The Lost Fleet: Genesis: A Slaver Wars Novel (2 page)

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
follow 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.

Admiral Baasil
hesitated briefly before responding. “I strongly suspect, and Commander
Stockwell agrees with me, that the Shari have a number of fleets between us and
the safety of the Federation. They have no intentions of allowing us to escape
their space.”

“Then what are
our options?” Tureen wasn’t militarily minded and depended on those in the military
to take the lead in those matters.

“We leave
immediately and attempt to reach the Rylus Cluster and Admiral Tolsen. I don’t
believe the Shari will be expecting us to head out in that direction, and there
may not be as many fleets between us and the cluster as there are between here
and the Federation.”

Ambassador Tureen
closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Opening them, he looked over at the admiral.
“You do realize that by leaving unannounced it will be tantamount to declaring
war?”

“Yes,” Admiral
Baasil replied grimly. “But to remain is to risk the total destruction of our
fleet.”

“Can we still
send out messages to Admiral Tolsen and the Federation?”

“So far,” answered
Baasil, his eyes narrowing. “I believe the Shari don’t want us to suspect
anything is amiss so they’re not jamming us. However, it won’t be hard for them
to trace our FTL communication buoys.” There was a string of them between the
fleet’s present location and Federation space. There was also a second string
to the Rylus Cluster.

Ambassador
Tureen stood up as he reached his decision. “Send an encrypted message to the Federation
to send the second relief fleet to Admiral Tolsen immediately. Send another
message to Admiral Tolsen informing him of our planned arrival and to be
prepared for immediate war with the Shari.” The second relief and supply fleet
had been waiting at the border of the Shari Empire for orders to proceed. They
had been held up so as not to heighten the tension with the Shari while the
negotiations were in progress.

“How soon
before we leave?”

“I have another
meeting scheduled for tomorrow with the Shari representative. I don’t believe
they’re quite ready to make their move on our fleet. Perhaps I can buy enough
time for the messages to reach the Federation and Admiral Tolsen. However, it
might be wise to discretely raise the alert level of the fleet. I don’t want us
to be taken by surprise.” Tureen knew due to the distances involved it would
take several days for the messages to reach their recipients.

“With Humans
in the fleet,” Baasil said with a slight smile. “I don’t think anything could
take us by surprise.”

-

Three more
days passed and Ambassador Tureen was once more in the Command Center of the
Star Avenger
. He couldn’t help but think of the irony of the ship’s name.
The Altons were a peaceful race with over ninety percent of the population
pacifists. However, there were still enough Altons on their worlds willing to
fight and go to war to preserve the Human Federation of Worlds and the ideals
the two races held dear to their hearts.

“The Shari
representative is going back to their home world to discuss our latest offer,”
Ambassador Tureen commented as he gazed at the huge viewscreen on the front
wall of the Command Center. As on all Alton constructed ships, the screen was
crystal clear and gave a very unobstructed view of space. It almost seemed as
if you could step out of the ship and touch the stars.

“When will he
be returning?”

“He won’t,” answered
Tureen, turning to face the admiral. “I believe it is but a ruse to force us to
remain at this location until they’re ready to attack. It’s highly likely they’re
planning to attack us as well as Admiral Tolsen at the same time. What of their
ship movements?”

“No new
arrivals in the past forty-eight hours,” Admiral Baasil answered. “I’m certain
the Shari believe the ships they have assembled will be sufficient to destroy
our fleet.”

“The Shari have over two thousand warships within attack range,” Commander Stockwell added.
Stockwell was from New Tellus and was a career officer in the fleet. “We’ll be
heavily outnumbered and while our weapons are superior, we’ll be at a distinct
disadvantage against a fleet of that size.”

Tureen shifted
his gaze to the holographic tactical display showing what the long-range
sensors were detecting. Around a number of nearby stars were numerous red
threat icons. “As soon as our long-range sensors detect those Shari warships
entering hyperspace, we need to leave.”

