-
In Secondary Engineering, Second Engineer Branson was watching as the power meters indicating the energy output from the fusion reactor continued to climb.
“It’s nearly in the red,” one of the other engineers warned. “We’ll begin losing power couplings shortly.”
“We need the power for the energy screen,” Branson said as his fingers flew over the engineering console as he made minor adjustments trying to keep the reactor online.
A sudden explosion suddenly shook the compartment and a bright flash of light momentarily blinded Branson as several consoles erupted in bright sparks.
“The compartment next to us is open to space!” screamed a technician, who was standing near the sealed metal hatch. “This hatch won’t hold long.”
“Put on your emergency gear!” yelled Branson as he reached for the Alton environmental suit that was hanging on a nearby wall.
The fifteen crew personnel in the engineering compartment rushed to comply when another explosion shook the vessel, causing the hatch to buckle and then blow out. Everyone in the compartment was sucked out into space. They died instantly.
-
“Secondary Engineering is down,” called out the damage control officer. “Fusion reactor two is going offline.”
“Hyperdrive?” asked Commander Waylon with a sinking feeling, knowing the only way to save his ship was to flee.
“Nonfunctional,” Vishane answered evenly.
“Energy shield is down to 6 percent,” reported Tactical. “It will fail momentarily.”
Commander Waylon released his safety harness and stood. “It’s been an honor,” he said, gazing steadfastly at his crew.
A few seconds later, a Shari twenty-megaton nuclear warhead detonated and the Nebula’s Fury succumbed to the deadly nuclear energy consuming her.
-
“Nebula’s Fury is down,” reported Captain Davis grim-faced. “The Shari are focusing nearly their entire fleet’s weapons fire on just one of our ships at a time.”
“No ship can survive that type of attack,” spoke Commander Arnett.
“How long until the scans are complete?”
“They’re finished,” answered Davis, glancing over at the admiral.
Race felt the WarHawk shudder slightly. However, that wasn’t his biggest concern. On one of the viewscreens, the Federation battleship Barbarossa was now the focus of the Shari attack.
“All ships, immediate withdrawal,” Race ordered over his minicomm. “Corvus and Trieste will remain behind with the WarHawk to give the Barbarossa covering fire.”
“Ships are leaving,” confirmed Captain Davis.
“Commander Arnett, move us closer to the Barbarossa.”
Race looked at the large viewscreen now showing the heavily besieged battleship. Even as he watched, he saw a Shari energy beam penetrate the ship’s screen and blast out a huge glowing pit on the bow of the vessel. Race grimaced. He felt like he had a front row seat to a disaster he couldn’t prevent.
“Barbarossa is attempting to activate their hyperdrive,” Colonel Cowel reported. “However, they have too much of the ship’s energy dedicated to the energy screen trying to keep it up. They don’t have enough power for the hyperdrive.”
On a secondary viewscreen, Race saw a Shari support cruiser explode under the punishing fire of the Corvus. Moments later, a Shari battlecruiser died when an antimatter missile from the Trieste penetrated its energy shield.
Suddenly the Barbarossa seemed to shake uncontrollably and then it exploded as four Shari twenty-megaton sublight nuclear missiles detonated against her hull. When the light faded away, the proud Human battleship was gone.
“Barbarossa is down,” confirmed Captain Davis, his face ashen.
“All ships withdraw,” ordered Race, feeling shaken. Even as he gave the order, he saw another Shari support cruiser explode, sending debris in all directions as the WarHawk blew it apart.
“Hyperdrive activated,” reported the helm officer.
On the massive viewscreen, Race saw a swirling blue-white vortex appear. Moments later the WarHawk entered the anomaly and was on her way to the rest of the fleet.
-
It was three hours later, and the WarHawk and the rest of the task group were back under the defensive screen. They had lost two battleships to get the information on what the Shari were doing on the far side of the Dyson Sphere. Race was in his quarters sitting behind his desk wondering if it had been worth it. The crews of the Nebula’s Fury and the Barbarossa had died in the battle above the location where the Shari were placing their nuclear explosive charges.
