-
In space, the two fleets rapidly closed on one another, nearly twenty thousand vessels of war all primed to destroy one another. There would be no mercy and no thoughts of surrender. This would be a battle to the death. If the Originator fleet and the Dyson Sphere won then they would survive to fight another day. If the Eternals managed to defeat the Originator fleet and gain access to the Dyson Sphere then the war would move on to a whole new level of brutality and violence.
-
Fleet Commander Norlan studied the damage report of the Devastator. The full forward one-third of the ship was a mangled wreck. Repair crews were working frantically trying to get sufficient energy shield emitters functioning so the ship could be fully protected. Hundreds of Eternals had died when the dark matter missile slammed into the forward section of the vessel. Norlan knew the ship was fortunate to have survived. As a result, he had placed the Devastator in the center of the pyramid formation where it would be better protected from incoming weapons fire.
“Ship weapons are at 62 percent,” Second Commander Telan reported. “All hatches and emergency bulkheads between the Command Center and the forward third of the ship have been sealed. Repairs are still ongoing though it will take a spacedock for the forward part of the ship.”
“We’ve lost our primary energy cannons,” added Waltorr from Tactical. “No weapons on the forward part of the ship are functional.”
Norlan considered moving his command to another Eternal battlecruiser. After a moment he decided not to as the move itself would be highly dangerous in the middle of a combat situation.
“Originator fleet is advancing toward us,” reported Motan from his sensor console.
“They seek a fleet battle,” said Telan in surprise. “I would have thought they would have pulled back to the Shrieel to add its firepower to their own.”
Norlan spent a moment considering what this might mean. “Perhaps the Shrieel is not as heavily armed as we thought.” No one knew how well the Shrieels were armed. There was no doubt some weapons existed to keep other races away but were they powerful enough to endanger an Eternal warfleet?
Norlan was still greatly concerned about the Originator AIs’ proxy race. The tactic they had used jumping directly into the path of his emerging fleet would have been disaster to the Eternal vessels if the enemy fleet had been larger. As it was Norlan had lost over four hundred battlecruisers in the span of less than thirty seconds. The enemy had gotten in the first blow and now it was his turn. He was also growing to suspect this proxy race was much more than that to the Originator AIs. At first he had thought that perhaps the AIs had built new and more advanced military AIs to command this proxy race in battle. Now he was beginning to believe this proxy race was not being commanded by the Originator AIs but vice versa. If that was true, it could add a whole new meaning for this war against Originator space. Perhaps after he conquered this Shrieel, they would know the truth about this mysterious race. Nevertheless, he planned on sharing his concerns with the Council of Eternals.
“Nearing weapons range,” reported Waltorr.
“Stand by to fire,” ordered Norlan. “Primary targets are those large warships. They are the biggest threat. Hit them first and then spread our fire out across their entire fleet.”
“Detecting energy buildups in the ships of the enemy fleet,” reported Motan from Sensors. “They’re preparing to fire their weapons. Missile hatches are opening on their ships.”
“Weapons range,” said Telan as the Devastator opened up with its secondary energy cannons and began launching antimatter missiles from the remaining missile tubes. While the ship might be heavily damaged, it still was a very powerful fighting machine.
-
In space, the two fleets began firing on one another at almost the exact same moment. Energy beams, ion beams, gravitonic beams, antimatter beams, and particle beams assailed the energy shields of the two fleets. Space became aglow with light from the sheer amount of energy being released.
-
“Dreadnoughts Vixen, Star Bringer, and Phobos are down,” reported Captain Adams. “We’ve also lost eighteen battlecruisers.”
“Many ships reporting damage,” added Lieutenant Sparks.
“Launch defense globes,” ordered Rear Admiral Mann. “Have them form up into a defensive formation behind our fleet and then wait.” She had a plan the Eternals might not be prepared for.
“Behind us?” said Commander Sutherland in surprise. “Why not use them against the Eternals? They could draw off a lot of the weapons fire from our ships.”
