The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril Read online

  “Contacts!” called out the sensor operator as the Bascom fleet came under heavy attack. “We have confirmation of two additional black fleets which have just entered weapons range.”

  “Where and how many ships?” demanded Grand Admiral Lorell as his worst fears materialized. This explained why the first black fleet had been advancing with such confidence.

  “Unknown,” reported the sensor operator, his hands flying over his console as he tried to estimate the number of ships in the two new black fleet formations. “We’re picking them up on countless viewscreens across the fleet. Astrometrics is tracking them whenever they fire a weapon. The black ships are using some type of masking field to shield the energy signatures of their subspace drives.”

  The Bascom flagship shuddered violently from incoming weapons fire. Everything made sense now. Somehow the Destroyers of Worlds had discovered how their ships were being tracked and had implemented a countermeasure.

  “Damage report!”

  “Heavy damage to the outer hull,” reported the damage control officer. “We have several compartments open to space, and we’ve lost an energy projector. Damage control teams are responding.”

  “It was only a glancing hit,” added Subcommander Orphren. “Otherwise their beams are going right through our shields!”

  “Return fire!” ordered Fleet Admiral Lorell as he watched in horror while ship after Bascom ship was annihilated by some kind of black energy beam. “What type of weapon is that?” On one of the viewscreens, a Bascom battleship exploded violently as it was struck by one of the black beams. On another, a pair of battlecruisers were turned into twisted wreckage.

  “It’s some type of exotic antimatter,” reported the sensor operator. “It’s of a nature I’ve never seen before.”

  Fleet Admiral Lorell had heard rumors of the Destroyers of Worlds coming from another universe. He wondered if this antimatter weapon had originated from there. It would explain a great deal about the weapons the black ships used.

  “Continue to hit them with our own antimatter missiles,” he ordered. He must act quickly while he still had the ships to inflict serious damage on the black ships. Looking at the carnage the enemy was inflicting on his fleet, he didn’t have long.

  -

  In space, the battle intensified as the Bascom fleet launched their two-hundred-megaton antimatter missiles in sprint mode toward the black ships. Brilliant explosions littered space as the missiles found their targets. On several occasions black ship energy screens overloaded, bursting like a bubble, releasing gigatons of uncontrolled energy, which, in most cases, annihilated the black ship the shield protected. However, the three black ship fleets mercilessly played their deadly black antimatter rays across the Bascom cylinder-shaped formation, destroying ships with frightening regularity. The rays passed unhampered through Bascom energy screens, creating huge craters in the hulls of the targeted ships. Then the beam would race across the hull, opening the ship up to space until enough critical damage accrued for the ship to die a fiery death. Most of the time this only took a few seconds.

  Throughout the Bascom fleet’s cylindrical formation, flares of bright light indicated the demise of countless ships and their crews. Space was becoming littered with the riddled and twisted remains of the Bascom fleet.

  -

  “Pull us back to the twin moons,” ordered Grand Admiral Lorell, feeling desperate as two more of his battleships were annihilated. “How many of the black ships have we destroyed with our antimatter missiles?”

  “Twenty-two,” reported Subcommander Orphren. “They’re still advancing.”

  “Our own losses?”

  “We’ve lost over four hundred ships. In some areas of our formation, the outer layer of the cylinder is completely gone.” Subcommander Orphren’s eyes were wide in shock.

  “Continue to fire our antimatter missiles.”

  “Missiles launching,” reported the tactical officer. “We’ve fired 18 percent of our missiles so far.”

  They had no choice but to retreat. Lorell’s numerical advantage was gone. “Download all battle information to one of the observation ships. It’s to enter hyperspace and proceed to Lakiam immediately. They must know our long-range sensors are no longer effective.” This would bring consternation to all the Protector Worlds as the black fleets would no longer be detectable.

