The Originator Wars: Explorations: A Lost Fleet Novel
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The next day Jeremy was busy reading the reports sent by Rear Admiral Barnes on the computer in the small house they were staying in. The computer had been installed just so Jeremy could receive the updates on the exploration fleets.
Kelsey came in, sat down next to him and began reading the reports as well. “All those worlds destroyed. We’re talking about billions, maybe trillions of sentient beings. What kind of monsters are these Creevak?”
Jeremy shifted in his chair. “They come from a different universe. Their morals and beliefs may be far different than our own.”
“We can’t let them return. What would happen if they appeared in our region of space?”
“I’ve spoken to several Originator scientists. They believe the condition that allows passage between our universe and the Creevaks’ universe may only be able to exist where the anomaly is located. Without the anomaly, the Creevak may not have any other method to come to our universe. That’s why I’m going to park our new battlestation right in front of it with a corresponding fleet. If the anomaly activates again we’ll destroy whatever comes out.”
Kelsey looked concerned. “How soon before the new battlestation is ready?”
Jeremy let out a deep sigh. “They’re just beginning its construction. Even with Originator construction techniques it’s going to take at least two to three months and then seven weeks of transit time with the new Accelerator Ring to get it here. The battlestation will be one hundred and seventy kilometers in diameter. That’s larger than the one hundred kilometer one I was expecting.”
“What if the Creevak come through before then? We have no idea how often they come through the anomaly.”
“That is a problem,” admitted Jeremy. “I’m thinking about sending more dreadnoughts and battlecruisers to reinforce the ones we have there. Unfortunately, I don’t know if even that would be enough to stop the Creevak if they were determined to come through.”
“We could place one of the exploration dreadnoughts there as well,” suggested Kelsey. “With their advanced sensors and scientific instruments they might be able to detect the activation of the anomaly before our other ships. That way the fleet would be ready if the Creevak return before the battlestation gets there.”
Jeremy thought for a few seconds and then nodded. “That’s a good idea. Go ahead and pick one of your exploration dreadnoughts to join the fleet we’re going to send.”
“How soon?”
“I think I’ll feel better the sooner we have more firepower watching the site of the anomaly. I’ll send the fleet tomorrow.”
“I’ll go ahead and make arrangements for an exploration dreadnought to join the fleet at the anomaly,” replied Kelsey.
“I want to go swimming,” a young voice spoke from behind them.
Kelsey turned to look at Jason standing in the doorway with his swimming trunks on. “We’ll leave shortly, honey. Your father and I have a few more things to do and then we can leave.”
“We need to hurry,” replied Jason with his hands on his hips. “I don’t want Clair to beat us there.”
“We should get there about the same time they do,” promised Jeremy, smiling. It seemed as if Jason was always worried about Clair.
“I’ll contact Rear Admiral Barnes and have her assign an exploration dreadnought to the fleet,” said Kelsey as she stood up. “It shouldn’t take too long.”
“I’ll take care of assigning the dreadnought and battlecruisers going,” replied Jeremy. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”
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A few minutes later on board the New Horizon, Rear Admiral Barnes listened as Kelsey described what she and Jeremy wanted done. She was also concerned about the time it was going to take for the new battlestation to arrive. There was another solution. They had the Accelerator Ring up and operating. They could use the battlestation they already had and use its gravity drive to move it into the Accelerator Ring and position it at the anomaly until the newer and larger battlestation arrived. It was something she was going to suggest to Fleet Admiral Strong. However, first she would assign an exploration dreadnought to the fleet Jeremy was sending to the anomaly and then she would speak to him about moving the battlestation.
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Jeremy, Kelsey, and Jason arrived at the small lake to go swimming and have a picnic. Jeremy wanted this to be a special day since in another day or two they would have to return to their ships.
“There are Clair, Elizabeth, Mathew, and Andrea!” shouted Jason as he tumbled out of the air car and ran toward the small beach where the others were.