“We will,” replied Hailey, feeling her pulse beating faster now that they were once more engaged in combat. “When we start to withdraw back toward the Dyson Sphere we will throw all of them at the Eternal formation. They can use their ion cannons to freeze the modulation of the Eternals’ shields and then overload their antimatter chambers as they ram.”
“You’re going to sacrifice all of them?”
“Yes,” Hailey replied, her eyes showing her determination. “I want to whittle that Eternal fleet down to a manageable size. We may be able to do just that with the defense globes.”
-
Hundreds and then thousands of the small ten-meter defense globes exited the heavy dreadnoughts and began to form up in a massive formation behind the battling fleets. Nearly 100,000 globes were in the swarm.
-
“All globes launched,” reported Commander Sutherland.
The Victory shook violently, and several more red lights appeared next to the ones already showing. The main viewscreen was lit up by thousands of explosions and the brief flickers from various energy beams.
“Partial energy beam strike to the outer hull,” reported Commander Sutherland. “Two more power beam turrets have been disabled.”
“Constitution, Liberty, Perth, and Centauri are down,” reported Captain Adams. “The Eternals are concentrating much of their fire on our dreadnoughts.”
On one of the viewscreens, the heavy dreadnought Norse was visible. Its energy screen was glowing brightly and then suddenly two energy beams penetrated, drilling deep into the heart of the ship. Two massive explosions blew open a wide section of the ship’s hull and then an Eternal antimatter missile slipped through the weakened energy shield. In a brilliant explosion, the dreadnought blew apart, dying a fiery death.
“Heavy dreadnought Norse has been destroyed,” reported Captain Adams. “We’re losing a lot of our battlecruisers.”
“Continue to press the attack,” ordered Hailey, drawing in a sharp breath. “Hit them with as many dark matter missiles as we can.” Hailey knew the dark matter missiles were their most powerful weapon and several could bring down an Eternal ship’s energy screen.
“Firing ion beams,” said Major Marks. All the ships were firing their ion beams as they were able to freeze the frequency modulation the Eternals used to increase the power of their shields.
-
In space, the battle intensified as both sides refused to back down. The Eternals’ energy beams were taking several strikes before they could penetrate the shields of the dreadnoughts. In the Originator fleet, numerous heavy dreadnoughts were being pummeled as their energy screens were eventually penetrated. Dreadnought after dreadnought was turned into drifting wreckage as the deadly beams tore them apart.
The Originator battlecruisers were suffering even more. They didn’t have the triplex energy screens and were thus more susceptible to the Eternals’ energy beams. Hundreds of battlecruisers were being blown apart as the deadly beams penetrated their shields.
In the Eternal formation, thousands of dark matter missiles were overloading energy shields, allowing particle beams and gravitonic beams to ravage the hulls of Eternal vessels. Ship after ship found their compartments opened up to space. Internal systems were compromised by the heavy damage of the beams causing some of the ships to go critical and explode, which sent large chunks of wreckage into the screens of nearby ships. The wreckage
caused the screens to flare up brightly.
Both fleets were lit up by the funeral pyres of dying vessels. The battle was so intense that scarcely a second passed where ships were not being destroyed. As the seconds passed and then turned into minutes space became littered with the wreckage of hundreds and then thousands of warships.
-
Fleet Commander Solten stared in disbelief as the two Eternal battlecruisers nearest the Warbringer fell under heavy attack. On the ship’s viewscreens, he watched as dark matter warheads overloaded the two ships’ energy shields and then more warheads blew the two ships into oblivion.
“Pull us back deeper into the formation,” Solten ordered hurriedly.
“Fleet Commander Norlan may not approve,” warned Commander Albor.
“He’s in the center of the formation where it’s safer; we’re only pulling back to the next layer of ships.”
Solten’s eyes shifted to a tactical display showing the nearly solid blob of red threat icons behind the Originator fleet. These were the small attack drones he had seen in the reports of battles against these large vessels.
