“I can hit them,” said Aleea. “Turn over control of all five ships to me, and I’ll destroy the Vorn motherships.”
The Star Cross shook again.
“Admiral, Captain Hastings and the others report their ships are taking damage,” reported Andrew. “We must do something now, or we won’t make it to the motherships.”
Kurt looked at Tasid.
“You can trust Aleea,” he said. “She will do as she says.”
“Very well,” replied Kurt, looking at the AI. “Do it. Lieutenant Pierce, inform the other captains that Aleea will be taking control of their ships through their ships’ AIs and computers.” Kurt was taking a risk, but, if he didn’t, he might lose his fleet, and the motherships might escape.
-
In space, the five ships suddenly began weaving in a complicated dance aimed at making it more difficult for the Vorn ships to target them. At the same time Aleea watched carefully, waiting for moments when the movement of the small fleet would allow her to take a shot at the Vorn motherships. The Cygnus was the first to lock briefly on a mothership. It was all the time Aleea needed. Instantly the ship’s KEW cannon fired. Moments later the Vega locked on. Once again a Zero-Point Energy round was fired at a mothership.
Inside the center of the Vorn formation, two novalike explosions engulfed two of the massive motherships, blowing them apart.
-
Prince Brollen stared in disbelief as a pair of his motherships died and then a few moments later another.
The five enemy ships have reached engagement range, reported Military Commander Fraymot, the worry evident on his face. Our shields are useless against this weapon.
The prince stared at the viewscreens and then turned to the tactical displays. This was a military disaster. He realized he could not win. The disk ships and the five other ships currently assailing the motherships would destroy his entire fleet. A cold chill swept through his body as he realized defeat was imminent.
Retreat, he ordered as another mothership died in a flash of brilliant light. There is no victory for us here. We must return and inform Queen Alithe of this new enemy.
Sending the order, Fraymot responded as he sent a telepathic message to all the remaining ship military commanders.
-
Fleet Commodore Dreen watched in elation as the Vorn fleet began jumping into hyperspace to flee the Lakiam System. “Keep firing until the last ship is gone,” he ordered. Dreen wanted to inflict as much damage on the Vorn fleet as possible.
“The Newton ships have destroyed seven motherships so far,” Laylem said exuberantly.
On the main viewscreen, a brilliant flash of light lit up the center of the Vorn fleet formation. When it died down, one of the Newton ships was missing as well as a number of the Vorn ships that had been attacking it.
“What happened!” demanded Commodore Dreen.
“The Vorn finally managed to overload one of the Newton ship’s screens,” answered Alborg somberly. “From the data, the Vorn managed to focus the firepower of over two hundred of their ships upon the vessel.”
“What are the other Newton ships doing?” Dreen was certain they would pull back now since the Vorn were retreating.
“Still pressing their attack,” replied Laylem. “The Vorn have lost three more motherships!”
-
Fleet Admiral Vickers flinched as the heavy battlecruiser Vega exploded, sending flaming debris across space.
“I’m sorry,” said Aleea in shock. “The Vorn managed to overload the Vega’s shields before I or the Vega’s AI could move it out of the way.”
“The Vorn fleet is jumping out,” reported Lieutenant Brooks.
“We took out two more of their motherships,” added Andrew.
“Keep attacking,” Kurt ordered Aleea. “We knew there was a risk coming this deep into the Vorn formation. Let’s make them pay as steep a price as possible.” Kurt would mourn the loss of the Vega and its crew later.
-
The Reaper made the transition into hyperspace, leaving behind the system of food species 236. All ships were supposed to rendezvous at a dead star system 307 light-years distant. The prince wanted to put as much distance between what remained of his fleet and the new enemy as he possibly could. Once the fleet made it to the rendezvous, he would assess the damage, make what repairs were needed, and then proceed to the staging system, where Prince Ortumad waited.
-
“That’s it,” reported Andrew as the last mothership vanished into hyperspace. “We got fourteen of them!”
