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

by Raymond L. Weil

  Brenda pursed her lips. “The Dyson Sphere in their home galaxy would be the logical one to equip with an energy shield. This might be an experiment to see if it’s practical. If the Simulins could send ships through hyperspace to the open vortex in a Dyson Sphere, they could then send reinforcements wherever they want. It would mean taking back control of the galaxies the Simulins have a presence in would become a much harder and longer task.” Brenda knew Admirals Cross and Lukel were preparing fleets at the Communications and Transport Hub for just that purpose.

  “There is a greater danger,” Lanthon added. “If they establish the energy shield they can bring sufficient reinforcements to all of the Shrieels they still control, which could make it nearly impossible to retake the Control Centers without extremely heavy losses. We need full control of all the Shrieels if we become involved in a war with the Anti-Life. We can’t have the Simulins as a distraction.”

  “We need to move quickly then,” Rakell said, his eyes showing worry. “If they’ve already had limited success here, it’s only a matter of time before they try the same at other Control Centers.”

  Brenda nodded in agreement. “We have several other teams ready to deploy back at the Communications and Transport Hub. All they’re waiting for is our report on how well the combat robots do retaking the Control Center here.”

  They were interrupted as several large shuttles appeared above them and quickly came in for landings.

  “Your transportation is here,” Lanthon said, indicating the shuttles, which were lowering large ramps from their open hatches. “I’ll take personal command of the warships above the active vortex. If there’s anything we can do to help, we will.”

  Brenda was satisfied with that. Unfortunately all the Intergalactic Vortex Control Centers were protected by energy shields. The Originator AIs had a method of overpowering the protective energy shield in very small areas, which was how Brenda had been getting her troops into position to assault the Control Centers.

  “Let’s get loaded up,” ordered Brenda to Sergeant Metz.

  “I’m ready,” Metz replied. “I’m anxious to see how the combat robots function.”

  “I believe you will approve of them,” Lanthon said. “During the war with the Anti-Life, they were widely used and proved their worth in combat countless times. We’re just updating them and changing their programming to function with Humans and to combat the Simulins and the Conqueror Drones.”

  Brenda watched as Metz marched off toward the waiting transport shuttles. This would be their toughest test yet considering how heavily the Simulins had reinforced this particular Control Center.

  -

  It took several hours for the transport shuttles to reach their egress point near the part of the Dyson Sphere the Simulins controlled. After unloading from the shuttles, the four hundred Marines and forty combat robots made their way down a wide corridor that led to a thick metal hatch. The hatch was shut and an energy shield ensured it could not be blasted open. This was one of over seventy large hatches leading to this section of the Dyson Sphere.

  “Are we ready?” asked Major Wilde as she turned and gazed at the Marines and combat robots waiting behind her.

  “I just need to insert the Command Key to shut down the energy shield protecting this hatch,” replied Rakell. Rakell was standing near a small indentation at the hatch where the gold command key needed to be placed.

  Brenda nodded. In one of her pockets was a small copper-colored globe that allowed her to access most parts of a Dyson Sphere. She had received it back at the Dyson Sphere in the Milky Way Galaxy. “Insert the key. Sergeant Metz, send the combat robots in first.” She didn’t think there would be any resistance at this particular hatch. The Simulins couldn’t know which hatch the Marines would be coming through.

  Brenda stepped back as the large robots moved forward. As she watched, Rakell inserted the gold key, which was in the shape of a small golden globe. He then tapped in some commands on a keypad beside the hatch. Almost instantly the hatch opened and the combat robots charged inside. The sounds of combat erupted immediately. Brenda could hear the sounds of small explosions as well as the zapping noise produced by the energy weapons the robots carried. She could also hear what sounded like metal being torn apart. How had the Simulins known which hatch to defend?

  Sergeant Metz led a platoon of Marines through the hatch to support the robots and the sound level of the fighting grew even louder. Taking a deep breath Brenda stepped through the hatch, gazing in amazement at the carnage that lay before her. Along the corridor were over a dozen Conqueror Drones. Some had been blasted apart and others seem to have been torn in two.

