs found them.
-
Jeremy was sitting in the officer’s mess eating a sandwich with Angela when Ariel suddenly appeared next to their table. The sudden appearance of the AI startled Jeremy, though he knew he should be getting used to Ariel’s abrupt arrivals by now.
“We’ve detected a large AI fleet that just dropped out of hyperspace seven light years from our current position. We’ve also detected individual AI ships in a number of nearby systems, the nearest being three light years.”
“They’re hunting for something,” Angela said her eyes growing wide. She and Jeremy had been discussing how hard it was not to have Kelsey and Katie on board the Avenger, as well as Angela’s marine captain. This was the first long-term mission they'd gone on since the five had been split up.
“The Deep Search,” surmised Jeremy, rising to his feet and taking a last drink of his unsweetened tea. “Ariel, put the fleet at Condition One; inform Rear Admiral Marks to prepare her bombers for a bombing strike. I want them equipped with twenty-megaton Shrike missiles. Have all battleships' and strikecruisers' missile tubes loaded with 100-megaton antimatter missiles. Contact Admiral Cleetus and have his ships stand by to engage the AIs.” Cleetus was the Alton admiral in charge of the twenty Alton battlecruisers with the fleet. He was also one of the more aggressive Alton officers.
Jeremy and Angela quickly made their way back to the command deck and the Command Center. Stepping inside, Jeremy went to his command chair and sat down as his eyes shifted to the four large tactical holograms just in front of the command station. Each of them were manned by two Federation officers. Commander Malen was standing next to one of the tactical holograms talking animatedly to the two officers.
“Status?” asked Jeremy as Commander Malen turned around to face him.
“We have over one hundred and ten AI ships on our sensors,” Malen reported in a concerned voice. “There is one main fleet of eighty and the rest are in smaller groups of two or three jumping into the surrounding systems.”
“The Deep Search must have been detected and then escaped,” Jeremy guessed as h
e looked around the Command Center. He could sense a heightened level of apprehension in the crew as they contemplated engaging a large AI fleet this far from home.
“I’m not picking up the Deep Search on any of my sensors,” Kevin reported as he ran his hands over the three large computer screens that comprised his station touching icons. “With their new stealth capabilities, they’re going to be hard to detect.”
Jeremy gazed at the nearest tactical hologram showing the AIs continuing to jump from system to system. Whatever the Deep Search had done, it had deeply disturbed the AIs. He wondered what their reaction would be when they found a large Federation fleet in their backyard.
“I have the Deep Search on the com,” Angela suddenly stated in a loud and surprised voice. “Their hyperdrive is down and they’re in system C-112 in orbit around the fourth planet, a gas giant. They’re trying to stay inside the planet’s atmosphere while they attempt to repair the drive.”
“Where’s system C-112?” demanded Jeremy, standing up and striding over to one of the four tactical holograms. It sounded as if the Deep Search was damaged and if he didn’t get Fourth Fleet there soon, the AIs could find the ship. It was vital that they retrieve whatever data the Alton research ship had managed to record on what the AIs were doing around the black hole even if it meant engaging the AIs.
“Here,” Commander Malen responded as she used a laser pointer to indicate the system and the red threat icons that had just appeared inside of it. “We’re detecting three AI ships that have just dropped out of hyperspace and are beginning to scan the system.”
“Will the Deep Search be able to remain undetected?”
“Unknown,” Malen responded as her eyes focused on Jeremy. “If their hyperdrive is down, it might indicate the ship has been damaged. If they're hiding in a planet’s atmosphere, it probably indicates an act of desperation on the part of the ship’s captain. There’s a good possibility the ship’s stealth capability has been compromised.”
“Whatever the Deep Search has discovered, it’s obvious the AIs don’t want it getting out,” Jeremy spoke as he weighed his options. He realized there was really only one choice. He glanced over at navigation wishing Kelsey were there. She was the best navigation officer in the fleet. “Ariel, plot a hyperspace jump to system C-112. I want you to put us just outside of the gravity well of the planet where the Deep Search is.”
“Yes, Jeremy,” Ariel replied in her girlish voice. The young looking AI quickly walked over to the Helm and began speaking to the navigation officer. She was as good as Kelsey when it came to tricky navigational computation even though Kelsey had a knack for coming up with innovative ideas for computing jumps.
Jeremy tapped his mini-com, which gave him instant access to the entire fleet. “All hands, we’re preparing to do a hyperspace jump to a nearby system where the Deep Search is hiding. All indications are that the Alton research ship has suffered major damage, and the AIs are searching for it. There are already three AI ships in the system and once we jump in, we can expect more to arrive shortly.” Jeremy paused as he gazed around at the crew in the Command Center, who were all listening to him attentively. They all knew how serious the situation was about to get. “We will not be leaving that system without the Deep Search. All hands, stand by for combat operations; we jump in two minutes. Condition One is now in effect.”
On one of the tactical displays, the fleet began spreading out in preparation to enter hyperspace. When a ship entered or exited hyperspace, it couldn’t do so if an object of appreciable mass were too close. That didn’t apply to AI or Alton ships. They had a device in their ships that allowed them to jump impossibly close to a planet or another ship, even inside fleet formations.
“Tactical, I want targeting solutions on any AI ships as soon as we exit the spatial vortex,” Jeremy ordered in a grimmer voice as he prepared himself mentally for combat. “Use of sublight antimatter missiles is authorized. Commander Malen, as soon as we arrive, I want a squadron of strikecruisers detached from the fleet and sent in to protect the Deep Search.”