Jeremy looked over at Kelsey with a grin on his face. “Hope you’re ready to play in the sand.”
“I’ve got shovels and pails for the kids,” Kelsey replied as she began unloading several large baskets from the air car.
Jeremy walked over and picked up one of the baskets which was quite heavy. He suspected this one must contain food. Kelsey had one with towels and some other items. Walking over to the edge of the beach he noticed Kevin had a grill set up. “What are we cooking?” He already knew the answer.
“Hamburgers and hot dogs,” replied Kevin, grinning. “For once this is Katie’s idea.”
“She probably figured that’s what you would cook anyway,” replied Jeremy as he sat his food basket down.
“There are hot dog and hamburger buns in the basket,” Kelsey said as she headed to where Angel and Katie were at on the beach. They were sitting beneath a large beach umbrella. “There are also some chips and a few other things. Jeremy, if you will go back to the air car there’s another chest with drinks and more food.”
Jeremy nodded and headed back to the air car. Obviously the girls had been talking and had a menu planned. Reaching the car, he picked up the medium sized ice chest and returned to where Kevin and now Brace were standing.
“Any word from the exploration dreadnoughts?” asked Brace. Brace was drinking a cold beer.
“Some,” replied Jeremy as he sat the chest down. “It’s the same as what we found in our initial exploration. All the worlds we’re finding have been devastated by the Creevak.”
Kevin finished setting up the grill and then turned toward Jeremy. “I’ll be glad when that new battlestation gets here.”
“We all will,” replied Jeremy. “Guess we’d better head over and join the girls or we’ll all get in trouble for not helping with the kids.”
Kevin nodded with a bemused smile on his face. “I’m used to that. Katie says I leave all the disciplining up to her.”
Jeremy laughed as they walked over to the girls. The kids were already digging in the sand making sand castles. It was obvious Clair and Jason were already competing about who could make the largest.
Jeremy sat down in a lounge chair next to Kelsey to help watch the kids. As he leaned back, he was amazed at how relaxed he was. He had his wife, son, and best friends with him here at the beach. For today there could be nothing better.
Chapter Fourteen
Commander Zafron watched with satisfaction as another fleet of Originator dreadnoughts and battlecruisers dropped out of hyperspace. Rear Admiral Leanne Kane was in charge of the fleet. The fleet also had replacement ships for the ones Commander Zafron and Rear Admiral Mann had lost in the last battle with the Eternals. There was still almost daily conflict in Galaxy X-7294 between the Originator fleets now defending that galaxy and the Eternals. Fortunately, placing a battlestation in the galaxy as well as two full sized fleet bases were making a huge difference in the conflict. The Eternals had tried to attack the battlestation and lost nearly a third of their fleet. Since then they had left the battlestation and the bases alone.
“What’s the plan?” asked Rear Admiral Mann. She had come over to the Dominator to meet with Commander Zafron.
“Fleet Admiral Strong has ordered us to move on to Galaxy X-7295. We’ll have three full sized fleets to retake that galaxy from the Eternals. He’s hoping to make it appear as if we’re making a subs
tantial effort in this section of space to extend the influence of the Originators.”
“How soon?” asked Hailey. Her fleet was ready and all the repairs from the previous battle were complete.
“We leave the day after tomorrow. Rear Admiral Kane brought replacement ships for the ones we’ve lost. It will take us three days to reach Galaxy X-7295. Preliminary surveys indicate the Eternals have set up a base with a shipyard in star system Z-475X233. We’re going to try to take that base and shipyard. There are several ships accompanying Rear Admiral Kane’s fleet which contain Marines and combat robots. We’ll take out whatever Eternal ships are in the system and then neutralize the shipyard and the base they have on the planet. The Marines and combat robots will be responsible for clearing out any Eternals or Eternal warrior robots.”
“The fighting could be very intense,” pointed out Hailey. “I’ve seen videos of those warrior robots in action. They’re quite deadly.”
