The Lost Fleet: Genesis: A Slaver Wars Novel (14 page)

“More
Simulins,” groaned Les. “How many more Conqueror Drones are they going to
land?”

“They’re not
Simulin,” the sensor operator said in a soft voice as he stared in amazement at
the sensor screen. “They’re Human, Alton, and AIs. It’s a full-sized fleet!”

Les turned
excitedly toward Dax. “Admiral Barnes promised they would return someday and
free us. Perhaps it’s her returning!”

Dax stepped
over next to the communications officer. “See if you can contact the
Distant
Horizon
; that’s the admiral’s command ship.” Dax knew he was taking a risk
breaking communications silence but if this was Admiral Barnes returning, he
wanted her to know they still survived.

For several
long minutes, there was no response to their communications attempts, and then
a strange voice came over the comm. “This is Admiral Jackson, the commanding
officer of the fleet currently in orbit above Ornellia.”

“Where’s Admiral
Barnes?” Dax asked into the comm.

There was
silence for a long moment and then the admiral’s voice responded. “I’m sorry to
report that Admiral Barnes lost her life in a great battle which significantly
weakened the Simulin presence in this galaxy. Her sacrifice is what allowed us
to return today.”

Dax took a
deep breath. After all the death he had seen on his world, he understood how
easily lives were lost in battles. “I am sorry to hear that. How long will your
fleet be staying in orbit? We would like to conduct some rescue missions as
well as search for additional supplies. I am sure the other bunkers would like
to do the same.”

“Indefinitely,”
Admiral Jackson replied. “We’re going to set up a permanent base here in the
Ornellian System, and we’ve brought some very powerful defensive satellites to
place in orbit.”

Dax felt faint
at hearing the admiral’s words. Could it be true, were the Humans and their
allies returning to save what was left of his world? There was complete silence
in the Control Center as everyone looked as if they couldn’t believe the words
they had just heard. “I don’t know what to say,” Dax said finally. “Is there anything
I can do?”

“Contact your
other bunkers and inform them of what’s going on. I have four battlecarriers
with me, and I intend to use their fighters and bombers to begin clearing the
surface of Ornellia of Conqueror Drones. I would like to coordinate the surface
strikes with your people to ensure there are no incidental Ornellian casualties.”

“It will be
done,” Dax promised. It was about time the deadly Conqueror Drones were
eliminated. The automations were gruesome killing machines, which showed no
mercy.

“We will keep
this frequency open,” Admiral Jackson said. “In the meantime, we’re going to
begin deploying the new defensive grid for your planet. Contact me again once
you’ve spoken to your other bunkers.”

“I will,” Dax
replied as he turned away from the comm. He looked around at the stunned faces
in the Control Center. “Communications, begin contacting the other bunkers. We
have a world to take back and with the Humans’ help, rebuild.” As he finished
speaking, the Control Center erupted in loud cheers and excited voices.

-

Admiral
Jackson allowed himself to smile. It felt good to bring hope back to the people
of Ornellia. Admiral Barnes had mentioned several times that the Ornellians
were a good and honorable race. A race that if they could have been found
sooner, would have been powerful allies.

“Commander
Blanton, contact Admiral Bachal and inform him to begin emplacing the defensive
grid.”

“Yes, Admiral,”
Blanton replied as she began passing on the order.

They had brought
six hundred particle beam satellites as well as six Type Two battlestations.
The battlestations would serve as control centers for the satellites. With the satellites,
the battlestations, and the fleet, Jackson felt confident he could hold the
planet against the Simulins. He also had two fleet repair ships which he could
use to build more satellites or repair any damage done to his warships. If the
Simulins returned, they wouldn’t like what they would find at Ornellia.

-

Two days
later, Captain Marsha Trask was in her Anlon bomber. Below her, the surface of
Ornellia flashed by. It pained her to fly over the devastated landscape. There
were so many lifeless cities with blast craters in their centers. Some of the
larger cities had been hit multiple times. Crumbled buildings, twisted wreckage,
and deep layers of ash told the story of the deadly bombardment. However, even
in those forsaken areas, a few Conqueror Drones could be found.

“Contacts,”
reported Lieutenant Fry. “Conqueror Drones confirmed.”

