The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness Read online

  “Can we send the probe from inside this nebula?” Jeremy was hesitant about leaving the nebula since it would expose them to possible detection by the Simulins.

  Andram shook his head. “We can’t generate enough power. The heavy layers of gas in the nebula would prevent the spatial vortex from reaching our galaxy. It would destabilize it too much. We need to be in open space, preferably close to a large star or even a black hole that we can use as an anchor for the vortex generators. It would drastically reduce the amount of energy we need. If we had a large enough gravity anchor, we could generate a vortex that would work through the nebula. However, Gaia’s star is too small.”

  “A black hole,” said Jeremy, recalling what had happened the last time he’d been close to one.

  The battle at Sagittarius A, which was the massive black hole at the center of the galaxy, had been brutal and extremely costly. It ended when he’d used the Avenger to destroy the AIs’ Hyper Translation Station, which had opened up an uncontrolled spatial vortex and transported the Avenger and the other fleets to the Triangulum Galaxy. It also won the battle for the Human Federation of Worlds and its allies.

  “There is a large one at this galaxy’s center as well,” Andram informed Jeremy. “When we were traveling to where we thought you would be waiting, our Astrometrics department was busy cataloging many of the stars along our route. We also spent some time observing this galaxy’s center. There is a black hole there but not a supermassive one. Our computer estimates place the mass of the black hole at three to four thousand solar masses.”

  “The Distant Horizon has a stealth shield,” Kathryn informed Jeremy. “If we were careful about our chosen route, we could probably travel there undetected.”

  Clarissa stood with her arms folded across her chest. “We’ve made some minor adjustments to the system to fine tune it. Betrem Jalat has also done some work to make the ship more difficult to detect even in hyperspace.” Betrem was the Alton, who was the ship’s assistant chief engineer.

  “I don’t know if I feel comfortable sending the Distant Horizon that far without a powerful escort,” responded Jeremy with a frown. The ship had almost been destroyed by the Simulins on its voyage to the rendezvous coordinates. He stared sharply at Clarissa. “Can we make the same adjustments to the Avenger and a few more of our ships?”

  Clarissa quickly established a communications line with Ariel, who was on the Avenger, and filled her in on Jeremy’s question. Then the two of them ran a series of calculations and studied some specialized design plans for the systems on the Distant Horizon. All of this only took a few seconds as the two were working at a speed, which would seem incomprehensible to humans or even Altons.

  “It’s possible if we start the work immediately,” Clarissa reported. “How many ships would you want to modify? Some of the changes will be major.”

  “Give me a couple of days,” Jeremy answered. This was something he wanted to talk over with Rear Admiral Susan Marks, Grayseth, the Command AI, Admiral Cleeteus, and, of course, Kathryn since her ship would be heavily involved in this operation. “The task group needs to be small to prevent detection, but powerful enough to get us out of a jam if the Simulins find us.”

  “Ariel and I will provide design plans for Alton battleships, human battleships, human battle carriers, and for the AI ships,” Clarissa said after a moment once she was finished conferring once more with Ariel. “We’ll have them ready within twenty-four hours.”

  “Add strikecruisers to that, also,” Jeremy ordered.

  “That won’t be a problem,” responded Clarissa.

  Jeremy looked over at Kelsey knowing once more he would be putting his wife’s life in jeopardy, but she was the daughter of an admiral and he knew she would have it no other way. “Can we be ready in two months?”

  “Yes,” Clarissa and Andram both said together.

  “Very well then,” Jeremy said, reaching a decision. “In two months we’ll travel to this galaxy’s center and attempt to send one of the two probes through to our galaxy. Let’s just hope we’re successful and don’t run into any Simulins.”

  Chapter Two

  Admiral Race Tolsen felt the WarHawk drop out of hyperspace and exit the swirling blue-white spatial vortex which announced their entry back into normal space. The sixteen hundred-meter flagship of Third Fleet was alone as it was making a trip to the Alton’s home system deep in the galactic center. The rest of the fleet was at Careth undergoing additional updates. The Bear shipyards were some of the largest and most efficient outside of the Federation.

  For the last four months, Race had been traveling around the Human Federation of Worlds talking to various senators and even several key allies of the Federation, all at the bequest of former Fleet Admiral Streth. His meetings had been met with skepticism and demands for solid evidence of the threat he was trying to convey. Only at New Tellus, Ceres, New Providence, and Careth had his words of warning been met with promises of future action. All four worlds had grown concerned when Race had invoked former Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth’s name.

  “We’re being challenged,” reported Lieutenant Denise Travers from Communications. “I have an Alton battleship at twelve million kilometers.”

  “Send our ship ID and inform them we have permission from Ambassador Tureen to visit Astral,” Race responded.

  His trip to the Alton’s current home system had met with only lukewarm support. The Altons didn’t want to become involved in another drawn out war as most of their population were pacifists. They were also heavily involved in uplifting many of the former slave worlds of the Hocklyn Empire. Only at their former home world in the galactic center did they maintain a powerful fleet of warships. They did have a few other battleships assigned to various Federation fleets patrolling the borders of the former empire. However, for the most part, the majority of their warships had been withdrawn back into their core systems.

