Nanomachine War series Box Set

by Don Viecelli

  After introductions on the Bridge, Koral led them to a small conference room. It had large viewscreens on the wall. Koral turned them on and said, “I can show you what our hidden drone surveillance cameras recorded on the surface of Synor before we arrived.

  “These are the first images we saw in one of our larger cities.”

  The screen showed the view of the city as the drone dropped out of the sky and flew a few hundred feet above the ground. At first nothing seemed amiss. The people of Synor were walking about doing whatever the Yoyka had instructed them to do by the nanomachines in their brains. All of a sudden, a dark cloud appeared over the city. It swirled above the city and grew in size until it blocked out the sun below. It looked similar to a large swarm of bees. There was even a chilling, high pitched, screeching sound coming from the swarm recorded by the drone. Then without warned, the dark swarm descended to the ground and began attacking people.”

  Koral spoke up pointing to the screen. “We have determined the swarming mass is made up of tiny nanobot drones the size of small insects. You will notice they only attacked people; not animals, birds or plants. We are not sure how they do this, but we can guess why. The Yoyka want to use the planet for themselves once this mass genocide of my people is completed.”

  The surveillance drone continued to record images of the horror that was occurring on the surface. It was very difficult to watch what was happening. Doug noticed that even Di looked uncomfortable as the drone focused on one person with a close-up image of what was happening before their very eyes. The swarm of drones engulfed the person completely in seconds. A sound of screaming could be heard as the person tried to fight off the swarm unsuccessfully. Other people around him started to run for their lives, but were quickly engulfed by the swarm. It was truly the most horrible sight Doug had ever witnessed, even in battle.

  “Here is something you should see. Watch what happens as the person dies,” Koral said.

  Within minutes, the swarm of drones that attacked the person seemed to grow darker and increase in number. What was happening became very clear to everyone in the room.

  “They are replicating,” Doug finally said out loud.

  Suddenly, the newly enlarged mass of drones departed from the person they had attacked, separated into two new swarms and flew off in search of other victims. What was left behind shocked everyone in the room except Koral.

  “There is nothing left?” Admiral Weston cried out.

  The swarm drones had completed devoured the person it attacked and used the body as fuel to build more of its kind.

  “We have calculated that the swarm drones double in number with every victim they attack. So far they only attack Synorans. The swarm has been programmed to attack and kill people with certain DNA markers. What we don’t know is how smart the nanobot drones are. If they think like the Yoyka nanomachines, there is no limit to how much harm they can do to a planet or its people.” Koral seemed very distressed at what they had learned so far.

  “Do you have any samples of the swarm drones yet?” Doug finally asked.

  Koral looked at Doug and answered quickly, “Yes, we have collected some samples to take back with you. They are very dangerous and must be handled with utmost care. The drones are programmed to seek out ways to escape confinements and adapt to their environment. They are semi-intelligent and controlled by quantum communications by the Yoyka. We think they can even send information back to their controllers similar to the Yoyka nanomachines. Unlike the nanomachines, these drones are meant only to kill, not control their hosts. We need help to stop them.”

  Di listened to what was said and continued to watch the images on the screen. Finally, he asked, “What is happening on your planet now?”

  Koral changed the images on the screen to show the entire planet from space. The surface of the planet was covered in black swarm clouds moving from place to place circling the planet. He replied, “The swarm has covered our entire planet in a few days. We have found no life signs or heard any distress calls. The people of Synor are gone. The planet no longer contains any intelligent life.”

  “I am sorry for your people,” Admiral Weston said looking at Koral. “We will help you as best as we can to stop the Yoyka from doing this to others. Do you know why the Yoyka did this to your people?”

  “We have been fighting the Yoyka since they attacked us with their nanomachines. We recently destroyed two of their warships. They wanted to send us a message,” Koral replied sadly.

