“Are you going to be able to tear yourself away from Clair?” asked Katie. “Every time I stop by to see Angela, you’re there.”
“Clair’s training has started,” Clarissa said defensively. “I see her several times a day for a brief period as her attention span is still very short.”
Kelsey eyed Clarissa for a moment. “Does Angela know how often you’re coming over?” Clarissa had an artificial body but she could still use the holo-emitters to appear almost anywhere. There were holo-emitters in Clair’s nursery.
“Yes,” Clarissa replied. “Angela agreed to allow these shorter visits.”
Katie let out a deep sigh. “I can only imagine what you’re teaching her. Remember Clarissa, she’s only a one-year-old.”
“A very bright one,” Clarissa replied smugly. “You would be surprised at what she has already learned.”
“Who’s going to be in charge of her training while we’re gone?” asked Katie.
“I’ve set up an automatic program which will activate several times a day and before you ask, yes, Angela is aware of it and knows how to turn it off.”
Kelsey looked over at Katie. “Well, that’s an improvement.” Both Katie and Kelsey were well aware of how their two AI friends could be impulsive and overprotective at times. They both still had a lack of understanding where privacy was concerned. Both AIs had a habit of popping in at awkward moments.
Katie took a deep breath. “Well let’s get started and see what’s been changed.”
“Not as much as you would think,” Clarissa said excitedly. “The main thing that’s been done is an update to the weapon systems. Most of the consoles are still the same as the last time you were on board. There have been a few refinements, and I can show you what they are.”
Listening to Clarissa, it was hard to imagine she was actually hundreds of years old. She still acted in many ways like a teenager or young woman. At least in her new AI body her figure was more reasonable. There had been a time as a hologram when she was constantly adjusting her figure to see what type of reaction she could get out of the male crewmembers. Several times Katie had to tell Clarissa to tone things down a bit.
-
Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes was sitting in her office inside the Tower. All of the admirals had offices in the huge building. She was currently reviewing her mission plan. She had ten exploration dreadnoughts plus the Distant Horizon and the Dominator. All had the same capabilities and could handle any threat that might pop up. The Simulins had pretty much been disarmed throughout the Triangulum Galaxy. Admiral Jackson was still at Ornellia with a number of fleet units. He was involved in clearing out the Conqueror Drones from all of the Ornellian worlds and transporting the surviving Ornellians to Ornellia where they could rebuild their civilization. Kathryn had already decided to make Ornellia her base of operations.
There was also the subject of the Ornellian evacuation fleet. By now they were well on their way out of the galaxy and to the star cluster they were going to make their new home. Perhaps it was time to pay that fleet a visit and see if they wanted to return to Ornellia instead. Using Originator technology, it wouldn’t be that difficult to get the fleet back to Ornellia. There was currently an Accelerator Ring in orbit above the planet, which linked the Communications and Transport Hub with Ornellia making it possible to travel between the two very quickly.
“So it’s back to Ornellia,” said Commander Anne Grissim.
“Yes,” answered Kathryn. “If we use the Accelerator Ring we can be there in two weeks. We’ll spend a few days in orbit and then begin our mission. We have twelve ships. We’ll divide up into four groups of three. That should also give us sufficient firepower in case we stumble across a Simulin fleet.” Kathryn didn’t expect that to happen, but there was always the chance a few Simulin warships had escaped.
“Any idea on where to start our search?”
“In the area we found the Dominator,” replied Kathryn, cocking her eyebrow. “I doubt if we’ll find what we’re looking for there as Kazak spent thousands of years traveling around the galaxy. I’ve already accessed the files on the Dominator detailing the areas Kazak searched. It’s amazing the area he managed to cover.”
“This is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack,” muttered Anne.
“A very big haystack,” replied Kathryn. “At least with the new sensors being able to scan for that special alloy and the other exotic metals the Originators use in their ships it will make it easier.”
“The ship’s ready and all the supplies are on board. At least we can use Ornellia as a base to work from.”
