The Lost Fleet: Genesis: A Slaver Wars Novel Read online

  The Lost Fleet: Genesis

  (The Lost Fleet Series, Book 4)

  By

  Raymond L. Weil

  USA Today Best Selling Author

  Books in The Lost Fleet Series

  The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)

  The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2)

  The Lost Fleet: Oblivion’s Light (Book 3)

  The Lost Fleet: Genesis (Book 4)

  The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators (Book 5)

  Coming October 2016

  Website: http://raymondlweil.com/

  Copyright © May 2016 by Raymond L. Weil

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Design by Humblenations.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Genesis

  A Slaver Wars Novel

  Chapter One

  Admiral Race Tolsen gazed worriedly at one of the WarHawk’s main holographic tactical displays. On it were hundreds of red threat icons and their numbers had been steadily growing in recent days. The majority of the red icons were Shari battlecruisers with a length of eleven hundred meters. The other icons were the smaller nine-hundred-meter cruisers, which served as escorts for the larger vessels. Glancing over at a viewscreen, he studied one of the Shari warships being displayed. On the screen there was a large, cylinder-shaped spaceship. It was dark and menacing with numerous energy weapon turrets and small hatches indicating missile tubes. The Shari used two types of sublight missiles, both tipped with nuclear warheads. The yield of the smaller warhead was estimated at twenty megatons and the larger one a little over thirty. The Federation had a definite edge in weapons technology, but the Shari ships could still pose a significant danger, particularly if their numbers continued to grow.

  “I guess the peace talks between the Altons and the Shari aren’t going well,” commented Commander Madelyn Arnett as she stood with her arms folded across her chest staring at the screen. Madelyn had been with Race for many years and was a trusted friend and officer.

  Race shook his head and sighed. “No, from the last update we received from the Federation and Ambassador Tureen, the Shari are demanding we leave the Rylus Cluster and never return. They say our being here is an act of war.”

  “What does your sister think of all of this?” Race’s sister had arrived with the relief fleet.

  Race looked over at another screen showing the battlecarrier Hera. It was fifteen hundred meters in length, and Massie had made it her flagship though Race would feel better if she transferred her flag to one of the more powerful Federation battleships. His sister had been promoted to rear admiral and, along with Alton Admiral Lankell, had been given command of the relief fleet. Upon its arrival, command of the combined fleets had been passed on to Race as the senior officer present.

  “How do we defend this Dyson Sphere?” asked Madelyn with a worried frown. “The damn thing’s just too huge! While we’re on this side, the Shari could very easily be on the other. We don’t have the ships to protect such a massive object without spreading ourselves too thin. Not only that, we’ve been here for three months and our scientists, as well as those on the Alton science ships, haven’t managed to find a way in. The thing’s built like a damn fortress!”

  “No one said this would be easy,” answered Race, standing up and walking over to stand in front of the massive viewscreen that covered the entire front wall of the WarHawk. The WarHawk was the largest warship ever constructed by the Altons. The battle dreadnought measured three thousand meters in length and four hundred meters in diameter. The Command Center was buried deep within the six-hundred-meter globe, which was the bow of the ship. In the rear, where the engines were located, the ship flared out to five hundred meters.

  “Admiral, the defensive grid has been completed, and Commander Stewart of the Hadean wants to know if you’re ready to do an inspection,” reported Colonel Brice Cowel from his command console.

  Race nodded. The Hadean was also a dreadnought but slightly smaller than the WarHawk. The Hadean was two thousand meters in length and constructed along the same lines as the flagship. Commander May Stewart was the commanding officer of the powerful warship.

  “All the particle beam satellites, as well as the Indomitable Class battlestations, are now in place and operational,” Kelnor Mard reported. Kelnor was an Alton scientist well versed in the study of the Originators. He also served as the WarHawk’s science officer along with Reesa Jast, another Alton who was exceptionally brilliant.

  It had taken awhile to decide on the exact placement of the defense grid. The Dyson Sphere was too large to place a grid entirely around it, so the scientists on the Alton science ships had chosen a smaller area to defend, one which they thought there was a high probability of being able to find a way inside.

  Looking at the massive viewscreen, Race could dimly make out the giant sphere of metal the WarHawk was orbiting. The metal surface reflected back only a minimal amount of the starlight shining upon it. From a distance, the sphere appeared to be an area of darkness until you were close enough to actually see it in the dim light from the surrounding stars. The Rylus Star Cluster was composed of over twelve thousand stars, and it was their light that made the Dyson Sphere visible.

  The sphere wasn’t smooth. There were mysterious structures and other constructions dotting its surface. What their purpose was had thus far eluded all of the scientists. There were ten Alton science ships with the fleet, and their scientific instruments were focused continuously on the Dyson Sphere.

  “Put the defense grid up on one of the tactical displays,” Race ordered as he turned away from the viewscreen.

