“The Starburst and Infinity are moving back and are on our flanks,” reported the ship’s second officer. “They have raised their energy shields as well. High Captain Arbagorst is recommending we withdraw immediately and return with some actual warships.”
High Captain Emmet shook his head. “We don’t dare risk starting a war between universes. For all we know they may be just peaceful explorers. We must find a way to establish communications.”
“Hatches are opening on the alien ship,” reported the sensor officer.
On the main viewscreen, the image of the black ship swelled as it was greatly magnified. From the now open hatches weapon turrets rose up and turned to face the three research vessels.
“They’re going to attack!” warned the sensor officer. “Power readings are off the scale!”
From the black ship, a red energy beam shot out from one of the energy turrets, striking the Infinity. The four hundred-meter research ship blew apart as the beam penetrated its energy shield as if it didn’t even exist.
“Take us into hyperspace,” shouted High Captain Emmet. Even as he gave the order a second beam leaped out, eliminating the Starburst.
“Their beams can penetrate our energy screens!” cried out Shelly in shock. “We have no defense against them.”
“They’re going to fire again,” warned the sensor officer.
“How soon before we can enter hyperspace?”
“Twenty seconds,” replied the navigation officer.
High Commander Emmet knew that wasn’t going to be enough time to save his ship. “Launch all alpha drones. Our homeworlds must know what we encountered here.”
-
The drones had barely left the ship when a red energy beam struck the research vessel. In a blinding flash of light it blew apart, leaving three drifting debris fields where a few minutes before there had been three Varnon research vessels. There were no survivors.
From the swirling anomaly more of the black crab-like ships continued to appear. At the end of two hours the first of twelve invasion fleets had made the transit. War had come to the small galaxy that had known peace for hundreds of years.
-
The present.
“The recording all of us have just watched was from an alpha drone launched by the research ship Serenity just before it was destroyed. The research ships were launched by the inhabitants of this system. They called themselves the Varnons and were an avian species. They stood about seven feet tall with slim figures.” Camlin projected one of the Varnons up on the viewscreen. They were a greenish blue in color with very fine and short feathers. Their eyes were set wide on their faces with slim nostrils looking almost like beaks.
“The aliens and their black ships attacked the Varnon worlds, killing billions. All attempts at communication and even offers of surrender were ignored. From a destroyed black warship, the Varnons learned the aliens were called the Creevak and were a militaristic race. They came from a universe similar to ours with a slightly different set of natural laws. The red energy beam is a result of the difference in physics between our universe and theirs. The Varnons learned very little else about the Creevak before their civilization was destroyed.”
The room was silent as everyone thought about what Camlin had just revealed. It was a frightening scenario. The Creevak sounded much more dangerous than the Eternals.
“Do we know if this anomaly is still open?” asked Kelsey.
“We don’t know,” replied Jolban. “It is just outside our sensor range.”
Jeremy knew he needed to find out if this anomaly was still open. “What else do you have to report?”
“The technology of the Varnons was a little more advanced than what is common in the Human Federation of Worlds but less than the Altons,” Jolban explained. “At the start of the war with the Creevak, the Varnons did not have a large warfleet. Most of their warships were designed more to stop pirating or the occasional raid from systems less advanced. The Varnons did have the ability to build more ships and rapidly due to all the civilian shipyards they had. Nearly all of their worlds had one or two shipyards in orbit.”
“How many Varnon worlds were there?” asked Kelsey.
“They had colonies in over one hundred and ten star systems,” replied Camlin. “They also had mining colonies and research outposts in hundreds more.”
“And the Creevak wiped all of them out?” asked Rear Admiral Barnes, her eyes narrowing sharply.
“As near as we can tell the answer is yes,” replied Camlin.
Jeremy had a decision to make. “Is there anything else we can learn from these planets or the ships?”
“Not much,” answered Jolban. “We’ve already looked at their power sources, weapons, and drive systems. There are minor differences in some of their systems but nothing which would be of benefit to us. We do know the power of their energy shields and energy weapons. Our multiplex shields are at least twenty times more effective than what they were using.”
“Very well. We’ll call all of our research teams in tomorrow and return to the battlestation. As soon as the Accelerator Ring is finished I’ll lead a task group to investigate the location of the anomaly.” Jeremy wanted to make sure they had a means of escape if it became necessary.
“What about our other exploration ships?” asked Kelsey. “Should we recall them as well?”
“Yes,” Jeremy replied. “We need to establish that the Creevak are no longer a threat.” Jeremy had already decided if the Creevak were still active in this galaxy, he would cancel the expedition and return to the Communications and Transport Hub. They could not afford to become involved in an even larger war.
-
Two days later the task group and other exploration fleets were back at the battlestation. The Accelerator Ring was nearly finished and soon could be used if they had to make a quick withdrawal. Jeremy was in his quarters on the New Horizon with Kelsey and Jason. Jason was sitting in Kelsey’s lap while she read him a story before going to bed.
“When are we going home?” asked Jason, looking over expectantly at Jeremy. “I want to play outside.”
Jeremy let out a deep sigh. How do you explain to a four-year-old that they wouldn’t be going home for possibly two years?
