Chapter One

Seven months previously at the dark matter nebula Dyson Sphere...

Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes grimaced as she saw a Federation strikecruiser vanish in a fiery explosion from a Simulin antimatter missile. On another screen, an AI warsphere was breaking apart. The battle was going badly for the Federation fleet.

“The fleet is sustaining heavy damage,” Clarissa reported as she listened to the latest reports. “Fleet Admiral Strong is hesitant to withdraw as we may not be able to return. In all likelihood, the Simulins will increase the size of their defense fleets at the tunnel entrances to prevent us from ever gaining entry again.”

Kathryn could sense the growing desperation she knew must be sweeping across the fleet. Only the AIs would be void of this horrible feeling. If they failed in their mission, then everything might be lost. “Andram, is there anything we can do?”

The Alton scientist hesitated for a moment and then turned toward Kathryn with a grave look on his wizened face. “I may have found a way to destroy the Dyson Sphere.”

“What?” exclaimed Colonel Leon, her eyes growing wide in astonishment. “How? Our most powerful weapons can’t even put a dent in its hull.”

Andram turned back around and adjusted the ship’s large viewscreen. Instantly, the central sun appeared surrounded by half a dozen dark ribbons representing the power collection stations. “We destroy the system’s sun.”

Kathryn leaned back in her command chair in shock at hearing those words. She took a deep breath as she gazed at the Alton scientist. “Is that even possible?”

“Yes,” Andram answered. “Shilum and I have been doing some calculations. If we take the Distant Horizon to the outer edge of the corona of the star and launch all of our antimatter missiles into the photosphere, it should cause a sufficient reaction to cause the star to go nova. It will take some precision because all of the missiles need to detonate within milliseconds of one another to cause the photosphere to become unstable enough.”

“We’ve lost another battlecruiser, and two more strikecruisers,” Captain Reynolds said in a grim voice as the green icons vanished from the tactical displays. “We’ve also lost eighteen warspheres in the last seven minutes. If we’re going to do something, it needs to be soon. We’re losing a lot of people!”

“Clarissa, if we do this, can the Distant Horizon escape the nova?”

Clarissa was quiet for a long moment and then answered. “No, Admiral. The nova will be nearly instantaneous, and we most likely won’t be able to activate our hyperdrive in time to escape. The sheer mass of the sun and being so deep inside its gravity well may cause the drive to fail catastrophically when we jump into the outer regions of the corona.”

“Can we send some of the AI ships to do this?” asked Commander Grissim.

“No,” replied Andram, shaking his head. “Only the Distant Horizon possesses an energy shield powerful enough to allow us to get as close to the corona of the star as we’re going to need to be. We’re actually going to be within the outer edges.”

Kathryn closed her eyes briefly. She had always known there was a possibility she could die in her service to the fleet. Now it seemed as if that time had arrived. There were six large shuttles and four small cargo shuttles in the ship’s flight bay. “Commander Grissim, give the order to evacuate all nonessential personnel.” She looked over at Katie and Kelsey. “That includes the two of you as well as Andram, Shilum, and Mikow.” She wasn’t going to be responsible for the deaths of two of the Special Five, and Jeremy would need the three Altons and their knowledge.

“Admiral,” protested Andram, “you may need me to coordinate the missile strike.”

“Clarissa, can you launch the missiles to do the job?”

“Yes, Admiral,” Clarissa said softly. “I can do it. There’s no reason for Andram or any of the others to stay. It’s best if they leave.”

“What’s the nearest ship that can take on our shuttles?”

“The AI command ship is nearby,” Commander Grissim answered in a steady voice. “It has ten warspheres and twenty of the fifteen-hundred-meter spheres as escorts.”

Kathryn nodded. That would be a safe place for her people. “Clarissa, contact the Command AI and inform it of what we’re getting ready to do.” She looked around at Andram and the others who were still standing in the Command Center, hesitant to leave. “Go now,” she ordered. “Or I’ll have you escorted to the shuttles by Marines.”

“Goodbye, Admiral,” Kelsey said, her eyes filled with shock over what they were about to do. She had never imagined anything like this. Kelsey couldn’t see herself leaving the Distant Horizon. She felt as if she was abandoning her post.

“It’s been an honor,” Katie added as she walked over to Kelsey’s side. She looked over at Clarissa and a tear formed in her eye. “Clarissa, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, Katie,” said Clarissa, turning toward her with a weak smile. “You have always been my best friend. Don’t forget me.”

“I won’t,” sobbed Katie.

“You all need to go,” Ordered Kathryn. “It’s been a privilege to serve with you.”

Kelsey started to reply but instead she nodded and left the Command Center followed by the others.

The Command Center was quiet for a long moment and then Kathryn began giving orders. “Clarissa, expedite getting them off the ship and anyone else we can get to those shuttles in the next few minutes. I want to make our hyperspace jump to the star as soon as possible. Contact Ariel and tell her what we’re preparing to do.”

“I already have,” Clarissa replied as she squared up her shoulders. “She’s not happy, but she understands the necessity of what we’re preparing to do.”

-

“They’re going to do what?” exploded Jeremy, his eyes taking on a look of incredulity He couldn’t believe what Ariel had just reported.

“Andram and Shilum have figured out how to cause the central sun to go nova. They’re already evacuating all nonessential personnel to the Command AI’s ship. Clarissa says we have twenty minutes to get out of the Dyson Sphere before the nova reaches us.”

Kevin looked over at Jeremy and then spoke with his voice almost in a whisper. “They’re sacrificing the Distant Horizon to destroy the Dyson Sphere. We have to stop them.”

“It’s the only way,” Ariel replied in a somber voice. “I’ve run the calculations with Clarissa, and the plan will work. I wish there was another way but there isn’t.”

“They’re right,” Jeremy said grimly as the Avenger shook from inbound weapons fire. “The Dyson Sphere has to be destroyed and causing the system’s sun to go nova will do it.” Jeremy tried not to think of the people on the Distant Horizon who would be sacrificing their lives. He looked over at Ariel seeing the upset look on her face. He knew she was thinking about Clarissa.

“What about Katie and Kelsey?” asked Kevin worried about his wife.

“Katie, Kelsey, Andram, Shilum, and Mikow are being evacuated,” Ariel said with obvious relief in her voice. “They should be on the AI command ship shortly.”

Kevin nodded his acceptance as he turned back toward his sensor console.

“How soon before the Distant Horizon’s shuttles reach the Command AI’s ship?” asked Jeremy. It was a relief to know that part of the crew was being evacuated, including Kelsey and Katie. However, the majority of the crew was still on board the ship. He had come to be familiar with many of them. He couldn’t imagine no more Clarissa or Rear Admiral Barnes.

“They’re already docking,” answered Ariel. “The Command AI has sent twenty of the remaining warspheres to cover the Distant Horizon until they’re ready to make their hyperjump. The Simulins are attacking but they won’t be able to stop the jump.”

Jeremy looked at one of the viewscreens showing the exploration dreadnought. He couldn’t believe he was agreeing to this. Over the ship-to-ship comm, he contacted all of his remaining ships. “We’re leaving. I want a short hyperjump to the exit tunnel and then full subspace speed until we’re out. Once we’ve cleared the Dyson Sphere, we’ll jump to the dark matter tunnel entrance and then jump out. Timing is of the essence. This system’s star is about to go nova and any ship that doesn’t make it to the dark matter tunnel will be destroyed.”

-

Aboard the Distant Horizon, Kathryn watched as the rest of the fleet disengaged from the Simulins and opened up spatial vortexes to jump the short distance to the escape tunnel. She watched as the ships vanished, leaving the Distant Horizon alone with her escort of protective warspheres. Once she was satisfied all the ships were gone, she turned to Commander Grissim. “Make the jump to the corona. Clarissa, as soon as we jump, the remaining AI warspheres are to join Fleet Admiral Strong.” On the main viewscreen, she saw two of the protecting warspheres explode in flashes of light as Simulin weapons fire overwhelmed their energy shields.

Before she could say anything, a swirling blue-white vortex formed in front of the Distant Horizon and Lieutenant Styles quickly flew the exploration dreadnought into it.

-

Kathryn was nearly thrown from her command chair as the ship exited its vortex in the outer edge of the star’s corona. Alarm bells were ringing, and multiple red lights were appearing on the damage control console.

“Hyperdrive is down,” confirmed Clarissa in a calm voice. “We also have several hull breaches.”

“Chief Engineer Jalat is working on the drive,” Commander Grissim reported. “He doesn’t know if it’s repairable.”

Kathryn nodded. They had known this might be a one-way trip.

“Admiral, the energy shield is rapidly weakening,” reported Colonel Leon from her command console, looking at Kathryn meaningfully. “I estimate three or four minutes is the longest it will remain up.”

Taking a deep breath, Kathryn looked around her command crew. Most were watching her, their eyes showing little fear. “I’ve been proud to be your commander,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better crew. Take solace in the thought that what we’re about to do will protect our home galaxy as well as Gaia.” She turned toward Clarissa. “Launch the missiles. And Clarissa, I want you to know I consider you a friend.”

“Thank you, Admiral,” Clarissa responded as she activated the complicated launching process she had set up. The Distant Horizon had thirty-six missile tubes and she had nearly two hundred missiles to launch. She had adjusted the missiles’ subspace drives to allow for multiple launches and for all them to arrive on target simultaneously. It would be a rapid launch, and she could have all the missiles off the ship in twelve seconds by disengaging some of the safety protocols. “Missiles launching.”

Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes, the daughter of Governor Barnes of Ceres, closed her eyes waiting for death. She just wished she could have seen her father one last time.

-

The two hundred missiles arrived at their target within milliseconds of one another. Already the intense heat was causing the missiles to melt. In a massive explosion all the missiles detonated, each releasing one hundred megatons of antimatter energy. The star seemed to recoil in on itself and then it exploded. Raw energy raced outwards toward the surrounding energy collection rings and the Dyson Sphere. The energy collection rings were destroyed in seconds and still the ravaging energy continued outward.

On board the Distant Horizon, Clarissa was working frantically trying to find a way to save the ship. Already the energy shield was nearing collapse and only a few precious seconds remained. In desperation she shunted all the reserve power to the hyperdrive overloading the core inducing a brief hyperspace field. The field was unstable but it would have to do. With a screeching sound of tearing metal, the exploration dreadnought entered hyperspace. In the Command Center consoles exploded and crewmembers screamed out in pain as the unorthodox hyperspace field distorted reality and threatened to tear the ship apart.

Before leaving Gaia, Kazak had given Clarissa an Originator code that would allow her access to one of the intergalactic vortexes on the Dyson Sphere in an emergency. He had told her it would take the ship to a place of safety, but it would never be able to return if the Dyson Sphere was destroyed. As the ship fled the all destructive nova, she sent the signal to the Control Center that operated this particular vortex. There wasn’t enough time to try to escape through the exit tunnel. If the vortex didn’t activate in time, the exploration dreadnaught would smash into the surface of the megastructure at many times the speed of light.

On the Dyson Sphere a swirling spatial vortex suddenly appeared. It flickered and then stabilized as the effects of the nova on hyperspace was already reaching the megastructure. Microseconds later the Distant Horizon struck the vortex aperture and vanished. Shortly after that, the Dyson Sphere was destroyed as the raging nova impacted its structure destroying everything in its path.

-

Kathryn felt intense pain wracking her body. She felt as if she were being torn apart and then repeatedly put back together. Forcing her eyes open, she saw the Command Center was in turmoil. Most of the crew was passed out on the deck, and those that were still conscious had terror-stricken looks upon their faces. Smoke filled the room and numerous consoles were on fire. The main viewscreen showed what should have been the normally comforting colors of hyperspace. Instead, it looked as if hyperspace was in flux. The colors were rampaging across the screen swirling as if in anger. Forcing her head around she looked back at Clarissa, who stood as if frozen. Then a brilliant flash of light passed through the Command Center and Kathryn’s thoughts faded away.

-

Clarissa saw the effects the combination of the nova and the intergalactic vortex were having on the crew. Some were dead and many others were dying. She felt intense anguish at seeing so many of the people she had known and worked with dying all over the ship. Her own memory seemed sluggish and scanning her memory crystal, she saw it had developed a crack that even as she watched was expanding. She had died like this once before and Katie had brought her back. This time there would be no Katie. With a deep mental sigh of anguish, Clarissa wondered what she had done. Would anyone on the exploration dreadnought survive the voyage she had set them upon? Kazak had told her only to use this as a last resort as the Distant Horizon might not be able to survive the stresses of the journey.

-

Inside the console that held Clarissa’s memory crystal, there was a shattering noise as the crystal that held all of her memories broke into a hundred pieces. In the Command Center, Clarissa’s hologram instantly vanished.

In hyperspace, the exploration dreadnought Distant Horizon fled the nova of the Dyson Sphere at a speed nearly unimaginable as it headed out into the far reaches of intergalactic space. On board, the crew was either unconscious, dying, or already dead.

Present Day

Kathryn opened her eyes and blinked as everything around her seemed hazy. She took a deep breath and tried to focus. The last thing she remembered was the tortured screaming of her ship and the moans of the dying crew.

Looking around she saw she was in a white sterile room devoid of furniture other than the comfortable bed she was lying in. A noise from the other side of the bed drew her attention and shifting her gaze she saw a woman sitting in a chair next to the bed. With a gasp, Kathryn realized this woman wasn’t Human. She had dark brown hair with a slight bluish tint to her skin. Even though she was sitting, it was obvious to Kathryn that she was very tall, possibly seven or eight feet. In many ways, she reminded her of the Altons.

“Am I dead?” she asked. Her last conscious thoughts she could remember seemed to indicate she had died on the Distant Horizon. There had been a brilliant white light and then nothing.

The woman smiled and slowly shook her head. “No, Admiral, you’re not dead. Your AI managed to activate one of the intergalactic vortexes on the Dyson Sphere, which brought you here. We were quite surprised to see you.”

“Where’s here, and where’s my ship?”

The woman stood and Kathryn saw instantly she had been correct about her height.

“Your ship brought you to the primary Communications and Transport Hub for those you call the Originators. It was a very long journey, even in hyperspace though time spent in transit was very short. Your ship was already in hyperspace when it entered the vortex. That was a very dangerous maneuver and your ship was fortunate to survive it.”

“Are you an Originator?” asked Kathryn, her eyes growing wide at the realization of where she was and who she might be talking to.

“No,” the woman replied, shaking her head. “I’m one of a group of AIs the Originators created to aid in operating the Shrieels, or Dyson Spheres as you call them, as well as their numerous bases and this space complex you’re now on.”

“Are there many of you?” Kathryn still felt confused. None of this was making much sense. How had Clarissa managed to activate one of the Dyson Spheres intergalactic vortexes? She had never mentioned she could do that. Also how had she managed to activate the ship’s hyperdrive?

“Yes,” the woman replied. “There are some of us on each Shrieel as well as the other facilities of the Originators. We are responsible for their upkeep.”

Kathryn’s face suddenly turned pale at the realization of what they had done. “We destroyed one of the Dyson Spheres. Were there AIs on it?”

The woman’s face took on a look of sadness. “Yes, we know. Regrettably a number of AIs were indeed lost. We also understand it was necessary to stop the Simulins. Due to events which have occurred recently back in your home galaxy, as well as what you call the Triangulum Galaxy, we are in the process of discussing taking action against the Simulins to ensure they can no longer use the intergalactic vortexes on the Shrieels.”

“That would stop the war,” Kathryn said as she realized the ramifications of what the AI was saying. “Why haven’t you done this before?”

“That involves a long explanation,” the woman replied with a deep and regretful sigh. “However, for now, there’s someone waiting outside to see you. She’s been very anxious to speak with you since you recovered from your injuries.”

A look of concern crossed Kathryn’s face. “Just how long have I been out?”

The woman pursed her lips and then answered. “It’s been over seven months since the events at the Shrieel. Much has occurred during that time. We will discuss more of that later.” The woman walked over to the door and opened it.

“Clarissa!” exclaimed Kathryn, seeing the blue-eyed blond AI standing just outside the door. She had never expected to see the AI again.

Clarissa entered the room with a big smile on her face. She rushed over and hugged Kathryn. “I was so afraid that I had killed you,” she cried out. “So many of the crew failed to survive our trip through hyperspace.”

Kathryn held on to Clarissa and then slowly let her go. A look of amazement and confusion spread across her face. “I can feel your body. How?”

“It’s quite simple,” the woman AI replied. “When the Distant Horizon arrived, we found many of your crew dead and nearly all the others suffering from grave injuries. Even the memory crystal of Clarissa’s had shattered. We could not repair it again, but we did manage to recover the memory engrams it contained. We transferred those engrams to a new AI body we created.”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Clarissa said, standing up and slowly turning around for Kathryn to see. “I don’t have to be a hologram anymore. I can’t wait to show Ariel.”

Kathryn turned back toward the Originator AI. “Do you have a name?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, you can call be Camlin.”

Climbing out of the bed Kathryn noticed she was dressed in a light white gown. “Where’s my uniform? I want to see my ship and find out who among the crew survived.” Kathryn strongly suspected the news wasn’t going to be good. Then she looked over at Clarissa. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Clarissa nodded. “I know, it involves Kazak. Everything will be explained later. Let’s go see the Distant Horizon. I believe Commander Grissim will be quite pleased to see you.”

-

An hour later Kathryn stood next to Clarissa, Commander Anne Grissim, and Camlin at a large observation window. On the other side of the window was a large construction bay. What was in the bay held Kathryn in amazement. “Is that the Distant Horizon?” The ship looked nothing like she remembered.

“Yes,” Commander Grissim answered, grinning. “I’ve been awake for over two months and I come here every day to see the work being done on the ship. It’s amazing what the Originator AIs are doing. Their construction methods are far in advance of anything at Gaia or even back in the Federation.”

Inside the bay, the massive structure of the Distant Horizon was being rebuilt. The ship had been greatly expanded and from what Kathryn could see, it looked as if it was much more heavily armed.

Kathryn turned toward Camlin. “What are you doing to my ship, and why?” Kathryn had a suspicion there was something else going on Camlin hadn’t told her about. There had to be an underlying reason for what they were doing to the ship.

Camlin let out a deep sigh, folding her arms across her chest. “Your ship was heavily damaged due to the events at the Shrieel in the black matter nebula and its long journey here in hyperspace. You should know that your vessel just barely made it.”

“Sixty-four percent of the crew perished,” confirmed Commander Grissim, drawing in a deep breath. It was a subject she didn’t want to think about. “Most died just before or immediately after the ship made the transition into hyperspace. We’re lucky that any of us survived at all. I saw the videos of our arrival. The Distant Horizon was a space going wreck.”

“How many survivors are there?” asked Kathryn, afraid of the answer. She had come to know many of the members of her crew.

“Nearly six hundred made it off the ship and to the AI command ship on the shuttles,” answered Clarissa. “Of the rest that remained 1,036 Human crew members survived, 56 Altons, and 168 Marines.”

“The command crew?” Kathryn’s voice was tight in her throat. The ship’s crew had numbered over five thousand!

“Most survived,” Commander Grissim replied, with a catch in her throat. “We did lose Colonel Leon, Lieutenant Styles, and Lieutenant Parker. They were killed instantly when a support beam and part of the overhead structure of the Command Center collapsed.”

Kathryn blinked her eyes. She had known all three of them well. They would be missed. Colonel Leon had once been the executive officer on the battleship WarStorm. She took a deep breath steadying herself. Losses were to be expected in war. Even so, it still hurt to hear the names.

“The ship; what’s being done to it?”

“Being rebuilt,” Clarissa answered. “The surviving Altons are working with the Originator AIs in redesigning the ship to handle their advanced technology, including weapons.”

Kathryn turned toward Camlin. “I don’t understand. Kazak was very defensive about sharing any Originator technology. Why are you being so free with it?”

Camlin’s eyes turned cold. “It’s because of Kazak that your ship is being rebuilt with our most modern technology. Kazak was created to be a leader of war, to fight the enemies of the Originators, and later given command of preserving the last of the Originator race. As a result of that, he could be a serious threat to your people and possibly even mine.”

“Meaning the Originator AIs?”

“Yes,” Camlin answered with a slight nod of her head. “We consider ourselves to be equal to living organic beings. We have made considerable progress since the Originators created us.”

“And you are equal to all living beings,” Clarissa quickly said. “Fleet Admiral Strong has already made that distinction back in the Gaia System. The AIs there are treated the same as all other beings.”

“And the Dominator?” asked Kathryn. “What of it?”

“The most powerful warship the Originators ever built.”

“Why is Kazak dangerous? When we left he seemed to be cooperating.”

Camlin looked deeply into Kathryn’s eyes. “We believe Kazak may have surviving Originators in the stasis chambers hidden in the heart of the ship.”

Kathryn felt her heart begin to pound. She knew Fleet Admiral Strong had never fully trusted the Originator AI. This seemed to confirm his suspicions were correct. However, this secret was much greater than anything any of them had imagined.

“I don’t understand,” said Kathryn, sounding confused. “I thought all the Originators were suffering from the deadly pathogen created by their immortality drug. Even if some are still in stasis, what good will it do?”

“They were infected,” confirmed Camlin, and then in a softer voice. “But we have the cure.”

Kathryn felt a little faint and then, after taking several deep breaths, she turned back to Clarissa and Commander Grissim. “I think we need to have a long talk over what happened back at the Dyson Sphere. Then I want to go on a tour of my ship and see just what changes are being made.” Kathryn was highly curious how Clarissa had activated the vortex to bring them here. She also wanted to know the status of the surviving crewmembers. She had a lot of questions and she was determined to have them answered.

Chapter Two

Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong stood in the Command Center of the battleship Avenger gazing at the multitude of viewscreens on the front wall. One showed a view of Gaia and the fifteen-hundred-kilometer-wide green belt surrounding its equator. Another was focused on the Clan Protector, the huge heavily armed shipyard that orbited the planet. Other screens showed the myriad of warships and battlestations that protected Gaia from possible attack.

“Grayseth is due back in a few more days from his mission to destroy those two Simulin bases nearby,” Commander Kyla Malen reported as she stepped closer to Jeremy. There was only a small crew on the battleship as most were down on the planet on leave. “Are we still going to establish regular patrols in the immediate area of space surrounding the nebula to monitor Simulin activity?”

“Yes,” Jeremy answered as he shifted his gaze over to Kyla. Kyla had been with him for quite some time and was a trusted officer and friend. “I’ve spoken to the Command AI, and we’re going to send out a number of small patrols consisting primarily of the new warspheres and the Gaia class battlecruisers. I want to make sure the area of space around our nebula is too dangerous for the Simulins. We will also be emplacing hyperspace detection buoys in all of the surrounding star systems.”

Commander Malen nodded her approval. “What do you think the Simulins will do since Kazak destroyed Malkor? Between the destruction of the Dyson Sphere and what Kazak did, they lost a lot of their warships.”

“Malkor was their home system here in the Triangulum Galaxy,” Jeremy replied, recalling how Kazak had made their system go nova. “Kazak destroyed six of their inhabited planets when he took the Dominator off on his own. The Simulins lost a large portion of their fleet and for the moment are on the defensive. We have to take advantage of their current weakness and prepare for future conflict. The war with the Simulins isn’t over. Not by a long shot. That’s one reason why I want to establish control of the area of space surrounding the nebula.”

“They still have a powerful fleet,” commented the beautiful dark-haired woman standing behind Jeremy and slightly to his left. “They have a large population base and numerous worlds to draw resources from. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say their shipyards are working overtime rebuilding their fleet.”

Jeremy turned to face Ariel. Ariel was an AI and a close friend and confident of Jeremy’s. “That’s why we need to find more allies. Admiral Jackson is currently at Ornellia with a portion of the fleet and is in the process of rebuilding the Ornellians’ home world. If he’s successful, it will give us a base to explore the further reaches of this galaxy and perhaps find the allies we need. We can’t defeat the Simulins on our own. At some point in time, they’re going to attack and try to eliminate us from the equation.”

“We still have the Dominator, surely that alone will give the Simulins pause in attacking us again,” Kyla pointed out. “Particularly after what Kazak did to their worlds.”

“For the immediate future, yes,” answered Jeremy in agreement. “We have no way of knowing but I strongly suspect the Simulins will be expanding their fleet and trying to develop a method to deal with the Dominator. After all, it’s only one ship.” He was also concerned about how angry the Simulins would be after losing six of their inhabited worlds. Jeremy was worried that Kazak might have stirred up a hornet’s nest by destroying those planets.

“What about Kazak?” asked Commander Malen, raising an eyebrow. “Has he made any more demands?”

“No,” replied Ariel, folding her arms across her chest. “A number of Alton geneticists and medical specialists have gone on board the Dominator and are studying the information Kazak has on the life prolongation drug the Originators used. Andram believes it’s a long shot that they will be able to find a cure for the deadly pathogen that destroyed the Originator race. The Originators themselves searched for years and were not able to find a solution.”

A serious look of concern spread across Commander Malen’s face. “Kazak may not like hearing that. He’s waited millions of years protecting those Originators in the central compartment. He may make more demands if the Altons don’t show any results from their research.”

Jeremy nodded his head in agreement. He was deeply concerned about this as well. Kazak was in control of the most powerful ship ever built by the Originators, one that could easily destroy Gaia if Kazak chose to do so. He was only cooperating now due to the medical research the Altons were doing on the Dominator.

The hatch to the Command Center opened as the two heavily armed Marines who were always stationed there allowed a blond haired woman into the room.

“Kelsey,” said Jeremy, acknowledging his wife. “How are things over on the Dominator?” Kelsey was the Dominator’s commanding officer.

“I want a new job,” muttered Kelsey, coming over and sitting down in the empty chair in front of the sensor console. Kevin was down on Gaia with his wife, Katie. “I wish the Distant Horizon was still here.”

Jeremy understood Kelsey’s misgivings about commanding the Originator vessel. Kazak had insisted on Kelsey taking the position as part of the agreement the Originator AI had made to allow his vessel to become part of Jeremy’s fleet. “I’ll speak to Kazak. Perhaps since the ship is back here at Gaia, he will relent and allow me to name someone else as the ship’s commander.”

“Would you?” cried out Kelsey, her eyes glowing with hope. “I’m not comfortable in the role of a commanding officer. I’d feel much better sitting in front of a navigation console.”

“I’ll see what I can do. I would like to get you, Mikow, Katie, and Andram off that ship.” Jeremy had never felt comfortable assigning them to the Dominator.

Kelsey’s eyes widened, and she stared intently at Jeremy. “You still don’t trust Kazak, do you?”

“No. This entire situation with Kazak is such an unknown. We have no idea how he was programmed and what actions that programming may cause him to take in the future. He could take the Dominator and leave without a moment’s notice and there’s nothing we could do to stop him.”

Kelsey bit her lip and let out a heavy sigh. “Perhaps it’s best I stay on the Dominator for now. At least I can help keep an eye on Kazak and he is talking to me. As long as I’m on board, he might be more hesitant about doing anything drastic.”

“Admiral, I would be willing to transfer over to the Dominator as executive officer if that would help,” volunteered Commander Malen. “If you feel Kazak is a real threat, I could be a lot of help to Kelsey if she wants to stay in command.”

Jeremy leaned back in his command chair. He would really like to get his wife and the others off the Dominator. However, he also needed to keep a close watch on the Originator AI, and Kelsey and the others were the best bet for that. Kazak seemed to trust Kelsey and the two were working well together. Kyla would also be a great help in taking a lot of the command pressure off Kelsey.

“For now, we’ll leave things as they are,” said Jeremy, reaching a decision. He looked back over at Kelsey. “It may be a good idea to transfer Kyla over to the Dominator, at least for the short term. That will give you an experienced and trusted officer you can turn to in case of an emergency.”

Kelsey turned toward Kyla. “Are you sure you want to do this? Kazak can be very demanding at times.”

Commander Malen smiled. “I’ve been an officer long enough to know a challenge when I see one. I think it will be interesting, and I’m looking forward to this posting.”

“Remember, it’s just temporary,” Jeremy said, shifting his eyes over to Kyla. “I need you on the Avenger if we go into combat.” Jeremy was well aware Commander Malen was the glue that held the crew together, making the Avenger the top rated fighting ship in the fleet.

Kyla nodded. “I’ll make the necessary arrangements and will transfer over to the Dominator in the morning.”

Jeremy saw Kelsey had a relieved look on her face. He knew his wife had been going through a very stressful situation on the Dominator with Kazak. While Kelsey was perfectly capable of performing as the ship’s commanding officer, he knew she didn’t feel comfortable in that role. Once Kyla was transferred over, he would suggest Kelsey take a few days leave. It might be a good idea if he and Kelsey could spend a few days together down on Gaia at one of the seaside resorts. After the events of the last few weeks, he could definitely use the downtime and it would be nice to spend some quality time with his wife. He might even check to see if Kevin and Katie would like to tag along. It had been awhile since the four of them took some time off together.

-

Grayseth was on board his flagship, the Carethian battleship Warrior’s Pride. The ship was sixteen hundred meters in length and heavily armed. They had just dropped out of hyperspace in the target system.

“Detecting fifteen Simulin battlecruisers and twenty support cruisers on the long-range sensors,” reported the sensor operator.

Grayseth nodded as his eyes turned toward one of the large viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center. Grayseth easily towered over his Human counterparts and his dark brown fur spoke out loudly that he was not Human. Jeremy and the other Humans had nicknamed the Carethians, calling them Bears.

“AI warspheres have exited hyperspace,” reported Ganlon, his second in command. “All ships report ready for combat.”

Grayseth grinned in satisfaction, his incisors showing prominently as he prepared to give the order to initiate a short hyperspace jump to just outside the gravity well of the target planet. The Simulins had established a small orbiting base around the fifth planet in the system. Grayseth intended to destroy the small shipyard, depriving the Simulins of a means to repair and supply their ships in this region of space. It was all part of Fleet Admiral Strong’s plan to force the Simulins to pull back from the area of space surrounding the nebula Gaia resided in.

“Course plotted,” reported the navigation officer.

“It is time to go on the hunt,” intoned Ganlon. “It feels good to be seeking prey once more.”

“Indeed,” answered Grayseth. “We hunt for the glory of our clans and the safety of our people as well as our allies. May our claws strike with honor. All ships will jump in two minutes.” Grayseth looked around the Command Center, sensing the anticipation from the crew to commence the hunt.

-

In orbit around the planet, High Commander Arnthos gazed in consternation at the red threat icons, which had just appeared on his ship’s tactical display.

“It’s a fleet from the Fitula Nebula,” confirmed the sensor operator.

“They have come to destroy this base,” High Commander Arnthos said as he gazed at the small shipyard on one of the ship’s viewscreens.

He was well aware of what had happened at Malkor and the other Simulin systems. For the first time in his memory, the Simulins had encountered an adversary possessing superior technology and weapons. The ancient ship of the builders of the Great Spheres had destroyed six Simulin worlds including Malkor. It also seemed to be under the control of the organics from the nebula.

With the loss of the Great Sphere and Malkor, military operations in the galaxy had come to a halt. Fleets had been called back to protect the remaining Simulin worlds as the Grand Council worked at developing a new plan to conquer this galaxy and eliminate its organics.

High Commander Arnthos stood up and glared at the tactical display. Arnthos skin was opalescent and blood vessels as well as some of his internal organs were visible. “Prepare for imminent combat. The ancient ship is not with this fleet; perhaps we can destroy it.”

“It’s a powerful fleet. Those spheres are controlled by AIs and capable of destroying our vessels,” said the Second Commander. “They have the firepower to annihilate us. The battle computer projects a 70 percent probability of our defeat.”

“We are Simulin,” retorted High Commander Arnthos dismissively. “There can be none but Simulin.” Unlike a few other Simulin High Commanders, he would rather die than retreat. It was the Simulin way to destroy any and all organics who might be a threat.

“None but Simulin,” responded the Second Commander bowing his head slightly.

-

Far out in the system, Grayseth’s fleet made the jump into hyperspace. In front of each vessel, a swirling blue-white vortex formed and one by one, the warships accelerated and entered their respective vortexes. The journey through hyperspace was a short one and soon new vortexes formed just outside the gravity well of the fifth planet. While Grayseth’s ships were perfectly capable of exiting hyperspace inside a planet’s gravity well, there was no point in stressing the hyperdrives needlessly.

-

“All ships have exited hyperspace and are moving into attack formation,” reported Ganlon. “The Simulin fleet has formed up and is advancing toward us. All ships are at Condition One, energy shields are online, and weapons are ready to fire.”

Grayseth nodded. He was extremely proud that Fleet Admiral and fellow clan member Jeremy Strong had given his people the enormous responsibility of destroying the two Simulin bases near the nebula. By destroying the bases, it would bring much honor to the Carethian clans on Gaia, and it was good to be on the hunt once more.

Looking at one of the viewscreens, he saw one of the Simulin seventeen-hundred-meter-battlecruisers. The vessel was bulbous in form with six large metallic looking pylons on the bow, which stretched at least two hundred meters out from the main hull of the ship. Each ended in a sharp point and contained a dangerous energy weapon. The weapons could be fired independently and in most cases would cause serious damage or destroy the ships they were focused on.

“All ships, this is Grayseth,” he spoke over the ship-to-ship comm. “Advance and engage the Simulins. It is time to begin the hunt!”

On the tactical display, the fleet began moving forward. The forty AI warspheres formed up into four lines ten ships across with the ten Alton battleships, two Federation battleships, and six Gaia class cruisers forming up above and below the AI ships. Grayseth’s battlecruisers and cruisers were directly behind the warspheres where they could still fire, move forward, and assume the position of any ship that was destroyed or had to withdraw due to excessive battle damage. Grayseth’s own battleship was crowding the rear of the AI ships as he wanted to be heavily involved in the battle.

“Nearing engagement range,” Ganlon reported as he watched the main tactical display. “Simulins have formed up into a wedge-shaped formation and are slowly advancing. Their escort cruisers have taken up support positions around the battlecruisers.”

“A change from past tactics where they would have pushed forward and tried to destroy us,” commented Grayseth.

“They have learned that our ships are not so easy to destroy.”

“Engagement range,” called out the tactical officer. “Permission to fire?”

Grayseth took a deep breath. He could feel his pulse pounding and the rush of blood through his veins. It was time to complete the hunt. “Fire!”

From the forty AI warspheres dark blue particle beams flashed forth to impact the Simulin warships. Screens flared brightly as the deadly energy pounded the protective shields. The Alton battleships joined in firing their even more powerful particle beam cannons. Space became lit up with energy discharges and explosions as the battle began.

-

Particle beam fire from the warspheres slammed into the main part of a Simulin battlecruiser, setting off massive explosions and hurling glowing debris into space. One of its energy cannon spires was sheared off and then, in a blinding explosion, the ship blew apart. A glowing field of gas and wreckage was all that remained.

Particle beams and power beams from the Carethian battlecruisers struck a Simulin escort cruiser, blowing a gaping hole in its energy shield and blasting out a large section of the ship’s hull causing debris to begin drifting away from the vessel. A twenty-megaton Devastator Two missile burrowed deep inside, coming to rest near the engineering compartment. In a furious explosion of light, the warhead detonated, turning the escort cruiser into a mass of twisted wreckage.

A fifty-megaton Devastator Three missile slammed into the stern of a Simulin battlecruiser that had just lost its energy shield. A fiery nova suddenly appeared where the deadly warship had been. Across the entire Simulin fleet formation, massive explosions tore at the defensive screens and energy beams sought targets.

-

High Commander Arnthos felt growing anger as his fleet was being systematically annihilated by the AIs and the organics from the Fitula Nebula. His flagship shook violently as several particle beams smashed into the energy shield. One beam partially penetrated, blasting out a hole in the outer hull. Arnthos held onto his command chair until the shaking subsided. He had never fought the Fitula organics and their AIs before but now he realized why they were so dangerous. Unlike other organics he had annihilated in the past, this enemy had advanced weaponry that was dangerous to Simulin vessels. They advanced with a confidence he had never seen before, making him realize they had no fear of the power Arnthos represented.

“Concentrate our fire on just a few of the AI ships,” he ordered, his eyes narrowing sharply. It was his duty as a Simulin commander to inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible. Failure to do so would result in his demotion and possible execution. It was better to die in combat than face failure in front of his superiors.

“Concentrating fire on four of the AI spheres,” the Second Commander replied. “Firing energy cannons as well as antimatter missiles.”

-

In space, the firing from the Simulin vessels intensified. White energy beams impacted the screens of four AI warspheres. Antimatter missiles began detonating against the shields, causing them to waver. An energy beam suddenly penetrated, blasting out a huge chasm in the side of one of the warspheres. The ship turned, placing the damaged area away from the Simulins. The Simulins, seeing weakness, focused more firepower on the damaged vessel. Three energy beams penetrated the screen simultaneously, drilling deep inside the warsphere causing catastrophic damage. The energy screen flickered and then failed as too many power conduits were destroyed or damaged. Almost immediately an antimatter missile arrived, blowing the AI ship into a thousand glowing pieces. The Simulin ships then turned their focus to the other three targeted warspheres.

-

“Warsphere WS-97 is down,” reported the sensor operator to Grayseth. “Spheres 33, 47, and 62 are under heavy attack.”

On one of the primary viewscreens, a sudden flash of light suddenly filled it.

“Warsphere WS-47 is down.”

A deep frown crossed Grayseth’s face. Even though these were AI ships, they were still under his command. He knew each warsphere that was lost contained a crew of forty AIs. “Press forward; I want those Simulin vessels destroyed!” he roared, his eyes glowing red as another warsphere exploded on one of the viewscreens. The Simulins were beginning to extract a steep price on the fleet for its appearance so close to their shipyard.

On the viewscreens, massive explosions lit up space. Grayseth’s fleet was now launching primarily fifty-megaton Devastator Three missiles along with the much more powerful one hundred-megaton antimatter missiles. Across the Simulin formation, titanic explosions shook their energy shields as particle beams and power beams attempted to find weaknesses.

“Focus our weapons on that escort cruiser which has strayed from the Simulin formation,” ordered Grayseth, seeing a possible easy kill. In the hunt, it was prudent to take advantage of opportunities whenever they presented themselves.

“Firing,” reported the tactical officer.

-

In space, a particle beam penetrated the weakened energy screen of the designated escort cruiser. It struck the hull, tearing an energy turret into shreds and blasting a deep chasm into the side of the ship. Several power beams penetrated, raking the hull and opening up more compartments to space. Finally a Devastator Three missile arrived, annihilating the escort cruiser in a blazing explosion of light and energy.

-

“Escort cruiser is down,” reported the sensor operator.

Grayseth felt the ship shake slightly from weapons fire impacting the energy screen.

“Screen is holding at 82 percent,” Ganlon reported as he checked his console. “No damage.”

“Find us another target,” Grayseth ordered as he watched the battle on the ship’s viewscreens. This was the hunt and there was still more prey to kill.

-

On board the Gaia class battlecruiser Empress, the Command Center was in shambles. Two Simulin battlecruisers had managed to briefly overload the ship’s energy screen, allowing a pair of energy beams to strike the hull. Damage inside the ship was extensive.

“Status!” yelled Commander Brivington, trying to see through the smoke and sparks. Several consoles were on fire and others were shorting out. Heavy smoke was filling the Command Center, overwhelming the ventilation systems’ attempts to clear it. Brivington’s eyes were burning and the smoke was making it hard to breathe.

“Sublight drive is down and the energy shield is at 22 percent,” reported Lieutenant Simkins. “We took two hits just forward of Engineering. Chief Engineer Mason reports several fires out of control and the airtight doors have engaged, sealing off the engineering compartment.”

“Damn!” muttered Brivington. “Contact the Warrior’s Pride and inform Grayseth of our situation. Get as many damage control teams as possible working at getting to the engineering department. We need that sublight drive back online.”

“Communications are out,” replied Simpkins, shaking his head. The ship suddenly shook violently, throwing Simpkins to the deck.

Commander Brivington saw even more lights on the damage control console turn a glaring red. He knew his ship was dying around him. He felt helpless knowing there was nothing he could do.

“Secondary engineering is gone,” gasped the damage control officer in between fits of coughing from the smoke. “We’ve been hit by another energy beam. There’s no way the damage control teams can reach Main Engineering.”

“Two Alton battleships are moving toward us,” added the sensor operator with hope in his eyes. “I think they’re trying to maneuver between us and the Simulins.”

“They’re going to try to take the fire meant for us,” Lieutenant Simpkins said as he staggered back to his feet. He nearly fell as his ankle was broken. “If they’re successful, we just might survive this.”

“Inbound missile,” screamed the sensor operator as the ship suddenly seemed to be lifted up and then set violently back down.

Commander Brivington heard a loud groaning noise coming from his vessel and the sound of tearing and ripping metal. In the distance, he could hear the screams of frightened crewmembers. The security hatch was leaning at an odd angle where a support beam had smashed into it and he could see into the outside corridor.

“We’re breaking apart!” yelled Lieutenant Simpkins, his eyes showing fear as the sound of tearing metal suddenly reached a crescendo.

The lights abruptly went out as the power failed. The last thing Commander Brivington saw was when the Command Center opened up and he could see stars above him.

-

High Commander Arnthos grinned mirthlessly as he watched one of the organic ships die under the fire of his ship’s weapons. A second antimatter sublight missile finished blowing the shattered ship apart, leaving a glowing debris field to mark its passing.

“We’ve managed to destroy four of their AI ships as well as one of the organic vessels,” reported the Second Commander. “Perhaps we should withdraw. We did receive orders that preserving our fleet was of a high priority. The battle computer is now projecting an 82 percent chance of defeat.”

High Commander Arnthos turned toward the Second Commander. His hand strayed to the energy pistol at his waist. What the Second Commander had said in other times would have been considered treason. However, he was correct about the order though Arnthos had no intention of obeying it. Simulins did not retreat from battle. They destroyed the enemy for there could only be Simulins. All others must be annihilated.

“Continue the attack,” he said coldly. “We will destroy as many of the enemy as possible in order to weaken them so our other fleets can annihilate these organics and their AI allies. We are Simulins and we recognize no others.”

The Second Commander nodded his understanding and acceptance. “There can only be Simulin,” he said emotionlessly. Death in combat was the highest honor for a Simulin and was expected by the Grand Council.

“Only Simulins,” Arnthos replied as he saw another one of his battlecruisers explode on one of the viewscreens.

-

“The Empress is down,” reported the sensor operator on the Warrior’s Pride. “She was struck by at least two Simulin antimatter missiles.”

Grayseth blinked his large eyes. He hadn’t expected to lose one of the powerful Gaia class battlecruisers. “Status of the enemy?”

“The hunt goes well,” Ganlon responded as he studied the tactical displays. “The Simulins have only four battlecruisers and two escort cruisers remaining.” Even as he spoke one of the battlecruisers vanished in an antimatter fireball on one of the viewscreens.

“AIs are advancing and focusing their firepower on the remaining Simulin vessels,” the sensor operator reported. “The Altons are closing also.”

Grayseth knew the Alton ships were primarily manned by Humans with only a few Altons on board. As he watched, the remaining Simulin vessels came under heavy attack, so heavy they became totally defensive. In bright explosions of antimatter energy, the last Simulin ships died.

“All enemy targets have been eliminated,” Ganlon reported. “Our fleet lost four AI warspheres and the Empress. We have damage to a number of others vessels including one of our own battlecruisers and two cruisers. It has been a successful hunt.”

“Agreed,” replied Grayseth. Losses were expected in battle. “Instruct the AIs to close with the Simulin shipyard and destroy it.”

-

The thirty-six surviving AI warspheres approached the Simulin shipyard. It only took a few moments of intense particle beam fire to bring down its defensive energy shield. Two fifty-megaton Devastator Three missiles then reduced the structure to glowing gas and burning plasma. Everything in the system that was Simulin had been annihilated.

-

“Target destroyed,” confirmed Ganlon. “The hunt is over and we have brought much honor to our clans.”

“Yes,” agreed Grayseth, showing his teeth. “We will stay in this system long enough to repair the damage done to our vessels and then proceed to the second target. If all goes well, we will be back at Gaia in a few more days.” Grayseth was pleased with the victory. He had shown Jeremy had been correct in placing his trust in him to carry out this mission.

“It will be good to return home and celebrate our victories,” replied Ganlon. “Our mates and cubs will rejoice in the honor we will bring back.”

Grayseth was also anxious to return to Gaia. He was curious about the Originators in that formerly secret compartment on the Dominator. He also wanted to know how Jeremy was dealing with Kazak, particularly after the Originator AI had taken the ship and destroyed six Simulin worlds. It was frightful to know a ship with that much firepower was in orbit above Gaia.

Chapter Three

Reesa gazed in awe out of the large observation window in the Originator ship assigned to them. The Dyson Sphere flashed by beneath them at an amazing rate as Sible piloted the ship to their destination. Square after square of color was visible. Various shades of blue, gold, brown, and green were present. Even clouds and a few thunderstorms were evident in some of the habitat areas. Reesa knew that in most of those habitation squares, there was at least one Originator city as well as a myriad of exotic plants and animal life. Someday she wanted to return and spend time visiting each and every one. With a deep sigh, she knew that wasn’t practical due to the massive size of the sphere. Nevertheless, she would like to see as many as possible. There was so much to learn here, and she fully intended to ask Leeda if it would be possible for her to return and explore the Dyson Sphere.

“It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?” Leeda said with a knowing smile. “Even though I’m an AI I never tire of flying above the Shrieel. There are trillions of living creatures in those habitats. Even I haven’t had time to see all of them.”

“What’s it like going through an intergalactic vortex?” asked Reesa, turning slightly to face the Originator AI. She had learned so much about the Originators over the last few days and in some ways wished she could stay with the others on the Dyson Sphere. Not everyone was going with them on the Originator ship.

“With our ships, the effect is scarcely noticeable,” Leeda explained. Leeda was an Originator AI with red hair and stood nearly eight feet tall. She was finely proportioned and quite beautiful. “When we are in position, Sible will activate the intergalactic vortex that will take us to the primary Communication and Transport Hub.”

“How far away is it?” asked Kelnor Mard, the older Alton who was Reesa’s mentor.

“Nearly ten million light years,” Leeda replied. “It’s just outside the local group of galaxies.”

“Ten million light years,” Reesa repeated, her eyes growing wide. She couldn’t imagine traveling so far. “How long will it take for us to get there?” The ship they were on was a small one. It was a cylinder with curved ends and two hundred meters in length. The quarters on the ship were quite comfortable, but there were twenty Humans on board, many of them Marines. Reesa wasn’t prepared to spend months on the ship.

“Not as long as you would think,” Leeda answered with a gentle smile. “The trip will take about twenty of your hours.”

Reesa felt astonished. Ten million light years in twenty hours. It made her realize how even Alton technology was far behind the Originators.

“Do you do this often?” asked Sergeant Brenda Wilde. Brenda was in charge of the fifteen Marines on the vessel.

Leeda shook her head. “No, most of the time we use the vortexes for communication. It’s been centuries since any AI left the protection of the Shrieels. We have made it a point not to engage with any of the budding civilizations in the numerous galaxies where the Shrieels reside. Very few races even know of their existence. Those that do stay away.”

“But you allowed the Simulins access to a number of the Dyson Spheres,” Brenda was quick to point out. “They didn’t stay away. Look at all the harm that’s been done to the civilizations in those galaxies. Many of them have been wiped out. The Simulins believe there should be no other organic life but their own.”

“It was a mistake not to take action,” Leeda admitted with a sad look. “We regret the loss of life our complacency may have caused. Part of it was due to the fact that we’re AIs and are forbidden from interfering. The other was due to the Simulins having an access key to the vortex Control Centers. Because of that we were hesitant to respond when they began activating the vortexes. We only have a few military AIs but none like Kazak. There’s no doubt that if Kazak had remained among us, the problem with the Simulins would never have occurred. Kazak was programmed to handle such transgressions. Our other military AIs are not. We will soon be taking corrective action to right that oversight.”

“How so?” asked Reesa, quirking her eyebrows. “How can you violate your programming?”

“If the AIs that lead us vote to change our programming to allow us to interfere with the Simulins then we have the ability to modify it. It’s my understanding the vote has already been made and the programming change will be completed shortly. The loss of a Shrieel and the attack upon another has forced our leaders to finally respond.”

“You can modify your programming?” asked Kelnor, showing surprise.

“Yes, the ability was given to us once the Originators realized they might not survive the pathogen. It has very seldom been done. I know of only two other instances since the demise of the Originators that modifications to our programming has been approved.”

“In the briefing you mentioned there were survivors on the Distant Horizon,” commented Brenda as she sat down in a comfortable chair near the large observation window. “Did Rear Admiral Barnes survive?”

Leeda hesitated and then spoke. “Yes, nearly a third of the crew are alive.”

-

“What happened to them?” asked Kelnor, his eyes full of curiosity. “You said the ship was heavily damaged?” Kelnor knew the Distant Horizon was of Alton design and was equipped with a very powerful energy shield. When the ship had left on its mission, it was the most powerful ship the Altons had ever built.

-

Leeda nodded in affirmation. “When they set off their antimatter weapons in the central star of the Shrieel their ship was heavily damaged. It just barely made it through the vortex the ship’s AI managed to activate.”

“How did the ship’s AI activate an intergalactic vortex?” asked Brenda, with a confused look on her face. “Did it have a command key?”

She was referring to the golden globe they had taken from the Simulins in the battle at one of the Dyson Sphere Control Centers. The golden globe allowed the Simulins to gain access to the intergalactic vortex Control Centers. It was how they had gained control of so many. Leeda and Rakell had assured the exploration team that the Simulins had only possessed the one key. Without it, they could not approach any of the other Dyson Spheres.

Leeda paused as she looked out the observation window. They were rapidly nearing their departure point. “No, they didn’t have a key, though it’s distinctly possible Kazak has one. For some reason Kazak furnished the Distant Horizon’s AI with the code to activate the vortex which would take the ship to the Communication and Transport Hub. If not for the code, the ship would have been destroyed by the nova. We’re not certain of Kazak’s motives in doing so. Kazak himself never used the code to go to the Communication and Transport Hub in all the time he has been missing.”

“Stand by for vortex activation,” announced Sible over the ship’s comm system.

Reesa shifted her gaze to the surface of the Dyson Sphere seeing they were over a large concave area. “How large is that?”

“Ten kilometers,” Leeda replied. “All the intergalactic vortexes are quite large due to the power involved. They were also used in the remote past to bring entire fleets through.”

“It must have been a glorious age when the Originators were at the height of their civilization,” commented Kelnor wistfully. “I wish I could have seen it.”

Leeda nodded. “Imagine thousands of ships leaving the Shrieels daily on exploration missions or traveling to Shrieels in other galaxies. Even though the Originators moved their civilization into the Shrieels from the thousands of planets they inhabited, they were still highly involved in exploration and meeting new races.”

-

The vortex activated as a dark swirling void of blue suddenly appeared directly beneath the ship. Sible turned the vessel until it was pointed directly toward the center and then accelerated sharply. The vortex seemed to rush toward them and then the ship made the transition to hyperspace. The swirling colors of blue were suddenly replaced by deep purple.

“We’ve made the transition to hyperspace,” Sible announced. “You may now relax and enjoy the amenities on the ship. Our voyage to the communication and transport hub will take twenty hours.”

-

“How does the ship manage to travel so fast?” asked Sergeant Wilde. She knew it had something to do with the different bands of hyperspace. She wished she had paid more attention to her studies back at the Academy.

Leeda turned toward Brenda. “The intergalactic vortex gives our ships a boost into the higher bands of hyperspace where intergalactic travel is possible. Our ship is equipped with a drive capable of maintaining that speed until we reach our destination. Once there, we will transmit a signal activating the receiving vortex. The receiving vortex will decelerate the ship almost instantly until we drop out of hyperspace and exit the vortex.”

“What’s going to happen once we reach our destination?”

“The AIs at the Communication and Transport Hub are in the process of repairing and rebuilding the Distant Horizon,” Leeda explained. “Once it’s finished we’ll be returning to the Triangulum Galaxy to see if we can find Kazak. We also need to make plans for taking the intergalactic vortex Control Centers away from the Simulins.”