He had spoken briefly with Alshan about what the Shari were doing and sent all the data they’d gathered over to the science ship the Alton was on. After reviewing the data, Alshan had informed Race that if the Shari detonated the nuclear charges they could be endangering all of the ships in the system. There was no way to determine how the Dyson Sphere would respond to such an attack. After much discussion, Race had agreed to send a short message to the Shari warning them of what could happen if they set off the charges. There had been no response back. Alshan had also reported that the Shari nuclear charges would not even scratch the surface of the Dyson Sphere.
Sitting at his desk, Race looked at the long list of crew names of the Humans who had been on the Barbarossa and the Humans and Altons on the Nebula’s Fury. The list had over four thousand names on it. That was four thousand families who would have to be notified of the deaths of their loved ones when and if the fleet managed to return home. With a deep sigh, Race knew he was in for another sleepless night. He also knew there would be more deaths in the future.
-
Inside the Dyson Sphere, Kelnor was standing on the small hill examining his equipment. With a deep frown, he saw that several small electronic devices had been attached. “What are these?” he asked suspiciously, turning to face Reesa. “What have you done?”
Reesa let out a deep breath, knowing she couldn’t keep the communications device a secret. As it was, it had been broadcasting a signal into the city for almost two full days. “I had to try something. We can’t survive in this valley forever.”
Kelnor turned back around and without another word, disconnected the broadcasting equipment, dropping it to the ground. He then stomped on it with his foot, destroying it. “You were trained better,” admonished the older Alton with a deep frown. “If we rush too quickly, we can easily place everyone in grave danger. We have no way to know how the controlling intelligence of the Dyson Sphere will react to our presence.”
Reesa lowered her head, gazing at the ground. She knew Kelnor was right; she had grown too impatient. Looking back up she gazed at the watching Humans, feeling humiliated.
Sergeant Brenda Wilde was listening to the two Altons. It was surprising to her that Reesa had gone against Kelnor’s wishes. It seemed as if she was learning something new about the Altons every day.
“A shame it didn’t work,” said Corporal Metz, looking toward the city. He picked up a rock and threw it at the energy screen. With shock, he watched as it fell and hit the ground on the other side.
“What just happened?” Reesa cried out, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Corporal Metz walked forward several meters to where the energy shield had been. He stepped right across, meeting no resistance.
“It’s down!” exclaimed Reesa, rushing forward excitedly. “It must have been the communications signal I sent; it worked!”
Kelnor looked gravely at Reesa and then sighed heavily. “Yes, it apparently did. It was still a dangerous risk you took. You must be much more careful in the future. It is not only your life that’s at stake here but all of ours.”
“Now what do we do?” asked Corporal Metz as he stepped back over to where the others were standing.
Kelnor was silent for a long moment and then looked over at Reesa. “We explore the city and just maybe, we can find a way back out.”
“Not quite y
et,” Sergeant Wilde said, looking at the others. “Let’s return to camp and pack everything up. We need to move out of the valley in case the energy shield comes back. Once everyone is safely across, we’ll talk about exploring the city.”
Reesa looked toward the Originator City feeling the blood rush through her veins. She had done it! Now her dream of exploring the city was about to become a reality. She couldn’t wait to see what she would find. Her eyes moved to the tall towers and the slim walkways which connected them. In her pocket, she could feel the Originator key. It felt strangely warm and even seemed to be vibrating slightly. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. The city and all of its mysteries awaited them.
Chapter Seven
Jeremy was inside the Originator ship Dominator speaking to Kazak. The Avenger and her fleet had just returned from the blue-giant nebula without any further incidents. Jeremy suspected Grayseth was disappointed as there had been no combat with Simulin ships. The lack of combat with the Simulins didn’t bother Jeremy, as there would be plenty of battles in the future.
