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

by Raymond L. Weil

  As the Avenger made the jump into hyperspace, Jeremy felt a cold chill run down his back. Instinctively he looked behind him. He felt as if someone was looking over his shoulder. There was no one there except the three officers at the tactical station. Settling back into his command chair Jeremy decided to keep his growing concerns to himself. He was beginning to believe coming into this star cluster had been a colossal mistake.

  Chapter Ten

  Every system they checked was the same. Originator warships were patrolling and the star systems were being heavily exploited. All four of the systems the Avenger and her fleet investigated were inhabited by the same race. They had become slaves to the Eternals, living out a lackluster life with shorter than normal life expectancies and no real hope for a future.

  “All of their planets are becoming heavily polluted,” Aaliss said after studying the latest scans. “In another three to four hundred years, the planets will reach a tipping point and their ecologies will begin to collapse. The greenhouse effect will continue to worsen. The average surface temperature will rise by 27 degrees, making most regions of the four planets uninhabitable.”

  “This is worse than what the Hocklyns did,” muttered Kevin with a trace of anger in his voice. “They’re totally killing the planets.”

  Jeremy had been sickened by much of what he had seen. The surviving Originators back at the Communications and Transport hub had tried to warn him of how vile and dangerous the Anti-Life were. Now he had seen indisputable evidence of that. He had hoped there would be a chance to find common ground and avoid a war. After seeing the enslaved planets in the star cluster, he now knew that hope was gone.

  “It’s war then,” said Commander Malen in a soft voice filled with emotion. “We can’t let them treat all the civilizations in the galaxies they control like this. They are almost as bad as the Simulins and their Conqueror Drones.”

  “Let’s get to the rendezvous coordinates,” ordered Jeremy.

  He wanted the fleet out of the star cluster as quickly as possible. He still had an uneasy feeling something was wrong, but there had been no indication of any Eternal ship detecting the fleet. It seemed as if they had gotten in and completed their scans without being detected. While they had detected what appeared to be more inhabited worlds in the cluster, Jeremy saw no point in pushing their luck.

  A few moments later the Avenger entered hyperspace along with the other twenty-eight dreadnoughts in her fleet. They had four hours to reach the rendezvous coordinates to meet up with Grayseth. Jeremy was determined that as soon as the two fleets were joined, they would leave the Median Galaxy and return to the Communications and Transport Hub. It was now obvious that exploring any of the galaxies controlled by the Eternals was too dangerous. They would have to find another way. Perhaps unmanned probes could be used instead. Jeremy would speak to Bartoll and the other Originators about that as soon as they returned to the Dyson Sphere where the Federation races had settled.

  “Jeremy, I’m picking up something strange on the ship’s long-range sensors,” reported Ariel, sounding concerned.

  “What do you mean, something strange?” asked Jeremy, looking over at Ariel who had moved to his side.

  Ariel’s eyes narrowed in concentration. “There are four locations on the long-range sensors which seem to be immune to being scanned.”

  “Are those locations moving?” asked Jeremy, growing instantly suspicious.

  “Yes,” Ariel confirmed. “They are in hyperspace following our fleet.”

  Jeremy felt ill. He now knew what that haunting feeling he had been experiencing for the last two days was. “What is the probability those four locations are actually Eternal ships using some type of advanced stealth technology?”

  “Ninety-seven percent,” Ariel answered grimly. “We were wrong in our assumptions; the Eternals do have a highly developed stealth technology. I should have detected them sooner. I’m sorry!”

  “Damn!” said Kevin, his eyes widening in dismay. “They must have been following us the entire time.”

  “Aaliss, do you think the Eternals have been aware of our fleet from the very beginning?”

  Aaliss hesitated and then answered. “Yes. A message was probably sent by one of the command and control stations in the outer detection ring we crossed when we encountered those first Eternal ships. We were most likely picked up again when we crossed the one on the periphery of this galaxy. There is a high probability they have been following us the entire time. This is indicative of a higher level of technology than expected.”