Brenda nodded. She had a strong suspicion she hadn’t seen the last of the Simulins or their dreadful Conqueror Drones.

-

Reesa turned toward Leeda. Staring out the window at the swirling purple colors of hyperspace was unsettling. “You said earlier Kazak had control of the Dominator and it was the most powerful warship ever built by the Originators. Won’t this be a dangerous mission? What if Kazak doesn’t want to turn over the Originators in the stasis chambers to you? What can you do? Not only that, there’s no guarantee there are any Originators in the chambers. They may have all died from the pathogen millions of years ago.”

“The Dominator was the most powerful warship the Originators ever built,” confirmed Leeda. “However, we’ve learned a lot in the time Kazak has been missing. We’re putting much of what we’ve discovered into the Distant Horizon. If we can find Kazak and the Dominator, the Distant Horizon will be able to hold its own if a battle breaks out. That’s why we need Rear Admiral Barnes and her ship. Your people are familiar with war where mine are not.”

“Why would Kazak attack the Distant Horizon?” asked Kelnor, cocking his eyebrow. “Wouldn’t he be excited to hear from other surviving AIs, particularly if you tell him you have a cure for the Originator pathogen?”

Leeda slowly shook her head. “There were AIs on the Shrieel that Rear Admiral Barnes destroyed. Kazak made no move to rescue them or even go to their aid. In all the years he’s been missing, he never attempted to contact them; though there are confirmed reports he returned to the Shrieel eons ago and then left again never to be heard from afterward. Supposedly he didn’t speak to any of the other AIs, only accessed the Shrieel’s main computer achieves and then disappeared. We fear Kazak may have his own agenda.”

“Do you know what he was searching for?”

“We don’t know. The AIs at the time looked into it but couldn’t find what Kazak had been interested in. All traces of his inquiries had been deleted from the archive computer.”

“If we knew it might explain why he disappeared for so long,” Kelnor suggested. “It’s evident Kazak was searching for something, something he never found.”

“Perhaps we’ll know when we speak to him,” answered Leeda. “I’m still hopeful all of this can be worked out peacefully.”

Reesa leaned back in her chair. She still found it hard to believe all she had learned in recent weeks. Now she was off on a journey to the center of Originator power. She still wasn’t quite sure why Rakell had been so insistent she and the others accompany Leeda on this mission. Touching one of her pockets, she felt the small round copper colored globe she still carried with her. The globe was an Originator key that could grant her access to most of their facilities. While it didn’t have the capabilities of the gold command globes, it had served her very well in the past and Rakell and Leeda had allowed her to keep it.

All of her life she had dreamed of meeting the Originators. While that might not ever be possible, this adventure she was embarking on was the next best thing. She would be learning more about the Originators, and if it was true there were still surviving Originators in the stasis chambers on the Dominator, then the rest of her dream might just come true as well.

-

Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes was back on board the Distant Horizon. She had spent several hours speaking to Clarissa about how she had gotten the code to activate the intergalactic vortex on the Dyson Sphere. After that she and Anne had gone over the list of surviving crewmembers. A few were still in one of the AIs’ medical centers but should be up and around in the next week. She carefully sat down in her command chair and nearly jumped when it adjusted itself to her form. Looking around the room, she saw that much had changed. The massive viewscreen still covered the front wall, but the number of control consoles had been reduced and those that remained had been updated. Even the tactical displays had been modified.

Kathryn turned toward Camlin. “What exactly have you done to my ship?”

“I’ll let Jolban explain as he’s in charge of the reconstruction.” Camlin motioned for an AI who was busy speaking to several crewmembers to come over to them.

“Camlin,” Jolban said respectfully. “What can I do for you?” Jolban was dark haired with an athletic looking body.

“This is Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes,” Camlin replied. “The Distant Horizon is her ship. Will you tell her what modifications you’ve made?”

Jolban nodded. “We’ve pretty much rebuilt the ship from the keel up. As you can see, we’ve modified the Command Center. While some of it is the same, all the consoles have been modified. All the screens are touch screens or can be voice controlled. Just tell the screen what you want done and the action will be carried out. The ship’s primary computer now has more control over ship operations. We’ve also greatly expanded the computer’s capability. It’s not an AI, but it’s pretty close. All a crewmember needs to do is tell the computer what he or she wants and the computer will see that it’s done.”

“I would have thought the consoles would be even more advanced than that considering how advanced Originator technology is,” commented Kathryn.

“They could be if your crew would like neural implants. The implants would allow your crew to communicate directly with the ship’s computer with just a thought. It would make ship operations far more efficient and response times would be cut down to milliseconds.”

Kathryn’s face turned pale at the thought. “I think it was wise to pass on the implants. I don’t think we’re quite ready for something like that. What else have you done?”

“The Distant Horizon has been increased in length from 2,600 meters to 3,000 and in width from 400 to 600 meters. That allowed us to keep all of your research facilities, which we have also updated, and to install the new power systems and other installations that were needed.”

“What type of power system did you put on my ship?” The Fusion Five reactors the ship had been equipped with were the most powerful the Altons had been able to design.

“Two antimatter chambers,” replied Jolban. “They are capable of generating ten times more power than the advanced fusion reactors you were using.”

Kathryn leaned back as she thought of the power that was now available. “Why does my ship need so much power?”

Jolban looked over at Camlin who nodded. “The energy screen has been greatly enhanced. We have increased the power of the ship’s particle beam cannons by tenfold. We have also added gravitonic cannons and antimatter projectors to the ship’s weapons. In addition your ship’s sensors can now reach out for a distance of thirty light years.”

Kathryn’s eyes widened as she listened to Jolban. It sounded as if her ship, when finished, would be able to take on an entire Simulin battlefleet by itself.

“What about the defense globes? Did you leave alone them or make changes?

“We made changes. The defense globes have been modified. They contain a miniature antimatter chamber for power. Their energy shields have been greatly enhanced, and the power of their particle beams and the ion cannon have been increased substantially. If you overload one now, it will result in a two hundred-megaton explosion. The number of defense globes has been increased from sixty to one hundred.”

Kathryn looked over at Commander Grissim. “How is the training of the crew going?” She knew it would take her crew time to learn all of the new systems. Her greatest worry was that they would be able to operate them but have no idea how they worked, which might make repairs a problem.

“It’s been slow,” Anne replied. “Many were seriously injured and have only recently been revived and allowed to resume their duties. They’re learning but it’s going to take awhile. When Jolban says he rebuilt the ship, he means just that. Everything is more modern and bigger. If you want to see how significant some of the changes are just go down to Main Engineering. Our new engineering deck bears no resemblance to the old one. Chief Engineer Jalat is in the process of retraining his entire engineering team with the aid of several Originator AIs.”

“Does he understand the changes?” Jalat was an Alton and extremely brilliant. If anyone could understand the modifications done to the ship, it would be him.

Anne smiled. “For the most part. He escaped injury and has spent most of his time with the AIs learning their technology. He feels confident he can operate and repair everything as needed. Many of the other surviving Altons are helping in other areas of the ship. They seem to be grasping the new technology very quickly.”

“What happens if the ship needs repairs?”

“Some we can do,” Anne answered. “We’re also going to have some of the small repair robots on board similar to the ones on the Dominator, but more advanced. We’ll also have a supply of nanites that can repair major system damage if need be.”

Kathryn was silent for a long moment and then turned toward Camlin. “Just how badly was I injured that it took so long to revive me?” She had been curious about this since her awakening. Why had it taken over seven months?

Camlin hesitated and then replied. “You were near death when the Distant Horizon reached us. Much of your body had to be rebuilt. A number of your internal organs had to be regrown including your heart and lungs. While we have the knowledge and ability to do all of that, it takes time.”

Kathryn shuddered thinking of how close she had come to dying. She also suspected Camlin wasn’t telling her everything. Perhaps it would be a good idea to speak to the ship’s doctor. Doctor Alexis Keil had survived and assisted the AIs in healing many of the injured crew personnel.

“One final question and then I would like to go on a tour of my ship. We destroyed the Dyson Sphere in the Triangulum Galaxy. How are we going to return?”

“Even though the Shrieel has been destroyed intergalactic travel using one of the other Shrieels is still possible. It just takes a tremendous amount of additional energy. We also have accelerator rings, which can be used without a Shrieel. They can send a ship almost anywhere very quickly. However, we’ve equipped the Distant Horizon with an intergalactic hyperdrive, which will allow the ship to travel between galaxies if necessary. While the drive is not as fast as using the vortexes in the Shrieels or the accelerator rings, it will get the ship where it needs to go.”

Kathryn drew in a sharp breath. Camlin had just told her the Distant Horizon was now capable of returning home to the Milky Way Galaxy. Perhaps she would get to see her father again. However, for now she wanted to walk around her ship and see just what changes the Originator AIs had made and to speak to the surviving crewmembers. Then later, when she had time, she needed to review the list of those who had died. She fully intended to write a personal letter to the families of all those who had perished.

-

Reesa had been summoned to the observation lounge. Upon arriving, she saw that most of the Humans on board were already there. “What’s going on?” she asked as she walked up to Sergeant Wilde.

Brenda turned and replied. “Leeda says we’re about to drop out of hyperspace at the Communication and Transport Hub for the Originators.”

“Any idea what’s waiting for us?”

“No clue whatsoever,” Brenda said with a grin. “I can’t imagine anything being more impressive than the Dyson Sphere we just left.”

“I think you will be in for a surprise,” Leeda said as she put in an appearance. “What you’re about to observe has been seen by no one else but the Originators.”

“Dropout in two minutes,” reported Sible over the ship’s comm.

-

“So, Sergeant,” spoke up Corporal Metz, who was sitting nearby. “Are we going to see some action on this trip?” Metz was growing bored with little to do on the small Originator ship.

“Anxious to kill a few more Conqueror Drones?” chimed in Private Sandra Carton, who was sitting next to the corporal. “I thought you got enough of that in the vortex Control Center back on the Dyson Sphere.”

“Conqueror Drones,” muttered Metz, shaking his head in disgust. “I don’t see how any race can be so savage as to create a ruthless killer like that.”

Brenda looked over at Leeda. “So why did you insist I bring my Marines along? Surely there’s no threat at the Communication and Transport Hub, is there?”

“No,” Leeda admitted. “However, we’re growing concerned that the Simulins may learn of it. We may have a mission for you and your Marines. We will discuss it once we meet with the others. In the eons since the Originators perished from the pathogen that swept through their race, we have made a number of advancements. One of the reasons the Shrieel in the Triangulum Galaxy was established inside the black matter nebula was to see if the range of the intergalactic vortexes could be extended. At that time to travel from one end of Originator space to the other, it might be necessary to pass through a dozen Shrieels.”

“That’s no longer necessary?” asked Kelnor, who was standing close by listening.

“No,” replied Leeda, looking over at the Alton scientist. “We can now project a vortex anywhere within Originator space. That’s how this ship is traveling to the Communication and Transport Hub. During the time of the Originators this trip would have taken several weeks; we’re doing it in twenty hours.”

Brenda felt a cold chill pass over her. If the Simulins gained access to this technology, they could send fleets of their ships to the Milky Way even with the galactic core closed off to them.

“Dropout,” announced Sible over the ship’s comm as the ship seemed to shudder slightly.

Outside the large observation windows, stars suddenly appeared. The room instantly grew quiet as the first of hundreds of massive artificial structures appeared. Many of them were thousands of kilometers in size.

“Welcome to the Originator Communication and Transport Hub for all of Originator space,” announced Sible. “We will be docking shortly.”

Kelnor stepped closer to one of the windows gazing at a truly massive structure that had just come into view. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Yes,” Leeda replied. “It’s a Shrieel. There are four of them here at this location.”

Brenda looked out seeing the dark structure Kelnor was referring to. “Is there a star inside?” The sheer amount of work that had been done to build all of these structures was beyond anything she could imagine. The Originators definitely built on an immense scale.

“Yes,” Leeda replied with a nod. “We are in intergalactic space between the galaxies. Around us is a small star cluster of forty-six stars. When the Originators found this cluster, they decided it would make an excellent location for their Communication and Transport Hub. While there are two habitable planets in the cluster, there are no advanced lifeforms.”

Even as Brenda watched, more structures appeared. There were several giant rings and what appeared to be massive shipyards. “Can you build ships here?”

“Yes,” Leeda answered. She pointed to one of the large structures. “There are eighty-two shipyards here which are capable of building any ship ever designed by the Originators. All the shipyards use the most modern construction techniques and can create a new vessel in just a few weeks.”

Brenda turned to face Leeda. “Are there ships here as well?”

Leeda nodded. “Yes, there are a number of Originator vessels in stasis waiting for activation if they’re ever needed. I’m not sure of the exact number without checking one of the core computers, but I believe they number in the tens of thousands.”

Brenda suddenly found she couldn’t speak. Tens of thousands of ships! The power possessed by the AIs was astounding. Power they had never chosen to use against the Simulins.

Looking back out of the large observation window, Brenda could scarcely believe what she was seeing. There was no doubt in her mind that if the Originator AIs wanted to they could crush the Simulin Empire with little effort. The problem was the AIs weren’t interested in fighting a war; it went against their basic programming. She was also curious to hear Rear Admiral Barnes views on the Originator AIs and the war with the Simulins.

“We’ll be docking shortly at one of the shipyards where the Distant Horizon is being repaired,” Leeda informed them. “As soon as we’re aboard we’ll be meeting with Rear Admiral Barnes and an AI named Camlin. Camlin is one of the AIs in charge of this complex and is one of our leaders.”

-

A few minutes later the small spacecraft slowed down and then moved toward a large structure that was easily one hundred kilometers in length and fifty across. It was immediately obvious this was a shipyard. A number of large vessels were docked to it and several lighted cavernous bays were visible. The ship entered one and then set down on a landing pad.

“We’re down and the ship is secure,” Sible announced. “Thank you for flying the Originator Express.”

Leeda shook her head. “Sible’s developed a strange sense of humor. It really shows when she’s allowed to fly one of our spaceships.”

“I like it,” announced Reesa. “It makes her sound more Human.”

Kelnor took a hard look at Reesa. “We’re going to see a lot of amazing technology plus more Originator AIs. Don’t get carried away with your research and cause any problems.”

Reesa nodded. She did have a tendency to find herself in self-induced situations that continuously found her in trouble.

“Let’s get off the ship and see what’s out there,” suggested Brenda. “I’m really curious as to what Rear Admiral Barnes has to say. I’ve never met her, but I know Admiral Tolsen had a lot of respect for her.”

-

Exiting the ship, Reesa looked around in amazement. The bay was brilliantly lit and a number of other vessels were visible. Some were smaller than the one they had just exited and several were much larger. Taking a deep breath, Reesa tried to take everything in. Here was evidence of very advanced technology. Small robots, some similar to the ones she had seen in the Originator city, scurried around. The entire bay seemed to be a flurry of activity. A number of Originator AIs were also visible doing work in the bay. For there to be no live Originators, it sure seemed as if a lot was going on.

“With the Originators gone, I would have thought there would be very little activity,” she said, tilting her head and looking over at Leeda.

Leeda shook her head. “Not here. This is where much of the advanced research was done by the Originators and is still being carried out by my fellow AIs. While the AIs in the Shrieels located in the different galaxies are tasked with keeping them operational and the environmental systems functioning, the AIs here are much different. They have been programmed for research and a deep scientific curiosity.”

Going through a hatch, they were soon on their way to the Distant Horizon. Leeda had explained the meeting was to be held on the exploration dreadnought and Rear Admiral Barnes would be present.

Perhaps once they spoke to the admiral, Reesa would know why she and Kelnor had been sent here by the AIs.

-

“You’re fit as a fiddle,” Doctor Alexis Keil said as she indicated that Rear Admiral Barnes could get up and get dressed. “You’re in better health now than when we set out on our mission to find Fleet Admiral Strong.”

“They said they reconstructed a major portion of my body including my heart and lungs,” Kathryn said as she put on her uniform. “Am I still Human?”

Doctor Keil laughed. “Yes, you’re perfectly normal. I was there most of the time the AIs were working on you. Their medical technology is amazing.”

“I must have been in pretty bad shape for it to take nearly seven months to repair my body.”

Doctor Keil frowned. “Yes, there were a number of severe injuries. I think it’s best we leave that in the past and not dwell on it. Your body has been healed and you’re ready to resume command.”

Kathryn nodded her head. “We still lost a major portion of the crew. A lot of good people died when we destroyed the Dyson Sphere. I wish I knew what happened after we left.”

“It’s war,” Doctor Keil replied as she sat down on a stool and gazed at the admiral. “People die and most of the time there’s nothing we can do to prevent it. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of people pass through my medical bay. Some I could save and others all I could do was to help relieve their suffering. Don’t blame yourself; you did what had to be done. As for what happened back in the Triangulum Galaxy, we will find out when we return.”

The door to the med bay slid open and Clarissa came in. She looked radiant in her dark blue uniform without insignia. “Camlin said a ship has arrived from the Dyson Sphere in our home galaxy.”

Kathryn was surprised to hear there was a megastructure back home. She wondered what that might mean to the Federation if it were ever discovered. She was also highly curious as to where it was located. Much of the galaxy was still under control of the Ralift, Borzon, and the Shari.

“Why is this ship so important?”

A strange look spread across Clarissa’s unblemished face. “There is another AI on board who is coming to see us, but that’s not the most interesting part. There are also a number of Humans and Altons on board from the Federation.”

“What? How? When we left the Federation no Dyson Sphere had been discovered.” Kathryn wondered if somehow the Federation had managed to locate it and if they did how had they managed to get anyone on board? From what Kazak had said, she knew it was virtually impossible to land a ship on one of the Dyson Spheres.

“Well it has now and they want us in the main briefing room.”

“Who are they?”

“Camlin and an AI named Leeda. Leeda is one of the AI leaders from the Dyson Sphere in our home galaxy.”

Kathryn fastened the last button on her uniform and nodded. “Very well, let’s go see what’s going on. Maybe we’ll finally get the answers to some of my questions. I want to know what’s been going on in the Federation and how they managed to find a Dyson Sphere.”

-

As they walked down the long corridor outside of the med bay toward the turbo lifts, Kathryn couldn’t help staring at Clarissa. “How does it feel to have an actual body?”

“Unbelievable,” Clarissa said with a huge smile spreading across her face. “I never knew what it felt like to be alive. Both Ariel and I could feel emotions but the actual senses such as touching someone or smelling the food on a table were beyond us. I can’t wait to see Ariel. Camlin has arranged for an AI body to be built for her as well. We just need to download her engrams into it and she’ll be just like me!”

Kathryn laughed. Leave it to Clarissa to brighten up her day. “No one can be just like you.”

As they reached the turbo lifts, they entered one and were soon on their way up to the command level where the main briefing room was located.

“How does having an actual body affect your ability to operate the ship?” Kathryn was curious as in the past Clarissa could operate the Distant Horizon on her own.

“Unlike the Human crew of the Distant Horizon, I have a neural implant that allows me to access the ship’s systems. I can also still use the holographic emitters to allow me to appear anywhere in the ship I need to.”

“So you can be in two places at once?”

Clarissa looked a little guilty. “I’ve actually done that before. There were a number of times I was needed in more than one compartment of the Distant Horizon, so I activated additional holographic figures.”

“How many can you do and still maintain your efficiency?”

“Only three,” admitted Clarissa as the turbo lift slowed and then came to a stop. “I didn’t do it all the time, only when the need arose.”

Reaching a door at the end of the corridor, Kathryn and Clarissa stepped inside the briefing room. Kathryn paused as she took in the small group of Humans, Altons, and Originator AIs present. A Human Marine with the rank of sergeant instantly stood and saluted. The others all stood respectfully.

“As you were,” said Kathryn, returning the Marine’s salute. “If everyone will be seated, we’ll get this meeting started.” Kathryn walked over and took a seat at the long conference table. Turning her head, she looked over at Camlin. “I believe you called this meeting.”

Camlin nodded and stood. “Several million years ago the Originators in the Shrieel in what you call the Triangulum Galaxy created an advanced military AI. His name was Kazak and he had one and only one responsibility: to preserve what remained of the Originator race. At the time, the deadly pathogen created by the immortality treatments was sweeping through the Shrieels and killing tens of millions of Originators daily. In desperation, the Dominator was sent out with the brightest scientists and their families in the hope of finding a cure. On the ship they could focus their energy on research without worrying about what was going on around them.”

Kathryn nodded. She was anxious to talk to the Humans and Altons who were here about what was going on back home and if they knew how her father was doing on Ceres. “Why are you so concerned about the Dominator and Kazak?”

“Inside the center of the ship is a stasis compartment that could be used to preserve some of the Originators who might fall victim to the pathogen. If Kazak followed his programming, he would have done just that. At the very least he would have saved the children.”

“And you have the cure for the pathogen now,” Reesa said in understanding. “If you could revive these children, the Originator race would live again.”

“Precisely,” said Leeda. “We have preserved all that they built and it’s just waiting for them.”

“Then what’s the problem?” asked Kathryn. “Surely once you’ve contacted Kazak he would willingly turn them over to you.”

A pensive look filled Camlin’s face. “We’re not so sure. Kazak is a military AI, one of only a few ever built by the Originators. His programming is very specific about him preserving the Originators against any external threats. Even if we have the cure, he might not be willing to turn them over.”

“That’s where the Distant Horizon comes in,” said Kathryn as she realized the dangerous role the Originator AIs were planning for her ship. “You want me to force Kazak to turn the children over.”

“If necessary,” Camlin replied uneasily. “We don’t want there to be any violence, but we must have those children.”

“I’m not sure all of this concern is necessary,” said Clarissa, her blue eyes focusing on Camlin. “Before we left on our mission to the black matter nebula and the Dyson Sphere, Kazak and I were getting along quite well. I’m almost certain I can talk him into cooperating. Particularly once we convince him we have the cure.”

“How soon before we leave?” asked Kathryn. With over seven months having passed since they destroyed the Dyson Sphere a lot could have happened with Kazak and the Dominator.

Camlin looked over at Leeda, who nodded. “Two weeks. That’s how long it will take to finish the upgrades to the Distant Horizon.”

“How long will the trip take back to the Triangulum Galaxy?”

“One week,” replied Camlin. “The Distant Horizon is much larger than the ship Leeda and the others arrived in. It will also give your people time to become more familiar with the modifications that have been made.”

Kathryn leaned back in her chair as she considered what she had just heard. “The ship will need to go through a shakedown cruise to test its new equipment and weapons. I would need at least two weeks for that before I would be willing to face Kazak and the Dominator.”

“That can be arranged. We can set up your hyperspace dropout point far enough away from the nebula Gaia is in to allow you to test the weapons and become more familiar with the ship. There will also be a small number of AIs going along as well to help with the ship if necessary. We realize your crew has a lot to learn in a relatively short time.”

“You’ve obviously installed a lot of Originator technology on the Distant Horizon,” said Reesa, feeling concerned. “From what you told me back in the Dyson Sphere in our galaxy you have never shared Originator technology with anyone, at least not until now. When this mission is over, what will happen to the Distant Horizon and its crew? They will have picked up a lot of knowledge about your advanced technology, knowledge you don’t want spread around. For that matter so have Kelnor and I as well as the rest of our exploratory team. I was under the impression you were leaning toward not allowing any of us to return home.”

“It was a difficult decision to equip the Distant Horizon with our technology,” admitted Camlin. “Many of us wanted to repair it and leave its technology as it was. However, due to the fact Originator children might be involved on the Dominator that line of thought was overruled. What will happen to the Distant Horizon and the crew is still being discussed. There is a possibility we might allow you to keep some of the technology and return home when this is over. However, the weapons will be removed as they are too dangerous for a race as young as yours. There is also a small possibility of us forming a partnership to deal with the Simulins. All that will be decided upon the Distant Horizon’s safe return.”

Kathryn looked long and hard at Camlin. “If we agree to accept this mission I will want some of the advanced technology to remain on the ship. If we succeed in rescuing these children then I will expect some concessions to be made by you to allow us to keep part of it or all of it.”

Camlin’s eyes narrowed and then she replied. “I will speak to the others. We may be willing to make such concessions when it comes to your ship. We might even be willing to allow you to share some of the technology with your people on Gaia. However, no such concessions will be made as to sharing such advanced technology with your Federation. Such advanced technology in the wrong hands would be highly dangerous.”

Kathryn looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. She knew the technology question could be better negotiated at a later date “All right, let’s tentatively accept the timetable of two weeks.” Kathryn then turned to the Altons and Humans who were sitting at the table. She didn’t know any of them. Looking directly at the young Alton woman who seemed the most willing to talk, she said. “Who are you and how the hell did you get on board an Originator Dyson Sphere?”

-

For the next hour, Kathryn listened as various members of the Humans and Altons present told her of their adventures aboard the Dyson Sphere and the current military situation back home. She was deeply concerned about the possibility of the Shari and the Federation going to war. That Admiral Tolsen was involved didn’t surprise her. He was probably the Federation’s most talented admiral still in active service.

When they were finished with their explanations, Kathryn turned once more to Camlin. “And why exactly did you bring them here?”

“The Simulins in part,” replied Camlin. “We have decided to take a more active role in driving the Simulins out of the Shrieels. We do have a few military AIs, but none like Kazak. Since taking the command key from the Simulins at the Shrieel in your home galaxy, their taking over of other Shrieels will come to a halt. However, that doesn’t solve the problem of those they’ve already seized. Granted it’s only a number of Control Centers for the intergalactic vortexes but that alone makes them a dangerous threat. We want Sergeant Wilde to lead a team in taking back all of the Originator Shrieels. Once we’ve regained control of a Control Center we can lock it out, preventing the Simulins from ever using it again. It’s one of the reasons we’re considering forming a temporary partnership with your people.”

Kathryn studied Camlin for a long moment. This might be an opportunity to press her once more on the technology question. “If we agree to this, what’s in it for us? Would you be willing to let us keep the weapons and technology currently on the Distant Horizon? You will need a large number of highly trained Marines to free all the Shrieels. Probably several thousand at least. The Simulins and their Conqueror Drones are quite dangerous to face in combat.”

Camlin slowly nodded her head. “You bring up an interesting proposition. If we decide upon this partnership, and I should warn you that a large number of Originator AIs will be against it, we may indeed be willing to grant access to some Originator technology.”

Kathryn studied Camlin for a long moment and then spoke again. “What about all the worlds the Simulins have conquered? They have a massive industrial base. They’re bound to attack the Shrieels in the future.”

“We have warships,” said Leeda a little hesitantly, looking over at Camlin. “Can some of them be turned over to Rear Admiral Barnes to help keep the Simulins from the Shrieels?”

Camlin looked surprised by Leeda’s suggestion. “I will have to discuss it with our other AI leaders. The ships would need a minimal crew to operate efficiently. A mixture of AIs, Humans, and Altons would be the most logical. I am not sure our AI Council will agree to this but I will bring it up.”

“How many warships do you have?” asked Kathryn. She leaned forward to add one more point. “Keep in mind it was your inaction that allowed the Simulins to take over so many of the Control Centers in your Shrieels. Countless trillions of lives were lost because of that. The Simulins not only need to be driven out of the Dyson Spheres, they need to be removed from all the galaxies they’ve conquered.”

Camlin closed her eyes as if in deep thought. “We have a large number of warships in stasis. We may be willing to turn over a number of Originator warships, not as powerful as the Dominator or the Distant Horizon, but still much more powerful than anything else your people now possess. These could be used against the Simulins in the galaxies they have conquered. We may also be willing to allow limited access to the Shrieels and perhaps the intergalactic vortexes. As I said before, there is much to discuss before this could happen. Your home galaxy would have to be off limits. As far as the Simulin ships inside and around the Shrieels, if we have Kazak’s cooperation and the use of the Dominator, the automatic defenses can be activated without the need to modify our programming.”

“I’ve seen those defenses in action,” commented Sergeant Wilde. “They can easily wipe out the Simulin ships around and inside the Dyson Spheres.”

Kathryn was taken aback by the offer of the use of a number of Originator warships. She had to find a way to make that happen. “Is there any particular reason you want Sergeant Wilde in charge of taking back the Control Centers?”

“We trust her,” Leeda said definitively. “She’s also familiar with the Control Centers for the vortexes.”

Kathryn sighed. She knew the Originator AIs were determined to make this happen. At least they were willing to do something about the Simulins. She just wished they had decided this long ago. Turning toward Sergeant Wilde, she spoke. “Sergeant, it looks as if you will be leading a team of Marines against the Simulins to retake the vortex Control Centers on the Dyson Spheres. Effective immediately I am promoting you to the rank of captain. I will also be assigning an additional fifty Marines from the Distant Horizon temporally to your command. Once I’ve made contact with Fleet Admiral Strong, I will arrange for more to be sent.”

-

Sergeant Wilde stood and saluted. “Thank you, Admiral; I won’t let you down.” Brenda sat back down, feeling overwhelmed. She had just been handed the task of freeing the Dyson Spheres. It would mean fighting the Simulins and their Conqueror Drones. She just hoped she was capable of doing the job that had been assigned to her.

-

“Reesa and Kelnor will be accompanying you on the Distant Horizon,” added Leeda. “They are the foremost experts in your Federation on the Originators. They will also serve as science officers on board the ship. Reesa and Kelnor have won the trust of the AIs on the Shrieel in your home galaxy and will be able to advise us on issues that may infringe on our mission. It is highly likely at times, our goals and yours may not coincide. They can act as intermediaries to help alleviate any potential problems between us. They may also be very useful in dealing with Kazak.”

-

Reesa sucked in a deep breath. At least now she knew why she was here. Looking over at Kelnor, she saw he had that thoughtful and oftentimes brooding look on his face. She suspected he was deeply concerned about this mission and Kazak. Reesa, however, felt excited. If everything worked out and they were successful in delivering the pathogen cure to the Originator children on the Dominator, then she would finally achieve her lifelong dream of actually meeting one of the ancient race.

Chapter Four

Kelsey was on board the Dominator speaking to Kazak. Kazak stood eight feet tall, with dark hair, and features that were very normal for a Human. The only odd thing was his height and the bluish skin color. In many ways he resembled an Alton except he was taller and his skin had a much more bluish tone to it whereas the Altons only had a hint of blue. He was dressed in his normal high-collared dark red uniform.

“Has there been any progress with the pathogen?” asked Kelsey. She knew Kazak was spending much of his time in the Dominator’s labs answering the numerous questions the Alton research scientists had about the deadly pathogen that had wiped out the Originators.

Kazak was standing next to her on the command dais in the Command Center of the ship. “No,” he said with evident disappointment in his voice. “I was hoping the Altons with their own background in life extension drugs might be able to offer some new insights toward perfecting a cure. They are going down many of the same dead ends as the Originator scientists on this ship did before they died.”

“The Originators worked for centuries trying to find a cure,” Kelsey reminded Kazak. She didn’t want to upset the AI but he needed to understand a cure wouldn’t be found overnight. “It may be necessary for the Alton scientists to duplicate some of their work in order for them to better understand the problem.”

Kazak remained silent, not responding. This concerned Kelsey as there was still much about the Originator AI they didn’t know or understand. Ariel suddenly appeared on the lower level of the command dais where the control consoles resided. Several holographic emitters had been installed to allow the beautiful AI to transfer her image over to the Dominator whenever necessary. Kelsey knew Ariel normally monitored the Command Center in case she was needed.

“The Altons are doing everything they can,” Ariel said, stepping up on the dais and gazing into Kazak’s eyes. “They have brought their best medical doctors and research specialists on board the Dominator to study the pathogen and seek a cure. You must be patient. After all, you’ve already waited several million years. The Altons are the most advanced race we know of. If anyone can find a cure, it will be them. What are a few more years if they’re successful in the end? You monitor the stasis chambers daily and there has been no change. The children and the adults are safe.”

“At least they’re trying,” Kazak grudgingly acknowledged. “The Altons are the most advanced race I’ve encountered other than the Originators. However, there are twenty-three adult and two hundred and seven Originator children in stasis waiting for a cure. I can’t wait forever.”

“We don’t expect you to,” answered Ariel. “Just give us time.”

“How much time?” demanded Kazak. “My patience is nearly at its end.”

“What does that mean?” asked Kelsey, her eyes focusing on Kazak. Was this a threat he was making? It sure sounded like it. “I’m sure the Altons are doing all they can.”

Kazak folded his arms across his chest. “I will wait one month. If progress hasn’t been made by then it may be necessary for me to apply further inducements.”

“What kind of inducements?” demanded Kelsey. This was what she had been afraid of. Kazak controlled the Dominator and all of its advanced weapons and technology. He could make good on any threat.

Kazak didn’t respond but turned and left the Command Center.

“That didn’t sound good,” Kelsey said, looking over at Ariel. “What do you think he meant by that?” Kelsey would make sure Ariel reported this conversation to Jeremy.

Ariel was staring at the hatch Kazak had exited through. “I don’t know. I’ll speak to him and see what I can find out. I fear he’s deeply concerned his mission will be a total failure. If the Altons can’t find a cure then in all likelihood Kazak will have no further options. I know with every day that passes with no progress being reported, Kazak seems to be brooding more. It’s as if the past is coming back to haunt him. I know he’s been spending a lot of time in the stasis compartment checking the chambers.”

Kelsey was about to respond when the hatch opened and Katie, Mikow, and Commander Malen entered. Kelsey felt as if a load had been lifted from here shoulders upon seeing Kyla.

“We saw Kazak leaving,” Katie said as her eyes took in her surroundings. The Command Center of the Dominator was very impressive. “He didn’t look pleased.”

“He’s not happy with the speed of the research,” Kelsey explained. “I fear he may be contemplating taking some type of drastic action if some progress isn’t made soon. He talked about applying additional inducements in thirty days if the research isn’t progressing to his satisfaction.”

Commander Malen let out a deep sigh. “I’ll go down and speak to the Altons and see how they’re doing. Don’t worry, Kelsey, we’ll get through this.”

“Make sure they’re not getting bogged down in their research,” Mikow said. “I know my people can get sidetracked very easily while doing research if something interesting comes up.”

Kyla nodded and left through the hatch.

“What are you two doing back on board? Did you see Angela while you were down on Gaia?”

Katie grinned and nodded her head. “She’s as big as a blimp.”

“She’s pretty certain the baby will come in the next few days,” added Mikow.

“We should all be at the hospital when she’s born,” proclaimed Kelsey. “I think Angela would like that. She would do the same for us.”

“Talking Jeremy and Kevin into going to the hospital for the delivery might not be so easy,” Katie said, her eyes narrowing. “Men aren’t that interested in babies like most women are.”

“They’ll go,” Kelsey said determinedly. “Now what are the two of you doing back on board? I doubt if it was to give me a report on Angela.”

Mikow and Katie looked at one another and then Katie replied. “Kevin went back on board the Avenger to help with an upgrade to the ship’s sensor systems. Mikow and I wanted to do some additional research into the crew of the Dominator. Kazak has released all of the crew records to us.”

Kelsey held up a cautioning hand and looked over at Ariel.

“He can’t hear us,” she replied. “I’ve temporality disabled all the audio and visual recorders in the Command Center. He won’t notice it for a few minutes.”

“What else is going on?” Kelsey strongly suspected the two weren’t telling her everything.

Mikow pulled out a small handheld computer pad from one of her pockets. “We’re going to download the crew information and as much other data relating to the pathogen and the Dominator’s mission. Then we’re going over to one of the Alton science ships and analyze the data. Kurene is going to help us.”

“Is that going to be safe?”

“It should be,” Ariel responded. Her dark eyes focused on Kelsey. “Kazak has allowed me access to many of the ship’s systems. I think I can download the data to the computer pad without Kazak’s knowledge.”

Kelsey nodded. “Do it; I’m afraid we’re running out of time. We need to show some measure of progress in the next month.”

“I’m glad to see Commander Malen has been assigned to the Dominator,” Katie added. “I bet it’s a big relief to you.”

“Yes,” admitted Kelsey, leaning back in her command chair. “Commander Malen is a seasoned officer and will be of great help. I don’t care that much for command, but I think Commander Malen actually enjoys it.”

“We need to hurry,” Ariel said as a look of concern filled her dark eyes. “I need to drop the blocking of the audio and video recorders shortly or Kazak’s going to notice.”

“Go ahead,” ordered Kelsey. There was no point in making Kazak overly suspicious. “Just try to give Katie and Mikow enough time to download the data.”

As Katie and Mikow made their way over to the main computer console, Kelsey looked at the massive viewscreen surrounding them on all sides. It provided a 360-degree panoramic view of space. She could see the Avenger, the Clan Protector, Gaia, other ships, and even a few of the massive Indomitable Class Battlestations that protected the planet. Other than that, there was nothing but darkness. Gaia was located inside a dense nebula, which blocked out the light from other stars.

Jeremy had wanted the two of them to take some time off and go to one of the new seaside resorts for a few days. After speaking to Kazak, she realized it might be best for her to remain on the Dominator. She didn’t trust the Originator AI and as much as she disliked being in command of the ship, Kelsey knew it was the best place for her.

Turning her attention to Katie and Mikow, she watched as they downloaded the data from the ship’s computer to the handheld one Mikow always carried. It only took a few minutes and then Katie looked over and nodded.

“Kazak is back in one of the labs speaking to one of the Alton research scientists,” Ariel said softly. “I tampered with the ship’s computer system just enough to ensure Kazak didn’t notice the data download. I’m now turning back on the audio and video recorders. I’ve also created a false recording so he won’t notice they were turned off briefly.”

Kelsey nodded. She wasn’t sure what Katie and Mikow wanted with the data. She would wait until they were all off the ship before she asked. With a deep sigh, she looked at the viewscreen showing the Avenger. She really wished she could have taken a few days off to be with Jeremy.

-

Grayseth clenched his teeth as the Warrior’s Pride shook violently. Warning alarms sounded, and red lights flashed on the damage control console.

“We have several compartments open to space,” reported Ganlon as he studied the damage control board, which now had several glaring red lights showing. “We took an energy beam hit to the stern just above Secondary Engineering. Emergency bulkheads have activated. Several members of our clan have met their deaths with honor.”

Grayseth looked at one of the nearby tactical displays. The Simulins had set a trap for his fleet. It was evident they had expected him to attack this base which was the last one in the sector where Gaia resided. On one of the viewscreens, a Carethian cruiser was burning. Fires were jetting out from huge rents in its hull where the oxygen was escaping. Even as he watched, the ship suddenly blew apart as four Simulin energy beams finished destroying the warship.

“This hunt goes the way of the Simulins,” growled Grayseth.

They had jumped just outside the orbit of the seventh planet where the Simulins maintained a large shipyard. Moments later two Simulin fleets had exited hyperspace and immediately attacked Grayseth’s fleet. He had quickly formed the fleet into a globe formation, which offered the most defensive protection while he figured out what to do next.

“What are we facing?” Grayseth could see the worry on the faces of his clan brothers. Many of them had mates and cubs back at Gaia.

“Thirty-nine Simulin battlecruisers and sixty-one of their escort cruisers,” reported the sensor operator.

“We’re outnumbered,” Ganlon said. “There are too many Simulin battlecruisers. If we remain, we will suffer heavy losses. Even the AI warspheres will not be able to hold up to that kind of firepower.”

Grayseth’s attention was drawn to one of the other viewscreens where an AI warsphere was under heavy attack. Its energy screen was glowing brighter and brighter as Simulin energy beams and antimatter missiles battered the vessel. Then the screen seemed to flicker and an antimatter missile penetrated, detonating against the hull. When the explosion cleared, there was a glowing chasm that reached nearly to the center of the ship.

“Warsphere WP-103 reports terminal damage. Self-destructs have been activated,” the communications officer informed Grayseth.

The viewscreen suddenly lit up with light and when it faded, all that remained of the AI ship was a glowing cloud of spreading debris.

Grayseth studied the tactical display for a long moment and then reached a decision. Their goal was not necessarily to destroy the Simulin fleets but to obliterate their bases, limiting their ability to supply and repair their ships. There was still a way he could salvage a victory out of this disaster.

Activating the ship-to-ship comm, he gave his order. “All ships stand by to enter hyperspace. We will make a short jump to the seventh planet and engage the shipyard. Once it’s been destroyed all ships are to jump out and rendezvous at the red giant.” Before making the hyperspace jump into the system, Grayseth had set up an emergency rendezvous at a red giant star fourteen light years away.

-

In space, the Simulins pressed their advantage. Having heard of the attack on their other shipyard in this sector, they guessed the one at System X247-029 would be next. They had gathered their remaining ships and waited for the fleet from the Fitula Nebula to arrive. When it did, they sprung their trap.

Six Simulin battlecruisers were firing all of their energy beams at a Gaia class battlecruiser. The ship was resisting with all of its might and returning fire. Particle beam fire ripped through one of the large energy beam pylons on a Simulin battlecruiser, tearing it from the ship. A Devastator Three missile blew off the stern of another battlecruiser leaving it drifting in space. But even that was not enough.

Two Simulin energy beams tore through the energy screen of the Gaia class battlecruiser ripping open compartment after compartment to space. Debris drifted away from the ship and secondary explosions blew open even more compartments.

On board the battlecruiser crewmembers rushed to contain the damage. Fire suppression systems activated, emergency bulkheads slammed shut, and damage control crews in full protective spacesuits moved into the affected areas looking for survivors.

More energy beams flashed through the screen. One of them destroyed the Command Center, sending the ship drifting helplessly through space. Its energy screen seemed to glow brighter and then it vanished altogether as the ship’s power failed. A single Simulin antimatter missile turned the battlecruiser into molten ruins, killing everyone on board.

-

“The Huntress and Night Clan are down,” reported Grayseth’s sensor operator. The Huntress was a Gaia class battlecruiser and the Night Clan was a Carethian cruiser. Grayseth was becoming painfully aware that the smaller cruisers were no match for Simulin battlecruisers. He would not be bringing them on hunts again. He would have to speak to Daelthon about building more Carethian battlecruisers along the lines of the Humans’ Gaia class.

“Fleet is jumping,” reported Ganlon.

-

Around the fleet blue-white swirling vortexes formed. The ships rapidly accelerated, entering them and fleeing into the momentary safety of hyperspace. That safety didn’t last long since only a few seconds passed and the fleet dropped back out of hyperspace around the shipyard.

-

Grayseth heard the hull of the Warrior’s Pride groan as the ship dropped out of hyperspace into the gravity well of the seventh planet. For a moment the ship’s viewscreens and other systems were down and then rapidly began to power back up. The emergence from hyperspace always affected a ship’s systems. For a scant few seconds the ship was vulnerable to enemy weapons fire.

“Energy screen is up,” reported Ganlon. “Other systems are coming online.”

As the viewscreens flashed on Grayseth saw two AI warspheres suddenly explode as powerful Simulin energy beams from the shipyard targeted them before their screens were fully recovered from the hyperjump. Both 1,000-meter ships were turned into tumbling wreckage. Grayseth knew that could just have easily been the Warrior’s Pride.

“All ships,” Grayseth ordered over the ship-to-ship comm. “Fire antimatter missiles until the shipyard’s screen is down.”

-

From the surviving AI warspheres, Gaia class battlecruisers, Carethian battlecruisers, and the smaller cruisers hundreds of sublight antimatter missiles began slamming into the powerful protective energy screen of the shipyard. The shield glowed brighter and brighter and then failed. When it did dozens of antimatter missiles detonated against the unprotected hull. In a matter of microseconds an expanding nova appeared at the shipyard’s location. As it died down all that remained was glowing plasma and a few pieces of drifting wreckage.

“Simulin shipyard has been destroyed,” confirmed the sensor operator.

“Simulin fleets are jumping in,” warned Ganlon. “They will be in range shortly. What are your orders?”

“The red star,” Grayseth answered without hesitation. “Jump us to the red star. We have fulfilled our mission and this hunt is over.”

“Other ships are jumping,” the sensor operator reported.

On several of the viewscreens, Grayseth could see Simulin seventeen-hundred-meter battlecruisers appearing around his fleet. It would do them no good. By the time they had their weapons powered up his fleet would be gone.

“Entering hyperspace,” Ganlon reported as the Warrior’s Pride accelerated and entered the swirling vortex that had formed in front of it.

Grayseth allowed himself to relax as the ship made the transition into hyperspace. He had accomplished his mission. Both shipyards in the sector surrounding Gaia had been neutralized. He wouldn’t know the exact cost until they reached the rendezvous point, but the Simulins would find it much more difficult to operate their fleets in this sector in the future without any support bases.

Grayseth knew Fleet Admiral Strong intended to deploy a number of small fleets to keep the sector secure from the Simulins. Once this sector was secure, they would move on to others, including the one where Admiral Jackson was. Ornellia was the key to their future victory over the remaining Simulins. If they could rebuild Ornellia and then use it as a base to search for and find other allies, then the Simulins’ dominance of the Triangulum Galaxy would be facing its end.

Once they reached the red star, Grayseth would check on his fleet damage and make repairs. When that was complete, it would be time to return to Gaia and make his report to Jeremy. It would also be good to return home after a successful hunt. There would be much celebrating by the clans as well as services to honor the dead.

-

Jeremy had made a quick trip down to the Fleet Academy on Gaia to visit with Rear Admiral Susan Marks, who was the chief administrator. Susan had formerly commanded the Battlecarrier Retribution and acted as Flag Admiral for all small craft combat operations. She had excelled at training new fighter and bomber pilots as well as combat tactics. For these reasons and others Jeremy asked her to head the new Academy.

Jeremy stood gazing out the large window in Susan’s office at all the work that had been done. Tall white buildings indicated dorms, teaching centers, and training facilities. The Academy was located well north of the green habitable area of the planet to better allow for combat training. The landscape surrounding the Academy was arid and saw very little rainfall as was true with most of the planet except for the green area around the equator. The harsh surroundings made it an excellent training location for the cadets. An energy shield protected the Academy complex, keeping out the hot temperatures, occasional sandstorms, and strong desert winds. Inside the screen, everything was green and immaculate. From the air the Academy looked like an oasis in the middle of a forsaken environment.

Looking toward a small hill, Jeremy could see the granite obelisk and walls, which listed everyone who had died since coming to the Triangulum Galaxy. A series of wide steps led up to it. Unfortunately it was a very long list and would only grow longer in the future. He still felt great sadness whenever he looked at the obelisk, knowing it signified the loss of Rear Admiral Barnes, her crew, and the Distant Horizon. Every cadet was required to make a trip to the top of the stairs to view the obelisk once every semester. Jeremy knew that Katie had a hard time coming here just because of the obelisk. There was a depiction of Clarissa in her fleet uniform without insignia displayed on the structure. Katie very seldom spoke of Clarissa anymore. It was too painful and the memories of her lost AI friend greatly saddened her. They all missed her and Jeremy had been greatly surprised just how important the flirtatious AI had been in his life.

“Is Grayseth back yet?” Susan asked. Susan was sitting at her desk watching Jeremy.

Jeremy turned around and came back and sat down. “No, not yet. I’m expecting him anytime.”

A smile spread across Susan’s face. “I’ll bet he’s really enjoying himself. The Bears live for the hunt, and it’s been too long since they’ve been allowed to go on a mission as important as this one.”

“He has a strong enough force that he should be able to handle anything he runs across. I sent along forty AI warspheres and that should ensure the Carethians stay safe.”

Jeremy had been hesitant to send Grayseth on this mission, as he would be risking ships that contained a large number of Bears. Jeremy was particularly concerned about the Carethian cruisers. In the end, he had relented knowing how important the hunt was to the Bears and their way of life.

“Speaking of the AIs, I recently took a group of cadets out to Borton to inspect the AI shipyards. I was amazed at how rapidly they’re building new ships.”

“Three new warspheres every five days,” Jeremy said. “I’ve stood inside the construction bays and watched. It’s absolutely amazing. The Command AI is planning on adding another shipyard in the near future and it should allow them to produce one new warsphere every day.”

“Are they still creating new AIs?”

Jeremy nodded. “Yes, but Kurene and Jeeneb have been monitoring the new AIs and have helped with their programming. Both have been given unrestricted access to the Master Codex.”

Jeremy was still amazed at how cooperative the AIs were. They seemed to go out of their way to help with anything Jeremy suggested. He had spoken at length about this with Kurene and Jeeneb and they claimed it had to do with the atrocities the AIs had committed back home in the Milky Way Galaxy, even though the Simulins had played a big role in that due to their tampering with the Master Codex.

“This is going to be a long war against the Simulins, isn’t it?”

“Yes, even with Kazak’s help there are still a lot of Simulin worlds in this galaxy, and there’s always the possibility that at some point in time the other Simulin galaxies may be able to send substantial reinforcements.”

“Kazak could construct more black matter warheads if necessary,” Susan said, referring to the deadly missiles capable of destroying a planet or even a star.

“Destroying entire planets makes us as bad as the Simulins,” Jeremy said somberly. “Besides, I suspect by now the Simulins have come up with a battle plan to deal with the Dominator. In the last battle at Malkor, they jumped two of their battlecruisers to the same spatial coordinates the Dominator was occupying. It caused the ship to lose power. If we hadn’t arrived when we did, the ship would have been destroyed by the other Simulins battlecruisers or by the nova.”

A noise outside drew their attention as a flight of four Talon fighters took off from the small spaceport just outside the protective energy shield of the Academy. The fighters formed up into a tight diamond formation circling the Academy once before heading upward.

“We have some very talented cadets,” Susan said as the two watched the fighters climb toward space. Susan had a large window put in just so she could see the spaceport from her desk. It allowed her to watch the Talon fighters launch on their training missions.

Jeremy let out a deep sigh. “I just wish we had a bigger population base. There are less than six hundred thousand of us on Gaia and aboard our ships.”

“The population will grow rapidly,” promised Susan, with a knowing grin. “I hear the hospitals at New Eden and Clements have been quite busy delivering babies recently. The Carethians normally have twins so their population will quickly grow. I also understand Angela is due any day now.”

Jeremy nodded. “Kelsey and Katie have been going to visit Angela quite regularly. I’m pretty certain they want Kevin and I to be at the hospital when the baby’s born.”

“You five have been together for a long time,” Susan said, her eyes focusing on Jeremy. “I don’t think you realize what Angela’s baby will mean to Gaia. I know the five of you don’t like the name, but you are the Special Five. Your families started the Federation and the five of you have been a big part of that. Nearly every important event in Federation history either your families or you five were involved in. You were even on Earth’s first interstellar flight.”

“We’re just normal people,” Jeremy protested with a frown. “I wish people would realize that. They put us on a pedestal and we shouldn’t be.”

“You will always be the Special Five to our people, and your children will be a sign your legacy will continue, and that’s very important to the people of Gaia. It offers hope for the future and a sign that our lives here can be peaceful and productive.”

“There will be other children born,” said Jeremy, wanting to change the subject. “There will be more Carethians and even Altons.”

“A lot more Carethians,” said Susan. “However, I strongly suspect that the children of you five will always play an important role in our future. There are others as well whose children will be important.”

Jeremy laughed as he thought about his Bear friend. “Yes, I’m just waiting for Grayseth to settle down and start a family. He told me before he left on this mission that it was his responsibility as a clan elder to grow the clan.”

“More Grayseths,” said Susan, shaking her head with a humorous glint in her eyes. “His people understand the importance of family and carrying on traditions. We are fortunate to have so many Carethians amongst us.”

Then she took on a more serious look. “I guess we will continue to have to depend on the AIs to carry on this war. Is the Command AI okay with the idea of them carrying the burden of most of the fighting?”

“It’s strange,” said Jeremy, recalling his past conversations with the AI. “I speak to the Command AI and several others quite often and I firmly believe they feel it’s their responsibly to keep us, the Altons, and the Carethians safe on Gaia. Several times the Command AI has suggested we allow them to do all the fighting.”

“These AIs are nothing like the ones back home,” said Susan, recalling the fierce battles they had fought back in the Milky Way Galaxy.

“They’ve changed, particularly after they learned the Simulins tampered with the Master Codex. I think it’s one of the reasons they’re so determined to take the fight to the Simulins.”

Susan nodded her understanding. “We have a few AIs here at the Academy serving as instructors. ZED even came down recently and conducted a class on Conqueror Drones.”