“Let’s take
them out,” Ordered Marsha as she dove her bomber toward the surface.

For the last
two days, the fighters and bombers from all four battlecarriers had been
carrying out around the clock attacks on formations of Conqueror Drones. From orbit
the warships occasionally fired KEW rounds at the surface, annihilating any large
concentrations of the drones.

Looking down,
Marsha saw eight of the crab-like drones moving down a shattered highway in
formation. They had numerous legs and four appendages with large and dangerous
looking claws used to tear their prey apart. Without hesitation, she locked on
them and fired a modified Shrike missile with a high explosive warhead. The missile
dropped away from her right wing and moments later the roadway erupted in fire
and smoke. A second missile from Lieutenant Fry’s bomber also impacted, causing
more carnage. When the smoke cleared, all that was left of the drones were several
piles of twisted and smoking metal.

“Scratch eight
drones,” Lieutenant Fry said elatedly. “That makes over forty on this attack
mission.”

“Let’s just
hope the others are doing as well,” Marsha commented as she began to climb up
higher so the sensors could get a better view of the ground. Between the four
battlecarriers, they had four hundred and eighty Talon fighters and three
hundred and twenty Anlon bombers.

-

In orbit,
Admiral Jackson nodded in satisfaction at the reports coming in. Between the
airstrikes from the fleet’s fighters and bombers and the Ornellians using their
surviving military to hit pockets of the deadly drones, the number of Conqueror
Drones on the planet were rapidly decreasing.

“Admiral
Bachal reports all particle beam satellites have been deployed as well as the
six Type Two battlestations,” Commander Blanton informed the admiral.

The new Type
Two battlestations were one hundred and fifty meters in diameter and had
upgraded energy shields, two particle beam cannons, four power beam cannons,
twelve missile tubes containing Devastator Three missiles, and defensive energy
turrets. Their fusion reactor had been upgraded from a class one to a class
three, giving the stations much more power than previous models.

Jackson was pleased with the report. With the defensive grid in place, the fleet could now
begin phase two of their plan. “Inform Admiral Bachal he may begin planetary
decontamination.”

“It will take
six weeks to clear the planet of radiation contamination,” Commander Blanton
said. “That assumes there are no interruptions.”

The Alton battleships had equipment on board, which could rapidly increase the decay rate of radioactive
isotopes. The equipment would be focused on the planet as the battleships moved
into a low orbit of only a few hundred kilometers, nearly in the planet’s
atmosphere. They also had a chemical which could be delivered by the
battleships’ small shuttles that could be sprayed over the destroyed cities, aiding
in the rapid elimination of radiation hazards.

-

Dax Matol
stood in the small city of Dorman. From across the planet, shuttles were being
used to ferry survivors from caves and other secure locations to the city. Some
of the larger bunkers had been fortunate enough to have shuttles stored inside
for future use, and those were now being used to rescue people all across Ornellia.
Dorman had once boasted a population of forty thousand people. Already power had
been restored and essential services turned back on.

“The city’s
coming back to life,” Les Ketene commented excitedly as they watched another
shuttle land on the small airfield on the northern side.

“It’s amazing
how many survivors we’re finding,” Dax said as he watched a number of people
coming out of the shuttle. “We’re bringing in supplies to restock the shelves
in the stores and within a week, Dorman will be the same as it was before the
Simulin attack.”

“I heard we
may be opening up several other nearby towns as well.”

Dax turned
toward Les. “Yes, we’re going to need the room. In the bunkers alone, we have
over two hundred thousand survivors. I was speaking to several of our government’s
leaders who survived, and they estimate there might still be as many as two
million survivors scattered across the planet.”

“What about
the other worlds of our empire?” asked Les. “Are there any survivors on those planets?”

“We’re going
to find out. Admiral Jackson is planning to send a task group to check the
other worlds as well as our outposts. He’s hoping to find some of our cargo
ships and passenger liners intact.”

A loud noise
above attracted their attention. A flight of four Talon fighters was passing
overhead. Admiral Jackson had the Talons flying routine reconnaissance missions
around the city to ensure all the Conqueror Drones had been eliminated. There
were also heavily armed patrols of Ornellian soldiers out doing the same on the
ground.

