The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness

by Raymond L. Weil

  Going inside, Jeremy saw Mikow and Andram were already there as well as Shilum. On the table in front of them was a shiny silver object in the shape of a saucer approximately one meter across.

  “Is that it?” asked Jeremy, striding across the room to stand and gaze at the device. He noticed some burn marks and there were several large dents on its exterior.

  “Yes,” answered Andram, standing up. “We’ve examined it very thoroughly. Its transmitter has also been disabled.”

  “Then it was transmitting a signal?” Jeremy asked with a feeling of dread.

  “Yes,” Andram confirmed. “On a seldom used hyperspace frequency we were unable to detect until we realized what this was.”

  Before Jeremy could say anything else, Rear Admiral Barnes came rushing into the room. “I was at the spaceport on Gaia when I heard the news. Is that the transmitter?” She walked over and gazed with distaste at the object in front of Jeremy.

  “Yes,” Jeremy answered. He turned back toward Andram. “Is there any possibility its signal could reach through the nebula that surrounds us?”

  “I doubt it,” replied Andram, shaking his head. “Its transmitter isn’t powerful enough.”

  “Do the Simulins know we’re in this nebula?” asked Rear Admiral Marks, who had just arrived along with the Command AI. The nebula was quite large and if the Simulins didn’t know Gaia’s exact location it could take them awhile to locate the planet.

  “I’m guessing the Simulins only know the general direction the Distant Horizon was traveling,” the Alton scientist answered. His forehead creased in thought as he continued. “The signal could only be transmitted each time the ship dropped out of hyperspace. The signal would have to be triangulated to determine where the ship was heading. Not an easy task, but certainly possible with the number of ships the Simulins have available to them.”

  “I have placed half of my AI fleet on alert,” the Command AI confirmed. The globe of energy above its cube seemed to glow brighter. “I have spoken to several of my science AIs and they feel it unlikely the Simulins will find us anytime soon. It will take time to triangulate the signal and explore all the surrounding stars. The nebula will be one of the last places they will look.”

  “But they’ll come eventually,” Admiral Cleeteus said, his face creasing in a frown. “When they find no trace of us at the nearby stars, their attention will turn to the nebula.”

  Jeremy sat down, deeply concerned. The defenses around Gaia were pretty powerful. When added to the ships he currently had at his disposal he doubted if the Simulins could take the planet. However, it might be extremely costly to hold the planet against the Simulins in a major fleet battle. He could order an evacuation of Gaia, the only problem was, where would they go? The Simulins had a strong hold on the Triangulum Galaxy. With a deep sigh, he knew this was going to be a very tumultuous meeting. They were going to have to make some very important decisions and quickly.

  -

  Several days later Jeremy was on the surface of Gaia in New Eden, walking alongside General McGown down one of the busy streets of the small city.

  “I would recommend bringing more Marines down from the orbiting ships,” McGown said as they stopped to watch a group of civilians going into a small restaurant.

  “Station them in New Eden and Clements?” asked Jeremy. He didn’t know how the civilian populations of the two cities would take to having a large number of Marines patrolling the city streets.

  “We can set up some barracks on the outside of the cities,” suggested McGown. “I can assure you we can keep our presence minimal. However, if the Simulins attack we can spread out across the cities and be ready for combat quickly.”

  “Nearly everyone in the cities are former military,” Jeremy said as they crossed the street and continued down the other side. It was nearly lunchtime and there were a lot of people out on the streets going to the various eating establishments. “They’re used to seeing people in uniform, but they came down to the planet to get away from that.”

  “Better than having to face scavenger robots on their own,” McGown pointed out.

  “We should prepare them,” Jeremy said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll make a general announcement there might be an impending Simulin attack. They have a right to know what might be ahead of us.”

  McGown stopped and gestured to the street next to them. It was a wide two-lane street with a number of electric cars and a few small delivery trucks passing by. “We made all of the streets in both cities a little larger than normal. It won’t take us long to disperse our troops when the time comes. There are small bomb shelters beneath every home and business. Once we sound the alarms, the city streets should clear quickly. If the Simulins land any of those scavenger robots of theirs, we’ll take care of them.”

  Jeremy nodded. He wished he could think of someway to keep the Simulins out of the nebula, but he had no idea at the moment as to what could be done. He had a team working on it. Several Altons scientists had a wild idea about increasing the density of the hydrogen cloud around Gaia’s star system to make hyperspace travel impossible. They were talking about building some type of gravity generating satellites to deploy in a distant orbit around Gaia’s star, which would slowly draw the hydrogen gas in around them making it too dense to allow a ship to travel in hyperspace. Jeremy just wasn’t sure they would have the time to enact such a daring plan.

  “We’re not certain how the Simulins land their scavenger robots,” Jeremy said as the general led him to where a small military vehicle was waiting. As they got inside Jeremy looked over at McGown. “We don’t know if they land a vessel or have some type of landing pod that comes crashing down to the surface releasing its cargo.”

  “We have defensive batteries around the three bases as well as laser turrets around the two cities to take either out,” McGown said in response. “Don’t forget about the fighters and bombers stationed at the bases. They won’t have an easy time getting down to the surface.”