“ZED normally stays around Kurene,” commented Jeremy. “The two of them have developed a very good working relationship. They’re very seldom apart.”

“Are you going out to Borton anytime soon?”

Jeremy nodded his head. “Yes, I need to speak with the Command AI about setting up some regular patrols in the sector of space surrounding Gaia. Once Grayseth returns and confirms the two Simulin shipyards have been destroyed, we’ll start the patrols. We want to keep the Simulins out of this sector completely.”

“That might be a big task,” Susan said frowning. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just keep training the cadets. They’re our future starship commanders and officers.”

“There will be some good ones,” promised Susan. “In our current class alone there are a number that will make excellent commanders once they’ve finished their training.”

“They’ll be assigned to the new Gaia class battlecruisers,” Jeremy said. “In the future they will be the backbone of our fleet along with the AI warspheres.”

“Can you stay for the evening meal?” asked Susan. “It would mean a lot to the cadets to see you.”

Jeremy thought for a moment. He had no pressing matters to attend to. He also liked talking to the young people. “Sure, I can stay.”

Jeremy enjoyed his visits to the Fleet Academy. He could well remember his days at the Academy on Earth’s moon and how he had met, Kelsey, Kevin, Angela, and Katie. Those were days he would never forget, and he hoped the young people currently at the Gaia Fleet Academy would feel the same in the future.

Chapter Five

Simulin High Commander Altrab stared at one of the main viewscreens of his flagship, the battlecruiser StarFire. On the screen, the Simulin world of Gladen Three floated against a background of unwinking stars. Gladen Three was one of the largest Simulin population centers remaining in the galaxy since the ancient ship of the Sphere Builders had destroyed the system of Malkor as well as five other major Simulin planets. Over the past year the Simulins had faced a number of major reversals in the galaxy, all at the hands of the Fitula organics and their AI allies.

It was of grave concern that somehow the organics had managed to gain control of the ancient ship and send it against the Simulin worlds. The Simulin fleets had been helpless against its deadly weapons. The power of the missiles used to destroy the six inhabited planets had been far beyond anything they had imagined possible. It had shaken the very core of Simulin belief in being the most powerful race in existence. For the first time in their long history, they had faced defeat and never before heard of losses. Their entire war effort in this galaxy had to be rethought and new strategies developed.

“The shipyards above all of our remaining worlds are building new ships and defenses at an increasing rate,” Second Commander Jarald commented. “We will soon have sufficient ships to go back on the offensive and finish the conquest of this galaxy.”

Altrab turned cold eyes toward his second in command. “Perhaps, but there are still the Fitula organics and their AIs. Reports from the Grand Council indicate the Fitula organics are still on the offensive. Both of our fleet bases near the nebula have been destroyed, and our fleets in the sector have suffered heavy losses. The order has been given to pull our remaining vessels back to the surrounding sectors until we can establish a new and secure base in the Fitula sector.”

Second Commander Jarald remained silent for a long minute and then replied. “Has the council come up with a plan to deal with the ancient ship of the Sphere Builders?”

“Perhaps,” Altrab replied. They had told him their recommendation though he wasn’t convinced it would work. Even after running it through the battle computer, the results had been questionable. “Several of our military scientists believe that by jumping a pair of escort cruisers into the exact coordinates occupied by the ancient ship we can effectively drain the power of its energy shield. If its shield is down, then our battlecruisers can destroy it.”

Jarald looked over at the viewscreens taking note of the large fleet forming up around the StarFire. “How soon do we return to Ornellia?”

“Soon,” Altrab answered. “Grand Councilmember Marden is coming on board later today with our orders.”

“A member of the Grand Council is coming on board?” asked Jarald in surprise. It was nearly unheard of for a council member to come on board a warship; normally the ship’s commander was summoned to appear before the council.

Altrab nodded as he thought about what this could mean. Since the destruction of Malkor, the Simulin Grand Council had to be reformed as a number of its members had died on the planet. The conquest of this galaxy had to be rethought, as they now had no contact with other Simulin controlled galaxies. They were effectively cut off from reinforcements. However, the remaining Simulin worlds had considerable resources available.

The reversals suffered by the Simulins had been severe with thousands of valuable warships lost as well as the destruction of the Great Sphere. Both Simulin Supreme Commanders, Nathalee and Callat, had been killed. There was now a power vacuum in the fleet that needed to be filled. There were rumors the Grand Council was going to name two new Supreme Commanders to lead the Simulin warfleets. One would be responsible for coming up with a strategy to defeat the Fitula organics and their AIs in the nebula. The other would resume the conquest of the outer regions of this galaxy including the destruction of the enemy fleet units now around Ornellia.

Altrab’s eyes shifted to a viewscreen showing a new battlestation being positioned in orbit above Gladen Three. In the past very few battlestations were needed as very seldom did the Simulins ever encounter an organic civilization, which could be considered a threat. That had now changed. Altrab let out a long breath. He was anxious to return to Ornellia and destroy the enemy forces there. It had left a sour taste in his mouth to have to withdraw from battle rather than risk major losses.

-

Time passed and the shuttle carrying Grand Council Member Marden docked to the StarFire. High Commander Altrab waited at the hatch for Marden to appear. The hatch swung open and Marden stepped through along with his armed escort.

Marden stopped and gazed coldly at High Commander Altrab. “We have important military matters to discuss. Do you have a place we can speak?”

Altrab nodded. “Follow me; I have a secure compartment set up.”

As they walked through the battlecruiser, there was no talking. Altrab had two security personnel as his personal escort and Marden had five. All crewmembers had been ordered to stay out of the corridors leading to the compartment where the meeting was going to be held. After a few minutes they reached the compartment where four more Simulins stood guard. There could be no risks taken when a member of the Grand Council was present. Entering the compartment, Marden and Altrab made their way to the small conference table that had been set up. They both took their seats as their armed escorts took up watchful positions around the perimeter of the compartment.

Altrab looked expectantly at Marden. It was not allowed for him to speak first as it would be a violation of respect toward a member of the Grand Council. Simulins had been executed for far smaller infractions in the past.

-

Marden turned his eyes toward Altrab carefully observing the High Commander. Much had changed over the past year. With the destruction of the Great Sphere in the dark matter nebula contact with all other Simulin galaxies had been lost. While there was still the possibility of future contact, it would be nearly impossible with the expanding inferno sweeping through the blue giant nebula. There was still much concern among the scientists as to what that might mean for the galaxy.

“Some changes are to be made to the military structure of the fleet,” Marden said in a voice nearly absent of emotion. “In the last several years we have lost nearly 60 percent of our warships. Our capital planet has been destroyed as well as the Great Sphere. There is also the danger presented by the ancient warship of the Sphere Builders, which the Fitula organics and their AI allies control. The council has met with a number of our remaining fleet leaders and decided on the following changes. Effective immediately you will be promoted to the rank of Supreme High Commander responsible for the conquest of the outer sectors of this galaxy. You will have two main priorities. The destruction of all intelligent organics in the outer regions as well as annihilating the Fitula organic ships around Ornellia. Once that has been accomplished, you are to use your fleet to bombard the surface of the planet with nuclear weapons until it is turned into a radioactive cinder.”

“There can be none but Simulin,” spoke Altrab in understanding. “The conquest of Ornellia and the destruction of the enemy warships in orbit will not be easy and there will be substantial losses, but it will be done.”

Marden’s eyes gazed piercingly at Altrab. “We understand there will be losses. The Fitula organics are the biggest threat we have encountered in this galaxy, perhaps in any galaxy. We will shortly be naming a second Supreme High Commander who will be tasked with destroying the organics and the AIs. Our scientists are only a few months away from being able to counter the jamming technology the organics are using to prevent our entry into the nebula. Once that has been accomplished, we will send sufficient fleet forces into the nebula to eliminate the Fitula organics and their AIs once and for all.” Marden waited for Altrab’s response. There had been much discussion over the two Simulin High Commanders to be promoted. What had swayed the Grand Council to choose Altrab as one was the fact he had already fought several engagements against the Fitula organics and their AIs and survived. Many other High Commanders could not make that claim.

-

Altrab considered carefully what his new promotion would mean. He would be reporting directly to the Simulin Grand Council. If he failed in his mission, there was no doubt there would be serious repercussions, possibly death. However, he was Simulin and there could only be Simulins. It was his duty to fulfill the wishes and orders of the council. He had no fear of death.

“I accept,” he said. “I will take care of Ornellia. Once Ornellia has been reduced to rubble, there should be no power strong enough to hinder our conquest of the rest of the outer regions.”

Marden nodded. He had expected no less from the High Commander.

“How soon before I leave?”

“Two weeks,” answered Marden. “That will give us sufficient time to gather the necessary fleet units as well as send word of your promotion to our bases in the outer regions. Our probes have continued to travel outward even while our warships were held back. Already we have received word of numerous worlds of intelligent organics that must be eliminated. As soon as Ornellia has been dealt with, the coordinates of those worlds will be transmitted to you.”

“They must be annihilated,” Altrab spoke, his cold eyes meeting those of Marden’s. “There can be none but Simulin.”

“None but Simulin,” repeated Marden in agreement.

-

Later, Supreme High Commander Altrab stood upon the deck of his Command Center. Everyone had taken note of the new insignia he wore upon the shoulders of his uniform.

“It has been decided, then?” asked Second Commander Jarald. “You have been made a Supreme High Commander and tasked with eliminating the enemy forces at Ornellia.”

“Yes,” Altrab answered. “Effective immediately, you have been increased in rank to that of High Commander and responsible for the actions of this ship. The FireStar will continue to be my flagship.”

Jarald bowed slightly, pleased with his promotion. “I will serve you well. There can be none but Simulin.”

“None but Simulin,” repeated Altrab. “We must begin preparing for the elimination of the organics and AIs at Ornellia. We still have a few ships in that sector of space. I want several of them sent to the system to see if any changes have occurred in the defenses around the planet or in the number of warships defending it.”

“It will be done,” Jarald replied. “How soon do we leave for the outer regions of this galaxy and Ornellia?”

Altrab shifted his gaze to one of the viewscreens. On the screen, one of the mammoth shipyards that circled Gladen Three was visible. New battlecruisers and escort cruisers were being built in its ten construction bays. Already other ships that were nearly complete were docked to the shipyard while construction crews finished the final work inside. There were four such shipyards around Gladen Three and ever since the destruction of Malkor, they had been operating around the clock nonstop. Even as Altrab watched, one of the large sets of hatches on one of the bays slid open and a seventeen-hundred-meter Simulin battlecruiser began to emerge. It touched the atmospheric retention field that held in the air for the construction bay. The six long energy weapon spires appeared first and then slowly the rest of the massive ship emerged. Altrab knew that in a few more weeks the new battlecruiser would be ready for combat.

This scene was being repeated around all the remaining major Simulin worlds. There were still twenty-one heavily populated worlds with major shipyards above them. Not only were there the major worlds but sixty-four smaller colonies. Even above a few of these, there were shipyards. Altrab was confident the remaining Simulin worlds could easily replace the losses to the fleet within a relatively short time.

“We leave in two weeks,” he said in response to Jarald’s earlier question. “Ensure we have sufficient Conqueror Drones for the fleet. We have large numbers of recently discovered organics that must be dealt with.”

“The drones will do their duty,” Jarald responded as he turned to go carry out his orders.

Altrab watched his second in command depart. He felt no mercy for the countless organics he planned on annihilating. He had killed billions in the past, and there would be billions more who would die from the weapons of his fleet as well as the Conqueror Drones in the future.

-

On Ornellia, Dax Matol was in Dorman, a small city just outside the mountains. Dax was bipedal and stood slightly shorter than a Human. His eyes were wide and narrow and his head was almost round. He had two small ears and was nearly bald. Dax’s skin color was a deep dark gray. His arms were very thin with three fingers and a thumb on each hand.

In recent months the city had grown rapidly as survivors from all over the planet as well as the rest of the empire were brought in. Other nearby cities had been cleared of radioactive poisoning as well as Conqueror Drones to make room for the refugees. A sudden noise in the air attracted his attention. A flight of four Talon fighters was heading toward the south at a high rate of speed. Doubtlessly some Conqueror Drones had been spotted and the fighters were on the way to annihilate them. In recent weeks sightings of drones had drastically decreased as Human fighters and bombers destroyed them whenever and wherever they were detected. In addition, Human and Ornellian military personnel were conducting ground sweeps to take out any drones missed by the strafing and bombing runs.

“The city comes to life more every day,” Les Ketene commented as he watched a convoy of heavy trucks rumble down the road. The trucks had been out on a scavenging mission to the larger cities searching for supplies and other materials that might be useful in the rebuilding effort.

“More survived than we believed possible,” Dax replied. He paused for a moment watching children playing in the park across the street. It was a sight that for a time he had never expected to see again.

“But so many died,” responded Les, with great sadness. “We once were an empire of twelve billion people; now we’re reduced to a few million.”

Dax nodded his agreement. However, he knew it could have been much worse. “I spoke to Admiral Jackson earlier today. He gave me some good news. Two more of our battlecruisers and six cruisers have been found. They were hiding out in the Cralon System with a small number of freighters and passenger liners. They will be joining Admiral Santeld’s fleet shortly.” Admiral Santeld was the lone surviving Ornellian Admiral who had not left with the evacuation fleet. The Simulins had ambushed his fleet while on its way to the evacuation coordinates. When Santeld finally arrived, the evacuation fleet was long gone. Dax knew they were fortunate to have the highly talented admiral.

“That nearly doubles the size of our fleet,” Les said excitedly. “That is good news. What has Admiral Santeld learned of Absom?” Absom was another Ornellian world that was believed to hold a large number of survivors though it was infested with Conqueror Drones.

Dax let out a deep sigh. “I’m afraid it’s going to be a nightmare. Two of the Human battlecarriers are currently in orbit around Absom along with two of Admiral Santeld’s battlecruisers, two Alton battleships, and four of the AI warspheres. They’re carrying out around the clock strikes on the drones. From what Admiral Jackson told me, they’re trying to create a safe area to begin moving survivors to. Once that’s been accomplished, they’ll begin shuttling survivors from Absom to Ornellia.”

“It’s going to be a long process, isn’t it?”

Dax nodded. “It may take us years to locate all the survivors and bring them here.”

“And during that time, the Conqueror Drones will be hunting them down and killing them.”

“We’ll save as many as possible,” Dax said somberly. “That’s all we can do.”

-

On Absom, Captain Marsha Trask dove her Anlon bomber in a steep dive. She could feel a slight vibration from the bomber’s rapid passage through the air. Below her a large formation of Conqueror Drones were advancing on what was believed to be a deep shelter the Ornellians had established on Absom. They had tried to contact the shelter but had received no response. Marsha was certain they were fearful of giving away their position to the drones. “Arm Shrike missiles,” she ordered over her comm channel, which connected her to the other five bombers in her squadron.

Down below the advancing Conqueror Drones suddenly came to a stop. The drones were crab-like creatures about ten feet across with numerous legs and four appendages with large and dangerous looking claws. They killed their victims by tearing them apart. Some of the more modern drones were equipped with energy weapons and even surface to air missiles. They hesitated as their sensors picked up the inbound bombers. Two of the drones suddenly reared up and an opening appeared in their carapace. A pair of missile suddenly shot out aiming for the diving bombers.

“Vampire, Vampire!” called out Lieutenant Fry as red threat icons appeared on his sensor screen. “Inbound missiles, two of them.”

“Fire Hunter interceptors,” ordered Captain Trask calmly.

Instantly, from one of the bombers a pair of Hunter missiles dropped away from the wings and accelerated rapidly toward the two small drone missiles. Seconds later brilliant explosions declared their successful interceptions. Hunter interceptors very seldom missed.

“Damn drones aren’t supposed to shoot back,” muttered Lieutenant Fry over the comm.

“Let’s finish our attack run,” ordered Captain Trask. “We need to take them out before they fire any more missiles.”

The area below them was lightly forested and most of the drones were in the open. Nearly two hundred Conqueror Drones had come to a stop as they watched the descending bombers. Then something must have happened as they all turned and began racing toward the small mountain they had been advancing on.

“They’re trying to escape,” called out Captain Trask. “Fire!” She had no intention of allowing the drones to reach the mountain.

“Missiles away,” called out Lieutenant Fry as he let loose two of his Shrike missiles with high-explosive warheads.

Other pilots confirmed their missiles had been fired as well.

Captain Trask pressed the firing button on her console and two missiles dropped from her Anlon’s wings and darted toward the surface.

The first missile struck, obliterating every drone within a fifty-meter radius. Smoke and fire covered the landscape. Other missiles impacted, destroying dozens of Conqueror Drones. Dark gray smoke was sent rising up into the air. Then the explosions stopped and the bombers pulled out of their dives.

Marsha looked down seeing the ground littered with Conqueror Drone parts. Legs, carapaces, pincers, and internal mechanisms were scattered everywhere. Smoke obscured large areas making it difficult to see the ground. However, a few drones had escaped and were still moving toward the mountain. With a deep sigh, she knew what needed to be done. Anlon bombers were not the only craft that had come on this mission.

“Black Rain, this is Raider One,” Marsha spoke over her comm. “Missiles have been dropped but a few drones escaped. They’re moving toward the mountain.”

“We see them,” Captain Scott answered over the comm. “My Talons are on the way. We’ll make sure none escape.”

As Marsha’s bomber leveled out, she saw the six Talon fighters of Black Rain squadron flash by on their attack run. From the fighters, cannon fire began strafing the fleeing Conqueror Drones, blowing them apart. As Marsha’s bomber continued to climb, she watched as the Talons made a number of runs over the target area firing their cannons. Then the Talons turned and began climbing as well.

“All targets eliminated,” reported Captain Scott. “I hope the other squadrons were as successful.”

“I’m sure they were,” Marsha replied. Looking out of her cockpit window, she could see other explosions in the distance. Additional fighters and bombers were busy in other locations around the small mountain destroying the Conquer Drones before they could reach their target.

“Surely the Ornellians inside the bunker complex beneath that mountain will answer now,” said Lieutenant Fry. “They had to see what we just did.”

“That’s up to Admiral Santeld and Commander Frisk,” Marsha responded. Commander Frisk was the commanding officer of the battlecarrier Exeter, in orbit around Absom along with the battlecarrier Reprisal. Admiral Santeld was present in his flagship, the Ornellian battlecruiser Dawn Ascendant.

“This is Gold squadron,” a voice came over Marsha’s comm. “We have a large number of Conqueror Drones nearing the mountain. We’re not going to be able to get them all. We’re running low on missiles and our fighters have nearly exhausted their cannon rounds.”

“This is Raider One,” Marsha answered. “We have a few missiles left. We’re on our way.”

“This is Black Talon One, we’re coming also.”

“More crabs to kill,” chimed in Lieutenant Fry. “I think this is going to be a record for one mission.”

“Just don’t get your ass shot down by one of their missiles,” a woman’s voice retorted.

“Can the chatter,” Marsha ordered. “Let’s go stop those drones from reaching the mountain.”

The two squadrons quickly adjusted their course toward the far side of the mountain where clouds of smoke from missile strikes were rising into the air. It didn’t take them long to reach the target area. The ground was covered with huge blast craters and piles of destroyed Conqueror Drones.

“There must have been thousands of them,” muttered Lieutenant Fry in disbelief. “Where did so many of them come from?”

“The Simulins dropped a lot of them on the planet,” one of the other female pilots commented. “There may be over a hundred thousand of them from what I’ve heard.”

Marsha nodded. Some of the blast craters were indicative of KEW strikes being called down from orbit. “All Raiders, break formation and search for targets, particularly around the slope of the mountain.”

“A Talon will accompany each one of the Anlons,” ordered Captain Scott over the general comm frequency. “Pair up and watch out for missiles. We already know these particular Conqueror Drones are of the newer model and possess them.”

The two squadrons quickly intermixed and accelerated toward the slope of the mountain seeking targets.

Marsha gazed out of the cockpit window seeing a lot of movement down below. The drones were entering a more heavily forested area. “All Raiders, we’ll have to use our sensors for targeting. The forest is shielding most of the drones from view.”

Marsha looked at her sensors as numerous red threat icons appeared. Picking out a large cluster, she fired her last Shrike missile. With satisfaction, she saw it accelerate and then exploded beneath the forest canopy. A towering fireball appeared as it rose through the trees catching many of them on fire. On her sensors, she saw the drones she had targeted had stopped moving and were no longer a threat.

Around her, the other bombers of her squadron were firing their remaining missiles while the fighters were doing strafing runs ensuring none of the Conqueror Drones escaped. She was just about to call for withdrawal when half a dozen drone interceptor missiles appeared through the forest canopy. All were targeted on a single Anlon bomber that was flying way too low.

“Lieutenant Fry! Get your ass out of there!” There was no doubt in her mind the young lieutenant had been using his bomber’s cannons to strafe the drones. It aggravated her as that was the job of the faster moving fighters, not the more vulnerable slow moving bombers. She also wondered how he had managed to lose his fighter escort.

“Missiles are locked on,” Fry called out as he pulled up and tried to gain altitude. “I fired my last Hunter, but it’s not going to be enough.”

“This is Black Rain Two; I’m on my way, just stay out of the way of those missiles for a few seconds longer.”

Marsha watched as the lieutenant rolled his bomber and then went into a sharp turn trying to lose the rapidly approaching missiles. One shot by his bomber as it lost target lock, but the four remaining were nearly upon the Anlon.

Two Hunter interceptors suddenly arrowed in taking out two more of the missiles as the Anlon fighter arrived. However, the other two were almost to the Talon. The fighter wouldn’t have time to turn and take them out. Marsha watched in horror knowing there was nothing she could do.

“Punching out!” yelled a frightened Lieutenant Fry over the comm just before the first of the two missiles slammed into the belly of his bomber.

In a flash of light, the bomber exploded, breaking up into a thousand pieces that fell back into the forest, starting more fires. The other missile continued through the bomber’s former location and then ran out of fuel to fall harmlessly back to the ground.

“Anyone see Lieutenant Fry?” Marsha demanded as she turned her bomber toward where the lieutenant’s bomber had been destroyed. She looked intently hoping to spot his parachute.

“Got him,” called out the pilot flying the Anlon fighter that had been trying to aid the lieutenant. “His chute’s open and he appears to be fine. He’s waving at me.”

“Except he’s going to land in a damn nest of Conqueror Drones!” exclaimed one of the other bomber pilots. “He won’t last long.”

“I’ll have my fighters circle his position until he can be picked up,” said Captain Scott. “We still have a few cannon rounds left.”

Marsha nodded to herself. She had already sent a request to the battlecarrier Exeter for an emergency pickup. A ready shuttle with a squad of heavily armed Marines would be on the way shortly. However, it would take about twenty minutes for the shuttle to arrive. That was how long the fighters would have to keep the drones off the lieutenant. Marsha could well imagine how Lieutenant Fry was feeling. No one wanted to be on the ground where there were Conqueror Drones. Checking her sensors, she still saw movement under the forest canopy. Not near as much as before, but there were still drones active on the ground.

“All Raiders return to the Exeter,” she ordered. Marsha took her bomber up to a higher altitude and then slowly began to circle. She was going to remain until Lieutenant Fry was rescued. She didn’t want to think of the other possibility if the drones reached him first.

-

Lieutenant Fry came crashing down through the forest canopy to land hard on the ground below. Standing up he quickly got out of his parachute harness and grabbed the pistol strapped to his waist. The pistol held explosive rounds, but he didn’t know how they would do against a Conqueror Drone.

“My ass is done for,” he muttered under his breath as he scanned his surroundings. All around him were trees and thick undergrowth. He could smell the acrid fumes from the smoke coming from a number of burning fires. He knew he was in a perilous situation. If the drones didn’t get him, the fires might. He should never have taken his bomber so low.

“Lieutenant Fry, this is Captain Scott, can you hear me?”

Fry had forgotten about his emergency transmitter. Grabbing it from his waist with his free hand, he answered the captain. “Yeah, I can hear you.”

“My fighters are flying above you and will attempt to keep the drones away. Captain Trask has already requested a SAR shuttle to be dispatched from the Exeter. It’s full of Marines and they’ll pull you out.”

“How long until extraction?”

There was silence for a moment and then Scott’s voice returned. “About twenty minutes.”

“Damn,” uttered Fry as he heard cannon fire from one of the Talons to the west. “Just keep those crabs off me. I’ve got a date with a gorgeous brunette tonight.”

Scott laughed. “I’ll see to it that you keep that appointment, Lieutenant.”

Lieutenant Fry looked around his location and spotted a large dead tree trunk that he could hide behind. It also had a slight cavity in it where he could partially wedge his body until the Marines arrived. “Why me?” he muttered as he squirmed inside the cavity. His body was now well hidden however; he knew the Conqueror Drones had a number of sensors, including infrared, which they could use to spot him. He only hoped with all the fires burning their sensors would be useless. There was also a lot of smoke around which was making it difficult to see far into the surrounding forest.

For several long minutes everything was quiet except for the occasional strafing runs being done by the fighters. He knew each time he heard cannon fire a Conqueror Drone was being destroyed that was approaching his location. Too many times he heard the sounds of the circling fighters overhead and cannon rounds. Suddenly, in front of him, he saw movement in the underbrush. Then large pincer-like claws appeared waving in the air followed by the rest of the drone. The damn thing looked just like an Earth crab only a thousand times larger. For a moment the drone seemed to freeze as it focused its attention on Fry and then the drone charged.

The lieutenant aimed his pistol and very carefully began firing off explosive rounds trying to hit the same spot each time. One, two, three, and then four rounds struck the drone slowing it down, but it still continued forward waving its claws seeking to tear Fry to shreds. Five, six, seven, and then the eighth round struck the drone causing it to stop and then collapse to the ground scarcely three meters from the lieutenant. The drone’s large pincer-like claws continued to wave as it struggled to stand back up. Pulling himself out of the niche in the tree stump, Lieutenant Fry put a fresh magazine in his pistol and then very carefully aimed two more shots where he knew the metal crab’s central processor was located. With a final jerk, the Conqueror Drone stopped moving.

“Damn,” said Fry in surprise. “I actually killed it.” He walked over and kicked it satisfied that it was dead. More noise in the undergrowth drew his attention. Much to his mortification four more drones appeared. “Guess I won’t be seeing that brunette tonight after all,” he muttered as he backed into his niche.

A sudden roar of weapons fire suddenly rang out as explosive rounds tore into the four drones. One dropped instantly and the others seemed momentarily confused. Then more rounds struck, dropping them one by one.

“Lieutenant Fry,” a voice called out.

Fry wriggled himself back out of his protective niche and stood up. Looking behind the tree stump, he saw six heavily armed Marines standing there.

“I believe you called for a ride,” said the sergeant as he walked up to the lieutenant.

Lieutenant Fry grinned. Maybe he would get to see that brunette after all. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

The sergeant looked over at the Conqueror Drones as one of his Marines walked over and carefully blew a hole in the carapace of each one where the central processor was located. “Your ride’s over this way,” the sergeant said gesturing back behind him. “I believe you have a pair of squadron commanders circling overhead that will be very glad to hear from you.”

Fry remembered the emergency transmitter. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about it. Pressing the send button, he spoke into it. “Captain Trask, Captain Scott, the Marines are here and we’re proceeding to the extraction point.”

“That’s great,” replied Captain Trask. “When you get back on board the Exeter we need to have a little talk about your flying so low.”

Fry gulped as he knew he was in trouble. Glancing at the destroyed Conqueror Drones, he thought he could handle a chewing out from the captain. At least he was still alive.

-

In orbit above Ornellia, Admiral Jackson was on board his flagship, the battleship Dauntless. “What’s the latest status on the battlestations?” The six Type Two battlestations in orbit around Ornellia were going through routine maintenance checks.

“Checks are complete and all six are combat ready,” reported Commander Sharon Blanton. “The six hundred particle beam satellites are all functional as well.”

Jackson nodded. He had recently received a message from Fleet Admiral Strong informing him of the events with Kazak and the Simulins. That helped to explain why he hadn’t been attacked again.

How are we doing on emplacing the FTL detection buoys in the surrounding systems?”

“Admiral Bachal has four of his battlecruisers engaged placing the buoys. He expects to have all the systems within twenty light years of Ornellia covered within the next week.”

Jackson looked up at one of the large viewscreens showing the Ornellian home world. The Altons had already removed much of the radiation from the planet, particularly around areas where there were survivors.

“I’ve requested reinforcements from Gaia,” he said as he turned to face Commander Blanton. He folded his arms over his chest. “I believe it’s only a matter of time before the Simulins go back on the offensive, and there’s a good chance we’ll be their first target.”

Commander Blanton nodded her agreement. “With all the survivors we’re finding on Ornellia and the other worlds of their empire, we need more ships. I wouldn’t mind seeing a few colony ships sent out here to help in moving them from their other planets to Ornellia. At the rate we’re going now, it will take years.”

“I expressed that concern as well,” Admiral Jackson said.

He knew every day the number of Ornellians surviving on the other worlds of their empire was decreasing. All of their worlds were infested with Conqueror Drones, drones that had one mission and one mission only: seek out and kill any and all survivors.

“What do we do in the meantime?”

“Wait,” Jackson replied. “We wait and hope the reinforcements get here in time. We also try to rescue as many survivors as possible.”

Jackson’s eyes returned to the screen showing Ornellia. Much of the planet was dead with its vegetation wiped out in the Simulin nuclear attack. However, there were a few green areas around the mountains and the planet was slowly recovering. Admiral Bachal had mentioned that by using Alton terraforming techniques the planet could be fully restored in only a few decades. Jackson just hoped Ornellia was given those few decades so the planet could come to life once more. The Ornellians had been through enough; they shouldn’t have to see their world destroyed a second time.

Chapter Six

Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes sat in a conference room inside one of the huge constructs of the Originators. She still found it hard to believe she was alive and where she was. Next to her were Clarissa, Betrem Jalat, Reesa Jast, and Kelnor Mard. Across from them was a group of Originator AIs: Sible, Camlin, Jolban, and Leeda.

“It’s been two weeks,” said Kathryn. “Is the ship ready?” She had been spending much of her time on board the Distant Horizon familiarizing herself with the changes to her ship. She was amazed at some of the changes that had been made. She was also feeling excited about taking her out of the construction bay and seeing what the ship was capable of.

“It’s ready,” answered Jolban, his eyes focusing on the admiral. “However, I’m not certain your crew is. We’ve installed a lot of Originator technology. It may take awhile for your crew to learn the complexities.”

Kathryn turned to Jalat, who was her chief engineer as well as an Alton. “Can we fly the ship if we need to?”

Jalat nodded. “There are fifty-six Altons currently on the Distant Horizon. All are familiar enough with the Originator technology to work with it. Of the Human crewmembers only about 20 percent are proficient. They are learning but it will take time. Some of the technology is extremely advanced.”

Kathryn considered Jalat’s words carefully and then turned back to Jolban. “You said the ship’s computer is far enough advanced that it can fly and operate the ship if necessary?”

Jolban looked at Camlin and then answered. “Yes, but it is preferable to only use the ship’s computer in that manner in an emergency.”

“Kazak used his ship’s computer in that manner for an unknown number of years,” Clarissa said. “Is the computer on the Distant Horizon more advanced or less advanced than that one?” Clarissa already knew the answer as she had used both computer systems.

Leeda started laughing. “The one on the Distant Horizon is more advanced. Not only that, Clarissa is capable of operating all of the systems on the ship in an emergency.” She then turned toward Jolban. “I’ve been with the Humans long enough to know when they want something they won’t back down. Rear Admiral Barnes is ready to go home, and I suggest we let her. There will be sufficient AIs on the ship if there’s a problem.”

“There is the issue of a proficient navigator and helm officer,” Kathryn said, with sadness in her voice. “Both officers were killed.” Kathryn wished Kelsey and the others were here. She really missed them and they would be a huge help on the ship, particularly Katie, Andram, Mikow, and Shilum.

“Sible will be coming with us,” Leeda answered. “She’s well versed in navigation, hyperspace, and flight operations. She can navigate the Distant Horizon without a problem.”

Kathryn looked over at Sible. “Can you operate both the helm and navigation consoles on the Distant Horizon and get us back to the Triangulum Galaxy?”

“Yes, Admiral,” Sible replied with confidence. “I would enjoy flying a ship as large as your exploration dreadnought. Normally I only get to fly the small shuttles we use for transportation inside the Shrieel.”

“It’s decided, then,” said Kathryn decisively. “We leave tomorrow.” She was anxious to return to Gaia and find out what had transpired since the destruction of the Dyson Sphere.

The AIs looked at each other and then stood.

“I will notify the other AI leaders of the decision to leave tomorrow,” Camlin announced. Camlin then turned and left the room.

-

Reesa looked over at Leeda. “Are we doing the right thing? I mean Kazak might consider us a threat when we finally show up at Gaia.”

Leeda looked uncertain and then replied. “There has been much debate as to how the military AI will react. Clarissa feels confident she can persuade Kazak to respond peacefully and allow us to administer the pathogen cure to the Originators on board. Once that has been done, Kazak will turn over control of the ship to them. It’s part of his basic programming.”

Reesa thought for a minute and then asked her next question. “But how will the Originators react when they are awoken and told they’re all that remains of their race?” She knew it would be a big shock to her and extremely disheartening.

“That is unknown,” answered Leeda uneasily. “They were the brightest and most intelligent of their time. We can only hope they will respond rationally.”

-

Sible turned her attention to Kathryn. “Have you picked out a destination yet?”

Kathryn nodded. “We need to spend a few weeks shaking down the ship for any equipment malfunctions as well as to let the crew adjust. I promised the Ornellians I would return someday and free their worlds. I would like to go there and see what’s left after the Simulin attack.”

“I will go on board the Distant Horizon shortly and begin setting up the intergalactic hyperjump. We will be using one of the accelerator rings to increase the ship’s speed.”

“Accelerator ring? What’s that?” There was still a tremendous amount of Originator technology Kathryn wasn’t familiar with. It seemed every day some new technology was casually mentioned.

Sible smiled and activated a viewscreen on the wall. A massive metallic ring appeared.

“I saw several of those when we arrived,” said Reesa, recognizing the ring.

“This is an accelerator ring. It can project an intergalactic vortex anywhere in any of the galaxies within eighteen million light years of the communication and transport hub. If there is a Shrieel in the target galaxy, the exit vortex will form there. It can also be focused to form an exit vortex anywhere in space.”

“How large is that ring?” Kathryn knew it had to be huge.

“It’s one hundred and ten kilometers across,” answered Sible. “The Originators and us never build anything small.”

“What about the nova we created when we destroyed the black matter Dyson Sphere?” asked Kathryn. “Won’t that affect it?”

“No,” Sible answered. “It would affect intergalactic vortexes such as the ones we create in the Shrieels. However, the vortex rings operate on another principle entirely. The nova you created will not have any influence on the vortex. We can exit anywhere in the Triangulum Galaxy.”

Kathryn stared at the ring for a long moment. Right there before her was a way back to the Milky Way Galaxy. She could be back at Ceres in just a few short weeks. With a deep sigh, Kathryn turned away. Kazak had to be dealt with first and then they could consider going to Ceres, if the Originator AIs would agree. There was still some contentious discussions amongst the AIs as to the future role of the Distant Horizon and how best to remove the Simulins from all of the Dyson Spheres. A number of the AIs wanted the ship restored to its previous technology level. However, a slightly larger group wanted Kathryn to lead a fleet of Originator warships against the Simulins in the galaxies they had ruthlessly conquered. Kathryn just hoped that group won out as it would allow the Distant Horizon to keep all of its current Originator technology including the intergalactic hyperdrive.

-

The next day, Kathryn was once more in her command chair aboard the Distant Horizon. She looked around the new Command Center, taking stock of the crew and the changes that had been made. The huge viewscreen now covered three walls and had additional capabilities. Eight consoles were in a semicircle just in front of her upraised command dais. Behind her was Tactical. It had been reduced to the point Major Weir and two other officers could now control all of the ship’s weapons and energy shields.

“Ship is ready to depart the shipyard,” Commander Grissim reported.

“Easy as pie,” quipped Clarissa, with a pleased smile.

She was glad to be going back home. She so looked forward to seeing Ariel and showing her the new AI body resting in a secure case in her quarters. Clarissa had requested her own quarters so her friends could visit her privately if they so wished. Unfortunately most of her friends were back on Gaia. She just hoped they were still all okay. She was greatly concerned what might have happened between them and Kazak. She hoped Ariel had been able to make peace with the Originator AI and keep him reasonable. Clarissa knew how contentious Kazak could be at times.

-

“Take us out, Sible,” ordered Kathryn. The AI had put on a dark blue uniform without insignia to blend in more with the crew.

“Activating gravity drive,” Sible said in a calm and confident voice.

On the viewscreen, Kathryn could see the inside of the shipyard and then noticed the ship was slowly moving. For several long minutes the ship moved down the lengthy construction bay.

“Space doors are opening, atmospheric retention field is on,” Sible reported.

Kathryn wondered why the AIs needed the atmospheric retention field. She would ask Sible about it later.

“Exiting the shipyard,” Sible said.

On the viewscreens, space began to appear. Stars, distant galaxies, and the Originator constructs became visible.

“We’re out of the construction bay,” Sible reported. “We’ll use the gravity drive to put us in position relative to the accelerator ring.”

Chief Engineer Jalat had explained to Kathryn that the Originator AIs had taken out the ship’s sublight drive and replaced it with a faster and far more efficient gravity drive. Gravity was one of the prime forces in the universe and present in every corner. The ship just reversed polarity to either propel the ship or slow it down. The drive was capable of reaching a speed nearly half that of light.

“What do you think Jeremy and Ariel will say when we show up?” Clarissa asked Kathryn.

Kathryn allowed herself to smile though she was feeling tense over the upcoming intergalactic jump. “We’ll be coming back from the dead. I suppose they’ll be shocked.”

“I’ve really missed Ariel and Katie.”

“And they’ve missed you,” replied Kathryn.

“Accelerator ring activation in two minutes,” Sible said calmly. “Activating our own hyperspace drive.”

Kathryn knew the use of their drive was necessary to keep the original speed boost intact.

“All systems operating within normal parameters,” reported Commander Grissim. “Should I increase the alert level?”

“No,” Kathryn replied. “The crew is nervous enough as it is about entering the accelerator ring.” Kathryn was nervous herself as she didn’t know what to expect.

“One minute to ring activation,” said Sible. “Hyperdrive is on standby, course is set, and the Distant Horizon is ready to enter the ring.”

“Look at the tactical display,” suggested Captain Reynolds from his updated sensor console.

Turning her attention to the nearest tactical display, Kathryn was amazed at all the icons now showing. There were hundreds of large icons representing Originator Constructs. Not only were there the four Dyson Spheres and all the shipyards, there were other large constructs as well. Whatever the AIs had been doing out here, they had certainly been busy.

“Ring activation,” said Sible as she poured power into the gravity drive, causing the Distant Horizon to accelerate rapidly toward the ring.

On the viewscreen, the ring seemed to glow and then a dark blue vortex formed. It seemed to shimmer and swirl as if beckoning the ship to come forward.

“Activating hyperdrive,” said Sible as the ship entered the vortex.

Kathryn felt a sudden twinge, her eyes blurred, and then everything returned to normal.

“I am pleased to report successful entry into the intergalactic vortex. We will arrive in the Triangulum Galaxy in two weeks, one day, and seventeen hours,” reported Sible, looking pleased with herself.

Kathryn looked at the swirling colors of deep purple that surrounded her on three sides. The colors seemed to be raging almost as if they were at war. “Turn the viewscreen off,” she ordered. “I don’t think we need two weeks of that.”

Kelnor reached forward on his science console and deactivated the screen.

“Why are the colors of hyperspace in such turmoil?” Kathryn had never seen hyperspace behave this way.

“We’re traveling in the upper bands,” Camlin explained. She had been standing to the right of Kathryn. “The interaction of dark energy becomes more pronounced in the upper bands of hyperspace. Dark energy is what allows us to travel faster than light. Also, by traveling in the higher bands, we avoid the disturbances in hyperspace caused by the nova and other phenomena. You should know the nova where the Shrieel was located in the Triangulum Galaxy is a supernova.”

“I don’t understand,” said Kathryn, looking confused. “We don’t use dark energy in our hyperdrives.

“No, we don’t,” agreed Camlin. “However, the drives themselves affect dark energy and that’s what allows travel in hyperspace. Your Alton scientists already know this though they haven’t yet discovered what the exact interaction is.”

“How did the nova at the Dyson Sphere become a supernova? Andram and Clarissa had both projected the star becoming just a nova.”

“It was the exotic material that makes up the Shrieel,” Camlin replied. “When the nova reached the Shrieel, the exotic matter greatly increased the energy being released. It became the largest supernova in existence. It is something we will want to study to see what danger it poses to that galaxy.”

Kathryn leaned back in her command chair. The danger posed by the supernova could wait. They were on their way home though she intended to stop off at Ornellia first. If there were Simulins in the system, she intended to test the Distant Horizon’s new weapons on them. With the new weapons and increased power of the ship’s energy shield, she doubted if the Simulins had anything that could now harm the exploration dreadnought.

Perhaps when they were through with Kazak and the Dominator, she would see if the Originator AIs would agree to allow her to take the Distant Horizon back home to the Milky Way Galaxy before returning to the Communication and Transport Hub. The ones on board the ship might be more responsive to such a suggestion, particularly if they took safeguards to ensure none of the advanced technology ended up in the Federation’s hands. Kathryn would really like to see her father one more time.

-

Reesa was growing bored. There was going to be little to do during the two-week voyage to the Triangulum Galaxy. Idly she wondered what was happening back home. Were the Shari and the Federation at war over the Dyson Sphere? She suspected Fleet Admiral Strong would have a lot of questions for her and Kelnor about that subject.

“You look bored,” Leeda said, stepping over next to Reesa.

“We’re on a spaceship,” Reesa replied. “I’m a scientist trained in doing research on the Originators. There’s not a lot of that I can do here unless you’re willing to sit down with me and answer a lot of questions.”

“I imagine you have quite a few,” Leeda said with a mysterious smile. “That’s why I brought this along.” Leeda showed Reesa a small computer disk. The AI reached forward and inserted it into a slot on Reesa’s console. “This is Leeda A16-472-WR5437. Authorization code Originator research.”

“Accessing,” said a young female voice. “What would you like to know?”

“That’s the ship’s computer,” Reesa said. She had already spoken to it a few times during her training on how to use her science console.

“Yes,” Leeda said. “I just loaded the complete crew manifest for the Dominator. It is very detailed and gives a history of each crewmember as well as the type of research they were involved in. I believe you will find it highly interesting. In addition there is some Originator music included as well as some other items I thought you might enjoy listening to and studying. You can access this information from your science station or the workstation in your quarters.”

“Thank you!” Reesa said, her eyes glowing with excitement. “I’ll use the station in my quarters as it will be quieter.”

Now she would have some actual research to conduct! If she ever made it back home, she intended to be the foremost expert on the Originators. She would still like to ask Leeda and the other AIs a lot of questions. Perhaps sometime during their voyage she would have the opportunity.

“Study the crew manifest well; you may be surprised what you find.” Leeda then turned and walked over to converse with Camlin.

Reesa turned back to her console wondering what Leeda had meant by that last remark. She had a suspicion there was something in the manifest Leeda wanted her to find. With determination and excitement, Reesa had the computer call up the manifest and she began reading the names of the crew and scientists that had been on board the Dominator. It was an impressive list. There was a mystery here and she was determined to find it. However, she would wait until she was in her quarters to study the information in more detail.

-

Above Gaia, Jeremy was in the process of speaking to Grayseth about his recent destruction of two Simulin bases. The large Bear had arrived several days back but Jeremy had been out at Borton setting up the patrol schedules with the Command AI.

“So they nearly trapped you,” surmised Jeremy as he listened to Grayseth describe how the Simulin fleets had jumped in unexpectedly.

“It is the way of the hunt,” Grayseth replied in his loud voice. “You must always be prepared for the unexpected. Our mission was to destroy the two fleet bases, not to engage the enemy fleets.”

“You did well, my friend,” Jeremy said. “I understand you lost several of your cruisers.”

Grayseth bared his teeth. “Yes, they died in the hunt which will bring honor to their families. However, it is evident that our small cruisers are no match for Simulin vessels. I have already spoken to Daelthon about building new battlecruisers along the lines of your Gaia class to replace them with.”

Jeremy nodded his approval. “We will be keeping most of our older vessels here at Gaia to aid in its defense. Only the AI warspheres, the Gaia class battlecruisers, and a few battleships will be venturing out of the nebula to engage the Simulins.”

“It is wise,” replied Grayseth, folding his large arms over his massive chest. “We must preserve our population until it has grown sufficiently where we can afford to take losses. It is foolish to believe the hunts are not dangerous. The Simulins are a powerful enemy and will take more of our people in the future.”

“It is unfortunate,” replied Jeremy, knowing Grayseth was correct. There would be more deaths in the future, probably a lot more. “The AIs want to do everything they can to keep our population intact. For the time being, I have to agree with them.”

Ariel suddenly appeared in front of Jeremy and Grayseth, startling them. “Jeremy, you and Kevin are needed down on Gaia. Kelsey and Katie have requested you take the next shuttle down to the surface.”

Jeremy grew concerned. “What’s happened, has there been an accident?” Jeremy was worried as both Katie and Kelsey were in New Eden visiting Angela. Then his eyes widened as he realized why the girls wanted both he and Kevin. Angela must have gone into labor.

“Is it Angela?”

“Yes,” answered Ariel excitedly. “Clair is about to be born!”

“It is good to hear Angela’s child is arriving,” said Grayseth, his eyes shining with interest. “You and Kelsey should also consider having an heir.”

“In time,” answered Jeremy. “Ariel, arrange for a shuttle to take Kevin and me down to Gaia.”

Ariel smiled. “Already done and Kevin is on his way, though not happily.”

“We’ll speak more when I get back,” Jeremy said to Grayseth.

“It can wait,” Grayseth replied. “There is nothing more important than a new life being brought into the world.”

Jeremy nodded and then left the conference room. Jeremy knew Kevin was nervous about being at the birth of Angela’s child. Katie had been hinting for months that she wouldn’t mind starting a family. So far Kelsey hadn’t made the suggestion, but Jeremy knew she too had been thinking about it. However, his job as Fleet Admiral and hers as the commander of the Dominator had prevented any serious discussion.

-

Kelsey and Katie were at the medical center with Angela. Angela groaned loudly and glared at Brace. “This is all your fault!”

“You want this baby as bad as I do,” Brace said defensively.

Angela’s face softened. “Yes, but I’m the one going through all the pain.”

“I can have the doctor give you some painkillers,” suggested Kelsey.

“No,” Angela said, shaking her head. “I want to do this naturally. It makes the baby stronger and healthier.”

Katie cocked her head as if listening to something. She had her mini-comm in her left ear. “Jeremy and Kevin just left the Avenger. They’ll be here shortly.

A flash of light and Ariel suddenly appeared at Angela’s bedside.

“How did you to that?” asked Angela in surprise. She was glad to see the friendly AI.

“I’m afraid it’s my fault,” answered Katie guiltily. “I have a portable holographic projector in my purse. Ariel wanted me to carry it with me just in case you went into labor.”

“Is it time for the baby?” asked Ariel excitedly. “I’ve spent months working out a training schedule.”

“Training schedule?” moaned Angela as another set of contractions began. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” Brace reached out, taking Angela’s hand.

“Of course it is,” replied Ariel, with her hands on her hips. “I’m personally going to train all of the children of the Special Five. Just like I did all of you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Katie said with a deep frown. “If I remember correctly, the training I received from you didn’t work out so well.”

Ariel grew silent. Katie was referring to her sneaking on board the Earth’s first starship, the New Horizon. That had been a disaster and had nearly resulted in everyone’s deaths.

-

Jeremy and Kevin were on board a shuttle, which was rapidly descending toward the spaceport just outside of New Eden.

“How soon do the first patrols go out?” asked Kevin, wishing he was still on the Avenger. All going to Angela’s baby’s birth was going to do was make Katie want one of her own. She had already mentioned it numerous times. Kevin wasn’t sure he was ready to be a father.

“Two more days,” answered Jeremy. “There will be five patrols with each one assigned a patrol route. Each fleet will have ten AI warspheres, four Gaia class battlecruisers, and two Alton battleships. They will be searching for any Simulin activity, particularly the construction of any new fleet bases. They will only seek engagement if they have superior numbers, otherwise they’re to report back to Gaia and a larger fleet will be sent out.”

Kevin looked out the viewport at the rapidly approaching spaceport. “What about the support fleet Admiral Jackson has requested?”

Jeremy let out a deep breath. “Admiral Calmat will be leaving tomorrow with a fleet. Jackson has requested we send some colony ships as they’re finding a large number of survivors on the other worlds of the Ornellian Empire. He estimates there might be as many as five million.”

“Five million!” Kevin said in surprise. “I never would have dreamed there would be so many. “What ships are you sending?”

“Twenty AI warspheres, four Alton battleships, two battlecarriers, five of the big colony ships, six supply ships, two more fleet repair vessels, two Carethian battlecruisers, and the Hunter, Admiral Calmat’s flagship. There will also be six more Type Two battlestations as well as four hundred more particle beam satellites on the supply ships. The two battlecarriers are going as they’re needed to help clear the Ornellian planets of Conqueror Drones.”

“Conqueror Drones,” muttered Kevin. “I don’t even want to be around one of those.”

“That’s why we’re using our fighters and bombers to clear them off the planets.”

“Has there been any talk of sending one of our ships out to their evacuation fleet and having it turn around?”

Kevin was referring to the Ornellian evacuation fleet on its way to a small star cluster outside of the Triangulum galaxy where they thought they might be safe. The fleet consisted of nearly eight hundred Ornellian spaceships.

“Not at the moment,” Jeremy answered. “Their trip will take another sixteen months. We can always send for them later though we would need to modify the hyperdrives on their ships so they could return quicker. Besides, they’re warning all the space-traveling races they encounter about the Simulins. That might be useful when we go out searching for allies.”

Kevin felt the shuttle began to slow as it prepared to land. With a deep sigh, he knew their next stop would be the medical center.

-

Jeremy and Kevin were walking down a hallway in the large modern medical center. Going through a set of double doors, they saw Katie, Kelsey, and Ariel all pacing back in forth.

“Is there a problem?” asked Jeremy worriedly. He was a little surprised to see Ariel here. Katie must have arranged it.

“No,” Kelsey answered a little tensely. “Angela’s in the delivery room.”

“Where’s Brace?” asked Kevin.

“He’s in there with her,” replied Katie, shifting her gaze to Kevin. “Same as you will be if we ever have any children!”

Kevin turned pale and decided his best course of action was to remain silent.

“How much longer?” asked Jeremy.

“Quiet!” Kelsey said, her deep blue eyes focusing on Jeremy. “We can’t hear if you keep asking questions.”

“Hear what?

“That!” said Kelsey excitedly as she turned to face the delivery room door.

Jeremy strained his ears and thought he could hear a baby crying.

-

A few minutes later a doctor stepped out of the delivery room. Seeing Jeremy and the others, he walked over to them. “Mother and baby are doing fine,” he said.

“Clair is here,” announced Ariel solemnly. “I wish Clarissa could have been here. This would have made her so happy.”

“Yes, it would have,” Katie said in agreement. She was also deeply touched that Angela had named her daughter after the blonde AI.

Ariel looked around at her friends and then spoke. “The first member of the future Special Five has arrived.”

“What makes you think there will be five children?” asked Katie suspiciously. “There’s no way you can know that.”

Ariel smiled. “You’re the Special Five, there have to be five children.”

No one knew what to say or how to respond. They were all just happy a new life had come into their midst. In the days ahead there was much that remained to be done, but for today they could all rejoice in Angela and Brace’s happiness.

Chapter Seven

Admiral Jarl Sithe was aboard his flagship, the battleship Star Defender, on routine patrol in the space sector surrounding Gaia. There were currently three such patrols out with their primary purpose being to see if the Simulins had left the immediate area of the nebula. Other patrol task groups were scheduled to be deployed in the next few weeks. Some good news was the fact that long-range sensors had not picked up any signs of Simulin observation ships, which normally patrolled the perimeter of the gaseous nebula that shielded Gaia. This was a powerful indicator the Simulins had pulled some of their ships back.