“I’m sure Admiral Jackson will be glad to see us,” said Kathryn. It would also be interesting to see the progress being made on the planet. Kathryn would like to go down to the surface if there was time.
“I have a few more items to take care of before we depart,” Anne said, standing up. “It may be awhile before we get back here.”
Kathryn watched Anne leave, before they left she wanted to pay a visit to her father. It was nice to be able to talk to him again. In the last eight months they had managed to spend a lot of time together; much more than in the past. Her father being here made living in the Dyson Sphere feel more like home.
Chapter Five
Nest Lord Creesth stared at the tactical display, watching the growing number of red threat icons. The Shari were massively reinforcing the fleet that had been badgering him since the battle in the Jalab System. The other Ralift fleets were reporting increased resistance to their advances as well. It was obvious the Shari were trying to keep the Ralift fleets away from their core systems.
“These harassing tactics by the Shari are becoming tiresome,” said Second Nest Lord Alboin as he gazed at the tactical display.
There had been numerous small battles, with the Shari jumping in, firing off a few missiles and energy beams, and then jumping back out again. This was by far the largest fleet they had put in front of the Ralift yet. For once it seemed the Shari might be attempting to force a major battle in an effort to turn back the Ralift. However, the Ralift still had a massive advantage in sheer numbers.
Creesth watched the tactical display as the Shari fleet formed up into its battle formation. They were creating a broad front ten lines high and over one hundred ships long with two hundred more ships held back in reserve. It was a formation difficult to englobe and allowed the Shari to turn and flee at a moment’s notice if the battle wasn’t going their way.
“I tire of this delaying tactic,” Creesth said, turning toward Albion. While this time it appeared the Shari were seeking a major engagement, it would not surprise him if they turned and fled after briefly engaging his fleet. “Order Third Nest Lord Ovath to jump his portion of the fleet directly behind the Shari formation as we discussed earlier.” Creesth had come up with a plan to inflict serious damage to the Shari fleet. “He’s to jump within weapons range and engage immediately. Perhaps the two of us can pin the Shari fleet between our two forces and annihilate a large number of their ships before they can flee.”
“I will send the order, Nest Lord.”
“All ships prepare to engage,” Creesth sent over the ship-to-ship comm.
He knew by ordering Third Nest Lord Ovath to jump within weapons range it would briefly make his ships vulnerable to attack until their shields stabilized after exiting the vortexes. However, it was a risk Creesth was willing to take if he could cripple this Shari fleet and put an end to its troublesome delaying tactics. At the worst, Third Nest Lord Ovath’s ships would only be vulnerable for a few seconds and the ships in the rear of the Shari fleet were only support cruisers.
-
The Command AI floated closer to the tactical display. The Shari had finally put a major fleet in front of the Ralift. The AI was curious as to the Ralift’s response. So far Nest Lord Creesth had faced little opposition.
“Twelve hundred Shari vessels,” reported the AI at the sensors. Four hundred and twelve battlecruise
rs and 802 support cruisers.”
“A substantial fleet,” said the AI in front of the tactical station. “The Ralift still have a decisive advantage in ships and firepower.”
“Our other fleets are also reporting increased resistance,” reported the AI in front of Communications. “More Shari ships are arriving every hour.”
“We must destroy these fleets,” the Command AI said, the basketball-sized globe of energy which served as a head glowing even brighter. “If we can, then the way to their core systems will be open. We cannot allow these Shari fleets to continue to be reinforced. It is essential we reach the Dyson Sphere as soon as possible and take possession of it.” The Command AI spent a moment studying the tactical display. “We will send sixty of our battle spheres into battle. They will jump above and below the Shari formation at the same time the Ralift move into engagement range. We will end this resistance by the Shari now. It is time we demonstrate our power.”