Dax heard an
unfamiliar sound. Turning around, he recognized it. It was laughter. A group of
Ornellian children and their parents were coming out of the resettlement center
where they had been assigned to their new homes. Dax couldn’t remember the last
time he had heard laughter. With a smile, he realized what the Humans had
brought back to Ornellia, hope and the beginning of a new future for the
Ornellian race.

Jeremy was in
the
Dominator
speaking with Kazak and Kelsey. As expected, Kazak had
chosen Kelsey as the ship’s commander and surprisingly also chosen Andram as
the ship’s science officer. This was a relief to Jeremy as Andram was the one
Alton Kazak would have a hard time fooling. This entire situation with choosing
the ship’s commander had been heart wrenching. However, if anyone could handle
Kazak it would be Kelsey, and she would also have Katie at her side.

“I have
completed my study of the supernova explosion at the former location of the
Dyson Sphere,” Kazak informed them. “It is true the exotic material that
composed the Dyson Sphere as well as the dark matter which surrounded it has
had a profound effect on space-time in that vicinity of the blue-giant nebula.
From the simulations I have run and Ariel has run similar ones, when the
radiation front exits the nebula it will be moving at twenty-three times the
speed of light.”

Jeremy took a
deep breath and shook his head. At twenty-three times the speed of light it
would only take the radiation front one hundred and twenty-seven years to reach
the protective nebula surrounding Gaia. That was much faster than what Shilum
and Andram had originally projected. While it might sound like a long time,
with the life prolongation drugs currently available many people now living
would still be alive when the radiation front reached Gaia.

“What will
happen to the nebula and Gaia when the radiation front arrives?” This was of
great concern to Jeremy as there was nowhere else they could go unless they
wanted to leave the galaxy as the Ornellians were doing.

“The nebula
will become filled with radiation, making the safe corridors you currently use
unnavigable. Gaia itself will become uninhabitable within sixteen hours of the
radiation front’s arrival. All unprotected life on the planet’s surface will be
dead within twenty hours.”

Kelsey shook
her head. This was horrible news, and she could imagine how Jeremy must be
feeling. “Is there any way to protect Gaia?”

Kazak paused
for a moment and then replied. “Yes, I can furnish you with the specifications
for a planetary based energy shield that would be resistant to the radiation.
However, I must remind you that your people would be effectively trapped on the
planet once the shield was activated.”

“Is there
anything that can be done about the radiation front to prevent its continued
expansion?” asked Jeremy. It was a slight relief the planet could be shielded,
but that left the rest of the Triangulum Galaxy.

“There is one
possibility,” Kazak answered, focusing his attention on Jeremy. “The radiation
front must be slowed down below the speed of light. If that could be accomplished,
then it would eventually die out on its own. It’s the exotic properties of
hyperspace which are currently allowing it to expand at such a great speed.”

“Do you know
of a method to do that?” asked Andram, standing nearby and listening intently.
The white-haired Alton had been pleased to learn he’d been chosen as science
officer for the
Dominator
. It would give him all the time he needed to
study the massive vessel as well as its mysterious AI.

“Perhaps,”
Kazak answered. “If sufficiently sized explosions were set off simultaneously
in hyperspace causing a counter wavefront, the two would theoretically cancel
each other out when they strike each other. This would return space-time back
to normal, and the radiation front would die out before leaving the blue-giant
nebula.”

“How far out
past the Dyson Sphere supernova would the radiation front travel if we created
this counter wave?” asked Andram.

“Less than two
hundred light years,” Kazak replied. “Once the explosions are set off it will
begin to slow the advance of the wavefront until it drops below the speed of
light. Once that happens, its effect on other stars will be minimal.”

Jeremy
breathed a huge sigh of relief. Was it possible they could stop the radiation
front after all? “Do you have weapons that can be detonated in hyperspace?”
Jeremy knew neither the Federation nor the Altons had such weapons. Due to the
properties of hyperspace, none of their weapons would work in that strange
reality which was governed by a totally different set of laws.