Kurt’s eyes widened as he looked appreciatively at Aleea. “I think you proved your point about how you can handle my ship as well as the fleet. How many ships can you control at once?”
“Eight,” answered Aleea promptly, looking pleased with Kurt’s praise. “Any more than that and my tactical ability degrades. The ships’ computers are also a lot of help as most of the time I’m only telling them what to do.”
“I hate losing the Vega and Captain Heidle,” said Andrew. “He was a good officer with a fine crew.”
“As soon as we can, we’ll have memorial services for those lost in the battle,” announced Kurt. He also would be writing personal letters to the families of the Vega’s crew.
“Admiral, I’m getting a message from Fleet Commodore Dreen. He would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience,” reported Lieutenant Pierce.
“Inform him it will be a few hours as we have some damage to repair. We must also rendezvous with the Glaymon ships.” Kurt looked at Tasid, who appeared dazed from the battle. “Tasid and Fleet Captain Waelt will be coming with me as well.”
Tasid turned to Kurt. “Now what do we do?”
“We meet with Fleet Commodore Dreen and speak with him,” answered Kurt. “If he can establish this alliance of Protector Worlds, then he will have a force capable of fighting off the Vorn, especially if we give them a little help.”
“What kind of help?” asked Tasid.
“That’s what we must decide. Why don’t you and I go to my quarters and discuss what we’re willing to offer the new alliance in the matter of technology and weapons.”
-
Fleet Commodore Dreen gazed at the now empty viewscreens. The Vorn were gone, and the last of the Vorn’s damaged cruisers had been destroyed. All that were left were Lakiam and alliance ships, and also the vessels of the Glaymons and the Humans from Newton.
“We won,” said Alborg as if he didn’t expect to still be alive.
Commodore Dreen looked at his tactical officer and nodded. “Yes, we did.”
“Laylem, how many ships did the Vorn lose?”
“I just finished correlating the data from our ships as well as the Andocks. Still working on the Bascoms and the Parmonts. At the moment it looks as if the Vorn lost 14 motherships, 643 of their battleships, and 2,411 cruisers.”
“Our own losses?” They would be high. Dreen had witnessed the deaths of too many warships and their valuable crews.
“We lost 907 battlecruisers. The Andocks lost 512 ships, the Bascoms 207, and the Parmonts 302. A lot of other ships are damaged.”
Fleet Commodore Dreen let out a deep and heavy breath. A lot of good people had died in this battle. However, it could have been a lot worse if the Glaymons and Newton Humans hadn’t shown up. He looked at another viewscreen, focused on one of the large disk ships. Now he had to figure out how to deal with a race much older than any Enlightened Race in the galaxy. For the first time in his life, he felt intimidated. How do you deal with a race as old as the Glaymons?
“Sheera, contact the Aurelia and ask Mara to come on board the Basera. She and I have a lot to discuss before I meet with the Glaymon representatives and the Newton Humans.”
Commodore Dreen gazed again at the viewscreens. Dozens of Lakiam ships out there were still powerless from encountering the black spheres of the Vorn. Rescue operations remained ongoing, and shuttles were launching to search the wreckage for survivors.
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“Commodore, I have Lead Councilor Atratis on the comm. He wants to know what’s going on.”
With a deep sigh, Dreen wondered how he would explain this. A half-mythical race had just appeared out of nowhere and saved the Lakiam System and perhaps the entire galaxy from destruction.
Chapter Twenty
Fleet Commodore Dreen waited expectantly in the large briefing room for his guests. The battle was over, and Lakiam was safe. Mara sat at the table with a slight all-knowing smile on her face. He had spoken with her for over two hours, and most of her answers had been extremely vague. All he knew was that the Humans, along with some others, had found the Glaymons somewhere in the center of the galaxy. She wouldn’t reveal exactly where they were hidden or how many of them there were. All she would say was that Dreen would have to get his information from Fleet Admiral Vickers and the Glaymons. Dreen couldn’t help but wonder if something was going on between this Fleet Admiral Vickers and Mara. Her eyes seemed to light up whenever she mentioned his name.