Kazak had been silent as he listened to Jeremy explain what was happening at the site of the former Dyson Sphere. “The radiation close to the supernova is tremendous,” Jeremy said in a grim voice. “From what Andram and Shilum could determine, the dark matter which once surrounded the Dyson Sphere has disrupted space-time in the vicinity of the nova and the lower bands of hyperspace have been compromised. The radiation front is moving outward at a steadily increasing rate and will cause additional stars in the nebula to go nova. Andram believes most will become supernovas.”
“Andram is correct,” Kazak said after a moment. He was standing on the Command Dais with his arms folded across his chest. “Most of the Dyson Spheres built by the Originators did not have dark matter around them for this very reason.”
“So they knew this was a possibility?”
“Yes,” Kazak answered. “The Originators on the Dyson Sphere in this galaxy were conducting experiments with the dark matter to see if they could significantly extend the range of the intergalactic vortexes. They wanted to be able to travel to any galaxy without having to go through six or seven other Dyson Spheres to get to their eventual destination.”
Jeremy weighed what Kazak had just told him. It seemed as if the Originators had known there was a possibility of a disaster if the star the Dyson Sphere orbited ever went nova. He hoped they had come up with a solution in case a disaster did occur.
“Did the Originators have a plan to stop the entire nebula from going nova and becoming a black hole?”
“The Dyson Sphere itself was supposed to contain the nova if it occurred,” Kazak answered. Kazak waved his hand over a control on the dais and on part of the massive viewscreen in the Command Center, the Dyson Sphere and its sun appeared. The sun seemed to contract slightly and then suddenly began to expand rapidly, and when it did an energy field suddenly appeared, protecting the inner surface of the Dyson Sphere. The nova expanded until it contacted the energy shield and then stopped. “The power of the nova itself would provide the necessary energy to sustain the energy shield. However, the Simulins had a number of intergalactic vortexes in operation when the star exploded. As a result, there wasn’t enough energy available to establish the energy shield and contain the nova.”
“Then nothing can be done,” said Jeremy, feeling dejected. If the nova couldn’t be stopped then the entire Triangulum Galaxy was doomed.
Kazak gazed speculatively at Jeremy. This Human in many ways reminded him of the members of his ancient crew. “There may be another way,” he said carefully. “This ship has the capability of producing some very powerful weapons; ones that if focused on a star could easily make it become a nova. I will need to study the data of the Dyson Sphere explosion and the radiation front to see if I can come up with a workable plan.”
Jeremy let out a deep breath. At least there was still a glimmer of hope. “Are you willing to allow the Dominator to become a part of our fleet?”
“Under specific conditions,” answered Kazak. “If I agree to such an arrangement, I will pick my Human commander. I will also want an Alton science officer whom I would like to choose.”
Jeremy looked at Kazak and slowly nodded his head. If that’s what it took to bring the Dominator into the fleet, it would be a small sacrifice to make. “I can live with that. How soon are you prepared to allow an actual crew to come on board and how many will be required?”
Kazak’s pupils seemed to shrink to a minuscule size and he became absolutely still. Then his eyes returned to normal and he answered Jeremy.
“Two hundred and twelve Humans and forty-two Altons. That will be sufficient to operate all essential systems and maintain the ship.”
“That’s all?” Jeremy asked surprised. The Dominator was three times the length of the Avenger and at least ten times the volume.
“Yes,” Kazak answered. “The ship is equipped with internal defensive systems so none of your Marines will be required. The repair robots are capable of maintaining most of the ship’s systems without the need for supervision. Severe damage can be repaired with the use of the ship’s nanites.”
“How soon can the crew come on board?” Jeremy would have felt better if he could place at least one full company of Marines on the Dominator.
“One of your weeks,” answered Kazak. “At that time, I will name the ship’s commander as well as the Alton selected as science officer.”
Jeremy nodded his acceptance. “Welcome to the fleet, Kazak.”
Kazak did not reply but turned away to continue working at a command console, indicating his meeting with Jeremy was over.