“Albor, at any moment the Originator fleet is going to send those small drones toward us. They may try to ram and destroy our ships by overloading their power source. Order all ships that if those drones begin to close they’re to use every weapon we have to destroy them. They can’t be allowed to close with our fleet.” Solten didn’t believe Fleet Commander Norlan would countermand that order. He knew as well as Solten how dangerous those small drones could be.
Second Commander Albor quickly sent the warning message.
-
Rear Admiral Mann watched the viewscreens in terror-stricken fascination. It looked as if the entire universe was on fire. Everywhere she looked were destroyed or dying ships.
“Hailey, it’s time to withdraw,” said Commander Sutherland. “The superior numbers of the Eternals are beginning to overwhelm our ships. We won’t last much longer.”
Hailey blinked her eyes and nodded. “All ships, begin our planned withdrawal toward the Dyson Sphere. We’ll use the defense globes to give us cover.”
On the tactical display, what was left of the Originator fleet began to disengage. One by one and then by the hundreds the ships pulled back through the swarm of waiting defense globes.
“Send in the globes; they’re to ram the Eternal vessels and overload their antimatter chambers.” Hailey knew this would cause a two-hundred-megaton explosion. Not as powerful as a dark matter missile but she was throwing nearly 100,000 of the globes at the Eternals. No matter what type of defense the Eternals put up, some would get through.
As the Victory withdrew through the swarm of defense globes, the small drones activated their gravity drives and accelerated toward the incoming Eternal fleet. They were protected by an energy shield and were armed with an ion cannon and two small particle beam cannons. As they got within range of the Eternal fleet they fired their ion cannons, freezing the modulation of the Eternal energy screens. Particle beam cannons then fired, probing for a weakness. In all nearly 200,000 particle beams were striking Eternal shields.
-
“Drones are inbound,” warned Motan. “They are firing ion beams as well as particle beams. We’re targeting them with all of our weapons and firing antimatter missiles to detonate inside their formation.”
Fleet Commander Norlan leaned forward in his command chair. He knew just the sheer number of these small drones made them extremely dangerous. On the main viewscreens, antimatter missiles were now detonating throughout the inbound formation of drones. With each explosion, the number of drones grew less and less as they were incinerated by antimatter energy. Energy beam fire was sweeping the drone formation destroying thousands more.
On the tactical display, he saw Eternal battlecruisers begin to die from the sheer magnitude of incoming fire. He clenched his fist at an enemy so devious. With every passing moment he was coming to believe they were not so much fighting the Originator AIs as they were this supposed proxy race. Was it possible this proxy race had managed to take over the Shrieels?
“We’re not going to get all of them,” reported Second Commander Telan as he turned away from the ship’s computer. “Fifteen to twenty percent of them will make it to our formation.”
The Originators had never possessed such small drones for combat. There was no doubt in Fleet Commander Norlan’s mind that these were the creations of the mysterious proxy race. “Destroy as many as possible. Our fleet is large enough we can handle the losses.” Norlan was beginning to be concerned he should have brought a much larger fleet.
-
In space, the defense globes charged through the heavy curtain of fire and exploding antimatter missiles. Tens of thousands had been destroyed but nearly twenty thousand still survived. At a command from the Victory, the surviving drones altered coursed and targeted just one thousand Eternal battlecruisers. More died as they neared the pyramid formation and then they arrived. The defense globes slammed into Eternal energy shields while at the same time overloading the small antimatter chamber which was their power source. Throughout the pyramid formation brilliant explosions appeared, nearly hiding the entire formation from the sheer amount of energy being released.
An Eternal battlecruiser was targeted by fourteen defense globes. The first few struck, exploding and weakening the ship’s energy shield. Subsequent explosions weakened the shield even more until the last three globes passed through the shield and detonated against the hull of the four-kilometer behemoth. Not even a ship as large as an Originator battlecruiser could survive three 200-megaton explosions. The ship vanished as three nova-like blasts obliterated it. Throughout the Eternal formation, ships were dying in rapid succession. For a few moments the entire Eternal formation looked as if it had turned into a supernova.
