Jeremy had spent two days waiting for the Dominator to show up at the Simulin capital world. Ariel had predicted Kazak would take the Dominator there to either make demands of the Simulins or to destroy the planet. Jeremy had managed to move the Avenger and the Alton battleships in close to the system so they could make an emergency jump to assist the Dominator if it were damaged. They never expected to have to save the ship from an exploding nova. Jeremy knew if he had been just a few minutes late the Dominator would have been lost with everyone on board, including Kelsey and Katie.
Kazak looked solemnly at the three with him as he took the copper colored globe, which served as a key, out of his pocket. “What I’m going to show you is my biggest secret. It is the last hope to resurrect the Originators, and I have been programmed to protect it at all costs.” Kazak inserted the key into the waiting slot and the wall slid open. Stepping inside, he indicated for the others to follow.
Jeremy was the first one to enter and after taking a few steps came to a stunned halt. The room was full of large transparent tubes filled with some type of liquid. He could see vague figures in each tube.
“Children!” uttered Kelsey in amazement as she looked around at all the tubes in the compartment. “These tubes are full of children.”
“Intriguing,” said Andram as he walked over to the nearest and gazed inside. A young female Originator was inside the tube with her eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping.
“I don’t understand,” said Jeremy, looking over at Kazak. “We expected to find adult Originators in here.”
“There are a few,” Kazak admitted. “At the far end of the compartment there are twenty-three adults. Unfortunately, they are all suffering from advanced stages of the life extension pathogen. Those twenty-three are the greatest minds of all of the Originators. If I were to awaken them, they would die in a matter of hours.”
“The children,” asked Kelsey as she stared wide eyed at what appeared to be hundreds of tubes with children in them. She had never expected to find children in this compartment.
Kazak’s face took on a look of deep sadness as he gazed at them. “When the Dominator originally left the Dyson Sphere, it was equipped for research as well as defense. The blue energy spheres the ship used against the Simulins were not allowed on any other vessel. They were the Originators’ greatest weapon and as such that technology was never to leave any of the Dyson Spheres. However, because of the importance of the Dominator’s mission, the ban was lifted in this one instance.”
“Your mission was to find a cure,” said Jeremy, recalling a past conversation with Kazak.
“Yes, but we failed. The research scientists on board brought their families, and as the scientists succumbed to the disease, their children were put into stasis. If the children were awakened now, they would live out long lives, but eventually they too would succumb to the pathogen. The scientists worked to the very end, and when they realized they were going to fail, the remaining scientists decided to go into stasis and let me continue their work.”
“You failed also,” Kelsey said sadly. “Without a cure, you didn’t dare awaken any of the children or adults.”
“I even traveled back to the Dyson Sphere to see if I could contact other Originators, but none were left. No one answered my calls to Dyson Spheres in other galaxies other than AIs and they all reported the same. All the Originators had died.”
“All of them?” gasped Kelsey. She knew the number of Originators who had inhabited all the Dyson Spheres had to have been in the trillions.
“Yes. As the disease swept across the Dyson Spheres, the population rapidly decreased. Even the remaining children grew up and died of the pathogen,” Kazak explained. “However, there was a file I found in the core computer of the Dyson Sphere in this galaxy that suggested a large group of survivors had fled just before the end to a place they thought might be safe. I searched for them for thousands of years and found nothing. If they found a place of safety, it is well hidden.”
Kelsey slowly walked down the aisles of tubes, stopping to examine several. “Genesis,” she said softly, turning back to face Kazak. “If you could find a cure you could bring the Originator race back.”
Kazak nodded. He turned and looked at Andram. “The Altons are the most highly advanced race I’ve encountered since the Originators. Is there any chance your people could help in finding a cure?”
Andram paused in front of a tube holding a young male Originator, who looked to be five to seven years of age. “We do possess considerable knowledge of life prolongation drugs. I’m sure my people would be willing to work on this. But if the Originators never found a cure, I don’t know if we can either.”
“I accept that,” Kazak answered. “All I ask is that you try.”
-
Hours later, Jeremy and Kelsey were down on Gaia. Angela’s baby shower was planned for later in the day. Her due date was very near and both Katie and Kelsey were excited to get the party going. Katie had gone off shopping, saying she had a particular gift in mind.
“Do you think the Altons will find a cure?”
“If anyone can, it would be them,” Jeremy replied. They were walking down a street in New Eden. “Kazak is going to make a lot of data on the Originators’ biology available to the Altons. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
Taking Kelsey’s hand, he wondered what was in their future. The menace from the Simulins had been greatly reduced but it was still there. He intended to send another task group out to Admiral Jackson to shore up the defenses in the Ornellian Empire and seek out new allies. The AIs were building new Warspheres at an ever-increasing rate. In two more days Grayseth was taking out a fleet to destroy several nearby Simulin bases. Jeremy intended to remove all Simulin threats within two hundred light years of Gaia. He would then send out AI ships to patrol the region and keep it clear of Simulin vessels.
