Commander Malen spoke over her comm and then turned back toward Jeremy. “Shuttles are launching. They have the coordinates of the mountain Grayseth’s cave is in and will take a direct approach in their landings. They’ll be down in minutes.”
“Eternals have activated their hyperspace jamming field,” Kevin reported worriedly. “The field is being generated by those two ships that were over the planet.”
Jeremy looked over at Lieutenant Striker.
“Hyperspace drive is nonfunctional,” the lieutenant confirmed.
“Running diagnostic program,” said Aaliss. “The program should only take a few minutes to find a counter measure to the hyperspace jamming field.” The program had been designed by several Originator hyperspace experts. They claimed the program would find the frequency the field was operating at and be able to coordinate a counter field, which would allow a hyperspace jump.
“Hyperspace communications detected,” added Lieutenant Lantz.
“The Eternals are summoning more ships,” said Commander Malen with a cryptic look. “As close as the Stralon Star Cluster is they will be here soon.”
Jeremy’s face creased in a frown. Everything now depended on Major Wilde and how soon she and her Marines could rescue Grayseth and the other surviving Carethians. “Contact Admiral Calmat and inform him to be prepared to take out those two ships broadcasting the jamming field if we can’t find a counter frequency. Also tell him we have made contact with Grayseth and launched the assault shuttles.”
Lieutenant Lantz sent the message and soon received one back. “Admiral Calmat is ready to destroy the two Eternal vessels upon your command. He is pleased to hear of Grayseth’s survival and wishes our Marines success in their hunt.”
Jeremy nodded. Now it became a waiting game. Could they finish the rescue before the Eternals arrived with a large fleet, or would they be forced to fight and possibly leave Grayseth and the Marines behind?
-
Aboard the lead assault shuttle, Major Wilde waited tensely as the small craft was buffeted by the increasing density of the planet’s atmosphere as they descended. They were going straight in at a much higher speed than normal and she could imagine what her six shuttles must look like from the ground: brilliant specks enshrouded in fire from the intense friction of passing through the atmosphere. Fortunately all six shuttles were protected by energy shields as well as Originator battle armor.
-
“Dinosaurs,” muttered Sergeant Everett Metz. “I can’t believe Grayseth is on a planet inhabited by dinosaurs.”
“Well, you’d better believe it,” replied Private Anastasia Malone. “Or you will find your ass being eaten by one.”
“Naw, not with this,” Metz said, patting his assault rifle. The one he was carrying fired small explosive rounds with the force of a grenade.
Malone only shook her head. She preferred the shotgun she was carrying. It fired large armor penetrating slugs and could even bring down one of the Originators’ combat robots at close range.
-
Major Wilde allowed herself to smile. She knew the banter was her Marines’ way of letting out tension before a combat mission. This one felt strange as Rakell wasn’t with them. Rakell was the Originator AI in charge of the command key used to reprogram the Command Centers of the Dyson Spheres they had been taking back from the Simulins. He had stayed behind since this mission did not involve the Simulins or any of the Dyson Spheres.
Brenda looked down at her energy rifle. It was of Originator design and much more powerful than the ones that had been under development back on Gaia. At least that was what she had been told. She closed her eyes briefly thinking of all the changes in the last year. When she had gone into the Dyson Sphere in the Milky Way Galaxy with Reesa, she never expected to become involved in an intergalactic war.
She knew Reesa and Leeda were currently searching for other Originators who might be in stasis on the Dyson Spheres. Brenda was curious how that search was going to turn out. She had spoken briefly to Reesa just before setting out on this mission and Reesa had hinted they might have found something. Brenda was anxious to get back to find out just what Reesa had been alluding to.
“Two minutes to landing,” the pilot said over the comm. “This is going to be a little rough as we’re coming down fast to avoid incoming weapons fire from the Eternal combat robots down on the surface.”
“Weapons check!” roared Sergeant Metz. “Lock and load, people. Make sure your helmets are sealed tight. This atmosphere really sucks.”