“We’ll only
have two or three minutes’ warning before the first of their warships can reach
us,” Commander Stockwell informed Ambassador Tureen. “Some of those ships are
only a few light years distant.”

“Will that be
time enough for us to enter hyperspace?”

“Yes,”
confirmed Admiral Baasil. “Just barely.”

Ambassador
Tureen nodded, accepting the danger of their situation. “Very well, make your
preparations. We’re going to the Rylus Star Cluster.”

-

Four more days
passed when Ambassador Tureen was suddenly awakened by the Condition One alarms
sounding. He was hurriedly dressing when he heard the announcement over the
ship’s comm system they were preparing to leave the system. Taking a deep breath,
he sat down on his bed and waited for the shift into hyperspace. He felt a
sudden dizziness and a brief bout of nausea and then everything returned to
normal. He knew the
Star Avenger
had successfully made the transition.
He allowed himself to breathe out a long sigh of relief. They couldn’t be
attacked in hyperspace, at least not until they exited. The ambassador knew the
Star Avenger
was capable of traveling one light year every three minutes
with an effective jump range of one hundred and twenty light years. That would
give them six hours of safety before they had to exit the warp vortex, allow
the hyperdrive to cool, and then recharge the drive for the next jump.

It didn’t take
the ambassador long to reach the Command Center. Stepping inside, he saw that
it was a beehive of frantic activity. Glancing at the large viewscreen, he saw
the swirling colors of deep purple associated with hyperspace. He knew from
recent studies what he was seeing was the effect of dark energy on the higher
bands of hyperspace in which the battleship was traveling. No Alton scientist
was quite certain what affect dark energy played in hyperspace travel though it
was becoming more apparent there was a definite connection.

“Ambassador,”
Admiral Baasil said respectfully, seeing Tureen enter the Command Center.

“I assume the Shari made their move?”

“Yes,” responded
Baasil, gesturing toward one of the large holographic tactical displays. “All
of their fleets entered hyperspace within two minutes of one another.
Navigation plotted their eventual destination to the coordinates our fleet was occupying.
As soon as we detected their entry into hyperspace, I gave the order for the
fleet to leave. I also sent messages to the Federation as well as Admiral
Tolsen apprising them of our situation.”

Tureen shifted
his attention to the indicated tactical display, seeing what appeared to be a
number of Shari fleets inbound toward their former location. So it was actually
happening. He had hoped he was wrong and the Shari would not choose the path of
war.

“How long until
we reach the Rylus Star Cluster?” Tureen also wondered when he would see home
again. Even if they reached the cluster, they might find themselves trapped
there for quite some time.

“Six days,” answered
Commander Stockwell, stepping over closer to the two. “We’ll have to exit
hyperspace eighteen times before we reach the cluster and then several more
times in order to reach the Dyson Sphere. We’ll need to spend an hour each time
we dropout to allow the drive cores to cool properly. We’ll also have to check
the harmonics on the fleet’s hyperdrives periodically.”

“That’s
assuming we don’t run into a Shari fleet,” said Tureen in a tired voice. He
felt as if he had failed. The Human Federation of Worlds and their allies,
which included the Altons, were once more going to war.

“We’ll have
ample warning with our long-range sensors,” Admiral Baasil pointed out.

“What will
happen once we reach the Dyson Sphere?”

Admiral Baasil
stood up from his command chair and gazed around the Command Center. He knew a number of the crew was listening to the conversation. “Probably a battle,”
Baasil answered grimly. “It won’t take the Shari long to figure out where we’re
going.”

“I just hope
the other relief fleet makes it there before we do,” Tureen commented. “Admiral
Tolsen’s going to need what that fleet has with it.”

Admiral Baasil
nodded. The most valuable military asset in the known galaxy was the recently discovered
Dyson Sphere. Under no conditions could it be allowed to fall into Shari hands. The technology contained inside the sphere had the potential to make whoever
got to it first the dominate power in the galaxy. Of course there was still a
wild card in play. Admiral Baasil knew the Simulins were also hunting for the
Dyson Sphere and when they found it, all hell would break loose as the Humans
would say.

