The Lost Fleet: Genesis: A Slaver Wars Novel (19 page)

“The hull can
withstand the radiation for the time that will be needed,” the AI assured
Andram. “I’ll take the ship in over the dark matter and use a tractor beam to
pull it into a small quarantine compartment. I can use the tractor beam to
control the dark matter and ensure it doesn’t make contact with the ship’s
hull.”

“And if it
does?” asked Katie, drawing in a deep breath. She could feel her pulse racing.

“It would
damage the ship,” conceded Kazak. “I’m placing an energy screen around that
section of the
Dominator
as well, so if there is an explosion it will be
contained.”

Kelsey nodded.
They had to have the dark matter or Gaia was doomed. “Take the
Dominator
in.”

Everyone on
the large dais was quiet as the massive warship diligently approached the area
where the probe ship had been destroyed. On the viewscreen, a small dark patch
of what looked like purple gas floated in space.

“Is that the
dark matter?” asked Katie.

“Yes,”
answered Kazak. “Dark matter is actually invisible; I’m using a filter to show
it on the viewscreen.”

“Energy shield
is down,” reported Major Donaldson.

“Radiation
increasing on the outer hull,” added Lieutenant Burke. “Interior radiation
count is still normal.”

The view on
the screen changed to show a large hatch opening on the side of the ship. A
tractor beam reached out, and very slowly the small purple cloud was pulled
toward the hatch. As it approached, it changed form until it resembled a small
globe, then it floated gently inside.

“Energy shield
around the compartment has been activated,” Kazak confirmed. “Tractor beam has
been set to hold the dark matter in the center of the chamber. Closing hatch.”

“Energy shield
is back up,” added Major Donaldson.

“All readings
in the compartment seem to be normal,” added Andram. His eyes were focused
excitedly on a small viewscreen on his science console showing the dark matter
globe being held by the tractor beam. Already he was using the ship’s sensors
to scan it. He had never had the opportunity before to study this amount of
dark matter at such a close range.

Kelsey knew
Andram was going to take this opportunity to learn everything he could from
Kazak about dark matter. “Kazak, can we leave now?”

“Yes,” he
replied. “We have everything we need.”

“Captain
Adams, plot us a course back to the fleet. I want to put some distance between
us and that radiation front.”

Moments later,
the
Dominator
entered a swirling spatial vortex and made the transition
into hyperspace.

Kelsey leaned
back and allowed herself to relax. Now all that was necessary was to create ten
dark matter warheads and blow up ten stars. Kelsey shook her head, finding it
hard to believe she was having such thoughts. One thing Kelsey was convinced of
was that once the ten warheads had been deployed, she would order all dark
matter on the
Dominator
returned to space. It was far too deadly to have
around. Just the thought of being able to destroy a star with a single warhead
was mind-boggling. She hoped by allowing Kazak to talk her into this course of
action that she was doing the right thing and it would result in saving Gaia.

Fleet Admiral
Jeremy Strong was over on the Clan Protector as the latest Gaia class
battlecruiser exited its construction bay. Kevin had come along as he was
extremely bored with Katie being gone on the
Dominator
. The
battlecruiser reached the atmospheric retention field and slid smoothly out of
the bay. As soon as the battlecruiser cleared the bay, the massive hatch slid
shut.

Daelthon watched
with satisfaction in his large round eyes, seeing the now empty bay. “We’re
ready for the next group,” he announced. “We’ll start construction the day
after tomorrow.”

“How many does
that make?” asked Kevin, looking over at the large light brown Bear who towered
above him. All the Carethians looked fierce and were in battle, however, they
were also dedicated friends and extremely protective and caring of their
families.

“Twenty-four,”
answered Daelthon. “All with the latest updates.”

Jeremy turned
around to face the two. He had sent ten of the Gaia class battlecruisers with
Kelsey and Admiral Sithe. “I need an admiral to take command of the squadron. I
want it to immediately begin hit and run raids against the Simulins as soon as
Admiral Sithe and the
Dominator
return.”

“Just the
battlecruisers?” asked Kevin, feeling concerned they might not have the
firepower needed if they ran into a powerful Simulin warfleet.

“No,” Jeremy
answered. “There will be one battleship assigned as well as ten AI warspheres. 
In addition, Grayseth will be going out soon with his own fleet to begin
attacking Simulin bases and systems.”

Kevin thought
briefly over the men and women in the fleet. “How about Commander Hiru Akira of
the
Retribution
? He’s qualified.”

Jeremy nodded
as he considered Kevin’s suggestion. “He’s familiar with fighter and bomber
tactics from his time under Rear Admiral Marks. Before that he served on board
a battlecruiser for nearly two years.” After a few moments, Jeremy shook his
head. “No, I think I’ll promote him to the rank of rear admiral, but he’s
better suited commanding our battlecarriers.”

“I would
suggest Commander Newman of the
Gaia
,” said Daelthon. “He was given the
first Gaia class to be built and is familiar with the ship’s capabilities.”