  “They tried to do the same to the people of Qum with their nanomachines,” Doug replied. “I guess they needed a new weapon to use now that we know how to stop and even reverse the effects of nanomachine weapon.”

  Di interrupted the conversation to say, “We will take your samples back with us for our scientists to study.” Then he added, “How many warships do you have to join us?

  “My people had two home worlds before the Yoyka attacked each one. We fought the Yoyka the best we could, but we were outnumbered. I have thirty warships and other smaller ships still fighting the Yoyka. We are low on fuel and weapons, but can still fight.”

  “Send your fleet to Qum. We will equip you with whatever you need, plus we have new enhancements and weapons we can give you that will help defeat the Yoyka warships. We will also provide the preventative and counter nano-agents we have developed for your people.

  “We must leave now. I have another mission I must attend to. We will meet again at Qum.”

  Admiral Weston and Doug left the room to return to their ships. As soon as Di received samples of the Yoyka swarm drones, he would leave Synor with his fleet. Hopefully, Holtu and Qumru scientists would be able to figure out how to stop these killer nanobot drones before the Yoyka used them again to wipe out another race of people. If not, Di knew they would be in very serious trouble if the Yoyka decided to use the new weapon against them before they had a solution.

  Chapter 17

  Rahta

  Imperial Leader Rahta was immensely pleased with himself. Things were moving along all according to plan. It would not be long now and he would be ready to destroy the Holtu androids, the Qumru and their puny Human allies. Today, he would meet with ten of his warship Commanders and plan their next attack against the Holtu.

  It was time. Rahta left the Emperor Chamber and walked through the Great Hall to the Imperial Conference War Room where Imperial Leaders before him met with their military commanders to plan wars of conquest. It brought great pride to Rahta that he was the Emperor of the Yoykan Empire and was about to lead his people to another great victory over his enemies.

  Everyone stood at attention and saluted when Rahta entered the room. He saluted back and walked to the head of the long table. He looked around the table at his commanders and said, “Welcome. Let’s begin. High Commander Anahta, what is our warship fleet status?”

  Anahta looked at his display pad and then at Rahta. He spoke clearly for all to hear. “We have five hundred warships, fully loaded with crewmembers, weapons and Spitka fighters. All have been retrofitted with Quantum Vacuum Thrusters and FTL hyperdrive capabilities with similar designs as the Holtu warships, Imperial Leader, except for the additional two hundred and thirty warships that recently returned from our battle at Holtu. They will be upgraded as soon as possible.

  “What about weapons, Commander? Do we have the same KEM kinetic energy missiles the Holtu used on our fleet?” Rahta asked.

  “Yes, Imperial Leader. Each warship will carry up to one hundred of these new sublight KEM missiles along with our nuclear tipped missiles, electromagnetic railguns, laser canons and 10 NEP nuclear electromagnetic pulse missiles we used at Holtu.”

  “Don’t the Holtu warships also have similar weapons as our warships and stronger energy shields, High Commander?” one of the other commanders at the table asked.

  “It is true their weapons are similar, but we have learned from their methods. We have duplicated their KEM missiles developed by the Humans and used agai
nst us at Holtu. We have replaced all our hydrogen fusion reactors engines with the new QVT thrusters, which use Quantum Energy and allow greatly increased FTL speeds in hyperspace as well as generating much stronger energy shields for our warships. The Holtu will not surprise as they did to our fleet at Holtu.”

  “If our warships and weapons are so similar, how do we plan to defeat the Holtu the next time we fight them?” someone else at the table asked.

  Rahta laughed at the question and said spitefully, “The Holtu are androids with AI brains. We almost defeated them with our NEP weapon. If it wasn’t for the Human and Qumru crewmembers on board their warships and space fighters, their fleet would have been destroyed easily.”

  “They also surprised us with their new FTL hyperdrive when the Holtu fleet from Earth appeared unexpectedly and used their new KEM missiles on our fleet. We brought back this new technology with the Solruku starship. We will not be taken by surprise again,” Anahta added.