-
High Lord Droll stared intently at the tactical display. He had set a trap for the Ralift. He had one thousand ships in an offensive formation with two hundred more in reserve directly behind his fleet. The two hundred in reserve were using special stealth technology, which made their battlecruisers appear as support cruisers. It was Droll’s hope the Ralift would jump a fleet directly behind his in an effort to pin his fleet between the two forces. Already the trailing ships had adjusted their course so they could attack any ships that appeared behind the fleet. For the first time Droll felt he had the ships needed to inflict substantial damage to the Ralift fleet, perhaps enough to force it to withdraw or at least slow its advance toward the core systems.
“Ralift fleet is nearly in engagement range,” reported Lower Lord Malben. “All ships are ready for battle.”
“Inform Lower Lord Camval to standby,” ordered Droll. Camval was the Lower Lord in charge of the two hundred battlecruisers trailing the fleet. “If the Ralift jumps a fleet behind us, it’s essential he strike them with subspace missiles as they’re emerging from the vortexes.” It would be a brief few moments of opportunity, but one that could inflict major losses on the Ralift. The few seconds it took to raise their shields and power their weapons would allow Camval to destroy the Ralift vessels. It was a daring plan and one Droll needed to work.
“Message sent,” reported the communications officer. “Lower Lord Camval is prepared to launch his missiles as soon as any spatial vortexes are detected.”
“Part of the Ralift fleet is entering hyperspace!” called out the sensor officer.
High Lord Droll shifted his eyes from the tactical display to the viewscreens, which were focused on the space directly behind the fleet. He leaned forward, waiting expectantly
Almost instantly alarms began sounding as glowing spatial vortexes started opening exactly where he had hoped the Ralift would attack. From each vortex a Ralift ship appeared. He felt his pulse race and his heart beating faster. The Ralift had fallen into his trap.
“Lower Lord Camval is launching sublight missiles,” reported Malben excitedly. The sublight missiles were very fast and only took a few seconds to reach their targets. “The Ralift won’t be able to raise their shields in time!”
On the viewscreens in the Command Center, bright flashes of light began to appear. They were forty-megaton explosions erupting nearly as soon as the Ralift ships exited their vortexes. The Ralift had made a serious tactical error, and High Lord Droll was going to make they pay for it. For once he had the Ralift exactly where he wanted them.
“It worked!” cried out Lower Lord Malben. “I’m getting reports of dozens of destroyed Ralift ships. Numerous others have been damaged.”
“Main Ralift fleet is in engagement range,” reported the sensor officer.
“All ships fire!” ordered High Lord Droll, switching his attention back to the enemy fleet in front of him. He would inflict as much damage as possible and then jump away to safety.
-
In space, the last spatial vortex faded away leaving a shattered Ralift fleet behind the Shari formation. Shari forty-megaton missiles exploded with increasing regularity, but now Ralift energy screens were coming up and there was some return weapons fire. Dozens of ships had been destroyed, and numerous others had suffered major damage and now lay vulnerable. There were no energy shields protecting them and some shields were so weak as to provide little defense against inbound weapons fire.
The Shari were focusing on the ships with obvious damage. A Ralift battlecruiser exploded in a giant fireball, which quickly dissipated. The only remains were twisted and melted metal. A pair of Shari energy beams drilled deep inside a Ralift armed escort, cutting it in two. All across the broken Ralift formation damaged ships were quickly being eliminated as the two hundred Shari battlecruisers turned and hammered the Ralift ships with forty-megaton missiles and powerful energy beams. The Shari fleet under the command of Lower Lord Camval began moving in for the kill.
-
Nest Lord Creesth looked in anger at the viewscreens as Third Nest Lord Ovath’s ships died. The Shari had set a trap and he had fallen for it. Bright flashes of light indicated dying Ralift warships. His plan to badly damage this Shari fleet was in danger of coming apart.
“Those trailing ships are all battlecruisers,” reported Second Nest Lord Alboin. “They were running their power systems at a low level and using some type of stealth field to disguise their ships. Third Nest Lord Ovath reports he has lost nearly half of his fleet. Should I order him to withdraw?”
“Nest Lord, some of the AI ships are jumping,” reported the sensor officer.
