The Originator Wars: Universe in Danger: A Lost Fleet Novel
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Ariel looked at the two. “It doesn’t mean they don’t have dark matter missiles. They might not be a necessary armament for the galaxies they’re currently in conflict with.”
Jeremy looked over at Ariel. “Could our energy screen hold up to a dark matter warhead like the ones we have on board?”
“Possibly,” Ariel said. “We might be able to take one or two hits, but on the third one our screen might become compromised.”
“Let’s just hope they don’t have any,” Commander Malen said. “Their energy beams are bad enough.”
-
In Galaxy X-938, the Eternal fleet was entering hyperspace after inspecting another civilized planet in the early stages of interstellar travel. The system only had a rudimentary hyperspace drive, allowing them to exceed the speed of light by a factor of twenty.
“Still no signs of Originator activity,” reported the sensor officer.
Fleet Commander Norlan nodded his head in satisfaction. “It is as I suspected. The fleet we fought was sent by the Originator AIs using another race for its crews, perhaps a race which evolved from an animal species in one of the Shrieels.” There were numerous animals species in the Shrieels. Nearly every habitat square had them.
“It would explain much,” replied Telan, the ship’s second in command. “The AIs would cooperate with a race that reached intelligence inside one of the Shrieels.”
“It is obvious they sent the fleet out to see if we were active in galaxies other than our own,” said the tactical officer. “We must seek out this Shrieel and neutralize it. We cannot risk a race using Originator technology against us. The AIs may have decided to take on a more aggressive role.”
“We are the Eternals,” said Fleet Commander Norlan. “We are far superior to the Originators who we once were a part of. Our military weapons are much more powerful than when we fought in the Great War. Their AIs, while intelligent, are nothing compared to us.”
“The Shrieel will have powerful defenses,” pointed out Telan. “We may not be able to destroy it without suffering substantial losses. If this is the Shrieel that sent the fleet, we may be facing more of those vessels.”
“The enemy used a trick to destroy our vessels in the earlier battle,” replied Fleet Commander Norlan derisively. “The same trick will not work again. If they launch the small globes against us, we will destroy them as they exit their ships. We have proven we can penetrate their shields easily. If these are Originator ships sent by their AIs and crewed by an inferior race, we will destroy them. As for the Shrieel, we will test its defenses. If they are powerful we will call in more of our ships. In the end, it will fall and we shall take control of it. It is time we brought the space controlled by the former Originators into our growing empire.”
The Command Center grew silent as they considered the commander’s words. The flagship was currently in hyperspace heading toward its next target world. They had orders from the Council of Eternals to explore this galaxy for Originator activity. If they found none they were to proceed to this galaxy’s Shrieel and attempt to gain entry. It had been over two million years since an Eternal vessel had approached a Shrieel openly. That vessel had been destroyed by the powerful defensive weapons which protected the megastructure.
Fleet Commander Norlan was satisfied his fleet could handle any threat in this galaxy. Even if the Shrieel had a few hundred old warships, his vessels would easily annihilate them. The defenses on the Shrieels, while powerful, would be overcome by his fleet. He would use his fleet’s energy beams to blast open one of the many entrance hatches to the megastructure. Once inside he would order the AIs to surrender. After the Shrieel was under Eternal control, it would be used as a base for operations against the other Shrieels in Originator space. He fully expected his fleet to be able to conquer all of them. It would elevate his standing with the council, perhaps even to the point where one day he would serve on the Council of Eternals.
-
The two days passed and the Avenger exited the Accelerator Ring outside the Dyson Sphere in Galaxy X-938. As soon as the ship moved away from the ring, construction ships appeared and began disassembling it.
“Why are they taking the ring apart?” asked Kevin, seeing their fastest way home being taken apart.
“We can’t risk the Eternals gaining control of it,” replied Aaliss. “The Eternals may not have this technology. Keep in mind it took them over a month to reach this galaxy after our battle with them in the Median Galaxy.”
