The Originator Wars: Universe in Danger: A Lost Fleet Novel

by Raymond L. Weil

  Chapter Four

  Jeremy was back on board the Avenger. It had taken the Originators several months to build his new flagship. Instead of a battleship, he now had a heavy dreadnought. The new Avenger was 3,200 meters long, 450 meters across at its widest point, and 400 meters from the top of its heavily armored hull to the bottom. The ship was powered by three antimatter chambers and was equipped with an ion cannon, gravitonic cannons, antimatter projectors, and particle beam cannons. It had numerous power beam turrets scattered across its outer hull for defense. The ship’s sensors could reach out thirty light years in all directions. There were other enhanced weapon systems as well. Jeremy was going to miss the old Avenger and all he had been through on the ship. However, it hadn’t been practical to upgrade its technology. It was simpler to build a new and larger flagship.

  Stepping into the Command Center, Jeremy had to pause. The new Command Center was far different from the one on his old flagship. A huge viewscreen now covered three walls and had additional capabilities. Eight consoles were in a semicircle just in front of the upraised command dais. Behind the dais was Tactical. It had been reduced to the point where Major Preston and two other officers could now control all of the ship’s weapons and energy shields.

  “Admiral on deck!” called out Commander Kyla Malen.

  Everyone stood at attention facing Jeremy.

  “As you were,” Jeremy said with a huge smile. It was good to see all the familiar faces.

  Ariel suddenly appeared in front of Jeremy looking flustered. “I didn’t know you were coming to the Avenger or I would be there.”

  Ariel had a real AI body but could still use holograms of herself wherever holographic emitters had been installed. She had made sure the emitters were installed in every corridor and compartment on the new dreadnought as well as the Tower. The Tower was what they were calling the large government and military building in the center of the city.

  “I only decided myself a few minutes ago,” replied Jeremy as he looked around the spacious Command Center. “If we’re leaving in a few weeks I want to make sure the ship’s ready. I just came on board to speak with Commander Malen about a few details.”

  Jeremy had informed Commander Malen and the other admirals he would be leading the fleet going off to investigate the Anti-Life. There had been some strenuous objections, including some from Admiral Kalen and Governor Barnes about Jeremy putting himself in such danger. Admiral Kalen finally suggested Jeremy take more ships and another admiral. Jeremy relented and agreed to take Grayseth, who would command a second fleet of the new warships.

  “She’s ready,” assured Commander Malen. “We’ve checked every system out hundreds of times, and everything works just as the Originator AIs said it would. I’ve been running drills every day to get the crew up to speed.”

  Jeremy sat down in his command chair, feeling it instantly conform to his body. He didn’t know if he would ever get used to that. “I want you to take the ship out on a shakedown cruise in two days. Check out the weapon systems and everything else on this ship. I want us ready for combat.”

  Commander Malen nodded. “I’m still not comfortable with the size of the crew. We’re depending on too much automation and the repair robots. I’m not sure what would happen if we were to suffer some serious damage.”

  Jeremy was silent for a moment. He well understood Commander Malen’s concerns. The crew had been reduced from 2,500 to 450, and the Marine complement had been reduced from 400 down to 150. It was necessary as they had a limited number of trained crews that would have to be spread across hundreds, perhaps thousands of warships. On the other dreadnoughts, the crews would be reduced even further.

  “Bartoll has promised to provide as many Originator AIs as we need to operate the ship.” Jeremy knew they were going to have to get used to the smaller crews and the AIs being on board in larger numbers.

  “The repair robots can handle almost everything,” Ariel said, folding her arms across her chest. “I understand from what happened with Camlin on the Distant Horizon, the reluctance to place too many Originator AIs on board. However, I can assure you there will be no problem with any of them. With the arrival of the Originators, the AIs are now unified.”

  “There are ten that have been working with the engineering crew,” Commander Malen said after a moment. “Those ten would be fine.”

