“All commands, work in groups large enough to overload their energy shields,” Fleet Commodore Dreen broadcast to all fleet captains. “We must destroy as many of them as possible and as quickly as we can.”
“That’s nearly ten thousand warships we have,” reported Laylem, his eyes widening at the number.
For several minutes the battle intensified. Then Alborg turned toward the fleet commodore with growing concern. “Our weapons can’t destroy their battleships. We’ve hit several of them with over fifty dark matter warheads, and it didn’t faze them.”
Commodore Dreen looked at one of the tactical displays. Lakiam, Andock, Bascom, and Parmont warships were being destroyed in large numbers. If something didn’t change shortly, he wouldn’t be able to keep the Vorn away from Lakiam. “Try one hundred then. We must find a way to bring down their shields.”
-
In the Vorn fleet, Prince Brollen watched with relief as his battleships blew apart ship after ship in the enemy fleets.
We are facing over nine thousand enemy warships, reported the Vorn at the sensors.
Doesn’t matter, Military Commander Fraymot replied dismissively. We are losing cruisers, but the enemy has failed to damage even one of our battleships. It is as I expected. Our battleships will annihilate the enemy fleets, leaving their worlds open to harvest. It will be a great victory for the Vorn.
It will indeed, the prince replied. However, he was still greatly concerned about the capture of the Scythe. When this battle was over, it would be essential that he find its location and recover it. No food species could be allowed to possess one of the Vorn motherships.
-
Captain Callast watched as the last Vorn cruiser blew apart when its shield ruptured, releasing a torrent of uncontrolled energy.
“That’s the last one,” the sensor operator reported.
“How many battlecruisers did we lose?”
“Two hundred and eighteen.”
Callast sucked in a deep breath. Those were heavily armed warships and still the Vorn took them down. “Stand by to go into hyperspace. Set a course for Fleet Commodore Dreen’s fleet.”
Callast could see the battle in the outer system wasn’t going well. All he could do was reinforce Fleet Commodore Dreen and hope for the best.
-
Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers had moved his fleet to just outside the Lakiam System. They had been watching the battle and assessing the situation.
“One of the Vorn fleets has been annihilated,” reported Lieutenant Brooks as she checked her sensors.
“But they have not destroyed any of the Vorn battleships,” said Tasid. “I was afraid of that.”
“I don’t understand why they didn’t use the cargo ships against the larger Vorn ships,” said Aleea. “It would have been a better tactical move.”
“Because it wouldn’t have worked as well,” replied Andrew. He had been watching the battle and talking it over with Lieutenant Mays. “The battleships are far enough inside the Vorn formation where they would have destroyed the cargo ships before they became a danger. This way the Lakiams took out an entire Vorn fleet consisting of the smaller cruisers. That in itself is a major victory.”
“Mara wants to know when we’re going in,” reported Lieutenant Pierce. “She’s growing impatient.
Kurt turned toward Tasid. “What if we pair up your ships where it’s two against one? Can two of your ships take out a Vorn battleship?”
“I believe so,” replied Tasid, looking to Aleea for confirmation.
“I project a 92 percent probability that they can,” the AI responded.
“Very well. Lieutenant Pierce, contact Fleet Captain Waelt and inform him that he is to engage the Vorn battleships with his ships working in pairs. Tell him we believe two of his disk ships can take out a Vorn battleship.”
Kurt waited as the message was sent.
“He agrees and is passing the orders on to his fleet. He says he can go into battle at any time.”
“Very well. Contact the Aurelia and tell Mara she needs to speak with Fleet Commodore Dreen. Tell her what our plans our, and we will be jumping ten minutes after she departs.”
Moments later the Aurelia vanished from the viewscreen as it jumped into hyperspace.
“The Aurelia has entered hyperspace,” confirmed Lieutenant Brooks.
Kurt nodded. He pressed the comm button, connecting him to the other Human ships. “All ships go to Condition One. Combat is imminent. I repeat, combat is imminent.” They had been at Condition Two while they watched the battle.
