The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness Read online

  “I understand your concerns, Colonel,” Race answered. It worried him also how thinly the fleet was being stretched. “However, I know Fleet Admiral Streth very well, and if he feels there’s a threat I’m duty bound to take his word seriously.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Cowel answered unhappily. “I understand your loyalty to the fleet admiral.”

  Race gazed at the colonel sensing there was something else Cowel was worried about. “Brice, if there’s something else bothering you go ahead and spit it out.”

  “It’s your career, Sir,” Brice said, looking sharply at the admiral. “If you’re wrong about this Simulin threat, you could be reassigned to a desk job and you’re too good of an officer for that.”

  “I appreciate your concern,” Race replied.

  He knew the colonel was correct. If Fleet Admiral Nagumo and some of the others he’d expressed his concerns to felt he was crying wolf, he could very easily be busted down to a desk job at one of the shipyards or planet-bound bases. Even former Fleet Admiral Streth would be powerless to prevent that.

  He was about to thank the colonel for his words of concern when Condition One alarms began sounding and the red lights in his quarters began flashing. At the same time, he heard Commander Arnett’s voice come over the comm system.

  “Set Condition One, I repeat, set Condition One, this is not a drill. A large Shari fleet has just exited hyperspace one hundred and six million kilometers from our position. Combat is imminent, I repeat, combat is imminent. Admiral Tolsen, please report to the Command Center.”

  “What the hell!” Cowel said, standing quickly up. “What are the Shari doing here?”

  “I don’t know.” Race slapped the comm button on his desk as he stood up. “I’m on my way. Focus our long-range sensors on those Shari ships. I want to know the exact composition of that Shari fleet.”

  It only took Race a few minutes to reach the command deck and then make his way to the Command Center. He had to pause a moment as the two heavily armed Marines at the now closed hatch checked his and Colonel Cowel’s identities before allowing them entrance.

  “Status!” demanded Race as he stepped inside, gazing at one of the large tactical holograms displaying the inbound Shari fleet.

  “Thirty-two inbounds,” Commander Arnett responded as she moved out of the admiral’s chair. “Eight eleven hundred-meter battlecruisers and twenty-four nine hundred-meter escort cruisers.”

  “They’re definitely scanning us,” added Lieutenant Davis as warning alarms sounded on his sensor console. “I’m detecting high intensity scans from several of their ships. They’re also moving toward us.”

  Race switched his mini-comm over to ship-to-ship. “This is Admiral Tolsen. We have an inbound Shari fleet heading toward Capacitor Station One.”

  “Tell us what you want us to do,” Admiral Jackson’s voice responded.

  “My ships are yours to command,” spoke a softer voice.

  “Admiral Bachal,” acknowledged Race, recognizing the soft-spoken Alton. He knew the majority of the crews on the Alton vessels were human.

  “Admiral Jackson, assign your two battlecarriers to protect Capacitor Station One; all noncombat ships are to fall back to the carriers. I want the rest of your ships to form up on the WarHawk and prepare for a microjump. Admiral Bachal, I need two of your battlecruisers to cover Capacitor Station Two with the rest of your fleet joining the WarHawk.”

  “Orders have been sent to the battlecarriers,” Jackson reported promptly. “The rest of my ships are moving into position.”

  “Same here,” Admiral Bachal added. “We are prepared for the micro-jump.”

  “Stand by,” Race ordered as he sat down and fastened his safety harness. He looked over at Captain Daniels at Tactical. “Prepare Devastator Threes and sublight antimatter missiles. I want to show the Shari they’re not welcome in this sector of space.”

  “What do you think they want?” asked Madelyn as she gazed at one of the tactical holograms. The Shari seemed to be moving forward extremely cautiously.

  “To see what happened to the AIs,” Race responded unhappily. “We should have seen this coming. Hell, the Borzon could show up once they figure out there are no more AI ships around.”

  -

  High Lord Commander Aktill gazed at the main tactical screen in shock. “Where are the AIs?”