  Rahta let that fact sink in for a moment and then announced, “The Holtu are not the only ones with surprises. This time we will attack their home worlds with a new weapon so powerful there is no defense. We are not interested in making the Holtu, Qumru or Humans our slaves. We must destroy them completely and wipe out each of their races from the galaxy. To do this we needed a new weapon, more powerful than our nanomachines. High Commander Anahta, it is time to show the commanders what our new Nanobot Drone Weapon (NDW) missile can do.”

  Anahta nodded his head toward Rahta and brought up the images of the weapon recently tested on the planet Synor. Once the image of the planet appeared on the large screen in the middle of the table for all to see, Anahta explained what was happening.

  “We fired fifty NDW missiles at the planet. The weapon is composed of tiny nanobot drones that can fly in the air and are programmed to attack any type of living organism, such as a specific race of people like the Synorans. We decided to test this new weapon on Synorans because of repeated attacks by rebel forces that escaped our nanomachine control. It was time to clean the planet of this race to prepare for eventual Yoyka colonization. Once the missiles released the drones over selected population centers, the swarm attacked the people on the ground and killed them.”

  The 3D images of the drones swarming above the planet before descending to the surface to attack people played on the viewscreen in front of them. Each commander at the table could zoom in close to see what was happening as the nanobot drone swarm attacked the frightened people. It was ghastly to see up close, but no one dared act negatively to the scenes in front of Rahta.

  Finally, one commander asked, “Just how do the drones kill people?”

  Anahta replied, “They suffocate them. When the person is dead, the drones consume the entire body to replicate and provide energy for power.”

  “You’re saying the drones take care of the bodies also?” another commander asked.

  “That is correct. The bodies disappear. There is nothing organic left behind,” Anahta said.

  The horrific images of people being attacked by a swarm of nanobot drones that covered the person completely, then divided into two separate swarms that flew off to find other victims continued until Anahta turned off the viewscreen.

  After a moment of silence, someone asked, “What happens after the drones kill all the people on the planet?”

  Rahta answered, “The drones will not stop until everyone is found and killed. By then the entire planet is covered with swarm drones that can only be disabled by sending a quantum command code similar to the nanomachine kill codes. I alone control these codes. They are unbreakable.”

  A very old and battle hardened commander at the table asked the question everyone was waiting for, “Where do you plan to use this new weapon next, Imperial Leader?”

  “Qum! We will attack Qum again, soon. This time the Holtu will not be able to stop us!”

  Chapter 18

  Tumil

  Tumil filled First Leader Montu in on what has happened to the Qumru and the Holtu since he had been in cryostasis on board the Solruku. Montu quickly grasped the situation as he ate his food and drank water. He asked, “What are you planning to do now?”

  “I have given the counter nano-agent to the rest of your crewmembers. Your lab tests have confirmed the counter nano-agent is working. Your system is flushing out the nanites from your body as we speak. You must help me revive the rest of your crew and help me and Shonya take back the Solruku and escape Yoykan.”

  Montu nodded his head in acknowledgement. “How many Yoyka guards are on this ship?”

  “There are four guards, plus the four Qumru officers still under Yoyka control. We must inject the Qumru officers with the counter nano-agent. Then capture or kill the guards.”

  “I will need a few of the Qumru officers to start. How long before they can be wakened?”

  “I will instruct Shonya to open the sleep chambers now. It will take a little time before your crewmembers are fully functional. In the meantime, we can plan how to give the counter nano-agents to Utor and the other three officers.”

  “Won’t opening the sleep chambers alert the Comment Center?” Montu suddenly wondered.

  “Shonya is switching the alarms and cameras to prevent this. What we need now are weapons.”

  “I can help with that. We keep the laser stun guns in a locked cabinet three decks down on Level 15 where the crewmember sleeping quarters are. I can unlock the cabinet.”