“We’re ready,” confirmed Andrew. “All stations are manned. Marines and combat robots have been deployed.”
Kurt looked at Lieutenant Mays. “I guess we’ll find out how these new Zero-Point Energy rounds work in the KEW cannon.”
“They’ll work,” answered Lieutenant Mays with a wolfish grin. “One round, one destroyed Vorn battleship.”
“I hope so,” replied Kurt as he watched the counter nearing zero. Nearly time to engage the Vorn.
-
Fleet Commodore Dreen was desperate. On one of the viewscreens, he watched as a Vorn spindle-shaped cruiser died when its energy screen was disrupted, releasing its stored-up power on the black ship it was supposed to protect. But not so with the bigger battleships.
“We’ve lost over 212 battlecruisers in the last six minutes,” reported Laylem. “The other attacking fleets have lost even more.”
“Fleet Leader Moor has lost nearly four hundred,” reported Keenol from Communications.
“It’s those battleships,” muttered Alborg as he launched another wave of dark matter missiles from the Basera’s missile tubes. “We can’t find a way to bring down their shields!”
Commodore Dreen pursed his lips, trying to think of a solution. Perhaps it would be best to pull all the fleets back to Lakiam. It would give them the extra firepower from the defensive grid. That would effectively double the number of missiles that could be launched at the Vorn fleet. Reaching a decision, he was about to give the order when Sheera interrupted him.
“Commodore, the Aurelia has just jumped in, and Mara is requesting to speak to you immediately.”
“Mara?” said Alborg, shaking his head. “She should have stayed away. What can one more ship do?”
Commodore Dreen reached forward, activating the comm channel. “Mara, why did you come back? Can’t you see we’re in the middle of a battle?”
“A battle you can’t win against those Vorn battleships,” replied Mara.
“We don’t know that yet,” answered Dreen. “We’ll pull back to the defensive grid and add its firepower to the fleets. Perhaps then we can bring down their shields. If we can hit those battleships with enough dark matter warheads, they’re bound to collapse.”
“Black fleet launching their black spheres,” warned Laylem. “If we’re going to do something, it needs to be now.”
“I didn’t come alone,” replied Mara. “The Humans from Newton and I found the Glaymons. A Glaymon fleet is about to jump into the system and attack the Vorn. Their primary target will be the Vorn battleships. Keep the Vorn fleet bottled up until they arrive. It should only be another few minutes.”
“The Glaymons,” said Alborg in shock, turning to Fleet Commodore Dreen. “They’re just a myth.”
“Please believe me,” pleaded Mara. “I didn’t come all this way to see Lakiam destroyed. The Glaymons can save it!”
Dreen made a quick decision. In all the time he had known Mara, she had never misled him. “All ships,” he announced over the ship-to-ship comm. “Use short hyperjumps to avoid the black spheres. We have another fleet preparing to enter the system that claims they can destroy the Vorn battleships. Do not fire on them. I repeat, do not fire on them.”
“The Glaymons?” said Alborg, shaking his head. “Commodore, we’re risking a lot. What if Mara’s wrong? The Glaymons are a myth. No one has seen them for millions of years.”
Fleet Commodore D
reen looked at Alborg. “What do we have to lose? If nothing happens in the next few minutes, we’ll pull back. Until then we’ll see what Mara’s friends can do.”
A few more minutes passed, and suddenly hundreds of orange icons appeared in and around the Vorn fleet. Orange meant the ships were unidentified and not in the Basera’s database.
“Contacts!” yelled Laylem excitedly, his eyes growing wide in disbelief. “The ships are disk-shaped and one thousand meters across. The power readings are totally off the scale. Whatever those ships are using for a power source, it’s much greater than the Vorn’s.”
Alborg looked at the tactical display in disbelief. “This can’t be real.”
