OMEGA
Rescue
By: Stephen Arseneault
"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty."
John Adams
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2015 Stephen Arseneault. All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
OMEGA 7 Rescue
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15
Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18
Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21
Chapter 22 Chapter 23 What's Next
Chapter 1
* * *
Jack woke from a slumber. "Man, I feel like I got trampled by a herd of borak."
I said, "You're bruised up. Were they trying to get you to talk?"
Jack shook his head. "They didn't have to try. They had drugs. I'm sure I told them just about everything they wanted to know. However, I did manage to weave in a few tall tales. And they stopped asking before I gave them anything on Joni's suit. Once I started talking about faeries, I think they decided the drugs had gone too far. I would advise that we move from here, though, they know about this place."
I pointed, "The bruises?"
Jack sighed, "That was just the guards deciding they wanted to have some fun. They dumped me in a cell with four Kergans a couple days before you got there. It wasn't a fair fight."
Jack reached up to his mouth. "At least I still have all my teeth."
I said, "What happened to Lieutenant Jefferson?"
Jack shrugged. "When they took us from Gratis they separated us. I haven't seen him since. The fact that you pulled me out of that prison and not him doesn't bode well, but he's both smart and resourceful. If he's out there, he'll try to make himself known."
I nodded. "We also found Gottlieb and Rogers. They were in a similar condition as you. We've moved them in with Harden and the others."
Jack perked up. "Harden?"
I again nodded. "The automated ships have taken over Alpha Prime. Joni asked that we pull her family out. They're currently locked down in the crew section. Much has happened since you were grabbed."
Jack continued, "I seriously think you should move out of this place. They asked a lot of questions about it. I told them about artifacts, so at some point they are going to want to come here."
"Quan?" I said. "How soon before you would be ready to be moved?"
Quan replied, "I was unaware of the need to do so. If it is thought that this planet may be a target, then it would indeed be advisable to move from here. Should I make use of the other portal ship? An analysis shows that my circuits and generators, with a few adjustments, will fit into the docking bay. I will continue working to restore my archive once that is done."
Jack said, "You sure that's a good idea, giving an AI a portal ship?"
I replied, "Quan has shown no signs of betrayal or self interest. Besides, it might come in useful at some point to have him mobile. And the ship he is on has not been modified. It still requires large amounts of cesium to jump."
I performed a scan of the area near Mayanis that held the cesium freighters. "Quan, make use of that ship. When complete, take yourself to Effica. The Grotus have not moved their cesium supply. I'm sweeping it out to there."
Jack said, "What about the crews on those ships?"
I brought up a display of the scan data. "No crews on them. Just the ore."
I continued, "Quan, take that ship. And make haste, the Tamarin could jump in there at any moment."
After returning to the bridge, I began to scan each of the relevant planets in the Yallux galaxy. The Tamarin continued to expand their fleet. A new set of bots was taken to the Kral world, where the ship factories were brought back online. Garrett's kill switch had cleared all programming from the AIs. A quick software reload had those AIs once again fully operational.
After a week of searching, we finally got a hit on a large fleet. A scan through the security stations, after receiving access assistance from Quan, showed a fleet of forty thousand automated ships in the Andromeda galaxy. A planet in the Pharaoh system named Ralton III was under siege. It was the capital planet of one of the ruling families. The Tamarin were tightening their grip on the six galaxies. News feeds told of three solid days of war, where Ralton missile defenses had kept the automated ships at bay. The Tamarin were massing for an attack that would overwhelm those defenses.
We took the opportunity to offer assistance while searching for the remaining portal ship.
Jack, moving with a bad limp, slowly walked onto the bridge. "What are we looking at?"
I replied, "Ralton III is under siege. I expect the Tamarin ships to attack at any minute. I was just lining up to see if we could sweep a few of those ships out of there."
Jack stood behind me. "Anything I can do to help?"
I nodded. "This ship needs a captain. Are you feeling up to the task?"
Jack laughed. "If it keeps me out of that lumpy bed in the med bay, I'll do whatever you ask."
I pointed at a console that was purely nav. "There's a simulation mode over there. Familiarize yourself with that while Go and I sweep ships out of here."
Go said, "I have three large blocks of ships identified. If we hit them now we should catch and send forty-two hundred ships before they can react. After that we just pick and choose from smaller groups."
I nodded. "You pass the coordinates, I'll press the button."
We managed five sweeps, fifty-two hundred ships, before the Tamarin fleet got wise. Space between ships was expanded and all ships stayed in constant motion.
I said, "They're still bunching together. At this rate we can average twenty ships per sweep."
Go replied, "Watch for a portal opening for more ships to come through."