  “Why haven’t they attacked us?” asked Kevin. “They could have jumped us at any time. With just our stealth shields up we would have been vulnerable.”

  “They have been gathering information on us just as we have on them,” Ariel said, folding her arms across her chest. “They may be waiting for our fleet to meet up with Grayseth’s before they launch an attack.”

  “They probably also have had to wait for sufficient forces to arrive before they challenge us,” added Aaliss. “They could be aware we destroyed two of their ships already and plan to take no chances with us escaping. They will be wanting information as well. They may suspect Originator technology is involved, and this would cause them to be more cautious.”

  Jeremy leaned back in his command chair and took a deep breath. “Major Preston, when we reach the rendezvous coordinates drop the stealth shield and have all ships activate their energy shields. Ariel, can you target those four ships following us once they’ve dropped out of hyperspace?”

  “Yes,” Ariel replied. “If they drop out of hyperspace close enough to us. But to remain unnoticed I assume they will drop out at a considerable distance to keep their spatial vortexes from being detected.”

  “Nevertheless, if there is an opportunity I want those ships targeted and destroyed. Major Preston, I doubt if we’re going to get out of this without a fight. Have the defense globes ready to launch at a moment’s notice.” With the success the Distant Horizon had demonstrated in the use of the defense globes Jeremy had insisted they be added to the dreadnoughts as a secondary weapons system.

  The defense globes had been modified by the Originators and their AIs. They now were powered by a miniature antimatter chamber. Their energy shields had been greatly enhanced, and the power of their particle beams and the ion cannon had been increased substantially. If the antimatter chamber was overloaded it would result in a two-hundred-megaton explosion. The number of defense globes had also been increased from sixty to one hundred. Jeremy was determined to use them now in an attempt to save his fleet.

  “Kevin, keep checking the long-range sensors for any sign of Grayseth’s fleet. Let me know as soon as his ships show up on the sensors. Ariel, as soon as Grayseth arrives, I want all of our ships to enter hyperspace and set a course for outside of this galaxy. Activate our intergalactic hyperdrives as soon as it’s safe.”

  -

  The fleet finally reached the system where the two fleets were supposed to meet. As soon as Jeremy’s fleet exited hyperspace, the stealth fields shielding the dreadnoughts from detection vanished to be replaced by powerful energy shields. All pretext at stealth was gone as the ships prepared for battle.

  “Jeremy, I’m picking up other stealthed ships,” reported Ariel, her eyes widening with worry. “There are a number of areas in this system I can’t scan.”

  “How many ships?”

  “Unknown. It could be a few ships or entire fleets.”

  Commander Malen shook her head in consternation. “It’s a trap! The Eternals have been waiting for us to return to this system! They have been following us the entire time.”

  Jeremy took a deep breath. “It won’t work. As soon as Grayseth shows up, we’ll jump immediately into hyperspace and leave. The Eternals won’t have time to launch their attack. We’ll escape before they can close the trap.”

  “They must know we suspect something,” warned Aaliss with a deep frown etched into her face. “They will
have detected us shutting off our stealth fields and activating our energy screens. That will indicate to them we have detected their vessels.”

  “Weapons are hot,” reported Major Preston. “Defense globes are prepped on all ships and ready to be launched. I’ve loaded dark matter missiles in all of our missile tubes, the same for the rest of the ships in the fleet. We’ll target Eternal ships with our ion cannons first followed up by missile strikes. Damaged enemy ships will be finished off with our beam weapons.”

  Jeremy acknowledged Major Preston’s preparations to attack the Eternals. “Let’s just hope none of that is necessary.” If it was then something had gone horribly wrong. It also concerned Jeremy the Eternals most likely suspected his two fleets had originated at a Dyson Sphere. The technology alone would indicate that. This mission had suddenly gone south. Instead of gaining valuable tactical information, they may have just started a war. A war Jeremy had hoped to avoid for another year or two.

  -

  For the next two hours the fleet held its position. The ships slowly modified their positions until they were in a globular defensive formation with the Avenger in the center.