“Not for awhile,” replied Jeremy, holding Jason’s hand. “However, in a few days we’ll all go over to the battlestation. There is a city inside with grass and trees and places you can play.”
Jason’s eyes lit up. “Promise?”
Jeremy nodded. “Yes, I promise. I have to go on a short mission with the Avenger and when I return we’ll go to the city.”
This seemed to satisfy Jason and after Kelsey finished reading him the book she left to put him to bed.
Leaning back, Jeremy tried to relax. He was finding it difficult to do so because of the threat the Creevak represented. When they had come out here to explore this cluster of galaxies and satellite galaxies he hadn’t considered the possibility of stumbling across another potential enemy.
Kelsey coming back into the room took Jeremy’s thoughts away from his worry. His wife sat back down next to him and smiled.
“Jason can’t wait to see the city inside the battlestation. That’s all he talked about on the way to bed.”
“We’ll go as soon as I get back.”
Kelsey pursed her lips and then asked a question. “What will we do if you find the anomaly is still in existence?”
“It’s been over two hundred years,” Jeremy replied. “I doubt it’s still active but we need to know for sure.”
Kelsey nodded her understanding. “What if it is?”
“We leave,” Jeremy said definitively. “We take everything through the Accelerator Ring and go back home. We’ll set the ring to self-destruct and hopefully the Creevak will never know we were here.”
“Why did they come to this galaxy to begin with?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible some experiment the Varnons did attracted them. In the informa
tion we downloaded from the Varnon computers, there was no indication they knew why the Creevak had come through the vortex.”
“I’m worried,” Kelsey said, squeezing Jeremy’s hand. “We know so little about them or what happened here.”
“Don’t be too worried,” replied Jeremy. “We have Originator designed ships and weapons. They’re the most advanced known. We can defend ourselves if necessary and if not we can always leave.”
Kelsey was silent for several moments. “I almost wish the kids weren’t with us. I would feel better in this situation if they were back on the Dyson sphere.”
Jeremy understood Kelsey’s concern. “The New Horizon is the most powerful ship the Originators have ever built. The center section of this ship has its own power system and hyperspace drive. It’s also nearly indestructible. The children are safe as long as they stay on the ship or in the battlestation.”
“I hope so,” replied Kelsey, standing up. “Now let’s go to bed. You will be going back to the Avenger in the morning and who knows when we’ll have another night together.”
The two went to bed and after a round of passionate lovemaking Kelsey fell to sleep. Jeremy lay there still wide awake, worrying about what he might find at the site of the anomaly. He also wondered just what had drawn the Creevak to this small galaxy. There had to be a reason why they had come. Perhaps they should explore more of the Varnon worlds. Surely their own scientists had asked the same question. There was a chance the answer might be there. Making a decision, Jeremy decided to send some missions to more of the Varnon worlds to see what could be found. While that was going on he would take the Avenger and ten other dreadnoughts to the anomaly site. They had so many questions and as of now not very many answers.
-
Several days later Jeremy was in the Command Center of the Avenger as it neared the location of the spatial anomaly reported by the Varnon science vessels. “Are we showing anything on the sensors?”
Kevin shook his head. “No, everything seems perfectly normal. The location of the anomaly is in open space between two star systems. The sensors aren’t showing anything there.”
This was a relief to Jeremy. Perhaps the incursion by the Creevak was an isolated incident or due to the difference between the two universes the anomaly could no longer exist.
“The anomaly seems to have vanished,” reported Ariel. She was watching the sensors closely for any abnormalities. “There are also no hostile contacts within thirty light years of us.”
“I would suggest we drop out of hyperspace just short of the former location of the anomaly and conduct a thorough sensor sweep,” said Aaliss. “We have some instruments on board that will detect any changes in the underlying fabric of space.”
“How close to you suggest?”
“Twenty thousand kilometers should be sufficient.”
Jeremy turned toward Lieutenant Striker at the helm. “Do as Aaliss suggests. Drop us out of hyperspace twenty thousand kilometers from the last known position of the anomaly.”
-
The Avenger and her escorts continued forward in hyperspace until it approached the designated dropout point. The ship returned to normal space with stars filling the viewscreens.
“Hold us at this position,” ordered Jeremy. He then looked over at Aaliss. “Began your scans.”
“Something’s trying to pull us in,” reported Lieutenant Striker as the Avenger suddenly lurched forward. “I’m having a hard time maintaining our position.” His hands were moving over his console, making adjustments.
Aaliss closed her eyes briefly as her neural implant interconnected with the ship’s computers and sensors. For several long minutes she stood absolutely still as she studied the results of the scans. Finally she blinked and looked over at Jeremy. “It is as I feared. There is an underlying rupture in the fabric of space, which is not visible except with the use of our special sensors. At the moment the rupture is not active but it could reopen at any time. It is also emitting the attraction force Lieutenant Striker has detected.”
“Is it safe for us to stay here?” asked Jeremy, his gaze focused on the large viewscreen, which showed nothing but stars.
“I believe so,” replied Aaliss. “Though I would recommend we go no closer. If we were going to stay for an extended time period, I would recommend we move back to at least one hundred thousand kilometers or more just for safety reasons.”