Kazak slowly
shook his head. “No, not at the present. Weapons of such power and magnitude
were prohibited upon all Originator warships. We’re talking about weapons which
could easily destroy an entire star system.”

Jeremy
suddenly felt crushed. Kazak had built up his hope and then blown it away.

Noticing the
crestfallen look on Jeremy’s face, Kazak spoke again. “I said not at the
present. The
Dominator
has the capacity to build such weapons, but it
will take time as they must be made out of a very exotic material, which will
function in hyperspace. Also, the size of the explosion is magnitudes above
anything your current weapons are capable of.”

Andram looked
at the Originator AI speculatively. “Just how large of an explosion will be
required?”

“On the order
of two million four hundred thousand megatons.”

Andram’s jaw
dropped at the pronouncement. “That’s impossible. There’s no way to create such
an explosive force.”

“There is if
we use dark matter as the detonating material,” replied Kazak with a smug look
on his face.

“Dark matter,”
said Andram, his mind racing. “My people have only begun to do major research
on dark matter and dark energy.”

“Will it
work?” asked Jeremy, looking over at Andram. He wanted the Alton scientist’s
opinion before he gave the okay for such a dangerous project.

“Possibly,”
Andram answered with deep lines of thought running across his forehead. “Dark
matter is the only substance that can create the type of energy Kazak is
speaking of. It should theoretically work in hyperspace. However, it’s far
above anything my people can do.”

“Dark matter,
because of its interaction with hyperspace, is the only substance which can be
used to create the explosions of the size required,” Kazak said. “The
Originators did a lot of research on both dark matter and dark energy before
the deadly life prolongation pathogen destroyed their civilization.”

“How soon can
we do this?” asked Jeremy, realizing there was no other option. To delay
implementing Kazak’s plan could doom the entire galaxy.

“It will take
two weeks to construct the special missiles and the warheads for the dark
matter,” Kazak replied. “We will also need to find a source of dark matter.”

Andram nodded.
“We have detectors on our science ships which can do that.”

Kazak glanced
over at the Alton. “I would suggest we send out some ships to find a suitable
source. Once it’s found the
Dominator
can be used to procure it.”

Jeremy looked
over at Kelsey, now wearing a commander’s uniform. “I guess you have your first
mission.”

“We’ll be
ready,” Kelsey promised.

It was a huge
load off Jeremy’s mind knowing there was a solution to the exploding Dyson
Sphere supernova. It just made him a little nervous knowing Kelsey and the
Dominator
would be so heavily involved in the mission.

Jeremy turned
back toward Kazak. There was one other matter he wanted to discuss with the
Originator AI. “I would like to put some Marines on the
Dominator
. They
might be needed if any exploratory missions are sent down to a planet’s
surface. Every planet we’ve found that the Simulins have attacked have been
infested with Conqueror Drones.”

“The
Originators, if they still existed, would be very displeased to learn of what
the Simulins have been doing with the Dyson Spheres,” Kazak said. “The
Originators were a great and benevolent race. They strove to learn new
knowledge and moved across the galaxies in peace.”

“What you say
may be true, but why did they build the
Dominator
? It’s a warship.”
Jeremy was confused about this. There were still a number of items that Kazak
talked about that didn’t quite sound right.

“They were a
peaceful species, but they were not fools,” Kazak answered. “Occasionally other
species were encountered that were what you would call anti-life. One such
species was found to be a potential threat to our entire universe and had to be
dealt with in the early days of Originator expansion. While it is true the
Dominator
is the most powerful ship they ever built, they had other warships tasked with
keeping their numerous worlds safe, including the Dyson Spheres.”

Jeremy was
silent for a long moment. “Are you telling me there were other Originator
warships inside the Dyson Sphere that we destroyed?”

“Yes,” Kazak
answered evenly. “I thought you were aware of that. Warships and other vessels
were widely used by the Originators. When it became obvious the disease brought
about by the life prolongation experiments was irreversible, the ships used by
the Originators were put into storage in the Dyson Spheres.”

“How many
ships?” asked Kelsey, her eyes wide at the thought of the hundreds of
Originator ships which must have been on the Dyson Sphere when they destroyed
it.

Kazak
hesitated for a moment. “Thousands,” he said in a softer voice. “There were and
are thousands of Originator ships stored inside each of the Dyson Spheres.”