Jeremy’s eyes
brightened at the suggestion. Newman had been on his list of possible
candidates. “That might just work. I’ll speak to him immediately and see if he
would consider it.”

“I’ve spoken
to Newman in the cafeteria here on the Clan Protector several times,” Kevin
said, looking thoughtful. “He seems to be a very competent officer.”

Jeremy looked
around the large empty construction bay. A few spider robots were visible
clearing equipment out of the bay in preparation for starting construction on
the next battlecruiser. Daelthon had worked miracles with the Clan Protector,
turning it into the type of shipyard that could easily serve Gaia’s growing
fleet.

-

Later, Jeremy
sat in his quarters going over the fleet readiness reports. With a deep sigh,
he looked across the room at a picture hanging on the wall. It was of the
New
Horizon
, the first interstellar ship ever built by Earth. The New Horizon
mission had ended in disaster, but it had brought Jeremy and all of his
friends, including Ariel, together. They had formed a bond which remained
unbroken to this day. That was many long years ago, so many that it was
considered a part of Federation history.

“Missing
Kelsey?” asked Ariel as she suddenly appeared in front of Jeremy’s desk.

“Yes,” said Jeremy,
smiling at Ariel. “I wish I knew how the mission was going.”

“We could take
the
Avenger
and go find out,” she suggested.

Jeremy shook
his head. “No, if Kelsey is going to be a commander she needs to know I trust
her to do this on her own.”

“It’s the
Dominator
we’re talking about,” Ariel said carefully. “What if the Originators who are
sleeping in that central compartment awaken?”

“We’re not
certain the compartment contains surviving Originators,” Jeremy responded. “Is
it even possible for them to have survived several million years in deep sleep
or stasis?”

“The
Dominator
and Kazak survived,” pointed out Ariel. “With their advanced science and
technology, I believe it could be done.”

Jeremy slowly
nodded his head. “If there are Originators in that chamber, there has to be a
reason why Kazak hasn’t awakened them. The ship’s been fully repaired, and why
take the risk of the ship sustaining damage by helping us?”

Ariel was
silent as she searched for a reason. “He needs something from us.”

“What?” asked
Jeremy, his eyes narrowing slightly. “There’s nothing we can provide him he
doesn’t already have.”

“That’s the
question,” Ariel said. “Perhaps we should talk to Kurene and ZED and see if
they have any ideas.”

Jeremy looked
down on his desk at a picture of him and Kelsey on the beach at New Tellus.
That seemed like so long ago. He wondered how things were going now in the
Federation. Was former Fleet Admiral Streth still living in the cabin by the
lake on Maken as Rear Admiral Barnes had reported? Sometimes he missed the old
admiral’s advice. He could really use it in this situation. So many had been
lost in recent years. Fleet Admiral Johnson, Admiral Teleck, Rear Admiral
Barnes, Clarissa, and others had died in battle. Unfortunately, Jeremy knew
there would be more.

“I’ll arrange
for ZED and Kurene to come to Gaia.”

Ariel nodded,
looking at the picture on Jeremy’s desk. “I’m sure Kelsey and Katie are fine.
Admiral Sithe is with them, and he’ll be keeping a close watch on the
Dominator
.
If there are any problems, he could always evacuate the crew from the ship.”

“I still wish
we knew more about Kazak and what the
Dominator
was actually doing out
Ornellia way. There has to be more to this than what Kazak’s told us so far.”

“I agree,”
responded Ariel, folding her arms across her chest and tilting here head
slightly. “I’ve gone over all the files we have on Kazak and even what he and
Clarissa talked about. I haven’t found anything suspicious.”

The comm on
Jeremy’s desk sounded. Reaching forward he answered it. “This is Admiral
Strong.”

“Admiral, we
just received a message from Admiral Cleeteus,” reported Commander Kyla Malen.
“He has several Alton battleships on patrol on the outskirts of the nebula
watching for Simulin activity. He reports in the last forty-eight hours the
number of Simulin ships scanning the nebula has quadrupled. There is also
evidence of a larger Simulin fleet formation assembling in the Zeta 3A Star
System. That’s eight light years distant from the nebula in the direction of
the blue-giants.”

Ariel realized
this couldn’t be a coincidence. “They must have detected the
Dominator
exiting the nebula and are waiting for its return.”

“But why?”
asked Jeremy, cocking an eyebrow. “They must know what happened the last time
and that it was the
Dominator
that drained all the energy from their
ships.”

“Unknown,”
Ariel answered, her dark eyes narrowing sharply. She placed her hands on her
hips and frowned. “They may be hoping to destroy the ship before it can make
its way safely back to Gaia.”

Jeremy
clenched his teeth and slowly shook his head. While he doubted there was any
chance of the Simulins launching a successful attack on the Originator ship, he
wasn’t going to take the risk.

“There’s going
to be a change in plans. We’re going to pull together a fleet and attack the
assembling Simulin ships. We know the Simulins have suffered significant fleet
losses both here and back in our home galaxy. It’s time we showed them this
section of the Triangulum Galaxy is no longer a safe place for them. Contact
all the admirals, including Rear Admiral Marks, and have them meet me on the
Clan Protector tomorrow afternoon. Also, send a message to the Command AI
requesting its presence. Kurene and ZED can hitch a ride with the Command AI as
well.”

