The Lost Fleet: Genesis: A Slaver Wars Novel (5 page)

“That’s what
we came for,” Brenda said. Perhaps if they managed to actually find a way
inside, Captain Abrams and Major Nolan would let her off with only a mild
dressing down. By now, they must know the exploration team was missing.

“Then we all
enter the car and try the key?” asked Kelnor. “There’s no way to tell where
this car will take us and it’s large enough to hold all of us and the supplies.’

“Why the hell
not?” said Corporal Metz, standing there cradling his assault rifle in his arms.
“Maybe we’ll find someone living inside the sphere. We’ve come this far, we
might as well go on.”

“God, I hope we
don’t find anyone,” spoke Private Richard Trent with a frown. “Whoever built
this place would look at us as if we’re insects.”

“The Originators
were a peaceful race,” Kelnor said in mild reproach. “If we were to find any of
them still living inside, I don’t believe we would be in any danger.”

“I don’t think
there’s anyone home,” Melvin Blair commented. Melvin was a Human scientist well
versed in the study of alien civilizations. “I believe we would have found some
evidence by now if anyone was around.”

“I agree,”
added Maalon Delz one of the other Alton scientists. “If the Dyson Sphere was
inhabited, I believe we would have been contacted by now.”

“Then let’s
go,” Brenda said as she stepped inside the transit car. “I want everyone in the
same car and we’ll see what happens.”

It didn’t take
long and everyone was inside. It was a tight fit with all the supplies they
were carrying. It was instantly obvious the seats in the car were designed for
a race much taller than the Humans or even the Altons.

“These
Originators must have been giants,” commented Corporal Metz. His feet just
barely touched the floor. He looked small sitting in one of the large seats.

“All signs
indicate they were a large race,” Kelnor responded as he sat down. Being taller
than the Humans, the cushioned seat felt more comfortable to him.

“Ready?” asked
Reesa as she took the key out of her pocket once more.

Brenda took a
deep breath. “We’re as ready as we’re going to be. Let’s do this.”

With a nod,
Reesa slowly inserted the key. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but then the
door slowly slid shut and the car began moving forward. Reesa was a little
nervous. She knew the inner surface of the Dyson Sphere was easily the equivalent
of over two million planets the size of Earth. She had no idea where the
transit car might be taking them, but it would be very easy to become hopelessly
lost in something with an interior area as large as the Dyson Sphere.

For long minutes,
the car moved along a wide and brightly lit tunnel. Several times they approached
large hatches, which slid open as the car approached and then sealed back shut
once they passed. Finally, the car began to slow and then it came to a stop.
They had arrived at a transit platform very similar to the one they had just
left.

“What now?”
asked Brenda as she grasped her assault rifle.

“There seems
to be a key slot on that far wall,” Kelnor said pointing.

The group quickly
left the car and made their way to the indicated wall.

Taking a deep
breath, Reesa inserted the key and waited.

The wall slid
open, revealing another tunnel.

“Here we go
again,” muttered Private Trent. “This place is a maze. I don’t think we’ll ever
find our way out.”

“Do we go down
the corridor?” asked Reesa, glancing over at Sergeant Wilde.

It was a
relief the sergeant didn’t seem to have a problem with making decisions. Reesa
didn’t want the responsibility as so many lives were at stake. Private Trent’s
words worried her. If they couldn’t find a way to the inner surface or back
out, they could all very well die down here in these endless corridors.

“Yes,” Brenda
answered without hesitation. “If we go back into the car it will probably just
take us back to where we just left. I think we at least need to find out where
this corridor leads.”

Nodding her
head, she stepped inside and Reesa saw, as in the last transit station, that
her key was now on this side of the opening. She waited until everyone was in
the corridor and then retrieved the key; she saw the opening seal back shut.

“Let’s go,”
suggested Kelnor. “One of these corridors has to lead somewhere.”

“I hope so,”
Corporal Metz muttered. “I could really use some chow.”

“You’re always
hungry,” commented Private Sandra Carton.

“We’ll take a
break shortly,” Brenda said. She was beginning to feel hunger pains as well.
They had plenty of dehydrated rations with them. So food for the time being
wasn’t going to be a problem though water at some point would be.

It didn’t take
them long to reach the end of the corridor. With relief, Reesa saw there was another
indentation for her key. Placing it inside, she waited and then a large section
of the wall slid open. She stepped back as brilliant sunlight struck her.

