The Originator Wars: Universe in Danger: A Lost Fleet Novel Read online

  Jeremy looked over at the general. “We probably should promote her to major with as many Marines as she’s commanding.”

  “I agree,” responded General Wesley. “I’ve already started the paperwork.”

  “There is still the matter of what to do about the galaxies the Simulins control,” Kelvin said with a deep frown. “In some of those galaxies there are probably still inhabited worlds the Simulins haven’t taken over. Every day there are countless innocent beings being torn apart by Conqueror Drones. We can’t allow that to continue.”

  “We could use the same tactic I used in the Triangulum Galaxy,” suggested Kazak.

  Jeremy felt a shudder run through his body. Kazak had annihilated a number of Simulin worlds using dark matter missiles. It had forced the Simulins to capitulate or face total annihilation.

  “I would prefer not to do that,” responded Jeremy. “It would make us as bad as the Simulins.”

  “We have fleets of warships in all of the Shrieels,” pointed out Commander Zafron. “They can be remotely controlled by our AIs and sent out to destroy all Simulins ships they encounter. Large numbers of them have already been updated.”

  “That makes me nervous,” said Jeremy with a deep frown. “What if one of those ships becomes disabled and the Simulins gain access to it?” There was no way Jeremy wanted the Simulins to have access to such advanced technology.

  “The ships can be set to self-destruct if they become disabled or compromised,” stated Kazak. “I estimate if we use the Originator warships in the Shrieels we could clear all the Simulin warships out of all the galaxies they control within six months. The only problem would be their home galaxy which they must control completely and probably has a huge Simulin population.”

  “What about dealing with the Conqueror Drones?”

  “I have been discussing that problem with some of the other survivors of my race,” said Bartoll. “We would like to build a combat robot capable of destroying these drones. We could drop them on any planet with drones and the combat robots will destroy them.”

  “Could the drones destroy the combat robots?” asked Kevin.

  “No,” replied Bartoll, shaking his head. “We are familiar with the Conqueror Drones from damaged units Captain Wilde has brought back. Our combat robots would be impervious to their weapons. Even on worlds where the drones have cleared all intelligent life a few hundred combat robots could be dropped. Over a number of years they would be able to remove the drones.”

  Jeremy leaned back with a deep sigh. He realized there was so much that needed to be done. He felt as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders but instead of the world, it was actually galaxies.

  “Build a few of the combat robots so I can see them in action. It sounds like a reasonable method to deal with the Conqueror Drones. We might even be able to assign some to Captain Wilde to use in clearing out the remaining Simulin controlled Control Centers.”

  -

  After the meeting, Jeremy and Kevin were alone in Jeremy’s office.

  “What we’re being asked to do seems impossible,” Kevin said worriedly. “The Hocklyns, Simulins, and AIs don’t come close to what we may be facing in the Anti-Life.”

  “We have the resources of over two hundred Dyson Spheres plus the Communications and Transport Hub,” responded Jeremy. “There are tens of thousands of Originator warships stored in those megastructures as well.”

  Kevin was silent for a long moment and then spoke. “But we don’t know what resources the Anti-Life have. They might control thousands of galaxies. They could have hundreds of thousands or even millions of warships. We know from what Bartoll told us the Anti-Life escaped their galactic prison over one thousand years ago. With superior technology they could control thousands of galaxies, and all of those galaxies could be building ships.”

  This worried Jeremy as well. The Anti-Life might already have expanded to the point they couldn’t be driven back to their home galaxy. “That’s why I want to send an expeditionary force to find out what we’re up against.”

  Kevin looked Jeremy directly in the eyes. “When do we leave?”

  “A few more weeks,” Jeremy said. “I want the crews to be as familiar with their new ships as possible. The new ships have the same weapons as the Dominator except for the particle beam cannons. The weapons research we found in the Dominator’s data files has greatly increased the power of the weapons we’ve placed on our warships. However, we have no idea what the Anti-Life have developed in all this time. They may make our weapons seem like wet firecrackers.” Jeremy had decided to lead the mission himself. Due to its importance, he didn’t trust anyone else with the responsibility.