  As the vehicle drove out of the small city, Jeremy had his first clear view of one of the laser turrets the general was referring to. It stood upon a tower twenty meters high with a small dome on top with the barrels of two laser cannons pointed upward.

  “How many of those do you have finished?”

  General McGown ordered the driver to come to a stop and he stepped out, motioning for Jeremy to follow him. “We have twenty-four around New Eden and sixteen encircling Clements.” He led Jeremy over closer to the tower.

  At the base of the tower was a small building housing the controls for the laser turret as well as the four Marines responsible for its operation.

  “The towers will be effective against any scavenger robot that comes within two kilometers of it,” McGown said as they came to a stop near the base of the tower. A tall fence to keep unwanted visitors out surrounded the tower and small control building. “It’s also capable of taking out descending shuttles.”

  Jeremy gazed around at the surrounding countryside. The taller trees had been cut down to give the laser turret a clear field of fire. The area within one hundred meters of the turret was cleared of trees and brush with only a low native grass growing. It was a kilometer to the outskirts of the city of New Eden.

  “Will more Marines be sent to defend the laser towers if the Simulins get into orbit?”

  “Yes,” replied McGown. “Two additional squads of Marines have been assigned to each laser tower if we’re attacked.” He gestured to several short three-meter tall concrete walls with firing slits. “Their duty will be to help defend the tower from attack while it deals with any threats to the city.” There were half a dozen of the small concrete walls facing out away from the city and the tower.

  “How will all of your Marines be deployed in the result of a massive invasion of scavenger robots?”

  McGown folded his arms across his chest and gazed out toward the outskirts of the city. Even from here, there were vehicles visible and people could be seen m
oving about. “I have fourteen thousand Marines on the surface now and I plan on bringing down six thousand more from our orbiting ships. As soon as a Simulin fleet is detected, we’ll deploy troops around our three military bases as well as a solid cordon around New Eden and Clements. If the Simulins land scavenger robots they’ll hit a solid line of Marines with armor piercing rounds and explosive charges to take them out. Some Marines will also be assigned to patrolling the city streets in case a few scavengers get past or overrun our positions.”

  “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” Jeremy commented. He didn’t even want to think about the consequences of scavenger robots getting loose in the cities. “Let’s go check out the three military bases. Also how is the underground Command Center coming?”

  “It’s finished,” General McGown replied with a pleased look upon his face. “Even the defensive and offensive weapons are installed.”

  “I want a tour of it while I’m here on Gaia,” Jeremy said. He was deeply concerned that shortly they might need the Marines on Gaia, and their readiness could very well determine if they could hold the planet and keep the two cities safe.

  “I’ll arrange it,” McGown answered with a nod. They went back to the waiting vehicle and were soon speeding down the road to the newest Marine base, the one to which Major Brace Caulder had been assigned.

  -

  Kelsey and Katie were over on the Clan Protector speaking with Karalle and Malith. Since the arrival of the Distant Horizon, the four had spent a lot of time together.

  “So, are the two of you going down to the planet to start families?” asked Katie. She knew the Bears preferred large families and the females normally married quite young.

  “Not immediately,” Malith replied, her large eyes focusing on Katie. “A few of our females went down to Gaia almost immediately. There were over four hundred of us on the Clan Protector when we made the transit to this galaxy. It was a great honor for us to be allowed to participate in the defense of our planet as well as the war against the Hocklyns and the AIs.”

  “It would be a violation of that honor if all of us went down to Gaia to begin families,” Karalle continued. “For the time being a few of us will remain on the Clan Protector, though we realize because of our numbers at some point in time it will be wise for all of us to go down to Gaia so the size of our clan can grow as quickly as possible.”

  “What about the two of you?” asked Malith. Malith was a little taller than Kelsey and her deep brown fur almost seemed to glisten in the steady lights of the shipyard.

  Kelsey flushed slightly. She and Jeremy had only briefly discussed children. It was something they wanted someday but they both realized it might not be for quite some time. “Eventually,” she confessed. “I would like at least two, a boy and a girl, but my duties for now are on the Distant Horizon.”

  “Same here,” Katie said with a smile. “Kevin and I have talked about kids and I want at least three!”

  Malith laughed. “Carethian families normally have five or six offspring. When the Hocklyns took over our planet, they reduced the allowed size of our families. For many years we were only allowed one child and under special circumstances, two.”

  “Katie, I have some computer questions,” Karalle said. “Would you mind helping me at my console? We have some updates the Altons have added to our systems and I’m not happy with the way our computers are functioning.”

  “I would be glad to,” Katie replied. Karalle was actually quite good with computers, but sometimes the Altons seemed to forget not everyone were computer geniuses.

  Malith and Kelsey watched the other two walk off across the Command Center to Karalle’s station.

  “Karalle was due to mate with a young officer once we returned from the galactic center,” Malith said with a look of sadness in her eyes. “They have been planning their joining since they were very young.”

  “Childhood sweethearts,” murmured Kelsey in understanding.

  “You could say that,” Malith answered. “It has been hard on Karalle being separated from Slanarde.” Malith then turned toward Kelsey with an intense look in her eyes. “The tracking device embedded inside the Distant Horizon, do you think the Simulins will find us and if they do, what will happen?”