  “Coming up on display two,” Captain Brent Davis replied as he pressed several icons on one of his screens at the sensor console.

  Instantly, in the indicated holographic display, twenty large blue icons appeared. Each one represented an Indomitable Class battlestation. Each station was one thousand meters in diameter and armed with numerous heavy particle beam cannons, energy turrets, and sublight antimatter missile tubes. There were other defensive weapons as well. Around each station were a hundred smaller light blue icons. These were the particle beam satellites that completed the defense grid.

  Race studied the tactical display for several minutes, even walking around it to examine the grid from different perspectives. “That will do,” he said finally. “We’ll move the fleet beneath the grid and then wait and see what the Shari do.” The defensive grid had been emplaced three hundred thousand kilometers above the Dyson Sphere. The fleet would position itself just below the grid where it could add its considerable firepower if the Shari attacked. “I want four squadrons of fighters and two squadrons of bombers out on patrol at all times.”

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sp; “I’ll pass on the orders,” Madelyn said, relieved the fleet was going beneath the grid. If the Shari attacked, they would quickly find out an Indomitable Class battlestation was nothing they wanted to tangle with, particularly when the firepower of the particle beam satellites was included.

  Now it would be up to the scientists to find a way to enter the Dyson Sphere. For three months they had studied the massive megastructure seeking a possible entrance, but it was sealed tight. The metal the structure was composed of was also impervious to all of their scans as well as the weapons the Altons and Federation ships had at their disposal. Race was intensely curious to see what was inside the sphere. There was room on the inner surface for several million Earths. Even more important was the question whether there was anyone living inside. Only by gaining entry could they find out the answer to that haunting question.

  -

  High Lord Aktill stood in front of his ship’s tactical screen gazing angrily at the multitude of red threat icons around the Dyson Sphere. From a few communication intercepts, he knew it was what the Humans and their allies called the megastructure. He had been defeated three months previously when a large Human and Alton fleet arrived in the system. If the relief fleet had waited just another hour, he could have defeated the ships he was engaged with. However, with the arrival of the reinforcements, he had been forced to withdraw after suffering significant losses. Now he was back with a much larger force. The Grand Council had been stunned when he reported what he had found in this system. The very existence of the Dyson Sphere had shaken their beliefs to the core. The science to construct such a structure was nearly incomprehensible.

  “Any word from the Grand Council of High Lords?” asked Lower Lord Samarth, his eyes flashing with impatience.

  “No,” answered Aktill, shaking his head. “They’re still in negotiations with the Altons.”

  “I don’t understand why they don’t destroy the Alton fleet and allow us to attack these trespassers. By entering Shari space, it’s an act of war.”

  Aktill turned to face his second in command. “The Altons are a very ancient and clever race. The fleet they have in our space conducting negotiations consists of sixty battleships and one hundred and thirty battlecruisers. It would be a very costly battle. Their weapons and energy shields are far superior to ours.”

  Samarth looked toward a viewscreen showing one of the large two-thousand-meter enemy warships in orbit above the Dyson Sphere. The ship was obviously of Alton design, but from the communication intercepts it was being operated by the Humans. “Any word on the other aliens we were encountering before the Humans and the Altons put in an appearance?”

  Aktill remained silent for a long moment before speaking. “There have been rumors of their ships being sighted in various parts of the star cluster. The Grand Council is convinced they’re also searching for this Dyson Sphere.”

  “What of these robot creatures some of our ships have reported finding? There are many of them on the world where we found debris from the battle the Humans fought against the aliens. We have lost numerous soldiers on some of the research missions that have landed on worlds with signs of ancient structures.”

  “I believe they’re from these same mysterious aliens,” Aktill answered. “I have sent orders for there to be no more landings on any planets in the Rylus Cluster. The answer to all of our questions lies within the structure that surrounds this star.”

  Samarth gazed at one of the screens showing the megastructure. “Our best scientists can find no way to enter the sphere. Several have suggested using nuclear weapons to attempt to blast our way in.”

  Aktill shook his head. “Won’t work. The metal of the sphere is too strong and thick. Our most powerful weapon would barely scratch the surface. No, our best chance is to continue to search the surface of the sphere. There’s bound to be a way to enter somewhere. We just need to find it before the Humans or the Altons do.”

  An officer came up and spoke briefly to Samarth, who frowned in concern. “The Human and Alton fleet is moving closer to the Dyson Sphere. They have finished constructing their defensive grid over sector seventeen quadrant eighty-seven. From our sensor scans, it’s evident they’re moving their fleet beneath it.”

  “It was to be expected.” This didn’t surprise Aktill. It was what he would have done. It was becoming evident the Humans and the Altons had decided to limit their search of the Dyson Sphere to this one small area. He wondered worriedly if they had found something. The Sharis’ own scientists were working diligently on the far side of the sphere. A large task group of Shari warships was supporting them, ensuring no Human or Alton ship came near.