All the Marines were wearing combat armor, including a helmet. The armor was light and versatile and of Originator design.
Taking a deep breath, Brenda shut the visor on her helmet. She liked this new armor as the helmet provided information as to the condition and location of her Marines. Her command suit also had sensors that could tell her where the enemy was located.
“Be prepared for incoming weapons fire when the ramps go down,” she added as she gripped her rifle a little tighter. “Combat robots are to exit first.” There were ten combat robots on each shuttle as well as thirty-three Marines.
-
On the planet, Grayseth looked up at the streaking meteor-like objects coming down toward the mountain. He had to duck as an energy beam struck the roof of the cave just above him. Eternal combat robots were coming up the slope in large numbers. The transmission had given away the cave’s location as Grayseth had feared.
Hawthorn was behind the energy cannon firing at the robots trying to pick off the closest ones. Four other Carethians were present also firing down the slope with their energy rifles. It was taking several shots to damage or disable one of the robots. Headshots were best, but the range was too far to do that consistently. More robots were still coming out of the forest. Grayseth estimated there must be at least several hundred of them if not more.
“I see the shuttles,” called out Shantor excitedly.
Grayseth watched as the six shuttles grew larger and landed with a loud roar at the edge of the forest where the slope of the mountain began. Several fires broke out in the nearby forest but quickly died out because of the high humidity. Immediately the Eternal robots began firing at the shuttles only to find their weapons fire stopped by energy shields. On the top of the shuttles small dual energy turrets turned and opened fire. Dark blue beams flashed out, annihilating robot after robot. This only seemed to infuriate the robots as even more charged out of the forest and began attacking the shuttles.
“There are hundreds of them out there,” Shantor said in shock. “If we had gone out we wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
The ramps to the shuttles suddenly opened and Originator combat robots emerged. They instantly began firing on the Eternal robots, blowing them apart with energy weapons fire and explosive rounds. Moments later Marines made an appearance charging down the ramps. The energy shields suddenly dropped allowing the Originator robots and Marines to better engage the enemy. As soon as they were clear of the shuttles the energy shields snapped back into place. The turrets were slowly rotating and firing nonstop. The bottom of the slope and the surrounding forest was beginning to be obscured by drifting smoke from the weapons fire.
“Shantor, get everyone up here!” ordered Grayseth as he watched the growing battle on the slope. “Set the demolition charges in the cavern. We don’t want to leave anything behind that might be useful to the Eternals.” From the intensity of the battle, it was going to be several minutes before it would be safe enough for them to venture out and make a run for the shuttles.
-
On the slope, Major Wilde took careful aim with her energy rifle and shot one of the Eternal robots in the head. With satisfaction she saw it go down. However, the weapons fire from the enemy was having its effect. Already she had lost seven combat robots and two Marines, with another four injured. Her most effective weapons were the energy beam turrets on the shuttles. Those were still firing and taking out robots with nearly every shot. There wer
e just so many of the damn things. She wished she could have kept her Marines safely behind the energy screens, but the Eternal robots needed to be eliminated quickly so they could rescue Grayseth and get off the planet and back to the Avenger. They had a limited amount of time and couldn’t afford to waste any of it.
“There are at least three hundred Eternal robots left,” she said over her comm, which connected her to the Marines. Brenda knew if not for the weapons fire from the turrets on the shuttles this would be a losing battle. She had taken cover behind a large boulder where Sergeant Metz and several other Marines were firing nonstop. She could see a pleased look on Metz’s face as his explosive rounds blew an Eternal robot into hundreds of pieces, sending its flaming parts across the slope.
“I’m glad I had the Originator AIs design this assault rifle,” he said grinning. “One round, one robot down.”
Brenda ducked as several energy beams struck the boulder they were behind. Most of her Marines had taken cover and were carefully picking off the Eternal robots. Her own combat robots were able to take several energy weapons strikes to their armor before going down. “We’re winning, but this is going to take awhile.”