  “They’re gone,” his second in command reported. “We’re detecting battle debris falling into the black hole. There’s not nearly as much as one might expect. Much of the debris may have already been consumed by the singularity.”

  “Detecting three large structures,” reported the Shari at the sensors. “All three are obviously of AI construction. One is heavily damaged and the other two seem to be operational.”

  “Status of the human and Alton ships?”

  “Forming up into a single fleet,” answered the sensor operator. “Several ships have broken off and seem to be moving to protect two of the large AI structures.”

  “So it’s true, then,” Aktill’s second in command said. “The AIs have been defeated and their Great Project destroyed.”

  “It would seem so,” Aktill replied.

  He wondered what he should do now. They’d discovered what they came for. The AIs could no longer tell the Shari Empire what to do. This would result in a big change in war strategy by the Shari Grand Council of High Lords. Much would be different in the empire now that the AIs were no longer a controlling force.

  “Human and Alton ships are jumping,” warned the sensor operator. “Spatial vortexes detected at six thousand kilometers!”

  “Charge all weapons,” ordered High Lord Aktill. “Hit them as soon as they exit the vortexes!” He’d hoped to get away without exposing his fleet to combat; he now realized that wasn’t going to happen.

  -

  Race felt the WarHawk exit hyperspace as his pulse began to race. If he’d calculated correctly, they would be in extreme weapons range. That would give his fleet just enough time to bring their systems online before the Shari could hit them with anything major.

  “Inbound weapons fire!” warned Lieutenant Davis as the WarHawk’s energy screen snapped into existence.

  “Strikecruiser Drake is reporting moderate damage from an antimatter hit just as their screen went up,” Lieutenant Travers reported as she listened to the damage report over her comm system.

  “Weapons systems are online,” reported Captain Daniels. “I have a target lock with our Devastator Threes and antimatter missiles.”

  “Fire!” ordered Race, leaning forward in his command chair. “Helm, close the range with the Shari fleet. I want our power beams and particle beam cannons ready to fire.” He felt aggravated at himself for the damage done to the Drake. Crew personnel had died because they’d exited hyperspace too close to the Shari.

  -

  The twenty human and Alton ships let loose a full barrage of their powerful missiles. Both the Devastator Threes and the antimatter missiles were sublight capable and seemed to vanish from their launch tubes as their drives were activated. Microseconds later a series of brilliant flashes of light ignited across the Shari fleet formation. The Devastator Threes were equipped with fifty-megaton nuclear warheads and the antimatter missiles had one hundred-megaton warheads. They were the two most powerful missiles in the Federation and Alton arsenal.

  Raw energy clawed at the energy screens of the Shari ships as the missiles detonated, causing them to strain and fluctuate. Four of the nine hundred-meter escort cruisers screens failed as the energy tearing against them was too great. A second wave of Devastator Threes arrived, impacting the hulls of the four ships, blowing them apart and leaving behind a field of glowing debris.

  On one of the Shari battlecruisers, antimatter energy penetrated the ship’s defensive shield, blasting a gaping hole in the ship’s stern. Two of the ships main fusion reactors were destroyed and the ship faltered as its sublight drive began to fail. Seeing the weakness in the Shari ship, the Da
untless launched two antimatter missiles through the now fluctuating energy shield and a pair of glowing suns appeared where the massive warship once existed.

  The range continued to close and energy weapons began to hammer the screens of the two opposing fleets. Dark violet power beams blasted against Shari shields as well as the slightly more powerful bright blue particle beams. The defensive pulse laser beams even added their ruby red beams to the fray. Missiles were still being launched and the space around the two embattled fleets was aglow with deadly energy.

  The Shari were firing their heavy energy beams and sublight nuclear missiles. However, the Shari missiles were only equipped with twenty and thirty-megaton warheads. The intensity of the battle rapidly ratcheted upward.

  -

  High Lord Aktill felt his flagship shudder violently and red lights began glowing on the damage control board. Warning alarms began sounding indicating there was a hull breach.

