The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators: A Slaver Wars Novel

by Raymond L. Weil

  “How do we say no?” asked Andram with great concern in his voice. “The Dominator has the firepower to destroy our entire fleet as well as Gaia.”

  “We have to make Kazak believe we’re making progress on a cure for the Originator pathogen.”

  Andram stared hard and long at Jeremy. “How do we do that? Kazak watches all of our research on the Dominator. He would know if we were giving him incorrect data.”

  “Not necessarily,” commented ZED. The energy ball above his cube grew brighter and small flashes of energy could be seen around it. “We can submit results that show we have learned of a possible method to destroy the pathogen.”

  “What?” said Andram, looking startled. “There is no such possible method.”

  “But there is,” ZED responded. “It’s been there all along.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Andram, looking confused. “What have we overlooked?”

  ZED floated over until the AI was hovering next to Andram.

  “The repair nanites.”

  Andram looked as if he had been slapped across the face. “We never considered using them,” he said in a stunned voice. “You’re suggesting we create a new line of nanites capable of being injected into a host body and programmed to seek out and destroy the Originator pathogen?”

  “Precisely,” ZED replied.

  “But wouldn’t the Originators have tried that?” asked Jeremy. He couldn’t imagine them overlooking using the nanites.

  Andram looked thoughtful. “There’s no record of it in the medical files on the Dominator. It’s possible it was done somewhere on one of their Dyson Spheres and failed. My race has experimented with nanites in the past and has a decent amount of knowledge of what they’re capable of. They’re even used in some medical procedures.”

  “It may buy us some time even if we can’t find a cure,” Jeremy said after a moment. “ZED, can you work with Andram on using these nanites against the pathogen?”

  “Or course, Admiral,” ZED responded. “I can begin immediately.”

  “It will take time,” Andram said. Nanite technology is highly complicated and the nanites we’re talking about creating will be the size of a microbe. Research such as this normally takes years of intensive work.”

  Jeremy was about to ask Andram and ZED another question when his mini-comm interrupted him. “Go ahead,” he said, tapping the small instrument in his left ear.

  “Admiral, the Star Defender has returned,” reported Lieutenant Preston. He was filling in for Commander Malen while she was over on the Dominator.

  “So soon?” Jeremy said, growing worried. “What’s the condition of Admiral Sithe’s fleet?”

  “That’s the problem,” Preston replied uneasily. “Only the Star Defender, one of the Alton battleships and three of the Gaia class battlecruisers returned. Admiral Sithe reports all other ships were lost in a battle with the Simulins.”

  Jeremy’s face turned pale. He hadn’t expected such losses to any of his patrol fleets. It seemed to indicate the Simulins still had a major presence in the sector surrounding Gaia.

  “Inform Admiral Sithe I will be returning to Gaia later this afternoon and will be expecting a full report from him on his engagement with the Simulins.”

  “Yes, Admiral,” Preston replied.

  Jeremy leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. It was obvious the patrol strategy would have to be modified.

  “Problems?” asked Andram, seeing the concerned look on Jeremy’s face.

  “The Star Defender and her fleet have just returned. It seems they lost a lot of ships.”

  “Then we’re returning to Gaia shortly?”

  “Yes,” answered Jeremy. “I will inform Kazak his tour will have to be cut short. We can return later if need be. When we return, I want you and ZED to begin working on these nanites. Do it on one of the Alton science vessels, and for the time being we won’t inform Kazak of what we’re doing. If he tries to force the issue of a cure then we will reveal the possibility of using some type of medical nanites against the Originator pathogen.”

  Jeremy wanted to talk to Admiral Sithe. While it was true the Simulins had suffered some significant losses, they still had a massive fleet. If they were attempting to move back into the sector around the nebula with major fleet units, then what did that mean for Admiral Jackson out at Ornellia? He just hoped the reinforcing fleet he had sent would be enough if the Simulins were once more on the move.

  Chapter Eight

  Reesa Jast was in her quarters on the Distant Horizon. She knew that shortly the exploration dreadnought would be dropping out of hyperspace in the Triangulum Galaxy. When this adventure had started, she had never dreamed she would end up so far from home. With a deep sigh, she turned off the computer on her workstation. She had been working hard trying to create a log of everything she had experienced and discovered about the Originators. If she ever made it back home, she had enough information to write dozens of papers and form the basis of countless lectures on the Originators and their culture.

  Of even more interest had been the information Leeda had furnished on the Dominator and the Originators who had been a part of its crew. The Dominator was the largest and most powerful warship the Originators had ever built, even larger than the Distant Horizon. Its crew, including the scientists and their research assistants had numbered over six thousand. Of even greater interest was the fact the families of the crew were allowed to go on the ship. This seemed to indicate the Originators in the black matter Dyson Sphere did not expect the scientists on the ship to find a cure in time to save them.

  She was also curious about some of the research that had been carried out on the ship. A major portion of it had nothing to do with the pathogen but instead had been weapons research. With their empire dying, why would the Originators want more powerful weapons? She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. Was it possible the Originator AIs wanted Kazak and the Dominator for another reason other than reviving the sleeping scientists and the children in the stasis chambers? She had a nagging feeling something wasn’t right.

