Ganlon nodded. “Our mates and cubs will be greatly concerned when we do not return.”
“It is the way of the hunt,” answered Grayseth. “There is always the risk those who go off will not return. Our mates and cubs will be taken care of by the clans. That is our tradition.”
-
Days passed as the wreckage containing the Command Center continued to be drawn inward toward the system’s sun. Calculations indicated they would pass within six million kilometers of the planet they had set as their destination.
“Can the escape pods reach the planet from that distance?” asked Grayseth.
“Barely,” replied Belmar. “I would recommend three crewmembers to each escape pod and everyone else in the command cutter.”
Grayseth had checked out the small ship. It was barely sixteen meters long and five in diameter. He had never even known it was in the Warrior’s Pride, particularly so close to the Command Center. It was lightly armed with two twin energy beam turrets. It and the escape pods had been designed never to be used unless the ship suffered catastrophic damage. Parts of the ship had actually been built around them with no way for them to exit unless the surrounding compartments had been annihilated. It would still take some strategically placed explosive charges to free the pods and the cutter so they could exit the wreckage and reach open space.
“If we get separated on landing we can use the cutter to gather everyone,” Ganlon said as he and Grayseth discussed their pending arrival on the planet. “We’ve moved all the weapons from the arms locker as well as the emergency supplies stored there.”
Grayseth looked over at Shantor. “Are there any Eternal ships currently in the system?”
Shantor shook his head. “None I can detect. Of course if they’re using their stealth fields we wouldn’t know.”
“The last ship we could detect jumped out three days ago,” added Ganlon. “It will be two more days before we’re at the optimal distance from the planet to launch the pods and the cutter.”
“Let’s just hope there are no Eternal ships in the system hiding behind a stealth field and no new ships come to the system.” Grayseth took a deep breath. The last six days had been difficult as the surviving crew came to grips with their situation. Being Carethians, they all knew the dangers of the hunt. However, none had been expecting to be stranded in a faraway galaxy so far away from home.
-
The two days passed quickly and they were only a few hours from launching the pods and the cutter when the alarms on the sensor console began sounding.
“Eternal battlecruiser detected,” reported Shantor in alarm. “It will pass within several million kilometers of our position. Our stealth shield is activated.”
“What’s it doing?” Grayseth couldn’t believe their luck. If their launch of the pods and the cutter were delayed, some of the pods might not be able to reach the planet.
“It’s going into orbit around the planet,” Ganlon answered as he stood behind Shantor watching the sensor scans. “It seems to be scanning the surface.”
“Looking for survivors from the battle,” Grayseth said with concern in his voice. “They must have realized that if any of the crews of our ships survived they would make for the only habitable planet in the system.”
Ganlon nodded his agreement. “Let’s hope this doesn’t take long.”
-
The four-kilometer-long battlecruiser of the Eternals went into orbit above the second planet in the system. Its scanners began searching the surface for anomalies indicative of escape pods or other small craft, which might have escaped from the ships the Eternal fleet had destroyed in the battle.
The ship’s commanding officer stood in the Command Center as the data from the scans came in. He seriously doubted if any of the lifeforms from the destroyed ships could have survived to reach the planet. After two orbits, his belief was confirmed.
“Scans are negative,” reported the Eternal at the sensor console in a cold and almost unemotional voice.
The commander nodded. This was as expected. “Take us back to the Stralon Star Cluster. We have escort duty to perform. A large convoy is scheduled to leave for our shipyards shortly. It contains many of the rare metals we need to build our battlecruisers.” The Eternals had established several large shipbuilding facilities in the Median Galaxy. The empire of the Eternals was steadily growing as more galaxies were brought into the fold. As a result, more and newer ships were needed.
Moments later the Eternal battlecruiser made the transition into hyperspace, vanishing from the system.
-
“They’re gone,” reported a relieved Shantor. “They’ve made the jump into hyperspace.”
Over four hours had passed and Grayseth knew they still dared not launch the pods or the cutter. There was a slim chance the Eternals, even though they were in hyperspace, might detect the launches. “We will wait thirty minutes and then launch the pods. The cutter will launch last in case any of the pods encounter trouble.” The cutter had a small tractor beam, which could be used to rescue a pod if necessary.
“That will be cutting it close,” Ganlon said, his eyes shifting to Grayseth. “We could lose a pod or two.”
“I know, but if we launch sooner and the Eternals detect it, we all die.” Grayseth leaned back, folding his powerful arms across his chest.
-
The thirty minutes passed and the small escape pods began launching from the remains of the Warrior’s Pride. A number of small explosions cleared away debris, opening up narrow tunnels. Each escape pod had a small gravity drive, which would allow it to reach the planet if the power held out. The cutter, however, was different and contained a small fusion power plant, which provided nearly unlimited power.
Grayseth was sitting in the small cockpit of the cutter behind Ganlon and the pilot, Farsalk.
“Setting off explosive charges,” said Farsalk as he touched several icons on the small control screen in front of him.
Almost instantly, the cutter shook as the explosions blew away wreckage, clearing a path for the cutter to exit.