He was also still concerned about Kazak. Since being rescued from the nova the Originator AI had been very cordial, but Jeremy knew it could all be an act. Kazak would bear watching. He still didn’t fully trust the Originator AI.
“Are you going to the baby shower?” asked Kelsey.
“No, I think I’ll pass,” Jeremy answered. “Kevin invited me over for a cookout.”
“Hamburgers,” groaned Kelsey. “You know that’s what he’ll cook.”
“I’m taking a couple of steaks,” Jeremy said with a grin.
At least for a while life could be normal. For the first time since coming to the Triangulum Galaxy, Jeremy felt there was real hope for the future. The threat posed by the Dyson Sphere supernova had been eliminated and the Simulins had suffered a major setback. For the foreseeable future, Gaia was safe.
-
On board the Avenger, Ariel was reviewing the sensor scans from when the power had failed on the Dominator. As she studied the information, she began to realize not everything added up. The Dominator should never have lost its power, even with the Simulin ships attempting to jump in on top of the vessel. With a worried feeling, Ariel began to wonder if Kazak had set the whole thing up. She decided the best thing to do was keep her suspicions to herself. She would monitor Kazak as closely as possible to see if she could discover any ulterior motives. She wished Clarissa were here with her. Between the two of them, they could solve any problem. It was times like this that Ariel felt extremely lonely.
-
In the Rylus Star Cluster Reesa, Kelnor, and Sergeant Wilde had been summoned to a meeting with the AIs. Entering the briefing room, they found Leeda, Rakell, Tamon and Sible waiting for them.
“I hope your people are comfortable,” Rakell said from the head of the conference table. “I also regret the lives lost fighting the Simulins.”
“They’re adjusting,” answered Brenda. “They all would like to go home though.”
“I’m truly sorry about that,” Rakell replied. “But that can’t be allowed. Your people have seen too much of the Shrieel.”
&nbs
p; “Why have you summoned us to this meeting?” asked Reesa.
Leeda stood up and walked over to a viewscreen. “Seven months ago one of your ships appeared at the primary communications and transport hub of the Originators. It is the first ship to travel there in over two million years.”
“One of our ships?” Brenda said confused. “I don’t understand. None of our ships have access to any of your intergalactic vortexes. We didn’t even know this Dyson Sphere existed seven months ago.”
“The ship didn’t come from this galaxy,” explained Rakell, nodding at Leeda.
Leeda activated the viewscreen and everyone in the room grew quiet. A ship was on the screen. A ship of Alton design but heavily damaged. Jagged rips in the hull and burn marks indicated the ship had either been in a major battle or submitted to a terrifying force. The ship looked to be nearly a total wreck.
Reesa stood up looking in shock at the ship. She instantly recognized it since she had seen it in orbit around her homeward. She also knew from what the AIs had told her before that this was the ship that had destroyed the Dyson Sphere in the Triangulum Galaxy. “That’s the Distant Horizon!”
Brenda recognized the name. It had been Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes’ ship, and it had gone off searching for the lost fleets! “Why are you showing this to us?”
“It’s quite simple,” Rakell began. “We want you to go to the transport hub, use the Distant Horizon to return to the Triangulum Galaxy, and attempt to find the Dominator and Kazak.”
“Why would we do that? Were there any survivors on the Distant Horizon?”
“Yes, there were a few survivors,” answered Leeda. “I will be going with you as well as Sible, who will serve as our pilot. As for the reason we’re going, we have a cure for the pathogen that killed off the Originators.”
“A cure!” echoed Reesa, her eyes growing wide.
“Yes. It took us hundreds of thousands of years of research, but a cure was finally found,” Leeda explained. “The Originators left us thousands of lines of research. One of those was the cure they had been so desperately seeking.”
“What good is a cure if all the Originators are dead?” asked Kelnor.
“That’s why we need to find the Dominator,” Rakell replied. “There’s a small chance a few Originators may still exist in the stasis chambers on board that vessel.”
Reesa felt her heart skip a beat. Was there still a chance for her to meet one of the ancient race?
“If we agree to this, will we be allowed to go home afterward?” asked Brenda.
“We will consider it,” answered Rakell. “But first you’re going to have to deal with Kazak and that will be no easy task.”
Brenda nodded. It seemed as if their mission was only just beginning.
The End
If you enjoyed The Lost Fleet: Genesis and would like to see the series continue, please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and also help sell books. Reviews can be just a few short sentences, describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website, link below. Thank you for reading Genesis and being so supportive.
What happened to the Distant Horizon when the central sun of the Dyson Sphere went nova? How did they escape and who survived? Find out in The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators.