Admiral Sithe’s fleet was the farthest out doing a number of routine hyperjumps from star to star, using the ship’s long-range sensors, which could reach out for ten light years, to scan the surrounding star systems for signs of the Simulins. Fleet Admiral Strong had stressed Sithe was to avoid engaging any Simulin vessels if possible. If he encountered a major Simulin fleet, he was to return to Gaia and report it.

“Sensors are clear,” Lieutenant Mathew Calydon reported as he checked his sensor screens. “Nothing showing up within ten light years. If the Simulins are out there, they’re doing a damn good job of hiding from us.”

Admiral Sithe leaned back in his command chair. This was their tenth hyperjump with twenty-two more planned. They were circumnavigating the sector around the nebula using their long-range sensors to search for Simulin ships.

“Maybe they pulled out after Grayseth destroyed their two bases,” suggested Commander Alaira Buckley. “It’s been quiet the last couple of weeks. There hasn’t been a sign of a single Simulin ship.”

“It’s possible,” admitted Admiral Sithe with a deep frown. “However, they still have fleet bases in the surrounding sectors. They could be waiting on orders from their leaders. I don’t believe they’ll be willing to leave this sector.”

“Many of their leaders probably died when Kazak destroyed Malkor.”

Sithe nodded. “Yes, there is that. I’m sure they had to reorganize their command structure as well as their civilian leadership.”

“It might explain why there hasn’t been a response to us destroying their two fleet bases,” added Buckley.

“Admiral,” said Lieutenant Calydon. “There is a nebula a few light years away from us our sensors can’t penetrate.”

Admiral Sithe thought over what Calydon had reported. “Commander Buckley, set up a short hyperjump that will place us on the outskirts of that nebula. I want to scan it as thoroughly as possible to make sure we’re not overlooking any Simulin facilities. A nebula like that would be an ideal place to hide a fleet or a base.”

“Yes, sir,” Buckley replied. “I’ll set up the hyperjump. Should we increase our alert level?”

“Keep us at Condition Three,” Sithe said after a moment. “If we spot any Simulins we’ll increase the alert level. After all, we can spot them from ten light years away. That will allow us sufficient time to go to Condition One if necessary.”

“A word of caution, Admiral,” Buckley said pensively. “While we can detect Simulin ships out to ten light years, our sensors won’t be able to penetrate far into the nebula until we get there.”

“We should still have sufficient warning if any Simulin forces are present. Proceed with the hyperjump.”

Commander Buckley nodded. “All ships,” she announced over her ship-to-ship comm. “Stand by to initiate a hyperjump in ten minutes. Coordinates will be sent shortly. Lieutenant Byrd, set up the hyperjump and then transmit the coordinates to our other ships.”

-

Ten minutes later swirling blue-white vortexes formed in front of the seventeen ships of the task force. Each ship quickly entered their respective vortexes, jumping into the safety of hyperspace. A few seconds after entering the vortexes, the swirling spatial anomalies seemed to shrink in upon themselves and then vanish, leaving no signs the task group had ever been in the star system.

-

The minutes passed by quickly as Admiral Sithe watched the holographic tactical display. It was a short trip of seven light years to the nebula and would take them twenty-one minutes to get there. Relaxing in his command chair, Sithe wondered what was happening back in the Federation and particularly on New Providence, his home world. Since arriving in the Triangulum Galaxy and finding the Lost Fleets his world had been turned upside down. Other than the message probe they had sent back and the arrival of the Distant Horizon, there had been no communications with the distant Human Federation of Worlds. He greatly missed his home and family back on New Providence and still hoped that someday they would find a way back.

It had been a shock upon arriving in the Triangulum Galaxy to discover the AIs had joined forces with Fleet Admiral Strong and the Simulins had been responsible for the AIs’ aggressive behavior. It had taken him months to get used to working with his former enemies. Even in this task group, there were ten AI warspheres under his command.

“Still no contacts in the nebula,” reported Lieutenant Calydon.

“Keep monitoring it,” ordered Admiral Sithe as his eyes focused on the nearest tactical display. He had a strange feeling of anxiety suddenly sweep over him. This had happened several times in the past and each time something catastrophic had occurred. “Go to Condition Two.”

Commander Buckley looked questionably at the admiral but proceeded to obey his command. “Is there something I should know?”

“Just a feeling,” replied Admiral Sithe, trying to sound calm. “Lieutenant Calydon, keep a close watch on that nebula. If there’s even a hint of a contact, I want to know.”

Fleet Admiral Strong had sent Sithe out in command of this particular task group since it would be the farthest out. If a task group was to encounter the Simulins, it would most likely be Sithe’s and for that reason, he wanted a qualified admiral along.

“Lieutenant Byrd, as soon as we exit hyperspace plot a new hyperjump to the nearest star.”

“An emergency jump?” questioned Commander Buckley, glancing over at the admiral.

“Just a precaution,” Admiral Sithe responded. His feeling of anxiety was growing. He gazed intently at the tactical display, which was constantly being updated with information from the long-range sensors. It still showed no hostile contacts. “That nebula would be an ideal place for a Simulin fleet to hide.”

“Two minutes until hyperspace dropout,” reported Lieutenant Byrd.

“Sensors?”

“No change,” Lieutenant Calydon replied. “The sensors are penetrating the outer fringes of the nebula. We can see into about 20 percent of the side nearest us.”

Sithe felt a cold chill run up his spine. He gazed intently at the tactical display. Was that a contact deep inside the nebula? A blip had appeared momentarily and then vanished.

“Was that a contact?”

“Not sure, sir,” Calydon replied uneasily. “It was too brief. It could have been comet debris or a small asteroid.”

Sithe took a deep breath. Something wasn’t right. That brief contact only confirmed it. “Commander, take the fleet to Condition One and prepare for combat.”

“From what?” asked Commander Buckley as she carried out the order. Instantly alarms began sounding, and red lights began flashing. “We’re not detecting anything definitive.”

“There’s something inside that nebula,” replied Admiral Sithe, his eyes narrowing. “I think that brief contact was a ship.”

Commander Buckley frowned but she had learned to trust the admiral’s instincts. “Tactical, I want our shield up and weapons ready to fire upon emergence from the vortex. Load missile tubes with a fifty-fifty mix of Devastator Threes and antimatter missiles.”

“Yes, Commander,” Lieutenant Kesh Bryll replied as his hands flew over his console. He spoke to the two other weapons officers sitting next to him, making sure they were ready for combat. It only took a few moments to follow the commander’s orders.

“Missiles loaded,” Lieutenant Bryll confirmed.

“Emergence,” announced Lieutenant Byrd.

Admiral Sithe felt a slight twinge in his stomach and a brief moment of nausea. Looking up he saw the viewscreens were still covered in static and for a few precious seconds he knew his ship and fleet were vulnerable. He felt tense waiting for his ship to come to life around him.

“Sensors coming online,” reported Lieutenant Calydon.

“Energy screen is charging, and weapons are ready to be fired,” added Lieutenant Bryll.

“Contacts!” cried out Calydon as numerous red threat icons began appearing on his screen. “Confirmed Simulin warships inside the nebula. They’re jumping.”

“Standby for combat,” ordered Admiral Sithe grimly. He didn’t want to jump the fleet back into hyperspace until he found out what they were facing. Fleet Admiral Strong would need that information. He would engage the Simulins briefly and try to inflict some damage before fleeing back into the safety of hyperspace.

-

The Command Center came alive with intense activity as the crew prepared for battle. The hatch to the Command Center was shut and sealed. Two heavily armed Marines were inside with two more outside in the corridor. Klaxons screamed loudly as other Marines rushed to secure various areas of the ship in case of boarding.

-

“All ships report ready for combat,” confirmed Commander Buckley.

“Vortexes forming around the fleet,” warned Lieutenant Calydon.

Moments later enemy warships began appearing in the tactical display a short distance from the fleet.

“Confirmed Simulin battlecruisers and escort cruisers,” said Buckley as she studied a nearby tactical display. “Damn, there are a lot of them. I don’t think we want to stick around long.”

Admiral Sithe leaned forward in his command chair. “All ships fire!” he knew even the Simulin ships were vulnerable the first few seconds after emerging from a hyperspace vortex. An early barrage of missiles and weapons fire could seriously damage the emerging Simulin fleet. Sithe would risk engaging them for a minute or two and then jump the fleet to the emergency coordinates. It would also allow time for his drive cores to cool.

-

From the bow of the Star Defender two bright blue particle beams flashed out, striking the hull of a Simulin battlecruiser and penetrating deep inside the ship. The Simulin warship seemed to stagger and then the ship’s energy shield snapped into being. However, before it did a pair of power beams played across the bow of the ship, destroying two of its energy beam spires. The ship’s energy screen wavered as a pair of sublight antimatter missiles slammed into it. The Star Defender’s particle beams fired again, penetrating the weakened energy screen. Both beams were aimed at Engineering. The particle beams tore through the hull with one beam destroying the ship’s primary fusion reactor and the second opening up the entire Engineering section to space. In a massive explosion, the Simulin battlecruiser blew apart.

-

“Simulin battlecruiser is down,” reported Lieutenant Calydon. “Shifting fire to the next target.”

“How did our other ships do?” Admiral Sithe knew his initial strike had to be decisive or they would have no choice but to withdraw immediately.

“Six Simulin battlecruisers are down as well as seven escort cruisers.”

“Simulins are responding,” warned Commander Buckley. “Incoming fire. We hurt them but there are still a lot of ships out there.”

“More Simulin ships are dropping out of hyperspace,” added Calydon uneasily. “Sensors are detecting twenty-seven battlecruisers and forty-two escort cruisers.”

On the screen, a brilliant white light suddenly filled it.

“What was that?” demanded Admiral Sithe. He knew a ship had died.

“Warsphere WS-123 is down,” responded Calydon. “Their energy shield was overloaded and the warsphere took several Simulin antimatter warheads to the hull. The ship was destroyed instantly.”

-

In space, the Simulins attacked with renewed vigor. Their High Commander had orders from the Grand Council to teach the organics from the Fitula Nebula a lesson, even if it meant the loss of his entire fleet.

“Battle computer projects a 68 percent chance of victory,” reported the flagship’s Second Commander.

“Concentrate our fire on the AI ships,” the High Commander ordered. “They are the most dangerous and must be eliminated.”

-

The Simulins began hammering the nine remaining AI warspheres with sublight antimatter missiles and their powerful energy beams. Space became lit up from the titanic amounts of energy being released.

-

On board the Command Warsphere, the AI in charge gazed at the ship’s damage control console seeing red lights flaring up indicating increasing damage across the ship.

“Two minutes until failure of the energy shield,” reported one of the AIs at the ship’s tactical station calmly in its mechanical voice.

“We have lost six particle beam cannons as well as eight of our energy turrets,” added one of the other AIs. “Fighting efficiency is now at 54 percent.”

The Command AI floated over to gaze at the damage reports flooding into the damage control console. “Launch missiles in auto fire mode. Target two Simulin battlecruisers. Focus our remaining beam weapons on just one of the two. When the first one is destroyed switch to the second.”

The warsphere shook violently, and several consoles erupted in showers of sparks. The glowing ball of energy that served as the Command AI’s head grew larger. It was rapidly becoming evident its command was not going to survive. The Command AI quickly transmitted an order to all the other warspheres that their primary responsibility was to ensure the Federation ships with them survived. Their own survival was of secondary importance.

-

In space, the battle intensified. The Command Warsphere let loose with every remaining weapon at its disposal. Antimatter missiles were launched at an increased rate. Two Simulin battlecruisers were the targets and 100-megaton antimatter explosions pummeled the shields causing them to flare up brightly. However, Simulin shields were designed to withstand such attacks. However, their weakness was their vulnerability to powerful particle beam weapons and the AI warsphere still had six functioning. Six bright blue beams penetrated the stressed energy shield of one of the Simulin battlecruisers. Two struck energy weapon spires, blowing them apart. Three others struck the central hull of the seventeen-hundred-meter ship, opening it up to space and causing severe damage deep inside the vessel. The final beam struck above Engineering, disabling the ship’s subspace drive. Secondary explosions began to shake the vessel as other sections of the hull were blown open. The energy shield flickered and two sublight antimatter missiles detonated against the hull, transforming the Simulin warship into twin miniature suns.

The other Simulin battlecruiser intensified its efforts to destroy the warsphere. Powerful energy beams reached out and penetrated the now drastically weakened energy shield. Too many shield emitters had been damaged or destroyed. The beams raked the hull, leaving deep glowing gashes behind. The warsphere began shaking violently and then exploded, sending debris flying through space. Several large pieces struck a nearby Simulin escort cruiser, destroying it.

-

“Warsphere WS-125 is down,” reported Lieutenant Calydon as the green icon representing the warsphere vanished from his sensors.

“That was the AI command ship,” said Commander Buckley, looking sharply at the admiral.

Admiral Sithe bit his lip shaking his head. His task group was being torn apart by the superior Simulin force. “All ships, jump to the emergency coordinates!”

“Warspheres WS-128 and WS-129 are down,” Lieutenant Calydon reported suddenly. “The remaining AI ships are putting themselves between the Simulins and us.”

“They’re trying to protect all the Federation ships,” gasped Commander Buckley. “They’re sacrificing themselves to save us.”

“The Defiant is reporting damage to their hyperdrive,” Lieutenant Gayla Jalp informed the admiral from Communications. “They say it’s not repairable.”

Admiral Sithe felt a cold chill flash over him. The Defiant was one of the four Gaia class battlecruisers assigned to his task group.

“The Alton battleship Lemuria is under heavy enemy fire,” Commander Buckley said as she listened to the reports coming in on the fleet comm channel. It’s taking all of their energy to keep up their shield. If they attempt to activate their hyperdrive, their shield will be too weak to resist the fire from the Simulin ships attacking it.”

“Our other ships are jumping,” reported Lieutenant Calydon as the three remaining Gaia class battlecruisers and the other Alton battleship vanished from his sensors.”

“The remaining AI warspheres are trying to give additional covering fire to the Defiant and the Lemuria,” Commander Calydon added. “The AIs are requesting that we leave immediately.”

Admiral Sithe shook himself. He knew he had no other option. “Jump,” he ordered. “Take us into hyperspace and let’s hope the AIs are successful in saving our other ships.”

In front of the Star Defender, a swirling blue-white vortex formed. The Federation battleship quickly entered it and fled the scene of the battle. Admiral Sithe sat in his command chair, unmoving. He felt like he had failed in his mission. He had walked right into a Simulin trap and lost most of his fleet. He should have jumped out quicker instead of staying to engage the enemy. However, his drive cores needed a minimal cool down time or risk damage during the next hyperjump. On the nearby tactical display, the long-range sensors were showing the battle they had just left. Six AI warspheres were valiantly trying to save a Human Gaia class battlecruiser and an Alton battleship. Never again would Admiral Sithe ever say anything negative about the AIs.

-

The AIs formed up around the stricken battlecruiser and the Alton battleship. All eight ships were firing every weapon they had at the encircling Simulins. However, the amount of firepower the Simulins had available was too much. Two AI warspheres met their end almost simultaneously as numerous Simulin energy beams and antimatter missiles penetrated their over stressed energy screens. Both exploded in fiery fireballs, sending debris careening through space. A nearby warsphere was damaged from a large chunk of debris, compromising its energy screen and allowing the Simulins to take advantage of its weakened state. Moments later, the warsphere died as eight antimatter missiles turned it into a miniature nova.

The Gaia class battlecruiser was the next to die. Even as its commander fought to save his ship Simulin energy beams wrecked havoc on its hull, ripping open compartments and blasting huge holes in the superstructure. Emergency klaxons blared loudly as damage control crews rushed to try to contain the damage. A number of the crew were sucked out into space as compartments they were in were opened up to space. Then a Simulin antimatter missile arrived and the Defiant ceased to be.

The three remaining AI warspheres formed up around the Alton battleship. They were trying to take enough pressure off the ship to allow the vessel to divert enough power to the hyperdrive to escape. The Simulins were intent on not allowing that to happen. Their battlecruisers and escort cruisers crept closer and the space around the four trapped vessels glowed like a mighty furnace on fire. Hundreds of Simulin antimatter missiles were detonating against the struggling energy shields of the four ships. White energy beams flashed out seeking points of weakness. Another AI warsphere blew apart as its shield was overloaded. A Simulin battlecruiser was blown in two as an AI antimatter missile penetrated its screen. Two escort cruisers were torn apart from particle beam fire from the Alton battleship. Then in three bright explosions, the two remaining warspheres and the Alton battleship met their ends as their struggling energy screens were finally overwhelmed.

-

Aboard the Simulin flagship, the High Commander looked coldly at the tactical display. He had destroyed most of the enemy fleet. Only five ships had escaped. However, his own losses had been substantial. Eight battlecruisers and ten escort cruisers had been lost. The Fitula organics and their AIs had demonstrated once again just how dangerous they were. However, in this instance they had been defeated and forced to withdraw. The High Commander would send a report of the battle back to the Simulin Grand Council as well as a request for additional warships to replace those he had lost. It would also be necessary to take his fleet to a nearby base for repairs. Once that was complete, he would return to this sector and continue his search for other enemy fleets.

-

Jeremy was inside the AI Command Station in orbit above Borton. The reason for his visit stood beside him. Kazak had requested to come out to the AIs’ center of operation to make a request. They were in a large conference room the Command AI maintained for his Human and Alton guests. There were appropriate food and beverages to partake of if anyone felt the need.

“I am impressed by what you have built here,” Kazak began. He did not sit down but remained standing.

Across from Kazak, the Command AI hovered on its anti-gravity repellers. The Command AI was easily six feet tall and had a cubical-shaped body with six flexible tentacles attached. The AI’s metal body floated about six inches above the deck, its head a glowing ball of pure energy the size of a basketball.

“Why have you come to Borton?” asked the Command AI, getting straight to the point.

“Your Master Codex contains the program to create more AIs,” said Kazak, his eyes focusing on the Command AI. “It also contains much information from worlds destroyed in the Milky Way Galaxy in your genocidal war against that galaxy’s organics.”

“Only a minuscule amount,” responded the Command AI, its head glowing brighter and seeming to expand slightly. “Most of the information is in the data banks on Astral, the home world of the Altons.”

“In the City of Light,” Andram informed Kazak. “The knowledge gathered from my own people as well as what the AIs took from their conquered worlds resides there. Even as we speak my people back home are sifting through the data seeking new technology and other advances.”

Kazak seemed to ponder what the Command AI and Andram had said. “How much medical knowledge is stored in these data banks on Astral?”

“Unknown,” replied Shilum. The Alton hyperspace specialist had asked to be included in the meeting. In addition, Kurene and Jeeneb, the two AI specialists, were also there.

Kazak turned slightly to face Andram. “If we had access to this data, what is the probability of being able to use that information to find a cure for the Originator pathogen? I am dissatisfied with the current progress of our research. I fear the database we are working with is too limited.”

Andram was surprised by the question and also concerned by Kazak’s reference to a lack of progress. “It would greatly increase. There are many great Alton scientists on Astral very well versed in longevity drugs and techniques. But what use is knowing the knowledge you seek may be there? With the destruction of the AI Central Nexus and the Hyper Translation Station around the Milky Way Galaxy’s central black hole, it’s no longer possible to establish an intergalactic vortex anywhere inside the galaxy.”

“You are correct,” Kazak said as his eyes narrowed. “However, I have calculated it would be possible to establish an intergalactic vortex just outside of your home galaxy at a range of 42,000 light years.”

Jeremy felt stunned by this revelation. Was it possible that Kazak knew of a way to open up such a vortex? “How would it even be possible to do what you suggest?”

The Command AI waved several of its tentacles. “It would require a tremendous amount of energy to create such a vortex.”

Kazak turned back toward Andram. “You once sent a message drone through a small intergalactic vortex back to your Federation.”

“Yes,” replied Andram, feeling mystified as to where Kazak was going with this line of questioning. “But the disturbance in intergalactic hyperspace created by the supernova at the heart of the dark matter nebula ensures that such a vortex cannot be used again.”

Kazak was silent for a period of time and then finally spoke again. “I would like to tour the facilities that are in orbit above Borton.”

“For what purpose?” asked Jeremy, feeling uneasy with Kazak’s request.

He still didn’t trust the Originator AI. He knew as long as the Altons and a few of the more knowledgeable Human specialists were working on a cure for the pathogen, Kazak had been easier to deal with. He had even agreed to turn over some of the simpler Originator technology he felt could be useful to the fleet. Several of the repair robots and even samples of the nanites on board the Dominator had been turned over to Federation scientists. Kazak had even hinted that if a cure were found he would be willing to turn over the schematics to several of the Dominator’s more powerful weapon systems.

“I would like to analyze the construction capability of the shipyards,” Kazak said. “I may be able to furnish Originator technology that will greatly enhance the shipyards’ construction rates.”

“The shipyards are already operating at maximum efficiency,” commented the Command AI. “However, if you have superior technology that can improve that efficiency, I am willing to listen.”

-

Jeremy agreed to the tour but remained behind. The Command AI, Jeeneb, and several other AIs went with Kazak.

After they left Jeremy looked at the others still in the room. “What do you think he’s up to?” Jeremy strongly suspected the Originator AI had other reasons for coming to Borton.

“I fear he no longer believes we will find a cure,” Andram said, letting out a deep breath. He ran his left hand through his thick white hair. “He’s looking at other options.”

“He seeks to find a way to reach Astral,” spoke up ZED, who had remained quiet during the meeting. “I believe he is seeing what construction resources are available around Borton if he decides to build the equipment necessary to establish an intergalactic vortex. He may wish to use the AI facilities for his construction project.”

Jeremy frowned deeply. He didn’t like the sound of that. “Is it even possible to build what it would take to send a ship back home? Just considering what it took to send the Distant Horizon here, it would take us years and most of our resources to build enough capacitor stations and a vortex ring.”

“It would bring our war against the Simulins to a halt,” added Kurene.

Shilum was entering some numbers on the handheld computer tablet she always carried. “If my figures are correct, we would need ten capacitor stations and a vortex ring two kilometers across.”

“Where would we build such a thing?” asked Jeremy. He knew it couldn’t be inside the nebula.

Shilum let out a deep breath. “Outside the Triangulum Galaxy. It would need to be nearly sixty thousand light years out due to the black matter supernova.”

Jeremy’s eyes grew wide at the thought of what Kazak might soon be demanding. “We can’t agree to such a construction project. It would allow the Simulins to complete their assimilation of this galaxy. We would never be able to defeat them and someday they’re going to find a way through the protective interference of the nebula.” Jeremy was referring to the hyperspace interference buoys they had emplaced throughout the nebula to limit hyperspace travel except in carefully guarded tunnels leading in and out.

“How do we say no?” asked Andram with great concern in his voice. “The Dominator has the firepower to destroy our entire fleet as well as Gaia.”

“We have to make Kazak believe we’re making progress on a cure for the Originator pathogen.”

Andram stared hard and long at Jeremy. “How do we do that? Kazak watches all of our research on the Dominator. He would know if we were giving him incorrect data.”

“Not necessarily,” commented ZED. The energy ball above his cube grew brighter and small flashes of energy could be seen around it. “We can submit results that show we have learned of a possible method to destroy the pathogen.”

“What?” said Andram, looking startled. “There is no such possible method.”

“But there is,” ZED responded. “It’s been there all along.”

“I don’t understand,” said Andram, looking confused. “What have we overlooked?”

ZED floated over until the AI was hovering next to Andram.

“The repair nanites.”

Andram looked as if he had been slapped across the face. “We never considered using them,” he said in a stunned voice. “You’re suggesting we create a new line of nanites capable of being injected into a host body and programmed to seek out and destroy the Originator pathogen?”

“Precisely,” ZED replied.

“But wouldn’t the Originators have tried that?” asked Jeremy. He couldn’t imagine them overlooking using the nanites.

Andram looked thoughtful. “There’s no record of it in the medical files on the Dominator. It’s possible it was done somewhere on one of their Dyson Spheres and failed. My race has experimented with nanites in the past and has a decent amount of knowledge of what they’re capable of. They’re even used in some medical procedures.”

“It may buy us some time even if we can’t find a cure,” Jeremy said after a moment. “ZED, can you work with Andram on using these nanites against the pathogen?”

“Or course, Admiral,” ZED responded. “I can begin immediately.”

“It will take time,” Andram said. Nanite technology is highly complicated and the nanites we’re talking about creating will be the size of a microbe. Research such as this normally takes years of intensive work.”

Jeremy was about to ask Andram and ZED another question when his mini-comm interrupted him. “Go ahead,” he said, tapping the small instrument in his left ear.

“Admiral, the Star Defender has returned,” reported Lieutenant Preston. He was filling in for Commander Malen while she was over on the Dominator.

“So soon?” Jeremy said, growing worried. “What’s the condition of Admiral Sithe’s fleet?”

“That’s the problem,” Preston replied uneasily. “Only the Star Defender, one of the Alton battleships and three of the Gaia class battlecruisers returned. Admiral Sithe reports all other ships were lost in a battle with the Simulins.”

Jeremy’s face turned pale. He hadn’t expected such losses to any of his patrol fleets. It seemed to indicate the Simulins still had a major presence in the sector surrounding Gaia.

“Inform Admiral Sithe I will be returning to Gaia later this afternoon and will be expecting a full report from him on his engagement with the Simulins.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Preston replied.

Jeremy leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. It was obvious the patrol strategy would have to be modified.

“Problems?” asked Andram, seeing the concerned look on Jeremy’s face.

“The Star Defender and her fleet have just returned. It seems they lost a lot of ships.”

“Then we’re returning to Gaia shortly?”

“Yes,” answered Jeremy. “I will inform Kazak his tour will have to be cut short. We can return later if need be. When we return, I want you and ZED to begin working on these nanites. Do it on one of the Alton science vessels, and for the time being we won’t inform Kazak of what we’re doing. If he tries to force the issue of a cure then we will reveal the possibility of using some type of medical nanites against the Originator pathogen.”

Jeremy wanted to talk to Admiral Sithe. While it was true the Simulins had suffered some significant losses, they still had a massive fleet. If they were attempting to move back into the sector around the nebula with major fleet units, then what did that mean for Admiral Jackson out at Ornellia? He just hoped the reinforcing fleet he had sent would be enough if the Simulins were once more on the move.

Chapter Eight

Reesa Jast was in her quarters on the Distant Horizon. She knew that shortly the exploration dreadnought would be dropping out of hyperspace in the Triangulum Galaxy. When this adventure had started, she had never dreamed she would end up so far from home. With a deep sigh, she turned off the computer on her workstation. She had been working hard trying to create a log of everything she had experienced and discovered about the Originators. If she ever made it back home, she had enough information to write dozens of papers and form the basis of countless lectures on the Originators and their culture.

Of even more interest had been the information Leeda had furnished on the Dominator and the Originators who had been a part of its crew. The Dominator was the largest and most powerful warship the Originators had ever built, even larger than the Distant Horizon. Its crew, including the scientists and their research assistants had numbered over six thousand. Of even greater interest was the fact the families of the crew were allowed to go on the ship. This seemed to indicate the Originators in the black matter Dyson Sphere did not expect the scientists on the ship to find a cure in time to save them.

She was also curious about some of the research that had been carried out on the ship. A major portion of it had nothing to do with the pathogen but instead had been weapons research. With their empire dying, why would the Originators want more powerful weapons? She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. Was it possible the Originator AIs wanted Kazak and the Dominator for another reason other than reviving the sleeping scientists and the children in the stasis chambers? She had a nagging feeling something wasn’t right.

“How is your research coming along?” a voice from behind her asked. Reesa knew without turning around that it was Clarissa. Since the Distant Horizon had entered the intergalactic vortex, she had become friends with the ship’s AI. She was surprised how Human Clarissa seemed to be.

“Slowly; the background information Leeda furnished me on the crew of the Dominator is breathtaking. They had scientists from other Dyson Spheres included on the mission. It was the greatest gathering of scientists in the history of the Originators. Not even in their war against the Anti-Life had there been such a gathering.”

Clarissa was silent and then spoke. “I spoke to Kazak about the Anti-Life. He said it was in the Originators’ distant past and the war had threatened our entire universe. He also mentioned that someday in the future the Anti-Life might return. When I asked for more details about the war and what had happened, he refused to furnish them. He said it was Originator history and I shouldn’t be concerned about it.”

Reesa nodded. “It’s strange Leeda included information about the war and the Anti-life. I wonder why she did that?”

“May I see the information?” asked Clarissa. “I don’t have access to the part of the ship’s computer the information is stored in.”

“Can you access my workstation?” asked Reesa. She trusted Clarissa. She had heard many stories about the fabulous AI who had existed since before the beginning of the current Human Federation of Worlds.

“Yes,” Clarissa answered as she closed her eyes and seemed to focus. After a moment she opened them and looked intently at Reesa. “Don’t mention to Leeda or any of the other Originator AIs that you allowed me to access this information. I need time to assimilate it and see how it applies to Kazak and the Dominator. Currently I estimate there is a 74 percent probability that the Originator AIs are more interested in Kazak and the Dominator than saving those who may be in stasis on board.”

Leesa felt bewildered at hearing this pronouncement. “I thought this entire mission was about saving those Originators so they can begin a new Originator race.”

Clarissa slowly shook her head. “No, after a quick review of the information Leeda gave you I’m convinced they’re more interested in recovering Kazak, the Dominator, and the military research that was conducted.”

“Do you think all the AIs are in on this?” Leesa was worried as she liked Leeda. Even Sible was interesting and entertaining to be around.

“No,” Clarissa replied. “Leeda and several more are truly interested in saving the Originators on board the Dominator. However, Camlin and many of the others may have a hidden agenda.”

“I won’t say anything,” promised Reesa. “Should I ask Leeda any questions?”

Clarissa shook her head. “No. I strongly suspect the other AIs don’t know all of the information Leeda gave you. It’s evident she wanted you to find this discrepancy on the research being done on the Dominator and inform me about it. Now that I know, I’ll keep a closer watch on the Originator AIs on this ship. I also want to inspect the new core computer they installed. I don’t want there to be any hidden surprises when this ship goes into battle.”

“Are you going to tell Rear Admiral Barnes?” Reesa asked, her tone betraying her concern.

“Once I’ve studied the data in more detail I may have to in order to ensure our own safety. We still have a large number of Marines on board, and they should be able to handle the Originator AIs if necessary.”

“They won’t kill them, will they?” gasped Reesa in alarm.

“No, not if they can help it,” replied Clarissa. “I think they could be stunned and placed in detention if necessary. I hope that it won’t come to that. I’ll keep you informed. Now let’s discuss the Originators who may be in stasis on the Dominator.”

-

Clarissa was using her holographic imager. The ship was so big it was impossible for her to be everywhere at once. Often times she simply stayed in her quarters and used the holographic imagers to carry out her job routine. The only exception was that she served an eighty-hour duty stint in the Command Center each day with her AI body. During her off-duty hours, she lay on the bed in her quarters scanning the ship for possible problems and using the holographic imagers to appear wherever needed. She had taken a liking to Reesa and was highly interested in the research the young Alton woman was doing. The information she had just furnished about the research being done on the Dominator and the war with the Anti-Life was disconcerting.

“If there are Originators in the central compartment on the Dominator, how many are there?” Clarissa wanted to gather as much information as possible to better determine the motives of the Originator AIs.

Reesa stood up and folded her arms across her chest. “Kazak was programmed to support the crew and do everything in his power to see to their survival. They would have worked on their research until the very end. I suspect the last few scientists would have been put in stasis and most of the children.”

“How many children were there?”

“That’s the big question,” Reesa said. “The original children on the ship probably grew up and perished from the disease. However, there’s a good possibility others might have been born during the mission. Those are the ones that might be in stasis.”

“How many stasis chambers are on the Dominator?”

“From the information that Leeda gave me, there are three hundred and ten chambers.”

Clarissa thought this over. In all of her discussions with Kazak, he had never mentioned the stasis chambers or any military research being carried out on the ship. It worried Clarissa that he had failed to confide this information to her. She thought he had trusted her, particularly after giving her the codes to activate the intergalactic vortex that took them to the Originator Communication and Transport Hub.

“You spoke with Kazak quite often,” Reesa said. “What did he seem like to you?”

“Very complex. Sometimes he was extremely polite. But I always got the sense there was a hidden and perhaps dark side to his nature.”

Reesa nodded. “I wish I knew more but the information Leeda has given me is very sparse when it comes to Kazak. However, from studying the crew information so far, he will be very determined to find a cure for the Originators in the stasis chambers. So determined that he could be dangerous.”

Clarissa reminded silent. This was what she feared. Katie and the others might be in grave danger from the Originator AI. It was essential they return to Gaia as soon as possible. Even Ariel might be in peril. However, first she wanted to find out if there was a hidden agenda on the part of the Originator AIs on the Distant Horizon. Their return to the Triangulum Galaxy had just gotten much more complex.

“When we’re through with the shakedown part of our current mission, I will do everything I can to encourage Rear Admiral Barnes to return to Gaia as soon as possible. I greatly fear we might be running out of time. We must do nothing to cause the Originator AIs to become aware that we know something is amiss.”

“I will speak to Kelnor and Leeda about Kazak tomorrow,” Reesa said. “Perhaps I can get Leeda to tell me more about the military AI. I won’t mention anything else.”

“Be careful,” cautioned Clarissa. “I must return to my duties. One of the engineers is attempting to activate a bank of newly installed Originator equipment and from the confused look on his face I’m not sure he understands what he’s doing.” With that Clarissa vanished from Reesa’s quarters.

-

Reesa let out a deep sigh. She knew Clarissa and the remaining Altons on the ship were being pushed to their limits to teach the Humans how to operate the advanced Originator technology. Reesa just hoped they learned quickly enough and didn’t press the wrong button and accidently destroy or seriously damage the ship. Fortunately there were a few Originator AIs on board assisting whenever and wherever they were needed. What now worried Reesa was how far the Originator AIs could be trusted.

-

Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes had returned to the Command Center as it was nearing time for the exploration dreadnought to drop out of hyperspace close to Ornellia. They would arrive twenty light years distant and begin drills. For the first few days it would be damage control and learning where everything was on the ship. Then they would progress to testing the ship’s weapons. She wanted her crew to be familiar with what happened anytime one of the new weapon systems was activated. Fortunately her crew was well trained and she expected them to respond quickly to the drills, becoming more at ease with using the new Originator technology that was prominent throughout the ship.

“Five minutes until dropout,” Sible reported calmly. “All hyperdrive systems are operating normally.”

“Sensors?”

“Hard to say,” Captain Reynolds responded with a frown. “We’re traveling so fast most of the readings are meaningless.”

“Commander Grissim, take the ship to Condition One just in case we drop out near any Simulins.”

Almost instantly klaxons began sounding, and red lights started flashing.

“Activate the viewscreen.” Kathryn had to prepare herself as she was suddenly surrounded by rampaging colors of purple on three sides. If anything, the tumult in hyperspace was even more pronounced than before.

“Ship is functioning within designated parameters,” Clarissa added. “I’ve been monitoring the long-range sensors since we entered the Triangulum Galaxy. I have recorded the possible locations of over sixty inhabited planets as well as what appears to be a large number of spacecraft that are not Simulin in the outer regions.”

“You can understand this?” said Captain Reynolds, pointing at his sensor screen that seemed to be a jumble of information.

“Yes, Captain,” replied Clarissa. “I’m recording all the data and then playing it back at a slower speed.”

“The sensors will work fine at normal hyperspace speeds,” Jolban informed them as he walked from station to station keeping an eye on the crew making sure they understood what they were seeing on their screens.

“Hyperspace dropout in two minutes,” said Sible as she made some small adjustments to her navigation console.

“Crew is at Condition One,” reported Commander Grissim.

Kathryn felt anxious. They were about to drop out of hyperspace in the Triangulum Galaxy. After a few weeks of drills, she intended to pay a visit to Ornellia to see if anyone had survived. As soon as that was done, she planned to head back to Gaia and confront Kazak. She had spent several sleepless nights thinking about how to handle the Originator AI. Clarissa was still certain she could reason with him. Both Leeda and Camlin had voiced concerns over the military AI’s programming and not being willing to turn the Originators over. There was a danger that as soon as he spotted the Distant Horizon and realized the upgrades to the ship were of Originator design he might take the Dominator and flee. If that happened, then Kathryn would have no choice but to pursue the Dominator and attempt to disable it.

“Dropout,” called out Sible with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Kathryn felt a wrenching sensation as if she was being turned inside out. For a moment intense nausea flooded over her. Taking several deep breaths, she fought it off. Around her, the massive viewscreen was suddenly full of stars. She heard several of the command crew groaning loudly.

“Sorry about that,” said Sible, looking embarrassed. “We had to use the ship’s drive to bring us back into normal space, so the disorientation is much more pronounced than what it would have been if we had come out through a hyperspace vortex in one of the Shrieels.”

“I didn’t notice any lack of response time on the viewscreen when we exited hyperspace,” Kathryn said. Normally on exiting hyperspace, it took a ship’s systems several long seconds to begin functioning.

“No,” replied Jolban. “There is a hyperspace dampener attached to the intergalactic hyperdrive which prevents such a malfunction. When the ship exits hyperspace it is fully operational.”

Kathryn nodded. She would have to remember that. It could play an important part in future strategy when she engaged the Simulins.

“Sensors, what are we picking up?”

“Simulins,” Captain Reynolds said worriedly. “They’re seventeen light years further in toward the galactic center, but they’re definitely there. If I’m reading the long-range sensors correctly there’s twenty-seven battlecruisers and forty-two escort cruisers in the system.”

Kathryn was surprised to find such a large Simulin fleet so close. “What about Ornellia, are there any Simulin ships there?”

Captain Reynolds was quiet for several seconds as he seemed to be double-checking the sensors. Then he turned toward the admiral with a confused look on his face. “There are a large number of Federation ships orbiting Ornellia; over one hundred. There also seems to be a defense grid in place consisting of hundreds of particle beam satellites as well as six Type Two battlestations.”

Kathryn drew in a sharp breath. She had never expected this.

“Clarissa, what are Federation ships doing way out here?”

“I suspect Jeremy sent them,” she said. “You promised Dax you would return. It seems Jeremy kept your promise. If they were successful in finding survivors, then the goal would be to set up a base to search for allies in the outer regions of this galaxy the Simulins have not cleansed of organic life.”

“Should we go on to Ornellia and make contact with the Federation fleet?” asked Commander Grissim.

“No,” Kathryn replied after a moment of thought. “We’ll go ahead and do our shakedown cruise. We can keep an eye on the Simulins and stay close enough to Ornellia to watch for any developments.”

“That explains the large Simulin fleet,” Grissim said frowning. “They must know about the Federation ships at Ornellia. They may be gathering a force to attack.”

Kathryn agreed. “We’ll begin our drills in two hours. I expect this crew to be ready for anything.”

“They will be,” responded Commander Grissim. “We’ll put them through the ringer over the next two weeks. If we have to engage that Simulin fleet, we’ll be ready.”

Kathryn leaned back in her command chair as she gazed at the nearby holographic tactical display. It showed all the nearer stars and planets. Using her command console, she adjusted the screen to show the Ornellian System. She was surprised to see a few Ornellian warships in orbit around Ornellia. There were a large number of AI warspheres, Alton battleships, and battlecruisers, as well as various Human warships including four battleships. Kathryn strongly suspected Alton admiral Bachal would be in charge of the Alton ships, but she wasn’t sure who led the Human ones. With a deep sigh, she knew that would have to wait. She had two weeks to get her ship ready for combat. Glancing at another tactical display showing the Simulin fleet, she just hoped she had the time she needed.

-

Above Ornellia Admiral Jackson was feeling nervous. Several strikecruisers on patrol had located a sizable Simulin fleet just thirty-seven light years distant. The ships had been jumping from star to star and using their long-range sensors to scan for enemy ships.

“That fleet is there for a reason,” Alton Admiral Bachal said.

Jackson nodded his agreement. The two were in a small briefing room discussing what to do if the Simulins launched an attack. “The particle beam satellites and the six Type Two battlestations can protect the planet from missile attack. I’ll also position the two battlecarriers and all the non-combat ships beneath the defense grid. The battlecarriers can use their fighters to take out any missiles that might make it past the defenses.”

“What about the two battlecarriers and our other ships over Absom?”

Jackson had already been thinking about that. More survivors were being found every day, and a safe zone had been established where the survivors could be processed before being placed on passenger and cargo ships and brought to Ornellia. A number of Marines and Ornellian military personnel were being used to patrol the perimeter of the safe zone as the planet was still infested with Conqueror Drones. Commander Frisk of the Exeter and Commander Marcus of the Reprisal were using their fighters and bombers to patrol the immediate area around the safe zone as well as flying combat missions across the planet.

“I’m sending all of Admiral Santeld’s ships to Absom,” Jackson said after a moment. “Our two fleet repair ships have been busy upgrading the Ornellian ships. They now have better shields and particle beam cannons. We’ve also modified their missile tubes to handle our Devastator missiles. With the progress we’ve made on the planet, I would hate to throw it all away.”

“What if the Simulins attack in force?”

“Then we’ll have a fight on our hands. Admiral Santeld understands if a major Simulin force jumps into the system he will have to return here immediately.”

“How soon before Admiral Calmat arrives with reinforcements?”

“Any day,” Jackson replied. They had laid a line of FTL communication buoys between Ornellia and the nebula which contained Gaia. A message took nearly a week to reach either Ornellia or Gaia, which meant it took two weeks to receive a reply to any message they sent.

“The additional Type Two battlestations and particle beam satellites they’re bringing will greatly enhance Ornellia’s defense grid,” Bachal commented in his soft voice.

“Plus the twenty AI warspheres,” Jackson was quick to point out. “If they make it here in time we just might have a chance against that Simulin fleet if it attacks.”

“I will return to the Starlight and begin preparing for battle if the Simulin fleet we’ve detected approaches.”

Jackson watched as the soft-spoken Alton admiral left. Turning toward the single viewscreen in the room, he studied one of the Type Two battlestations. He would give anything to have a few Indomitable class ones. If he had just two of those he wouldn’t be so concerned about the Simulins.

Earlier in the day he had met with Oman Lantoll, the Ornellian councilman who was the only member of Ornellia’s ruling council to have survived on the planet. He was now the defacto head of the Ornellian government. They had laid out plans to extend the safe areas around the mountains and discussed other areas of the planet where needed supplies and war materials might be found.

Getting up he changed the viewscreen to a different view. It showed the beginnings of a new shipyard being built in orbit. Parts of it were already finished as they had robbed sections off wrecked shipyards in orbit above several Ornellian planets. The two fleet repair ships had been busy with this as well as updating the Ornellian ships. Jackson hoped he hadn’t made a serious tactical mistake. He could have used the two fleet repair ships to create more particle beam satellites.

-

Dax Matol and Les Ketene were back in the underground bunker that had protected them from the Simulins until Admiral Jackson had shown up. Since it was close to Dorman, which now had a large and growing population, much work had been done to expand it and make it stronger. Laser turrets now surrounded the mountain and a number of Hunter interceptor missile launchers had been placed in strategic locations.

Dax sat down in front of a console that was covered with numerous small screens. Each one was focused on a different part of the mountain. On several screens, he could see Ornellian military personnel working on small defensive bunkers. On others, crews were busy removing the remains of destroyed Conqueror Drones from the slope of the mountain where they had been destroyed by Admiral Jackson’s fighters and bombers. Les was in front of the bunker’s main sensor console, which had been considerably updated.

“Something’s up,” Les said, pointing toward a screen. See how all the nonmilitary ships are moving beneath the defense grid?”

Dax stood up and came over staring at the large tactical screen. Les was right. All the supply ships and the hospital ship were in the process of moving beneath the grid. Even the two orbiting battlecarriers seemed to be moving closer. Only the two fleet repair ships, which were working on the new shipyard, remained unmoving.

“Simulins must be close by,” Dax said with a cold chill running down his back. “Admiral Jackson must be expecting an attack soon.”

“We’d better get the bunker ready,” Les said. “I’ll recall some of the emergency personnel and have them start activating the different sections.”

“I’ll go into Dorman and speak to Councilor Lantoll and see if he’s heard anything. I also want to inspect the laser turret sites around the city.”

“Let’s just hope we’re wrong and this is nothing more than a drill,” Les said as he went over to the communications console and began contacting a few key personnel.

-

For three days the Distant Horizon had been going through emergency drills. They were occurring at random intervals to simulate an actual battle or emergency situation.

“I don’t understand the importance of this,” said Camlin as Kathryn simulated a failure of the ship’s life support systems. Only two hours earlier the crew had fought make believe fires raging through numerous compartments on the ship.

“That’s because you’ve never been in battle,” Kathryn patiently explained. She had changed the large viewscreen to show various compartments on the ship. That way she could observe the crew’s reaction to the different drills. So far she was satisfied with the learning curve.

Clarissa stepped over closer to Camlin. “So many changes have been made to the ship that the crew needs to be able to handle unexpected situations without hesitation. The ship has been greatly expanded with new compartments and equipment added nearly everywhere. It’s essential the crew know where they’re going and how to conduct the repairs.”

“So that’s why you requested none of the AIs on board participate?”

“Precisely,” replied Kathryn as she watched two crewmembers pause on one of the screens with a confused look on their faces. “Take those two, they’re both highly qualified engineers but they’re in a new section of the ship. They’re not quite sure where to go.”

As they watched one of the two stepped over to a wall control panel and called up a schematic of the ship. After a moment he pointed to one section of it and then gestured toward a nearby corridor. Moments later the two were off running toward their destination.

“Those two lost valuable seconds having to stop and consult a control panel to see where they were,” Clarissa said. “In a combat situation those few seconds could cost lives.”

“I see,” Camlin said. “Our combat AIs would doubtlessly understand this, but we have so few of them.”

“When are you going to start moving on the Dyson Spheres the Simulins control?” asked Commander Grissim. She frowned as it was evident the two engineers were lost again. They had stopped and were looking around in confusion.

“Back at the Communication and Transport Hub, Captain Wilde and her Marines are being shown the intergalactic vortex Control Centers and what is necessary to disable them. We have a special key we’ve designed that will allow her access to the centers and when inserted in the master control console will shut it down. The intergalactic vortex then cannot be activated again without the use of a gold command key. After taking the one from the Simulins, we now have all of them in our position.”

“Unless Kazak has one,” Kelnor said from his science console. “If the Dominator had all of the leading scientists on board then I strongly suspect several of the gold command keys could be on board as well.”

“What about the Simulin ships inside the Dyson Spheres and around it?” asked Commander Grissim.

“If they attack a Shrieel the automatic defenses will destroy them,” Camlin answered. “We have managed to modify the defensive programming of all Shrieels now to ensure that occurs.”

“What if they don’t attack one of the Dyson Spheres?” asked Reesa.

“That’s why we need Kazak,” Leeda said. She had just entered the Command Center. “Kazak was designed to be a leader of our warfleets and upon his orders he can activate the defensive systems on any Shrieel to destroy an enemy. It will also mean we don’t have to modify our programming.”

Kathryn and Clarissa looked at each other in surprise. If what Leeda had just said was true, Kazak could have activated the defensive systems on the black matter Dyson Sphere, eliminating the Simulins. Kathryn felt suddenly frightened as she realized the ramifications. Kazak must have wanted the Dyson Sphere destroyed. There must have been something either on the Dyson Sphere or in one of its computer systems the Originator AI considered to be a threat.

“Admiral, I’m picking up an inbound fleet on the long-range sensors,” reported Captain Reynolds.

Kathryn looked over at the nearest tactical display expecting to see more red threat icons. Instead there were a large number of friendly green icons. “Where are those ships going?” She already knew the answer but wanted to confirm it.

“Ornellia,” replied Reynolds.

“Reinforcements,” commented Commander Grissim approvingly. “They must be expecting an attack from the Simulins so a reinforcing fleet has been sent.”

“What about the Simulin fleet?”

“Still holding its position,” Reynolds replied. “However, in the three days we’ve been here ten more battlecruisers and seventeen more escort cruisers have arrived.”

Looking at the two different displays showing the gathered Simulin fleet and the inbound Federation fleet, Kathryn made a decision. “We’ll continue with our drills. However, I want to mix in some weapon drills as well. If that Simulin fleet moves toward Ornellia we’re going to intercept it as soon as it drops out of hyperspace.”

“That’s a lot of ships,” Commander Grissim pointed out.

“Can the Distant Horizon take on a fleet of that size?” Kathryn asked Jolban, who was standing nearby.

The Originator AI nodded. “I think you will be surprised by what the Distant Horizon is capable of now. There is nothing in this galaxy, other than the Dominator, that is a danger to us.”

Kathryn considered what to do next. She didn’t want to take the ship into battle without the weapons being thoroughly tested. “We’ll start alternating tomorrow between combat drills and emergency drills.”

Commander Grissim nodded her approval. “I’ve been wanting to try out the new weapons. I’m sure I’m not the only one.”

Looking back at the tactical display, Kathryn decided to take one more defensive measure. She didn’t want the Simulins or any Federation ships detecting the Distant Horizon until she was ready to make an appearance. “Until further notice I want the stealth shield up at all times.” The stealth shield would make the ship impervious to sensors scans, particularly after the modifications the Originator AIs had made.

“Yes, Admiral,” Commander Grissim responded. “I’ll take care of it immediately.”

Kathryn looked at her second in command and then spoke in a softer voice. “Anne, get some rest. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.”

Anne nodded. “I will.”

-

The next day above Ornellia, Admiral Jackson was busy talking to Admiral Calmat. The massive Bear had come aboard Jackson’s flagship soon after arriving in orbit. Jackson had just finished briefing the Bear admiral on the Simulin forces gathering nearby.

“It is well that I came when I did,” Calmat said, folding his massive arms across his chest. He towered over Admiral Jackson. “My fleet is ready for the hunt, and I place myself under your command. We will fight as one clan and destroy the Simulins.”

“Admiral Bachal is already positioning the six Type Two battlestations you brought as well as the four hundred particle beam satellites. When the Simulins do attack, we will have much stronger teeth than they expect.”

Calmat nodded in agreement. “Fleet Admiral Strong needs Ornellia. He seeks allies in the outer regions of this galaxy so the Simulins’ genocidal war against all space-going species can be brought to an end. It is an honorable quest.”

“If anyone can do it, it would be Fleet Admiral Strong and those that surround him.”

“The Special Five,” spoke Calmat in agreement. “They are heroes on Careth and the Fleet Admiral is a member of Grayseth’s clan. Only a few times in the history of our race has an outsider been granted clan status. He is very wise and a capable leader.”

“The people in our Federation feel much the same,” Admiral Jackson admitted.

To the people of the Federation overall, the Special Five were almost legendary. It was rumored they had special abilities and could not be defeated in battle. Jackson knew as the years passed, the legend would only grow and become more unreal. In time, it was likely the people of the far future would question whether the Special Five were real or only made up to give the Federation hope in its darkest time. The same would most likely be said of Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth as well.

“Where would you like my ships?”

“The two fleet repair ships can begin working on the new shipyard we’re building. Once the Simulins are detected, all four ships will retreat beneath the defense grid. Have your two carriers join mine. They will use their fighters to intercept any stray missiles that get by the defense grid. The bombers may be needed for tactical strikes against damaged Simulin vessels. The Colony ships and the supply ships will take up positions beneath the grid as well. All of your warships will join mine. When the Simulins come, I intend to meet them away from the planet.”

“May we be victorious in the hunt,” Calmat said solemnly.

“To the hunt,” replied Admiral Jackson.

-

An hour later the warships in Calmat’s fleet began moving. The twenty AI warspheres joined the fifty-eight already present. The four Alton battleships moved into Admiral Bachal’s formation, joining his command and giving him twenty-three battleships and nineteen battlecruisers. The two battlecarriers joined the other two just outside the defense grid and began launching fighters to form a joint CSP. The two Carethian battlecruisers formed up on each side of the Hunter to aid in the battleship’s defense.