The door to the briefing room slid open, and Alborg stepped in, followed by one of the Humans and what were obviously two Glaymons. From the uniform the man was wearing, Dreen quickly surmised this must be Fleet Admiral Vickers.
Mara rose and quickly introduced the three to Fleet Commodore Dreen.
“I’m pleased to meet all of you,” said Dreen, indicating for everyone to take a chair. Mara had arranged for the seating arrangements, making sure the appropriate-size furniture was available. Dreen hoped this meeting went well as a lot was riding on it. It had been all he could do to prevent members of the Lakiam ruling council from being present. “Before we start this meeting, I want to express my gratitude as well as that of the Lakiam ruling council for helping us in our hour of need.”
-
Kurt listened to Fleet Commodore Dreen, a Lakiam who seemed very confident and sure of himself.
“We are here to help against the Vorn,” began Kurt when Fleet Commodore Dreen stopped speaking. “I have spoken to the Glaymons, and they are willing to make some of their weapons technology available for use on your warships.”
“We saw your weapons,” replied Commodore Dreen. “They’re very powerful. Even more powerful than what the Vorn possess. That’s been our biggest problem. We can’t match them in firepower, ship for ship. Anything you can do to aid us will be greatly appreciated.”
Kurt felt a little uncomfortable. Fleet Commodore Dreen wouldn’t like what he was about to say. Tasid and Fleet Captain Waelt had asked Kurt to do most of the speaking. “You must understand that Glaymon technology is far more advanced than anything else in our galaxy. For that reason, they feel it is unwise to introduce it to the galaxy at large. What they’re willing to do is give you the technology to drastically improve the antimatter chambers you currently use to power your ships. This will increase the output of your beam weapons by nearly 200 percent. They are also willing to furnish you with special rounds for a kinetic energy weapon that is capable of destroying Vorn vessels on contact.”
“The same one you used against them?” asked Dreen, his eyes widening at the thought.
“No, that one is too dangerous,” replied Kurt. “The round the Glaymons are willing to furnish is weaker but will still take down a Vorn’s energy screen. We’ll also give you the design for the necessary KEW cannon to fire the round.”
“We’ll have to modify our ships,” said Dreen with a frown. “I understand the hesitancy about introducing advanced technology as we have the same rule.” He turned to Mara, who looked at the table. “Will the Glaymons be taking an active role in the fighting? We may have defeated a major Vorn fleet today, but I greatly fear there are many more we haven’t seen yet.”
Kurt looked at Captain Waelt. They had discussed this as they rode in the shuttle.
“We prefer that Lakiam and the other Protector Worlds do most of the fighting,” Waelt said in a soft voice. “However, we are willing to have some of our ships accompany your fleets once this new alliance of yours is established.”
Fleet Commodore Dreen nodded. “I had assumed Mara told you about the alliance I am building. So far we have three other Protector World civilizations that have joined, though I expect many more will be coming forth after our victory today.”
“That is our hope,” replied Kurt.
“I noticed in the battle the Vorn black antimatter beams and their black spheres had no impact on your energy screens.”
“We can share with you the technology to protect your ships from the Vorn weapons,” said Tasid. “However, as you saw with the loss of the Human ship Vega, even those shields can fail.”
“Is there anything else you require of us?” asked Dreen. “We are in your debt.”
“We would like access to the Vorn mothership you captured,” answered Tasid. “We believe we can open more of its computer files than you have. It is one of the reasons we agreed to be in this war. The mothership can provide tactical data we’ve never had before.”
Fleet Commander Dreen nodded. “Some files seem encrypted which we could not open. I’ll arrange with the Andocks to allow you unlimited access.”
“Then I think we have the basis of a general agreement,” Kurt said, surprised that Fleet Commodore Dreen had been so reasonable. “I think now we should work out the finer details.”
Fleet Commodore Dreen nodded. “Let’s get to it.”
-
For the next several hours the group worked out the details of an agreement between the Lakiams and the Glaymons. At no time did Tasid or Captain Waelt mention the Glaymon colony ships or other vessels. For now, and possibly forever, that would remain a secret.