A mysterious threat has appeared in the galaxy. The ships of the most advanced civilizations are being neutralized and destroyed by an unknown enemy. Admiral Kurt Vickers is still in the process of rebuilding Earth and expanding the Newton colony when he learns of this new and alarming danger. Read The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders as Admiral Vickers tries to come to grips with this latest deadly threat.
For updates on current writing projects and future publications, go to my author website. Sign up for future notifications when my new books come out on Amazon.
Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
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Other Books by Raymond L. Weil
Available on Amazon
Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book 3)
The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)
The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)
The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)
The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars Book 7)
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Dragon Dreams
Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars
Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening
Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon
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Star One: Tycho City: Survival
Star One: Neutron Star
Star One: Dark Star
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Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)
Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)
Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Book 3)
Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (Book 4)
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (Book 5)
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The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)
The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2)
The Lost Fleet: Oblivion’s Light (Book 3)
The Lost Fleet: Genesis (Book 4)
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The Star Cross (Book 1)
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(All dates are tentative)
The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders (Book 2) July 2016
The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators (Book 5) October 2016
Turn the page for an introduction to The Star Cross (Book 1).
The Star Cross
The Star Cross Series (Book 1)
Chapter One
The Earth’s eight-hundred-meter-long heavy battlecruiser Star Cross slid silently through empty space, the ship’s powerful sensors scanning everything ahead and around it. Her four light cruiser escorts were in screening positions, protecting the massive battlecruiser from attack. The six-hundred-meter-long light carrier Vindication followed closely behind, protected by six small destroyers. Each ship was on high alert, and tensions were high among the crews. Everyone glanced anxiously at one another, wondering what was awaiting them at Earth.
In the Command Center of the Star Cross, Admiral Kurt Vickers watched the main viewscreen, which was focused on the light carrier, as four Lance fighters left the flight bay to patrol in front of the fleet. The light carrier had twenty fighters in its bay, plus ten small Scorpion bombers.
“CSP has been launched,” Lieutenant Lena Brooks reported, as four friendly green icons appeared on her sensor screen. The twenty-eight-year-old woman let out a quiet breath.
Vickers could tell Lena was hoping they would remain undetected by her rapid breathing. She wasn’t the only worried one in the Command Center.
Lena focused her hazel eyes upon the admiral, awaiting further orders. She trusted him to bring them through the coming ordeal.
“Current status?” asked Vickers in a steady voice, turning to his XO and commander of the battlecruiser, Captain Andrew Randson.
The captain checked several data screens before answering the admiral. “Long-range sensors indicate no unusual movement from the enemy ships. I don’t think they detected our hyperjumps.” Randson let out a deep, ragged breath.
He seemed to be feeling the tension running through the Command Center. Everyone’s nerves were on edge. The first part of the mission was a success. They had jumped into the Sol System without the enemy becoming aware of the small battle fleet.
Admiral Vickers nodded, as his gaze returned to the main tactical screen, now displaying information from the long-distance scans. He felt a tremendous weight of responsibility upon his shoulders, knowing his next few decisions could well determine the future of the human race. His fleet was the last fleet Earth still possessed; all the others had been destroyed by a vicious and unknown enemy.
The Command
Center crew waited his further orders in silence. Everyone wanted to know what had happened here in their home star system, and if their friends and families were still alive. Kurt knew they had good reasons to be concerned.
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Two weeks back a mysterious and hostile alien fleet had appeared out of hyperspace and annihilated the two human fleets permanently stationed around Earth for protection. The majority of the ships had been destroyed before their shields could be raised or a single weapon fired. Only a few had managed to fight back and then only briefly. This wasn’t surprising, as no aliens had been detected by any of Earth’s long-range exploration ships, and no one had been expecting an attack. So the ships had been at a low level of alert. Many of the crewmembers had even been on leave down on Earth.
The Star Cross and her fleet had been in the Newton System, practicing maneuvers and testing the new particle beam weapons the battlecruiser and the light cruisers had been equipped with. The Newton System held a thriving human colony of nearly eight million inhabitants, plus a large orbital station designed for deep-space exploration and minor ship repair. The colony had a number of large scientific outposts, since ships sent on exploratory missions were required to report to Newton before being allowed to return to Earth. Newton was also the only true Earth-type planet to be discovered so far in the humans’ explorations. Humans could survive on other planets, but none could compare to Earth or Newton.
A heavily damaged light cruiser had limped into the Newton System and reported the shocking news of the attack on Earth. The ship’s commander, Captain Owens, had barely escaped and had lost over half of his crew in the brief battle above the planet. The report of the attack had shaken the Newton colony, and, after conferring with the colony’s governor, it had been decided that Admiral Vickers would return to the Solar System. His mission was to determine the current condition of Earth and the number of alien ships still present.
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