“Our new combat robots have been modified to take on the Eternals’ warrior robots,” replied Commander Zafron. “I’m sure if given the opportunity they can take the shipyard as well as the base on the planet.”
Hailey looked at the viewscreen showing the ships of Rear Admiral Kane’s fleet. “Are we going to try to capture any Eternals?”
Commander Zafron’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll try but they will most likely fight to the death. We’re not going to go out of our way to capture any.”
Hailey nodded. She was in full agreement. Eternals were powerful fighters and any effort to capture one would only result in more deaths. “I’ll return to my flagship and begin making preparations. I’m sure both of us have crewmembers on the battlestation who will need to be recalled.” The battlestation had recreation facilities which weren’t available on the ships of the fleets. It allowed the crews to relax and unwind before going out on the next mission.
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Commander Zafron watched as Rear Admiral Mann left the Command Center to go to her ship. For a Human she was a brilliant military commander. Zafron sat down in his command chair. It had taken him several years to become accustomed to working with the Humans and the Altons. All his life he had believed the Originators were the most brilliant race in existence. He still did, but there were some very good Human scientists and the Altons were almost on a par with his own people. Over time working with these two races had forced Zafron to reevaluate his feelings toward other sentient beings.
“I would propose we send several of our battlecruisers in stealth mode to observe the target system,” said Kazak. He stood just in front of Zafron wearing his bright red military uniform. The tall AI was dedicated to combat and defending the Originator race.
Commander Zafron nodded. “See to it. Send the ships early tomorrow. That will give them sufficient time to make detailed scans of the system before we arrive with our battlefleets.”
Kazak had served him well over the years though he had been corrupted for a period of time by programming inserted by the Defenders of Zorn. That had been removed and now Kazak was back to his old self and a faithful servant of the Originators. There had been a time when Kazak had actually commanded the Dominator while Commander Zafron slept in stasis. Zafron had a lot of trust in the military AI.
Pressing several icons on the command console in front of him, Commander Zafron began planning his attack on the Eternal shipyard and base. There was no doubt once the attack was launched, the Eternals would begin sending reinforcements to prevent the Originators from taking Galaxy X-7295. Commander Zafron was determined not to be driven out of the galaxy. It was one of the reasons he wanted to capture the Eternals’ shipyard and base. Leaning back in his command chair, Zafron began studying what they knew of the Eternals’ defenses in the target system. There was considerable planning to do before the fleets were ready to depart.
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Rear Admiral Hailey Mann was back on board the Victory. She had already informed Commander Sutherland of the impending attack. Messages had been sent to the battlestation recalling all personnel. They had until the middle of the day tomorrow to report back to their ships. That would give everyone one final night on board the battlestation.
Going to her quarters, she took a long hot shower and then put on a comfortable robe. She sat down behind her desk and began studying what was known of the target system they were going to attack. The shipyard in the system was very large and appeared to be heavily armed. There was a big base on the surface of the planet comprised of a spaceport and numerous buildings. The planet itself was habitable with Earth normal gravity and atmosphere.
Relaxing in her chair, Hailey recalled the last time she had been on Earth. It was several years ago and she had been at a large resort in the Bahamas. A week of snorkeling, swimming, and just laying out on the beach. With a deep sigh, Hailey wondered what Earth would look like after the Eternals were through with it. She hoped the attack could be stopped but the Eternals controlled a massive warfleet, much larger than what the Originators possessed. Looking back at her computer screen, she began to make a list of targets her fleet would need to strike if they wanted to take this system from the Eternals.
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A number of days later Commander Zafron watched the tactical display as the three fleets entered Galaxy X-7295. They slowed after dropping out of intergalactic hyperspace to regular hyperspace speeds. It would take them fourteen more hours to reach the system containing the Eternals’ shipyard and planetary base. Galaxy X-7295 was an Elliptical galaxy, an older one with the brightest stars in the center. The system they were heading toward was three fourths of the way out from the center where there was a cluster of brighter stars. These stars were younger than most of the others in the galaxy. Looking at the stars in front of them the entire galaxy seemed to have a tinge of red.