  “What’s holding Grayseth up?” asked Kevin worriedly. “It’s not like him to be late.”

  “He may have run into trouble,” said Commander Malen.

  “Got him!” called out Ariel excitedly. “He’s at extreme range and will be here in eighteen minutes.”

  “Can you tell if any Eternal ships are following Grayseth’s fleet?” Jeremy was concerned Grayseth might have been followed the same as his fleet.

  “Confirmed,” Ariel reported grimly. “Three small areas behind Grayseth’s fleet cannot be scanned. I would deduce he is being followed by three Eternal ships.”

  “Send him a message,” ordered Jeremy, wanting to warn his clan brother. “Make sure it’s encrypted. Inform him of our situation and let him know he’s being followed by three stealthed Eternal ships.”

  “Message sent,” replied Lieutenant Lantz.

  “Jeremy, some of those areas we can’t scan are starting to move closer,” reported Ariel worriedly. She was keeping a close watch on every one of those areas of space for any kind of activity. “They must have detected Grayseth’s fleet.”

  Looking at the nearby tactical display, Jeremy was startled to see how big some of those areas were; they were large enough to hide entire fleets. “Is there any way we can penetrate those dead regions?”

  Aaliss looked thoughtful. “Ariel, set the sensors to their highest power and narrow the scanning field. I want you to vary the scanning frequency twenty-two hundred times per second.”

  Ariel nodded in understanding. “A pulsing heterodyne effect using the sensors.”

  “Yes, it may be able to penetrate the stealth fields the Eternals are using. I don’t believe our normal stealth sensor will work.”

  “Set it up but don’t use it just yet,” ordered Jeremy. “Let Grayseth get closer first. When he’s one minute out, hit the Eternals with that sensor so we can see what we’re up against. I don’t want to tip them off too far ahead of time that we can penetrate their stealth fields. Also, send the information to our other ships so they can use their sensors as well. With a little luck we’ll know what we’re up against just as Grayseth arrives.”

  Jeremy’s eyes shifted to the large viewscreen. It was showing a number of the dreadnoughts surrounding the Avenger. These were by far the most powerful warships Jeremy had ever commanded. He just wondered if they were powerful enough.

  -

  The minutes passed and suddenly the ships in Jeremy’s fleet activated their adjusted sensors. On tactical screens across the fleet, the trap they were in became visible. Hundreds of Eternal ships were slowly englobing the fleet in preparation for attack.

  -

  “Two hundred and fourteen Eternal vessels detected,” reported Kevin as he gazed at the red threat icons that were now appearing on the sensors and the tactical displays. “All similar to the ones we destroyed earlier.”

  “Grayseth’s fleet is exiting hyperspace,” reported Commander Malen gesturing toward the viewscreen. Nine blue-white vortexes formed and from each, one of Grayseth’s dreadnoughts appeared.

  “We’re being hit with some type of energy field,” warned Kevin as several alarms went off on his sensor console. “Whatever it is it’s not penetrating our screens. I’ve never detected anything like this before.”

  Aaliss looked at the sensor reading with something akin to panic in her eyes. “It doesn’t need to penetrate our screens. If I’m reading this correctly, they’ve locked us out of hyperspace!”

  “Can we jam it?” demanded Jeremy, his eyes showing his concern. If they couldn’t enter hyperspace, they couldn’t escape the trap the Eternals had set.

  “Maybe,” Aaliss responded. “I need to speak to Talmorr.” Talmorr was the Originator AI assigned to Engineering. “It’s going to take us a few minutes to set this up.”

  Commander Malen looked at the tactical display. “Grayseth’s ships are joining ours. The Eternals are moving closer. They will be in combat range in two minutes.”

  “Major Preston, begin launching the defense globes. Place them around the fleet. We’ll use them to hold back the Eternals until the fleet is ready to jump.” Jeremy knew they were in trouble. The Eternals had his fleets trapped, and there was nowhere Jeremy could go.

  Preston nodded. “Launching the defense globes.”