Metz nodded. “Yeah, and time is something we don’t have.”
Brenda knew the sergeant was right. At any time the Eternals could arrive overhead with a massive fleet, stranding her and her Marines on the surface with Grayseth.
-
“Contacts!” called out Kevin as warning alarms began sounding on his sensor console. “It’s the twenty ships we detected earlier.”
“Major Wilde is encountering heavy resistance on the ground,” Commander Malen reported grimly. She was listening to the reports from the shuttle pilots. “They’re engaging hundreds of Eternal combat robots. She’s taking casualties. So far there are no reports of actual Eternals being involved.”
Jeremy looked intently at the tactical display. The new Eternal vessels hadn't moved since exiting hyperspace. The other five Eternal battlecruisers in the system were in the process of heading toward the larger fleet. All of the Eternal ships were now broadcasting the hyperspace interference field. They wouldn’t be doing that unless they were expecting a much larger fleet to arrive soon.
“All fleets are to hold their current positions,” Jeremy ordered. “Commander Malen, how much longer before Major Wilde can get to Grayseth?” He was considering sending one of the military AI fleets out to deal with the Eternal vessels.
“It will be a few more minutes yet. They can’t attempt the rescue until more of the Eternal combat robots are dealt with. The slope of the mountain is too open to risk extricating Grayseth at the moment.”
Jeremy looked at the main viewscreen, which was showing a highly magnified view of the region of the planet where the shuttles had landed. Occasional flashes of light indicated weapons fire, but most of the area was covered in heavy plumes of smoke. Jeremy felt helpless knowing there was nothing he could do but let the battle on the surface play out. He had to put his trust in Major Wilde.
-
On the surface the battle was still intense. Major Wilde looked at her HUD, noting seven of her Marines were now showing killed in action with another eleven injured. Six more of her combat robots had been destroyed though the ground between the forest and the slope of the mountain was littered with the remains of Eternal combat robots. From the sensors in her helmet, she knew they had eliminated all but about seventy of them. It was nearly time to begin thinking about getting Grayseth and his crew out of the cave.
“Sergeant Metz, take ten combat robots and twenty Marines and go get Grayseth. I’ll finish off the Eternal robots still fighting.” Looking over the boulder she saw several more blown apart as they were struck by explosive rounds. The six assault shuttles were still playing havoc with the enemy robots, blowing them apart anytime one made an appearance.
Brenda watched as Sergeant Metz quickly assembled his team and started up the slope. “Covering fire!” she ordered over the comm. “Destroy every one of those damn robots that make an appearance!”
-
Grayseth watched as the Marines and the robots began coming up the slope. He saw one Marine stumble and lay still. This rescue attempt was paying a heavy cost. Grayseth was starting to think Jeremy should not have come.
“Here’s the detonator,” Shantor said as he handed over the small electronic device. “Press the button and the shuttle will explode. We also rigged up enough demotion charges to bring down the roof and the tunnel. The escape pods are wired in as well.”
Grayseth looked at the Carethians behind Shantor and then back out at the approaching Marines. He saw another fall to the fire of the Eternal robots and made a quick decision. “We’re going out to meet the Marines. It’ll be easier going down the slope than coming up. Follow me.” Grayseth picked up his energy rifle and darted out of the cave entrance followed by the others. Once outside, Grayseth paused and pressed the button on the electronic detonator. Moments later the ground shook slightly and black smoke belched out of the cave entrance.
-
“Additional contacts on the long-range sensors,” called out Ariel deeply concerned.
“Confirmed,” reported Kevin, looking meaningfully at Jeremy. “Looks like a major fleet of at least three hundred vessels.”
“How long before they get here?” asked Jeremy, wishing the shuttles would take off. It was agonizing sitting here in the Command Center unable to do anything.
“Twenty-three minutes,” Kevin answered.
“Grayseth and his crew have come out of the cave and are coming down the slope,” Commander Malen reported. “Major Wilde thinks they can leave the surface in about fifteen minutes.”