In just a few seconds the attack died out as the last defense globes finished their ramming missions or were destroyed by defensive fire. When the raging energy from their attack faded away, 912 Eternal battlecruisers had been sent to oblivion.
-
“That’s cutting them down to size!” said Commander Sutherland jubilantly. “It’s a shame we don’t have more defense globes.”
Rear Admiral Mann had to agree. “It might be wise to deploy defense globes to all the Dyson Spheres. However, it’s possible at some point in time the Eternals will come up with a better defense against them.”
“Then why not have the Originators design a new and better defense globe? We don’t risk any people when we use them. We could have swarms of globes defending the Dyson Spheres.”
This was the second time the defense globes had been used successfully against the Eternals. Commander Sutherland was right, they could be very important to the defense of the Dyson Spheres. “I agree. I’ll make the recommendation once this battle is over. How many Eternal ships did we take out in this last battle?” Hailey knew they had destroyed a large number though her own losses were probably greater. She felt anxious waiting to hear the numbers.
“Nineteen hundred confirmed kills and eleven hundred sustained moderate to heavy damage,” replied Commander Sutherland. “Our own losses are four hundred and seventeen heavy dreadnoughts and nearly three thousand battlecruisers. After the initial engagement many of the Eternal vessels began targeting the AI ships.”
Hailey bit her lip. That was over four thousand crewmembers who had died on the heavy dreadnoughts. With great sadness she knew they would not be the last. “Pull us back to the Dyson Sphere. It’s time to see what its weapons can do. Lieutenant Sparks, send Rear Admiral Cross all the information on this latest battle. Tell him to prepare his fleet as we’re pulling back. Also, put me in contact with Maklyn.” Maklyn was the Originator military AI in command of the defenses of the Dyson Sphere.
“He’s on your comm,” replied Sparks after a moment.
“You’ve seen the results of the battle so far?” Hailey asked.
“Yes,” Maklyn replied. “You
have done well. I would recommend you bring your surviving fleet inside the Shrieel and let us handle what remains of the Eternal fleet.”
“Can you handle a fleet that large?”
“We believe so,” Maklyn replied. “It depends how effective our primary weapon will be.”
Hailey knew he was referring to the deadly blue energy spheres. She just hoped he was right in being able to handle the remaining Eternal vessels. Her fleet was in no shape for another major engagement.
-
Fleet Commander Norlan studied the fleet damage report on one of the command consoles. Nearly two thousand Eternal battlecruisers had been destroyed or were out of commission. There were also hundreds of others severely damaged and barely operational. However, he still had a solid core of over eleven thousand warships fully combat capable. While the losses had been heavy the enemy were now in full retreat toward the Shrieel.
“How many of their ships did we destroy?” Norlan could tell from looking at the tactical display there were considerably fewer enemy vessels showing than before.
“In the two battles we have annihilated nearly four thousand of their warships,” replied Second Commander Telan. “We’ve destroyed nearly half of their large vessels. It is obvious their retreat toward the Shrieel indicates they no longer believe they can defeat us in a fleet battle. They must have believed the use of the small drones would destroy our fleet. When that failed they realized the truth that we cannot be defeated. The Shrieel is now ours for the taking.”
Fleet Commander Norlan was not so certain. There was no way to know the strength of the weapons on the hull of the Shrieel. “Send Fleet Commander Solten ahead. We will follow two hundred thousand kilometers behind. That will allow us to gauge the strength of the Shrieel’s defenses and what weapons they may use against us.” Norlan preferred to err on the side of caution. He was not an Eternal fleet commander due to foolish thinking.
The Originator Wars: Search for the Lost: A Lost Fleet Novel Page 16