  “How is your research coming along?” a voice from behind her asked. Reesa knew without turning around that it was Clarissa. Since the Distant Horizon had entered the intergalactic vortex, she had become friends with the ship’s AI. She was surprised how Human Clarissa seemed to be.

  “Slowly; the background information Leeda furnished me on the crew of the Dominator is breathtaking. They had scientists from other Dyson Spheres included on the mission. It was the greatest gathering of scientists in the history of the Originators. Not even in their war against the Anti-Life had there been such a gathering.”

  Clarissa was silent and then spoke. “I spoke to Kazak about the Anti-Life. He said it was in the Originators’ distant past and the war had threatened our entire universe. He also mentioned that someday in the future the Anti-Life might return. When I asked for more details about the war and what had happened, he refused to furnish them. He said it was Originator history and I shouldn’t be concerned about it.”

  Reesa nodded. “It’s strange Leeda included information about the war and the Anti-life. I wonder why she did that?”

  “May I see the information?” asked Clarissa. “I don’t have access to the part of the ship’s computer the information is stored in.”

  “Can you access my workstation?” asked Reesa. She trusted Clarissa. She had heard many stories about the fabulous AI who had existed since before the beginning of the current Human Federation of Worlds.

  “Yes,” Clarissa answered as she closed her eyes and seemed to focus. After a moment she opened them and looked intently at Reesa. “Don’t mention to Leeda or any of the other Originator AIs that you allowed me to access this information. I need time to assimilate it and see how it applies to Kazak and the Dominator. Currently I estimate there is a 74 percent probability that the Originator AIs are more interested in Kazak and the Dominator than saving those who may be in stasis on
board.”

  Leesa felt bewildered at hearing this pronouncement. “I thought this entire mission was about saving those Originators so they can begin a new Originator race.”

  Clarissa slowly shook her head. “No, after a quick review of the information Leeda gave you I’m convinced they’re more interested in recovering Kazak, the Dominator, and the military research that was conducted.”

  “Do you think all the AIs are in on this?” Leesa was worried as she liked Leeda. Even Sible was interesting and entertaining to be around.

  “No,” Clarissa replied. “Leeda and several more are truly interested in saving the Originators on board the Dominator. However, Camlin and many of the others may have a hidden agenda.”

  “I won’t say anything,” promised Reesa. “Should I ask Leeda any questions?”

  Clarissa shook her head. “No. I strongly suspect the other AIs don’t know all of the information Leeda gave you. It’s evident she wanted you to find this discrepancy on the research being done on the Dominator and inform me about it. Now that I know, I’ll keep a closer watch on the Originator AIs on this ship. I also want to inspect the new core computer they installed. I don’t want there to be any hidden surprises when this ship goes into battle.”

  “Are you going to tell Rear Admiral Barnes?” Reesa asked, her tone betraying her concern.

  “Once I’ve studied the data in more detail I may have to in order to ensure our own safety. We still have a large number of Marines on board, and they should be able to handle the Originator AIs if necessary.”

  “They won’t kill them, will they?” gasped Reesa in alarm.

  “No, not if they can help it,” replied Clarissa. “I think they could be stunned and placed in detention if necessary. I hope that it won’t come to that. I’ll keep you informed. Now let’s discuss the Originators who may be in stasis on the Dominator.”

  -

  Clarissa was using her holographic imager. The ship was so big it was impossible for her to be everywhere at once. Often times she simply stayed in her quarters and used the holographic imagers to carry out her job routine. The only exception was that she served an eighty-hour duty stint in the Command Center each day with her AI body. During her off-duty hours, she lay on the bed in her quarters scanning the ship for possible problems and using the holographic imagers to appear wherever needed. She had taken a liking to Reesa and was highly interested in the research the young Alton woman was doing. The information she had just furnished about the research being done on the Dominator and the war with the Anti-Life was disconcerting.

  “If there are Originators in the central compartment on the Dominator, how many are there?” Clarissa wanted to gather as much information as possible to better determine the motives of the Originator AIs.

  Reesa stood up and folded her arms across her chest. “Kazak was programmed to support the crew and do everything in his power to see to their survival. They would have worked on their research until the very end. I suspect the last few scientists would have been put in stasis and most of the children.”

  “How many children were there?”

  “That’s the big question,” Reesa said. “The original children on the ship probably grew up and perished from the disease. However, there’s a good possibility others might have been born during the mission. Those are the ones that might be in stasis.”

  “How many stasis chambers are on the Dominator?”

  “From the information that Leeda gave me, there are three hundred and ten chambers.”

  Clarissa thought this over. In all of her discussions with Kazak, he had never mentioned the stasis chambers or any military research being carried out on the ship. It worried Clarissa that he had failed to confide this information to her. She thought he had trusted her, particularly after giving her the codes to activate the intergalactic vortex that took them to the Originator Communication and Transport Hub.

  “You spoke with Kazak quite often,” Reesa said. “What did he seem like to you?”