“So the Creevak attacked the Varnons and probably every other space going species in this galaxy and then left?” asked Kevin, his eyes were also focused on the viewscreen.
“It appears that way,” replied Jeremy. “The big question is why did the Creevak come here to begin with?”
Aaliss closed her eyes accessing data from the ship’s computer on the scans being run. “There’s a possibility this region of space contained this underlying tear in the fabric of space all along. The Creevak may have come through initiating a preemptive strike to ensure the Varnons never discovered it or would send warships through to their universe.”
“But from what we know, the Varnons were a peaceful race,” pointed out Kevin. “Why destroy them?”
“The Creevak might not have known that,” replied Aaliss.
“So what is there to stop them from coming through again?” asked Major Preston.
Jeremy gazed at the viewscreen, which didn’t show any trace of the rupture. “What would happen if we placed one or two of our battlestations here to ensure the Creevak don’t come back through again? From what we saw of the alpha drone footage, the Creevak warships came through one at a time and very slowly. Surely our battlestations could destroy them before they became a threat.” Jeremy wanted to ensure the Creevak didn’t become a threat to this universe; the Eternals were already bad enough.
Aaliss hesitated and then made a suggestion. “We need to search this galaxy and possibly the main galaxy this one orbits to see if there are any more ruptures. I believe we can design a sensor that would easily detect them. If this is the only one, I would suggest we place one of the new one hundred kilometer battlestations here. I don’t believe the Creevak could get past it. It would effectively prevent them from entering our universe again.”
“I agree,” said Ariel. “From what I’ve studied of the battles the Varnon fought against the Creevak it is evident the Creevak are a very militaristic race. There is a danger they might return. There is also a very good possibility they make periodic sweeps of this galaxy to ensure none of the Varnon survived.”
Jeremy leaned back in his command chair as he thought over the situation. It didn’t take him long to reach a decision. “We’ll spend the next several weeks exploring this galaxy. I think it would be wise if we kept a couple of dreadnoughts and a few battlecruisers here to monitor the anomaly. That way if it activates, we’ll know.”
“What will our ships do if it does activate?” asked Kevin. “Do we destroy the Creevak ships as they come through? If we do, it might mean starting a new war.”
Jeremy shook his head. “No, if the anomaly activates they’ll pull back to the extreme range of their sensors and monitor what’s happening. They’ll also contact the battlestation and inform it of the anomaly’s activation. We’ll then make a decision about what to do about any Creevak vessels which come through.”
“What about the main galaxy?” asked Aaliss. “We should find out if the Creevak attacked it as well.”
“We will,” replied Jeremy. “As soon as we’re finished in this galaxy we will begin sending expeditions to the larger one. We need to gather as much data as possible about what happened here and if the Creevak pose a threat to our region of space.”
Kevin let out a deep sigh. “For once I’m glad the Eternals are between our space and what happened here. If the Creevak come through in force and move in our direction they’ll encounter the Eternals first.”
Jeremy was in agreement. For now, the Eternals would serve as a protective buffer between Originator space and this galaxy. Jeremy j
ust hoped that never became a reality.
Chapter Twelve
First Leader Fehnral had finally received the report he had been waiting for. One of the stealth battlecruisers had located the Human worlds! Commander Zavold had taken numerous sensor readings recording the coming and going of vast numbers of ships. Tracing their courses had pointed where other Human worlds most likely existed. It was finally time to move against the Humans.
“The system Commander Zavold found is heavily defended,” commented Second Leader Abross. On a viewscreen the space around the inhabited planet appeared. There were a number of glaring red icons including some very large ones. “There are a number of large shipyards as well as what appear to be some asteroids in orbit being used for the planet’s defense. Any attack on this system will result in substantial fleet losses.”
“Losses we can afford,” replied First Leader Fehnral. “However, we cannot allow the Humans and the Altons to continue to operate the Originator dreadnoughts we’re now facing in battle. They are slowing our planned expansion into other galaxies.”
“What about the Carethians?” asked Second Leader Torrel.
“I’m not as concerned about the Carethians,” replied Fehnral. “They seem to be a more primitive species used primarily for ground combat. Once the Humans and Altons have been eliminated we will destroy their worlds as well but for now the Carethians are a secondary target.”
“Even if we destroy the Human and Alton worlds in their home galaxy, there are more of them on Originator ships as well as on the Shrieels,” said Second Leader Tarmal.
“But not large populations,” replied Fehnral. “By destroying their homeworlds we ensure they can’t operate more Originator ships and use them against us. It will force the Originators to adopt a more defensive posture. It wouldn’t surprise me if all resistance to our expansion in other galaxies comes to a stop.”
Second Leader Abross looked over at First Leader Fehnral. “How soon do we send in our fleets?”
Fehnral had already been thinking about that. Over twenty thousand Eternal battlecruisers were waiting for the orders to attack the Human and Alton worlds. “We will send the fleet in two more weeks. However, we will go ahead and send a larger survey force first. Their job will be to determine the location of all Human and Alton worlds. I want stealth ships only for this mission.”
The Originator Wars: Explorations: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 15