“We’re inside,”
spoke Private Anastasia Malone in wonder. “I can see the sun.”

Slowly
everyone emerged. They seemed to be in a long valley covered in bright green
grass with a few trees and shrubs. There was even a small stream running down
its center.

However, what
held everyone’s attention was what was at the far end of the valley. It was a
city. A city of soaring towers and slim buildings that reached thousands of meters
into the air.

“It’s
beautiful,” spoke Private Sandra Carton, gazing at the city in amazement.

“A city of the
Originators,” said Reesa, her eyes glowing with excitement and her heart
beating wildly.

“A dead city,”
commented Maalon Delz, shaking his head. “I doubt if anyone lives there.”

Brenda raised
her assault rifle and gazed through the scope. Slowly she put it back down and
looked at the others. Her voice quivered as she spoke. “It’s not a dead city, I
could see movement.”

Everyone
became quiet as they looked toward the marvelous city at the end of the valley.
Brenda’s startling announcement had shaken them all. They were inside the Dyson
Sphere but they weren’t alone.

Kelsey and
Katie stood atop the large hill, which overlooked the Fleet Academy on Gaia. They gazed sadly at the names on the dark gray granite obelisk, feeling the
pain of their loss. At the top of the obelisk was an engraved picture of
Clarissa in her dress blue uniform without insignia, a slight smile on her
face. Below her name and image were that of Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes and the
other officers of the
Distant
Horizon
.

“I miss her so
much,” Katie said with tears in her eyes. “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

“Admiral
Barnes and all the others too,” added Kelsey, feeling the same grief as Katie.
“They destroyed the Dyson Sphere and because of their sacrifice our home here
on Gaia is safe from the Simulins.”

“There’s still
a lot of Simulins out there,” Katie carefully pointed out as she wiped the
tears from her eyes. “Remember all of those Simulin inhabited worlds we came
across when the
Distant Horizon
first came to the Triangulum Galaxy?”

Kelsey nodded.
That was a voyage she would never forget. At the end, they had found Jeremy and
the lost fleets. “At least they can’t bring reinforcements through the Dyson
Sphere anymore. Andram said the explosion of the blue-giant star and what it’s
doing to the dark matter nebula makes the establishment of an intergalactic
vortex in this galaxy nearly impossible.”

“Ariel claims
the nebula will eventually collapse in on itself and become a black hole.” Katie
let out a deep breath. She had spent a lot of time speaking to Ariel as the
surviving AI had taken Clarissa’s death very hard.

Kelsey’s eyes
strayed back to the picture of Clarissa on the obelisk. Her blue eyes, blonde
hair, and gentle smile were so reminiscent of how popular she had been with the
crew of the
Distant Horizon
. Clarissa had become a good and close friend;
even now in death, she seemed more Human. Kelsey allowed a slight smile to
cross her face as she recalled how the beautiful AI had enjoyed flirting with
the male crewmembers on the ship. Several times Clarissa had been caught by
Katie adjusting her holographic figure to make it more alluring to the men on
the exploration dreadnought.

“We’d better
get back,” Katie said as she turned away from the obelisk and gazed out at the
academy. “Ariel wants to brief us on her progress with the Originator ship and
Kazak.” Kazak was the Originator AI on board the five-thousand-meter warship
Dominator
in orbit around Gaia.

“At least
Kazak is speaking to Ariel,” Kelsey said as they began walking down the broad
steps leading to the large parade ground below them. “When Kazak first learned
of the loss of the
Distant Horizon
and Clarissa, he didn’t speak for
weeks. Jeremy was concerned the AI might not respond to us at all without
Clarissa.”

“Clarissa was
his friend,” Katie answered simply. “Just like Clarissa and Ariel were close
friends, Kazak and Clarissa had begun to form the same type of bond.”

-

Inside her
office, Rear Admiral Susan Marks was watching the two at the obelisk via the
viewscreen on the front wall of her office. She didn’t consider it spying; it was
part of her duty to keep an eye on any of the Special Five when they were at
the academy. With a sigh, she turned her attention away from the viewscreen and
began sorting through some of the many reports on her desk. Since taking over
the Fleet Academy, she had done everything in her power to model it after the
one on Earth’s moon. Standards had been set very high and she’d been careful to
choose only the best-qualified instructors. Many of the science classes were
taught by Altons, and even Ariel was teaching a class.