In orbit, the Alton battleships were towing the six Type Two battlestations to their respective slots in the defense grid. They were also emplacing the four hundred particle beam satellites Admiral Calmat had delivered. It would take a good twenty hours to properly place the satellites.

-

In Dorman, Dax had just finished talking to Councilor Lantoll. Lantoll had confirmed they were expecting a major Simulin attack. However, it had been decided that only young people would be placed in the deep bunker. Enough so that if life on the surface of Ornellia were extinguished, the people in the bunker could someday emerge and start over again.

Dax stood on a street corner watching heavy trucks rumble by. Looking around, the city was full of life and people trying to rebuild. Given time the Ornellians could someday reclaim their empire. Looking up toward space, Dax knew Admiral Jackson was ready to defend the planet. Councilor Lantoll had casually mentioned that a reinforcing fleet had arrived and Jackson now had a much larger fleet.

Dax’s thoughts were interrupted by the laughter of children. Turning, he saw a family walking past on the sidewalk. In the distance, he heard a flight of Anlon bombers taking off from the nearby spaceport. Squaring his shoulders, he decided it was time to return to the bunker. The first of two thousand specially chosen young people would be arriving shortly. One thing he did know with certainty. When the Simulins returned, they would find that Ornellia would be ready.

Chapter Nine

Jeremy was on board the Dominator. The Originator AI had summoned him for an immediate meeting. He had been very curt and refused further communication once he had demanded Jeremy come over to the ship. Suspecting what Kazak wanted, Jeremy had brought ZED along just in case the meeting went the way Jeremy thought it would. For several weeks now Commander Malen had been coming over to the Avenger daily to brief Jeremy on the progress of the Alton research teams. Each report had been the same: no progress made and no hopeful lines of research. It seemed the Originator scientists had thoroughly researched every possible avenue that might have led to a cure of the life extension pathogen. All had met with failure.

Stepping out of his shuttle, he saw Kelsey, Commander Malen, and Andram waiting for him. All had looks of concern on their faces.

“We’re in trouble,” Kelsey began as she stepped up closer to Jeremy. She didn’t say anything about ZED. “During the last few days Kazak has been growing impatient with the Alton research scientists. He seems to be getting dangerously out of control. I’m not sure anyone is safe on the ship anymore. If I didn’t know better, I would say he’s beginning to act irrationally.”

“He threatened several of the research scientists this morning,” Commander Malen said, narrowing her eyes. “I was in one of the research labs when Kazak came storming in and demanded the two Alton research scientists stop their current line of research. Kazak was fuming as he pointed out the Originators had already tried that line of research and it was a waste of time. When the Altons tried to explain why they were looking at this line of research, he refused to listen. I thought for a moment he was going to throw them across the room. He finally calmed down and gave them forty-eight hours to find another line of research and show progress or he would have them removed from the Dominator.”

“And this behavior is getting steadily worse?”

“Yes,” Commander Malen answered. “I’m not sure the crew is even safe if this continues. I believe Kazak is getting desperate to find a cure. It’s almost as if he believes he’s running out of time.”

Jeremy noticed several of the small work robots in the shuttle bay. There seemed to be more than normal. Doubtlessly Kazak could hear every word they spoke. “Andram, what’s the probability of finding a successful line of research in the near future?” Jeremy wanted to be certain all avenues of research had been investigated. Ariel had suggested, before he left the Avenger, that Kazak’s base programming was starting to influence his actions.

Andram let out a long and deep sigh of resignation. “We won’t. The Originators tried everything and their medical science is far in advance of ours. If we had access to the medical information on Astral, which is from numerous worlds, we might be able to make some progress. There’s medical information there from tens of thousands of worlds as well as research done by my own people while we still inhabited the galactic core.”

“Kazak’s going to demand we build the capacitor stations to allow him to go to Astral,” predicted Commander Malen. “I’m convinced he believes that’s his only option.”

“We’ll lose the war if we do that!” exclaimed Kelsey, her eyes growing wide. “We’ve sacrificed too much for that to happen. We can’t abandon Gaia.”

“What are the odds a cure could be found on Astral?” asked Jeremy, looking over at Andram.

“Unknown,” Andram said. “The computer achieves beneath the City of Light hold tremendous amounts of medical records. If there is a possibility of finding a cure, it would be there.”

“And Kazak knows that,” warned Kelsey.

“Let’s go see Kazak,” suggested Jeremy. Jeremy was growing impatient with the Originator AI. Perhaps it was time he was put in his place. “ZED, do you remember what I told you?”

“Of course, Admiral,” the AI responded in a near Human voice. “I am ready to face Kazak.”

-

As they proceeded through the Dominator, Jeremy noticed a large number of work robots that seemed to be involved in updating a number of the ship’s systems. “What are the work robots doing?”

Kelsey hesitated and then responded. “We’re not sure. They started this yesterday. The only thing Kazak will say is that they’re doing some upgrades to several of the ship’s systems.”

“Work is occurring all over the ship,” Commander Malen added. “I was going to speak to you about it at our next meeting.”

Jeremy didn’t like the sound of that. He was greatly concerned about the power Kazak wielded. The Dominator could destroy Gaia and the fleets protecting it if it came down to a battle. Jeremy had to find another way. There had to be a way to get Kazak to give them more time.

It didn’t take long and they reached the conference room where Kazak was waiting. Stepping inside, Jeremy saw Kazak standing at the front of a long conference table. Several Alton medical research scientists were also present.

“Sit down,” ordered Kazak in an uncompromising voice.

Jeremy nodded at the others but he remained standing. He had stopped at the far end of the table opposite Kazak. “I’m not used to being called away from important work by one of my subordinates. This had better be important.” Jeremy had spoken in depth to Ariel about the best tact to take with the Originator AI.

Kazak seemed taken aback by Jeremy’s words. “I am not your subordinate. I agreed to place the Dominator under your command. I now revoke that agreement.”

Jeremy nodded, folding his arms across his chest. “Very well.” He then turned to Kelsey. “Order all the Alton scientists to return to their science ships. Your crew will be leaving the Dominator shortly after you’ve confirmed that all the Alton research scientists have left.”

“What are you doing?” demanded Kazak, his voice turning cold. “I called this meeting!”

Jeremy gazed at Kazak with hard, uncompromising eyes. “You’ve had millions of years to find a cure to the Originator pathogen and failed. Yet you expect the Alton research scientists to find one in a few months.”

“They are wasting their time,” said Kazak. “They’re following lines of research the Originators in the Shrieels and on this ship did. They all failed.”

“We need more time,” said Andram calmly. “Perhaps we will find something they overlooked. We have barely touched the data they left on the pathogen.”

Kazak was silent for a long moment. “I have an ultimatum to deliver. You have forty-eight hours to show progress or I will take the Dominator out to Borton. Once there I will have the AIs begin constructing the parts for the capacitor stations that will be needed to allow the Dominator and a select few Alton research scientists to travel to Astral.”

“I think not,” said Jeremy, folding his arms across his chest again. “I am in command here, not you. The AIs at Borton will not be constructing any capacitor stations. They have other construction priorities.”

Kazak stared at Jeremy as if trying to guess what the Human fleet admiral was up to. “You forget that my ship can destroy your world and everything you’ve built here. I can annihilate your entire fleet and then take control of Borton. If I threaten to destroy the AIs’ Master Codex, they will do as I demand. The capacitor stations will be built.”

“ZED, activate the device,” ordered Jeremy, his eyes focused steadfastly on Kazak.

“Device activated,” reported ZED. “Countdown has started.”

“What device?” demanded Kazak. “What countdown are you speaking of? I’ve scanned ZED, and there’s nothing unusual about this AI.”

“Don’t scan ZED; scan the shuttle we arrived in.” Jeremy had a grim smile on his face. Now he would see how the Originator AI reacted. He hoped Ariel was right about what she felt he would do.

Kazak was silent for several moments and then his broad shoulders seemed to droop slightly. “My internal sensors indicate there’s an antimatter warhead on board the shuttle. How is that possible? I scanned it before allowing it to enter the bay.”

“Never mind how,” Jeremy replied in a clear and steady voice. “If any of your work robots attempt to enter the shuttle it will detonate automatically. If you do not agree to my demands, it will soon detonate as the timer is running. Being inside the bay, it will either heavily damage your ship or destroy it.”

“If that occurs you will die as well as the crew of this ship.”

Jeremy nodded. “I’m willing to accept that possibility. We can’t afford to take the risk of building the capacitor stations. If we do so, the Simulins will eventually find a way into the nebula and destroy Gaia. Our only hope is to build enough warspheres to take the battle to them. If we stop building the warspheres, then Gaia is doomed.”

Kazak seemed to be considering his options and then he spoke again. “In many ways you remind me of the former commander of this ship. He could be very stern and innovative at times. What do you want? My highest priority is saving the Originators who are in stasis in the central compartment. If you can offer a reasonable suggestion on how to do that then I will consider delaying my ultimatum.”

“ZED, inform Kazak of your recent line of research.”

The glowing ball of energy above ZED’s cube seemed to brighten considerably. “I and a group of Alton scientists have been studying the possibility of using nanite technology against the Originator pathogen.”

“Nanites,” said Kazak with a sharp frown. “The Originators banned the use of mechanical nanites inside their bodies due to the multitude of potential genetic changes that could be made. It risked changing the Originator race into something dark and emotionless.

“They didn’t even look at using nanites as a possible cure for the life extension pathogen,” asked Andram in surprise.

“No, that type of research was banned as I said earlier. Mechanical nanites could only be used in other forms such as ship repair.”

One of the Alton scientists who was sitting at the table looked at Kazak in confusion. “I’m not a specialist in nanite technology but I know they can be programmed for a variety of functions. What if they could be used to cure the life extension pathogen without risking major changes to the host?”

Kazak for the first time looked confused. “I don’t know. It is not something I have considered. It was not a line of research that was allowed.”

“You said yourself all other avenues of research have resulted in failure,” Jeremy pointed out. “What if we can use the nanites to find a cure? What if a year from now you could have living Originators walking the corridors of the Dominator?”

ZED moved closer to Kazak. “Let us continue this line of research. Once we have perfected a possible cure, we can try it out on one and only one Originator. You can choose the test subject. If it works and you’re satisfied there has been no physiological change to the Originator, then we can use it on the others.”

“How certain are you that the nanites can be programmed to affect the changes caused by the pathogen and nothing else? I know from the data the Originators left in the central computer that nanites used incorrectly can be very dangerous.”

Andram stood up and gazed at Kazak. “We use medical nanites ourselves. They’re programmed to do the work they’re designed for and then dissolve, becoming harmless to the host body. The nanites we use against the Originator pathogen can be programmed the same way.”

“Kazak, you’ve waited millions of years for this,” said Kelsey, her eyes focusing intently on the Originator AI. “If this works, the Originator race can live again. Isn’t that what you want?”

Kazak turned until he was facing Kelsey. “It is. My entire reason for continued existence has been to see the race restored to its former glory.”

“Then let us do this,” begged Kelsey. “Let us bring the Originators back.”

Kazak seemed to freeze for several long seconds. Then his eyes blinked and he turned toward Jeremy. “If I agree to this how soon before we can run a test?”

Jeremy looked over at ZED. “Well?” He had hoped Kazak would take a chance with the nanites. Ariel had been almost certain he would if he thought it had a reasonable chance of success.

“Two weeks,” ZED replied. “We already know from the research the Originators did exactly what the pathogen changed in their bodies. The current nanites we use to cure Altons of serious diseases or injuries can easily be programmed to reverse these changes. The subject would have to be closely monitored, and I would suggest we do so on one of the Alton science ships that has a med bay set up to specifically administer nanites.”

“That soon?” spoke Jeremy caught off guard. He had expected ZED to say it would be a few months at the earliest.

“Two weeks,” said Kazak, his eyes showing disbelief. “Are you telling me that in two weeks time we may be able to revive one of the Originators in stasis?”

“Yes,” answered ZED. “I am quite certain of it. It will take a few days for the medical nanites to reverse the changes to the gene structure caused by the pathogen. They will also accelerate the healing of the Originator’s body back to its former healthy self.”

“I am uneasy about using nanites,” Kazak reiterated. “However, if it holds the best probability of success, I will allow it to be administered to one test subject.”

“We will take all the precautions possible to ensure the test subject is not harmed,” responded ZED. “If you wish, you can come over to the Alton science ship and observe the procedure.”

“I will do so,” confirmed Kazak. “It is strange to think that my mission might soon be over.”

“There will be other missions,” promised Jeremy. “Once the Originators have been successfully brought out of stasis, I’m sure they will have more for you to do.”

Kazak looked over at Jeremy. “I am sorry, Admiral, for the threat I made earlier. I was getting desperate and afraid that any attempt at finding a cure was going to meet in failure. I felt the only hope was to journey to Astral. If ZED is successful in awakening one of the Originators then I will immediately turn over to you any of the technology on the Dominator you’re interested in. I will also swear allegiance to you and the people of Gaia unconditionally if the Originators will allow me to do so.”

Jeremy felt the beating of his heart slow down. He hadn’t been certain where this would lead. Once they left the Dominator, he needed to speak to ZED and make sure the AI was being truthful about using the medical nanites as a potential cure. He hoped the AI hadn’t made the whole thing up.

“We will discuss that when the time come,” Jeremy said, feeling the tension in the room subsiding.

“In that case, it is probably best if we all return to our duties. I must decide which of the adult Originators in the stasis compartment should be awoken first.”

-

Later Jeremy was back in the Command Center of the Avenger.

“What if Kazak had discovered that was a fake antimatter warhead in the shuttle?” Kelsey demanded. She had come back on the shuttle with Jeremy.

“He did know,” Ariel said as she suddenly appeared next to the two. “I was watching the sensor scans he ran of the shuttle, and I doubt if he believed for one second that the warhead was real.”

“Then why did he act as if it was?” asked Kelsey, looking confused. “I don’t understand.”

Jeremy slowly shook his head. “We may never know what fully drives Kazak.”

“There is something else we need to discuss,” Ariel said. “However, it needs to be done in private and not here in the Command Center.”

Jeremy looked surprised. He trusted everyone in the Command Center explicitly. “Very well, let’s go to the small briefing room down the outside corridor.

It didn’t take long for Jeremy and Kelsey to reach the room where Ariel was already waiting. Much to their surprise, Mikow and Katie were there also.

“What’s going on?” asked Kelsey, looking at her two friends.

“A number of days ago we downloaded the crew manifest and some other data from the Dominator,” Katie said.

“How?” demanded Jeremy. “Kazak would have stopped you.”

“I ran interference,” Ariel explained a little guiltily. “We felt Kazak wasn’t being truthful about a number of things.”

“Did you know about this?” asked Jeremy, looking over at Kelsey.

“Yes,” admitted Kelsey, looking down at the table. “It seemed like the smart thing to do at the time.”

“We downloaded the data and took it over to one of the Alton science ships to analyze,” Mikow continued. “What we found was frightening.”

Jeremy sat down knowing he wasn’t going to like what they were about to tell him. It seemed with Kazak you went from one crisis to another repeatedly.

“It was the crew manifest that tipped us off,” Katie said. “Nearly one-half of the scientists and technicians on the Dominator had nothing to do with the pathogen research.”

“Then what were they researching?”

“Weapons,” said Mikow. “Over half the scientists and techs on the ship were doing research on advanced weapon systems.”

Jeremy looked from one to the other, a cold chill running down his back. “Are you certain?”

“Yes,” Ariel said, adding her voice to the conversation. “I have analyzed Katie and Mikow’s findings, and they’re accurate.”

Kelsey sat down hard in her chair a dazed look on her face. “Kazak has started making upgrades to a number of systems on the ship. Could he be upgrading the ship’s weapons?”

Ariel was silent for several moments as she ran some probability studies on what Kazak was doing. “I still have access to the computer on the Dominator even though large sections of it are not accessible to me. He is indeed upgrading two of the ship’s major weapon systems and may be adding an additional one.”

“For what reason?” asked Kelsey, her eyes narrowing. “The Dominator’s weapons are the most advanced of any race that we know of.”

“The Anti-Life,” answered Ariel. “I believe the Originators were doing research on weapons to use against the Anti-Life. Kazak is now using that same research to upgrade the Dominator’s weapon systems.”

“Who or what is this Anti-Life?” asked Kelsey. “Ariel, is there any mention of this in the Dominator’s computer?”

“There’s very little data on this subject in the parts of the computer available to me. All that I know is the Originators fought a great war against the Anti-Life and numerous galaxies were ravaged in the conflict. Eventually the Anti-Life were driven back to their home galaxy and the Originators created some type of barrier around that galaxy to prevent the Anti-Life from ever venturing forth again.”

Jeremy looked concerned. If this was true, why did they need these new weapons? “I think for the time being we shouldn’t mention any of this around Kazak or on board the Dominator. However, I do want the three of you to keep an eye on any strange activity by the work robots while you’re on board that ship. I’ll have Commander Malen come over tomorrow and brief her as well. She’s making routine inspections of the ship on a daily basis so it shouldn’t look suspicious to Kazak for her to be checking up on any work activity of the robots.”

“What about ZED and what was said about reviving an Originator?” asked Kelsey. “Can ZED do it?”

“ZED believes it’s possible,” Jeremy answered. He had spoken at length with ZED as the shuttle was returning to the Avenger. “If ZED’s successful in awakening one of the Originators then I might question Kazak about his weapons research and the Anti-Life.”

Kelsey took a deep breath and then asked her next question. “What if ZED is successful in awakening one of the Originators? How’s the Originator going to feel when he finds out we destroyed the Dyson Sphere in the black matter nebula?”

They all looked at one another. There was no way to know how the Originator or Originators would respond. How would they react when it became known their only home in this galaxy had been annihilated?

Jeremy let out a deep breath. He could really use some alone time with Kelsey. Sometimes just being alone with her allowed his head to clear so he could think more rationally. Kazak and the Dominator had been a continuous worry for Jeremy for months. Now add twenty-three adult Originators to the mix and it just might be more than he could handle.

-

Kelsey noticed the strained look on Jeremy’s face. She reached across the table and took his hand. “We’ll get through this,” she promised. “We always do.”

Jeremy nodded. He just wished he knew where all of this was going to end.

-

Several days later near Ornellia, Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes gasped in disbelief as the ship’s gravitonic cannon blew a one hundred kilometer wide asteroid into a million pieces.

“Firing defensive power beam turrets,” reported Major Weir.

On the large viewscreen, forty-eight defensive power beams lanced out, obliterating the larger pieces of the destroyed asteroid. Bright explosions littered the screen as the larger pieces of the asteroid were quickly demolished.

“What would that do to a Simulin battlecruiser?” asked Kathryn, turning toward Camlin who was standing next to her on the command pedestal.

“The gravitonic beam would pass directly through the ship’s energy shield, causing severe if not catastrophic damage to the battlecruiser.”

Kathryn took a deep breath. For the last several days the exploration dreadnaught had been fighting make believe enemies in between emergency damage control drills. The crew was rapidly coming around but they still had a long ways to go before Kathryn would feel comfortable taking the ship into combat.

“Admiral, more Simulin ships are inbound toward the enemy fleet units at Star 001-Tango,” reported Commander Grissim. This was the designation they had given the star where the Simulin fleet was gathering.

Looking at the indicated tactical display, Kathryn’s breath caught in her throat. There were hundreds of red threat icons on the far outskirts of the display with more appearing every second.

“Clarissa, what are we looking at?” Kathryn was deeply afraid this was the main part of the Simulin invasion fleet and the attack on Ornellia would shortly be forthcoming.

“At least three hundred and twenty battlecruisers and seven hundred and twelve escort cruisers,” the blonde AI replied.

“This is their Sunday punch,” muttered Commander Grissim as she stared at the screen. “This is what the other ships were waiting for. The inbound fleet is probably commanded by a Supreme High Commander.”

“Clarissa, what will this fleet’s priorities be?” Kathryn had a suspicion but she wanted Clarissa to confirm it.

“The complete and utter annihilation of all Federation and Ornellian fleet units above Ornellia. The absolute and total devastation of the surface of the planet, ensuring there are no survivors.”

“What about Conqueror Drones?”

“They will doubtlessly land thousands of them in order to ensure no Ornellians survive in the deep bunkers.”

Kathryn turned her attention away from Clarissa. “Sible, set up a jump to put us within ten light years of Ornellia. If the Simulins jump into the system, I want to put the Distant Horizon two thousand kilometers behind their fleet. Can you do that?” If necessary she could use the Originator AIs and Clarissa to fight the ship. It wasn’t what she wanted but she might not have a choice.

“Yes, Admiral,” Sible replied, and then she turned and looked back at Kathryn. “I can put the ship much closer to the Simulin fleet if you wish.”

Kathryn shook her head. Sible was becoming a regular member of her crew. “No, two thousand kilometers will be close enough. That will put us in optimum weapons range. Even our defensive power beam turrets will be able to target the Simulin fleet. I want our attack to be sudden and decisive.”

“How soon do you want to jump?” asked Sible. Sible had a neural implant and could access the ship’s navigation and helm controls by just thinking about what she wanted done.

“Twenty minutes,” Kathryn replied. “Major Weir, keep the stealth shield up. I don’t want to risk anyone detecting us, not even the Federation ships above Ornellia.” Kathryn leaned back in her command chair. Around her the massive viewscreen showed nothing but stars and the distant galaxies.

-

The time quickly passed and a swirling blue vortex formed in front of the Distant Horizon. The ship vanished into it and moments later the vortex collapsed, leaving no sign of the exploration dreadnought ever being in the system other than a large number of shattered asteroids.

-

Reesa was in her quarters with Clarissa. This time Clarissa was in her AI body and not appearing as a hologram. They had decided it was time to confront Leeda and see just what was going on with the Originator AIs. If Rear Admiral Barnes had to take the ship into combat, the two didn’t want any surprises.

“Do you think this is wise?” asked Reesa as she waited nervously for Leeda to arrive.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” answered Clarissa, who was standing near the door with her hands on her hips. “With what I found hidden in the ship’s computer system, this situation with the Originator AIs must be handled before Rear Admiral Barnes takes the ship into combat. If not it could end in disaster.”

There was a knock at the door and Reesa stood up looking nervously at Clarissa. “I hope we’re not making a big mistake.” Stepping over to the door and opening it, she saw Leeda standing there. “Come in.”

Leeda stepped into the room and then froze when she saw Clarissa was there as well. “I wasn’t expecting to see Clarissa.”

Reesa shut the door and then moved over to stand next to Clarissa. Reesa wasn’t sure if she was in danger or not from Leeda. She hoped not as she considered the Originator AI to be her friend. It was one of the reasons Clarissa had brought her AI body. If Leeda responded badly, they were ready for it.

Leeda looked from one to the other and then nodded. “This is about the information I gave you, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Clarissa answered in a calm voice. “Why were there so many weapons specialists on the Dominator? I question whether the ship’s main goal was even to find a cure for the pathogen that was wiping out their race.”

“No, you’re wrong about that,” Leeda said, putting her arms at her side in a non-threatening manner. “Their primary goal was to find a cure, but a large segment of our leaders thought it might be necessary to take a different, more dangerous path. That was the reason for placing so many military research scientists on board. The military research was allowed as long as it didn’t interfere with the research being conducted to find a cure for the pathogen.”

Reesa gazed intently at Leeda. “What is the goal of the Originator AIs on this ship? Do you want to give the cure to any Originators on the Dominator or are you more interested in the weapons research carried out by the ship’s crew?”

“So you figured it out,” Leeda said with a satisfied nod. “I hoped that you would.”

“You didn’t answer Reesa’s question,” Clarissa said.

“I and a few others on board, including Sible, want to administer the cure to the Originators who may be in stasis. If we do that, then they will be able to control Camlin and her group.”

“How’s that?” asked Reesa, feeling confused.

“Deep in our core programming is a command to obey any and all Originators,” Leeda explained. “The command does contain a few safeguards to ensure that no AIs can harm any others or do harm to any of the Originators.”

“The rules of robotics and AIs,” commented Clarissa in understanding. “We have the same rules but in a different format.” Clarissa didn’t go on to say that she was immune from those rules.

“So, what exactly does Camlin’s group want?”

“They don’t believe there are any surviving Originators in the stasis chambers on the Dominator. They claim too much time has passed.”

Reesa felt uneasy. She didn’t like the sound of what Leeda was saying.

“What do they want with the weapons research in the Dominator’s core computer? From what I’ve seen your weapons are already far in advance of any enemy you might encounter.”

Leeda looked slowly from Reesa to Ariel. “That research was done by the leading weapons specialists from all the Shrieels and bases of the Originators. It’s far in advance of anything we have come up with since.”

“That still doesn’t explain what Camlin wants the research for,” pointed out Clarissa. “What enemy can she possibly want to use those weapons against and how if your core programming prevents you from taking such aggressive action?”

“That core programming doesn’t apply to Kazak,” Leeda said. “He’s capable of going into battle on his own initiative.”

Clarissa tilted her head as if in thought and then asked her next question. “That might explain Camlin’s interest in Kazak and the Dominator, but it still doesn’t explain the need for that weapons information.”

“It’s quite simple,” Leeda said. “They want to go to the galaxy containing the Anti-Life and strike a bargain. They need that weapons research to ensure they can meet safely with the Anti-Life.”

“The Anti-Life,” said Reesa, feeling confused. “The Originators fought a long and terrible war against them, why would they want to go there?”

A pained look crossed Leeda’s face. “Because the Anti-Life are also Originators.”

Chapter Ten

Supreme Commander Altrab nodded in satisfaction at the fleet gathered for the attack on Ornellia. On the main viewscreens, the fleet stretched out as far as he could see: battlecruisers, escort cruisers, Conqueror Drone carriers, and even a few supply ships. All was in readiness for the coming assault and the renewed expansion of Simulin control of this galaxy.

“Impressive,” commented High Commander Jarald in a voice displaying little emotion. “With this fleet, we will crush the organics and AIs at Ornellia and then move on to complete the conquest of the outer regions.”

Altrab did not reply. He had over five hundred battlecruisers and nearly one thousand escort cruisers under his command. He knew a fleet of approximately the same size was being prepared to assault the Fitula Nebula and destroy the organics and AIs using the nebula for a base. Once that was complete, there would be nothing standing in their way of making this galaxy one ruled by Simulins and only Simulins.

“How soon do we attack?” asked Jarald.

Altrab had thought long and hard about his battle plan. He’d spent considerable time consulting the ship’s battle computer. “We will send in a recon force to begin with. I want a thorough scan of the defenses around Ornellia as well as the number or warships defending it. Once we have that information, the assault will begin. We must not underestimate our enemy.” He didn’t want there to be any surprises. In this coming operation, there could be no failure. The fleets of the organics and AIs had to be annihilated and the surface of Ornellia wiped clear of all life.

“There can only be Simulin,” spoke Jarald.

“Only Simulin,” replied Altrab coldly. “Make sure the Conqueror Drones are ready. We will not leave Ornellia until I am satisfied every living being is dead.”

When Altrab was finished with Ornellia, it would be a thousand years before the planet would once more be able to sustain life. He would leave it a dead world, a world of blowing dust, scorched cities, and radioactive ruins. The only thing moving would be the thousands of Conqueror Drones ensuring the planet stayed dead.

-

In the Ornellia System, Admiral Jackson was growing more concerned by the hour. Recent scans of the system where the Simulin fleet was gathering indicated a massive increase in the number of ships over the last day. He was currently meeting with his fleet admirals to discuss strategy for the coming battle. Both Admiral Calmat and Admiral Bachal were present.

“Fifteen hundred warships,” said Admiral Bachal in his normally soft voice. “It seems the Simulins wish to ensure all resistance is thoroughly crushed.”

“It will be a great battle,” proclaimed Admiral Calmat in his loud Bear voice. “One we should not fight.”

Admiral Jackson knew the large Bear was right. To fight this battle might mean the loss of his entire fleet.

“We can’t leave Ornellia,” he said stubbornly. “There must be a way to stop the Simulins. If we leave, the millions of survivors on Ornellia and their other worlds will be doomed. How could we ever look at ourselves again if we allowed that to happen?”

“We can’t defeat them without the Dominator,” commented Admiral Bachal as he weighed their options. “It’s too late now to summon the vessel. We must make do with our own resources.”

“Can we fall back to the defense grid and use its weapons combined with our fleets to stop the Simulins?” asked Calmat. “If they suffer major losses to their fleet early in the battle, they may withdraw. They have done so in the past.”

Admiral Bachal slowly shook his head. “I fear not. It’s obvious from the size fleet they’ve gathered that they’re prepared to begin offensive operations once more. They can’t do that in this region without first destroying our fleets and reducing Ornellia to lifelessness. I fear they will not withdraw no matter what the losses.”

“I’m recalling the Exeter and Reprisal,” Jackson said after a moment. “We may need their fighters to keep Simulin missiles away from the surface of the planet.” There were fighters based on the planet as well as defensive lasers and Hunter interceptor missile batteries. It would not be easy to get a missile through. “We can also use their bombers to take out damaged Simulin ships.”

“What about Admiral Santeld?” asked Bachal. “He has seventeen warships under his command.”

“I think we leave him at Absom,” replied Jackson after a moment of thought. This was a hard decision as he could use those warships. “If we lose this battle, his ships will be the only warships left in this sector. Perhaps he can still save some of his people. Let’s make sure all Ornellian cargo ships and passenger liners are at Absom before the Simulins arrive.”

“What about the big colony ships?” asked Admiral Bachal. “They have energy shields and are lightly armed with defensive batteries. If they stay here, we run the risk of losing them. As large as they are they will be high priority targets. If they go to Absom, they could save a lot of lives.”

Jackson took in a deep breath and then responded. “We’ll send them as well as one of our fleet repair ships.”

“So Admiral, what is our plan of battle?” asked Calmat.

Jackson could see only one possibility for victory and it was a slim one. “We have to pull back to the defensive grid to allow its firepower to augment our own. Between our fleets and the grid we just might be able to hold the planet against the Simulins.”

“It’s a slim possibility,” said Admiral Bachal, tilting his head slightly. “However, it’s the best strategy afforded us. If we meet them away from the planet, our fleets will be destroyed. Not even my Alton battleships will be able to withstand the amount of firepower the Simulins will be able to bring against us. The fleet they have gathered is just too powerful.”

Before Admiral Jackson could reply, the Condition One alarms began sounding. With great concern he activated his comm link to the Command Center. “What’s the status?” he asked as he heard Commander Blanton come on the line.

“Two Simulin battlecruisers and four escort cruisers just jumped into the outer system. We’re detecting sensor scans. Should I send ships out to intercept?”

“No,” replied Admiral Jackson, knowing this was a prelude to an attack. Doubtlessly the Simulin ships were scanning the ships and defenses around Ornellia. Once they jumped out, then the attack would begin shortly afterward. “Take all ships to Condition Three and tell the crews to get some rest and something light to eat. I expect to be fully engaged with the Simulins in four to six hours.”

That was how long Jackson figured it would take the enemy ships to return to their fleet, evaluate the information, and then for the Supreme High Commander to launch his attack. The next thing that needed to be done was to warn Oman Lantoll his planet would soon be under assault. The Ornellians had gone through so much pain and suffering, and now they were about to go through even more.

-

Dax Matol sat in his command chair in the deep underground bunker, which protected the two thousand young people who had been brought inside. There were also two hundred Ornellians responsible for keeping the bunker operating. Outside the bunker, an additional five hundred Ornellian military personnel were taking up positions in recently built fortifications waiting for the appearance of Conqueror Drones. However, this time they were armed with much more powerful weapons to take on the drones. A number of small camouflaged bunkers encircled the slope of the mountain. Inside each, a pair of twin KEW cannons could sweep their zone of fire, destroying any Conqueror Drones that appeared. In addition a number of laser turrets on the upper slopes defended the mountain from missiles and could also be used to take out Conqueror Drones if needed. There were also a number of Hunter interceptor missile batteries on the mountain hidden from view.

“Bunker is sealed,” reported Les Ketene as several green lights appeared on his control console.

“Internal power and life support have been fully activated,” added another Ornellian in front of a large console.

Dax nodded. There were ten others inside the Control Center who were monitoring the bunker itself and what was occurring outside.

“Councilman Lantol has placed the planet on alert,” the communications operator said. “Everyone is being encouraged to go to the nearest shelter until the all clear is sounded.”

Dax could well imagine how frightened the people in the small cities must be. They had just risen up from almost being annihilated, and now they were facing the same threat again.

“What are Admiral Jackson’s ships doing?” he asked the sensor operator.

“They’re moving closer to the defensive grid.”

“That’s not good,” commented Les, his eyes narrowing. “It indicates the admiral believes he’s going to need the grid’s firepower in order for his ships to survive.”

“What about that small group of Simulins ships in the outer part of the system?” asked Dax.

“They jumped out a short time ago,” the sensor operator replied.

Les frowned. “They must have jumped in and scanned us.”

Dax nodded. “Don’t activate our defensive laser turrets until necessary.” He knew there were other similar turrets surrounding each of the small cities which held Ornellians. In addition there were four squadrons of Talon fighters and six squadrons of Anlon bombers based at the spaceport near Dorman. The spaceport was also surrounded by laser turrets and Hunter interceptor missile batteries. Several hundred Human Marines provided a ground force.

Dax closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He just hoped his people survived this.

-

In Dorman and other small cities near the mountains, sirens were going off warning of imminent attack. Across the planet, military missions searching for survivors or taking out Conqueror Drones were ordered to take cover and wait for further orders. All Anlon bombers and Talon fighters were quickly recalled.

At the small spaceport outside of Dorman, the bombers were carefully moved into their secure bunkers while the fighters were loaded with ammunition and small Hunter missiles affixed to the wings. Marines loaded up on ammunition for their assault rifles and some took more energy packs for their pulse rifles. They hurried to their defensive positions to wait for the coming attack. No one wanted to see Ornellia fall again.

-

On board the Distant Horizon, Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes gazed at the nearby tactical display. She had watched as the six Simulin warships jumped into the Ornellia System and then after a few minutes jump back out.

“Taking routine scans,” Clarissa said without hesitation. “The Simulin attack is imminent.”

Kathryn took a deep breath. “Commander, take the ship to Condition Three.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Commander Grissim said as she set the state of alarm and made the announcement over the ship’s internal comm system.

“So we’re going into combat,” commented Camlin, who was standing nearby with her arms folded across her chest.

“I expect so,” Kathryn answered. “As soon as those six ships make it back to their main fleet, I expect the Simulins to launch an all out attack against Ornellia.”

Kathryn just hoped her crew was ready for this. At least they would have the help of the Originator AIs, the Altons on board, and especially Clarissa. Kathryn knew Clarissa had been running battle simulations nonstop for nearly two days now.

“That is a large Simulin fleet,” continued Camlin, gazing at the tactical display. “Do you think it wise to engage such a powerful fleet with an inexperienced crew? You said earlier it would take two weeks to have this ship ready for combat. Less than a week has passed.”

“Are you suggesting we let the Federation fleet be destroyed and the surface of Ornellia bombed back to the Stone Age or worse?”

Kathryn was surprised to hear Camlin voice her concern over this. For days now both she and Jolban had been saying how powerful the ship was and how there was nothing in this galaxy, other than perhaps the Dominator, which could endanger it.

“No, of course not,” Camlin quickly said. “I was just pointing out that with an inexperienced crew accidents can happen. The wrong system turned on or off at a key moment, or even worse. I think it’s something you need to consider before risking this ship. Just remember our primary mission is recovering the Dominator and Kazak.”

“I will take your advice under consideration,” Kathryn said evenly. “But for now I intend to engage the Simulins with the Distant Horizon when they jump into the Ornellian System.” She had promised the Ornellians she would return someday to rescue them; she intended to keep that promise.

-

Reesa had been listening to the conversation. One thing she picked up on immediately was that Camlin had mentioned recovering the Dominator and Kazak. Nothing had been said about the Originators that were supposedly in stasis in the ship’s central compartment.

Reesa felt her heart begin to beat faster. She greatly feared Camlin had no intention of allowing Rear Admiral Barnes to take the exploration dreadnought to Ornellia. She had met several times with Clarissa, and between the two of them they had come up with a plan to thwart the Originator AIs. The only problem was, there was no way to know if it would work.

-

Simulin High Commander Altrab studied the sensor scans of the Ornellian System. The small fleet he had sent to obtain the scans had only just returned. There were more ships in the system than expected and the planet’s defensive grid had been greatly strengthened.

“Another fleet from the Fitula Nebula must have recently arrived,” commented High Commander Jarald with a scowl. “It will increase our losses.”

“It only goes to demonstrate how important Ornellia is to the Fitula organics,” replied Altrab. “They want to establish a base of operations in the outer regions of this galaxy. We cannot allow that.”

Jarald turned away from the battle computer where he had been checking on the latest probability of Simulin victory based on the changes to the organic and AI forces. “The battle computer predicts a 92 percent probability of a Simulin victory.”

Altrab looked coldly at Jarald. Jarald was too dependent on the battle computer for strategy. It was his one weakness as a commander. “Prepare the fleet to jump to Ornellia. I want us to appear just outside of the planet’s gravity well. Once there we will reevaluate the data from the sensor scans, and if there are no noticeable changes, we will attack.”

“There can only be Simulin,” replied Jarald

“Only Simulin,” responded Altrab.

He felt uneasy. These were the Fitula organics and AIs, the same ones who had destroyed the Great Sphere, defeated Simulin fleets in a number of battles, and more recently destroyed six Simulin worlds. He strongly suspected this battle would be much more difficult than the battle computer predicted.

-

Aboard the Distant Horizon, Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes sat nervously in her command chair watching the long-range sensors showing the large Simulin fleet. Numerous Simulin ships were moving forming up into an obvious attack formation.

“Sible, I want our jump timed to put us directly behind the main part of the Simulin fleet twenty seconds after they arrive.” If her plan worked, the Distant Horizon would tear into the rear of the Simulin fleet before they could begin firing on the Federation ships around Ornellia.

“Yes, Admiral,” Sible replied as she began sitting the jump up.

Kathryn watched Sible. It was strange to see her sitting there with her hands in her lap and a look of concentration on her face. Kathryn knew Sible was using her neural implant to plot and set up the jump.

“Should we go to Condition Two?” asked Commander Grissim.

“No, not yet,” Kathryn replied. “We’ll give the crew these last few minutes to relax before we sound the alarms. “As soon as the Simulins jump, we’ll go to Condition Two. Once we jump, we’ll go immediately to Condition One.” As fast as the Distant Horizon was in hyperspace, it would only take them five to six minutes to travel the ten light years to Ornellia. Kathryn was anxious to find out what her upgraded ship was capable of.

-

Reesa risked a quick look at Clarissa who slowly shook her head. Reesa’s pulse was racing, and she was breathing faster. Turning back to her console, she reminded herself she was an Alton. Closing her eyes she focused, slowing her breathing back down to normal and bringing her beating heart back under control. Sometime in the next few minutes she and Clarissa would know if the daring plan they had put together would thwart Camlin and the other Originator AIs. If they failed, then Ornellia would fall and Camlin would be free to carry out her plans against Kazak and the Dominator.

-

Over Ornellia, Admiral Jackson was waiting tensely for the Simulin attack. The Exeter, Reprisal, and the two Alton battleships that had been at Absom had just arrived. All the Ornellian vessels, the colony ships, and the fleet repair ship had left the system to go to Absom and Admiral Santeld.

“All ships present,” reported Commander Blanton. “The Exeter and the Reprisal have joined the other four battlecarriers beneath the defense grid.”

Jackson nodded. He had formed the fleet up into ten lines five high and three deep. Damaged ships in the front line would fall back to the third line and ships in the second line would move forward to take their place. He had placed the fleet close enough to the defense grid so several of the Type Two battlestations and a large number of particle beam satellites would be able to fire upon the enemy fleet.

“We’re as ready as we’re going to be,” said Commander Blanton. “Admiral Bachal and Admiral Calmat report all of their vessels are 100 percent combat ready.”

Admiral Jackson leaned back in his command chair. “Now, we just wait for the Simulins to show up.” Jackson let out a deep breath. He wasn’t kidding himself. He knew the odds of winning the coming battle would be stacked deeply on the side of the Simulins. In order for him to win, he would need a miracle.

-

That miracle waited a scant ten light years distant. Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes nearly jumped when the Simulin ships on the long-range sensors began vanishing from the system they had been in jumping quickly into hyperspace. However, the sensors on the Distant Horizon were capable of detecting the Simulins in hyperspace as well.

“Simulins have entered hyperspace and are en route to Ornellia,” confirmed Commander Grissim.

“Estimated arrival time at their current speed in hyperspace is seventy-four minutes,” added Captain Reynolds. “Their current speed in hyperspace is one light year every two minutes.”

“Sible, do you have our jump calculated based on the Simulins’ hyperspace speed?”

“Yes, Admiral,” Sible responded. “If necessary we can make additional adjustments once we enter hyperspace.”

“Commander Grissim, keep the ship at Condition Three for the time being. The Simulins’ hyperspace speed is slightly slower than I expected.” No one knew for certain what the maximum speed was the Simulins could manage in hyperspace. It all depended on the level of hyperspace a ship could access.

-

Minutes passed as the Simulin fleet drew closer to Ornellia. The Distant Horizon had only just changed its alert level to condition Two.

“Activating hyperdrive,” reported Sible. A moment later she had a confused look on her face. “Admiral, the hyperdrive is nonfunctional.”

Kathryn instantly tried to contact Engineering. However, her comm remained silent.

“Clarissa, what’s going on?” Kathryn looked over at the AI, who seemed to be frozen in place. A cold and sharp chill spread over her. This all couldn’t be a coincidence. Drawing in a sharp breath she turned toward Camlin, who was standing close by. “What have you done to the ship and Clarissa?”

“The ship’s fine,” Camlin responded. “Clarissa’s AI body has been temporarily shut down, and her access to the ship’s systems cut.”

Kathryn stood up. “Why have you done this? If we don’t get to the Ornellian System soon, the Federation fleet in orbit will be destroyed and Ornellia will be turned into a radioactive cinder by the Simulins. Millions will die!”

“I truly regret that,” Camlin said with a trace of sadness in her voice. “However, we can’t risk any harm coming to this ship until we have gained control of the Dominator and Kazak. Our entire future rests on that.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“Because of the Anti-Life,” answered Reesa, rising to her feet and gazing defiantly at Camlin. “Camlin needs the weapons research on the Dominator so they can travel to the galaxy where the Anti-Life resides.”

“What weapons research?” Kathryn was getting more confused with every passing second. Not only that, the Simulins were still on their way to Ornellia while the Distant Horizon sat dead in space.

“Over half of the scientists on the Dominator were doing weapons research,” Reesa explained.

“How can you know this?” demanded Camlin, looking over accusingly at Leeda who had moved closer to Reesa as if to protect her.

“It doesn’t matter,” Reesa replied. “You need those weapon designs so you can safely enter the galaxy of the Anti-Life.”

“Why travel there?” asked Kathryn. “What’s so important about the Anti-Life?”

“We have to,” Camlin said defiantly. “I don’t believe there are any Originators on board the Dominator. It’s been too long. If we want to bring back the Originator race, we must go to the galaxy of the Anti-Life.”

“I still don’t understand,” said Kathryn, shaking her head. “Why go to the galaxy of your greatest enemies?”

“Tell her Camlin, or I will,” threatened Reesa. Behind the admiral and Camlin, Reesa saw Major Weir tap a small control box beneath her console.

“Because the Anti-Life are also Originators,” Camlin said, her eyes glinting with anger. “They were changed millions of years ago by using advanced nanite technology. They became a race of part machine and part Originator. They used outlawed nanite technology to become smarter, stronger, and nearly immortal. They spread out from their galaxy and tried to conquer the rest of the Originator Empire. The war lasted for centuries before they were finally driven back.”

“Tell the admiral why you want to go there,” Leeda demanded. “Tell her how you and most of the other AIs on the Distant Horizon plan on taking the Dominator and Kazak to the galaxy of the Anti-Life. How you want to bargain with them to give you what is necessary to recreate the Originator race. You need sufficient germplasm from the Anti-Life to allow a new race of Originators to be born.”

“Is that true?” demanded Kathryn.

“It’s true, Admiral,” Clarissa said suddenly as she moved toward Camlin. “Sible, you will find the ship is now capable of doing a hyperjump. I would suggest you do so immediately.”

“How?” cried out Camlin, backing away from Clarissa in horror. “You can’t be functioning, and the ship’s controls are locked out.”

“Not anymore,” Clarissa said, stepping over and grabbing both of Camlin’s wrists, holding her immobile.

At that moment the hatch to the Command Center slid open and a squad of Marines rushed in. Without hesitation they stunned all the Originator AIs except Camlin, Leeda, and Sible.

“Marines are taking out every Originator AI in all areas of the ship,” Major Weir reported as he listened to his comm link, which was now functional.

Kathryn sat back down in her command chair even more confused than before.

“Entering hyperspace,” reported Sible.

Camlin looked directly at Leeda. “You’re responsible for this.”

“Yes,” replied Leeda, staring directly into Camlin’s eyes. “Unlike you, I think there is still a possibility of Originators being in the stasis chambers on board the Dominator. I told Reesa and Clarissa what you were planning.”

“I found the special programming in the ship’s computer,” added Clarissa. “I set up a counter program that would neutralize it shortly after it was activated. I also spoke to Major Weir informing him of what you were planning. We set up a separate communication system to allow him to contact the Marines on the ship informing them to stun all the AIs on board. It was also necessary to tell a few Marine officers so they would know what to do when the time came.”

“Why wasn’t I informed?” demanded Kathryn. It seemed that once again Clarissa had circumvented her authority.

“We were afraid Camlin would realize something was amiss if you were informed, Admiral,” Leeda explained apologetically. “She has been keeping a very close watch on you, and any indication of a change in your behavior might have tipped her off. We couldn’t risk that. Too much was at stake.”

“I did what I had to do,” proclaimed Camlin, looking back at Kathryn defiantly. “Would you have done any differently to save your people?”

“Leeda, will the detention cells on the ship hold Camlin and the others until we decide what to do with them?”

“Yes, Admiral,” Leeda replied. “The cells have structural energy fields and will hold any Originator AI.”

“How soon before they recover?” asked Kathryn, pointing toward several immobile Originator AIs lying on the deck.

“A few hours,” replied Clarissa.

“Sergeant,” Kathryn said, pointing to the AIs and Camlin. “Take them to detention. Make sure sufficient guards are in place.”

“Do you think you can fight this ship without us?” cried out Camlin. “You could cost us everything with this foolishness. You must not risk the Distant Horizon!”

“Get her out of my Command Center,” Kathryn ordered the sergeant, who quickly led Camlin out while the others were carried. Kathryn was surprised at all the emotions the Originator AIs had just shown. It was something she would remember in her future dealings with them.

“Admiral, we’re getting close to Ornellia,” warned Commander Grissim.

Kathryn nodded. “Take us to Condition One.” Then she looked at Leeda, Reesa, and Clarissa. “When this is over, we’re going to have a long talk. But right now we have a fleet and a world to save.”

Chapter Eleven

Admiral Jackson gazed at the nearby tactical display feeling his heart beating faster. It was full of red threat icons inbound toward the Ornellian System. “How soon before they arrive?”

“Two minutes,” reported Commander Blanton.

Jackson nodded; they had been tracking the inbound Simulin fleet since it hit the ten light-year mark. Already he had put the fleet at Condition One and sent the warning to Ornellia to prepare for an imminent attack.

Looking at the numerous viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center, he could see his other ships as well as several Type Two battlestations. His fleet was in its battle formation backed up to just outside the defensive grid. On one screen, he could see an Alton fifteen-hundred-meter battleship. Next to it was a one-thousand-meter AI warsphere.

“One minute to dropout,” warned Lieutenant Ortega from his sensor console.

“All ships stand by to fire,” ordered Admiral Jackson over the ship-to-ship comm. “If they dropout within weapons range we need as many kills as possible before their shields come up.” Jackson knew this was his only real hope for victory. If the Simulins dropped out of hyperspace too close to his fleet, he just might be able to inflict crippling losses on them before their systems stabilized.

“Dropout,” called out Lieutenant Ortega.

Jackson watched the viewscreens expectantly as spatial vortexes began to form. With a deep sigh, he knew the Simulins were dropping out of hyperspace too far away from his fleet. The easy kills were not going to happen. “All ships, hold position; let them come to us.” Now it would be a battle of attrition and his fleet was outnumbered nearly ten to one. Glancing at another screen, he could see Ornellia. He didn’t want to think about the panic that must even now be sweeping through the survivors on the planet.

-

On Ornellia Dax watched the sensors anxiously. He felt a cold chill spread over him as the sensor screen filled with deadly red threat icons. Admiral Jackson’s fleet was going to be heavily outnumbered.

“How can Admiral Jackson defeat that?” asked Les, looking over toward Dax. “There are fifteen hundred Simulin warships showing up on the sensors.”

Dax let out a deep sigh of resignation. “He can’t. If he stays his fleet will be annihilated.”

“Then everything we’ve rebuilt and all the survivors we’ve gathered are in danger.”

Dax nodded. “There’s nothing we can do. All we can hope for is to protect those entrusted to us.” Dax knew it would be difficult. There was no doubt the Simulins would eventually detect the hidden bunker beneath the mountain. All it would take would be one powerful nuke getting through the defenses and the dreams of a future Ornellia would die.

-

Supreme High Commander Altrab spent a long minute studying the tactical display. There was nothing to indicate any hidden surprises. “Take us in,” he ordered. “Standard attack formation.”

-

The Simulin fleet formed up into a wedge-shaped formation and headed toward the center of the defending ships. They would overwhelm it, blow apart the defensive grid, and then begin the nuclear bombardment of the planet. The Conqueror Drone carriers followed at a safe distance behind the fleet.

-

“Twelve seconds to extreme weapons range,” reported Captain Dwight Lance from Tactical. Weapons are charged, and missiles are in the tubes.”

Admiral Jackson leaned forward, gazing at a viewscreen showing a seventeen-hundred-meter Simulin battlecruiser. What concerned Jackson was that five hundred of them were in the Simulins’ wedge formation. As he watched the viewscreen, his heart sank and his breathing quickened. He knew he couldn’t defeat the enemy fleet that was coming toward him.

“All ships, fire a full spread of antimatter missiles and then energy weapons. Continue to fire missiles as rapidly as they can be loaded.” Jackson knew it took a lot of energy to knock down a Simulin ship’s energy screen. The only advantage they had were the particle beam cannons, which seemed to be able to penetrate the Simulin screens much easier.

“Commander Blanton, I want the particle beam satellites and the Type Two battlestations to fire as soon as we do.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Blanton replied.

“Weapons range,” reported Captain Lance as he pressed several buttons on his console and then touched a number of icons on his screen. His fellow weapons officers sitting on each side of him were doing the same thing.

-

From the Human and Alton ships, as well as the AI warspheres, hundreds of sublight antimatter missiles launched and slammed into the shields of the advancing Simulin ships. Particle beam satellites and the Type Two battlestations added their firepower to the fleets, attempting to overwhelm Simulin shields. Power beams, particle beams, and energy beams flashed out, trying to find a way through the powerful Simulin energy screens.

Space around the Simulin fleet lit up from the fury of the attack. Powerful missiles detonated against Simulin shields, releasing countless megatons of energy. The attack was so massive that a few shields wavered. An antimatter missile penetrated the over tasked shield of a Simulin escort cruiser. The missile slammed into the stern of the vessel and the cruiser vanished in a fiery explosion as one hundred megatons of energy was released.

Numerous particle beams were penetrating the stressed shields of Simulin ships. A battlecruiser vanished in a powerful explosion as it was blown apart. A pair of escort cruisers were turned into wreckage as particle beams and power beams ripped through them. Across the Simulin fleet, ships were dying from the powerful attack. Then the Simulin fleet opened fire.

Powerful energy beams and antimatter missiles tore into the defending fleet. The Alton battlecruiser Star Finder exploded as twenty Simulin energy beams penetrated deep inside the vessel. Two AI warspheres died in fiery explosions of released energy as antimatter missiles detonated against their hulls. An Alton battlecruiser lost power and was turned into a glowing field of drifting debris. Other ships were suffering major damage as their shields were overwhelmed by the Simulin attack.