  Jeremy looked up at the huge viewscreen. It was similar to the one on the Dominator. It was going to take some getting used to. When the screen was on it would seem as if you’re floating in space surrounded by stars.

  “Admiral, you’re wanted in the Command Center at the Tower,” reported Lieutenant Shayla Lantz.

  Jeremy was surprised. His meeting with Kazak, Zafron, and Rear Admiral Barnes wasn’t for a couple of hours yet. “Tell them I’ll be there shortly.”

  Jeremy took a moment to lean back in his command chair, thinking about everything that needed to be done. He wasn’t too concerned with the mission he was sending Rear Admiral Barnes on; there was nothing in the Triangulum Galaxy that could be a threat to her ships. However, the mission he was planning for the Avenger and Grayseth could easily be a different matter. So far, the Anti-Life had left all of the galaxies containing an Originator Dyson Sphere alone. That might change if they realized the status quo had altered with the awakening of the small group of Originators from the Dominator. There might also be a response to Jeremy’s fleet entering their space. There was no doubt in Jeremy’s mind that sometime in the next few months or years they would be involved in a full-blown intergalactic war with the fate of the known universe hanging in the balance. It was almost too frightening to comprehend.

  -

  An hour later Jeremy entered the Command Center deep inside the Tower. The room was massive, and the walls were covered with hundreds of viewscreens. Consoles with Originator AIs, Humans, Altons, and even a few Carethians covered the floor. From here every Originator Dyson Sphere could be monitored. Using the Originator’s advanced technology, there were now small intergalactic communication vortexes which remained open inside of each sphere so instant communication was possible. This was a development that had been made at the Communications and Transport Hub and had only recently been put to use. Jeremy knew that Angela had been heavily involved in this. Until the threat of the Anti-Life such communication was not deemed necessary.

  “Admiral Strong,” said General Wesley, walking to where Jeremy was standing. “We have a situation developing in one of the Dyson Spheres.”

  “What’s going on?” Jeremy wondered if the Anti-Life had finally made an appearance.

  “Let’s go over to the control station for sphere 114.” They had given each sphere a number to better identify them. The Originators had their own ID system but it was much too complicated.

  Jeremy followed the general over to the indicated control station where a Human and two Originator AIs were sitting.

  “An hour ago the Simulins managed to jump a small fleet near the Dyson Sphere and launched over a thousand shuttles toward the surface. They must have had them attached to the hulls of their ships. The military AI responsible for the Dyson Sphere activated the defenses and destroyed the small fleet and 88 percent of the shuttles. That still left over one hundred which managed to land near an entry port the Simulins control. Long-range observations indicate the small shuttles were crammed full of additional Simulins, Conqueror Drones, and some type of equipment.”

  Jeremy looked over at General Wesley. “This is a good example of why we need those new combat robots.”

  General Wesley nodded. “Yes. If we had the combat robots, they could be used to repel boarders like what we have here. What concerns me is all the equipment the Simulins are unloading from those shuttles. It must have a purpose.”

  Jeremy looked at one of the viewscreens showing Simulins and the Conqueror Drones carrying large crates into an open hatch. “We need a few crewed warships in each Dyson Sphere. They would make short work of attempt
s to land like this.” This was an oversight Jeremy would immediately correct. He would speak with Admiral Kalen and have him make the necessary arrangements. Enough Originator warships had been modified so that by placing a small crew on board with a military AI the danger of this type of an attack happening in the future would be eliminated.

  General Wesley turned toward Jeremy. “We weren’t scheduled to retake the vortex Control Center on this Dyson Sphere for another few months. I think after this development the schedule needs to be moved up.”

  “How soon can Major Wilde be ready?”

  “A couple of days,” replied Wesley. “She lost thirty-two Marines in the last attack on a Control Center, with a number of others injured.”