They didn’t
have the population base the Human Federation of Worlds did, but they did have
one advantage. Nearly every person who had come to Gaia was in either the Fleet
or a colonist. Fortunately, that gave the academy a very brilliant group of
young people to pull from. Currently, the academy had Humans, Altons, and
Carethians enrolled as students. There was no doubt in Susan’s mind she would
be able to provide the future warships of Gaia with some very qualified officers.

Looking back
up at the viewscreen, she saw Katie and Kelsey had made it to the bottom of the
stairs, stairs she made a habit of climbing once per week. The obelisk and the
two walls next to it contained the names of every member of the military who
had given their lives in the protection of Gaia. Susan was determined the academy
would always honor those who had fallen.

-

Fleet Admiral
Jeremy Strong was standing in the Command Center of the battleship
Avenger
.
The
Avenger
was the flagship of the fleet and currently in geosynchronous
orbit above Gaia near the Clan Protector and the Originator ship,
Dominator
.
The Clan Protector was the massive shipyard under the command of Daelthon, a
Carethian. The Clan Protector at one time had been a mobile shipyard, but since
arriving at Gaia had been tremendously expanded.

The former
mobile shipyard was now nearly three kilometers in length, four kilometers wide
and two kilometers thick. It contained eight construction bays and six repair bays,
which could handle any of the fleet’s ships. The massive structure was also
heavily armed and protected by a powerful energy shield. There were power beam
emplacements as well as the more powerful and deadly particle beam cannons.
Dozens of dual energy turrets dotted the hull, ready to lay down a labyrinth of
defensive fire if needed. Securely closed hatches hid 50-megaton Devastator
Three missiles as well as the more deadly 100-megaton antimatter missiles, all
with sublight engines. A recent addition were the six massive ion beam cannons,
which could strip the energy shield of an attacking ship, leaving the hull
vulnerable to attack. The shipyard was now a virtual fortress.

Even as Jeremy
watched, a full squadron of Talon fighters exited one of the shipyard’s flight
bays and accelerated outward to assume patrol duty.

“Impressive,
isn’t it?” commented Admiral Jackson. “I never would have believed the Clan
Protector could become something like this.”

“Daelthon has
done his clan proud,” boomed Grayseth the massive Carethian, who was standing
next to Jackson. Grayseth easily towered over the admiral.

“Yes, he has shown
much honor in what he’s done for us,” answered Jeremy, nodding at the large Bear.
Jeremy turned to look at Admiral Jackson. “Have you been out to Borton recently
to see the AI shipyards?”

“No,” Jackson replied with a deep frown. “I’m still not used to seeing so many AI ships around.
I don’t know if I ever will.”

Jeremy nodded.
It was a difficult thing for many of the Humans and Carethians in the fleet to
accept that the AIs were now on their side. It had been easier for the Altons
to accept as they had created the AIs thousands of years in the past.

“The new shipyards
are finished and already ship construction has begun.” Crossing his arms over
his chest, Jeremy continued to address Admiral Jackson. “I want to send a fleet
out to the Ornellian Empire and see if there are any survivors. I would like to
put you in command of that force.”

Jackson looked at Jeremy in surprise. “That’s a long way out; why there?”

“It’s away
from the inhabited Simulin worlds,” Jeremy answered. “If we can find enough
survivors perhaps we can build a base to help some of the other civilizations
in that sector of this galaxy. Even though we destroyed the Dyson Sphere, there
are still a lot of Simulins around. We can’t defeat them alone. Also, Rear Admiral
Barnes promised them we would return someday. I would like to honor that
promise.”

“What kind of
fleet would I be taking?”

“A pretty
large one,” Jeremy replied as he reached forward and touched an icon on his
control console. Instantly one of the new AI warspheres appeared. The ship was
one thousand meters in diameter and very heavily armed. It was also entirely
crewed by AIs though the ship did have quarters for Human officers.

“AIs,”
muttered Jackson, his eyes widening.

“Admiral
Bachal will be going along as well.” Bachal had been on the original
exploration mission with Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes when the Ornellian Empire
had first been discovered. It was also during that mission they had found the
Originator ship,
Dominator
.

Jackson took a deep breath and slowly nodded his head. “When do we leave?” The mission
would be easier with Admiral Bachal going along; the Altons were used to
dealing with the AIs.

“In about ten
days. That will give us time to get everything organized.”

“You mentioned
earlier that you had a mission for my fleet,” Grayseth spoke in his normally
loud and bearish voice.