  “I have a message from an Alton Admiral named Victell, he says we were expected. We’ve been given permission to continue on to Astral and go into orbit using a microjump.”

  “That was easy,” commented Commander Madelyn Arnett. The Altons were very strict about allowing visits to Astral.

  Race glanced over at Commander Arnett. “Ambassador Tureen feels the Federation, as well as the other allied worlds, owes much to former Fleet Admiral Streth. He was very concerned when I related what the admiral told me. It’s unfortunate they’re such pacifists. He wasn’t certain just how much support he could drum up for us.”

  “Premonitions,” said Colonel Brice Cowel, the executive officer. “Do you really believe in those?”

  “The people on New Providence certainly do,” Race replied. “All through the history of the original Human Federation of Worlds there were people who could see the future.”

  “They actually knew what events were going to occur?” asked Cowel, shaking his head in disbelief.

  Race turned toward his executive officer. “Not quite; these premonitions occur in the form of very vague dreams. For instance, before the battle at the galactic center, Fleet Admiral Streth had a dream about a great circle of white light.”

  “The spatial vortex the Lost Fleets were drawn into,” said Cowel with a frown. “Fleet Admiral Streth actually saw it before the battle?”

  “Yes, but he had no idea what it meant. That’s the problem with premonitions; they’re very unclear most of the time.”

  Cowel was still finding it hard to accept. “What are we doing here at the Altons’ home system?”

  Race looked over at Commander Arnett before answering. She was the only one on the ship he had revealed what Fleet Admiral Streth had warned him about.

  “Research,” Race answered. “There may be a new threat we need to prepare for.”

  “What type of threat?” asked Cowel, looking perplexed. The Hocklyns were defeated, the Borzon were staying close to their own territory, and after Third Fleet’s defeat of the Shari the threat from them had greatly di
minished.

  “That’s what we’re here to find out,” answered Race, turning toward the helm officer. “Plot a short jump to just outside the orbit of Astral.”

  Race leaned back in his command chair and let out a deep breath. He’d been briefed by Fleet Admiral Nagumo on what Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes discovered on Astral about the Simulins and how they had reprogrammed the AIs. Then later Fleet Admiral Streth had summoned him to Maken with a dire warning. The Simulins were still in existence and coming to conquer the galaxy. He’d also revealed to Race the galaxy the invasion would come from was the same one the Lost Fleets and the Distant Horizon had traveled to. This was the message he’d been explaining to key individuals across the Human Federation of Worlds and their allies. A new and terrible war was coming and they had to be ready.

  -

  Race looked at the main viewscreen in the Command Center in awe. The screen showed the Altons’ City of Light, the only remaining city on the planet of Astral. At its height, the city could easily have held over one hundred million inhabitants. It spread out for kilometers with wide avenues and soaring towers. Some of the buildings seemed to reach up nearly to the few clouds, which floated high in the almost clear sky.

  “It’s remarkable,” said Commander Arnett as she gazed at the viewscreen. “To think the AIs preserved it for all these years.”

  “As their empire shrank and the Altons became ever more dependent on the AIs for their day to day lives, they came to this city,” Race answered. “For hundreds of years the city persevered as the Alton race slowly declined and the birth rate fell. In the end, only the AIs were left.”

  “Except for the Altons who had set up a colony in our sector of the galaxy,” commented Colonel Cowel. “They survived.”

  Commander Arnett nodded her head. “Because they didn’t bring any AIs with them and had a strong belief their artificial constructs someday could pose a danger to the galaxy.”

  “They were right,” Race said. “But not due to the reasons they thought would come to pass; it was more due to the Simulins meddling with the programming of the Master Codex.”

  “Your shuttle is ready,” reported Lieutenant Travers from Communications. “General Wesley and Garak Rath are waiting for you at the city’s spaceport.”

  “Let’s not keep them waiting,” Race replied as he stood up. “Commander Arnett, you’re with me; Colonel Cowel, you have command.”

  -

  Several hours later, they were standing in the computer center deep beneath the city staring in amazement at the largest computer system they’d ever seen. The room they were in was so vast neither Admiral Tolsen nor Commander Arnett were sure they could see the far wall.

  “There are kilometers of computers beneath the city,” Garak Rath informed them. The tall Alton was the chief researcher in charge of cataloging the data stored in the massive computer system. “They’re all tied into the computer core several kilometers beneath us. Everything the early Altons discovered is recorded here as well as the history and science of tens of thousands of worlds the AIs and their proxy races conquered.”

  “The information about the Simulins and what they did to the Master Codex is here also?” questioned Race. They were standing on a platform twenty meters above the floor of the massive computer center.

  “Yes,” Garak replied with a deep frown. “My research partner, Leental Malth and her team have spent quite some time analyzing what the Simulins did to the AIs. There can be no doubt the change in the programming they instigated caused the AIs to become a much more deadly threat than they ever would have on their own.”

  “Could these Simulins still be alive in another galaxy?”