When they finished, Fleet Commodore Dreen looked at Kurt, confused. “What does Newton want? Your ships took out fourteen Vorn motherships.”
Kurt took a deep breath. “We’re a relatively new Protector World. At the moment we have four systems under our protection. For the time being, we’ll focus on our region of the galaxy.”
Fleet Commodore Dreen nodded his understanding. “Mara has told me about where you’re from and the problems you’ve had with the Profiteers. The Gothan Empire has been a bed of pirates and black marketeers for generations. Someday we’ll have to do something about that. The region where Newton is located is considered a backwater area with few inhabited worlds. In that you are fortunate as it should not attract the Vorn.”
“It wasn’t always so,” Tasid said with a sad look on his face. “Many millions of years ago it was home to a great civilization. They inhabited hundreds of worlds, and the Vorn destroyed them. It is why so few inhabited worlds are there now.”
Kurt was surprised to hear this. Tasid had not mentioned anything about this before. Kurt would have to ask him more about this mysterious race later.
“If no one here has any objections, I would like to make Mara the official liaison between Lakiam and Newton,” said Dreen. “I must get approval from the council, but I don’t expect any problems.”
Kurt looked at Mara, seeing a pleased look on her face. “That’s acceptable.”
“This also helps to protect Mara,” explained Dreen, shifting his gaze toward her. “I realize she has information that the council wants. By becoming an official liaison, it protects her from revealing sensitive information that needs to remain a secret.”
Kurt nodded. Mara had detailed knowledge about the Glaymons and a few other things.
The meeting ended with plans to sign a formal document in the Lakiam council chambers the following day.
As they were leaving, Mara stopped Kurt. “I guess I’ll be returning to Newton. Does that please you?”
Kurt nodded. “You don’t have to accept this post if you don’t want to.”
Mara smiled. “No, I want to. There are still a few things I would like to do. While we’re on Lakiam, I want to take you on a tour of our world. It will give you a good idea of what yours may become someday.”
“I would like that,” replied Kurt. He li
ked Mara more every time he was around her. He just hoped this didn’t develop into a problem someday. He still found Mara extremely captivating, and he wasn’t certain where that might lead.
-
Once the others left, Fleet Commodore Dreen turned toward Alborg, who had remained silent during the meeting. “What do you think?”
“The Glaymons seem to be reclusive. I noticed they allowed Fleet Admiral Vickers to do most of the talking. They only joined in when Vickers couldn’t answer a question. No doubt they are who they claim. The technology they are willing to share should level the playing field against the Vorn. It will take some months to get our ships converted, but, once we do, we won’t have to fear the Vorn anymore.”
“What about Fleet Admiral Vickers?”
Alborg frowned. “He reminds me of a younger you but willing to take more risks, coming from a race much younger than normal to be a Protector World. I believe they assumed that status because they had no other choice.”
“Your views are similar to mine,” said Dreen. “My biggest concern is the fact that a race so inexperienced and young seems to have access to the Glaymons and their technology. That is something we may have to deal with at a later date. However, for now we have a war to fight with the Vorn, and the Newton Humans and the Glaymons have given us what we need to do so. I’ll contact Fleet Leader Moor and the leaders of the Bascom and Parmont fleets, and have them come to the Basera to discuss the Glaymons. We must make plans to immediately expand the alliance.”
-
Several days later outside the galaxy, Prince Brollen stood with Prince Ortumad and watched silently as Military Commander Fraymot was led to a disposal chute. The two members of the Military Caste escorting Fraymot opened the door and pushed Fraymot in. The former military commander did not resist. At a gesture from Prince Brollen, the chute was activated, and Fraymot vanished as he was fed into one of the ship’s reactors.
He failed miserably as a military commander, sent Prince Brollen. He did not follow orders and risked the entire fleet.
It is well that he has been disposed of, replied Prince Ortumad. The Vorn have no room for failures or members of the Military Caste who cannot follow orders.
The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril Page 30