Admiral Race
Tolsen stared worriedly at one of the
WarHawk’s
tactical displays. The
number of Shari vessels now in the outer regions of the system was steadily
increasing every hour. It was obvious they were building up their forces for an
attack, one which could happen at any time.

“How soon
before the relief and supply fleet arrive?” Race needed those supplies and
additional ships if he wanted to hold his position above the Dyson Sphere.

“Two hours,”
answered Colonel Cowel as he checked some data on one of his computer screens.
“I just hope the Shari don’t detect them on their way in.”

“What about
Admiral Baasil and the Alton fleet?” Race was deeply concerned about the Alton fleet as Ambassador Tureen was on board the
Star Avenger
.

“Sixteen
hours,” Cowel said as he checked some additional data.

“Any signs the
Shari can detect incoming fleets?”

“No,”
responded Commander Madelyn Arnett as she turned to face the admiral. “All evidence
indicates their long-range sensors extend out only about twenty-five AU.”

Race nodded. At
least that was some good news. “We’ll take the fleet to Condition One twenty
minutes before the arrival of the relief and supply fleet. If necessary, we may
have to move out from beneath the defensive grid to give the arriving ships
covering fire. I want all fighters, bombers, and the defense globes ready to
launch at a moment’s notice.”

“We’ll be
ready,” promised Madelyn.

“Do you
believe this will turn into an all out battle?” asked Cowel.

“Maybe,” Race
answered as his eyes shifted to the colonel. “It depends on how many ships the Shari are willing to lose. After all, they’re still building up their fleet. I’m hoping
they’re not quite ready to commit to a full-scale battle, and once Admiral
Baasil arrives it might give the Shari pause in their attack plans.”

Cowel nodded
and went back to his duties.

Race leaned
back in his command chair and gazed at the large viewscreen on the front wall
of the ship. The dark and dimly lit surface of the Dyson Sphere covered the
entire screen. Both Reesa Jast and Kelnor Mard were down on the surface
investigating a large structure they hoped might provide entrance to the
sphere. Reesa had taken the small copper colored globe, which had served as a
key to open up the doors in the Originator complex they found beneath one of
the airless moons in the Rylus Cluster. The two Alton scientists were hoping
the key would allow them access to the structure. Race hoped they were correct.
If they couldn’t find a way into the Dyson Sphere, then this mission would be a
bust and the Human Federation of Worlds would have committed a lot of fleet
resources sorely needed elsewhere. If they were forced to withdraw from the
Dyson Sphere, they would be trapped deep inside enemy territory and there was
no guarantee they could make it back to Federation space. There was no doubt
the Shari would do everything in their power to destroy the fleet.

“With all the
inbound Shari traffic, the Simulins are eventually going to find us,” said Madelyn
worriedly as she studied the tactical display, which was showing four more
recently arrived Shari escort cruisers joining their main fleet. “We know
they’ve been searching for the Dyson Sphere for quite some time.”

“If and when
they find it, we’ll be facing two enemies,” Race said grim-faced. It posed a
serious problem as the Simulin warships were much more powerful than those used
by the Shari. In the last battle with the Simulins, the dreadnoughts
Falcon
and
Yellen
had been destroyed.

“The Shari don’t understand how big a threat the Simulins are,” Madelyn said with a deep frown.
“Has that been pointed out to them in the negotiations?”

“Yes,” Race
replied. “It was one of the first things Ambassador Tureen brought up. The Shari seemed indifferent to the danger.”

Madelyn turned
her attention back to the main viewscreen and the Dyson Sphere. “I just hope
all of this is worth it. By now the Shari have sealed their borders, and we’re
effectively cut off from the Federation. We have several lines of FTL buoys
that will allow us to communicate, but eventually the Shari will find the buoys
and our ability to send messages back to the Federation will cease.”