  -

  From the thirty-eight dreadnoughts, thirty-eight hundred of the small ten-meter globes exited the flight bays and rapidly accelerated to form a huge defensive ring around the fleet. On the dreadnoughts, targeting systems homed in on the inbound Eternal ships, locking on. Missile hatches slid open and energy weapons were adjusted until they were targeted on an enemy vessel.

  -

  “We have been detected,” reported the Eternal, standing before the sensor console in the flagship of the fleet.

  “Another sign these ships must have come from one of the Originator’s Dyson Spheres,” the ship’s commander commented. “In all of our history of conflict in other galaxies, never have our cloaking fields been penetrated until today.”

  “They must be destroyed,” stated another Eternal. His eight-foot tall form and muscular body would have seemed overpowering when compared to the slimmer forms of an Originator.

  “They shall be,” replied the commander. “Their ships have been locked out of hyperspace. Our fleets are now closing in for the kill. Drop the cloaking fields and power up our energy screens and weapons.”

  “The enemy have launched hundreds of small spheres,” warned the sensor officer. “The spheres are armed and have formed up into a globe shielding the enemy from our weapons.”

  “We shall destroy them first and then annihilate the ships they came from,” answered the commander. “There is no force in the universe which can stand up to us. We are the masters of creation and none shall stand in our way. Move us in to attack. It is time we demonstrated what true power is.”

  -

  “Eternal fleet is continuing to close,” reported Kevin, his eyes showing worry. “They’ve dropped their stealth fields and their weapons are powered up. We’re being hit with targeting scans.”

  “Lieutenant Lantz, contact the Eternals and tell them we wish to talk, there is no need for a battle.” Jeremy knew this was a long shot but it might buy them enough time to find a way around the hyperspace jamming field, which was preventing them from opening a vortex.

  Lieutenant Lantz sent the message and then became involved in a short and agitating conversation. With a frustrated look, she shook her head. “They are demanding we lower our shields and surrender.”

  “They’re in engagement range,” warned Commander Malen. “We should strike first.”

  “Agreed,” replied Jeremy. “Major Preston, activate the defense globes. Our own weapon strikes should be coordinated with them as well.”

  Preston nodded. “Activatin
g globes, preparing to launch missiles, energy beams are ready to be fired.”

  Jeremy took a deep breath. He had hoped this mission would not start a war. Now it seemed he had no other option.

  -

  In space, the defense globes fired their ion cannons, causing the screens on the Eternals’ ships to flare up brightly. In consternation, the Eternals realized their screens were no longer rotating through multiple frequencies.

  At the same time dark matter missiles began slamming into their shields. A few shields faltered, allowing missiles to strike the hulls of the Eternal ships. In brilliant explosions, seven Eternal warships were sent into oblivion.

  The Eternal ships recognized the small globes were employing a weapon detrimental to their energy screens and began firing on the globes. Powerful energy beams flicked out, tearing through the screens of the defense globes and swiftly annihilating them. In just a few seconds hundreds were destroyed as space became lit up with small fiery explosions.

  The Originator dreadnoughts continued to launch missiles and were now firing their energy beams. Gravitonic, particle, and antimatter beams assailed the screens of the Eternal warships.

  Particle beam fire from a dreadnought slammed into the main part of an Eternal warship, tearing open a huge gaping hole in the hull, setting off massive explosions and hurling glowing debris away from the ship. Gravitonic beams struck the hull, opening up numerous compartments to space. Moments later two dark matter missiles impacted, blowing the ship into thousands of pieces.

  The Eternals, seeing more of their ships being destroyed, began targeting both the defense globes and the enemy fleet. Powerful white beams of focused energy struck ship shields. The beams were so powerful that after only a few hits they began to penetrate.

  -

  The Avenger shuddered as an energy beam hit the energy shield, severely jarring the ship. The screen seemed to flicker and then the flickering vanished as the screen returned to full power.

  “Dreadnoughts Excalibur and Princeton are down,” reported Kevin, his face turning pale.