  “Do you believe we will fight the Humans and their allies for possession of the sphere?”

  Aktill nodded his head. “Yes, once we have the necessary ships and the negotiations with the Altons have come to an end, I am certain we’ll be ordered to attack. This Dyson Sphere is too valuable to allow anyone but us to control. With the knowledge the sphere will provide, it will allow us to finish what the AIs started. The Shari Empire will spread throughout the galaxy until all worlds answer to us.”

  “It is well then that we have been reinforced.”

  “More ships are on the way,” Aktill informed Samarth. He gazed at the red threat icons on the tactical screen. “This will be the beginning of war between the Shari Empire and the Human Federation and their allies. It will be a long war, but we will be victorious in the end.”

  Samarth stood silently as he thought over what Aktill had said. “I worry for the empire,” he finally said. “The Humans and their allies destroyed the AIs, and the AIs were truly powerful.”

  High Lord Aktill didn’t answer, for there was truth in what Lower Lord Samarth had just said. The Hocklyns had learned that the hard way.

  -

  Rear Admiral Massie Tolsen watched as a squadron of Talon fighters launched from one of the Hera’s flight bays. The squadron would patrol out past the defensive grid. Race had placed her in charge of the fleet’s ten battlecarriers, and she didn’t intend to let him down. She could still recall the shock when word of her brother’s resignation had reached her on the Hera. Fortunately, she had been close enough to home to contact her parents at Ceres. After talking, they had all felt something else was going on. It had been confirmed when Fleet Admiral Nagumo had called her into his office. Alton ambassador Tureen had been present and when she emerged, she was wearing the stars of a rear admiral and given joint command of a large fleet. Alton Admiral Lankell was the other admiral going on the mission. When it had been explained to her what was at stake and what her brother was seeking, she had realized just how important Race was to Admiral Nagumo and the Federation. She had felt a swelling of pride at the mission her brother had been entrusted with.

  “Captain Weinhardt reports all Talons of Falcon squadron have launched, and they’re heading out to their patrol coordinates,” reported Commander Braden Macleod.

  Massie nodded. Captain Weinhardt was the ship’s CAG and a very competent commanding officer. He had seen considerable combat in the war against the Hocklyns and the AIs and was one of the best combat pilots she had ever seen fly a Talon.

  With a deep sigh, she allowed her eyes to wander over to one of the viewscreens showing the WarHawk. She still found it hard to believe the ship Race had been given as his flagship. It was the largest and most powerful ship she had ever seen. Once again, it showed the trust the Altons and Fleet Admiral Nagumo had in her big brother.

  It had been an enormous relief to find out Race had gone on a secret mission and hadn’t been forced to resign. She was still angry at Sixth Fleet Admiral Korrel for filing charges against Race for insubordination and refusing to follow the direct orders of the Federation Council. It pleased her immensely that Admiral Korrel was currently deployed near the border with the Borzon far away from the Human Federation of Worlds.

  She had been away on a mission to former Hocklyn space during the court martial but able to f
ollow it as it was broadcast live over several Federation comm channels. If not for the testimony of former Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth and several others, her brother could very easily have been drummed out of the service with a dishonorable discharge. As it was, he had been assigned to a desk job in the New Tellus System. Now the future safety of the Federation was once more on his broad and capable shoulders.

  -

  Deep in Shari space, Alton Ambassador Tureen shook his head in disappointment after returning from the latest rounds of talks with the Shari. The ambassador was humanoid in shape and nearly seven feet tall. His skin was very pale with a slight blue tinge and the hair on top of his head, while thick, was a solid white. His eyes, nose, and ears were very similar to a Humans but the eyebrows were very thin almost nonexistent.

  Alton Fleet Admiral Baasil looked questionably at the ambassador. Tureen had served many long years in this position. “Has there been any progress in the negotiations?”

  “No,” Tureen replied as he sat down wearily behind his desk. He looked dismally at several reports that lay in front of him detailing the continued buildup of Shari forces near the Dyson Sphere. “I fear the Shari are only playing for time. I’ve received confirmed reports of massive Shari fleet movements close to Federation space. There’s little doubt in my mind they are preparing for war.”

  Admiral Baasil nodded in agreement. “Our long-range sensors have detected a buildup of Shari vessels in the systems near us. Commander Stockwell believes they’ll attack our fleet rather than let us return to the Federation.” Commander Stockwell was the Human officer in charge of the Star Avenger, the flagship of the Alton fleet. Nearly thirty percent of the crewmembers in the fleet were Human, something the Altons had taken great care in not allowing the Shari to find out.

  Tureen’s shoulders drooped at hearing those words. “The Shari don’t know the range of our sensors and probably believe their fleets haven’t been detected. Can we fight our way back to Federation space?” Tureen had hoped to solve this situation with the Dyson Sphere peacefully but that expectation was rapidly beginning to fade.