  “Sergeant Metz?” she asked, wanting an explanation.

  “Those damn combat robots literally tore those Conqueror Drones apart,” Metz reported breathlessly. “I’ve never seen anything like it. They would grab a drone, bury their hands inside the carapace, and then just pull it apart. I knew they were strong, but I didn’t expect that!”

  Brenda looked down the smoky corridor where the combat robots and the rest of Metz’s platoon were waiting at a junction. “Let’s get the rest of our Marines in here and begin moving out. I don’t want to stay in one location too long. After this battle, the Simulins will know we’re coming.”

  “I’m just concerned about what might be waiting up ahead,” Metz said with a deep frown. “If they had Conqueror Drones here they probably do at the other hatches as well. We may be facing hundreds of those damn drones when we get to the Control Center. You can almost bet all the drones at the other hatches are being called back to defend the Simulins who are holed up there.”

  Brenda knew Sergeant Metz was right. She looked at the Marines who were standing just outside the hatch and then at the waiting combat robots in the corridor. She just hoped they had sufficient firepower to win through to the Control Center.

  Metz shouted out some orders and the other Marine platoons began to enter through the open hatch. At the same time, the combat robots begin moving down one of the corridors. Brenda intended to allow the robots to lead the way, followed closely by her Marines. She was greatly concerned about how many Conqueror Drones they might be facing as they advanced deeper into the Dyson Sphere.

  -

  For the next several hours they moved down empty corridors. Sergeant Metz and his platoon followed the combat robots, with their weapons held ready, as they moved steadily through the maze of corridors that would eventually lead them to the Control Center.

  “I don’t like this,” Corporal Sandra Carton said to Major Wilde. “Where are all the damn Conqueror Drones? We should have seen more of them by now.”

  “Perhaps they’re waiting nearer the Control Center,” suggested Captain Carl Werner. Werner was Major Wilde’s second in command and had been added to her command structure due to the extra two companies of Marines on this mission.

  “Any idea how many Conqueror Drones we may be facing?” asked Sandra. She experienced routine nightmares about the drones. She had seen too many good Marines torn apart by the metal monstrosities.

  “A few hundred at least,” Brenda replied as they arrived at another junction of corridors with the combat robots going into the one to her left.

  Captain Werner looked at the backs of the combat robots entering the new corridor. “Let’s just hope those combat robots are as good as the Originator AIs say they are.”

  Brenda looked over at Rakell, who was near her.

  “They are,” promised Rakell. “The robots are protected by a special composite armor resistant to Simulin weapons. The armor is also tough enough that a Conqueror Drone should not be able to damage it even with the pincers it uses to tear organic lifeforms apart.”

  “How much longer?” asked Captain Werner. This would be his first mission against a Control Center.

  Rakell glanced down at a small computer tablet he was carrying. It showed their current position in relation to their target. “Thirty more minutes should put us t
here.”

  Brenda activated her comm, which kept her in contact with all of her officers. “Sergeant Metz, another thirty minutes will put us at the Control Center. I don’t expect the Simulins to allow us to reach it without putting obstacles in front of us. I want you to send a squad of the combat robots out ahead of us. That way if there is an ambush, we can hold the losses to the robots and ourselves to a minimum.”

  Rakell frowned, shaking his head. “The robots will not be harmed. As I said earlier, the Simulins have nothing that can damage one.”

  Brenda looked over at the Originator AI. “One thing I’ve learned in combat: never take anything for granted. The Simulins have been engaged in war for a very long time. They may have a few tricks up their sleeves we haven’t encountered yet.”

  “Tricks up their sleeves?” repeated Rakell, looking confused.

  “Just a Human saying meaning to be prepared for the unexpected.”

  “Oh, I still have a lot to learn about the intricacies of your language.”

  Brenda nodded. Sometimes she had to remind herself Rakell was an AI and not an Originator.