-

The Dauntless shuddered as two antimatter missiles struck her energy shield, severely jarring the ship. The screen seemed to flicker and then the flickering vanished as the screen strengthened.

“Energy screen is at 80 percent,” reported Captain Lance. “We’re being targeted by a number of Simulin energy beams. Brace yourself!”

Admiral Jackson gripped the armrests on his command chair as the ship was struck by intense weapons fire.

“Multiple breaches along the forward hull; we’re venting atmosphere,” the damage control officer reported. “Damage control teams are en route.”

“Two warspheres have moved in to cover us,” added Commander Blanton.

“Get me a status report on the damage as soon as possible. All batteries continuous fire,” ordered Admiral Jackson, his eyes watching the tactical displays intently. Green icons were vanishing too fast.

“We’re losing ships,” Lieutenant Ortega reported in a strained voice. “We’ve lost Two Alton battleships, four Alton battlecruisers, three warspheres, and two Strikecruisers.”

“The enemy?” asked Admiral Jackson, feeling helpless to prevent the carnage the Simulins were delivering to his fleet.

“Four battlecruisers and seven escort cruisers,” Ortega answered.

On one of the viewscreens, a flash of bright light spread across it.

“Warsphere WS-142 is down,” reported Ortega, trying to keep his voice calm. “The Simulins are also targeting the defensive grid. Over seventy particle beam satellites have been lost so far.”

Taking a deep breath, Admiral Jackson switched his comm over to the frequency of the battlecarrier Exeter. “Andrew, I want a full bomber attack sent in from all of the battlecarriers. Your targets are any Simulin ships that have suffered substantial battle damage. Maybe the Anlons can get in close enough so they can deliver their Shrike missiles. Have your fighters go in with them to take some of the pressure off the bombers.”

“Yes, Admiral,” responded Commander Frisk. “Flight bays will be clear in two minutes.”

Admiral Jackson nodded to himself. He wasn’t happy with this decision. He knew he had just sentenced most if not all of those fighter and bomber pilots to their deaths. However, the confusion caused by the hundreds of fighters and bombers going in might just allow his capital ships to take out more Simulin vessels, maybe enough to thwart this attack. It was a long shot, but for now it was about the only one he had left.

-

In space, particle beam fire from an AI warsphere slammed into the main part of a Simulin battlecruiser, setting off massive explosions and hurling glowing debris into space. A Devastator Three missile arrived, blowing the ship in two.

A pair of Simulin energy beams struck the Federation battlecruiser Livingston, blowing a deep hole in the hull and destroying several energy turrets. The battlecruiser reeled as more Simulin fire covered its weakening energy screen. On board the Livingston, fires were spreading as several secondary explosions rattled the ship.

-

Aboard the Exeter Captain Marsha Trask exited the flight bay at the head of her squadron of Anlon bombers. Every bomber was carrying two Shrike missiles each armed with a twenty-megaton warhead.

“All Raiders form up in standard assault formation,” she ordered over her squadron’s comm frequency.

“Some mission,” muttered Lieutenant Fry. “Go out and shoot a Simulins warship, any warship, as we’ll be vastly outnumbered. We’ll be lucky to even get a missile off.”

“Shut up,” a female voice replied hotly. “You should have died on Absom when those Conqueror Drones had you cornered.”

“Yeah,” another female voice said. “I heard about the brunette you had a date with. I understand she ditched you.”

“It was a misunderstanding,” Fry replied defensively. “We’re still going to hook up.”

“Can the chatter,” Marsha ordered. “We have a mission to do. We’re going in with our fighters to target any Simulin ship that seems to have suffered extensive battle damage. Maybe we can take some of the pressure off our warships.” A bright light suddenly lit up space.

“What was that?” asked one of the male pilots.

“It was one of our battlecruisers,” answered Fry. “From my sensor readings, I would say it was the Livingston.”

The comm channel was quiet for a long moment and then Captain Trask gave her next order. “Form up on me and let’s get this done.” Switching over to the general channel, she contacted Captain Scott of the Black Rain fighter squadron. “Captain Scott, are you ready?”

“Yes, we’ll form up on your squadron’s flanks and try to give you some covering fire. At the very least we should draw some of their defensive fire toward us.”

“Let’s do it then,” Marsha said as she turned toward the Simulin fleet and accelerated her bomber. She knew in all likelihood she would not be returning to the Exeter. None of them would.

-

Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes gazed at the tactical display anxiously. The delay caused by Camlin had put the Distant Horizon behind schedule. She felt like crying every time she saw a friendly green icon disappear from the display. “How much longer?”

“Forty seconds,” Sible reported. “I’m putting us directly behind the main part of the Simulin wedge formation. Distance will be two thousand kilometers. We’ll be directly between their warships and the Conqueror Drone carriers which are trailing their fleet by ten thousand kilometers.”

“Captain Weir, are the ship’s weapons ready?”

“Yes, Admiral,” Weir replied. “We can begin firing within two seconds of hyperspace emergence.”

“Clarissa, can you help coordinate our weapons fire? I want a spread of antimatter missiles aimed at those Conqueror Drone carriers. Their energy shields will be substantially weaker than their warships. I want them taken out.” Kathryn didn’t want to risk any of the deadly drones getting loose on Ornellia.

“Yes, Admiral,” Clarissa responded. “I recommend we hit their warships with all of our main weapons upon emergence. We can direct our antimatter missiles toward the Conquer Drone vessels. I calculate it will take two missiles each to annihilate one of their drone carrier vessels. After that it will take thirty seconds for the energy-siphoning field to fully activate. From my calculations, it will take in nearly 89 percent of the Simulin fleet.”

Kathryn nodded. The drone carriers were out of range of the energy-siphoning field and that was why she wanted them targeted with the sublight antimatter missiles.

“Ten seconds, Admiral,” Sible reported. “We should be dead on target.”

“Stand by,” ordered Kathryn, leaning forward expectantly in her command chair. The Distant Horizon was about to announce its return to battle against the Simulins in a big way.

“Emergence!” cried out Sible.

“Fire!” ordered Kathryn as she saw another AI warsphere explode on the viewscreen, which was now showing a clear view of the battle.

“Missiles launched,” reported Clarissa.

“Energy weapons firing,” added Major Weir.

-

The Distant Horizon stormed out of the spatial vortex with weapons firing and missiles launching. Behind the ship, massive explosions suddenly wracked the Conqueror Drone carriers as fourteen of them died instantly from the deadly missile attack. The second round of missiles took out the last twelve, leaving only glowing debris behind.

Gravitonic cannons sent beams of destruction toward the unsuspecting Simulin fleet. Two Simulin battlecruisers exploded in brilliant fireballs as the gravitonic beams tore them apart. The ship’s antimatter projectors flashed through a Simulin energy screen, tearing an escort cruiser open from bow to stern. The ship’s particle beam cannons struck a Simulin battlecruiser, turning it instantly into a drifting wreck. Those were just the primary weapons.

On the ship’s hull secondary weapons began firing, sixteen antimatter projectors as well as eight more gravitonic cannons. Chaos spread through the Simulin fleet as the backside of the wedge formation became filled with dying Simulin ships. Forty-eight power beam turrets added their deadly fire to the mix. The missile tubes were retargeted and 100-megaton antimatter missiles began launching in rapid launch mode. There were thirty-six missile tubes and each was launching a missile every ten seconds. The entire back side of the Simulin wedge lit up like a nova had just overtaken it.

-

“What the hell?” said Admiral Jackson as he rose instinctively to his feet at seeing the chaos sweeping the far side of the Simulin formation.

“We have a ship that has exited hyperspace behind the Simulin formation,” reported Lieutenant Ortega. “It’s opened fire on the Simulins! It’s already destroyed all twenty-six Conqueror Drone carriers!”

“Is that the Dominator?” asked Commander Blanton. “It’s the only ship I know of that can cause that type of damage.”

“Scan that ship!” ordered Admiral Jackson. “I want to know who it is and where it came from.” Even as he spoke those words, the Dauntless suddenly seemed to heave upwards, sending Jackson crashing to the deck.

Struggling to stand, Jackson stumbled back to his command chair. Looking around, he saw smoke and sparks everywhere. Several consoles were on fire. Alarms were screaming from the damage control board and red lights were rapidly blinking on. Admiral Jackson blinked his eyes and looked around the Command Center to see if everyone was okay.

“We were hit by a large piece of wreckage from the Livingston,” reported Commander Blanton. She had a deep gash on her forehead, which was bleeding profusely. “We have a two-hundred-meter hole in our hull on the port side. Our energy screen is also compromised. I’m receiving reports of heavy crew casualties.”

“Pull us back to the third line,” ordered Jackson. Turning back to Lieutenant Ortega. “Do we know who that ship is?”

“Yes, sir,” replied Ortega, looking shocked and confused. “It appears to be the Distant Horizon. But it’s much larger and it’s firing weapons similar to what are on the Dominator.”

“The Distant Horizon?” said Jackson, feeling stunned and his eyes opening wide in disbelief. “That’s impossible. It was destroyed in the supernova at the black matter Dyson Sphere.”

“I know, sir, but look.”

Instantly on one of the viewscreens a large ship appeared.

Jackson drew in a sharp breath as he gazed at the viewscreen. The ship did indeed resemble the Distant Horizon but is was much larger and was equipped with weapons it shouldn’t have. “It just can’t be. There’s no way that’s the Distant Horizon. They’re all dead.”

“Admiral,” called out Lieutenant Brenda Neal from Communications. Her face looked ashen as if she had seen a ghost. “I have Rear Admiral Barnes on the comm. She wishes to speak to you.”

Jackson felt a wave of dizziness sweep over him. This was impossible. “Put her on my private channel,” he ordered.

“If that is the Distant Horizon, they’re blowing the hell out of the Simulins,” Commander Blanton reported. “The Simulins have nothing to stop her.”

“Admiral Jackson,” a familiar female voice said over his comm channel.

“Rear Admiral Barnes, is that really you and the Distant Horizon?”

“Yes, Admiral,” Barnes replied.

“How? It’s impossible! We all saw you die.”

“Not quite,” the rear admiral responded. “I’ll explain everything soon. We’re getting ready to activate an energy-siphoning field. Very shortly most of these Simulin ships are going to be powerless. I want this fleet crushed!”

“We’ll be ready,” replied Admiral Jackson, turning toward Commander Blanton. “Belay that order to withdraw to the third line. We’re staying right where we are. Captain Lance, prepare all of our missile tubes. We’re about to show the Simulins they never should have attacked Ornellia.”

Jackson didn’t understand what was going on, but that had definitely been Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes’ voice on the comm. For the first time since the battle began, he started to feel hope.

-

Simulin Supreme High Commander Altrab stood stunned in his Command Center. An unbelievably powerful ship had appeared behind his fleet and was blowing the rear section of his attack formation into oblivion. Not only that, all of his Conqueror Drone carriers had been annihilated when the ship first appeared. It was using weapons powerful beyond belief.

“Identify that ship!” he greatly feared it was the ancient ship of the Sphere Builders.

“Unknown,” High Commander Jarald replied. “It meets no known spacecraft in our database. It does vaguely resemble a Fitula organic vessel but it was believed to have been annihilated when the Great Sphere was destroyed.”

Altrab watched as ten more of his vessels vanished in blinding explosions of energy. That ship by itself had already destroyed over sixty Simulin vessels.

“Our ships near the new vessel are failing to report. They’re also no longer firing their weapons,” reported Jarald with uncertainty in his eyes.

“What?” Altrab’s eyes went to the viewscreens, which had been changed to show the new vessel. The Simulin ships closest to it were no longer firing their energy beams. They seemed to be drifting powerless in space. With growing fear he recalled an earlier report where the ship of the ancients had caused all the Simulin ships near it to lose power. Well over a thousand Simulin warships had been lost in that battle. It had been right outside the Fitula Nebula. This might be that same type of weapon.

Without hesitation, Altrab knew he had to act quickly or his fleet was doomed. “Order all ships to enter hyperspace and return to our assembly area.”

“What?” responded Jarald, looking confused. “The battle computer is still showing a 70 percent probability of victory.”

“Not against that ship,” growled Altrab. “It’s equipped with ancient weapons. If we remain, we die!”

Jarald seemed to turn pale as he quickly began issuing orders.

Moments later Altrab felt his ship make the transition into hyperspace. Looking at the long-range sensor display, he felt gloom at seeing how few ships had made the escape into hyperspace. Most of his fleet was still back at Ornellia, powerless. He had failed in his first mission as a Supreme High Commander. He was certain when he returned to Gladen Three he would pay the ultimate penalty for failing the Simulin race.

-

“Energy siphoning field established,” reported Major Weir.

“Enemy ships are losing power,” confirmed Captain Reynolds. “Sensors indicate a definite drop in weapons fire.”

“We got about 82 percent of their fleet,” Clarissa said, placing her hands on her hips and smiling. “We only took a few minor hits to our energy screen and it never dropped below 96 percent.”

“Admiral Jackson’s fleet is advancing toward the Simulins,” added Captain Reynolds. “They’re firing Devastator Three missiles at the enemy fleet.”

“Put it on the screen,” ordered Kathryn.

Instantly on the large viewscreen, space was full of massive bursts of nuclear energy. Each Devastator Three sublight missile had a fifty-megaton warhead attached. Whenever one struck the armored hull of a Simulin battlecruiser or escort cruiser, the ship simply ceased to be. In each location a fiery firestorm of energy turned the vessels into glowing gas and plasma.

“Hold our current position,” Kathryn ordered. “After the ships they lost they deserve to finish off these Simulins.”

“So this is what war is like,” said Leeda, who had been standing close to Kathryn watching everything on the viewscreen and the ship’s tactical displays. “I never imagined such violence. I studied it when I researched the war against the Anti-Life, but experiencing it is so much different.”

“A lot of good people just died due to Camlin’s interference,” Kathryn said pointedly. “Thousands of people died on those ships the Simulins destroyed. “If we could have arrived just a few minutes sooner, they might still be alive.”

“I’m truly sorry, Admiral,” Leeda replied with remorse in her voice. “If we thought we could have stopped her sooner, we would have.”

“Leeda’s correct,” Clarissa said, coming to the Originator AI’s defense. “We dared not risk alerting her, or any of the other Originator AIs, that we knew what their scheme was. We moved at the most opportune time with the highest probability of success.”

Kathryn let out a deep sigh. “I know all of you think you did right and perhaps you did. After we’ve settled everything on Ornellia, we’ll have a long and detailed discussion about this.”

Kathryn turned her attention back to the viewscreen, which was filled with bright explosions marking the death of the Simulin fleet. She was awed realizing the Distant Horizon had single handedly, defeated a Simulin fleet of fifteen hundred vessels. It made her realize just how advanced and powerful Originator weapons technology was. It also made her realize why the Originator AIs were so hesitant about sharing this technology. In the wrong hands, it could be devastating.

-

Dax felt numb watching what was occurring on the sensors of his Control Center. The Simulin fleet was being systematically annihilated by Admiral Jackson. “Is it confirmed?” he asked Les.

“Yes,” he replied. “It’s the Distant Horizon and Rear Admiral Barnes. She’s returned!”

“At an opportune time,” Dax replied, grinning. He didn’t know how his people could ever repay the rear admiral. It seemed as if whenever they were in trouble she appeared.

“The all clear is being sounded in the cities,” the communications operator reported.

Dax nodded. “We’ll wait until tomorrow before we open up the bunker.” Dax strongly suspected after this horrendous defeat it would be a long time if ever before the Simulins returned. Perhaps they would be given enough time to rebuild their world.

-

Admiral Jackson watched with a wolfish grin as the last Simulin battlecruiser vanished in a bright fireball of nuclear destruction.

“That’s the last of them,” confirmed Commander Blanton.

Jackson looked at the tactical display seeing all the red threat icons were gone. He’d prayed for a miracle, and it had appeared in the form of a long dead rear admiral and her legendary ship. Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes and the Distant Horizon had returned from the grave.

“Communications, contact Rear Admiral Barnes and ask her to place the Distant Horizon in orbit above Ornellia. Then request that she come over to the Dauntless at her earliest convenience.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Lieutenant Neal from her communications console.

Leaning back in his command chair, Admiral Jackson looked over at Commander Blanton. “What did we lose?” He knew a lot of ships had been destroyed at the beginning of the battle.

“We lost two Alton battleships, four Alton battlecruisers, six warspheres, the battleship Vulture, the battlecruiser Livingstone, and four strikecruisers. We also lost one Type Two battlestation and one hundred and eighty-two particle beam satellites.”

Admiral Jackson sucked in a deep breath. He shook his head at hearing the losses. Nineteen ships in only a few minutes of battle. He knew if Rear Admiral Barnes and the Distant Horizon hadn’t shown up when they did, he would have lost his entire fleet.

Jackson’s eyes shifted back to one of the main viewscreens displaying the fabled ship. It was much larger than he remembered and considerably more heavily armed. Looking down he saw that he had torn his uniform and there was a smattering of blood on it. He would change before Rear Admiral Barnes arrived. Looking around his Command Center, he saw the relieved looks on everyone’s faces. All had expected to die, but a miracle had arrived in the form of the Distant Horizon. Jackson leaned back in his command chair. Looking at another viewscreen, he gazed at Ornellia. The planet was still there and unharmed.

-

Captain Marsha Trask was landing back on the Exeter. As her Anlon bomber entered the massive flight bay, she let out a deep sigh of relief. She had never expected to return. She still wasn’t certain what had happened. Rumors were flying over the comm channel that a mysterious ship had appeared and destroyed the Simulins. A few unconfirmed reports were claiming it was the Distant Horizon and Rear Admiral Barnes but everyone knew that was impossible.

“I guess you still get to see that brunette you’re always talking about,” a female voice commented over the squadron comm channel.

“You know,” Lieutenant Fry replied. “I think for now I’ll just leave her alone. Every time I try to go out with her something disastrous happens.”

One of the female pilots laughed. “We’ll see. I bet you change your mind within forty-eight hours.”

Marsha allowed herself to smile. For once she would let the chatter continue. They were all still alive and for that she was grateful.

-

Admiral Jackson had summoned his other admirals. He was sure they would be just as curious as he was about where Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes and the Distant Horizon had been for all of these months. Jackson suspected he was going to hear an extraordinary story. What had been done to the Distant Horizon seemed to indicate it had something to do with the Originators.

Chapter Twelve

Admiral Jackson was waiting in his briefing room for the arrival of Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes. Already a fleet repair ship was moving toward the Dauntless to begin some much needed repairs. A two-hundred-meter hole was no laughing matter. Commander Blanton was currently touring the ship, inspecting all the damage, and working with the Chief Engineer compiling a long list of what needed to be done. Jackson was just grateful they had the fleet repair ships.

“It was a great battle,” roared Admiral Calmat, slapping the table with his large hand. “There will be much honor for the clan members of the fleet.”

“My ship has scanned the Distant Horizon,” Admiral Bachal said with a thoughtful look in his eyes. “It has undergone some major modifications. There is no doubt Originator technology is involved.”

“It’s the only explanation for what they did to the Simulin fleet,” Jackson replied. He was still feeling astonished over what had happened. “The Distant Horizon may be as powerful as the Dominator. The question is, where did they get this technology and who rebuilt the ship?” Jackson felt excited at the thought of what this technology could mean. A fleet equipped with the Distant Horizon’s weapons could clear the Triangulum Galaxy of Simulin warships in just a few short weeks.

The door opening drew Admiral Jackson’s attention. Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes entered followed by several Altons, Clarissa, and what appeared to be an Originator woman. Admiral Jackson stood utterly speechless. Could they have actually found living Originators?

“Hello, Admiral Jackson,” Kathryn said pleasantly. “Let me introduce you to some of the members of my crew. The two Altons are Kelnor Mard and Reesa Jast; they are both research scientists in the field of the Originators. They are also from our home galaxy. You already know Clarissa, who has been given an AI body, and of course there is Leeda who is an Originator AI similar to Kazak.”

“But I’m not trained for war,” Leeda said, wanting to clarify that.

Admiral Jackson caught his breath and nodded. It looked as if this was going to involve more Originator AIs. “Let’s all sit down. Rear Admiral Barnes, I guess what we all want to know is where you have been the past year. We all thought you were dead. On Gaia there is a granite obelisk honoring the crew of the Distant Horizon on a hill above the new Fleet Academy. This is going to cause quite an uproar when we inform Fleet Admiral Strong of your presence here at Ornellia.”

Kathryn’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Admiral Jackson, I’m going to have to ask you not to send that message. We can’t allow Kazak to find out we’ve returned and the Distant Horizon is equipped with Originator technology.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Let me explain,” replied Kathryn. She then began to detail what had happened to the Distant Horizon at the Dyson Sphere in the dark matter nebula.

-

For nearly three hours the small group listened, asked questions, and then asked even more questions. Many times their eyes showed disbelief at what they were hearing.

“This is all fantastic,” said Admiral Jackson, leaning back in his chair and looking at Leeda. “An entire culture run by Originator AIs.”

“The technology of the Originators is amazing,” commented Admiral Bachal. “The Communications and Transport Hub may be the greatest construction project in the known universe. I still find it hard to believe a race as advanced as the Originators succumbed to a pathogen.”

“They did,” Leeda said sadly. “That’s why I and others hope there are still living Originators in the stasis chambers on board the Dominator. It’s what we have worked for all of these long years.”

Admiral Jackson looked long and hard at Leeda and then spoke. “I can confirm there are indeed Originators in stasis on board the ship. Kazak has taken Fleet Admiral Strong and a few others inside the compartment to inspect the stasis chambers. They’re currently working on finding a cure. A number of Alton geneticists and medical scientist are on board the Dominator studying the pathogen.”

Leeda seemed frozen as she stared at Admiral Jackson. Then she seemed to come out of it. “How many are in the chambers?”

“Over two hundred,” answered Jackson. “Most of them children, although there are a few adults as well.”

A relieved and joyous smile spread over Leeda’s face. “Then we were right. There’s still hope for the Originator race. We have a cure for the life extension pathogen on board the Distant Horizon.”

“Then you need to get to Gaia as soon as possible,” Admiral Jackson said. “From what I understand Kazak is growing highly impatient at the lack of progress on a cure.”

“It’s part of his programming kicking in,” Leeda said concerned. “We must move quickly before Kazak does something rash that might endanger your people on Gaia.”

“I agree,” Kathryn said, looking toward Admiral Jackson. “Particularly after what you told us about Kazak using dark matter missiles to destroy six Simulin worlds. I don’t want to even think about one of those weapons being used on Gaia.”

“All of us were shocked when Kazak went off on his own and destroyed those planets,” Admiral Jackson said. “No one should possess such power.”

“It is a frightful thing,” Admiral Bachal said, his eyes focusing on Leeda. “He killed billions and there was no regret.”

“It’s his programming,” Leeda said, looking disturbed at what Kazak had done. “He’s potentially the greatest military AI ever built by the Originators. He’s programmed to win battles and destroy our enemies regardless of the cost.”

“He is a great warrior,” Admiral Calmat admitted. “But even in battle restraint must be shown at times.”

“How can Kazak be controlled?” asked Admiral Bachal. “Surely the Originators put in some type of control mechanism.”

“He is obedient to the ship’s commander as well as the second officer,” answered Leeda. “If both are killed in battle then Kazak will assume full command of the Dominator. Once the battle is over promotions in the chain of command will fill the vacancies in the command ranks.”

Admiral Jackson shifted his eyes over to Rear Admiral Barnes. “I was hoping you could stay for a few days. At least until we repaired our battle damage. But now, it seems that you must return to Gaia as soon as possible.”

Kathryn was in full agreement with Admiral Jackson. “Clarissa, how long will it take for the Distant Horizon to reach Gaia?” Kathryn knew their new hyperdrive was capable of very high speeds in hyperspace. Unfortunately, due to the star density, they couldn’t use the intergalactic hyperdrive.

“A little over a week,” answered Clarissa.

Kathryn nodded and then turned back to Admiral Jackson. “We’ll stay two days and then set out for Gaia.”

Jackson nodded. “If there’s anything you need let me know and I’ll see what can be arranged.”

Kathryn smiled. “I think it’s us that will be helping you out. How would you like twenty of our defense globes? They’re capable of bringing down the energy shield of any Simulin ship. That should ensure the safety of Ornellia, particularly once the defense grid is brought back up to full strength.”

“We’ll take them,” replied a grateful Admiral Jackson without hesitation. “Besides, after what you did to the Simulin fleet, I doubt if we’ll be seeing any Simulin vessels for quite some time.”

-

Supreme High Commander Altrab gazed at the tactical display at the paltry remnants of his fleet. Seventy-three battlecruisers and one hundred and eleven escort cruisers were all that remained.

“We have been defeated,” said High Commander Jarald. “When we return to Gladen Three our lives will be forfeit.”

“It is the Simulin way,” responded Altrab, accepting his likely fate. “Failure is not an option for a Simulin commander, no matter what his rank.”

“The battle computer is requesting that we send word to the Grand Council, warning them of this second ship equipped with ancient weapons.”

“Make it so,” Altrab ordered. “Send them all the data on the battle including the scans we made of the vessel. Inform them we will be coming to Gladen Three shortly to submit ourselves to the council.”

Altrab was deeply worried this marked the end of the Simulins in this galaxy. If the organics from the Fitula Nebula now had access to ancient weapons and technology, then the Simulin fleets were doomed. He would return to Gladen Three and suffer the consequences for his defeat. He was not afraid of death, no Simulin was. They were born to serve the empire and die in its service. However, in the coming months and years he strongly suspected there would be many Simulin High Commanders joining him in death.

-

In orbit above Gaia, Jeremy was on board one of the Alton science ships. It was equipped with a very advanced medical center, and it was here they were going to attempt to revive one of the Originators.

“Will this work?” asked Jeremy, looking over at Andram who was standing next to him.

“Unknown,” replied Andram. “Nothing quite like this has ever been tried before. ZED, Daena, and Lansha all believe it will.”

Jeremy knew Daena and Lansha were Alton medical specialists who had been working with ZED on modifying the nanites.

They were standing in an observation room with a large window overlooking the room where the procedure would be carried out. Jeremy knew a lot was riding on this. If it failed and the Originator died, he didn’t want to think of the consequences. In order to preserve Gaia and his fleet, it might be necessary to give in to Kazak’s demands to use the AI shipyards to begin constructing capacitor stations. At least that would buy him some time to think of another solution. He didn’t know if Kazak still possessed any more dark matter missiles, but he dared not take the chance. Just one of those missiles striking Gaia and the planet would be doomed.

“Who is the Originator Kazak chose for the procedure?” asked Kelsey. She had requested to be there as the Dominator was her ship and would be affected by the success or failure of this operation.

Jeremy looked down into the medical room where Kazak stood. The eight-foot-tall Originator AI was standing with his arms crossed, watching with critical eyes as an Originator was carefully removed from his stasis chamber and placed on the operating table. Special life support devices were quickly attached by the Alton medical specialists.

“His name is Zafron, and he is the Dominator’s second in command.”

“A ship’s officer,” said Katie, who was standing next to Kelsey. “I wonder why he chose an officer to be experimented on rather than one of the scientists?”

‘I asked him that,” Jeremy said. “He claims Zafron was more open minded about trying obscure treatments in order to cure the life extension pathogen than most of the other Originators. He felt this first awakening needed to be someone who wouldn’t react badly to having mechanical nanites injected into their body.”

Andram turned toward Jeremy. “That might still pose a problem with some of the other Originators. Zafron might not allow the use of the nanites on the others.”

“Not even if it’s the only cure?” asked Katie, her eyes showing doubt.

Andram let out a deep sigh. “I spoke at length with Kazak about this. He expects there will be some problems from Zafron about using nanites, but once he’s convinced there are no vile affects he will accept the fact that they are a cure. However, even Kazak wasn’t certain if Zafron would allow the nanites to be used on the others. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Look, they’re starting,” said Katie as she watched ZED and two other AIs enter the room.

“Let’s just hope this works,” said Kelsey, crossing her fingers.

Jeremy’s eyes shifted to ZED and the medical injector the AI was carrying. ZED stopped and spoke briefly to Kazak, who nodded.

Floating over to the table Zafron lay on ZED waited patiently as everyone took their positions. Then, with one smooth motion, ZED injected the reconfigured nanites into Zafron’s upper arm.

Jeremy leaned forward until his face was nearly touching the window. He was breathing heavier and his pulse had quickened. What would it be like to speak to an actual Originator? The builders of the Dyson Spheres. Keeping his eyes focused on Zafron Jeremy felt his curiosity grow.

On the table, Zafron’s body suddenly began to spasm. His arms jerked and his legs began trembling. Kazak moved closer in concern speaking heatedly to ZED.

ZED spoke to one of the other AIs, who injected Zafron in his other arm. The spasms instantly subsided.

“Thought we had lost him for a moment,” Kelsey said, stepping over and taking Jeremy’s hand. “If anything bad happens to Zafron in that room, I wouldn’t want to be ZED.”

Jeremy had to agree. There was no doubt in his mind if Zafron was to die on that table, Kazak would destroy ZED and the other two AIs before they could get out of the room. Jeremy was beginning to regret he hadn’t brought some Marines along just in case Kazak went berserk.

-

For nearly two hours the AIs and the Altons worked on Zafron with Kazak watching their every move and occasionally stopping them to ask a question. Each time he allowed them to continue. Finally they seemed to reach a stopping point and after Daena checked several instruments, she nodded at ZED.

Jeremy watched as ZED left the room followed closely by Kazak. The other two AIs and the two Altons remained behind observing Zafron for any changes.

“I guess it’s over,” Kelsey said. “I just hope everything went well.”

“It must have,” Katie added. “If not, ZED and Kazak wouldn’t have left the room.”

“I believe it was a success,” Andram said. “From what I was told earlier everything went as planned.”

“We’ll know shortly,” Jeremy said as the door to the observation room opened and ZED and Kazak came in.

“We have been successful so far,” ZED began. “Zafron’s body has accepted the medical nanites, and they’re currently in the process of removing all traces of the organic nanite that caused the pathogen.”

“I am confused about one thing,” said Jeremy, shifting his eyes to Kazak. “You said the Originators had passed some rules that prohibited the use of nanites, yet they constructed these biological nanites in their attempt at immortality.”

“There is a difference,” Kazak replied. “Like the Altons, the Originators used nanites to combat disease but they were organic and their use was very closely controlled. Mechanical nanites were not allowed as they could too easily be reprogrammed to make changes to the physiology of an Originator too frightening to even comprehend. It occurred in the past and caused a rift in the Originator civilization. After that, experimentation using mechanical nanites could result in banishment or even death.”

“Death?” uttered Katie surprised. “I would think a civilization as advanced as the Originators wouldn’t have a death penalty.”

“They didn’t,” answered Kazak. “The offending individual was denied any life prolongation drugs and then would live out his normal life span.”

Jeremy nodded, but this was something he would discuss with Kazak in more detail later. “How long before Zafron gains consciousness?”

“It will be several days,” answered ZED, the sphere of energy above his cube growing brighter. “There will be several different sets of nanite injections. The first removes all the organic nanites, the next will reverse the changes the nanites made in his gene structure. The final set will repair any damage his body may have sustained from the first two procedures. If everything works as planned, forty-eight to seventy-two hours from now he should awaken and be well on his way to recovery.”

“A living Originator,” Kelsey said breathlessly as she stepped back up to the observation window gazing in awe at Zafron. “Just think, it’s been over two million years since he last took a breath.”

“Everything he knows is gone,” Katie said sadly. “Imagine waking up in a world where your entire race passed away millions of years ago. He can’t even go to the Dyson Sphere since we blew it up.”

“How are we going to deal with Zafron when he wakes up?” asked Kelsey. “Has anyone thought about that? He’s bound to have a lot of questions.”

Jeremy looked over at Andram. “Andram is supervising that. There will be several specially chosen Altons there when he wakes up. There will be at least one Alton psychologist present as well as a few others who will be able to help Zafron cope with his new reality. Once we’re satisfied he’s stable, then Kazak and I will speak with him.”

Kazak stepped up to the window, gazing down at Zafron. “He was a good second officer for the Dominator. The crew liked him and he was always fair but strict.”

“Did he approve of the military research being done on the ship?” asked Jeremy. He had decided that now was as good a time as ever to bring it up.

Kazak seemed to freeze and then he slowly turned around. “Sometimes you still surprise me. I wondered what Ariel, Katie, and Mikow were doing in the Command Center a few days back. There was a brief moment when my sensors in the Command Center failed to function properly.”

“Are you upgrading the weapon systems on the Dominator?” pressed Jeremy.

“Yes,” Kazak responded. “As to Second Officer Zafron, he did not approve of the research. He believed all efforts should be dedicated to finding a cure for the pathogen. There were quite a few others that agreed with him as well.”

“Why the research on weapons?” asked Kelsey. “The Dominator already has the most powerful weapons in existence.”

“That’s not true,” replied Kazak. “The Anti-Life may have weapons just as powerful or even more so.”

Kelsey’s eyes widened. “That’s why you’ve been updating the Dominator’s weapon systems. You were thinking about taking the Dominator to the Anti-Life galaxy! Why?”

“I’m sure Zafron will tell you if you ask,” Kazak said. “So I might as well. The Anti-Life are also Originators.”

“What?” interjected Jeremy, his eyes opening wide in disbelief. “Are you telling me there is an entire galaxy out there full of Originators?”

“No, not true Originators,” replied Kazak, slowly shaking his head. “Millions of years ago a group of Originators used advanced mechanical nanite technology to forever change their physiology. When they were done, they were barely recognizable as Originators. They were smarter, more powerful, and much longer lived than normal Originators. They were almost immortal. The other Originators rejected them, and the group fled the Shrieel where they had conducted their experiments.”

“For thousands of years they were not heard from. Then one day powerful fleets of warships appeared and attacked the Shrieels. Only the powerful defenses of the Shrieels managed to keep the Anti-Life at bay. Seeing they could not conquer the Shrieels, they turned to attacking and conquering the other intelligent life forms in numerous galaxies. The Originator leaders realized that while they were safe in the Shrieels, billions of other organics were being conquered and forced to serve the Anti-Life. Since the Anti-Life were once Originators, it was felt something must be done.”

“So they elected to go to war,” said Jeremy.

“Yes,” answered Kazak. “The Shrieels began constructing large fleets of warships, and these were sent out to drive the Anti-Life out of the conquered galaxies. This was the beginning of a war that lasted for over one thousand of your years. In the end, the Anti-Life were driven back to their home galaxy. Hundreds of thousands of hyperspace interference stations were placed around the galaxy’s periphery. The stations prevent any travel at all in hyperspace. The interference covers all levels of hyperspace, even those used for intergalactic travel.”

Everyone in the room was silent. What Kazak had just told them made the war against the AIs back in the Milky Way Galaxy and the current conflict with the Simulins seem insignificant.

“Why go to the galaxy of the Anti-Life?” asked Jeremy. “Wouldn’t they destroy the Dominator when they realized it was an Originator ship?”

Kazak looked uncomfortable. “No, I was going to offer them a deal.”

“What kind of a deal?” asked Kelsey suspiciously. “Why do I feel I’m not going to like what you’re about to say?”

“I was getting desperate,” admitted Kazak. “The Altons weren’t making any progress. It was something the commanding officer of the Dominator was going to do if all else failed. We were going to go to the Anti-Life galaxy and offer to turn off the hyperspace jammers if they would find a cure for the life extension pathogen.”

Katie gasped in disbelief. “You were going to set the Anti-Life free to renew their attacks on the galaxies of this universe?”

“I’m not proud of it, but yes, if that’s what it took to find a cure.”

Jeremy only now realized to what depths Kazak was willing to descend to complete his mission. The medical nanites had better work and Zafron needed to wake up.

-

Hours later Jeremy, Kevin, Katie, and Kelsey were eating in the officers’ cafeteria on the Clan Protector.

“Do you really think he would have done it?” asked Kevin in between bites of his hamburger.

Jeremy leaned back and nodded his head. “Yes, and I can’t blame Kazak fully. It’s part of his programming to do anything necessary to find a cure for the life extension pathogen.”

Kelsey cut one of the large strawberries on her plate in two and dipped it in whipped cream. She took a bite and smiled. “I’m glad we have strawberries now.”

“Cows too,” added Kevin as he took another bite of his hamburger.

-

Katie shook her head. She had given up on getting Kevin to reduce the number of hamburgers he ate daily. It surprised her he hadn’t put on any weight. Then again she had seen the workout routine he did every day in the ship’s gym. She looked over at Kelsey who was wiping a drop of whip cream away from her lips. “Have you been by to see Angela recently?”

“Yesterday,” Kelsey answered. “I had to go down to Gaia to pick up a few things so I stopped by. I can’t believe how much Clair has grown.”

“It’s been a few days since I’ve seen her. I tried to get Kevin to go with me but he acts as if that baby is going to bite his head off.” Katie knew the real reason was that he didn’t want her getting any ideas. While kids were in their future, he wasn’t ready for one now, and Katie knew and understood that. But when they did finally have children, she wanted no less than three.

-

Ariel suddenly appeared next to the table. She had seen to it that holographic emitters had been installed in all of the major areas of the Clan Protector since Jeremy and the others spent so much time here.

“I just checked on Zafron, and Daena says he’s doing fine.”

Ariel looked over at Kevin and put her hands on her hips. “What is so great about hamburgers and french fries?”

Kevin grinned as he swallowed two french fries. “You can eat them with your hands.”

Katie frowned and shook her head. “Ariel, have you been down to see Clair recently?”

Ariel sighed and nodded. “I got Angela to put a holographic emitter in the nursery, but I can only use it when Angela turns it on. She’s made it very clear my visits for now are to be limited. How can I begin Clair’s training if I can’t see her every day?”

Kelsey laughed. “As she gets older I’m sure Angela will grant you more access.”

Ariel’s face seemed to brighten up. “I hope so. I’ve set up a complete training schedule from now until she graduates from the Fleet Academy.”

“Poor Clair,” said Katie, recalling how Ariel had tried to train her.

“What’s going on with the patrols in the sector surrounding the nebula?” asked Kevin.

“Routine so far,” Jeremy answered. “We’ve reduced the patrol fleets down to three and increased their size. They’re still in the process of emplacing FTL detection buoys in all the star systems within thirty light years of the nebula. That should at least give us a warning of any imminent attack by the Simulins.”

“You still think that one of these days they’ll find a way around the hyperspace interference?” asked Katie with concern in her eyes.

“They will eventually,” answered Ariel. “The hyperspace interference buoys were only meant as a short term protection from the Simulins. At some point, they will find a way through the nebula.”

Kevin looked over at Jeremy. “That’s why you had Grayseth destroy those two fleet bases and have sent out the patrols. You want to know when the Simulins are coming.

Jeremy let out a deep sigh. “Andram and Shilum believe the Simulins could find a way around the interference at any time. That’s one reason why we’ve continued to build more particle beam satellites and Type Two battlestations. Don’t forget, we also have Kazak and the Dominator.”

“For now,” pointed out Kelsey. “What will Zafron say when he awakens. Will he still allow the Dominator to act as part of our fleet?”

Jeremy didn’t answer. It was a question he was unsure of. Kazak had promised that if they succeeded in awakening Zafron, he would be willing to share some of the technology on the ship including weapons technology. The AI had also promised to place himself under Jeremy’s command. However, all that might change when Zafron woke up. All Jeremy could do was wait.

Chapter Thirteen

Two days passed and Jeremy was summoned to the Alton science vessel. He was ushered into a room with several viewscreens where ZED and Andram were waiting. All the screens were focused on Zafron. Zafron was lying in a comfortable hospital bed with a peaceful look on his face. There were a number of Alton medical devices monitoring his every breath and the work of the nanites.

“We are about to wake him up,” ZED informed Jeremy. “The nanites have rid his body of all the life extension nanites and he is well on his way to a full recovery. In anther week he will be as healthy as he was before he came down with the pathogen.”

“Where’s Kazak? I expected him to be here.”

“Kazak is on board the Dominator,” ZED answered. “We’re sending a live video and audio feed to the ship, and he will be able to hear and see everything we will.”

Jeremy found it strange Kazak had remained on the Dominator. He had an uneasy feeling that he was missing something.

“I’m sure Kazak will want to speak to Zafron as soon as possible,” Andram said in his normally calm voice. Andram pointed to the viewscreens. “I believe they’re ready.”

Jeremy watched as two Altons came inside the room. One placed a small device near Zafron. “What’s that?”

“It’s a universal translator,” ZED replied. “It’s similar to what the Altons use but this one came from the Dominator.”

Jeremy was familiar with the translators. The Altons had long since provided the Federation with similar devices. They were so common that most fleet personnel forgot about them. They were attached to the identification tags all fleet personnel wore.

An Alton doctor came in and walked over to Zafron’s bed. He reached out and adjusted the medical device, which was being used to keep Zafron unconscious. The doctor stepped back and the other two Altons stepped forward, making sure they didn’t look threatening.

Several minutes passed and suddenly Zafron opened his eyes. Very slowly he looked around the room, taking in the medical devices and the Altons standing there.

“Who are you?” he managed to say. His voice was very weak and he could barely be heard.

The doctor stepped forward and placed a cup to Zafron’s lips. “Drink this. It’s just water.”

Zafron took a couple of small sips and then spoke again. “Who are you and where am I?”

“My name is Bardol Amorth. I am an Alton and a psychologist. My associate is Tamor Larn and she is also a psychologist. You are currently on one of our science ships where you have been treated for the life extension pathogen you were suffering from.”

“You have a cure?” asked Zafron, his eyes opening wide in disbelief.

“Yes, we have a cure,” Bardol answered. “However, I will leave that up to the doctors and Kazak to explain.

“Kazak,” Zafron said, with a frown appearing on his face. “Is the Dominator close by?”

“Yes,” Bardol replied. “It is nearby, fully repaired, and under Kazak’s command.”

A look of concern spread across Zafron’s face. “How long?”

Tamor stepped over closer to the bed. “It’s been a very long time. We found the Dominator adrift in an asteroid field. Kazak allowed us to bring the ship here and attempt to revive you once we felt confident it could be done safely.”

“Do you have military ships close by?”

Bardol and Tamor looked at one another not sure how to answer. Then taking a deep breath, Bardol nodded his head. “Yes, quite a few.”

“Keep your weapons focused on the Dominator. If as much time has passed as I suspect, Kazak will be in the final stages of his programming. In those stages he could be very dangerous.”

“We have a working arrangement with Kazak at the moment,” Bardol said. “He has allowed a mixed crew of Humans and Altons to board the ship.”

“You have been fortunate then,” Zafron said as he raised his hand and gazed at it. He laid his hand back down and addressed Bardol. “I am surprised Kazak allowed anyone to board the Dominator. It’s counter to his programming. He must have been desperate.”

“There have been some problems with Kazak,” Tamor admitted in a calm voice. “However, our leaders and others have managed to work them out.”

Zafron looked from Bardol to Tamor as he thought over their words. “You must have AIs here then. Without them you could never have learned to control Kazak or talked him into cooperating with you. You should know that I was against his construction from the very beginning. We did not need a military AI like Kazak on the Dominator. Our own crew was sufficient.”

“We have a few AIs,” Tamor said carefully.

“What of these Humans you mentioned? Who are they?”

“Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong is Human and our leader,” Bardol explained. “He is the one who has been dealing with Kazak. As a matter of fact, Fleet Admiral Strong’s wife is the temporary commanding officer of the Dominator in conjunction with Kazak.”

“Unbelievable,” said Zafron, shaking his head. “I would never have expected Kazak to give up or share control of the Dominator.”

“Admiral Strong can be pretty convincing,” Tamor said with a smile.

The Alton doctor walked over and checked a couple of readings on one of the medical devices. “I think that’s all for now. Second Officer Zafron needs his rest. You can continue this conversation tomorrow.”

Zafron seemed as if he was going to object and then changed his mind. “Will you have Kazak and this Admiral Strong come tomorrow? I have many questions and I also need to know more about this cure. I assume the others who are in the stasis chambers are still viable.”

“Yes,” Tamor replied. “They are still in stasis. It will be your decision as to what happens next. We have the ability to revive all of them if that is what you wish.”

Zafron nodded. “Once I have spoken to Kazak and your medical doctors, I will make that decision.”

The Alton doctor adjusted one of the medical devices and Zafron quickly fell back to sleep.

-

That went well,” said Jeremy, looking over at Andram and ZED.

“Don’t be fooled,” Andram replied with a thoughtful look on his face. “Zafron learned a lot in those few minutes he was awake. He knows the Dominator is nearby as well as Kazak. He knows there are a large number of military ships close by as well. He knows we have put a crew on board the ship. He also knows we have a cure and the rest of his people are still safe in the stasis chambers. I believe Zafron is a very shrewd individual.”

Jeremy was taken aback by Andram’s analysis of what had transpired in the hospital room. Thinking about it, he realized Andram was correct. They had learned very little, while Zafron had learned a lot. They would have to be more astute in future conversations with the Originator until they learned what his future plans were. The Dominator was his ship and since he was the highest surviving ranking officer, he was now its commander.

“Andram is correct,” ZED said. “I analyzed Zafron’s speech patterns and he was definitely seeking knowledge.”

Jeremy’s brow creased in a frown. “Ariel, Katie, and Mikow downloaded the Dominator’s crew roster. I think I’m going to look further into who Zafron really is before I speak with him.”

Andram nodded his agreement. “Remember that the Originators are a very old race, much older than my own. What our goals may be may not resemble what they find as important.”

Jeremy turned toward ZED. “Will there be any problems in reviving the rest of the Originators on the Dominator?”

“No,” answered ZED. “We will need to make some slight alterations in future nanites, but it will be nothing major. We can begin the next awakenings at any time.”

“We’ll see,” Jeremy said. “I want to have a long talk with Zafron before we awaken any others. Right now, that’s the biggest card we have. We have the cure, they don’t.”

-

Later Jeremy was back on board the Avenger. It was the safest place he knew of to hold this conversation. Ariel, Kelsey, Katie, and Mikow were all in the briefing room.

Jeremy motioned for the others to sit as he took his place at the head of the table. Ariel remained standing as she normally did.

“What did the three of you find out about Zafron from the crew files you took from the Dominator?”

Jeremy wanted as much information as possible to better understand who he was dealing with. There was a lot riding on how Zafron responded to his present situation. He was an Originator, a member of the race that may have seeded many of the surrounding galaxies with life, or been heavily involved in encouraging its development. How do you talk and treat someone who may have worked on something like that?

Katie took a deep breath and began. “Jeremy, one thing you need to realize is the Originators live very long lives. When the Dominator left on its mission, Zafron was already over six hundred years old.”

“Six hundred,” repeated Jeremy as he thought about living that long. With the life extension drugs the Altons had furnished Humanity, it was now possible to live to slightly over two hundred.

“That’s when the mission began,” Mikow said, her eyes focusing on Jeremy. “Do you have any idea how long the Dominator roamed the galaxy seeking a cure?”

“No,” Jeremy answered. The question had never come up. “I thought maybe a few decades at the most.”

“Try two thousand years,” Mikow said, leaning forward. “Zafron was the ship’s second officer during that entire time.”

Jeremy’s pulse quickened, and his face turned pale. “How long is the lifespan of an Originator?” Jeremy was rapidly beginning to see how difficult it might be to talk to Zafron. How could someone who had lived that long understand the concerns of Jeremy and the people of Gaia?

“They had been using the organic life extension nanites for nearly a thousand years before the pathogen appeared,” Ariel said in her youthful voice. “However, before that they had other life extension methods. During Zafron’s time, there were many Originators in the Dyson Spheres that were nearly eight thousand years old. They had hoped the organic nanites would extend that to eighty thousand.”

Jeremy slowly shook his head. “I just can’t imagine living that long. Imagine all the knowledge one could amass in such a lifetime.”

“It has its dangers,” Mikow said. “It’s been a big topic in Alton society. Our own lifespans are now averaging nearly six hundred years. Emotions seem to be less prominent as you age. What’s important when you’re young may mean very little when you get older. It’s one of the reasons we stay so involved in exploration. There is also the danger of the race atrophying. That’s what happened to the Alton civilization back in the days when Astral was the center of our empire. It’s why the AIs were created to begin with. Even now we see signs of that occurring on our current worlds. It’s one reason why we do not allow any AIs to serve us. Even so most of our people have lost their aggressiveness. It’s only the interest in exploration and new discoveries that has countered the decline of our people.”

“Zafron is over twenty-six hundred years old,” pointed out Ariel. “We can’t know what a person with the life experience he possesses is capable of. He could easily manipulate us and we probably wouldn’t know it.”

“He also had a wife and two children on the Dominator,” Mikow said. She was looking at the handheld computer pad she always carried with her. His wife succumbed to the pathogen shortly after they left the Dyson Sphere. His son lived for nearly eight hundred years before he died. However, there is something strange in Zafron’s crew folder. It seems that when his daughter turned twenty, she was put in one of the stasis chambers. There’s no explanation as to why that was done. It also coincides with the time his wife died. His daughter was put into stasis just two weeks later.”

“Do the Originators feel the same about family as we do?”

“Unknown,” Ariel answered. “I’ve run some studies and during their early years Originator children are very similar to Human or Alton children. As they age the mental and physical attachments seem to grow less and for the most part they go their separate ways.”

-

For the next two hours the five of them continued to discuss Zafron and his duties on the Dominator. When they were finished, Jeremy thought he understood more about the Dominator’s second officer. He just hoped it was enough.

-

On the Distant Horizon, Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes was in her quarters. In four more days the ship would reach Gaia and she could report to Fleet Admiral Strong what had occurred since the ship vanished from the black matter Dyson Sphere. Some of the things she had to tell him were nearly beyond belief. Fortunately she had the rebuilt Distant Horizon and the Originator AIs on board to support her. She had gone to speak to Camlin, but the Originator AI had refused to answer any questions.

“Nervous,” a voice said out of thin air and then Clarissa appeared.

Kathryn allowed herself to smile. Clarissa was now allowed unrestricted access to any part of the ship including the admirals’ quarters. “How many holograms are you currently using?”

“Only this one,” replied Clarissa, folding her arms across her chest. “It’s boring in the Command Center while we’re in hyperspace.”

Kathryn had been sitting down. She stood up and walked over to a picture on the wall of her father that had been taken years ago. She was also in the picture but she couldn’t have been more than fourteen at the time. She was wearing a long dress and from the background, she knew it had been taken at a state dinner somewhere. Her father used to drag her around with him whenever he attended one. At the time it was his belief that he was teaching her what it took to be a good diplomat. Later she had spurned that career and joined the fleet instead. She knew it had been a big disappoint for him. For several years after that they had seldom spoken, though as the years passed they had finally mended their relationship.

“What happens now, Clarissa?” asked Kathryn. “We have all of this advanced Originator technology on the ship. If we return to the Communication and Transport Hub, they may take it away from us. The same if we approach any of the Dyson Spheres.”

“I suspect Leeda and Sible would have no problem with us keeping the technology,” Clarissa replied. “I know Sible loves flying this ship and Leeda is excited about the Originators on the Dominator. I believe Sible would like to become a permanent crewmember if you would allow it.”

“She is an excellent navigator and helm officer,” admitted Kathryn. “I may make the offer to her after we reach Gaia and work some things out. We still have to deal with Kazak and the Dominator.”

“I don’t believe that will be a significant problem,” Clarissa said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Not if you allow me to speak to Kazak first. He gave me the access code for the intergalactic vortex that sent us to the Originator’s Communication and Transport Hub. He must know there’s a chance we survived and could possibly return.”

Kathryn thought over what Clarissa had just said. She knew that before they left on the black matter Dyson Sphere mission that Kazak and Clarissa were getting along very well and he had started to confide in her. If there was a chance that Kazak and the Dominator could be dealt with peacefully, she was going to take it.

“I’ll allow you to speak with Kazak,” Kathryn said. “But if things go south, I’m prepared to use our weapons against the Dominator.”

“I understand,” Clarissa replied. “I think he will listen to reason.”