  “Jeremy looked at the viewscreen showing the Simulins on the surface of the Dyson Sphere. “I need to talk to Bartoll and a few others. It’s obvious the Simulins are up to something. We’ve only been using Major Wilde to retake the Simulin Control Centers since we didn’t want to risk them gaining control of one of the gold control keys. I’m going to suggest we set up another team.”

  Wesley nodded his agreement. “I’ll get to working on it immediately. From the reinforcements the Simulins managed to land, the taking of this Control Center is going to be a bitch.”

  -

  After leaving the Command Center, Jeremy took a turbolift up to the floor his office was on. Stepping inside he saw Zafron, Kazak, Rear Admiral Barnes, Reesa, and Ariel.

  “I’m sorry, Admiral,” Ariel said. “Reesa has been doing research into the crew of the Dominator, and I thought it would be useful to have her here.”

  “That’s fine,” Jeremy said as he took his seat. “How is your research going, Reesa?”

  “Fantastic,” Reesa replied, her eyes showing her excitement. She was an Alton with an appetite for adventure and discovery. “There’s so much to learn here on the Dyson Sphere. I’ve been really curious about the original crew of the Dominator as it consisted of some of the brightest minds from all of the Originator Dyson Spheres. A few of them even came from the Communications and Transport Hub.”

  “There were scientists from all of the Shrieels,” confirmed Kazak.

  “We hoped to find a cure for the pathogen,” Commander Zafron said with a sad look. “Many of them were friends, and only a few managed to survive.”

  “That’s the reason we’re here today,” Jeremy said, looking at a folder on the desk in front of him. Ariel had sent it to him earlier that morning. “Commander Zafron, what do you know about a research scientist called Jankel who was on board your ship?”

  Zafron looked puzzled and then answered. “Jankel was a brilliant geneticist though a little odd.”

  “Why odd?” asked Jeremy.

  “The man kept to himself,” answered Zafron. “In all the years he was on the Dominator he never made any close friends.”

  “Are you aware that for forty years he kept in secret contact with a group of Originators on another ship that was trailing the Dominator?”

  “What?” stammered Commander Zafron, looking confused. “That’s impossible!”

  Jeremy’s eyes focused on Zafron. “We found a hidden file in the Dominator’s computer as well as communication equipment in his quarters.”

  Commander Zafron looked over at Kazak, expecting an explanation.

  Kazak’s eyes seemed to freeze for a moment and then his shoulders slumped. “I’ve confirmed it. Ariel showed me the file and I’ve just gone back searching the sensor records of the Dominator. There was a communications line on an obscure frequency, which did indeed link to a second ship. It seems Jankel was routinely transmitting data on certain fields of research being done on the Dominator. He was sending information on the pathogen and also some of the advanced weapons research. There are vague references to something called The Plan.”

  Commander Zafron looked confused. “The Plan? I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

  “I have,” Kazak replied. “There are several references to something called The Plan in the files I recovered from the dark matter Shrieel when I returned to it. This involves the group of Originators that left the Shrieel. It’s possible the message I found was directed to the group responsible for the ship following the Dominator.”

  Jeremy nodded. Kazak was referring to the message he had found that said ‘We’re safe and we’ll wait for you.’

  “It makes sense,” said Commander Zafron. “If we’d found a cure Jankel would have transmitted it back to the other ship, which in turn would have given it to the other group of Originators.”

  “That means the other ship must have known where these missing Originators were going,” said Jeremy. “If we hadn’t blown up the dark matter Dyson Sphere then we might have been able to determine who comprised this group and possibly where they went or even where this mysterious ship came from.”

  “The destruction of the Dyson Sphere was necessary to stop the Simulins,” Kazak said. “I would have done the same.”

  “I will speak to Bartoll about this,” Commander Zafron said. “If this exodus did occur I can’t help but believe it would have involved Originators from other Shrieels as well. Surely somewhere there is additional information.”

  Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes looked thoughtful. “Is there any clue as to the type of ship we’re talking about?”