  -

  The Marines and combat robots continued to advance. They were almost to the Control Center when a powerful explosion shook the corridor they were in, sending black smoke and flames across the forward squad of combat robots.

  Major Wilde had to activate her combat glasses so she could see what was going on ahead of her. “Sergeant Metz, what was that?” The corridor was still full of smoke, which the ventilation system was struggling to clear.

  “The explosion brought down about thirty meters of the roof of the corridor. We lost two combat robots with another damaged.”

  “Impossible!” said Rakell in disbelief. “The metal of these corridors is nearly indestructible.”

  “Sergeant Metz, Rakell and I are coming forward.” Brenda wanted to see what was going on.

  “Come ahead; the corridor seems to be secure.”

  Reaching the site of the explosion Rakell shook his head in disbelief. Two of the combat robots lay crushed beneath a massive metal beam. Another had one of its arms torn off. “The metal alloys used in the construction of the Shrieels are nearly impervious to explosions. The Shrieels were built to last for tens of millions of years with little or no maintenance. When the repair robots are added the Shrieels should last until the star inside burns out.”

  Sergeant Metz bent down and studied a part of the wreckage which seemed to be singed. He then gestured a corporal forward who began taking readings with an instrument she was carrying. After a few moments the corporal conferred with the sergeant before returning to her position in the advance platoon.

  “It was some type of small nuclear device,” Metz reported uneasily. “There’s only a minimal amount of radiation.”

  Rakell’s eyes widened in shock. “It should be impossible for a nuclear reaction to occur inside the Shrieel. There are dampening fields which prevent such an event.”

  Brenda shook her head. “Evidently the Simulins have found a way around those restrictions.”

  Rakell began pressing icons on his handheld computer. Once he was finished he turned toward Major Wilde. “I’ve contacted Lanthon and he’s focusing an intense nuclear dampening field on this section of the Shrieel to ensure further nuclear reactions cannot occur. The field will operate through the energy screen. From the sensor readings on his flagship, he believes this explosion was supposed to be much larger. The dampening field, which prevents this type of occurrence, had been weakened in this area. While the dampening field cannot be turned off without a gold command key, it can be turned down by the main computer in the Control Center.”

  Brenda nodded. She gazed at the wreckage of the corridor in front of them. It would take hours to clear enough of it to allow the combat robots and her Marines to pass. “We need an alternate route.”

  “We can go back to the last corridor junction,” Rakell said, consulting his computer. “We can reach the Control Center in about twenty minutes from there.”

  “Sergeant Metz, head back to the junction. Once we reach it same as before. Send out a squad of the Combat Robots ahead to see if there are any more traps.”

  “Yes, Major,” Metz reported as he got the robots turned around. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. A damn nuclear explosion! I’d better not be glowing in the dark when we get back home.”

  Brenda looked over a Rakell. “If the dampening field had been off completely what would have happened to us?”

  Rakell hesitated before replying. “We would have all died.”

  Brenda closed her eyes and shook her head. She had known all along this op wouldn’t be easy. “Let’s just hope there are no more major surprises along the way.”

  -

  They continued down the adjacent corridor with the combat robots leading the way. The six robots in the front suddenly stopped and weapons fire rang out.

  “Report!” ordered Major Wilde as she peered ahead trying to see what the robots were firing at.

  “Conqueror Drones,” reported Serpent Metz as he took cover behind the trailing robots. “The corridor’s full of them!”

  Brenda looked over at Rakell who shook his head.

  “There’s no other way around. I fear which ever way we go the Simulins will have sufficient time to place their drones in front of us, barring the way.”

  Brenda took a deep breath. Why couldn’t things be simpler? “Sergeant Metz. We need to push through those drones. I’m sending up another platoon to reinforce yours. Sergeant Haggard, you’re on. Get your people up to reinforce Sergeant Metz and the combat robots. We need to eliminate these drones and push forward as quickly as possible.” Brenda didn’t want to risk giving the Simulins time to send more drones to the battle.