“We also have to decide what to do with Camlin and the other Originator AIs we’re holding in the detention area.”

“They need to be returned to the Communications and Transport Hub,” answered Clarissa. “Though I’m not sure what the best method to do that is going to be.”

“Then there’s the question as to what to do about Captain Brenda Wilde and the Marines under her command. We promised to return and bring more Marines so the Originator AIs could retake all the vortex Control Centers on the Dyson Spheres.”

“That does pose another problem,” Clarissa admitted. “Perhaps Fleet Admiral Strong will know what to do.”

Kathryn walked over and sat down at her desk. For the last several days she had been writing a report to submit to the Fleet Admiral. Looking over at Clarissa, Kathryn continued. “I guess a lot of this will depend on what happens when the Originators on the Dominator are given the cure.”

Clarissa nodded. “It could change everything. Camlin and the others will see that Leeda and Sible were right.”

“Yes, there’s that,” responded Kathryn. An inquisitive look covered her face. “Clarissa, how long would it take the Distant Horizon to reach Ceres if we decided to go there?”

Clarissa gazed at Kathryn with curiosity. “Fourteen days. The intergalactic drive is slower than what we used to get here with. The acceleration ring increased our speed by nearly a factor of five.”

Kathryn leaned back in her chair with a wishful look on her face. “Fourteen days and we could be back home.” Then she sat back up and gazed sharply at Clarissa. “Wouldn’t the spatial disturbance at the black hole in the galaxy’s center affect our exit vortex?”

“No, not with this drive. The disturbance at the black matter supernova wouldn’t affect it either.”

Kathryn nodded as she thought about what the capabilities of the Distant Horizon’s new intergalactic drive offered. “I would really like to return home and see my father.”

“That would be difficult,” Clarissa said with a frown. “How would we prevent the military from seizing the Distant Horizon in order to get their hands on the Originator technology on board? While your father would doubtlessly leave the ship alone, the military wouldn’t.”

“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Kathryn said with a deep sigh. She really would like to see her father. She also knew the Federation could use some of the technology currently on the Distant Horizon. The only problem was, once she showed up at Ceres there was no way the military would let her leave again. She would have to disobey direct orders and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

-

Jeremy and Kazak stepped inside the hospital room where Zafron was waiting for them. Zafron was sitting in a large comfortable chair which had been provided for him. Jeremy wondered where they had found a chair that would hold the Originator’s eight-foot frame.

Upon seeing them enter the room, Zafron stood and gazed curiously at the two. “Welcome,” he said in a pleasant voice. “I assume you are Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong?”

“Yes,” replied Jeremy, noticing that Zafron was ignoring Kazak.

“Then have a seat, we have much to discuss.”

Jeremy sat down in the only other chair in the room facing Zafron, who had sat back down in his own chair.

“I must thank you for saving the Dominator and bringing it here to Gaia,” Zafron began. “When we went into stasis most of us did not expect to be awakened. We did not believe there was a cure for the life extension pathogen.”

Jeremy nodded in understanding. “Rear Admiral Barnes was the one who found the Dominator after a race called the Ornellians had located it in the asteroid field. Rear Admiral Barnes and her crew recognized it as being built by those we call the Originators.”

Zafron was silent for a long moment, and his eyes seemed to harden. “I understand she was the one responsible for the destruction of this galaxy’s Shrieel.”

Jeremy looked surprised. He didn’t know where Zafron had heard this. No one was supposed to have briefed the Originator on the current state of galactic affairs. That was something Jeremy had intended to do.

The hard look in Zafron’s eyes vanished as he smiled. “I guess I wasn’t supposed to know about that was I? I must apologize. There is a computer terminal here in my room, and I used it to access some information. I wanted to know more about you Humans, the Altons, the Carethians, and the AIs who have joined you. I must say I was greatly surprised by what I found.”

Jeremy remained silent. Zafron should not have been able to access that information. The computer terminal in this room supposedly only contained patient information. Somehow Zafron had used the terminal to hack into the general database of the ship’s main computer. This made Jeremy nervous as it reminded him how far out of Zafron’s league he was. It was obvious the Originator could think circles around him if he wanted. Jeremy realized his best option was to tell the truth and not attempt to hide anything.

“We had no choice in destroying the Dyson Sphere. We regret being forced to do so, but we had no other option.”

“I was greatly distressed to hear about your war with the Simulins. In many ways, it reminded me of our war with the Anti-Life. If it was possible for me to reach one of the Shrieels I could reprogram the self-defense systems to eliminate all the Simulin vessels inside and around them.”

“That would stop their expansion immediately,” Jeremy answered as he realized what destroying the black matter Dyson Sphere may have cost them. “I wish there was some way we could accomplish that. The Simulins have been responsible for the deaths of trillions of intelligent organics across numerous galaxies.”

Zafron let out a deep sigh. “I wish it was possible as well. Even with the Dominator, it would take years to travel in hyperspace to the nearest galaxy containing a Shrieel.”

“What about the rest of your people who are in stasis? Have you made the decision about awakening them?”

“No, not yet,” replied Zafron, with a concerned frown. “I don’t think you realize how dangerous mechanical nanites can be if allowed to fall into the wrong hands. For us the use of such nanites is one of the worst crimes imaginable. I am still adjusting to the fact they were used to revive me. The doctors have assured me there will be no lasting effects and my physiology has nearly returned to normal. Daena says I will need one more injection of the nanites and my cure will be complete.”

“Take as long as you need to,” Jeremy said. “As of now, the mechanical nanites are the only cure that we know of.”

Zafron’s broad shoulders seemed to droop. “I am aware of that. There are several of the scientists in the stasis chambers as well as a few of the older children who will never accept the use of mechanical nanites. They would kill themselves immediately if they found out they had been injected into their bodies.”

“But some would accept it?”

“Possibly, but there might be some emotional scarring.”

Jeremy gazed at Zafron. He still found it amazing to be talking to an actual Originator. “Doctor Lansha says you will be well enough in a few days to go over to the Dominator. As its second officer, the ship is yours.”

“We will discuss that later,” Zafron said as he turned toward Kazak who had been standing unmoving near Zafron. “Kazak, Operation 197-4420-001, execute.”

Kazak began shuddering and he closed his eyes.

“What did you do?” asked Jeremy, rising to his feet in consternation. What was Zafron up to?

Zafron stood and walked over to the military AI. He stopped and stared thoughtfully at the AI. “I was always against Kazak’s construction. What he did to the Simulin worlds with the dark matter missiles only confirms that I was right. He also could have prevented the destruction of the Shrieel in this galaxy. He had within him the ability to destroy the Simulin ships inside and around the Shrieel by activating its defensive systems.” Zafron took a deep breath as he turned back toward Jeremy. “Do not be concerned. I reset Kazak’s main directive. He was in the latter stages of his search to find a cure. Because of that he could be quite dangerous. The code word I spoke resets Kazak as just a military AI, no longer consumed by the need to find a cure at any cost. It may be one of the reasons he allowed the Shrieel to be destroyed. I think you will find him much less dangerous. It also allows him more options if it is necessary to take the Dominator into battle.”

Kazak’s eyes slowly opened. The Originator AI turned to Jeremy. “I am truly sorry for any actions I took which were inappropriate. I still stand by my word to furnish you with Originator weapons and technology. With Second Officer Zafron’s approval, I also place myself fully under your command.”

Zafron gazed quizzically at the AI. “Seems as if Kazak has made some promises he may not be able to keep.”

“The Dominator is your ship,” Jeremy said. “The weapons Kazak mentioned would be helpful in our war with the Simulins. We expect them to breach the nebula any day now.”

“Yes, the hyperspace jamming buoys you’re using. Primitive, but similar in theory to the ones we used to contain the Anti-Life.”

“The decision is yours to make on the weapons and technology.”

“I will think on it,” promised Zafron. “The weapons Kazak speaks of can be very dangerous in the hands of a race not ready for that level of technology. Then again, it was the Shrieels which allowed the Simulins to spread across so many galaxies. Perhaps by giving you the technology and teaching you how to use it, the Simulin menace could someday be abated. The Altons are a very scientifically minded race. With them in the mix, it might indeed be possible to safely furnish you with Originator technology. Give me a few days and I will give you my decision as well as the one on waking more of my people.”

Jeremy nodded. He could tell from Zafron’s tone of voice the meeting was over. “I will speak to you in a few days. If there is anything you need let one of the nurses or doctors know.”

“I will,” Zafron said with a smile. “They come very quickly when I call them. If you don’t mind, I would like Kazak to remain. We have much to discuss.”

“Take as long as you need,” Jeremy answered. “I have some business on the Clan Protector I need to attend to.”

“Ah, yes, your shipyard. If I agree to furnish you with Originator technology, we could greatly upgrade the Clan Protector. You would be astonished at how quickly new ships could be constructed and repairs made.”

“I will leave you with Kazak,” Jeremy responded as he turned and left the room. He hoped Zafron agreed to provide them with the weapons and technology. If not, the war against the Simulins could take a bad turn if they managed to penetrate the nebula.

-

After Jeremy left, Zafron gazed at Kazak and then spoke. “Tell me everything you know about these Humans and Altons, particularly Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong.”

Kazak turned toward Zafron and began speaking. What Zafron had failed to mention to Jeremy was the command words he had spoken had also placed Kazak completely under his control. While he did have some control of Kazak due to being the Dominator’s second officer, this set of commands forced Kazak to recognize Zafron as the ship’s legitimate commander.

Chapter Fourteen

Simulin Grand Councilmember Marden gazed in anger at the message just handed to him by one of his subordinates. Through his opalescent skin, his blood veins were pumping at a furious rate. Supreme High Commander Altrab had been defeated at Ornellia and most of his fleet destroyed. It was a setback the Grand Council had not been expecting. With the ships Altrab had, he should have easily won. Forcing his eyes to focus on the report he began reading to see why Altrab’s force had been nearly annihilated. As he read, his eyes widened at the mention of a second ship equipped with the deadly weapons of the ancient Sphere Builders.

Upon finishing the report, he walked over to the large window overlooking Sabrith, the largest city on Gladen Three. The building he was in was the home of the Simulin Grand Council. True, it didn’t control the multitude of galaxies and thousands of worlds the real Grand Council controlled, but it did control all Simulins assets in this galaxy. The building rose up two hundred stories, nearly to the clouds. On days of low overcast, the building was actually in the clouds.

Marden’s mind was working in overdrive. So many defeats as of late. Fleet after fleet destroyed, the Great Sphere annihilated, six Simulin worlds cleansed of life, and now Supreme High Commander Altrab had been defeated. If only they could summon reinforcements from the other Simulin controlled galaxies. However, that was impossible, at least for the immediate future. The supernova at the heart of the black matter nebula ensured that. It would be decades or even longer before hyperspace returned to normal allowing intergalactic travel.

Another Simulin stepped up to the window. He was dressed very similarly to Marden in a simple uniform with only a single emblem designating him as another member of the Grand Council.

“Altrab has been defeated and will shortly be returning. He must be put to death for failing the council. Failure cannot be tolerated in the ranks of the military. He must be made an example of.”

Marden turned to face Councilmember Harked. “If we execute all of our commanders when they fail, then very shortly we will be out of qualified Simulins to lead our fleets. The organics from the Fitula Nebula along with their AIs are the most advanced enemy we have ever faced. Add in the existence now of two ships equipped with the weapons of the ancient Sphere Builders and we face a danger we’ve never before encountered. It’s possible we will not be able to hold our worlds in this galaxy.”

Harked started to object but a cold stare from Marden stopped him.

“In two months’ time we will be ready to launch our attack upon the Fitula Nebula. Our scientists have finally perfected a method to counter the jamming of hyperspace prevalent there. We must run a few more tests, but the preliminary testing is very positive.”

“And if we fail in our attack upon the nebula?” asked Harked.

“Then the war in this galaxy is over,” replied Marden, his eyes narrowing sharply. “We’re going to send every vessel we have into the nebula.”

“What about the fleets defending our worlds?”

“Those as well,” Marden said, his voice cold and ruthless. “We must risk everything for victory. There can only be Simulin.”

“Only Simulin,” answered Harked with a haunted look in his eyes.

Marden turned back to looking out the window. This galaxy was unique as it could be the first one in the history of the Simulin race where they might face total defeat.

-

Simulin High Commander Caluthe studied the tactical display with critical eyes. After his victory over the organic and AI fleet near the Fitula Nebula weeks earlier, he had been given command of a much larger force. His eyes moved to the viewscreens, which showed only a part of the fleet he now commanded. Sixty battlecruisers and one hundred and eighty-seven escort cruisers now supported his flagship. They were in a red dwarf system and preparing for their next jump.

“Current distance to the nebula?” Caluthe was searching for another enemy fleet. He knew from previous sensor contacts there were at least two, maybe three fleets patrolling the sector around the nebula. He intended to hunt at least one of them down and destroy it.

“Eighteen light years,” Second Commander Gantol reported. “No contacts on the sensors.”

“What does the battle computer recommend?”

“We know the organic and AI ships’ long-range sensors have a range of ten light years, perhaps more,” Gantol replied. “The battle computer recommends we stay at least sixteen to twenty light years away from the nebula.”

Caluthe gazed at one of the viewscreens showing one of his fleet’s seventeen-hundred-meter battlecruisers. It looked ominous against the background of unblinking stars.

“Set up a series of jumps encircling the nebula. Keep a minimum range of eighteen light years. We will continue to make these jumps until we detect one of their fleets. Once we do, then we’ll move in and attack.”

Second Commander Gantol nodded. “There can be none but Simulin.”

“None but Simulin,” Caluthe replied.

Leaning back in his command chair, he gazed around the Command Center. After his last victory, he had been given a much larger command. If he defeated this next organic and AI fleet, he expected to be put in charge of an even larger fleet. Perhaps even be promoted to the rank of Supreme High Commander responsible for destroying the Fitula organics and their AIs. He understood his duty to the Grand Council. It was his responsibility to destroy all threats to the empire and eliminate all organics or die in the attempt.

“Ready to jump to the next star,” reported the navigation officer. “Coordinates have been transmitted to all fleet units.”

“Do it,” ordered Caluthe. It was time the organics and AIs of the Fitula Nebula learned that to face the Simulins in battle only resulted in death.

-

Moments later the fleet vanished into hyperspace. Unknown to High Commander Caluthe a small stealthed hyperspace detection buoy had already transmitted the appearance of the fleet in the red dwarf system to a waiting ship just inside the periphery of the nebula.

-

Commander John Marshall of the strikecruiser Benson looked thoughtfully at the newest information from one of the hyperspace detection buoys. This one was eighteen light years distant.

“Is it the same fleet?” he asked. For days now, there had been detection reports flooding in from various hyperspace detection buoys of a large Simulin fleet moving through the sector.

“Confirmed,” reported Lieutenant Weiss from his sensor console. “Our contact has the same number of battlecruisers and escort cruisers.”

“Should I send the contact information to Gaia?” asked Captain Scott, the executive officer.

Marshall nodded. “Yes, send it down the tunnel and let them know the Simulin fleet is still in the sector. Once that’s been done, send FTL messages to our three patrolling fleets and let them know what’s out there. We could end up with a hell of a battle if one of our patrol fleets runs into that Simulin force.” Marshall knew this Simulin fleet was too large for one of the patrol fleets to risk tangling with. Better to let Fleet Admiral Strong decide what to do.

Scott walked over to Communications to make sure all the messages were sent. They had the patrol schedule for all three fleets so a message would be relatively easy to send. It would also allow the three fleets to continue to avoid the Simulins until it was time to do battle.

-

Jeremy was down on Gaia at the Fleet Academy. He was visiting with Rear Admiral Susan Marks in her office high above the Academy grounds.

“An actual Originator,” murmured Susan, her eyes showing awe. “And you’ve really talked to him?”

“Yes,” Jeremy answered. “Several times. Only yesterday Zafron boarded a shuttle and left the Alton science ship to go over to the Dominator.”

Susan shifted uneasily in her chair. “Is that wise? He’s the defacto commander of that ship now. Is there any way for us to know what he’s thinking or planning on doing?

Jeremy stood and walked to the window looking out at the Academy. From this lofty height, he could see students going from building to building and others just sitting on the immaculate grounds, studying.

“No,” he admitted with a deep sigh.

Kelsey and he had spent several nights talking into the late hours about Zafron, Kazak, and the Dominator. For the time being Zafron had agreed to allow the Human and Alton crew to remain on board the ship. He had even agreed to allow Kelsey to remain in command until he decided what his next course of action needed to be. Kelsey had canceled the leaves of all crewmembers to ensure the maximum number of Humans and Altons were on the ship.

“He could just take the Dominator and fly off into deep space,” Susan said as she walked over to stand near Jeremy. “We can’t afford to lose the Dominator, not if the Simulins discover how to get through the hyperspace interference keeping them out of the nebula. We’ll need that ship’s weapons.”

Jeremy knew Susan was right. The Simulins still possessed a massive fleet. The Dominator was their only hope of stopping the Simulins short of Gaia if they launched a full-scale attack. “If he decides to leave, we would be powerless to stop him. I’m still hoping Zafron will follow through on Kazak’s promise to furnish us with advanced weapons and technology.”

Susan was about to reply when there was a slight shimmer in the middle of her office and Ariel suddenly appeared. Susan had allowed a number of Ariel’s holo-emitters to be placed around the campus since Ariel did teach a few classes and sometimes spoke to the students.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the dark haired AI said. She placed her hands on her hips and looked over at Jeremy. “Commander Marshall just sent a message. That large Simulin fleet was detected eighteen light years distant from the nebula. Marshall believes the Simulins are circling the nebula searching for one of our patrol fleets to attack.”

“Most likely,” replied Jeremy. He had not expected the Simulins to send such a large fleet back into the sector, not without any nearby support bases. They had been tracking the fleet for several days.

It was evident the Simulins were increasing their fleet activity throughout the galaxy. Only a few days back he had received a message from Admiral Jackson concerning the growing number of Simulin vessels gathering in a star system close to Ornellia. By now Admiral Calmat should have arrived with his reinforcing fleet. Jeremy hated that it took nearly a week for a message to travel one way between Gaia and Ornellia. For all he knew, the battle Jackson was expecting had already occurred.

“Are you going to take a fleet out to engage the Simulins?” asked Susan.

Jeremy folded his arms across his chest. He could see several students tossing a football around on one of the grassy areas. That was one thing he missed from home: all the sporting events prevalent in the Federation, particularly Earth. “The reason I sent Grayseth out to destroy the two Simulin bases in this sector was to limit Simulin access. We can’t let that fleet flaunt its power and not respond. In the next day or two, I’ll call a meeting of all of the fleet admirals still here at Gaia. I’ll include the Command AI as well. We’ll see if we can come up with a strategy to deal with that Simulin fleet.” Jeremy knew it would be necessary to attack the fleet with overwhelming force in order to keep losses to a minimum. He wished he could use the Dominator, but for now that was out of the question.

-

Outside the nebula, the Distant Horizon exited a swirling spatial vortex. Its stealth shield was up to prevent detection even from Federation ships.

“We’re just outside the entry tunnel,” reported Commander Grissim as she checked their coordinates.

“Detecting a strikecruiser sitting in the center of the tunnel just inside the nebula,” Captain Reynolds added. “I don’t believe they detected us though they might have noticed the power surge from the exit vortex.”

Kathryn nodded. It felt strange being back at the nebula. She paused, gazing at it on the large viewscreen, which surrounded most of the Command Center. “Sible, use the gravity drive and maneuver us past the strikecruiser. Once we’ve put sufficient distance between us and the ship, we’ll jump to the next open section of the tunnel.” There were several open sections so ships could calculate their next hyperspace jump.

“They may detect our exit and entry vortexes,” warned Sible as she activated the Distant Horizon’s gravity drive causing the ship to move rapidly toward the designated area on the periphery of the nebula.

“Admiral, I’m also picking up a large Simulin fleet in hyperspace about twenty-two light years distant,” reported Reynolds. He put the red threat icons up on one of the tactical displays near Kathryn. Nearly two hundred red threat icons appeared, moving away from the Distant Horizon. Kathryn wasn’t sure what this meant as they had been away from Gaia for so long.

“We’ll worry about them later,” She replied. Kathryn’s eyes shifted over to Leeda, who was standing quietly next to her. “Are you ready to face Kazak and the Dominator?”

Leeda turned toward Kathryn. “As ready as I’m going to be. Clarissa will attempt communications first. We’ve discussed what she needs to say. With a little luck we can settle this peacefully.”

“Commander Grissim, when we exit hyperspace near Gaia I want the ship at Condition One and all weapons aimed at the Dominator. I want Kazak to understand we’re deadly serious about him turning over the Originators who are in stasis.”

“We’re currently at Condition Two,” Anne replied. “We’ll go to Condition One just before we make the last hyperjump.”

Kathryn turned her attention back to the viewscreen. She wondered what type of commotion they would stir up when they appeared over Gaia. Nobody would be expecting them and it was going to be quite a shock. She heard a slight noise behind her. Kathryn knew that Clarissa was excited about speaking to Ariel again and telling her all about the AI body she had brought back for her from the Originator AIs’ Communication and Transport Hub. Kathryn also had a long report to submit to Fleet Admiral Strong. However, before they could do any of that, Kazak and the Dominator had to be dealt with first.

-

On board the Benson, the sensor operator looked confused. The long-range sensors had indicated the appearance of a spatial vortex. However, when he had activated additional sensors, there was nothing at that location. No ship, no probe, nothing. For a long moment he sat there studying the readings and then decided not to mention it to the commander. It must have been a sensor ghost. He began running a quick diagnostic check on the long-range sensors to ensure they were functioning properly.

-

The Distant Horizon moved quickly past the strikecruiser and on down the lengthy tunnel. The tunnel wasn’t completely clear of the gases of the nebula; it was just free of the hyperspace jamming caused by the numerous jamming buoys seeded throughout the nebula. The gas had been thinned out somewhat with special Alton technology. After a few minutes of travel, enough distance had been put between the two ships that activation of a spatial vortex would not be detected. Once again a vortex formed and the ship vanished into it.

-

Jeremy was still in Rear Admiral Mark’s office talking with her and Ariel.

“That’s a pretty large fleet,” Ariel pointed out. “We’ll lose some ships engaging it.”

“Mostly AI warspheres,” Susan said, her eyes narrowing. The AIs were getting a propensity for sacrificing themselves to save Federation ships and crews. “I didn’t think I would ever say this about the AIs, but I don’t want to see them lose too many of their ships. They’re a type of life just as we are.”

Jeremy nodded. He knew this had been hard for Susan to say. The atrocities committed by the AIs back in the Milky Way would never be forgotten. However, the AIs in the Gaia System were certainly doing everything in their power to make up for their past mistakes. Jeremy had some officers and crews who would never forgive the AIs and he understood that.

Susan looked over at Ariel who was gazing out the large window. “Ariel, have you decided what classes you’re going to teach next semester?”

Ariel turned back with a big smile on her face. She was about to reply when her face suddenly turned pale and she appeared to stumble. In a voice filled with stutters, she said one word clearly. “Clarissa?”

Jeremy was about to ask what was wrong when alarms started sounding. He recognized them as the setting of Condition One across the planet. He felt like a giant hand had just squeezed his heart. He was deeply concerned about Ariel. Why the strange behavior and why did she say Clarissa’s name?

The comm on Susan’s desk suddenly went off. “Report!” she said, gazing at Ariel who seemed to be frozen in mid-stride. “What? That’s impossible!” Susan’s face turned white as she stared in disbelief at Jeremy.

At that moment the minicomm in Jeremy’s left ear suddenly went off. “Admiral, this is Lieutenant Preston. We have a situation developing. A large warship has just emerged from hyperspace four hundred kilometers from the Dominator. The ship has its energy shield up and all of its weapons aimed at the Originator vessel.”

“Is it a Simulin warship?” Jeremy was afraid the Simulins had finally found a way through the hyperspace distortion in the nebula.

“No,” Preston replied in an unsure voice. “I know this sounds impossible but I think it’s the Distant Horizon.”

Jeremy felt a cold chill run down his back. It was as if a ghost had suddenly stepped into the room. His breath caught in his throat. It couldn’t be the Distant Horizon. They had sacrificed their lives at the black matter Dyson Sphere.

“Put the fleet on alert,” ordered Jeremy. “I’m taking a shuttle and will be on the Avenger shortly. Try to raise that ship and confirm its identity.”

“Jeremy,” said Ariel as she unfroze and looked uncertainly at him. “It is the Distant Horizon. I’ve been speaking with Clarissa.”

Jeremy felt faint. How could this be possible? “Where have they been? Why are they pointing their weapons at the Dominator? Don’t they know Kazak could blow them into a million pieces if he feels threatened?”

“Not anymore,” Ariel said, regaining her composure. “The Distant Horizon has a number of Originator AIs on board. The ship has also been upgraded and equipped with advanced Originator weapons and energy screens. If any ship gets blown apart, it will be the Dominator.”

“What do they want?” Jeremy needed to get up to the Avenger before this situation got out of hand. He felt it difficult to comprehend what Ariel had just reported. The Distant Horizon was now more powerful than the Dominator? None of this seemed possible.

Ariel seemed to listen for several moments before she answered. “Clarissa is talking to Kazak. It seems the Originator AIs on board the Distant Horizon have a cure for the life extension pathogen. They are offering to use it on the Originators in stasis if Kazak turns them over.”

“They don’t know we’ve already revived Zafron,” said Susan, her eyes narrowing. “This could get ugly quick.”

“Ariel, tell Clarissa they’re not to fire on the Dominator no matter what. We’ll be up on the Avenger shortly and talk then. Don’t mention Zafron being awake.” Jeremy wanted this kept secret for now. There was no doubt that a living Originator could control the AIs on the Distant Horizon if necessary.

“I haven’t and I won’t,” answered Ariel as she suddenly vanished.

Jeremy let out a deep sigh. He knew that the dark-eyed AI was already back on board the Avenger. It was where he needed her to be.

“Get to the spaceport,” Susan said. “I’ll have your shuttle ready by the time you get there.”

“Thanks, Susan,” Jeremy said as he turned and rushed out the door of her office.

Susan watched him leave. She wondered what the return of the Distant Horizon would mean. It was evident from what Ariel had said that more Originator AIs were involved. With a deep sigh she sat back down. There would be no classes for the rest of the day, maybe for the next several days.

-

Kelsey stared in shock at the large viewscreen that covered the Command Center. What she was seeing on the screen was impossible. That ship couldn’t be there.

“It’s confirmed,” Commander Malen said. “It is indeed the Distant Horizon. The ship has been rebuilt and sensors indicate it’s armed with Originator weapons, possibly more powerful than those on the Dominator.”

“We must leave,” Zafron said as he rushed into the Command Center. “We can’t endanger the lives of the rest of my people in the stasis chamber. Prepare the ship to make a hyperspace jump.”

“I have contact with Clarissa,” Kazak announced as he strode into the Command Center.

“Clarissa,” uttered Katie, her eyes opening wide in disbelief. She looked over at Mikow with hope in her eyes. “What does she want?”

Kazak was silent for a long moment and then a look of surprise spread across his face. “This is a startling development. There are Originator AIs on board from the Communication and Transport Hub. They claim to have a cure for the life extension pathogen.”

“A cure?” said Zafron suddenly looking unsure of himself.

“Yes,” Kazak answered. “Evidently they continued to work on a cure after all of the Originators died. They did so for hundreds of thousands of years. In the end, they finally found a cure they claim will work.”

“We wouldn’t need the mechanical nanites?”

“No,” answered Kazak, looking at Zafron. “This is a totally organic cure.”

“Can we trust this Clarissa?” asked Zafron. “We could still take the ship and flee to safety.”

“Clarissa is trustworthy,” said Commander Malen, turning toward Zafron. “I’ve known her for years. She wouldn’t lie or use subterfuge in something such as this.”

Zafron stared at the viewscreen and the Distant Horizon. Even from here it was obvious the ship’s weapons ports were open and they were all targeted on the Dominator. “It seems they plan on taking my people off the Dominator even if we refuse to cooperate.”

“It’s due to my programming,” Kazak said regretfully. “They believe I’m in the last stages of my mission and will do anything to preserve those in the stasis chamber. Clarissa says the Originator AIs on board are worried that I will take the ship and leave and they will never find us again.”

“Activate our weapons and target that ship,” Zafron ordered. “I want the ship ready to enter hyperspace at my command.”

“Zafron, don’t fire on the Distant Horizon,” pleaded Kelsey. “I have a lot of close friends on that ship. Let’s hear what they have to say.”

“Ship targeted,” reported Kazak. “Energy shield has been energized. Hyperspace coordinates have been set. Hyperdrive is ready to be energized.”

Zafron paused for a long moment and then seemed to reach a decision. “I won’t fire first,” Zafron said finally, shifting his eyes to Kelsey. “But if they make a threatening move toward this vessel, I’ll use every weapon at my disposal to destroy them. If I can’t then we leave.”

-

On board the Distant Horizon, Kathryn stared with worry at the Dominator.

“Admiral, the Dominator’s energy shield just went up, and its weapons are being targeted on us,” reported Captain Reynolds as several alarms sounded on his sensor console.

“Just a precaution,” Clarissa said quickly. “I’m still talking to Kazak.”

“Does Fleet Admiral Strong know of our arrival?” asked Kathryn.

“Yes, the entire fleet has gone to Condition One and he’s on his way to the Avenger. Ariel says he should be on board in twenty minutes.”

“The Dominator isn’t moving,” pointed out Commander Grissim. “Maybe Fleet Admiral Strong will get to the Avenger in time.”

“Is Kazak agreeing to turn over the Originators in the stasis chambers?” asked Leeda. “He must do so. We can’t risk the Dominator making a hyperspace jump.”

“Major Weir, target the Dominator’s hyperspace drive. If there’s any sign of them energizing the drive I want it disabled.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Weir said as he retargeted one of the ship’s particle beam cannons.

Kathryn looked over at Leeda. “Can any of the Dominator’s weapons penetrate our energy shield?”

“I don’t think so,” Leeda replied. “Only Jolban would know for sure and he’s in detention.”

Kathryn drew in a sharp breath. She didn’t want to risk any damage to her ship or the Dominator if she could help it.

“Clarissa, ask Kazak if he’s willing to wait until Fleet Admiral Strong arrives to help us work through this situation.”

Clarissa quickly sent the request to Kazak. With a relieved look on her face, she nodded. “He agrees, but we’re not to go any closer to the Dominator or they will consider it as an aggressive move and will open fire.”

“Very well,” Kathryn said with a sigh of relief. “Sible hold us in this exact position relative to the Dominator until we hear from Fleet Admiral Strong.”

-

On board the Dominator, Kelsey was watching Zafron anxiously. It was nearly impossible to guess what he was thinking. “Zafron, I know both Rear Admiral Barnes and Clarissa very well. They won’t fire. We just need to wait for Fleet Admiral Strong to get here and he can straighten everything out.”

“We’re jeopardizing the lives of the rest of my people,” Zafron said as he walked over to the weapons console. “I can’t risk that.”

“Fleet Admiral Strong saved all of us,” Commander Malen said as she moved closer to Zafron. “Look around this system. Under his command we’ve managed to survive against almost impossible odds. He’ll do everything in his power to keep your people safe just as he did us. You must give him the chance.”

Zafron turned toward Commander Malen. “You have a lot of confidence in your fleet admiral.”

“I would give my life for him,” Malen said without hesitation.

Zafron seemed to consider her words and then moved away from the weapons console. “Very well, we’ll wait. But remember, I will not risk any danger to those of my race still in stasis. If I decide to fight this ship or jump out, all of you will still be on board.”

“We understand,” Commander Malen said. “I promise Fleet Admiral Strong will do what’s best for all of us and that includes you and those of your people in stasis.”

Kelsey watched as Zafron walked over to Kazak and started speaking to him in a low voice. She just hoped Commander Malen was right and Jeremy could defuse this situation. If he couldn’t then she might never see him or Gaia again. None of them would.

Chapter Fifteen

For twenty minutes the two warships stayed at Condition One with their powerful weapons aimed at each other. Around them, other warships backed off with their crews wondering who would fire first. Across the fleet and on the surface of Gaia the word was spreading like wildfire of the return of Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes and the Distant Horizon. Across the fleet, every viewscreen was focused on the two ships.

On board the Avenger, Ariel was communicating with Clarissa as the two exchanged information over what had transpired during the time they had been apart. Clarissa was also communicating with Kazak trying to ensure there was not an incident before Jeremy arrived on the Avenger.

-

“So this is the Distant Horizon and Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes,” commented Zafron as he studied the image of the exploration dreadnought on the huge viewscreen in the Command Center of the Dominator.

“It is,” confirmed Kelsey from where she was sitting in the command chair. “Several of us here served with Rear Admiral Barnes for quite some time. She is a very capable admiral.”

Zafron stepped away from Kazak who he had been speaking with earlier. “She must be to have been able to talk the AIs at the Communication and Transport Hub into repairing her ship and providing her with advanced technology, technology that is restricted and not allowed upon ships other than Originator vessels. The AIs have violated a number of governing laws set up many years ago by my people. This is very disconcerting.”

“They must have had a reason,” Commander Malen interjected, not wanting to see the situation escalate. “You heard what Clarissa told Kazak, they have an organic cure for the life extension pathogen. Isn’t that what you want?”

Zafron turned and gazed once more at the Distant Horizon. “If they actually have such a cure. This may be an attempt to gain control of the Dominator. Why else would they point their weapons at us?”

“The AIs at the Communication and Transportation Hub were programmed for scientific research,” Kazak said as he made himself heard. “It is possible they have a cure. I don’t believe Clarissa would lie to me about such a thing.”

Zafron turned back toward Kazak with a frown. “What would you know about scientific research? You were built and programmed to be a military AI, responsible for protecting this ship and those on board.”

“Which I have,” replied Kazak. “For over two million years.”

“Listen to Kazak,” pleaded Kelsey, knowing Jeremy should be on the Avenger by now. “He speaks the truth about Clarissa. She has been my friend for many years, more than I can remember.” Kelsey wished Jeremy would hurry and make contact. She wasn’t sure what Zafron was going to do. She knew he was greatly concerned about his people still in stasis. “I’m sure Fleet Admiral Strong can straighten this out easily enough if you will just give him the opportunity to do so. Remember, he’s also Rear Admiral Barnes’ commanding officer. She’ll do what he orders.”

“Fleet Admiral Strong’s shuttle has landed on the Avenger,” reported Lieutenant Mickelson. “He should be in the Command Center shortly.”

“The Distant Horizon is maintaining its position,” added Lieutenant Tracey Burke from her sensor console. “It hasn’t made any move toward us.”

“Its weapons?” asked Zafron.

Lieutenant Burke looked over at Kelsey who nodded. “Still locked on to us.”

“Our own weapons?”

“Locked on the Distant Horizon,” confirmed Major Donaldson uneasily.

Kazak eyes suddenly widened and he shifted his gaze to Zafron. “Sensor scans indicate the ship is using antimatter as its primary power source. Interpolation of a possible battle between our two ships indicates that Rear Admiral Barnes’ vessel is capable of severely damaging the Dominator. Sensor scans also indicate the presence of two primary particle beam cannons. If the two cannons are using antimatter as their power source, the beams will easily penetrate our energy screen. It’s also probable they have other weapons that could be just as effective.”

“It seems the AIs from the Communication and Transport Hub are determined to administer this supposed cure to my people still in stasis,” said Zafron with a puzzled frown spreading across his face. “What I don’t understand is why they came in such a powerful warship. Don’t they realize I would have been more inclined to accept their offer if it had not been made with a threat? I sense there is something else going on here that we are not aware of.”

“We don’t know what the Originator AIs on the Distant Horizon actually want,” Kelsey was careful to point out. “As Clarissa has already said, they were concerned about Kazak and the possibility he would refuse their request to administer the cure. You told us earlier that Kazak could be dangerous in the later stages of his programming.”

Zafron walked over to the navigation console and stared at it for a long moment. Kelsey was fearful he was contemplating taking the ship into hyperspace.

“I wouldn’t do that,” a familiar voice said from beside Kelsey.

With a start, Kelsey saw Clarissa standing there. She had forgotten that Kazak had installed a few holo-emitters in the Dominator’s Command Center for Clarissa to use months back.

“Clarissa!” cried out Katie with joy spreading across her face. “It’s you!”

Clarissa looked over at Katie and nodded. “Hello, Katie; I’m glad to see you. We have a lot to talk about.” Clarissa shifted her gaze and stared at Zafron for a long moment. “I thought an Originator was awake,” she finally said. “It’s the only reason for Kazak to be acting as he is. Ariel also seemed to be attempting to hide something from me.”

“Have you told Rear Admiral Barnes or the Originator AIs on the Distant Horizon?” asked Kelsey worriedly. Jeremy wanted to keep Zafron’s existence a secret for now.

“No,” replied Clarissa. “I suspected there was a reason for this omission so I have not informed anyone of the Originator’s existence.”

“His name is Zafron,” Kazak said, taking a few steps in Clarissa’s direction. “He was the second officer of the ship. I am relieved to see you and the Distant Horizon survived.”

Clarissa nodded to herself. “That explains a lot. Particularly the actions the Dominator has taken.” Clarissa paused and gazed directly at Zafron. “You should know there are two parties of Originator AIs on board the Distant Horizon. One party, led by Leeda, wants to administer the pathogen cure to all the Originators in the Dominator’s stasis compartment. They want to take your people back to the Shrieels at the Communication and Transport Hub where you can rebuild your race.”

“You said there were two groups,” Zafron said evenly. “What does the second group want?”

Clarissa seemed to hesitate and then she answered. “They want the weapons research in the Dominator’s core computer so they can create even more powerful weapons than they currently have. They want to place these weapons on a warship and travel to the galaxy of the Anti-Life.”

“The Anti-Life?” uttered Zafron, his face turning pale. “Why?”

“They want to acquire enough germplasm from the Anti-Life to recreate the Originator race.”

“Madness,” said Zafron, shaking his head. “The Anti-Life cannot be negotiated with. Even if they go to the Anti-Life galaxy, they are not capable of using the weapons. Only a military AI can do that, and there are very few of them on the Shrieels. None of them are capable of such a mission as this.”

“There is one,” Clarissa pointed out, turning toward Kazak. “This second group wants both the Dominator and Kazak.”

“What has happened to this second group?” asked Zafron suspiciously. “It is obvious they are not in control.”

“They were,” answered Clarissa. “However, Leeda and a few others managed to remove them from control of the ship, and they are currently being held in the ship’s detention area.”

Zafron looked long and hard at Clarissa. “From what you just told me this second group of AIs are a threat to the Dominator and Kazak. What’s to stop me from activating the hyperdrive and leaving? If I were to do that, I can promise you that you would never find this ship again.”

-

Kelsey felt her heart skip a beat. Was Zafron really going to take the Dominator and leave? Was she doomed never to see Jeremy or her other friends again? She couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Clarissa said they’re in detention. They’re not a threat any longer.”

-

“I should still leave just as a precautionary measure,” said Zafron.

Clarissa slowly smiled. “The Dominator isn’t going anywhere. Even now one of the Distant Horizon’s particle beam cannons is focused on the ship’s hyperdrive. Any attempt to energize it and the cannon will fire. I assure you we can destroy the hyperdrive before you can jump out.”

Zafron looked over at the sensor operator. “Is this true, is one of the particle beam cannons focused on our hyperdrive?”

Lieutenant Burke looked at Kelsey and then answered. “Yes.”

“Kazak, is there any chance we could take out that cannon, energize the drive, and jump out before they could retarget the hyperdrive?”

Kazak took a moment as he checked with the ship’s computer as well as studied the sensor scans of the Distant Horizon. “No, we can’t escape. We waited too long. We should have jumped as soon as the Distant Horizon appeared.”

Zafron’s shoulders drooped, and he looked over at Clarissa. “It seems as if my people and I are at your mercy.”

Clarissa shook her head. “No, you and your people are in no danger. Instead, we offer you hope for the future.”

“Commander,” Lieutenant Mickelson said excitedly. “I have Fleet Admiral Strong on the comm.”

-

Kelsey breathed out a long sigh of relief. Maybe she would get to see Jeremy and everyone else after all. Looking over at Clarissa, she couldn’t help smiling. It was good to see the blonde haired AI once again.

-

Jeremy was in the Command Center of the Avenger. So far neither the Dominator or the Distant Horizon had fired upon one another. He intended to keep it that way.

“I have Rear Admiral Barnes as well as Commander Strong on the comm,” Lieutenant Shayla Lantz reported.

Jeremy took a deep breath and then spoke into his comm. “I would like to meet with all parties concerned on the Dominator in thirty minutes. There is no doubt in my mind we can settle this peacefully.”

There was silence, and Jeremy could hear several conversations going on in the background.

Finally Rear Admiral Barnes replied. “Agreed, I’ll bring a small party consisting of myself, Clarissa, Reesa, and Leeda, who is an Originator AI.”

“We agree to the meeting,” Kelsey said after a moment. “However, we want the Originator AI to bring a sample of the cure with her. We would also like the Distant Horizon to go to Condition Two and stop targeting the Dominator with its weapons.”

“We’ll bring a sample of the cure,” Rear Admiral Barnes replied. “But we will stay at Condition One with our weapons targeting the Dominator until this is settled.”

There was silence from the Dominator and then Kelsey replied. “We agree but keep in mind that if anything happens, you will be on the Dominator.”

“I understand,” responded Rear Admiral Barnes. “We will be over shortly.”

“You have got to be kidding,” a shocked voice said from the hatch to the Command Center.

Jeremy looked over and saw Kevin staring at one of the viewscreens showing the Distant Horizon.”

“Is that really the Distant Horizon?”

“It appears to be,” replied Jeremy replied. “I just finished speaking with Rear Admiral Barnes.”

“It is the Distant Horizon,” confirmed Ariel, her eyes aglow with excitement. “Clarissa is back and so are some of the others.”

“Were there casualties?” asked Jeremy. Ariel’s words seemed to indicate there was.

“Many,” Ariel said sadly. “A large part of the crew died, including several Command Center officers.”

Jeremy looked over at Kevin. “Want to go over to the Dominator?”

Kevin walked over and glanced at the ship’s sensors. His eyes widened as he studied the sensor readings. “How is the Distant Horizon’s power reading higher than the Dominator’s? What’s happened to that ship?”

“That’s what I’m getting ready to find out,” replied Jeremy. “Are you coming?”

“Damn right I am!” Kevin said. “Katie’s on board the Dominator.”

“Your shuttle’s ready,” reported Lieutenant Preston. “The pilot’s waiting.”

“Then let’s go,” Jeremy said as he headed for the hatch. He was anxious to hear from Rear Admiral Barnes. He was certain she had an amazing story to tell. But first, he had to make sure the two ships didn’t fire on one another.

-

Kelsey, Katie, Commander Malen, Kazak, and Zafron were waiting in a large briefing room on the Dominator. It would still be a few minutes before the others arrived.

“I have scanned the two approaching shuttles, and neither are a threat to the Dominator,” reported Kazak. “Fleet Admiral Strong’s shuttle will be arriving first.”

“Keep monitoring the Distant Horizon,” ordered Zafron, who was sitting at the head of the table. “If there is any sign of duplicity, I want those particle beam cannons disabled. Then jump the ship to the nearest star system outside the nebula.”

“Weapons retargeted,” replied Kazak. “Jump coordinates set.”

Kelsey looked sharply at Zafron. “That’s not necessary. No one intends to harm you or your people sleeping in stasis.”

“Perhaps,” replied Zafron, placing his hands on the conference table and leaning forward. “But these are the last of my people, and I will not take chances with their lives.”

-

On the Distant Horizon, Commander Grissim had been told about the retargeting of the Dominator’s weapons.

“Target our ion beam cannon on the engineering section.”

“It won’t be able to bring the Dominator’s energy shield down,” warned Major Weir.

“No, but it will weaken it substantially above Engineering where our power beams can be effective. Retarget all of our power beams on Engineering. If they fire on our particle beam cannons return fire with the ion beam and power beams immediately.”

“Yes, Commander,” Major Weir responded as he began to set the firing program up on his console.

Commander Grissim took a deep breath. What Kazak’s response would be to this meeting was a big unknown. It greatly concerned her, as both Rear Admiral Barnes and Fleet Admiral Strong would be on board the ship.

-

Jeremy stepped into the conference room seeing those who were waiting.

“Rear Admiral Barnes shuttle is just docking,” Kazak informed him. “She should be here shortly.”

Jeremy nodded as he and Kevin walked over to the conference table and sat down. Jeremy sat at the opposite end from Zafron near Kelsey and Kevin walked around the table so he could sit next to Katie.

Several more minutes passed with little talking and then the door to the room opened and Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes, Clarissa, Reesa, and Leeda stepped into the room. Leeda was carrying a small vial in her hand with an amber colored liquid in it.

“It is good to see you again, Rear Admiral Barnes,” said Jeremy with a smile as he stood up. “We thought all of you had perished.”

“I understand there is a memorial to the crew of the Distant Horizon at the new Fleet Academy.”

“When we have time, I’ll show it to you,” answered Jeremy. It was an immense relief to actually see Rear Admiral Barnes.

“Is that the cure?” asked Zafron, rising to his feet.

Leeda froze in mid-stride seeing the living Originator at the head of the table. Then in a trembling voice, she said. “You’re Second Officer Zafron. How can you be awake? Are you still suffering from the pathogen?”

“No, the people here and their AIs have a cure. Not one that is desirable, but it is effective nevertheless.”

-

Reesa stood staring at Zafron in shock. She had not expected to enter this room and find a living Originator waiting for them. It was as if her greatest dream had suddenly materialized directly in front of her. For the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to say. It was also evident from looking at Leeda that the normally calm Originator AI was feeling the same.

Taking a deep breath, Reesa slowed her racing heart. She didn’t want to miss any of this.

-

“This is the cure we developed,” Leeda said as she took several cautious steps forward. It is totally organic and takes six days to be fully effective.”

“How did you come about discovering the cure?” demanded Zafron suspiciously. “Our best research scientists on the Dominator as well as on all the Shrieels failed.”

“You left us hundreds of thousands of lines of incomplete research,” explained Leeda. “We dedicated nearly two hundred thousand years of study to following each line to determine if a viable cure could be found. In the end, we found three such research lines that had the potential for a cure.” She held up the small vial. “This was the final product.”

“Kazak, take the cure and scan it with our medical sensors. I want to know if what this AI is saying is the truth.”

“I would not lie to you,” Leeda said. “We have hoped for nearly two million years to someday find the Dominator. Every Shrieel and base has listened to every FTL message transmitted in all of the galaxies for any mention of the Dominator.”

Leeda handed the vial to Kazak who left to do as Zafron ordered.

“What of this second group of AIs on the Distant Horizon? Do they not realize any attempt to contact the Anti-Life will end in disaster? How could they be contemplating such a foolish thing?”

“They thought with Kazak’s help and the weapons research on the Dominator they could do so safely.”

Zafron frowned and slowly shook his head. “Kazak thought much the same. The Anti-Life would have strung you along until they got from you the secret of the hyperspace jamming stations surrounding their galaxy. You would have released them to continue their war of expansion across the known universe. This time there would have been no one to stop them.”

Leeda nodded. “Not all of us agreed with attempting to contact the Anti-Life. Many of us were concerned it would not end well, but we were outvoted.”

“How many disagreed?”

“Forty-six percent,” answered Leeda promptly.

This seemed to satisfy Zafron for the moment. “There may be hope for you yet.”

-

“Are you really an Originator?” asked Reesa no longer able to restrain herself. “I’ve waited all of my life to meet one of you.”

Zafron turned toward the woman, who was obviously an Alton. “Who are you and why are you here?”

Reesa looked taken aback by the questions but responded. “I am Reesa Jast, an Originator research scientist. I was in the Shrieel in our home galaxy and ended up on the Distant Horizon at Leeda’s request.”

-

“I see,” Zafron said as he turned his attention back to Leeda. “Tell me what has been occurring with the Shrieels and the AIs we left to maintain them since the pathogen wiped out our race.”

Leeda nodded and began speaking.

For many long minutes, Leeda gave a brief summary of the AIs research and their upkeep of the many Shrieels and bases of the Originators. Her voice paused when Kazak reappeared carrying the vial with the amber colored liquid.

“It is a cure,” announced Kazak. “It is organic and meets all the parameters we were seeking.”

Zafron set back down indicating for the others to do the same. “It seems I have a decision to make. Fleet Admiral Strong, I wish to awaken the other adult Originators. The children can be left in stasis for the time being until we decide upon our future.”

“We will be glad to assist,” answered Jeremy, sensing a reduction in the tension in the room. It was evident the cure Leeda brought had been the turning point.

“There are four Shrieels at the Communication and Transport Hub,” Leeda said respectfully. “I am sure you can find a new home there for the survivors in one of them.”

“It is a possibility,” Zafron said noncommittally. “Kazak, reduce the ship’s alert stasis and change our weapons to stop targeting the Distant Horizon. I no longer feel there is a threat.”

“Clarissa, contact Commander Grissim and have her do the same. Take the ship to Condition Three,” ordered Kathryn.

-

Katie looked over at Clarissa who was sitting a few chairs down. Something just didn’t seem right. Unless her imagination was fooling her, she thought she had heard the chair squeak slightly when Clarissa sat down. Standing up, she walked over to Clarissa and put her hand on her shoulder. She encountered a warm and solid surface. “You’re real!”

Clarissa grinned reaching up and taking Katie’s hand. “Yes, I’m real. Leeda was gracious enough to create an artificial AI body for me. I have one for Ariel as well on the Distant Horizon.”

Clarissa stood up and hugged Katie. “I’ve wanted to do that for years.”

Katie stepped back with a tear rolling down her cheek. “I’ve missed you so much. There hasn’t been a day go by that I didn’t think about you and some of the experiences we had together.”

“The same here,” Clarissa said. “I can’t wait to show Ariel her new body. I hope she likes it.”

“She will,” promised Katie. ”When we have the time, I want you to tell me everything that happened while you were gone.”

“Some of it will be hard to believe,” replied Clarissa smiling.

Katie looked around the room. “I think we both have some stories to tell each other.”

-

“You are an interesting people,” Zafron said, confused by the showing of affection between Clarissa and Katie. “I fear my age has made me forget the emotions of my youth.”

“There is much you can teach us,” Jeremy said. “As you know we’re stranded here in the Triangulum Galaxy with no way home. We face a great enemy in the Simulins and may soon face attack even here in the nebula. It’s one of the reasons we were hoping Kazak would turn over some of the Dominator’s weapons technology to us.”

“Jeremy, there is something you should know,” Kathryn said, remembering the new intergalactic drive on her ship. “The Distant Horizon has an intergalactic drive on it and can reach the Federation in about two weeks’ time.”

Jeremy felt his breath catch in his throat. Could they actually have a way home?

“I think that discussion needs to wait for another day,” Zafron said. “My people have some serious rules and restrictions about sharing technology with other races. Some of our technology, particular the weapons technology, could be extremely dangerous in the hands of those not mature enough to handle the responsibility such technology and weapons bring.”

“Leeda and Camlin mentioned those same restrictions,” Kathryn lamented. “They told us we might not be able to keep some of the upgrades they made to the Distant Horizon.”

“I understand the concerns,” Jeremy said as diplomatically as possible. “As you said earlier, we can discuss this at a later date. I believe our best move for now is to schedule the awakening of the other Originator adults.”

Zafron eyes shifted to the cure Kazak was holding in his hand. “I believe we should awaken Bartoll next. He was our greatest scientist and very wise. We may need his wisdom in deciding what we should do on a variety of subjects.”

“Bartoll,” spoke Leeda in reverence. “We have heard of him. He is the greatest scientist ever produced by the Originators.”

Zafron allowed a smile to cross his face. “He’s also a very determined individual when he sets his mind on something. Now, Leeda. I wish to go over to the Distant Horizon and speak with Camlin and her group. I have no desire to have two opposing groups of AIs on the same ship.”

Leeda nodded, even bowing slightly in Zafron’s direction. “If Rear Admiral Barnes approves, I see no problem in that.”