  A general meeting of a number of Protector Worlds had been called a few months back. One decision made at the meeting was the need for the sharing of information. As a result, a number of observation ships, lightly armed warships, were left out of any battle so they could report on the tactics of the Destroyers of Worlds. The tactical information was delivered to the Lakiams—declared as the Information Center for the war against the black ships since they were the only ones to defeat a black fleet. The Lakiams had even destroyed one of the all-powerful motherships.

  -

  Military Commander Fraymot watched as the enemy fleet withdrew. All ships, launch the globes of annihilation. Fraymot wanted to destroy as many of the enemy ships as possible before they could reach the defenses of the two moons—the Vorn’s primary targets in this system. There was no defense against the deadly spheres, and, once they touched a ship’s energy screen, the vessel was doomed.

  -

  From the spindle-shaped ships, black spheres of antimatter energy shot out toward the retreating Bascom warships. In desperation the ships fired their energy projectors, trying to disrupt the deadly spheres. In a few instances, the black antimatter spheres exploded. However, in most cases, the spheres continued on, striking the energy shields of their targets.

  Grand Fleet Admiral Lorell watched in anguish as hundreds of his remaining ships were struck by the deadly energy spheres.

  “Those are the black antimatter spheres we were warned about,” said Subcommander Orphren in a strained voice. “Numerous ships are reporting a significant power drain on their shields.”

  “Continue the withdrawal,” ordered Fleet Admiral Lorell, grim-faced. “Contact all tugs at the twin moons and have them pull the affected ships back to the defensive grids.” Fleet Admiral Lorell doubted if there would be time for this, but he had to try.

  “Message sent,” reported Subcommander Orphren.

  “Numerous ships report their energy shields are down,” added the communications officer.

  “The black antimatter spheres have reached the ships’ hulls, and the power drain continues,” reported the sensor officer.

  “A number of ships have lost all power and are totally defenseless,” reported Subcommander Orphren, his eyes wide with worry as he gazed in growing consternation at the tactical displays. “They’re requesting assistance.”

  “Black ships are launching antimatter missiles,” warned the sensor officer. “They’re targeting the ships which have lost power.”

  As he watched the viewscreens, Grand Fleet Admiral Lorell’s heart sank. Hundreds of Bascom vessels drifted powerless in the void. They would stand no chance against the black ships’ antimatter missiles. Even as he watched, brilliant explosions lit up space as ship after ship with its Bascom crews were ruthlessly destroyed.

  -

  For several minutes the brutal carnage continued until finally the flagship and the rest of the surviving ships of the Bascom fleet reached the defensive grids of the twin moons. Grand Fleet Admiral Lorell divided his remaining fleet, sending equal components to each moon.

  “What do we have left?” His fleet had been brutally savaged.

  The sensor officer shook his head. “We have 212 battleships and 507 battlecruisers still operational.”

  “We’ve lost Admiral Dubal,” reported Subcommander Orphren. “His flagship was incapacitated by one of the black energy spheres.”

  Fleet Admiral Lorell took a deep breath. This was far worse than he had imagined. “Inform Admiral Wythe he has command of the forces protecting Glasht. We will take over the defense of Debent.”

  The black ships were now r
evealed on the tactical display. “How are we detecting those ships?”

  “Planetary telescopes and orbiting space camera systems,” reported the sensor officer. “We’re also adding information from the defensive platforms, the command station, plus our warships.”

  Fleet Admiral Lorell nodded as he studied the tactical display and the three large black ship formations. Each contained over six hundred of the spindle-shaped cruisers and two of the large motherships. His hope of saving the twin moons vanished. The defenses around Debent and Glasht would not be enough! This was the largest attack the black ships had made on any world.

  “How soon before any additional fleet units can reach us?”

  Subcommander Orphren slowly shook his head. “None within twelve hours. It will take over two days for the nearest Protector World to send aid, if they do. With three black fleets in this sector, all the nearby Protector Worlds may be hesitant to risk any of their fleet units.”