“That’s cutting it close,” Kevin said worriedly. “They may not make it back in time.”
Jeremy nodded. “We’re going to have to engage those Eternal vessels at least for a few minutes. Aaliss, how is the hyperdrive?”
“We have the proper jamming frequency; we can jump anytime.”
“What if they change the frequency?” asked Kevin.
“Not a problem,” Aaliss replied. “Now that we know the frequency we can monitor it and when it changes we can change ours as well.”
“Aaliss, inform the military AIs we will probably have to engage the large inbound Eternal fleet for at least a few minutes. They’re to do everything they can to hold their losses to a minimum without jeopardizing their ships.”
“They understand,” replied Aaliss.
On the tactical display, the four military AI fleets changed up their formations slightly. Instead of four separate fleets, there were now two with each fleet in a globular formation.
-
Major Wilde was pulling back toward the shuttles. Most of the Eternal combat robots had been destroyed or retreated back into the thicker sections of the forest where they were still taking pot shots at Brenda’s Marines and the Originator combat robots.
It was with relief she saw Grayseth and his surviving crew enter two of the shuttles. “Everyone load up!” she ordered. “We have an inbound Eternal fleet coming in hot.” She knew they were pressed for time and needed to get to the Avenger and the waiting fleets as soon as possible.
The Marines scrambled, helping the wounded back to the shuttles with the combat robots carrying the dead. No one would be left behind.
Moments later Brenda was aboard the command assault shuttle and felt it lift off. She made her way to the cockpit and watched as they gained altitude. Once they cleared twenty thousand meters she gave her next order.
“Drop the nuke; I don’t want there to be any signs of a battle or anything the Eternals can recover.”
“Nuke dropped,” the weapons officer replied as he pressed a series of three red buttons on his console.
-
From the shuttle, a small Hunter missile left the missile pod and darted toward the ground. It held a ten-kiloton nuclear warhead. The missile detonated twelve hundred meters above the surface. The
explosion sent out a powerful shockwave, knocking down trees and sending boulders crashing down the mountain. An avalanche of rock and dirt covered the entrance to the cave. The intense thermal radiation at the center of the blast caused a nuclear fireball to form, incinerating everything below and near it. Superheated air rushed in and soon a mushroom cloud formed, rising up into the atmosphere.
-
“Shuttles are up,” reported Commander Malen. “Grayseth and his surviving crew are on board. They’re running a little behind schedule.”
“Nuclear detonation on the surface,” added Kevin. “It was a Hunter missile fired from one of the shuttles.”
“It’s Major Wilde ensuring there is nothing left for the Eternals to recover,” explained Jeremy. He had discussed this option with her earlier.
“Eternal fleet dropping out of hyperspace,” reported Kevin as alarms began to sound on his console. “They’re coming straight toward us. Contact in two minutes.”
-
Fleet Commander Solten of the Eternal battlecruiser Warbringer watched his tactical display intently. There were nearly five hundred unknown ships in the system. Tentative identification indicated the ships to be of Originator construction. It was surprising the Originator AIs had risked returning to this galaxy once more.
Second Commander Albor stepped away from the computer interface he had been accessing. “These ships are similar to the ones Fleet Commander Norlan encountered in Galaxy X-938 when he was defeated.”
“Originator vessels,” said Solten, his eyes hardening. “Our ships are twice their size and their fleet is locked out of hyperspace. We will demand their surrender. If they refuse, we will destroy them.”
-
Several minutes passed as the Eternal fleet neared the planet. The fleet was close enough that it would only take a few moments to move within effective combat range. Fleet Commander Solten gazed at his tactical display as it updated, showing the hundreds of red threat icons before his fleet. He had always wanted to engage an Originator vessel.
“Send the message,” he ordered. He had confirmed the enemy fleet was locked out of hyperspace and with his fleet’s superior weapons were at his mercy. They could either surrender or be destroyed.
The Originator Wars: Search for the Lost: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 8