-
Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers gasped as the Star Cross exited hyperspace within twenty kilometers of the Vorn fleet. The viewscreens were suddenly filled with deadly spindle-shaped vessels.
“Find a battleship and target it,” Kurt ordered Lieutenant Mays. He wanted to know how their weapons would work against the Vorn.
“Target located,” reported the lieutenant. “Preparing to fire Zero-Point Energy round.” The Star Cross vibrated slightly. “Round fired.”
Kurt looked at the viewscreen which was focused on a Vorn 1,200-meter-long battleship. The vessel was spindle-shaped but bulkier than the smaller cruisers. As he watched, the Zero-Point Energy round struck the ship’s shield. A brilliant light expanded across space, dimming the viewscreens automatically. When it cleared, all that was left of the Vorn ship was a tangled mass of glowing wreckage.
“Target destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Brooks jubilantly.
“It worked,” said Andrew, staring at the viewscreen in amazement.
“Of course it worked,” said Tasid. “The amount of energy generated by the Zero-Point Energy round will destroy anything it encounters.”
“Loading next round,” added Lieutenant Mays, a devilish look in her eyes.
“Are our battlecruisers still with us?” asked Kurt as he studied the tactical display. He had a plan in mind, and he would need all four of the heavy battlecruisers.
“Yes, Admiral,” replied Andrew, indicating one of the tactical displays. “They’re in a box formation around us. What are your orders?”
“Move us toward the motherships. If we can take them out, this battle will be over.” The Star Cross shook slightly, and Kurt looked questionably toward Lieutenant Mays.
“Multiple black antimatter beams are hitting our energy screen, but it’s still holding at 93 percent.”
Kurt smiled ruthlessly. Time to teach the Vorn a lesson they will never forget.
-
Fleet Commodore Dreen stared in amazement as he watched the disk-shaped ships annihilate the Vorn battleships. The Glaymon ships were working in pairs, bringing to bear unbelievably powerful energy beams to overload the Vorn screens and bring them crashing down. Vorn battleship after battleship was being destroyed.
“All ships,” spoke Commodore Dreen over the ship-to-ship comm. “The disk ships that have jumped in to aid us are the Glaymons. I know that sounds fantastic, but they are here. The other five unidentified vessels are the Humans from Newton. They’re a new Protector World. All ships are to focus on the smaller Vorn cruisers. Leave the battleships to the Glaymons and the Humans.”
“Commodore, the Newton ships have some type of kinetic energy weapon that’s firing a round of unbelievable power,” announced Alborg as he studied the data coming across his console. “One round can totally annihilate a Vorn battleship. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Commodore, the Humans have adjusted their course. They’re already deep inside the Vorn fleet,” added Laylem. “They’re on a direct course for the Vorn motherships.”
“How are their energy shields standing up to the Vorn’s black antimatter beams?” asked Jalad as he moved the Basera toward its next target.
“I don’t know,” said Laylem. “But according to the sensors, the Vorn beams can’t penetrate the Glaymon or Human shields. They must have an unbelievable power-generation system.”
Fleet Commodore Dreen allowed himself to feel hope. The tide of the battle was changing. With growing anticipation, he realized they now had a chance to win.
-
Prince Brollen reeled in shock as another battleship was blown apart on one of the viewscreens. Who are they? his thoughts screamed into the command crews’ minds. Where did they come from?
Unknown, answered Military Commander Fraymot as he struggled to maintain control of the Vorn fleet.
Panicked military commanders were demanding orders and instructions about how to deal with these new ships that were destroying the Vorn battleships with such impunity. The large disk ships possessed beam weapons that were unstoppable by energy screens. They either overloaded the screen or drilled right through it. Fraymot suspected they were two different types of beam weapons.
Zero-Point Energy has been detected, reported the ship’s sensor operator. All the new ships that have jumped into the battle are powered by it.
Looking at one of the viewscreens, the prince studied one of the new ships. Never had he seen such a vessel. If powered by Zero-Point Energy, they posed a serious threat to the Vorn.