  “All ships target the Alton vessel at coordinates Y-72 by X-43, he ordered breathing hard. He hadn’t intended to fight a fleet battle at the galactic center. It was essential he return to the empire and report the AIs were no more.

  -

  From the Shari ships, a reign of fire descended upon the Alton battlecruiser. Its screen glowed brighter and brighter as energy piled up against the straining protective shield. Dozens of Shari missiles were detonating, releasing torrents of energy trying to knock a hole in the screen. Finally, fate took a hand and a miniscule hole appeared just as a Shari missile arrived. The missile darted through and impacted the hull, blasting a huge glowing cavity in the side of the battlecruiser. The energy shield seemed to brighten momentarily and then failed completely. Moments later, the Alton battlecruiser vanished as it was turned into glowing plasma.

  -

  “Alton battlecruiser SwiftWind is down,” reported Lieutenant Davis, shaken by the sudden loss of the powerful Alton vessel.

  The WarHawk shook perceptively and the lights dimmed briefly. Race looked inquiringly at Commander Arnett.

  “Several nuclear missiles hit our shield,” she reported. “It’s holding at eighty-six percent.”

  Race took a deep breath. “Continue to close with the Shari vessels. Set all weapons to continuous fire.”

  “The Drake’s been hit again!” reported Lieutenant Davis with concern in his voice. Then the green icon on his sensor screen that represented the Human Federation of World’s battlecruiser swelled up and vanished. “The Drake is down.”

  Race sucked in a deep gulp of air and shook his head at the loss. Glancing at the main viewscreen, he could see one of the large Shari battlecruisers under attack from two Alton battleships. In a sudden flash of light, the Shari cruiser blew apart.

  “Shari battlecruiser is down,” reported Lieutenant Davis. “Shari are attempting to disengage. I’m detecting an energy buildup indicating they’re preparing to activate their hyperdrives.”

  “Other ships are reporting the same,” added Colonel Cowel.

  “Continue to press the attack,” ordered Race evenly. “I want to impress on the Shari that they should never return here again.”

  -

  Less than a minute later, the last Shari vessel vanished into a swirling vortex leaving the black hole far behind. The fleet had been brutally savaged by the combined human and Alton fleet. Two battlecruisers and seven cruisers had been lost in the brief encounter, with a number of other ships severely damaged.

  “The humans and Altons are dangerous,” High Lord Aktill’s second in command said as he looked at the report of the ships, which had been lost, as well as some early damage reports. “They could someday be a threat to our empire.”

  “I doubt it,” Aktill replied. “They have their hands full taking control of the thousands of worlds the Hocklyns enslaved. Their forces are spread thin, and it will be many years before they can turn their attention toward us. We now know the AIs are no more and we can proceed with developing a robust weapons development program. When the humans come for us, we will be ready and they will know defeat.”

  -

  Race looked down at the battle report Commander Arnett had just handed him. The Drake and the SwiftWind destroyed and several other ships reporting minor to moderate damage. Fortunately, they had several fleet repair ships to fix the damage. It would mean halting some of the work on the capacitor stations, but Race needed the ships repaired in case the Simulins appeared. He was also greatly concerned about the appearance of the Shari fleet. They would now know the AIs were no longer a controlling influence. The Shari Empire would become much more dangerous and would require the deployment of more Federation forces along the border. He greatly feared that even though this battle could be considered a victory, it might have cost him dearly in any possibility of substantial reinforcements.

  With a deep sigh, he turned the Command Center over to Commander Arnett. He had a battle report to prepare and send to Fleet Admiral Nagumo. He also needed to send his personal messages to his parents and sister. Race strongly suspected it would be a long time before he saw home again.