  Subcommander Orphren was right. If the situation were reversed, the twin moons would be hesitant about sending any of their ships into danger. Grand Fleet Admiral Lorell wondered if any of his fleet or people would survive the next few hours.

  -

  The enemy has completed their retreat to their worlds, Military Commander Fraymot reported. Both moons have heavy defenses around them.

  What are your plans to render those defenses harmless so we can harvest those worlds? asked Prince Brollen. So far, Military Commander Fraymot had performed his duty admirably.

  We will assail the defenses and fleet guarding the nearer of the two inhabited moons, answered Fraymot. Once the fleet and the orbiting defenses have been annihilated, then we will proceed to the second moon.

  This satisfied Prince Brollen. It was both efficient and practical. After the disaster inflicted on his fleet by food species 236, he had been summoned to the Conclave Habitat for a personal meeting with Queen Alithe. It had been made very clear to him that continued failure would cause him to lose his status as one of Queen Alithe’s chosen ones. Brollen strongly suspected this had not disappointed Prince Ortumad as he wished to take Brollen’s place as one of the Queen’s favorites.

  Prince Brollen turned his multifaceted eyes toward one of the large viewscreens in the Command Center, focusing on one of the two inhabited moons of food species 647. Already Brollen was curious as to how this particular food species would taste. He had a personal collection of food pellets from a number of the worlds his fleet had harvested. He was always seeking new and savory tastes for his inquisitive palate.

  -

  The commander of the Command and Control Station responsible for protecting Glasht listened as Admiral Wythe gave his orders. The fleet would further divide itself, forming up around the large defensive platforms and the Command and Control Station. The platforms and the station would coordinate antimatter missile strikes on the black fleets. That would allow for enough launchers to saturate the screens of the enemy ships to bring some of them down.

  Commander Gunther stared at the numerous viewscreens in the Command Center. Messages had been sent, and the fleet units assigned to the various platforms moved into their positions. Admiral Wythe’s flagship defended the port side of the Command and Control Station.

  “All ships are in position,” reported the sensor operator. “The black ships are nearing weapons range.”

  Commander Gunther looked about the Command Center. His people showed no fear at what was ahead of them. This was a good crew, and he had served with many of them for years. He had known a few of them since they had been cubs on Glasht.

  “Prepare to fire. Antimatter missiles first, followed by our force beams. All weapons are to be focused on the same target area.”

  “Black ship targeted,” reported Smurl, the tactical officer. “Targeting information has been sent to our supporting ships.”

  -

  The three black fleets approached the moon of Glasht. As soon as they neared weapons range, they split apart and surrounded the planet. Once the planet was englobed, the fleets surged forward, firing their black antimatter energy beams at the defending ships and the powerful defensive stations. In just a matter of a few moments two of the massive stations exploded, sending debris careening through space. Four nearby Bascom battlecruisers couldn’t avoid the debris, and three of them were seriously damaged. Moments later black antimatter energy beams ended their existence.

  From the defensive platforms and the Command and Control Station, hundreds of the two-hundred-megaton antimatter missiles were launched toward the black fleets. In addition, more missiles were fired by the surviving battleships and battlecruisers. Space exploded in brilliance as the missiles struck their targets. Black ship screens absorbed tremendous amounts of released antimatter energy as the warheads detonated. In a few instances, the shields became supersaturated with energy and burst like a bubble. In blinding flashes of light, the black ships were annihilated, leaving only a few wisps of glowing gas behind.

  -

  “We took out fourteen of the enemy,” reported the sensor operator to Commander Gunther.

  A brilliant light flashed across one of the viewscreens in the front of the Command Center.

  “Defense platform seventeen has been blown apart,” the sensor operator informed Gunther. “That’s six we’ve lost. Also a lot of our battlecruisers and battleships have been destroyed .”

  Gunther took a deep breath. “Continue to fire. We must destroy enough of them to force the black ships to withdraw!” With a deep-throated growl, he watched the viewscreens as the battle increased in intensity.