Jeremy turned
toward his long time friend. “Yes, a research mission to NGC 604. There will be
several of the Alton science ships going. Andram is concerned about the affects
of the nova that destroyed the Dyson Sphere on the dark matter and the
surrounding stars.”

“What’s he
worried about?” asked Jackson, cocking his eyebrow.

“Some of the Alton scientists are afraid the blast wave from the nova may cause other stars in the region
to suffer a similar fate. There are over two hundred blue-giant stars in the nebula.
Don’t forget the area is full of
H-II regions of ionized
hydrogen. The entire nebula is full of radiation being pumped out from the
numerous young stars and what we did by destroying the Dyson Sphere has only
enhanced that.”

Jackson
’s eyes narrowed sharply. “So the Altons are
afraid the entire nebula may go nova?” Jackson had never heard of such a thing.

“Yes,”
Jeremy answered. “Andram says the probability of such an event is extremely
low, but he wants to investigate it nevertheless.”

“I
will ready my fleet,” announced Grayseth, feeling pleased Jeremy had given him
such an important mission. “If we encounter any Simulin ships, we will destroy
them.”

“There
will also be some of the larger AI spheres going along as well,” Jeremy added,
curious to see how this would affect Grayseth.

The
large Bear was silent for a moment and then nodded his head. “The AIs know much
about science and I will work with them. The Altons know how to control them so
I don’t foresee any problems.”

“Very well,”
Jeremy responded, pleased with the Bear’s response. “Prepare your fleet; you
will be leaving as soon as the Altons are ready.”

“I will do so,
clan brother,” Grayseth replied. “We will be ready to bring honor to the clans
of Gaia.”

-

After the
meeting was over, Kevin stood up from his sensor console and walked over to
Jeremy at the command dais. “So, we’re finally going to start taking action
against the Simulins.” There had been a lot of discussion about this over the past
few months but no plans had been set in motion. It had been a trying time for
everyone with the loss of the
Distant Horizon
, Rear Admiral Barnes, and
Clarissa.

Jeremy looked
over at his best friend. “Yes. Now that the AI shipyards are finished, we can begin
going on the offensive. We also have a number of the new Gaia class battlecruisers
ready for deployment that Daelthon has recently finished building. They have a
much lower crew complement than our other ships and I plan on putting them to
use.”

“We’ve had over
three months to recover from what happened at the Dyson Sphere,” Kevin said
with a deep sigh. “I think it will significantly improve morale if we go on the
offensive. What are your plans for Kelsey and Katie since they no longer have a
ship?”

“I spoke to
Kelsey some about that the other night,” confessed Jeremy with an odd look in
his eyes. “She wants us to build a new exploration ship to explore more of this
galaxy with. I believe Katie has even been working with Ariel on a new design.”

“That may not
be necessary,” Ariel said suddenly appearing next to Jeremy. The dark-haired AI
was wearing her customary blue fleet uniform without insignia.

“What do you
mean?” Jeremy looked questionably over at the AI. Since the death of Clarissa,
Ariel had been more quiet and reserved.

“Kazak has
agreed to allow a small group of Humans and Altons to come aboard the
Dominator
.
I just finished speaking to Kelsey and Katie about this while you were having
your meeting with Admiral Jackson and Grayseth.”

Jeremy stepped
back as this was a stunning development. “When, who, and why now?”

“Kazak has
informed me that he has completed all the repairs on the
Dominator
and
the ship is now once more operating at 100 percent efficiency. He wants to meet
with you and others to see if you’re worthy of the heritage of the Originators.
If he finds that you are, then he is willing to place the
Dominator
under your command to use against the Simulins. Katie and Kelsey would be quite
safe on that vessel.”

Jeremy drew in
a sharp breath. If he could have the
Dominator
under his control, it
would be a game changer. The ship by itself could defeat entire Simulin fleets.
He wasn’t sure, though, about Ariel’s suggestion of assigning Katie and Kelsey
to the ship. Something about Kazak made him feel uneasy.

“The
Dominator’s
AI is quite upset about what the Simulins are doing with the Dyson Spheres,
which the Originators left behind upon their passing. He’s willing to share information
with you. He also has informed me you can choose the group that will be going
on board.”

“If we can
have access to that warship just think of what we could learn,” Kevin said
breathlessly. His eyes glowed with excitement. “Andram and the other Altons
will be clamoring to go on board once they find out we have permission from
Kazak.”