“It’s an older galaxy,” explained Kazak. “It’s the oldest one in this cluster of fourteen galaxies.”
Commander Zafron nodded. In a galaxy as old as this one there would be little new formation of stars. It was past its prime and gradually receding toward darkness. However, it would still be billions of years before the stars actually went dark. It took stars a very long time to die.
“Keep a careful watch on the sensors,” ordered Commander Zafron. “This galaxy should be full of Eternal ships and I don’t want them to detect us before we launch our attack.”
“Sensors are currently clear,” reported Captain Grayson.
“We’re trying to keep our distance from star systems,” added Kia from Navigation as she carefully plotted their course.
Commander Zafron looked at his command console showing the current status of the Dominator. The ship was in perfect condition with all departments operating at optimum levels.
“All ships are to maintain minimal communications unless notified otherwise,” ordered Zafron. He didn’t want to risk the Eternals detecting any communication between the ships of the three fleets.
“Message sent,” replied Captain Franklyn.
Zafron looked around the Command Center. Everyone was doing their jobs. There were Humans, Originators, and AIs in the large room. The Dominator had once been a research ship seeking the cure for the deadly pathogen, which had struck down the Originators. Now it was a ship of war!
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Hours passed as the three fleets closed on their target system. Several times Eternal warships were detected on the long-range scanners. Each time the fleets deviated from their course to avoid detection. Finally system Z-475X233 appeared ahead of the fleets.
“We’ll be detected as we get nearer to the system,” said Commander Sutherland. “The shipyard as well as the base will be on the lookout for Originator vessels.”
Hailey knew Commander Sutherland was right. “It can’t be avoided. We’re going to go in fast and take out all the Eternal warships in the system. Then we’ll hit the shipyard and take out its weapon emplacements. Once that’s been done the Marines and combat robots will go in.”
“What if t
he Eternals blow the shipyard rather than risk it being captured?”
“There’s a chance,” admitted Hailey. “That’s why the Marines will be in full combat gear for a space battle. They will be enclosed in their combat armor and will be able to survive if the station decompresses.”
“Hyperspace dropout in twelve minutes,” reported Kia.
“The Eternals could detect us at any time,” added Commander Sutherland as his eyes shifted to the tactical display now beginning to show information about the system. The two battlecruisers sent ahead had already transmitted back valuable tactical information.
“Detecting numerous Eternal warships in the system,” reported Captain Grayson as his hands flew over his sensor console making adjustments.
“Take us to Condition One and prepare for combat,” ordered Hailey, leaning forward in her command chair. She could feel her pulse starting to race as they would soon be involved in battle.
Red lights began flashing and klaxons were sounding as the crew rushed to their battlestations.
“Condition One is set,” reported Commander Sutherland.
“Weapons are hot,” reported Linda Marks from Tactical.
“Eternal ships are beginning to move,” reported Captain Horatio Adams. “We’ve been detected.”
Hailey nodded. That was to be expected. “Let’s see how many Eternal ships we can take out or disable as soon as we drop out of hyperspace. Use of dark matter missiles is authorized.”
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In the Command Center of the shipyard, Admiral Brael Lydol looked up in surprise as alarms on the sensor console began to sound.
“Originator ships have been detected,” reported the Eternal in front of the console. “Long-range sensors show three fleets inbound.”
Admiral Lydol stood up and walked over to the sensor console, staring at the red threat icons now showing. “Sound the alarm and have our fleet prepare to intercept.” Lydol had twelve hundred Eternal battlecruisers in the system. The shipyard was also heavily armed. “Send out the alert to our other fleets in this galaxy. I want all of them to respond to this threat.”