Jeremy gazed at the large viewscreen. Six construction ships were rapidly taking the Accelerator Ring apart. As soon as they were done the ships would go back inside the Dyson Sphere where they would be protected by its heavy weapons. This was one of the Shrieels where its defensive weapons had been heavily augmented due to its proximity to the Eternals.
“Admiral Mann reports the Eternals are still on course for the Dyson Sphere,” Ariel informed Jeremy. “They are still stopping and checking all civilized worlds between their entry point in this galaxy and the Dyson Sphere.”
“What’s the plan?” asked Kevin. “We don’t want them to reach the Dyson Sphere, do we?”
Jeremy shook his head. “No, I don’t want them to realize how heavily it’s defended. We may need that edge at a later date.” Jeremy turned toward Ariel. “How many hours before the Eternals reach us?”
“Eighteen,” replied Ariel as she read Admiral Mann’s latest status reports. “Admiral Mann has been using small stealth drones the Originator AIs on the Dyson Sphere built to keep an eye on the Eternal fleet.”
Jeremy was impressed. The Originator AIs were continuing to surprise him. “Lieutenant Lantz, contact Admiral Mann and have her bring her fleet out of the Dyson Sphere. It’s time we go meet the Eternals.”
“We’re going to be outnumbered,” Commander Malen quickly pointed out. “Their ships are larger with more weapons. Are we going to take some of the Originator battlecruisers with us to help even up the odds?”
“Yes, we’ll be taking twelve hundred battlecruisers. Two of the battlecruisers will act as support ships for each of our dreadnoughts. The cruisers will be linked directly to the tactical stations on board our ships allowing us to fire in three-ship groups. That should even up the firepower between the Eternals and us. Admiral Mann has been running battle maneuvers inside the Dyson Sphere with the Originator battlecruisers. Fifteen of the military AIs will be on the ships to help pass along commands if needed. They will follow the orders of either Admiral Mann or the Avenger. Ariel, I want you to set up direct communications from us to all fifteen of the AIs.”
“As soon as their ships are out of the Dyson Sphere I’ll get it set up.”
“You will find our military AIs quite competent, and they will follow your orders,” Aaliss said. “We put that into their programming.”
Jeremy was surprised to hear that. “Very well, this will be the first battle for the military AIs. We’ll soon know how well they function in a battle situation.”
On the main viewscreen, a large hatch nearly twenty kilometers across opened on the Dyson Sphere and Admiral Mann’s heavy dreadnoughts began to exit. It was an imposing sight seeing dreadnought after dreadnought exit the hatch.
“As soon as all ships have formed up we will leave the system,” Jeremy said. “We’ll stop and run a few battle maneuvers in a nearby star system and then set a course for the Eternals. I want to meet them well away from the Dyson Sphere.” Jeremy didn’t say one of the main reasons for doing that was in case they were defeated. It would give him the option to fall back to the Dyson Sphere where he could either call out more Originator battlecruisers to use against the Eternals or if the situation was desperate enough, use the sphere’s own powerful weapons.
Leaning back in his command chair Jeremy thought about Kelsey. She had mentioned the possibility of staying in the Dyson Sphere and going to work at the Tower. She had made it very plain it was time for them to start a family. Looking around at his busy crew, he knew she
was right. Every time he left the Dyson Sphere to go to battle he ran the risk of not coming back home. Kelsey deserved to have a family. When he got back they would have to start working on that. The thought brought a smile to Jeremy’s face. That was one project he was going to enjoy. All he had to do first was defeat the Eternals’ fleet.
-
For six hours Jeremy took the combined fleet through several battle maneuvers. Fortunately Admiral Mann had been doing the same inside the Dyson Sphere so it went far smoother than Jeremy had hoped.
“The three-ship groups seem to be working fine,” commented Commander Malen after the Avenger and several other dreadnoughts made an attack run against a small asteroid, obliterating it. The last small pieces shattering against the energy shields of the vessels.
“I was confident the military AIs would function well,” said Aaliss with a pleased look on her face.
“Better than I expected,” admitted Jeremy.