  Chapter Five

  Jeremy was in the Command Center of the Avenger with his eyes focused on one of the main viewscreens. A Type Two battlestation was being moved from one of the construction bays of the Clan Protector by a small tug specially designed to move and position the stations. Jeremy knew the Altons, along with some human technicians, had redesigned the battlestations to greatly increase their survivability. The new ones were one hundred and fifty meters in diameter and fully self-contained. They had an upgraded energy shield, defensive lasers, and two particle beam cannons. They were also equipped with twelve Devastator Three missile tubes and a standard crew of fifty. The new stations were powered by a Class Three fusion reactor.

  “That’s the last one,” Kevin said from his sensor console.

  Glancing at his screens, he made an adjustment and thirty-nine blinking green icons appeared, encircling Gaia. Each icon represented a completed battlestation. Over the years, Kevin’s freckles had faded some but his hair was still a fiery red.

  “That completes our defenses,” Ariel said in a soft voice from Jeremy’s left side. “With forty Type Two battlestations and fifteen hundred particle beam satellites, Gaia should be safe from the Simulins.”

  “Then it’s time for us to send the probe back to our galaxy,” Commander Malen said as she stepped away from one of the tactical displays where she had been studying the now finished orbital defenses.

  “All required ships have been updated,” Ariel reported. “Clarissa says the Distant Horizon is also ready, with most of the Alton scientists transferring over to their science vessels until the ship returns.”

  Jeremy nodded as he leaned back in his command chair. It had been ten weeks since he’d given the order for the selected ships to be updated. He had delayed their departure until the final battlestation was completed. He felt better leaving knowing Gaia was safe.

  “We leave in forty-eight hours,” he told the others. “Angela, contact all the ships which will be part of our task group, tell them the mission is a go, and give them the departure time.”

  Angela nodded and turned her attention back to her comm panel. It wouldn’t take her long to send the messages to the various ships involved. They’d been expecting the departure order.

  -

  Kevin walked over to Angela and waited patiently for her to finish sending the messages. Once he was satisfied she was done, he tapped her on the shoulder. “What’s this rumor about you and Brace making wedding plans?”

  Angela blushed and then nodded her head. “Brace has been transferred,” she explained. “General McGown has promoted him to the rank of major and placed him in command of one of the military bases.”

  “I’m impressed,” Kevin said, letting out a low whistle. Brace was a likable character, and Kevin wished he could spend more time with the man. Angela was completely smitten with the Marine and she’d brought him around on several occasion
s when the Special Five had been together. Kevin had sensed Brace felt a little uncomfortable in their presence, but that would go away in time. After all, they were no different than anyone else.

  “He’s very proud of his promotion and has some very nice personal quarters. We can live on the base when I’m not needed on the Avenger.”

  “I can help plan the wedding,” Ariel said as she suddenly appeared next to Angela. Her dark eyes were glinting in excitement.

  “Better watch out,” warned Kevin with a laugh. “If you allow Ariel and Clarissa to become involved your wedding could turn into a major production.”

  “You can help,” promised Angela, smiling at Ariel. “However, Brace and I want to keep it simple with only our closest friends.”

  Ariel looked as if she was about to pout and then brightened up. “Small can still be fun,” she announced. Then she turned and walked back over toward Jeremy.

  “I would watch out,” cautioned Kevin, watching the beautiful AI walk away. He wondered if she’d practiced that walk. Katie had warned the two AIs about becoming too sultry with their actions.

  “I can handle Ariel and Clarissa,” Angela said confidently. “Besides, they’re both my friends.”

  -

  Jeremy made a quick trip down to Gaia to speak with General McGown about the defenses at the three military bases being put into place. The three bases formed a triangle around the two cities still in the process of being expanded. A lot of work was still being done at all three bases, including installation of powerful weapons in case of an actual invasion.

  “How are things going?” Jeremy asked as he stepped off the ramp of the shuttle to where the general was waiting.

  “As well as can be expected,” McGown replied as the two turned and began walking toward the main control building. “Every time we finish up one aspect of our defense we think of something else that might be useful. We’re installing Fusion Five reactors at all three bases. It will allow us to deploy power beam installations as part of our defense. We’re also looking at building some ion cannons if the Altons can come up with a workable design.”