Jack yelled, "We have missiles coming up from the surface of Ralton!"
Several seconds later, thousands of explosions could be seen on and around the Tamarin ships.
Jack said, "You can scratch another twelve thousand ships! Whatever they are using for missile guidance and warheads, I want it!"
Go asked, "Where'd they get that technology?"
I replied, "Harden Salton was apparently not the only one breaking the rules."
Go smiled, "We just cut their numbers almost in half. They'll have to reinforce now. We just have to sit and wait."
Quan came over the comm. "I have my circuits contained in a single structure. I will be moving that structure into the docking bay of the portal ship. The ship name, by the way, is the Quantix. When I have moved myself fully aboard, I will sweep the archives out to Effica, followed by the Quantix and myself. From there, I will continue work on the ar
chives until I receive further orders."
I nodded. "Let us know when your move is complete."
Go squirmed in his chair. "I just had an awesome idea. If a portal opens, I'll attempt to outline the coordinates of the ships as they come through. If we can catch them at that instant, we may be able to sweep the whole lot of them into that star all at once."
I turned toward Jack. "Do you think you could manage a scan of a portal when it opens? We'll need the location it's sweeping those ships from."
Jack nodded. "That I can handle. I'll keep a scan at the ready."
For the next three hours we continued to sweep small clusters of Tamarin ships into the nearby star named Pharaoh. The Capital planet of Ralston served as the center of the Tourduvan family empire and the home of the Paquie people. The Paquie were a meter and a half tall with short legs and round bodies. Their milky white and light green coloring had inspired Go to describe them as cabbage people. Their skin was continuously molting.
Go asked, "Where's Joni been?"
I replied, "Spending time with her family. She's sent me a few messages. It's not been the happiest of reunions. Her uncle is thankful for her help, but insistent on wanting more control. He thinks we are wasting our time with our efforts to find Garrett. You can guess that is not sitting well with his niece."
Jack yelled, "We have a portal opening!"
Go grinned, "Now we have some fun!"
Twelve thousand automated Grotus ships appeared in front of us. Go entered the coordinates as the portal swept backwards, leaving a nice straight line of ships. Before the portal closed and before the ships began to move, I slapped my hand down on the button. A bright light shone through the portal as all twelve thousand ships were moved into the center of the local star, Pharaoh.
Go stood, clapping his hands and clenching his fists in victory.
Jack said, "I have a location. Saw Blade galaxy. They came from a planet listed as Bastion. I'm passing you the coordinates."
Again I slammed my hand down on the button. This time the portal swept over our position, leaving us parked near Bastion.
Joni returned to the bridge. "I heard someone clapping. What happened?"
Go grinned. "We just swept—wait! They are jumping!"
As the portal of the Tamarin ship closed, Jack said. "I have a new location. Still here, but about seventy light years away. A planet named Posirus. Passing you the coordinates now."
I pressed the portal button. A rumble placed us near Posirus. The Tamarin portal ship was already beginning a new jump.
Jack said, "Got 'em. A system named Duraliak. Passing coordinates."
Our chase lasted for another three jumps before we lost the Tamarin ship. Its portal closed just as we arrived.
Jack shook his head. "We were losing ten to fifteen seconds a jump. Even if our scans were automatic and the jump conducted immediately, I still think we would lose them. There just isn't enough time for us to keep up."
Joni asked, "What about bio-readings? Were there any living beings on that ship?"
Jack turned back to his console. "Hold on... yes! The scan shows a single bio on there!"
Joni frowned.
I said, "What's wrong? That was probably Garrett."
Joni frowned, "And we don't have him. And we can't chance letting that ship get away if we can catch it. Garrett is now in danger from his own people."
Go folded his arms. "We wouldn't kill Garrett."
I replied, "Unfortunately, Joni is right. If we get a shot at that ship, we have to take it. None of these galaxies are safe so long as that ship exists."
I turned back to face my console. "I'm jumping back to Bastion. There was a ship factory there. I don't like that those are popping up everywhere. Harden managed to destroy the ones he built. I think these other rulers are starting to have Grotus factories placed at their capitals. If so, the ones who accept will be overthrowing themselves."
Jack nodded. "What better way to take down those you don't like than to have them take themselves out?"
As we settled in at Bastion, we began portal scanning each of the capital planets. Fifteen minutes later, I had my answer. Ship factories were under construction at each of the capital worlds, except Ralton III. A new scan showed that ships were once again massing for an attack.
Jack said, "They want Ralton, we're just going to have to camp there and defend until they open another portal."