Race knew they
were going to be stuck between a rock and a hard place when that happened. He
looked at another viewscreen showing the battlecarrier
Hera
. He was pleased
his sister was close by, but for her own safety it might have been better if
she had stayed in Federation space. He knew their parents had to be gravely concerned.
Massie had told him Fleet Admiral Nagumo had promised to explain the reason for
his apparent resignation to their parents. Race knew they would be greatly
relieved to find out he was still in the fleet. However, they would be worried
when they found out where he and Massie were.

-

On the surface
of the Dyson Sphere, Reesa Jast stood in front of a massive structure that rose
up over two hundred meters. It was constructed of the same wondrous alloy or
metal as the sphere and was impervious to scans. Behind her Kelnor Mard,
several other Alton and Human scientists, as well as ten Marines under the
command of Sergeant Brenda Wilde were waiting expectantly. They had found a
possible entrance into the structure and were preparing to use the key to see
if it would open up a door.

“Are you sure
about this?” asked Kelnor as he stepped up next to Reesa.

They were
dressed in Alton environmental suits, which allowed considerable freedom of
movement and were capable of protecting them from most radiation and other
hazards. The Marines were dressed in a larger suit, which allowed them to carry
their weapons as well as wear their body armor underneath.

“Yes,” Reesa
said. They were standing in front of a smooth wall with a slight indentation at
chest level. The indentation was just the right size for the key to fit into.
“We’ve searched for three months, and this is the only spot we’ve found that
seems to fit the key.”

Kelnor looked
back at Sergeant Wilde; behind her was the exploration cutter they had used to
come down to the surface. “It’s your call, Sergeant.”

Brenda let out
a deep breath. Why was it always her in these situations? She well remembered
the dressing down she received from Captain Abrams when she had allowed the two
Altons to talk her into going deep inside the Originator complex on the airless
moon. She had promised the captain to be more careful in the future.

The problem
she had now was that communication between the surface of the Dyson Sphere and
the orbiting warships was prohibited except in the case of an extreme
emergency. They couldn’t risk the Shari intercepting any communications that
might indicate an entrance to the Dyson Sphere had been found. Once again she
was faced with a decision that might get her into trouble with her superior
officer.

“I want to
bring out the rest of my Marines as well as some emergency supplies,” Brenda
said after a moment’s thought. “If you do succeed in opening up an entrance I
want to be able to survive inside if we get trapped.”

“We won’t get
trapped,” promised Reesa with a disapproving frown. “We’ll have the key and we
can use it to get back out.”

It took only a
few minutes for the rest of the platoon to exit the exploration cutter carrying
the supplies Brenda wanted. They also had two small antigravity sleds, which held
research instruments as well as other items that might be needed.

“Try the key,”
Brenda said, satisfied they were ready. She crossed her fingers hoping she had
made the right decision.

With a nod of
her head, Reesa took out the small copper colored globe from the zippered pocket
of her environmental suit. Without hesitation, she inserted it into the
indentation and then waited expectantly for something to happen.

For several moments
there was no indication the key was going to work, then it suddenly erupted in
brilliant light and a section of the wall in front of them slid open, revealing
a dark corridor that seemed to go deep into the structure.

“So said the
spider to the fly,” muttered Brenda as she looked back toward the exploration
cutter. She knew the crew inside was monitoring everything. “Corporal Metz,
take your squad inside and see what you can find.”

The corporal
and six Marines hesitantly entered the dark corridor. As soon as they stepped
inside brilliant lights came on, illuminating the interior.

“At least the
power’s still on,” commented Private Richard Trent as he held his rifle at the
ready.

“I don’t see
anything dangerous,” reported Corporal Metz. “The corridor seems to go on for a
considerable distance, and I think I can see several doors at its end.”

They were using
short-range communications, which shouldn’t be picked up by the Shari. Turning toward Kelnor and Reesa, Sergeant Wilde looked expectantly at them. “What
now?” Unless there was danger, the two Altons were in charge of the exploration
team.