  “A Class One exploration vessel,” replied Commander Zafron. “It’s the only ship we have that is designed for such a prolonged mission and would be able to follow the Dominator. The crew would have been around eight to nine hundred depending on how many families went along. I’m also guessing they had stasis chambers on board as well.”

  Reesa looked surprised. “So there might be a second ship out there in the Triangulum Galaxy with more Originators in stasis.”

  Zafron’s eyes narrowed. “It’s possible. We survived our long sleep on board the Dominator; others could have on the second ship as well.”

  Jeremy looked over at Kazak. “When you accessed the computer records on the Dyson Sphere did you find any reference to a ship of that class departing on any type of an exploratory mission?”

  “Those times were very hectic,” replied Kazak, with a haunted look in his eyes. “The pathogen was killing millions of Originators daily across all the Shrieels. Communication was growing sporadic and the sharing of information less and less. A number of Shrieels launched missions seeking help finding a cure. Most of those never returned as their crews succumbed to the pathogen.”

  “An exploration ship,” said Kathryn thoughtfully. “I will need the specs on such a vessel. I’ll have the ships in my fleet scan for it in our search.”

  “The ship will most likely not be in space controlled by the Simulins,” Ariel informed them. “There are no signs of any technological advances by the Simulins based on Originator technology. If the ship still exists, it’s most likely in the outlying regions of the Triangulum Galaxy.”

  “That’s still a big section of space to search,” pointed out Kathryn. “It may take years.”

  “Our ship’s hulls are composed of a special alloy,” Commander Zafron said. “If that alloy is detected in your searches it will either be the ship or where the missing Originators are hidden.”

  “All ten of the new exploration ships, as well as the Distant Horizon and the Dominator, have been equipped with special sensors which can detect that alloy as well as several other metals used exclusively by the Originators,” Ariel informed Rear Admiral Barnes.

  “That will make our search easier, but it’s still going to take awhile to cover the sections of the Triangulum Galaxy the Simulins never made it into.”

  “I’ll speak to Bartoll about scanning the records of the other Shrieels during the time period of the pathogen to see if there are any records indicating where this ship might have come from and who was responsible for it,” said Commander Zafron. “As Kazak said, those times were hectic even for my race. The records may not have been kept.”

  “At
least this strange ship gives us other options for finding the missing Originators,” said Kathryn. “I’ve finished choosing the crews for the ships, and we’ll be ready to depart in two weeks. We’re placing twenty Originator AIs on each exploration ship to help acclimate the crews to the new technology. Most have been working on the vessels, which helps.”

  Jeremy leaned back in his chair looking at the others. “It looks as if we all have our jobs cut out for us. We need to find these missing Originators and also discover what the Anti-Life are up to.”

  Jeremy didn’t know who had the toughest job. Kathryn had the dubious task of finding the missing originators who had remained hidden for several million years. He had to face the Originator’s greatest enemy to find out just how big a threat they were. Both missions were essential, and neither could afford to fail.

  -

  Kelsey and Katie were on board the Distant Horizon. Both had decided to go on the mission to the Triangulum Galaxy. There was a good chance this would be their last opportunity to be on the exploration dreadnought if they decided to go ahead and start their families. Rear Admiral Barnes suggested they should both go on board and familiarize themselves with the ship. Each had served on board the Dominator so it shouldn’t take long for them to get up to speed on the changes to the Distant Horizon. They had also been on the Distant Horizon during the harrowing battle at Gaia.

  Stepping inside the Command Center, their eyes lit up upon seeing Andram and Mikow.

  “Are both of you going?” asked Kelsey.

  “Yes,” Andram replied. “I’ll be serving as science officer.”

  “It looks as if Katie and I will be responsible for the ship’s computer systems,” added Mikow.

  “As will I,” said Clarissa, stepping around a console. Clarissa was a young petite blonde and was also an AI. “I’m so pleased both of you are coming. It’s like having our old crew back once more.”