  Moving forward Major Wilde got a better few of the fight. The passageway seemed alive with a mass of Conqueror Drones so thick you couldn’t see the corridor beyond. The combat robots were firing their explosive rounds as well as energy weapons into the writhing mass of drones. The drones in return were firing back with energy weapons, armor piercing rounds, and an occasional explosive round. The corridor was becoming full of smoke and occasionally a bright burst of flames as a drone was blown apart.

  “Get down, one of the drones has a missile!” yelled Sergeant Metz as he threw himself to the floor of the corridor. The missile exploded directly behind him, taking out several Marines.

  As if infuriated by the loss of the Marines they were supposed to be protecting the combat robots surged forward into the Conqueror Drones, using their hands to tear them apart. Pincers, legs, and pieces of carapaces went flying in all directions. The robots were also still firing their explosive rounds and energy weapons at point blank range. The floor of the corridor rapidly filled with the wreckage of countless drones as the robots vanished into the heart of the melee.

  “Damn!” uttered Sergeant Haggard. “They’re tearing the drones apart. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Move forward!” ordered Sergeant Metz, standing up and heading down the corridor. “We can’t let them have all the fun. There are drones to kill.”

  The Marines charged down the corridor through the wreckage of the destroyed Conqueror Drones until they caught back up with the combat robots. Occasionally they passed a downed combat robot, which had been overwhelmed by the drones.

  The fighting intensified as the Marines joined in firing their pulse rifles. They were also firing explosive rounds capable of blowing a Conqueror Drone apart.

  Major Wilde ducked as a Conqueror Drone explosive round detonated just behind her. She didn’t know how many drones they had destroyed but it had to be well over one hundred. There were still more in the corridor trying to stop the advance of the combat robots and Marines. Brenda was determined to win through to the Control Center. It was obvious the Simulins were throwing everything they could at the advancing forces trying to stop them. The presence of missiles indicated these were the more
advanced Conquered Drones. This made them even more dangerous.

  “Major!” called out Rakell. “Lanthon reports he expects Simulin reinforcements to come through the intergalactic vortex aperture. The Simulins have a stable energy shield up, protecting it. ”

  “Can Lanthon destroy the ships if they come through?” If the Simulins could land reinforcements, particularly Conqueror Drones, the four Marine companies would be in a lot of trouble. Brenda wasn’t sure they could fight their way back out.

  “Maybe,” Rakell answered. “It depends on the strength of the energy shield. It’s also going to take time for any Simulin reinforcements to travel the length of the hyperspatial tube linking the two Shrieels. This means they must have another Shrieel with an experimental energy shield as well.”

  “Probably their home galaxy,” said Brenda. “It’s the only one that would make sense.”

  Rakell did some quick calculation. “Forty-two more minutes,” he said. “That’s how long it will take for reinforcements to arrive from their home galaxy considering how long the vortex has been activated.”

  Brenda took a deep breath. “Then that’s how long we have to reach the Control Center.”

  Major Wilde moved forward until she reached Sergeant Metz and Sergeant Haggard. “The Simulins have established an intergalactic vortex, and they’ve managed to put up an energy shield to protect it. We have forty minutes to take the Control Center before we risk being overwhelmed by Simulin reinforcements.”

  “We lost six more combat robots in the most recent fighting,” Metz said as he peered up ahead where the combat robots were eliminating the last few Conqueror Drones in the corridor. “The Control Center is just up ahead.”

  Brenda nodded. “It will be surrounded by additional drones, probably more than we’ve encountered so far.”

  Metz took a deep breath as he checked the magazine in his rifle. He ejected it and inserted a full one. Most of the Marines had pulse rifles but Metz preferred his assault rifle and metal penetrating bullets. “Let’s go, there are drones to kill!” Signaling his Marines, they moved off down the corridor until they were directly behind the combat robots. The other Marines remaining in the first two companies moved up as well.