  “What about Katie and Kelsey?” Both girls were listed currently as crewmembers on the Distant Horizon. Kelsey had resigned her commission as commander as she didn’t feel comfortable being in charge of a warship. “They may want to go on the Distant Horizon on the search for these missing Originators.”

  “They’re stubborn,” Jeremy said, thinking about their wives. “I think it’s best if we leave it up to them.” He would prefer Kelsey and Katie stay on the Dyson Sphere, but he wouldn’t stand in their way if they elected not to.

  “What about Angela?” Angela had a young child and would most likely not want to go off on a warship.

  “She seems to be satisfied working here in the communications center. From what I understand she has pretty well taken over.”

  Kevin grinned. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”

  Jeremy stood up. “Let’s go home. I’m sure Katie and Kelsey will both have a lot of questions for us.”

  Kevin stopped and looked at Jeremy. He had a serious look on his face. “Jeremy, both the girls want children. That might be a way to ensure they stay here where it’s safe.”

  “Kelsey and I have talked about children,” admitted Jeremy. With the Dyson Sphere being so safe, it was hard not to go ahead and start a family. “It’s a decision we need to make before we start this war with the Anti-Life. Both Katie and Kelsey could work here at the Command Center inside this building.” It would be a load off Jeremy’s mind not having to worry about the two women.

  “It would be comforting knowing they’re safe,” admitted Kevin.

  “The five of us have been through a lot over the years,” Jeremy said, thinking back to their days at the Fleet Academy on the Moon. That was hundreds of years in the past.

  Sometimes he felt like an anachronism out of time. The five of them should have long become dust but they were still alive. He knew there were others in the home galaxy that were the same, including Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth who had slept in cryosleep even longer than they had. There were others too but Jeremy wasn’t sure how many of them had survived all the battles of the last few years.

  “We better go before Ariel or Clarissa come looking for us.” The two overly protective AIs still had a habit of keeping a close eye on all five of them. Jeremy suspected they always would.

  -

  Captain Brenda Wilde ducked as a Simulin in full battle gear fired his weapon at her, setting off an explosion behind her. “Spread out!” she yelled as her Marines entered the Control Center for the intergalactic vortex. She had two full companies of Marines with her, and they had been fighting constantly as they neared their target. Conqueror Drones were in every corridor and had to be blown apart before the Marines could continue to advance. The drones were crab-like metallic robots about ten feet across with numerous legs and four appendages with large and dangerous looking claws used to tear their victims apart. Even knowing the drones were there a few Marines had met hideous deaths. Their screams still echoed in the back of Brenda’s mind.

  The Simulins had barricaded themselves inside the Control Center and it had been necessary to blow the hatch to gain entry. The room was crowded with Conqueror Drones and Simulins firing from behind consoles.

  Brenda felt a weapon’s round strike her armor, knocking her down. She felt a sudden sharp
pain but the round didn’t penetrate. The Originator AIs had improved the armor worn by the Marines, making it nearly impervious to weapons fire. However, the Marines were armed with the new pulse rifles, which had been modified by the Originator AIs, substantially increasing its firepower.

  “Stay down, Captain,” yelled Sergeant Metz. He was standing over her firing his pulse rifle repeatedly into the Conqueror Drones trying to reach the Marines. She heard a piercing scream from somewhere and knew a Marine had fallen victim to the powerful claws of one of the drones. Once a drone managed to grasp a Marine there was little that could be done to save the individual.

  More Marines crowded into the Control Center firing their weapons into the mass of Conqueror Drones and Simulins who were frantically trying to push the invaders back.