-
Two hours later Jeremy was over on the Clan Protector eating in the massive cafeteria that served the thousands of personnel who worked on the massive station or were in the process of passing through it. The Clan Protector served as a construction and repair yard as well as a waypoint for ship crews going to and from Gaia. At any one time, there were well over ten thousand people on the station.
“So, Angela,” Katie said inquisitively. “What’s it like to be pregnant?”
Angela giggled and pushed her wayward brunette hair out of her eyes. “It’s fabulous if I can only get past the morning sickness.”
“What does Brace think of all of this?” asked Katie, her green eyes glowing with curiosity. “Have you picked out a name for the baby; do you know what it’s going to be?”
Angela smiled and leaned back, eyeing her chef salad. She had been eating more since becoming pregnant. Brace had to keep reminding her she was eating for two now. “He’s thrilled,” she answered. “And yes, we know what it’s going to be. It’s a little girl and we’re going to name her Clair after Clarissa.”
Katie’s eyes widened and a tear formed. “Clarissa would have loved that.”
Jeremy looked over at Kevin, noticing he was eating a double cheeseburger with fries. He shook his head and decided to ignore it. Since the arrival of the relief fleets, a number of livestock farms had been established on Gaia and now the food choices were nearly unlimited. Kevin didn’t have to worry about running out of hamburgers, as there were now a number of large herds of cattle on some of the farms and ranches on the planet.
“What does Malith think?” asked Kelsey. She knew her Bear friend would be excited as well. The Bears believed increasing the size of one’s clan was a solemn responsibility.
“As you know, with the arrival of the Carethian relief fleet Karalle’s mate also came,” Angela answered. “Karelle is due to have twins in another month. I believe Malith is also looking for a mate to settle down with.”
“Twins,” Kelsey said, grinning broadly. “I know the Bears like to have big families. It doesn’t surprise me Malith wants to settle down and start her own.”
“It’s part of the clan heritage they believe in,” Jeremy explained as he took a bite of the baked chicken he was eating. “The young are raised in the ways of their clan as soon as they are old enoug
h to be taught. They learn how to hunt, handle responsibility, and the meaning of honor.”
Ariel suddenly appeared next to the table. Even the Clan Protector had been equipped with holo-projectors at her insistence since many of her friends were often on board. “I’ve discovered something, Jeremy,” she began excitedly. Then she glanced over at Angela. “Clarissa would be proud of the name you’ve chosen for your daughter. I can’t wait to teach Clair about her namesake.”
“We’ll discuss that later,” Angela said, shaking her head slightly.
She wasn’t sure how much she wanted Ariel involved with the raising of Clair. It also wasn’t a surprise Ariel had been listening in on their conversation. Over the years the entire group had grown used to Ariel’s constant monitoring.
Jeremy cleared his throat and looked at Ariel. “You said you’ve discovered something?”
“Yes,” replied Ariel, turning her attention back to Jeremy. “Kazak has furnished me with a detailed layout of the Dominator to help train the new crew. There’s a problem with the blueprints.”
“What do you mean?” Jeremy couldn’t imagine Kazak making such a mistake.
“The blueprints look to be complete, but when I ran an analysis of them, there’s an area of slightly over twelve hundred cubic meters that’s missing.”
Jeremy pursed his lips and frowned. “Are you certain you’re not overlooking something?”
“I’m positive,” answered Ariel. “There’s an area in the center of the ship Kazak isn’t telling us about.”
“He’s hiding it,” Kevin said with his eyes narrowing sharply. “I knew we couldn’t trust that AI!”
Jeremy laid his fork down and folded his arms across his chest as he thought over what Aril had just revealed. He had felt from the very beginning that Kazak was hiding something. He harbored a strong suspicion this mysterious compartment might hold the answer.
“Don’t let Kazak know you’ve discovered the discrepancy,” Jeremy ordered. “We’ll play along a while longer and see what else we can find. We don’t know for sure why Kazak left this out of the ship’s plans. It might be an oversight on his part or a section of the ship that’s sealed up for other reasons.”
The Lost Fleet: Genesis: A Slaver Wars Novel Page 11