“Yes, Admiral,” Commander Malen replied as she quickly began contacting the six strikecruisers, which would be entrusted with that mission. When she was finished, she turned back to Jeremy. “Are you sure we don’t want to send in some Alton battlecruisers? They could jump right in next to the ship in the planet’s atmosphere.”
“No,” responded Jeremy, shaking his head. “We may need all of them to fight off the AIs. They’re bound to detect us as soon as we drop out of hyperspace. We can probably expect an attack almost immediately.”
Another minute passed and then Ariel turned toward Jeremy. “All ships have the jump coordinates; we will be arriving at the minimum safe distance for a hyperspace jump.”
“Ready to implement jump,” Ensign Striker reported from the Helm.
“Jump,” Jeremy ordered as he looked at the main viewscreen on the front wall. Instantly, a blue-white vortex formed in front of the Avenger. Looking at the numerous other screens showing Fourth Fleet ships, he could see other vortexes of swirling light appearing.
“Entering the vortex,” Ensign Striker reported as he moved the ship forward.
In nearby space, ships moved quickly into the vortexes. In less than thirty seconds, the last ship was gone and the vortexes collapsed back in on themselves, leaving no sign of anything ever having been there.
-
In system C-112, three massive fifteen hundred-meter AI spheres slowly scanned the entire system with their sensors. It was vital that they locate the fugitive Alton ship before it could return to Human space with its sensor scans.
“Sensors are still showing negative,” one of the metal AIs reported, its glowing head flickering as it spoke.
“The ship has to be nearby,” the commanding AI countered as it floated over closer to the sensor console. “All other ships are reporting negative contact also. This Alton ship must be found!”
“Their ship was damaged when it came too close to the Central Nexus,” the AI at Tactical stated. “It will have to stop somewhere and attempt repairs.”
“The Altons are a danger to the Great Project,” interposed the AI from the science station. “I would suggest we scan the planets; the Alton research ship might be hiding upon one of them or even in one of the gas giants' atmospheres.”
“Agreed,” responded the command AI, the glowing orb above its metal body glowing even brighter. It waved one of its metal tentacles toward the AI at the Helm. “Take us to the nearest planet and we will begin our sensor sweep. There are six planets in this system and eight moons; we will scan each. If the Altons are here, we will find them.”
-
Jeremy let out a deep breath as he felt the Avenger drop back out of hyperspace; that brief gut wrenching feeling as reality returned back to normal.
“Report!” he barked as the viewscreens began to clear of static and show the space around the Avenger. Numerous blue-white spatial vortexes were visible and from each a Federation warship or Alton battlecruiser was emerging.
“Contact!” yelled Kevin as three large red threat icons suddenly manifested themselves on the main sensor screen above his console. He quickly transferred the information over to one of the tactical holograms.
“They’re searching the second planet,” Commander Malen said as she studied the display. “They will detect us momentarily and will doubtlessly call for reinforcements.”
“Strikecruiser squadron is breaking off and heading for the planet,” Kevin added as six large green icons left the fleet and headed for the planet’s gravity well.
“Keep the rest of the fleet outside of the gravity well,” Jeremy ordered as he watched the AI ships in the tactical display.
He quickly contacted Admiral Cleeteus and asked him to have several of his battlecruisers ready to jump in and assist the strikecruisers if it became necessary. The Alton battlecruisers, like the AI spheres, could jump into a planet’s gravity well without suffering damage
or being destroyed by the stress.
-
“Human ships and Alton battlecruisers are being detected,” reported the AI at sensors, with alarm in its voice. “I am detecting over one hundred enemy vessels.”
“A full warfleet,” the command AI stated as it floated over to examine the sensor screens. “Contact our other ships and summon them to this system; we will wait for their arrival and then attack the Humans and Altons in force. They will not escape and the Alton research vessel will be destroyed. Humans cannot be allowed this close to the galactic center. Send a message to AI Command and report the presence of this fleet. This is an alarming development and may pose a danger to the Great Project.”
“The Humans have detached six of their warships and they’re entering the planet’s gravity well,” the sensor AI added.
“The Alton research ship must be hiding in the planet’s atmosphere,” the science AI commented. “The Humans and the Altons are attempting to rescue it.”
“It will take time, and time is one thing they do not have,” the command AI replied. “We shall destroy them and preserve the Great Project. Nothing can be allowed to endanger it!”
-
On the main viewscreen in the Command Center of the Avenger, the Deep Search suddenly made an appearance as it rose up out of the turbulent atmosphere in which it had been hiding. The screen was giving them a highly magnified view and it was obvious the ship had been heavily damaged.
“They were lucky to make it here,” Commander Malen said, shaking her head as she gazed at the screen. The Engineering section had a large hole in it that must have been twenty to thirty meters across. Other damage was evident across the ship where the hull seemed to be burned, and several small jagged rents were visible where compartments had been opened to the hard vacuum of space.
“I have Captain Jultice online,” Angela reported as she listened to the message coming over her com system. “He is suggesting that we abandon the Deep Search as it is severely damaged. Their hyperdrive core has failed completely and the cooling systems are severely compromised. He estimates it will take over twelve hours just to repair the hyperdrive.”
The Slaver Wars: Endgame Page 4