  The room quickly filled with smoke and the sounds of battle. A few explosive rounds were even being used to disable the drones. Brenda knew if they could destroy the drones the battle would be over. She rose up on her knees so she could see better. Spotting a Simulin firing from behind a computer console, she raised her pulse rifle and shot him in the head. He dropped to the floor and didn’t move.

  Looking around she saw a number of her Marines were down, some having fallen victim to the Conqueror Drones and others to the explosive rounds the Simulins were firing.

  She saw Corporal Metz fire half a dozen bolts from his pulse rifle into the carapace of a Conqueror Drone, causing it to collapse to the floor. Her Marines were gradually pushing further into the room. Standing up, she moved behind a computer console, which afforded a limited amount of cover. The surviving Simulins were backed up against the far wall of the room with a few Conqueror Drones in front of them. A barrage of explosive rounds suddenly blew the drones apart, leaving the Simulins unprotected. Pulse rifle beams quickly finished off the Simulins. There was no offer for them to surrender.

  “Room’s clear!” called out Corporal Haggard. The corporal was standing in the midst of the destroyed drones. Several of his Marines were moving from drone to drone putting additional rounds into the carapaces where the CPUs were located. Others were checking the Simulins to make sure they were all dead.

  Brenda made a quick tour of the large Control Center and then spoke into her comm. “Inform Rakell he can enter.” Rakell was from the Dyson Sphere back in the Milky Way Galaxy. He had joined Brenda’s team and was responsible for deactivating the captured Control Centers for the intergalactic vortexes. He was also an Originator AI.

  Rakell entered the room under the protective escort of half a dozen Marines. He walked over to the main control console and inserted a small metallic gold colored globe. The panel activated and he quickly entered a set of commands. Nodding, he removed the globe and put it back securely into his pocket.

  “That does it. All the vortexes on this Shrieel are now back under our control.”

  “What about any Simulin ships inside or on the outside of the Dyson Sphere?” asked Brenda. She knew most of the time there were a number of patrolling Simulin warships around.

  “Destroyed,” answered Rakell. “Kazak took care of that several months ago. He activated the defensive systems on all the Shrieels and instructed them to destroy any Simulin ships within range. From what I was told, the Simulins lost several thousand vessels when the defenses powered up. We also now have at least one military AI in each Shrieel. The Simulins won’t be a threat again. We’ve pretty well isolated them to their individual galaxies. As long as we destroy all of their ships that approach they can’t even use the intergalactic vortex Control Centers they control.”

  Brenda nodded. They still had thirteen more Dyson Sphere Vortex Control Centers to take back from the Simulins. At each one the resistance was stronger than the last. It was obvious the Simulins trapped on the Dyson Spheres were pulling back to the corridors and rooms around the Control Centers in the hope that somehow they could bring in reinforcements. So far that hadn’t happened.

  Turning to Corporal Metz, she asked the question she always dreaded hearing the answer to. “How many did we lose?”

  “Thirty-two,” he replied, holding a jumble of dog tags in his hand.

  Brenda looked around. The smoke was just beginning to clear. “Let’s bring the reserve companies in and begin a search of the area to make sure we didn’t miss any Simulins or their drones. With the Control Center back under control of the Originator AIs, it would now be safe to bring more Marines in. All the corridors and areas the Simulins had control of would be meticulously searched to make sure none had escaped.

  -

  Jeremy stepped into the spacious home on the outskirts of the towering city where he and Kelsey lived.

  “Jeremy!” an excited young woman’s voice spoke as he shut the door behind him. The voice came from a gorgeous woman with dark hair and eyes.

  “Ariel,” replied Jeremy, surprised to see her at the house. Ariel normally spent most of her time at the Command Center in the new headquarters building or on the new Avenger which was now complete. “What are you doing here?”

  “Clarissa’s babysitting with Clair and Angela’s picking out clothes at the mall, and I wanted to come over and speak to you about some information I managed to find in the Dominator’s computer files.” Clair was Angela’s daughter and had been named after Clarissa.