  “Gaia’s pretty powerfully defended,” replied Kelsey. “We have the AI fleet, Fourth Fleet, Grayseth’s fleet and the Alton fleet to defend it. The Simulins would have to jump in with a truly massive force to get down to the planet. Jeremy will never allow that to happen.”

  “I know he won’t,” Malith replied somberly. “But what happens afterward? What if they jump in fleet after fleet; what happens then?”

  Kelsey was silent for a long moment. Malith was right. Even if they could handily defeat the first attack, there would be more. “The Altons are working on a possible solution to prevent the Simulins from jumping in.”

  Jeremy had mentioned to her the gravity generators the Altons were trying to develop. It was a long shot, but they couldn’t have Simulin fleets jumping in every few days or even every few weeks. Eventually they would wear down the defenses and the fleets until they could assault the planet. Once that happened, it would all be over.

  “I hope they come up with something,” Malith responded, her large eyes growing even wider. “At least here we have a planet to live on and a possible future.”

  -

  Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes was looking at the current status report of the repairs on the Distant Horizon. She let out a deep breath as she realized everything that still needed to be done.

  “We were lucky,” commented Commander Grissim, seeing what Kathryn was studying. “Another few minutes and we would have lost the ship.”

  “It might still be that bad if the Simulins manage to trace us,” Kathryn answered with a deep sigh. She felt bad the Simulins had managed to place a tracking device upon her ship.

  “It will take them time to gather the ships they’ll need to mount an attack,” Andram said as he stood up from his science console. “They may know we’re in this nebula, but it’s a pretty sizable one, and it will take them a while to locate us. We should have some warning of their arrival.”

  “What about your research?” Kathryn asked. She knew Andram had been going over the information they had downloaded from the archive computers at Astral, information the AIs had garnered from countless worlds.

  “There are some intriguing possibilities,” Andram said as he considered what he’d discovered. “My fellow scientists on board the four Alton science vessels are working on a method to use gravity generators to pull in enough of the hydrogen gas in the nebula to make jumping into the Gaia System impossible.”

  “Wouldn’t that protect us?” asked Kathryn. Jeremy had briefed her about that line of research.

  “It would cause the Simulin ships to drop violently out of hyperspace, possibly damaging or even destroying them. However, we have to assume they have sensors as good as ours and would detect the increased hydrogen density before striking it. They would then drop out of hyperspace and proceed toward us on their sublight drives. It might take them a few extra days, but they would eventually arrive here.”

  “Then what are we going to do?” asked Commander Grissim.

  Andram smiled and pointed toward his science console. “I think I have found a possible solution in the information we downloaded at Astral. I need to speak to Shilum and Mikow as well as a few other Altons on the science vessels, but it may offer a solution.”

  Kathryn knew they had downloaded a tremendous amount of data the scientists at Astral, as well as Andram, thought might come in useful. She wondered what he’d found.

  “What is it?” she asked, burning with curiosity.

  “Not yet,” responded Andram, shaking his head. “Let me make sure what I’ve discovered is feasible. If it is, then it will change everything and will ensure Gaia remains safe.”

  “Very well,” Kathryn replied with a deep sigh. “Just keep me posted.”

/>   Andram nodded and then left the Command Center to fly over to one of the science vessels.

  “Altons and their science,” muttered Commander Grissim as she stared at the now empty seat at Andram’s science console. “Why do I feel this will be something mind shattering when he finally tells us?”

  “Because he’s an Alton,” Kathryn answered with wry smile. “They always figure out ways to do the impossible.”

  “I hope so,” responded Anne, turning to face the admiral. “If Andram and his Alton friends don’t come through this time, then I fear our stay in this nebula and on Gaia might be very short. I’m afraid it won’t be long before the Simulins find us.”

  Kathryn nodded, knowing Commander Grissim was right. She hoped she and her crew hadn’t come all this way to find the Lost Fleets only to see them destroyed. Of course if the Lost Fleets were destroyed, then in all probability, so would the Distant Horizon.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Inside the Dyson Sphere, the Simulins were preparing for an invasion. A massive fleet of seventeen hundred-meter battlecruisers, eleven hundred-meter support cruisers, and one thousand-meter conqueror drone ships were assembling. In the harsh glare of the blue giant, the waiting ships hovered far above a gap in the sphere where an intergalactic vortex would be established. Inside the Dyson Sphere, it was necessary for all ships to continually operate their energy shields due to the intense radiation generated by the star. Massive energy collectors adorned its surface, converting the radiation of the star into energy, enough energy to continuously power eight intergalactic vortexes.

  The Simulins had found the first Dyson Sphere nearly ten thousand years previously. The science and technology required to build the massive structure was far in advance of anything the Simulins ever thought possible. The Grand Council sent numerous exploration ships to the sphere to study it. It took generations, but enough was eventually learned to allow them to operate the intergalactic vortex generators. When their heavily armed exploration ships went through, the crews were astonished at what they found. There was a massive network of Dyson Spheres spread across numerous galaxies all connected by intergalactic vortexes.