-

The next day,
Jeremy, Kelsey, Kevin, and Katie were down in New Eden, the largest city on
Gaia. Five thriving cities had been established as well as numerous farms and a
few ranches. The girls wanted to come down to the planet to go shopping and arrange
for Angela’s baby shower.

As they were
walking down the street, a loud booming voice called out Jeremy’s name.
Turning, he saw Grayseth striding toward them.

“What’s
Grayseth doing here?” asked Katie, her green eyes showing surprise at seeing
the large Bear.

“I believe he
came down earlier to see some members of his clan,” answered Kelsey. “Malith
mentioned something about there being a clan meeting Grayseth needed to
attend.”

“Clan
brother,” spoke Grayseth, embracing Jeremy in a smothering bear hug as was
their custom. “It is good to see you away from your duties.”

“As well as
you,” Jeremy responded. “I understand you had some clan business to attend to.”
Jeremy saw that a number of people had noticed them and had stopped to see what
was going on. “There’s a park across the street; why don’t we go over there
where we can talk.”

The group
quickly crossed the busy street and entered the large tree shaded park. A
number of families were present with children running and playing on the
playground equipment. A few other people were just sitting on the numerous
benches taking it easy and enjoying the nice weather.

“It is good to
see young ones about,” Grayseth said as he gazed at the children. There were
even a few Carethians in the large park. He then turned about to face Jeremy.
“I came down to approve several of our adolescents for entry into the Fleet Academy. It is a big honor for the parents of those chosen.”

“That’s
great!” exclaimed Kelsey. She knew a few Carethians were already attending
classes at the new academy.

“They will
make fine officers someday and bring much honor to our clan.”

“Honor,”
replied Jeremy, knowing how important that was to the Bears.

“I also gave
my approval for the joining of Belal and his chosen mate.” Belal had been the
pack leader of the Bears who had served on the
Distant Horizon
.

Kelsey nodded.
Belal had supported her when she allowed Clarissa to take command of the
exploration dreadnought at the battle in the Sigma System. By giving Clarissa
command of the ship, they had managed to survive until Jeremy and the rescue
fleet arrived. It was the one and only time she had gone against Admiral
Barnes’ orders, something she still felt extremely guilty about.

I’m sure
Belal’s offspring will someday bring much honor to the clan,” Kelsey said with
a smile.

“Belal has
already brought much honor in seeing to your protection,” acknowledged
Grayseth. “He is very proud of having served as your defender.”

Jeremy folded
his arms across his chest. It was so pleasant out today. Gaia’s sun was high up
in the sky, there was a light wind blowing, and a scattering of fleecy clouds.
With a deep and contented sigh, Jeremy realized Gaia had become his home.

“What are we
going to do about the Simulins?” asked Kevin. “We haven’t seen many of their
warships since the destruction of the Dyson Sphere.”

Jeremy looked
over at Kevin and replied. “I’m going to send some exploration missions seeking
out the Simulin worlds. We know of some from the records of the
Distant
Horizon
when the exploration dreadnought first arrived here in the
Triangulum Galaxy. I believe the ship was unfortunate having to fly through the
main Simulin population area.”

“Will my ships
be going out?” asked Grayseth, his large eyes gazing intently at Jeremy.

“We’ll be
sending out a dozen small task groups,” Jeremy answered. “And yes, at least one
of them can be Carethian.”

Grayseth
nodded his head, baring his teeth in a huge smile. “It is well; my people yearn
for the hunt.”

Kevin looked
over at Kelsey and Katie. “When will the
Dominator
be leaving on its
first mission?”

“Shortly,”
replied Kelsey, still feeling uneasy about being the ship’s commander. “Kazak
has requested we go to the blue-giant nebula so he can take some scans using
the ship’s advanced sensor systems. He wants to leave as soon as possible.”

“You won’t be
going alone,” Jeremy was quick to say.

He still
didn’t fully trust the Originator AI, at least not until he knew for sure what
was in that secret compartment in the heart of the ship. He had told no one
else about his meeting at Borton and the revelation there still might be actual
Originators sleeping in that hidden compartment.