“We go
inside,” Reesa said with a tinge of excitement in her voice. “That’s why we’re
here and the exploration cutter is monitoring us.” For Reesa, this was the
fulfillment of a lifelong dream. She had spent years studying and doing
research on the Originators, now she was going to get to explore one of their
greatest creations.

“Lead the
way,” Brenda said, cradling her assault rifle in her arms. Her platoon of Marines
was heavily armed, though she doubted if any weapons would be needed. Since
their arrival there had been no signs of life. If someone lived inside the
Dyson Sphere, surely they would have made some type of response to the
Federation fleet in orbit.

Moving cautiously
forward, all the Marines and scientists entered the long corridor. Reesa hurried
to the front and arrived at the other doors before anyone else. “We’re going to
need the key to go any further,” she reported as she saw the small indentations
indicating where the key needed to go. Turning around, she marched back to the
entrance and, reaching her hand outside, she grasped the key and pulled it out.
Stepping back inside, she had only gone a few feet when the entrance door slid
back shut, sealing them in.

“Well, that’s
not good,” said Sergeant Wilde, stepping over to the now missing entrance and
running her gloved hand over the smooth metal.

“Don’t worry,
we can use the key to get back out,” spoke Reesa confidently.

“Really?”
Brenda said in a sarcastic voice. “And just where are you going to put the
key?”

Reesa looked
around the former entrance and her face turned pale. There wasn’t a slot for
the key! The entire wall was smooth. “I don’t know,” she stammered. “There
should be a slot for the key on this side but I don’t see it.”

“Crap!”
muttered Brenda in exasperation. Once more, she had allowed the Altons to get
her into a mess. She could already hear the lecture from Captain Abrams. “So
what do we do now?” she asked, turning toward Reesa.

Reesa was
silent for a long moment and then replied. “The two doors at the end of the
corridor have slots for the key. I suggest we open them and see what we find.
There has to be a way back out somewhere, we just need to find it.”

Brenda nodded.
She didn’t see they had any other choice. They had finally found a way into the
Dyson Sphere. The only problem was, they had the only key that could open the
door, and no one outside had one. “Lead the way.”

Reesa quickly
turned and headed for the two doors. They had finally gotten inside but
unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be a way back out. Now she felt responsible
for the safety of the group. She had to find a way to get them safely back to
the exploration cutter. What greatly concerned her was that it had taken over
three months to find this entrance. What if it took that long to find way back
out?

-

Above the
Dyson Sphere, warning alarms were blaring on the
WarHawk’s
sensor
console.

“Relief and
supply fleet is exiting hyperspace,” reported Captain Davis as numerous friendly
green icons began appearing on his sensor screens.

“Distance?”
Race was concerned they might be too far out and would be subject to attack
from the Shari.

“Two hundred
million kilometers,” replied Davis.

“Damn, that’s
a long way out,” muttered Commander Arnett as she peered sharply at the
tactical display. “The Shari are bound to respond to their appearance.”

Race agreed.
“It’s the Dyson Sphere; the thing’s so large the gravity well extends far out
into the system. Even our hyperdrives could be damaged if we entered hyperspace
too close to it.”

“I have
Admiral Stoddard on the comm,” Captain Denise Travers reported. “He wants to
know what his orders are.”

“How near the
Dyson Sphere can they jump?”

“Twenty
million kilometers and that will be putting considerable stress on their
hyperdrive systems,” Colonel Cowel answered. “Some of those cargo ships’ drives
aren’t full military grade.”

“We’re
detecting some movement from the Shari fleet,” warned Captain Davis. “They may
be preparing to enter hyperspace.”

Race looked at
one of the tactical displays showing the Shari fleet. A number of ships seemed
to be forming up into an attack formation. He wasn’t surprised; he had expected
them to react to the appearance of the relief and supply fleet.

“Order Admiral
Stoddard to perform a microjump immediately, we’ll be going out to meet him.”

“Fleet is at Condition
One and ready for your orders, Admiral,” reported Commander Arnett.

“Weapons are
online and energy shield is at 98 percent,” added Colonel Cowel. “The
WarHawk
is ready for combat.”