  “Where’s Kelsey?”

  “I’m in the kitchen,” his wife called out. “You need to hear what Ariel has to say.”

  Jeremy went over and sat down on a comfortable sofa. “What’s Kazak done now?”

  “It’s not Kazak. I’ve been studying some of the files on the scientists who were on the Dominator when it left the dark matter Dyson Sphere. It seems for the first several years of their voyage one of them was in routine communication with another ship.”

  “Another ship?” Jeremy had been under the impression that once the Dominator left the Dyson Sphere, there had been no further communication. “Was Kazak or Commander Zafron aware of this?”

  “No, this information was in an obscure file dealing with a failed line of research.”

  “What was this scientist communicating to this other ship?”

  “Some of the weapons research as well as pertinent research on the pathogen.”

  Jeremy looked confused. “How could this scientist use the ship’s communications without being detected by the command crew?”

  “I checked his quarters on the Dominator. He had his own communication device hidden in his personal items. It was specifically designed so communications from it would not be detected by the ship.”

  “Any clue as to why he was doing this?”

  “I believe he was connected to the group who fled the Dyson Sphere that Kazak eventually went searching for. From what I’ve been able to gather, this communication went on for over forty years.”

  Kelsey came walking into the room brushing her blonde hair away from her deep blue eyes. “I think we need to inform both Zafron and Kazak. They would have known this individual and might be able to tell us more about him.”

  “Is there any clue as to where the missing group of Originators went?”

  Ariel shook her head. “No, just some vague references to something call The Plan.”

  “Tomorrow I’ll have Kazak, Zafron, and Rear Admiral Barnes come to my office to discuss this. Ariel, you need to be there as well since you found the information.”

  “Let’s eat,” Kelsey said. “I’ve spent hours cooking, and I don’t want it to get cold.

  Ariel looked confused. “That’s strange; you only started cooking thirty minutes ago, where did the extra time come from?”

  Kelsey shook her head looking flustered. “I was only joking.”

  Ariel nodded. “I understand. Jokes are still something that after all of these years Clarissa and I still struggle with.”

  “You can stay if you want,” suggested Kelsey.

  “No,” Ariel replied. “You and Jeremy need your private time. There may not be a lot of that soon.
” With that the beautiful AI left.

  “What did she mean about not having much private time?” Kelsey’s brow furrowed in a deep and concerned frown as she gazed at Jeremy.

  Jeremy took a deep breath. He wasn’t surprised Ariel knew what had been discussed in the meeting. Very few secrets could be kept from the inquisitive AI. “We’re about to start getting involved in the search for the missing Originators and checking on the Anti-Life.”

  “Then the new ships are ready?”

  “Yes,” Jeremy answered. “We’re already beginning to assign crews.”

  “Is the Distant Horizon leaving?”

  Jeremy hesitated. Both Kelsey and Katie felt as if they were part of the exploration dreadnought’s crew. “Yes, Rear Admiral Barnes will be departing on her mission in a few more weeks. She’ll have ten exploration ships under her command as well as the Distant Horizon and the Dominator.”

  Kelsey was silent for a long moment. “Jeremy, I know we’ve been discussing starting a family but I would really like to go on this mission with Rear Admiral Barnes. I suspect Katie will feel the same. This might be our last opportunity to do some exploring.”

  “I thought you would say that,” Jeremy answered. “If that’s what you and Katie want to do then contact Rear Admiral Barnes and let her know.” That was one of the things Jeremy loved about Kelsey. She was never one to shirk her duty.

  “First thing in the morning,” replied Kelsey smiling. “Now let’s eat; you’re going to need your energy for later.”

  “For later,” Jeremy said, feigning confusion.

  Kelsey grinned. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  Jeremy smiled. Kelsey looked so radiant and alluring when she grinned like that. “Let’s eat then, I’m starving.” Even after all of this time together, he was still looking forward to later.