“Are the demolition charges set?” asked Grayseth, looking back at Hawthorn.
“Yes,” the Carethian Marine replied. “I personally set four of them. If the ship’s sensors detect any craft approaching within one thousand meters of the wreckage the ship’s computer will send the order to detonate them.”
“Hopefully that will not happen and the wreckage will continue on and fall into the system’s sun.”
Ganlon looked at Grayseth. “It will take us six hours to reach the planet. We could get there much faster but the escape pods are limited by their small gravity drives and the power they have available.”
“Let’s just hope no Eternal ships make an appearance before we reach the planet. For us, the hunt is over. At least for now.” Grayseth gazed out the viewport at the stars and the distant planet up ahead. Once they reached the planet, they would have to find a place to hide in case the Eternals returned and scanned the planet again. Inside the cutter and the escape pods were enough weapons to fight a small war. Grayseth just hoped it didn’t come to that.
-
As planned, the escape pods reached the planet first. Several ran out of power and had to make uncontrolled landings. Grayseth used the cutter to rescue those crewmembers and bring all of them to a central location. The planet was heavily forested with the type of forests that might have existed in primordial times. The trees towered hundreds of meters up into the air and the ground was covered in thick, nearly impassable undergrowth. Large animals roamed the planet, which could easily kill an unarmed Carethian.
After some searching Farsalk found a cave the cutter could fit into and landed the small ship just inside.
Grayseth stepped outside the cutter and immediately began coughing. Ganlon handed him a breathing mask, which the clan leader hastily put on. After taking a few deep breaths Grayseth began looking around at his surroundings. The cave seemed to extend far
into the small mountain. This would serve as an excellent place of concealment until Jeremy arrived.
“We need to find a part of this cave we can seal off and make the air more breathable. We also need to gather up all the escape pods and bring them inside. We need to get them as far underground as possible so the Eternals can’t detect them.”
“It will take a lot of work but it can be done,” Ganlon said.
“I’ll take two crewmembers with me and begin exploring the cave,” Hawthorn volunteered. He was carrying a large energy rifle slung over his shoulder.
“Do so,” ordered Grayseth. “Farsalk can take the cutter and bring the rest of the crew here where they will be safe.” He wanted them spending as little time as possible out in the open. Many of the animals here were larger than the cutter.
Moments later the cutter left to begin shuttling the surviving crewmembers to their new home.
Grayseth and Ganlon walked to the cave entrance that overlooked a large valley with a river flowing down the center. They could barely see the water through the heavy foliage of the forest. In the distance, they could hear the roar of animals.
“This is a dangerous planet,” Ganlon said through his breathing mask. “From what I could see as we flew over the surface most of the animals on this planet could easily kill us. It will not be easy to survive here.”
“We will have to hunt for food,” Grayseth said. “We will have to learn how to trap and kill some of those animals.”
While they had emergency rations, they would need to be supplemented with meat and other foods that should be available on the planet. It would mean sending out heavily armed foraging parties. All Carethians were trained in the hunt. However, it had been generations since they had lived in such a primitive environment as they now faced.
“It will be like the hunts of our distant ancestors,” said Ganlon slowly. “However, even back then they didn’t have to face animals like this planet has.”
“We have to survive,” Grayseth replied evenly. “Our clan brother will come and when he does we must be ready. We must learn to survive on this world.” Grayseth turned to go back deeper into the cave. They had much work to do if they wanted to continue to exist. He just hoped they were all still alive when Jeremy came looking for them.
Chapter Two
Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong was in his office at the Tower in the Originator Dyson Sphere where the Federation races had settled. It had been just over seven weeks since the battle in Galaxy X-938 and he was anxious to get several new missions finalized. Much had happened in the intervening weeks. New ships were being turned out in record numbers and all the Originator Dyson Spheres were preparing for war. He was ready to go rescue Grayseth, but before he did there were several other missions he needed to approve.
“Your mission is a go to search for the lost Originators,” said Jeremy, looking across his desk at Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes and Commander Zafron. “From what Jankel has told us we know they went to the star cluster the Ornellian evacuation fleet was heading for.”
“I still can’t believe we were almost there when we rescued the Ornellian fleet. It’s a small globular star cluster forty-seven light years across with over twelve thousand stars,” said Kathryn. “It may take awhile to search it. One of the reasons the Ornellians chose this particular star cluster is because of its distance and the fact it contains a large number of stars capable of supporting habitable planets.”
“You will have the Distant Horizon, the Dominator, the other ten exploration dreadnoughts, and a fleet of two hundred Originator battlecruisers under the command of Admiral Vincent Pence. I’m also sending four Originator construction ships capable of building an Accelerator Ring.” Admiral Pence had just returned from eliminating the Simulin fleet presence in one of the galaxies they controlled. Soon the only Simulin fleet presence would be in their home galaxy and one other. “Even though Admiral Pence has higher rank, you will be in command of the mission.”
“I wish we could have left sooner,” Kathryn said, her eyes focusing on Jeremy. Originally they were supposed to have departed four weeks back.