  -

  Admiral Wythe was thrown against the restraining harness of his command chair. It took him a moment to catch his breath. The lights in the Command Center seemed to flicker and then returned to normal.

  “Heavy damage reported in Engineering and adjoining compartments,” reported Subcommander Marless. “We have numerous compartments open to space, and our fighting ability has been substantially reduced. Energy shield is down to 30 percent.”

  Wythe looked at the viewscreens, which were still functioning. He stared in shock, his mind numb. Black ship antimatter rays were tearing apart the moon’s defenses. Even the powerful defensive platforms were being struck down by those deadly beams.

  “Enemy is launching their black antimatter spheres,” warned Subcommander Marless. “Impact in twelve seconds.”

  The two looked at one another meaningfully. They both knew what this meant.

  “Fire as many missiles as we can in the time we have left,” ordered Admiral Wythe, accepting he wouldn’t survive this battle.

  “Missiles firing,” reported the tactical officer. “We’ll launch as many as we can until we lose power.”

  The lights in the Command Center suddenly dimmed and stayed dim. Admiral Wythe looked questioningly at the sensor operator.

  “Black antimatter sphere has struck our energy screen.”

  “We’re suffering a massive power loss,” reported Subcommander Marless. “Energy screen has failed, and the black sphere has reached our hull.”

  “Weapons are offline,” added the tactical officer. “We launched 38 percent of our missiles.”

  A few moments later, the Command Center lights went out completely, and then, one by one, the consoles shut down, leaving the room in darkness.

  Admiral Wythe could do nothing to prevent his ship’s destruction and the loss of his faithful crew. He wished he could have walked upon Glasht one last time.

  -

  Prince Brollen nodded in satisfaction as the black antimatter spheres performed their gruesome work. The large defensive platforms died as their power was stolen. The same with the defending battleships and battlecruisers. On the primary viewscreen, the large command station blew apart, raining debris on the moon.

  All targets eliminated, reported Military Commander Fraymot. We are now targeting the orbital defensive satellites. They should be destroyed in the next few minutes, and then we
can move to the secondary target.

  How many cruisers did we lose?

  Only eighteen, answered Fraymot. The antimatter warheads used against us are in the two-hundred-megaton range. They kept firing them at a small section of our defensive energy screens until they were overloaded. The resulting release of the absorbed energy destroyed our ships.

  Prince Brollen wasn’t concerned about the loss of ships. He had proven his point that one of the so-called Protector World systems could be destroyed, even with the advanced weapons they possessed. While the harvest of this galaxy would be more costly than those in the past, it could still be done with relatively few losses to the Vorn fleets. He had promised Queen Alithe that he would do this. It ensured the harvesting of this galaxy would continue at an accelerated rate. The Vorn race was hungry, and this galaxy would furnish sustenance for hundreds of years.

  Focusing his multifaceted eyes on the primary viewscreen, he could see hundreds of small pinpricks of light as the defensive satellites were quickly eliminated. The moon below was now his for the taking, but first he must conquer the second one. The harvest of this system would be plentiful and would send a warning to all the other heavily armed worlds that it was useless to resist the Vorn. It would encourage them to return their fleets to their home systems, leaving numerous other worlds vulnerable to the Vorn fleets.

  All targets eliminated. Proceeding to the secondary target, sent Military Commander Fraymot.

  -

  Grand Fleet Admiral Lorell gazed grimly at the black fleets now approaching Debent. If Admiral Wythe had failed to stop the advance of the fleets on Glasht, Lorell had very little chance to do so here, but he had to try.

  “All ships and defensive platforms, stand by to launch antimatter hypermissiles,” he ordered. “We will launch at maximum range and continue to fire until our missile bays are empty. As previously discussed, we will limit our fire to a few black ship vessels. Once they are destroyed, we will move to secondary targets.”