Joni stepped up. "Take us back to Ralton. My uncle has insisted that one of us camp out in one of those fighters. He wanted to volunteer, to which I of course said no. Maybe I can squeeze through a portal if they pop one open. I don't see how else we catch them unless they are being sloppy. And with that being their only portal ship, I don't think that will happen."
I leaned forward to rub my forehead. "I believe you are correct. Jack, do you feel well enough to pilot the other fighter?"
Jack stood. "I'd love to."
Go protested. "What about me?"
I said, "I need you here with me doing the targeting. We have to keep Ralton out of the Tamarin's hands."
Go sighed and gestured toward the portal console with a dejected look. "Jump us back. I passed the coordinates in already."
The Tamarin fleet around Ralton had grown to thirty-six thousand ships. Joni and Jack boarded our newest fighters, the Stinger and the Thorn, parking in wait for an opportunity to jump through a portal.
Jack said, "This little fighter packs a punch. And I can tap right into all the controls from my helmet. We'll have to thank Quan for putting these together."
Quan replied, "You are welcome, Jack Carson. If you were unaware, the fighters have the ability to run in an automated mode. Each has a modified AI that will only accept commands from me or members our team. And these ships are courtesy of the sentinel ships and the repair dock. I only requested their construction."
Jack replied, "So we're a team, are we?"
Quan responded, "I believe that to be the proper term."
Jack laughed. "Well, OK."
Over the next twelve hours we managed to send eight thousand automated Grotus ships to their end. No new portals had opened.
Go looked over at the display showing our fuel. "I hate to say it, but with all of our jumping we've really burned through our cesium. Quan? You said this cesium was special? How do we get more?"
Quan replied, "I have a limited supply. There was a small facility on Gratis that refined the cesium to the required isotope. That refinery was destroyed."
I said, "Can you build a new one?"
Quan answered, "The designs for the refinery are in the archives. Until and unless I am able to restore those, our supply is limited to what we have."
Go asked, "And how much is that exactly?"
Quan replied, "We can resupply the Ares to 72 percent from the current level."
Go frowned. "With as much jumping as we do, we could be out of fuel in a month."
Jack said, "You know, I noticed at least one cesium freighter at each of those ship factories. Maybe we go on a raid of all known factories and swipe their cesium. Could be that Harden was right about the cesium being the key to finding that portal ship. It has to refuel and it has to refuel a lot."
Quan said, "Just to keep you informed, I have moved to Effica, including my archive. I had planned on converting the generators on the Quantix to use the remaining cesium isotopic fuel. However, given our needs, I will continue to use the cesium we have in abundance. If I am able to restore the archives, I will begin work on a new refinery immediately. I also have the ability to sweep loads of cesium to this location should they be found. It will place me at risk, but I can provide that service if needed."
I replied, "No, let us handle the portals. We need you to restore the archive. We need that fuel."
"Very well."
Jack said, "Now that I'm sitting here in this little fighter, I've been thinking... Joni, you plan to rush a portal opening if one occurs. You do that and I'll try to scan and jump to
the origination point. That gives us an extra chance at catching up to them."
Go said, "You should use the thought commands of your helmet to pass the coordinates through to your drive."
Jack replied, "Already ahead of you. I have a low level scan running continuously. If a portal opens I should have a destination in about five seconds. The drive is sitting ready for coordinates, and I have the scan results dumping straight into it. If I get a lock all I need to do is slap the button."
I looked at Go, "Why aren't we set up for that?"
Go replied, "Because we are busy sweeping out these warships. By the way, they're down to twenty-three thousand now. If this pattern holds we should have this area cleared in about twenty hours. If the Tamarin want control of this planet, they have to send more ships."
Joni said, "Not necessarily. They could start sweeping cities off the face of that planet just like Gottlieb did with the Kergans. But for whatever reason, it looks like the Tamarin want it intact."
Go passed new coordinates to the portal button. "There's a lot about this that doesn't make sense. Why do the Tamarin need this planet at all? They could destroy it with that portal ship."
I replied, "I believe the Tamarin's chief motivation is still profit. They consider this planet an asset and they don't like needlessly destroying assets. Darba, care to speculate?"
Darba Wampros said, "There would indeed be profit motive involved."
Go gestured toward the nav display. "Well, that's exactly what they are doing with these automated ships. Those are assets. Why are they just throwing them at this?"
Darba replied, "They are no longer viewed as a valuable asset. We can always make more. Those ships are like a commodity to be used as needed. You can't make a new planet or grow a new species to govern. They want all the planets in all six galaxies intact. If they can achieve that control here, they will put the massive resources here to work conquering our own galaxy, and then any others beyond. The profit potential would be almost limitless."
Go said, "I'm starting to think individual colonies might be best. Putting so much power in one species’ hands seems to have disastrous consequences."
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