“So do I, but we wanted to get all the Originators from the Seeker awoken and questioned about the lost Originators. There was some hope one of them might know exactly where they went and how many of them there are.”
“I just hope they’re not buried underground like the Seeker was,” said Kathryn with a frown. “It will make the search much harder.”
“I don’t think they will be,” Commander Zafron said. Zafron was an Originator and the commanding officer of the Dominator. “If this is a large group, we will be seeking a city or possibly a large space habitat.”
Kathryn nodded. “I hope so. At least we know what metals and alloys to search for. With the exploration dreadnoughts and the Dominator, we can scan the entire cluster very quickly. However, a more detailed scan of each system will take longer.”
“How is Kazak?” asked Jeremy. They had all been dumbfounded to learn Kazak had participated in sending information to the Seeker on the progress of the research on the Dominator and the ship’s destinations.
“Fine,” replied Zafron. “He has access to all of his memories now and feels quite chagrined at what he did. He has no love for the Defenders of Zorn.”
“That’s good. He will be useful in the search.” Jeremy turned toward Rear Admiral Barnes. “You have no deadline. Take as long as necessary. If the lost Originators are in that star cluster, they have to be found.”
Jeremy knew Bartoll was anxious to find the lost Originators. Since they were now in a state of war with the Eternals, it was essential they find more of his people to assist in the war effort so they could make use of the full potential of Originator science and technology. “How soon can you be ready to leave?”
“We have a few more arrangements to make, but we can be ready to depart within twenty-four hours,” replied Kathryn.
“Make it so,” said Jeremy. Finding the lost Originators was key in their looming war with the Eternals. “I wish you luck on your mission.”
Kathryn looked at Jeremy and then asked the question in the back of her mind. “When are you leaving to search for Grayseth?”
Jeremy leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. His eyes took on a haunted look. “It’s been months since the battle in the Median Galaxy. I don’t know if it’s even possible for Grayseth to have survived this long.”
“It’s Grayseth,” Kathryn said. “If anyone could find a way to survive, it would be him.”
Jeremy nodded. He had told himself the same thing ever since he found out his large Bear friend might have survived. “The new Avenger was completed last week and we have a task group of heavy dreadnoughts which have been covered with the new polymer. We hope it will allow us to sneak past the two hyperspace detection lines guarding the Median galaxy. We’re also taking a fleet of Originator battlecruisers, which have been covered with the same polymer. If we’re detected or the Eternals find us in the system, we may have to fight. We’re hoping we can get in and out without the Eternals ever knowing we were there. If all goes according to plan we will be leaving shortly after you do.”
“I hope you find Grayseth; it hasn’t been quite the same without him around.”
Jeremy laughed. “No, it hasn’t.” It was difficult to sit in a meeting and not hear his Bear friend’s loud, boisterous voice.
Shortly thereafter the meeting ended with Rear Admiral Barns and Commander Zafron heading to their ships. Kathryn had mentioned seeing her father before she left as well as Admiral Kalen.
Jeremy stood up and walked over to the large open window, which looked out over the city the Originators had built for their Human friends. The city was large and impressive with over four million Humans occupying it. It was full of tall towers with ribbon-like walkways connecting them. It was like no other city ever built. It was unique and contained everything the Human race could ever want. The only problem was the Eternals, the Origina
tors who had used mechanical nanites to change their body structure in their search for immortality. They had broken free from the galaxy that had imprisoned them for several million years and were now running amuck across the universe conquering galaxy after galaxy.
“I just came from the Avenger and her shakedown cruise was a success,” a young woman’s voice spoke from behind him.
“Ariel,” replied Jeremy, turning around to see the beautiful dark haired woman. Ariel was an AI and now possessed a functioning AI body. However, she still used holograms to project her image wherever she felt it was needed. “How does the crew feel about this mission?” Jeremy knew they were taking a big risk returning to the Median Galaxy. After the battle with the Eternals in Galaxy X-938, they would be more vigilant and determined to keep Originator vessels out of the galaxies they controlled.
“They’re ready,” answered Ariel, her dark eyes watching Jeremy. “They all want to see Grayseth rescued.”
Jeremy nodded and became silent. He greatly feared too much time had passed. The world Grayseth would have gone to was only marginally habitable and in many ways resembled what Earth had been like back when dinosaurs roamed the planet. It would be a day-to-day struggle just to survive.
Ariel paused, closing her eyes briefly and then opened them. “Major Wilde and General Wesley are here.”
“Tell them to come in.” Major Wilde would be playing a major role in Grayseth’s rescue.
The door opened and the two came inside. Taking a deep breath, Jeremy turned away from the window and sat down behind his desk. “We launch in forty-eight hours. Major Wilde, are your Marines ready?” Major Wilde and her Marines would be the ones actually going down to the planet to rescue Grayseth.
“We’re ready,” the major replied. She had just returned a few days back from driving the Simulins out of another Dyson Sphere. That left only three the Simulins still had a presence on, and two of them were going to be a hard nut to crack.
The Originator Wars: Search for the Lost: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 2