Second Nest Lord Alboin’s eyes widened in surprise. “What are they doing?” The AIs hadn’t involved themselves in any battle before.
On the tactical display, AI battle spheres began appearing below and above the Shari formation. Almost immediately enormous explosions began to wrack the Shari fleet as the AIs fired their powerful energy cannons. The beams were cutting directly through the Shari energy shields as if they were nonexistent.
“They’re attacking!” said Creesth in elation. “All ships, push forward, it is time to destroy the Shari; our masters are leading the attack!”
-
The Ralift fleet surged forward, weapons blazing and missiles launching in sprint mode. In the Shari fleet formation, ships began to die. Two Shari battlecruisers vanished as sixty-megaton missiles blew them apart. Energy beams darted through already overtaxed shields, blasting out huge sections of ship hulls opening them up to space. On numerous Shari vessels, klaxons sounded as crews rushed to repair the damage or escape compromised compartments. More than one Shari crewmember was sucked out into space to die instantly in the heartless vacuum.
-
High Lord Droll felt the Dark Victory shake violently. Klaxons were sounding, and red lights were appearing on the damage control board.
“Report!”
“We have four compartments open to space from an energy beam strike,” reported the damage control officer. “Bulkheads have sealed off the area and fires are under control.”
Droll looked up at a viewscreen just in time to see a support cruiser being torn apart by internal explosions. “What’s the damage to the fleet?”
“Not good,” replied Lower Lord Malben. “We’ve lost seventy-three battlecruisers and one hundred and seventeen escort cruisers, mostly from the AI battle spheres. Their energy beams are penetrating our shields.”
Droll gazed angrily at a viewscreen showing one of the hated AI ships. The fifteen-hundred-meter behemoth’s energy screen was lit up from the missiles detonating against it. Droll knew they had nothing that could destroy the AI vessels. Only the Humans and Altons had ever managed to destroy one of these monstrosities. He quickly activated the ship-to-ship comm so he could speak with the other commanders of his fleet. “The AIs have entered the battle. We have no choice but to withdraw. All ships are to jump to the Challis System immediately. We’ll regroup there.”
High
Lord Droll looked over at Lower Lord Malben. “Jump us out. This battle is lost.” It was disappointing. He had hoped to hand the Ralift a sizable defeat. Now, with the involvement of the AIs, that was not possible. If he stayed he could easily lose his entire fleet. He was gravely concerned for the future of the empire now that the AIs had taken an active role.
-
In space, countless spatial vortexes opened as the Shari fleet fled. While they were a match for the Ralift ships, the AI vessels were another matter entirely. Unless a way could be found to stop the AI vessels, the Ralift fleets would carve a path of destruction through the highly populated core systems of the Ralift. Billions would die.
-
Near the border of Shari space, Admiral Race Tolsen studied his latest orders from Fleet Admiral Nagumo. The Shari had requested help from the Federation in dealing with the attack by the Ralift and the AIs. The Shari had stated it was their belief the purpose of the attack on their empire was to take possession of the Dyson Sphere.
Race had stopped by the Alton’s current homeworld and picked up his dreadnoughts. On his last mission, the Altons had furnished twenty of the massive vessels. Now he had forty-one of them. Not only that, they were much stronger after having been updated with some Originator technology. He had been amazed at how quickly the Altons had acquired the new tech. Ambassador Tureen had confided the information in a private meeting on the WarHawk.
-
Ambassador Tureen sat in front of Admiral Tolsen’s desk with a gentle smile on his face. The Alton Ambassador was humanoid in shape and nearly seven feet tall. His skin was very pale with a slight blue tinge and the hair on top of his head, while thick, was a solid white. His eyes, nose, and ears were very similar to a Humans but the eyebrows were very thin; almost nonexistent.
“You should know I met with Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes while she was at Ceres,” Tureen began.
Admiral Tolsen’s eyes widened in surprise. The only person he knew who had seen and talked to Rear Admiral Barnes was former Fleet Admiral Streth. “I wasn’t aware of that.”
The Originator Wars: Universe in Danger: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 7