All the Originator ships had either military AIs on board or normal AIs who could operate the ships as ordered. In case of a failure in communications, the ships had backup programs, which would tell the AIs what needed to be done. Jeremy just hoped everything worked as they had designed it. Of course in a battle very few things ever went as planned.
“Admiral Mann reports all ships ready for hyperspace,” said Lieutenant Lantz.
“Then it’s time,” said Jeremy, looking at his command crew. “What of the Eternal fleet?”
“It’s still on course,” replied Ariel. “Ten hours until they reach the Dyson Sphere. I’m certain they will try to gain entry.”
Jeremy nodded. “Set an intercept course. It’s time we show the Eternals Originator space is off limits to them.” He had chosen a star system directly in front of the Eternals to meet them in battle. The Eternals, upon spotting his fleet, would have no choice but to drop out of hyperspace and engage Jeremy’s fleet. If not then Jeremy’s fleet could hit them from behind when they attempted to engage the Dyson Sphere.
“Course plotted and sent to all other fleet ships,” reported Lieutenant Striker.
-
Moments later blue-white spatial vortexes formed in front of the ships of the fleet and using their gravity drives, the ships made the transition into hyperspace.
-
Jeremy leaned back in his command chair watching the chaotic colors of deep purple rushing across the screen. Some were swirling, and others seemed to be moving in a pattern. Jeremy knew this was the result of the hyperdrive’s reaction with dark energy, which allowed them to move through the different bands of hyperspace. The higher the band the faster the hyperspace speed.
“Commander Malen, we’ll take the fleet to Condition One ten minutes before dropout.” Jeremy wondered how this battle would turn out. It would be the first truly major fleet battle between an Originator fleet and an Eternal fleet. The battle in the Median Galaxy had been only a skirmish with neither side prepared to face the other. That would not be the case this time.
-
“We have detected a fleet approaching in hyperspace,” reported the sensor officer.
“A fleet?” asked Fleet Commander Norlan, his thoughts coming sharply into focus. They were only a few hours from the Shrieel and so far had not detected a single Originator vessel, nor any indication the Originator AIs had been active in this galaxy. “Where is it?” Perhaps now he would finally get some answers.
“It seems to be heading toward a system directly in front of us,” answered Telan as he stepped over to examine the sensor readings. “Two ship types detected: standard Originator battlecruisers and the larger ship class encountered near the Stralon Star Cluster.”
“So it was the Originator AIs that sent the ships into our space,” said Norlan. “This proves it. How many ships in the fleet?”
“Six hundred of the larger vessels and twelve hundred Originator battlecruisers,” reported the sensor officer. “They are preparing to drop out of hyperspace.”
Norlan sat down in his command chair. “Take the fleet to full alert and prepare for combat. We will eliminate these vessels and then continue on to the Shrieel. Inform all warships that if any of the small globes are launched they are to be targeted and destroyed immediately.” He wasn’t going to risk the globes being used to damage the shields of his ships. He would destroy them before they could fire their ion beams or their particle beam cannons.
“Message sent,” reported the communications officer.
Alarms sounded and lights flashed as the flagship went to full alert. Norlan remained silent as he prepared himself for battle. He was an Eternal, a member of the most powerful race in the universe. His thoughts turned toward the fleet he was about to destroy; there were no thoughts of mercy.
-
Jeremy flinched slightly as the Avenger dropped out of hyperspace. They were in a white dwarf star system with four planets and two asteroid fields.
“The Eternal fleet?”
“Twenty minutes away,” reported Kevin. “Fleet makeup and numbers have been confirmed.”
Jeremy ordered the fleet into a standard defensive formation. It was globular with the Avenger in the center. When the Eternals arrived he would change the formation and move in to attack. He was not going to wait for them. He would set the tone of the battle, not the Eternals.
-
The Originator fleet waited as the minutes passed by; then alarms began sounding on all the ships as the Eternal fleet dropped out of hyperspace just short of engagement range.
“Enemy ships detected,” reported Kevin. “Confirmed: Eternal battlecruisers.”
“All ships are at Condition One,” added Commander Malen.