  Garak paused for a moment considering his answer. “That’s unknown. However, the programming the Simulins used seems to indicate a long-term plan to conquer our galaxy. This implies they expected to be around to pick up the pieces once the AIs fired off their Eternity Device.”

  “You think they’re going to return,” said General Wesley, his eyes widening in concern. “That’s why you’ve come to Astral!”

  Race focused his gaze on Garak. “If the Simulins were to return is there any way to know where they would appear? It took a hell of a lot of power to open the vortex the Lost Fleets went through. Are the Simulins tied down to using a black hole?”

  Garak’s frown deepened. “That information may be available in the computers. I can have some of my research assistants began searching for any pertinent data.”

  “I would appreciate that,” Race responded. “I’ve spoken to Fleet Admiral Nagumo and it’s vital for us to know if we might soon be facing an invasion by these Simulins.” Nagumo had been one who had expressed doubt at Race’s warning of a possible extragalactic invasion. He’d heard Race out and informed him he needed more proof other than the ramblings of a retired fleet admiral.

  “I would hope not,” Garak replied, his eyes showing concern. “If their science is any indication of their power, our fleets wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  “Are you saying they would be more advanced than the AIs or Altons?” asked Commander Arnett in surprise. She’d thought Alton science was supreme.

  “This change in the Master Codex occurred thousands of years ago,” Garak answered. “We have to assume their science has continued to advance.”

  Race felt disheartened by this information. If the Lost Fleets and the Distant Horizon had indeed gone to the Simulin galaxy, then they might have been overwhelmed by the deadly aliens. But then again, Fleet Admiral Streth had indicated he felt the fleets and the Distant Horizon had survived. If they had, Race would give his right arm to know how they’d managed to do it. That information might prove vital in protecting the galaxy from a Simulin invasion.

  -

  It was several hours later and Admiral Tolsen, Commander Arnett, and General Wesley were standing in the lobby of the huge building above the computer center. The edifice easily rose three hundred stories above the ground and extended down an additional forty more.

  Commander Arnett was admiring the hundreds of wondrous paintings placed with great care upon the walls. “They’re beautiful!”

  These were some of the most gorgeous paintings she’d ever seen of landscapes of different planets. They showed sunsets, sunrises, mountains, massive green forests, lakes, waterfalls, and strange animals, the likes of which Madelyn had never imagined. She stepped closer, imagining what the artist must have felt in painting such things.

  “Many of these buildings are filled with paintings such as these,” General Wesley informed them. “In the final days, the surviving Altons gradually moved from the outlying cities to here, until all who were left lived in the City of Light. For a few more centuries, they practiced the arts as the birthrate continued to decline. In the end, they died out, but they left behind this wonderful artwork.”

  “These are truly amazing,” Madelyn said, her eyes captured by one which showed a waterfall cascading over a steep cliff and falling for thousands of meters to strike a deep blue pool. The painting almost seemed alive. She wondered on what world this painting had been done.

  “It’s hard to believe they died out,” General Wesley continued. “Their minds were brilliant, but they became too dependent upon the AIs. I’ve spoken to Garak about this and he claims the Altons here in the City of Light became so involved living in computer generated worlds toward the end that their bodies simply ceased to function. There are rooms I could show you where the Altons lay upon comfortable couches immersed in unimaginable worlds of fantasy and make believe. The AIs attended them to the very end, but this final virtual reality was their doom. The population over a period of two hundred years dropped from one hundred and twelve million in this city to less than ten million. By the time the remaining Altons grasped what was happening it was too late to reverse it. Very few Altons of childbearing age were still alive and most of them refused to give up their virtual worlds.”

  “Virtual reality?” asked Madelyn, looking
confused. This was something she hadn’t heard of before in relation to the Altons.

  “One of the Alton scientists along with several AIs discovered how to connect their computer system directly to their brains. They could create any type of world or adventure one might desire. This virtual world seemed so real many Altons would only wake up long enough to eat and then go back into it.”

  “That explains why the current Altons are so opposed to AIs,” added Race. The Altons had accepted Ariel and Clarissa but discouraged the Human Federation of Worlds from delving any further into AI research.

  “Have you found anymore functioning AIs in the last few months?” asked Madelyn.

  “Only a few,” Wesley replied. “I have over one hundred thousand Marines combing the installations in this system searching for any still activated. We’ve only found twelve in the last four months. I’m starting to believe there can only be a few more left.”

  “I noticed when we went into orbit there are a number of Indomitable Class Battlestations in orbit,” Race commented. He had been surprised to see the massive Alton stations surrounding the planet.

  “Yes,” Wesley answered with a nod. “There are twenty-four of them. Garak told me it’s to ensure the information stored in these computers stays secure and doesn’t fall into the hands of either the Shari or the Borzon.”

  “A wise decision,” Race replied. He had also noticed quite a few Alton battleships and battlecruisers in the system as well as a small Federation fleet.

  “There is so much knowledge stored in those computers,” Wesley said. “Garak and Malth both say it will take several hundred years just to catalog everything. Researchers are already coming from the Alton core worlds to study and do research here. Within two years, there will be more than twenty thousand Altons involved in various research programs.”