It’s a food species we have never encountered in this galaxy, reported Fraymot. The species must be highly advanced.
One we must have missed in a past harvesting of this galaxy, replied Prince Brollen, a growing anger filling his thoughts. On another screen, a Vorn battleship was cut in two by the powerful beams of one of the disk ships.
There is a second ship type as well, the Vorn at the sensors reported, putting it up on a viewscreen. The second ship was vaguely similar to the warships they currently battled in this system. As they watched, a flash of light appeared and then impacted the energy screen of a nearby Vorn battleship. The screen was instantly overloaded and dimmed. When it cleared, the Vorn battleship was a tumbling mass of wreckage.
It’s some type of Zero-Point Energy projectile, Military Commander Fraymot reported as he received information from other ship commanders.
Prince Brollen grew extremely concerned. The Vorn had Zero-Point Energy drives on their Intergalactic Transport Vessels. It was also used in the habitats in the home system. But nothing as small as the weapon being used against their battleships. With dawning realization he knew, somewhere in this galaxy, was a race that had stayed hidden from the Vorn for an unknown number of cycles. Perhaps even through multiple harvestings of this galaxy. If this was true, this evolved race could be a major threat to the Vorn, even the habitats. Prince Brollen suddenly realized the danger he had placed his entire species in by allowing the capture of the Scythe. That must be the reason for this race to suddenly attack the Vorn. For the first time since the Vorn had come to this universe, other species would know where the Vorn race lived. Inadvertently Prince Brollen had placed their habitats and the Vorn Queens in danger.
Those five strange warships are on a direct path toward the motherships, the Vorn at the sensors reported.
None of our weapons can penetrate their shields, added Military Commander Fraymot, sounding desperate. We have attacked them with multiple ships, and all have failed. Even the black spheres of destruction are powerless against them.
Prince Brollen stood paralyzed as his plans and his future came crashing down around him.
-
Fleet Commodore Dreen could scarcely believe his eyes as the Glaymon and Newton ships cut right through the Vorn formation, destroying black ships as if they were nothing. For the first time, the Vorn were on the receiving end of what they had done in so many systems.
“This is our opportunity to set an example,” exalted Dreen, realizing what was at stake. “If we can destroy this Vorn fleet, the other Protector Worlds will rally to our alliance. If these Glaymons will continue to help us, we can drive the Vorn from our galaxy and ensure they never return.”
On the viewscreens, a number of Lakiam battlecruisers lay powerless in space whe
re they had been struck by the black spheres. Lakiam tugs were already latching onto the ships to pull them to safety. Other Lakiam battlecruisers working in pairs were attacking the smaller Vorn cruisers.
“I estimate the Vorn have already lost over 432 of their battleships,” reported Laylem. “The others are retreating whenever a pair of Glaymon vessels draw near. They’re afraid of the disk ships!”
A cheer broke out in the Command Center as everyone realized that victory was within their grasp.
“What about the Newton ships?” asked Commodore Dreen. “Where are they now?”
“Almost in range of the motherships,” replied Laylem. “Those five vessels are under increasingly heavy attack by Vorn cruisers and battleships trying to block their path. Their shields look as if they’re on fire! So far it’s not having any affect.”
Those five ships were the key to victory. If they could close with the motherships and destroy them, the Vorn would break off and retreat. Looking around the Command Center, Dreen noticed all eyes were on the tactical display, focused intently on the Newton ships.
-
The Star Cross shook violently, and several red lights appeared on the damage control board.
“We have some leakage through the energy shield,” reported Aleea. “We’re being hit by hundreds of black antimatter beams, and the shields are not designed to withstand such an onslaught. Shields are currently holding at 42 percent.”
“How soon can we fire on the Vorn motherships?” asked Kurt. The motherships were the key.
“I can’t get a lock,” replied Lieutenant Mays, sounding frustrated. “They’re just too many Vorn ships between us and the motherships.”
The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril Page 29