“Weapons ready to fire and dark matter missiles are loaded in all tubes,” added Major Preston. The weaker Devastator Three missiles would not be needed in this battle.
Jeremy gazed at the tactical display for a long moment. “Formation A-7.” This was a cone formation with the apex forward. “Lieutenant Striker, set a course for the center of the Eternal fleet. Commander Malen, begin launching defense globes. Perhaps we can get most of them off before the Eternals begin targeting them.” If he wanted to win this battle, it was essential they get the defense globes launched as quickly as possible. They would pose a major hindrance to the Eternals.
“All ships changing to the new formation,” reported Commander Malen. “Dreadnoughts are launching defense globes.”
Jeremy grinned. With six hundred dreadnoughts that meant they were launching 60,000 defense globes. “Position the globes directly in front of the fleet. As soon as the Eternals are in range, fire their ion beams. Same with all dreadnoughts: fire ion beams and then follow up with dark matter missiles.”
Jeremy planned to hit the Eternals as hard and quickly as possible. He doubted if the Eternal commander had ever fought a fleet as powerful as Jeremy’s, or as well trained.
-
Fleet Commander Norlan glared in anger at the ship’s navigation officer. The fleet had dropped out of hyperspace too far away from the Originator fleet, giving it time to launch the deadly little globes which had caused such a problem in the previous battle. “You will be reprimanded,” said Norlan coldly and then, over the ship-to-ship comm which connected him to all the ships of his fleet, he gave his next order. “Close with the Originator fleet and target those small globes. Rotate your screens at a faster frequency so the ion beams will be less effective. We will destroy the small globes first and then concentrate on their fleet.” Norlan watched in frustration as thousands of the small globes exited the larger ships and settled into a blocking formation in front of the Originator fleet.
“Target the small globes with all weapons,” ordered Norlan.
-
The Eternal fleet surged forward in a massive line of ships six high and one hundred long with a reserve behind the center. As soon as they reached engagement range, energy beams flashed out and began destroying the defense globes. Hundreds of globes exploded in bright flashes
of light as the powerful energy beams tore through their energy screens. The beams played over the formation, destroying globe after globe. The globes were packed so thick it was almost impossible to miss.
-
“Damn!” we’re losing a lot of defense globes,” called out Major Preston. “Globes are firing, and we’re launching the first spread of dark matter missiles. Defense globes and missiles are targeting just forty Eternal vessels.” Preston planned to overload the screens of those forty battlecruisers and destroy them.
-
Across the front of the Eternal battleline, ion beams slammed into the screens of the forty selected targets. Hundreds of beams struck the screens, jamming the frequency modulation. Moments later hundreds of black matter warheads began exploding against the frozen energy screens. The four- hundred-megaton warheads exploded with a violence that blew holes in the screens, allowing other missiles to penetrate. In a span of twelve seconds, forty Eternal vessels were turned into miniature suns which swelled up and then gradually faded away. In their wake all that remained of the Eternal vessels was twisted and glowing wreckage.
-
“Forty of them!” gloated Kevin. “They never knew what hit them.”
“Firing on the next forty,” reported Major Preston determinedly. “This won’t work much longer. The Eternals are blowing the hell out of our defense globes. We’re losing over a thousand every ten seconds now and the numbers are climbing.” The defense globes had energy screens but they could not withstand an Eternal energy beam. It was just too powerful.
“Keep firing until they’re gone,” ordered Jeremy, feeling his pulse racing. “We’ll take as many kills right now as we can.” Jeremy stared at the tactical display showing the two embattled fleet. Due to the defense globes, the Eternals had not yet fired on his ships. Jeremy knew that was about to come to an end.
-
Fleet Commander Norlan felt the anger growing inside. Because the navigation officer brought the fleet out of hyperspace too soon the enemy had been able to launch their small globes. On the main viewscreen, he watched as another forty of his battlecruisers were blown apart. Eighty ships lost in the first minute of battle! Never had the Eternals suffered such losses. Not since the Great War with the Originators.