  “Good. Then we begin as soon as you are dressed. I will help wake the rest of the crew. You get the weapons. Shonya will keep you informed where the guards are and what Utor’s crew is doing. We will meet here again to plan our attack.”

  It took less than two hours in Qumru time to wake the rest of the Solruku officers and make sure the counter nano-agent worked as expected. Montu returned with enough laser weapons to arm each officer. So far no alarms were set off in the starship, but Tumil knew it could not last much longer before someone figured out what was happening on board.

  As the recently awakened crewmembers got dressed, Tumil and Shonya planned out their next moves with First Officer Montu.

  “I have prepared four injectors with the counter nano-agent for the officers you take with you to find Utor and his three crewmembers. It can be injected anywhere on the body. The shot will cause the person to pass out for a short period while it begins its work on the mind. Keep them restrained until I can run the tests afterwards. The rest of your crew must find the Yoyka guards and take care of them as soon as possible.”

  “What will you be doing?” Montu asked.

  “Shonya and I will prepare the Solruku for departure. It will not be easy. We are docked on a space ring orbiting Yoykan. There are warships all around us. The good news is Shonya has been monitoring the Yoyka communication channels. Something is up. Perhaps Shonya can tell us what it is now.”

  Shonya appeared in a hologram before them and responded. “That is correct. The Yoyka are preparing for war. The Emperor Rahta has ordered all warships to prepare for a large space battle. They plan to attack Qum first with a new, deadly weapon they have already tested on another planet.”

  “Do you know what type of weapon it is?” Montu asked, alarmed at the news.

  “It appears to be a drone weapon made up of tiny nanobots. It attacks living tissue and consumes it for replication purposes. The Emperor controls it with QTL communication channels similar to the nanomachine weapon. I am trying to access more information now.”

  “What planet did they test it on?” Tumil asked.

  “The weapon was tested on a planet named Synor. It successfully killed everyone on the planet; some five billion people.”

  “You said Rahta plans to use it against Qum. How soon?” Montu asked.

  “The warships are leaving Yoyka to meet in another location before the attack. The attack on Qum will be soon,” Shonya answered.

  “Can you send word to Qum?” Tumil asked.

  “All long range
communications is blocked by Utor. I cannot gain access.”

  Tumil looked at Montu. “You must get to Utor quickly and give him the shot. We can send word to Qum as soon as this is done. Then we will try to escape on the Solruku.”

  Montu was ready. He picked five others and made sure their laser guns were armed to stun only. He instructed the rest to find the four Yoyka guards and capture or kill them before any could send word to others.

  Montu left Tumil in the room with Shonya and made his way to the elevators. He was on Level 12. He had to get to the Command Center Bridge located on Level 1. Shonya said First Leader Utor was on the Bridge with Second Leader Seeto. Third Leaders Binto and Coltron were on Level 2 in the Command Center Work Area.

  Montu divided his team into two units. His team would get off on Level 1. The other three member team would exit on Level 2 using another elevator. Together they would try to surprise the officers and stun them quickly with their laser guns.

  The elevator door with Montu inside opened on the Bridge. Utor and Seeto were sitting at two of the control monitoring stations. They both quickly looked up when the elevator door opened.

  “First Leader Montu! What are you doing awake?” Utor asked noticing the laser gun in Montu’s hand as he and two others approached.

  Seeto stood up in alarm.

  “Step away from the console, Utor, Seeto!” Montu ordered.

  Utor stood up as ordered. Seeto made a move to push an alarm button. Montu shot her with his gun. Stunned by the shot, Seeto fell to the floor.

  “What do you want, Montu. The Yoyka control this starship. You know we cannot escape.”

  Montu said. “The Yoyka no longer control us, Utor. We can do the same for you and Seeto.”

  He ordered his two officers to approach Utor and give him and Seeto the counter nano-agent injection without another word. Utor looked perplexed and confused just before he passed out and they helped put him into a chair.