  “Very complex. Sometimes he was extremely polite. But I always got the sense there was a hidden and perhaps dark side to his nature.”

  Reesa nodded. “I wish I knew more but the information Leeda has given me is very sparse when it comes to Kazak. However, from studying the crew information so far, he will be very determined to find a cure for the Originators in the stasis chambers. So determined that he could be dangerous.”

  Clarissa reminded silent. This was what she feared. Katie and the others might be in grave danger from the Originator AI. It was essential they return to Gaia as soon as possible. Even Ariel might be in peril. However, first she wanted to find out if there was a hidden agenda on the part of the Originator AIs on the Distant Horizon. Their return to the Triangulum Galaxy had just gotten much more complex.

  “When we’re through with the shakedown part of our current mission, I will do everything I can to encourage Rear Admiral Barnes to return to Gaia as soon as possible. I greatly fear we might be running out of time. We must do nothing to cause the Originator AIs to become aware that we know something is amiss.”

  “I will speak to Kelnor and Leeda about Kazak tomorrow,” Reesa said. “Perhaps I can get Leeda to tell me more about the military AI. I won’t mention anything else.”

  “Be careful,” cautioned Clarissa. “I must return to my duties. One of the engineers is attempting to activate a bank of newly installed Originator equipment and from the confused look on his face I’m not sure he understands what he’s doing.” With that Clarissa vanished from Reesa’s quarters.

  -

  Reesa let out a deep sigh. She knew Clarissa and the remaining Altons on the ship were being pushed to their limits to teach the Humans how to operate the advanced Originator technology. Reesa just hoped they learned quickly enough and didn’t press the wrong button and accidently destroy or seriously damage the ship. Fortunately there were a few Originator AIs on board assisting whenever and wherever they were needed. What now worried Reesa was how far the Originator AIs could be trusted.

  -

  Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes had returned to the Command Center as it was nearing time for the exploration dreadnought to drop out of hyperspace close to Ornellia. They would arrive twenty light years distant and begin drills. For the first few days it would be damage control and learning where everything was on the ship. Then they would progress to testing the ship’s weapons. She wanted her crew to be familiar with what happened anytime one of the new weapon systems was activated. Fortunately her crew was well trained and she expected them to respond quickly to the drills, becoming more at ease with using the new Originator technology that was prominent throughout the ship.

  “Five minutes until dropout,” Sible reported calmly. “All hyperdrive systems are operating normally.”

  “Sensors?”

  “Hard to say,” Captain Reynolds responded with a frown. “We’re traveling so fast most of the readings are meaningless.”

  “Commander Grissim, take the ship to Condition One just in case we drop out near any Simulins.”

  Almost instantly klaxons began sounding, and red lights started flashing.

  “Activate the viewscreen.” Kathryn had to prepare herself as she was suddenly surrounded by rampaging colors of purple on three sides. If anything, the tumult in hyperspace was even more pronounced than before.

  “Ship is functioning within designated parameters,” Clarissa added. “I’ve been monitoring the long-range sensors since we entered the Triangulum Galaxy. I have recorded the possible locations of over sixty inhabited planets as well as what appears to be a large number of spacecraft that are not Simulin in the outer regions.”

  “You can understand this?” said Captain Reynolds, pointing at his sensor screen that seemed to be a jumble of information.

  “Yes, Captain,” replied Clarissa. “I’m recording all the data and then playing it back at a slower speed.”

  “The sensors will work fine at normal hyperspace speeds
,” Jolban informed them as he walked from station to station keeping an eye on the crew making sure they understood what they were seeing on their screens.

  “Hyperspace dropout in two minutes,” said Sible as she made some small adjustments to her navigation console.

  “Crew is at Condition One,” reported Commander Grissim.

  Kathryn felt anxious. They were about to drop out of hyperspace in the Triangulum Galaxy. After a few weeks of drills, she intended to pay a visit to Ornellia to see if anyone had survived. As soon as that was done, she planned to head back to Gaia and confront Kazak. She had spent several sleepless nights thinking about how to handle the Originator AI. Clarissa was still certain she could reason with him. Both Leeda and Camlin had voiced concerns over the military AI’s programming and not being willing to turn the Originators over. There was a danger that as soon as he spotted the Distant Horizon and realized the upgrades to the ship were of Originator design he might take the Dominator and flee. If that happened, then Kathryn would have no choice but to pursue the Dominator and attempt to disable it.

  “Dropout,” called out Sible with a hint of excitement in her voice.

  Kathryn felt a wrenching sensation as if she was being turned inside out. For a moment intense nausea flooded over her. Taking several deep breaths, she fought it off. Around her, the massive viewscreen was suddenly full of stars. She heard several of the command crew groaning loudly.

  “Sorry about that,” said Sible, looking embarrassed. “We had to use the ship’s drive to bring us back into normal space, so the disorientation is much more pronounced than what it would have been if we had come out through a hyperspace vortex in one of the Shrieels.”

  “I didn’t notice any lack of response time on the viewscreen when we exited hyperspace,” Kathryn said. Normally on exiting hyperspace, it took a ship’s systems several long seconds to begin functioning.