-

On the
Dominator
,
Commander Kelsey Strong looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was still
strange to see herself wearing the uniform of a commander. Her father was the
Fleet Admiral at Ceres before the revelation, and he had always hoped she would
follow in his footsteps into command someday. She knew if he could see her now
he would be proud. She gazed into the mirror and reaching up, flipped a wayward
blonde hair out of her blue eyes. Thanks to the life extension drugs developed
by the Federation and then augmented by the Altons, she looked as if she was
still in her late twenties.

It had been
four days since the
Dominator
procured the dark matter Kazak needed to
construct the ten super warheads. After some discussion, they had decided it
was going to be impossible to deploy all ten warheads to allow for simultaneous
explosions in the ten selected stars. As a result, they had returned to the
fleet so they could use the ten AI warspheres to deliver the missiles instead.
When Admiral Sithe had been briefed on the plan, his face had turned pale and
his eyes had widened in disbelief. This was supposed to have been a science
mission, not an undertaking to blow up entire star systems.

It had taken
Andram considerable time to explain the necessary details to the New Providence admiral. In the end, he had grudgingly agreed to allow the use of the
warspheres to deliver the warheads.

Her comm went
off and she stepped over and answered it. “We’re ready to begin transferring
the missiles,” Lieutenant Mickelson informed her.

“I’ll be right
there,” answered Kelsey. Straightening her shoulders, she turned and left her
quarters to go to the Command Center.

-

A short time
later, Kelsey was standing next to Mikow and Katie as she waited for the
missiles to be transferred over to the AI warspheres. “We’re going to destroy
ten star systems,” she said softly as she watched a shuttle leave the
Dominator
and head over to one of the AI ships. “Are we doing the right thing?” She
turned her head, looking over at the other two women.

“The systems
would be destroyed anyway when the Dyson Sphere supernova wavefront reaches
them,” Mikow answered. “This is the only viable solution we have managed to
come up with which may stop the supernova. There are also no inhabited systems
inside the nebula.”

Katie had a
look of worry on her face. “What happens if the Simulins discover what we’re
doing? If they find out we have a weapon that can destroy an entire star
system, what will their response be? They have ships around the blue-giant
nebula. Eventually they’ll detect the ten new supernovas, and it won’t take
them long to realize someone created them.”

“The Simulins
may not suspect we were responsible,” Mikow said, glancing over at Katie.
“We’ve never used such a weapon before.”

“They’ll know
it was us,” responded Kelsey, letting out a deep breath. “Because of the battle
we fought earlier, they know the
Dominator
was in the nebula. When they
detect the ten new supernovas, they’ll know we were responsible.”

 Kelsey didn’t
go on to mention that once these ten warheads were deployed, they would no
longer have a weapon capable of blowing up a star system. She had ordered Kazak
to dispose of the rest of the dark matter as a safety precaution. She didn’t
want to even think about what the effect of such a weapon would be on an
inhabited planet.

-

Over the next
twenty minutes, she watched as the rest of the missiles were delivered to the
AI warspheres. Once the last missile had been delivered and loaded into its
waiting missile tube, the ten one-thousand-meter vessels made the transition
into hyperspace and were gone.

“We’re
committed now,” commented Katie, her green eyes focused on Kelsey. “I just hope
this works.”

“If it helps,
we had no choice,” added Mikow, drawing in a deep breath. “Just think of all
the lives that will be saved by stopping the radiation front.”

“Including
everyone on Gaia,” Katie pointed out. “By doing this we’re saving our home.”

Kelsey knew
her friends were right. It was just that she had never made such an important
decision before, not even when she had given Clarissa permission to take over
the
Distant Horizon
. “Lieutenant Michelson, send word to the rest of the
fleet we’ll be leaving shortly.”

She was going
to take the fleet back into the blue-giant nebula where they could monitor the
deployment of the missiles. Kazak had equipped each of the ten warspheres with
a small communication drone that, when deployed, would send data via FTL
communications back to the
Dominator
. The transmission range was only
sixteen light years, but it was instantaneous. The fleet would be positioned
ten light years distant from the Dyson Sphere supernova so they could receive
the telemetry from the probes.

“Admiral Sithe
reports the fleet is ready,” Michelson confirmed. “We can depart at any time.”

“Captain
Adams, send the fleet the nav coordinates. It’s time for us to go.”

-

AI warsphere
WS-129 exited hyperspace into the blue-giant star system that was its
destination. For several minutes the vessel stayed at its position scanning the
system and the star. The star was 9.744 million kilometers in diameter with a
surface temperature of 24,000 degrees Kevin. After a few minutes of
observations, the warsphere opened a spatial vortex and entered hyperspace once
more. A few moments later, it reappeared in an orbit twenty million kilometers
from the star. As soon as it exited hyperspace alarms began sounding in the Control Center.