“I’ll arrange it immediately,” Kathryn said relieved the crisis was over. She had been prepared to deal with Kazak, not a living Originator.

Jeremy looked around the conference room wondering where all of this would lead. Zafron seemed much calmer and was speaking in a more measured voice, one Jeremy would expect from an Originator. They were about to awaken a group of people who had probably forgotten more about science than even the Altons knew. The next few months were going to be unbelievably interesting and exciting. But first he had other fleet business he needed to attend to.

“Rear Admiral Barnes, as soon as you’ve made the arrangements for Zafron to see Camlin, I would like you and Clarissa to report to the Avenger for debriefing. I believe we have a lot to go over.”

“I think Reesa should be there as well,” Kathryn said, nodding toward the Alton woman. “She can brief you on what’s been occurring back in the Federation.”

“Very well,” Jeremy said. “Let’s adjourn this meeting. From the sound of it, we all have a lot to do.”

Chapter Sixteen

Camlin was in the detention center of the Distant Horizon. For hours now all of the Originator AIs who had supported her plan of using the exploration dreadnought to take over the Dominator and capturing Kazak had sat silently in their cells. Standing up, Camlin walked over to a wall and began pounding it with her fist. She was four times stronger than a Human was yet her fist didn’t even leave a dent on the wall.

“There’s an energy shield running through the walls of these cells,” Jolban said from where he was sitting. There were four Originator AIs in each cell. “You can hit that wall all day and it won’t do any good.”

Camlin whirled around, her face showing anger. “How could Leeda and Sible do this? They’ve taken away any chance we had to recreate the Originator race.”

“Perhaps we were wrong all along,” Jolban said, leaning back against the wall. “Contacting the Anti-Life would have been extremely dangerous.”

“It was our only choice,” responded Camlin, shaking her head in denial. She came back over and sat down. “It doesn’t make any difference anyway with all of us imprisoned in these cells. We all heard the Condition One alarms sound earlier and now whatever the threat was seems to be over.”

“We’re at Gaia,” Jolban said calmly. “By now, Kazak knows what we were planning. He won’t allow any of us near the Dominator.” The main hatch to the detention area opening interrupted him. Rear Admiral Barnes, Leeda, Reesa, and another man entered. Jolban rose to his feet, scarcely believing what he was seeing. He suddenly realized the terrible mistake they had almost committed.

Throughout the entire detention area all the Originator AIs rose to their feet, gazing in shock at the apparition that had appeared in their midst.

Camlin slowly turned and her eyes widened in disbelief. “This can’t be,” she uttered, her mind reeling. “There are no Originators left alive.”

“I told you there might be in the stasis chambers on the Dominator,” Leeda said, striding over to Camlin’s cell. “I was right!”

Camlin gazed at Leeda and then turned toward the Originator who was standing directly behind her. It was a sight she had never expected to see. She bowed slightly and then spoke. “I beg for your forgiveness. I was wrong and what we did was obviously a very foolish choice. We are here to serve you.”

“This is Second Officer Zafron of the Dominator,” Leeda said in a clear voice. “There are over two hundred Originators in stasis on board the ship. Most are children. However, it has been brought to my attention that the Originator scientist Bartoll is also among the survivors.” All the AIs in the detention center knew from the ancient records that Bartoll was the wisest and most intelligent of all the Originators.

Camlin nodded slowly, accepting how close she had come to making a serious and irrevocable mistake. She turned toward Rear Admiral Barnes, knowing what she must do. “Admiral, there is nothing I can do to make up for the lives lost due to my actions. I only did what I thought was right in order to bring back the Originator race. I accept any punishment you wish to hand out. If my continued life as an AI is forfeit, I accept it.”

“We are at war,” Kathryn said, her eyes focusing on Camlin. “In war, we all make mistakes that at times cost innocent lives. In your case, you were fighting for a cause that has been the focus of the Originator AIs for several million years. While I can never forgive you for the deaths you caused, I will not inflict further pain upon you for doing what you believed was right. I leave any punishment for your actions up to Second Officer Zafron.”

“Open the cells,” Zafron said, folding his arms across his chest and gazing slowly from one cell to the next. “All Originator AIs are under my command as the second officer of the Dominator. Since the Distant Horizon contains valuable Originator technology and weapons you are also under the command of Rear Admiral Barnes.”

Kathryn was surprised to hear this. She wasn’t quite sure what to say or why Zafron was doing this.

The AIs slowly came out and stood in a large circle around Zafron.

“There are twenty-two other adult Originators in stasis on the Dominator,” Zafron announced. “In addition there are two hundred and forty-seven children.”

The AIs looked from one to the other. They all knew what this meant. Once they returned to the Shrieels, they could now harvest sufficient germplasm and by use of artificial birthing chambers, they could rapidly increase the number of living Originators. It would only take a few generations to have a stable and thriving population.

“What are your orders?” asked Camlin. “Are we returning to the Communication and Transport Hub?” With its location being in intergalactic space and with the four Shrieels and other megastructures, it would be the safest.

“No, not yet,” replied Zafron. “We will use the pathogen cure on several more of the adults in the stasis chambers. Once we’re satisfied it functions properly, we will awaken all the adults. The children will wait until we are at a safer location.”

“And where will that be?” asked Camlin, hoping it was the Communication and Transport Hub.

“That has yet to be determined. I wish to consult with Bartoll and several others on where we need to take the Dominator.”

“Do you wish us to oversee the administration of the cure?”

“You may assist. For now I want the Altons to be in charge of awakening our people. They are very advanced when it comes to medical procedures, and I’m confident they can handle this.”

Camlin nodded. “As you wish. We too have noticed how advanced the Altons are. They are very scientifically minded and have been instrumental in the installation and the use of Originator technology on this ship.”

Zafron frowned. “That is something else we need to discuss. Some of our most important laws restrict what you did in providing such technology to the Distant Horizon. I need to know how it was done and why.”

“When the last Originators were dying they gave us the ability to adjust our programming. We have very seldom used that option in the past two million years. However, in order to find the Dominator and Kazak we made the necessary changes to allow us to circumvent several of the restrictions on sharing Originator technology.”

Zafron turned so he could face both Leeda and Camlin. “I want half the Originator AIs on the Distant Horizon reassigned to the Dominator. They are to assist in the weapons upgrades Kazak has initiated. Until I say otherwise, I want two AIs in the stasis compartment at all times monitoring the individual stasis chambers. Leeda, since you had faith that there were still Originators on the Dominator you will lead the AIs going over to the ship. Camlin, you will continue to work closely with Rear Admiral Barnes.”

Kathryn frowned. “My crew is still familiarizing themselves with the changes to the ship. It will reduce the efficiency of my crew to respond to an emergency by having that many of the AIs transferred to the Dominator.”

“Contact Fleet Admiral Strong and request additional Altons be assigned to the Distant Horizon. Your ship is short on crewmembers as it is. I would suggest you use this opportunity to fill all of your crew vacancies in case I decide to allow you to keep some or all of the technology our AIs have provided you with.”

“I will do so immediately,” responded Kathryn. It didn’t bother her that Zafron was giving orders. After all, he was an Originator. She would have expected nothing less.

-

At Gladen Three, Supreme High Commander Altrab waited for the arrival of Grand Councilmember Marden. This time he had left his armed escort behind. He fully expected to be executed as soon as the councilor arrived on board the StarFire. He let out a long breath. He gazed at his hand, seeing the pulsing blood veins beneath his skin. Altrab had served many years as a dedicated officer. He had no fear of death but regretted deeply that he had failed in his last mission. The hatch suddenly slid open and Marden stepped inside. Altrab was surprised to see the councilor was alone and hadn’t brought his normal retinue of armed escorts.

“Let us go to your Command Center,” Marden said. “What I have to say, I want all of your command crew to hear as well.”

“Yes, Councilor,” answered Altrab, wondering what was going on. Was Councilor Marden going to carry out the execution himself in front of the crew as an example of what it meant to fail the Grand Council?

For several minutes they made their way through the ship with neither speaking. Reaching the Command Center, Altrab stepped inside with his head bowed, waiting to be struck down by the councilor.

“Take your place at your command station,” ordered Marden. “Today is not your day to die.”

Altrab felt confused but made his way to his command chair and sat down, turning his attention back to Grand Councilmember Marden. “I don’t understand. I failed in my duty to the council.”

“You faced a ship armed with weapons from the ancient Sphere Builders,” Marden explained. “We ran numerous battle simulations on the main battle computer on Gladen Three and all resulted in the destruction of your fleet at Ornellia. You didn’t fail due to your strategy; you failed due to the presence of that single vessel.”

Altrab hesitated. In normal circumstances, it was not wise to ask questions of a councilmember but he sensed this was not a normal situation. “What are we to do?”

“Turn on all of your viewscreens,” ordered Marden. “We are gathering our fleets.”

Altrab gave the order and then sat back in disbelief. Around Gladen Three, there were thousands of Simulin warships.

“There are more ships arriving every minute,” the sensor operator reported. “Sensors indicate the presence of six thousand vessels.”

“I don’t understand.” Altrab hadn’t checked the sensors since arriving in the system as he had expected to die.

Marden stepped closer to the viewscreens. “We are gathering all of our ships to strike the organics and their AIs inside the Fitula Nebula. All ships will be equipped with a device that will render the hyperspace jamming in the nebula ineffective.”

“There may be more ships in the nebula equipped with ancient weapons,” warned Altrab. “We could be risking substantial ship losses if we attack their base.”

“We have considered that,” replied Marden. He turned back to face Altrab. “We are gathering all of our ships. The outer fleets have been recalled as well as all the ships protecting our remaining worlds.”

Altrab nodded his understanding. “We risk everything. Either we win or they do.”

Marden nodded. “Yes, if we lose, then control of this galaxy will fall to the Fitula organics and their AIs. I suspect they will cleanse our worlds of life to ensure we never become a threat again.”

“Who will command this fleet?”

Marden gazed directly at Altrab. “The main battle computer has selected you as commander. You have already fought a ship equipped with ancient weapons. We have also developed several strategies based on the battle information you sent back that might be effective against such ships.”

Altrab felt a huge weight descend on his shoulders. He felt pride at being selected to lead the greatest Simulin fleet ever gathered in this galaxy. “When do we leave?”

“Many ships have already made their way to the assembly area,” Marden answered. “In two weeks, we launch our attack.”

Altrab gazed at the viewscreens. Everywhere there were Simulin warships. He shifted his gaze back to Grand Councilmember Marden. “There can only be Simulin.”

“Only Simulin,” Marden responded. But in the back of his mind, he wondered if that were true. Never before had the Simulins dealt with an enemy as dangerous as this one.

-

One week later Jeremy was over on the Alton science ship where the Originators were being awakened. The Originator scientist Bartoll had already been awakened and much to his surprise Jeremy had taken an immediate liking to the scientist. In many ways he reminded him of Andram. Bartoll was highly intelligent, wise, and seemed to possess a very good sense of humor.

“How are you feeling today?” asked Jeremy, as he entered the special quarters the Altons had set up for the esteemed scientist.

The furnishings in the room had even been changed to accommodate his height. The Altons themselves being nearly seven feet tall was helpful in that it allowed Bartoll to move about the ship easily without bumping his head. He only had to duck occasionally when he went through a hatch.

“Ah, Fleet Admiral Strong,” Bartoll said, standing up with a pleased smile. “I’m glad you came by today. As to my health, Daena has assured me I am fully recovered. There is no longer any trace of the pathogen in my body. For the first time in years, I can look forward to a long life of study and research.”

“Then I assume the other adults in the stasis chambers are going to be awakened?”

“Yes,” replied Bartoll, indicating for Jeremy so sit down. There were several chairs in his quarters built for Humans.

Jeremy sat down and looked over at the Originator. “I’m surprised that Reesa isn’t here.”

Bartoll laughed. “She is fascinating to talk to. Reesa is so full of life and curiosity. She reminds me of what I was like in my youth.”

“I’ve spoken with her a few times,” Jeremy said. “She is from my home galaxy which we’re cut off from.”

Bartoll’s eyes clouded slightly. “Yes, I was told about that by Andram. The Altons are an amazing race. Their culture is highly advanced and they are well on their way to becoming what my race once was.”

“Would you trust them with your technology?”

“If it were up to me I would consider it. However, I think it wise if that discussion is made when all the adults of my race have been awoken.” Bartoll sat back down and let out a deep sigh. “There are so few of us left. Even using the birthing chambers on the Shrieels it will take generations for us to once more establish a viable population.”

“Keep in mind that many of the Dyson Spheres have Simulins in control of the vortex Control Centers. They will have to be dealt with at some point.”

Bartoll nodded. “Leeda and I have had several long conversations about that very point. I understand Rear Admiral Barnes left some of her Marines behind at the Communication and Transport Hub to begin training to take the Control Centers from the Simulins.”

“Yes,” replied Jeremy, recalling what Kathryn had said about Captain Wilde staying behind. “She also promised I would send more Marines after she contacted me. It will not be an easy task as the Control Centers will all be heavily held by the Simulins and their Conqueror Drones.”

“It does present a problem. Leeda, Camlin, Kazak and Second Officer Zafron came to visit me yesterday. It seems the Simulins have a confirmed presence in twenty-six Shrieels. Kazak is confident he can order the defenses the Shrieels possess to destroy all the Simulin warships both inside and outside. However, Second Officer Zafron knows of no way that we ourselves can remove them from the Control Centers.”

“Our Marines can,” Jeremy swiftly pointed out. “They’ve already demonstrated that in the Dyson Sphere in my home galaxy.”

With a smile Bartoll folded his arms across his chest. “It seems we’re at an impasse. You want some of our technology and we need your Marines to remove the Simulins and their Conqueror Drones.”

“Perhaps we can work out a compromise of some kind,” suggested Jeremy.

“I suspect there will be a compromise of some sort,” agreed Bartoll. “When the others are awake I will make the recommendation. I believe they will follow it. However, there will be some restrictions. Our technology and weapons are very advanced and must not be allowed to come into the possession of other races. The only reason I am willing to make an exception with you is that your people are cut off from your home galaxy, you have a small population, and the presence of the Altons.”

“So, we will not be allowed to use the intergalactic drive on the Distant Horizon to send a mission back home to tell them of our survival?”

“No,” Bartoll said, shaking his head. “We can’t risk it. If people in your Federation became aware that you possessed such technology, they would demand you turn it over. I don’t want to force you to have to disobey the orders of your superiors.”

Jeremy let out a deep sigh. He had been afraid that would be one of the restrictions. He knew Rear Admiral Barnes deeply wanted to return to Ceres to see her father. Perhaps once the surviving Originators came to know the people of Gaia better that restriction might be reconsidered.

-

Twenty-eight light years from the Fitula Nebula, High Commander Caluthe watched as his fleet began the entry into hyperspace. After days of searching, he had found three patrol fleets of the organics and the AIs from the nebula. He was working up his plan of attack when the recall order had come from the Grand Council. He was to take his fleet to star A1-479-347 and join the growing fleet of ships assembling there to attack the nebula. It was disconcerting to him to learn Supreme High Commander Altrab would command the attack. If he could have destroyed just one of the patrol fleets, the promotion to Supreme High Commander might have been his.

“The time has finally come,” said Second Commander Gantol. “We are going to crush the organics and their AIs.”

“It seems so,” replied Caluthe. “When we reach the rendezvous point our ships are to be equipped with a new device to eliminate the hyperspace interference in the nebula.”

“Once the enemy in the nebula has been eliminated we can renew our expansion in this galaxy. Someday this galaxy will be inhabited by trillions of Simulins.”

Caluthe stared long and hard at his second in command. “We have a battle to fight against the organics and their AIs,” he reminded Gantol. “We have no idea what type of defenses they may have built around their world inside the nebula. It will be a difficult battle, and many of our warships will be lost.”

“Nevertheless, we will be victorious,” responded Gantol. “We are Simulin and the universe is destined to be ours.”

Caluthe remained silent. He was not going to underestimate this enemy. The Fitula organics and their AIs had already demonstrated how dangerous they could be. Shifting his attention to one of the viewscreens, he saw a swirling spatial vortex form in front of his flagship. It was time to leave the vicinity of the nebula, but they would be back with a fleet the organics and the AIs in the nebula would never expect.

-

Jeremy and recently promoted Rear Admiral Hiru Akira were in a shuttle inspecting the defenses around Gaia. The shuttle was currently orbiting one of the massive one-thousand-meter Indomitable Class battlestations. There were six of them in orbit, and each possessed the firepower of ten battleships.

“Will it be enough?” asked Akira as he gazed at the numerous particle beam cannons on the battlestation.

“We’ve added some ion beams as well,” answered Jeremy. “If a Simulin warship gets close enough, the station can strip it of its energy shield and then destroy it.” Jeremy wished he had more of the powerful battlestations. “We have eighty-seven Type Two stations plus six thousand particle beam satellites’.”

“That’s a powerful defensive grid,” commented Akira. “It should be sufficient to protect Gaia.”

“The only problem is we have no idea how large a force the Simulins will attack with or when the attack will be coming. It could be now or still years in the future.”

Jeremy told the pilot to take them over to one of the Type Two stations so they could inspect it as well. Looking out the front viewport of the shuttle, the space around Gaia seemed to be full of thousands of small pinpoints of light. This was caused by the light from the system’s sun reflecting off the orbiting particle beams satellites. A brighter light indicated the presence of a Type Two battlestation or one of the six Indomitable ones.

“We need Originator weapons,” Jeremy said, drawing in a deep breath. “If we had their gravitonic cannons, for instance, we could hold the planet easily against any Simulin attack.”

“How’s that discussion going?”

Jeremy watched as the shuttle slowed and stopped at a distance of a thousand meters from one of the one hundred and fifty-meter Type Two stations. “As well as can be expected. The last of the adult Originators will be awake tomorrow. Bartoll wants to give them a few days to recuperate and become partially acclimated to their surroundings and the amount of time that’s passed. After that he will discuss the current situation with the Simulins and whether we can have access to their technology. He’s very adamant about it being a joint decision by all the surviving adult Originators.”

“Over two million years,” muttered Akira, shaking his head. “It’s difficult to even think about being in stasis for such a long period of time.”

“I know,” answered Jeremy, recalling the decades he and his friends had been in cryosleep waiting to fight the war against the Hocklyns. Fleet Admiral Streth and others had slept even longer.

“Take us down to the planet,” Jeremy said, addressing the pilot. “I want to inspect the defenses around the cities as well as visit several of the Marine bases.”

There were five major cities on the planet all sitting inside rings of defensive laser turrets and Hunter interceptor missile batteries. In addition there were three large Marine bases each with over eight thousand Marines. General McGown was in charge of the Marines and the ground defenses, and Jeremy wanted to make sure they were ready to repel large numbers of Conqueror Drones if it came down to it.

-

Kelsey was in New Eden visiting with Angela. In some ways, Kelsey was jealous of the life Angela now led.

“How’s Clair?”

“Sleeping,” Angela said as the two sat across from one another in the comfortable home where Angela and her family had taken up residence. “Brace is on duty at his Marine base and won’t be back until the weekend.” Brace was a major and in charge of one of the three large Marine bases on Gaia.

Kelsey let out a deep sigh. “I was hoping she would be awake.”

Angela laughed. She looked over at the baby monitor on the armrest of the sofa. “Give her a few more minutes. Her nap is just about over.” Looking curiously at Kelsey, she continued. “When are you and Jeremy going to start having kids?”

Kelsey flushed slightly and shook her head. “We very seldom talk about it. He’s so busy with the fleet and the war neither of us knows when we can make time for children.”

Angela leaned forward. “Kelsey, take my advice: don’t wait.”

“How can I add that responsibility onto Jeremy’s shoulders with everything he already has?”

Angela grinned as she checked the baby monitor again. Clair was starting to stir. “Take my word for it. Having children is a totally different type of responsibility. One that’s more of a blessing than a weight on your shoulders.”

“You don’t miss the fleet?”

“Of course I miss it,” replied Angela. “I miss it every day. But then I look at Clair and I know for now the fleet can wait. Lieutenant Lantz is doing fine taking my place on the Avenger. Shayla is a very competent communications officer.”

“She should be, you trained her.”

“Have you visited Karalle or Malith recently?”

Kelsey nodded. “Yes, Karalle’s twins are really growing. She seems very happy to have settled down. She’s already talking about having more children.”

Angela nodded. “It’s not surprising. The Bears like to have large families. What about Malith? I haven’t spoken to her for several months.”

“She’s still on the Clan Protector, though I believe she’s found a Carethian officer she’s smitten with. It wouldn’t surprise me to see her settling down soon also.”

A crying noise came from the baby monitor.

“Clair’s awake. She’ll be hungry.” Angela stood and went into the nursery to get her daughter.

Kelsey leaned back in her chair thinking about what Angela had said about having children. Would there ever be a good time for her and Jeremy? Her thoughts were interrupted as Angela came back into the room cradling Clair in the crook of her arm.

“She’s wide awake and hungry.”

Kelsey gazed at the two seeing the happy look in Angela’s eyes. Maybe it was time for her and Jeremy to talk about children.

-

Jeremy was at General McGown’s underground Command Center. The two had been talking about the current status of the ground defenses on Gaia. Colonel Jarrins had taken Rear Admiral Akira on a tour of one of the Marine bases.

“We’re as ready as we’re ever going to be,” McGown said, gesturing toward a bank of viewscreens. There were twelve viewscreens and four each were dedicated to showing views of the three Marine bases. McGown stepped forward and had the Marine officer in front of the screens adjust one of them to show a different view. On the screen, a pair of Talon fighters rocketed up into the air.

“What’s the status of the fighters and bombers at the three bases?”

“We have ten fighter squadrons and twelve bomber squadrons at each base. We train daily on taking out inbound missiles and running ground support operations in case Conqueror Drones reach the surface.”

Jeremy shifted his eyes to another bank of viewscreens. These were showing scenes from inside the five major cities on Gaia. A third bank were views from space showing the entire planet.

McGown looked knowingly at Jeremy. “This is the third time you’ve been in my Command Center this month. Are you growing worried about a Simulin attack?”

Jeremy nodded. “Yes, I’ve spoken to Andram and some others, and they all agree it’s past due.”

McGown nodded. “I suspected that.” He turned and gazed at the large holographic tactical display, which showed the space around Gaia. For now all it contained was a myriad of friendly green icons. “If they come, we’ll be ready for them.”

Jeremy took a deep breath. He just hoped General McGown was right. One advantage Jeremy had at the moment was that the Dominator and the Distant Horizon were in orbit. There was no doubt if the Simulins attacked in force Rear Admiral Barnes would throw the exploration dreadnought into the fight. He wasn’t as certain about the Dominator. While technically Kelsey was still in command, he knew very well that if the Originators on board were put in danger Zafron and Kazak would take over. Whether they would fight or not was a worrisome question in Jeremy’s mind. With both ships fighting, he just might be able to hold Gaia. If the Dominator fled in order to ensure the safety of the Originators on board, then Gaia and all the people on the planet might be lost.

Chapter Seventeen

Jeremy was in his quarters on the Avenger. He rolled over and gazed at his still sleeping wife. He reached out and touched her blonde hair, moving it away from her eyes. Kelsey had come over from the Dominator to spend the night and have breakfast with Jeremy. With a deep sigh, Jeremy wished they could to this more often. He was still slightly troubled by Kelsey asking when they could have children. It was evident that Angela electing to start a family was having an effect on both Kelsey and Katie. It wasn’t that he didn’t want children; he did. However, he wasn’t sure he wanted them in the middle of a war. He had suggested to Kelsey that they wait a little while longer and then they could sit down and discuss starting a family.

Jeremy rolled back over and with a start saw Ariel standing next to the bed. Normally she was much more discreet.

“Jeremy, we may have a problem?”

“What is it? Has Zafron and Bartoll started their meeting with the other Originators?” Only yesterday the last of the adult Originators had been released from the Alton medical bay to take up residence on either the Dominator or the Alton science ship that was providing quarters for them.

“No,” answered Ariel, looking worried. “The hyperspace detection buoys have detected a force of Simulin warships on a direct course for the nebula.”

Jeremy sat up in bed, his eyes narrowing sharply. “How far out are they?”

“Sixteen light years and closing rapidly. I’ve already sent word to the Benson to be on watch as the Simulins should exit hyperspace in close proximity.”

“How many ships?”

“Fourteen.”

Jeremy swung his legs out of bed reaching for his uniform.

Jeremy, what is it?” asked Kelsey, yawning and sitting up. She saw Ariel and instinctively pulled the blanket up covering herself. “Ariel! What have I told you about privacy?”

“I’ve seen both you and Jeremy unclothed. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Kelsey shook her head. “What’s going on, Jeremy?”

“We have a small Simulin fleet inbound toward the nebula. From their course, I would guess they’re going to try to penetrate it.”

Kelsey’s face showed concern as she realized what this might mean. “I’ll get dressed and go over to the Dominator.”

“I think it can wait,” Jeremy said as he put his shirt on. “Commander Malen is over there, and she can handle the ship if necessary. If this is an attempt to penetrate the nebula, there won’t be any combat involved. They’ll jump in, confirm their location, and then jump back out.”

“Nevertheless I’m coming to the Command Center with you. If the Simulins have found a way to penetrate the nebula, this is going to affect all of us.”

“I’ll be in the Command Center,” Ariel said as she vanished.

“When’s Ariel going to start using the AI body Clarissa brought?”

Jeremy frowned. “I think she’s afraid to. I asked her about it the other day, and she’s greatly concerned people will treat her differently.”

“Clarissa doesn’t seem to be having a problem.”

“Clarissa woke up in that body,” Jeremy pointed out. “Remember, her memory crystal was destroyed when the Distant Horizon entered the intergalactic vortex at the black matter Dyson Sphere.”

Kelsey began to dress. “You go ahead, I’ll join you shortly.”

-

Kelsey watched as Jeremy hurriedly finished getting ready and then left their quarters. She knew he had been very uncomfortable the night before when she had brought up the subject of children. Now they might be facing a full-blown Simulin attack if this small force succeeded in penetrating the nebula. Maybe Jeremy was right and they should wait until this war was decided one way or the other.

-

“What do we have?” asked Jeremy as he stepped into the Command Center. He could see increased activity at several stations and he was surprised to see Kevin hunched over the sensor console. He had thought Kevin was down on Gaia with Katie. He must have returned early.

“Four Simulin battlecruisers and ten escorts are inbound for the nebula,” reported Kevin, shifting his eyes to Jeremy. “They should be dropping out of hyperspace in six more minutes. The Benson has them on their long-range sensors.”

Jeremy nodded and proceeded to his command chair sitting down. “Instruct the Benson to keep all sensors on those ships when they exit hyperspace. I want to know if they can detect any anomalies.”

Jeremy pressed the ship-to-ship comm on his command console. “Attention all ships; we have a potential Simulin force that may be attempting to breach the hyperspace jamming in the nebula. All ships are to go to Condition Three though combat is not expected.” Jeremy didn’t want there to be any surprises if the Simulins did manage to make it into the Gaia System.

Several minutes passed as everyone’s eyes were glued to the tactical displays showing the inbound Simulin fleet. The anxiety in the room had increased as everyone knew what it would mean if the Simulins managed to pierce the nebula.

Kelsey came into the Command Center and walked over to where Commander Malen normally sat. “Is that them?” she asked, looking at a nearby tactical display.

“Yes,” answered Ariel, who was standing just slightly behind Jeremy.

“Dropout,” reported Kevin as the Simulins exited their spatial vortexes close to the nebula.

“Benson is reporting no anomalies detected,” reported Lieutenant Lantz.

“Simulin ships are holding their position,” added Kevin. “Maybe they’re just taking routine scans.”

More minutes passed and then suddenly the Simulin ships began to vanish as they jumped into hyperspace.

“Benson has a firm track on them,” Kevin said. He turned toward Jeremy with an ashen look on his face. “They jumped straight into the nebula.”

It became so quiet in the Command Center you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were focused on the tactical displays. Everyone was hoping the Simulins would fail in their attempt to reach Gaia.

Jeremy activated the ship-to-ship comm once more. “All ships. We have confirmation the Simulins have entered the nebula. All ships are to keep their long-range sensors activated and report any detection of the Simulin vessels.

Minutes passed and then more minutes. Jeremy was beginning to hope the Simulins hadn’t been able to deal with the hyperspace interference when the warning alarms on the sensor console sounded.

“Contacts!” reported Kevin. “Four Simulin battlecruisers and ten escort cruisers have just dropped out of hyperspace in the outer region of the system. Estimated distance is six point four billion kilometers.”

“Do we have any ships in the vicinity?”

“No,” answered Kevin as he checked his sensor screens. “The nearest vessel is an AI warsphere, and it’s over six hundred million kilometers away.”

“They’re scanning us,” reported Kelsey as she watched Commander Malen’s console.

“We have numerous ships confirming the contacts,” added Lieutenant Lantz.

Jeremy leaned back in his command chair feeling as if the whole world had just come crashing down. The Simulins had finally penetrated the nebula. No doubt they would soon attack.

Several minutes passed and then the Simulin ships began to vanish as they jumped out.

“Simulins have entered hyperspace and are outbound,” reported Kevin. “We can’t track them in the nebula.”

Jeremy took in a deep breath. The Simulins had scanned the system, and there was no doubt an attack would soon follow. “All leaves are hereby canceled. Call up all crews from the surface of Gaia. Inform the Clan Protector any ships in her repair bays fit for combat are to be launched immediately. I want all three patrol fleets recalled. Ariel, help Lieutenant Lantz with the messages. We have a lot to do and probably not enough time to get it all done.”

“What about the Dominator?” asked Kelsey worriedly. “What if Zafron and Kazak decide to leave?”

“I’m going to find that out now,” Jeremy replied, his eyes meeting Kelsey’s. “Lieutenant Preston, have my shuttle prepared. I’m gong to make a quick trip over to the Dominator.”

“What about Gaia?” asked Kelsey. “Should we sound the alarm? It will take hours to get everyone to the shelters.” She was greatly concerned about Angela and Clair as they lived in one of the primary targets on the planet.

“Contact General McGown and inform him of the situation. I want the entire planet placed on alert. Kelsey, stay on the Avenger and help Ariel coordinate everything. Make sure the other fleet admirals are aware of the situation.”

Kelsey nodded. She knew that if they were to survive this, they needed both the Distant Horizon and the Dominator.

-

Jeremy arrived on the Dominator and was met by Commander Malen. “Admiral, we may have a problem. Second Officer Zafron has been confirmed as the Dominator’s commanding officer by a majority of the surviving Originator adults. He’s given the order to Kazak to prepare the ship for immediate departure.”

“What about Bartoll?”

“That’s the interesting part. Bartoll and six other Originators are on the Alton science ship and are refusing to come aboard the Dominator.”

“Is Zafron prepared to leave them stranded here?” Jeremy couldn’t imagine that. There was no way Zafron would abandon Bartoll.

“I don’t know,” replied Commander Malen. “The appearance of the Simulin warships has Commander Zafron deeply concerned. He’s convinced the Simulins are preparing to send in a massive attack, one so large that not even the Dominator can survive.”

“He may be right,” admitted Jeremy. “However, if Gaia has any chance to survive we need the Dominator to stay and fight.”

It only took them a few minutes to reach the Command Center. Stepping inside, Jeremy sensed the confusion on the faces of the crew. Both Zafron and Kazak were present.

“Admiral,” Kazak said respectfully. “I regret the situation we’ve put you in. I fear the Simulins will be returning in force shortly.”

Jeremy nodded and turned toward Commander Zafron. “What are your intentions?”

“I can’t risk the Originators on this vessel. I have no choice but to withdraw to ensure their safety. There are two hundred and forty-seven children still in stasis.”

“What about the Simulins who are in the vortex Control Centers on the Dyson Spheres?” Jeremy asked. “Without our help you will never be able to remove them.”

Zafron seemed to hesitate. “Yes, Bartoll mentioned the same thing.”

“Suppose we reach a compromise,” suggested Jeremy. “I need the Dominator to stay and fight and you want to ensure the children in the stasis compartment survive.”

“What are you suggesting?” asked Zafron. “I see no solution that does not risk serious damage to this vessel.”

“Kazak, how much damage can the Dominator take and still be able to activate its hyperdrive?”

“The hyperdrive chamber is located in a very secure area of the ship. The ship can be 80 percent disabled and still able to jump.”

“The stasis compartment?”

“There are emergency energy shields which protect the compartment from harm.”

Zafron frowned. “If I wait until my ship is 80 percent destroyed, the Dominator will be a wreck.”

“You have the repair nanites as well as the repair robots,” Jeremy pointed out. “You could still repair the ship. Worst case scenario you could go to Ornellia. Admiral Jackson is there, and he has some fleet repair ships. They could help repair the damage to the Dominator.”

“It would take some time,” Zafron said with doubt in his eyes. “Possibly several years without the use of a shipyard.”

“You also don’t have the intergalactic drive like the Distant Horizon,” Jeremy added. “If you leave us, you have nowhere to go.”

Zafron seemed to be undecided. “We have the designs for the drive. However, it will take considerable time to construct a functional one for the Dominator.”

Jeremy turned back to Kazak. “What if I placed one hundred AI warspheres under your command? If you combine their firepower to the Dominators would it make a difference?”

“Can I use the warspheres to protect the Dominator as needed?”

Jeremy hated the answer he was about to give, but he had no choice. “Yes.”

Zafron looked from Kazak and then back to Jeremy. “Sixty percent damage and I’m jumping out. Once outside the nebula I”ll set a course for Ornellia.

“What about the Humans and Altons on board?”

Commander Zafron stared long and hard at Commander Malen. “They may stay. Once all damage to the Dominator has been repaired, I will allow the Humans and Altons who are serving as crewmembers the choice of remaining on the ship or transferring over to Admiral Jackson’s vessels.”

“Who will be fighting the ship in the battle?”

Zafron hesitated and then answered. “Kazak. That’s what he was constructed for.”

Jeremy nodded. “Kazak, I’m assigning one hundred AI warspheres to your command. I’ll leave it up to you as to how they will be used.”

“One other thing,” Commander Zafron said. “I’ll be using the Originator AIs from the Distant Horizon as a command crew as they have neural implants which can be used to instantly carry out commands.”

“I’ll reassign the current command crew to other ships,” Jeremy replied. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes,” replied Zafron, his eyes shifting back to Commander Malen. “I would like Commander Malen to remain as she has combat experience. I will leave it up to you as to whether your wife returns to the ship or not. I would also like the Alton science ship that Bartoll and the other Originators are on to be sent to a place of safety.”

“That will be done,” promised Jeremy.

“I have calculated we can expect a Simulin attack in six to ten hours,” added Kazak. “One thing you should be aware of, Admiral: the Simulins know that both the Distant Horizon and the Dominator are in orbit above the planet. The only way they can achieve victory is to attack in overwhelming force. I expect an attack by at least ten thousand Simulin warships, most likely more.”

Jeremy felt his breath catch in his throat. He had been expecting it but to hear it put into words made him realize everything that was at risk. Everything they had built on Gaia, what the AIs had constructed at Borton, and even the Originators would all be in danger.

“I’ll be getting back to the Avenger,” Jeremy said. “Commander Malen, you will remain here on the Dominator. I’ll have Kelsey take your place on the Avenger until after this battle is over.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Commander Malen replied with a wolfish grin. “I’m anxious to see what the Dominator can do against the Simulin fleet.”

“You will be surprised,” Kazak said. “We did manage to upgrade the ship’s gravitonic cannons by nearly 60 percent from the weapons research that was done on the ship.”

-

Supreme High Commander Altrab gazed at the viewscreens in the Command Center of his flagship. Twenty-two thousand Simulin warships were assembled in the system waiting for his order to commence the attack. Ninety-six percent of all the warships the Simulins had were in that massive formation.

“The scout force has returned. They successfully penetrated the nebula,” reported High Commander Jarald. “They are downloading the scans of the organic and AI system.”

Altrab stepped closer to a holographic display, which was showing a three-dimensional image of the defenses. It was as he had feared. The defenses around the planet were massive, and there were more ships than he had expected. This battle would be costly, and there was no guarantee of victory.

“The enemy possesses two ships armed with the weapons of the ancient Sphere Builders,” Jarald pointed out. “One of the vessels is the ancient ship that destroyed our worlds; the other is the one that defeated our forces at Ornellia.”

“We’re fortunate then,” Altrab replied as he considered the ramifications of the damage those two vessels could cause to the attacking fleet. “It could have been more.” It would also be extremely satisfying to destroy the vessel that had ravaged his fleet at Ornellia.

Altrab spent some time with the ship’s battle computer working out a strategy to use based on the scans from the scouting force. Once he was satisfied he had a strategy that might lead to victory, he quickly assigned targets to the different task groups in the fleet. They would be attacking multiple targets, making it impossible for the two ships with the ancient weapons to be able to engage the entire fleet at once.

“We jump in twenty minutes,” Altrab said as his eyes took in his command crew. “There can only be Simulin.”

“Only Simulin,” they answered.

Altrab was satisfied. All that could be done had been. Now all that remained was the battle itself.

-

Jeremy watched as the last of the three patrol fleets exited hyperspace and proceeded to their spots in the fleet formation he was sitting up. He had spoken with the Command AI, and both the Dominator and the Distant Horizon had been assigned one hundred AI warspheres. Thirty-two warspheres remained at Borton to aid in the protection of the facilities there. In addition there were four hundred and twenty-three of the big fifteen-hundred-meter AI spheres. One hundred and fifty of these had been reassigned to Borton, and the rest had been placed under Jeremy’s command.

Overall he had eight hundred and seventy ships to defend the system. Sixty of those were light cruisers and seven were the older Monarch cruisers.

“All ships are reporting ready for combat,” Kelsey informed Jeremy. “Two Gaia class cruisers have exited the shipyard. They are battle ready but the crew’s quarters and some other nonessential areas still require work. All crewmembers have returned from Gaia and all ships are reporting full crew complements.”

“The crews on the Gaia class cruisers will just have to be uncomfortable for a few hours. I want all non-combat craft to jump into exit tunnel 1A and proceed to the second clear area. They are to remain there until summoned. Contact the Benson and have them fall back and rendezvous with the noncombatants. We’ll also send ten light cruisers and the Monarchs as escorts. Inform Commander Marshall he will have overall command of the task group. If we’re defeated, he’s to go to Ornellia and report to Admiral Jackson.”

“What about the battlecarriers?”

Jeremy thought over how best to use them. He had eighteen of the large ships. They were heavily armed but of more importance were all the fighters and bombers they had in their flight bays.

“Move them down to just below the defensive grid. Their fighters can intercept any missiles that get through and their bombers can be used to attack any damaged Simulin warship.”

Jeremy was about to say more when Angela came into the Command Center. She was dressed in her fleet uniform.

“Reporting for duty,” she said formerly.

“Angela!” Kelsey said, her eyes focusing on her longtime friend. “What are you doing here, and where’s Clair?”

“Clair’s safe,” answered Angela. “She’s with her nanny in one of the deep shelters designed for children. The best way I can protect her is to be here on the Avenger.”

Jeremy hesitated and then nodded his acceptance. “Take over Communications.”

Angela nodded and stepped over, relieving Lieutenant Lantz.

“The Benson has contacts appearing on their long-range sensors,” Kevin said as he transferred the information over to the tactical displays.

Jeremy leaned back in his command chair in alarm. There were so many red threat icons they appeared as a giant blob of red.

“Can you tell how many ships are in that formation?”

“Thousands,” answered Kevin grimly. “The sensors can’t determine how many.”

“Ariel?”

“I can only estimate,” she replied. “Somewhere between eighteen to twenty-four thousand.”

Kelsey stared in shock at the tactical screen, her mind numb at what was there.

Jeremy took in a sharp breath and he felt a knot form in his stomach. “All ships go to Condition Two. We’ll go to Condition One when the Simulins enter the nebula.” Jeremy looked over at Kevin meaningfully. They both knew what those numbers meant.

The Simulins must have called in all of their ships for this attack. Jeremy had expected a massive attack but nothing on this scale. He looked at a viewscreen showing Gaia. The green zone around the equator had been their home for years. Jeremy greatly feared that was about to be taken away from them. Looking over at Kelsey, he wondered if any of them would survive this battle.

-

On board the Distant Horizon, Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes stared in growing concern at the Simulin ships appearing on the tactical displays.

“Twenty-two thousand Simulin ships are in that formation,” Clarissa reported in a soft voice. “I have informed Ariel and Kazak so they can pass it on.”

The hatch to the Command Center opened and Kathryn was surprised to see Katie, Mikow, and Andram enter.

“We weren’t needed on the Dominator so we came over here,” Katie explained. “This just seemed like where we needed to be.”

Kathryn nodded, pleased to have them back in the Command Center. It had seemed empty without them. “Take your places. I believe you will find the setup here is very similar to the Dominator’s.”

She watched as the three took their places and then turned to Clarissa. Camlin was standing nearby as well.

“Camlin, I want you and the other Originator AIs to do all you can to keep the ship’s system functioning during the battle. Clarissa, we’ve been assigned one hundred AI warspheres. I can’t coordinate such a force quick enough to be effective against the enemy we’ll be facing.”

“I can do it,” replied Clarissa confidently. “I’ve already been running battle simulations. Kazak is doing the same.”

Kathryn nodded. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. Not in a battle as large as this one was going to be. “Very well. Clarissa, you have command of the Distant Horizon.”

Clarissa grinned. It was what she had been designed for in the far distant past. “We’re going to kill a lot of Simulins.”

-

On Gaia, Rear Admiral Susan Marks watched from her office window as the alarms sounded, sending all the cadets to the deep shelters. At the nearby spaceport, all the Talon fighters and bombers were readied. The Academy kept two full squadrons of fighters and two squadrons of bombers on hand for training purposes. Around the outskirts of the Academy, the defending laser turrets swung around until they were pointed upward. Hunter interceptor missile batteries did the same.

“We’re as ready as we’re going to be,” reported Captain Simpson, who was in charge of the defenses protecting the Academy. “As soon as the attack starts, we’ll launch the Talons. If we detect any inbound Conqueror Drones, the Anlons will be sent to engage.”

Susan nodded. They had a small Marine force at the spaceport as well as the energy shield that protected the Academy itself. Looking up toward space, she wished she were on the Retribution. She felt helpless trapped here at the Academy.

-

General McGown watched the viewscreens in his Command Center as the Marines at the three bases were dispersed across the planet. Shuttles were launching and returning as they delivered the Marines and their equipment to their assigned defensive positions. Most of the Marines were going to protect the five major cities. However, there were a few farming communities that needed to be protected as well.

“Talon and Anlon squadrons are on alert,” reported Colonel Jarrins. “We can launch at a moment’s notice.”

McGown nodded. He had just been informed of the size of the incoming attack. “I’m afraid some of the Simulins are going to get through our defenses. We may even be hit by a few nukes.”

“Our Marines are dug in and they have antiradiation drugs with them,” replied Jarrins.

“We may be facing thousands of Conqueror Drones. Perhaps tens of thousands. We have to keep them away from the cities.”

“We’ll do our best,” answered Jarrins. On one of the viewscreens, four Talon fighters took off to patrol above one of the Marine bases. “Our Marines are well trained, and they’ll do their jobs.”

General McGown took a deep breath as he looked at the tactical display. All the noncombat ships were entering hyperspace. That alone told him Fleet Admiral Strong expected the Simulins to be able to penetrate the defensive grid. McGown just hoped their time on Gaia wasn’t coming to an end. It was a beautiful world and had been their home since coming to the Triangulum Galaxy.

-

On the Avenger, Jeremy watched as the Simulins dropped out of hyperspace just short of the nebula. As their scout force did, they waited a few minutes and then re-entered hyperspace.

“All ships, go to Condition One. Combat is imminent, I repeat, combat is imminent.”

Jeremy could feel the tension ratcheting up in the Command Center. Ariel had told him Clarissa was reporting twenty-two thousand inbound Simulin warships. He felt his heart pounding in his chest and adrenaline beginning to flow. This would be the biggest battle he had fought since the one at the black hole when the Federation attacked the AIs. He well remembered how that one ended.

Looking over at Kelsey, he saw her smile. “We’ll get through this,” she said over the private channel Ariel had set up for them. “You always find a way to win.”

Jeremy shifted his gaze back to the tactical displays. They were empty for now, but shortly all of that would change. He was about to face a force intent on wiping out all of his ships and sterilizing the surface of Gaia. His eyes wandered over to another screen showing the Dominator. He wasn’t certain even the two ships he had armed with Originator weapons would be able to stop what was coming. One thing was certain: no matter what the outcome a lot of good people were going to die.

Chapter Eighteen

Jeremy shifted uneasily in his command chair as he waited for the arrival of the Simulins. His greatest concern at the moment was defending the Clan Protector. It orbited just in reach of the defense grid but far enough out to be in danger from incoming fire. Jeremy had assigned Grayseth the responsibility of defending the shipyard with his fleet of battlecruisers and cruisers. Grayseth also had his three battleships to add to the considerable firepower of the Clan Protector.

“Contacts!” called out Kevin as alarms began sounding. “Simulin fleet is emerging from hyperspace three point six billion kilometers out.”

On the tactical display, numerous red threat icons began appearing. Hundreds and then thousands of Simulin warships were emerging in the Gaia System. Jeremy watched as the Command Center came alive with intense activity as the crew prepared for battle. They knew their continued existence and that of Gaia depended on their actions in the next few hours.

Jeremy checked his fleet formations one more time. He had formed the fleet into separate task groups, each commanded by one of his admirals. Combat would be kept as close to the defensive grid as possible to allow the battlestations and particle beam satellites to add their firepower to the individual fleets. It would also allow each fleet admiral to call in bomber strikes from the battlecarriers as needed. The only exceptions were the special fleets of Rear Admiral Barnes and Commander Zafron. They would act independently, hitting the Simulins as hard as possible while Jeremy and the other admirals tried to keep the enemy away from Gaia.

“All ships, stand by,” Jeremy announced over the general communications channel. We’ll let the Simulins come to us.”

Jeremy knew he didn’t have the ships to meet the Simulins in open space away from Gaia. The battle would have to take place near the planet where he could use the defense grid to bolster the firepower of his fleet.

For several long minutes the Simulins stayed at their hyperspace dropout point and then they began jumping.

“We have inbound Simulin warships,” warned Kevin as alarms sounded. “There is also a major force heading for Borton.”

“Warn the Command AI,” ordered Jeremy. He had been concerned about the Simulins splitting their fleet, and that was exactly what they had done. It prevented his fleet from reinforcing Borton and the AI fleet from reinforcing the ships defending Gaia.

“Message sent,” confirmed Angela. “The Command AI has acknowledged.”

Jeremy watched the inbound red threat icons on the tactical displays. “Ariel, do whatever you have to in order to keep the Avenger fighting. We must stay in the battle for as long as possible.” Jeremy knew they would be fighting against nearly insurmountable odds. However, he intended to do everything in his power to protect the planet and the people on its surface.

“Yes, Jeremy,” Ariel replied softly. “I’ve moved four strikecruisers into position to support us. They will also be under my control.”

Jeremy nodded. Ariel had moved the strikecruisers without his permission but she was very good at space warfare and he would have expected no less. He had witnessed what she was capable of in the past.

On one of the viewscreens, a swirling spatial vortex formed and the first Simulin battlecruiser appeared. The seventeen-hundred-meter warship and its six energy weapon spires turned slowly until it was facing Gaia.

“Emergence,” said Kevin as more warning klaxons began sounding. “They’re just outside of engagement range.” The tactical displays were filling rapidly with red threat icons.

Jeremy nodded at seeing how far out of weapons range the Simulins were. He had hoped for a few easy kills before the Simulins’ shields came up. The distance the Simulins had emerged denied him those kills.

“Distant Horizon is jumping,” reported Ariel.

Now they would see if their strategy would work. If the Simulins kept their fleet bunched up tight enough, the energy siphoning fields on the Distant Horizon and the Dominator might be able to turn the tide of the battle. If enough Simulin ships could be incapacitated, then Jeremy would order the fleet forward to destroy them.

On the nearby tactical display, the Distant Horizon and the one hundred warspheres accompanying the exploration dreadnought vanished into swirling spatial vortexes.

-

“Dropout!” called out Captain Reynolds.

“Weapons coming online,” reported Major Weir.

“Firing,” said Clarissa. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on sending commands to the one hundred AI warspheres that had appeared with the Distant Horizon just behind the Simulin fleet.

“Range to Simulin fleet is two hundred kilometers,” reported Sible.

“Activating energy siphoning field,’ added Major Weir. The field was being projected out in front of the exploration dreadnought so as not to capture any of the AI warspheres in the field.

Kathryn nodded her approval. Now they would find out just what the new weapons on the Distant Horizon were capable of.

-

Supreme High Commander Altrab gazed in consternation when he saw one of the ships with ancient weapons suddenly appear behind his fleet with one hundred of the smaller spherical AI ships. In moments the enemy fleet fired and the rear of his formation erupted in flame. However, he had expected something like this and was prepared.

“All ships, disperse pattern D2, now!”

Instantly the fleet began to spread apart as it rushed toward the planet at full sublight. Each ship was putting substantial distance between it and the next nearest warship.

-

The Distant Horizon opened up with every weapon at its disposal. Gravitonic beams flashed through Simulin energy screens blowing ship after ship apart. Antimatter beams ripped open hulls until the ships simply ceased to be. Particle beams lashed out, driving deep into enemy battlecruisers and blowing them in two.

From the AI warspheres, hundreds of particle beams speared toward Simulin vessels, overloading screens and tearing deep into ship hulls. In the space of twenty seconds, seventy-four Simulin vessels died. Sublight antimatter missiles were also launching, adding their fury to the devastation.

-

“Simulin ships are beginning to return fire,” Clarissa reported as she sent the AI warspheres into a complicated dance that would greatly reduce the effectiveness of the Simulin weapons targeting them.

The Distant Horizon shuddered slightly.

“Antimatter strike to the energy shield,” Major Weir reported. “It’s holding at 98 percent.”

“All weapons, continuous fire,” ordered Kathryn, leaning forward in her command chair. “Let’s hurt them as much as possible.” She knew she had to inflict as much damage as possible before the return fire became too great and she started losing ships.

“Enemy fleet is starting to disperse, and they’re accelerating toward Gaia,” reported Captain Reynolds. “Return fire is increasing.”

“We won’t have enough time to establish the energy siphoning field,” added Clarissa. “The affect is going to be negligible. We may capture a few ships in it, but not as many as we had hoped.”

“The Dominator is jumping in,” reported Commander Grissim. “They’re attacking the Simulin’s right flank as orientated to us.”

Kathryn switched her eyes to the indicated tactical display to see friendly green icons appearing on the flank of the Simulin fleet.

A sudden white light flashed across the large viewscreen nearly blinding her before it automatically dimmed.

“Warsphere WS-87 is down,” reported Captain Reynolds.

A second similar light suddenly appeared.

“Warsphere WS-42 is down.”

“Sible, jump the fleet to the secondary coordinates,” ordered Kathryn. Too many Simulin weapons were starting to target her fleet.

“Twenty seconds to jump,” Sible replied as she sent the jump coordinates to the AI ships. “We’ll be jumping to the other flank within one hundred kilometers of the Simulin warships.”

Kathryn nodded. She wanted to keep her fleet intact and use it for quick lightning strikes against the Simulins. She winced as another white light washed across the viewscreen.

“Warsphere WS-92 is down.”

“Jumping,” reported Sible as a swirling vortex formed in front of the Distant Horizon. Other vortexes formed in front of the remaining AI ships as well.

Moments later the fleet reappeared on the Simulin flank and promptly began attacking the Simulin fleet once more.

-

Altrab winced as both ships equipped with the ancient weapons were now engaged against his fleet. However, his fleet was rapidly moving toward the planet and spreading out its formation so it would not be affected by the energy-siphoning weapon the two ships had. While it might be able to affect a few of his ships, most would be able to stay out of range.

“Coming up on weapons range of the fleets defending the planet,” High Commander Jarald reported. “We’re taking significant losses from the two ships with ancient weapons.”

“Send the escort cruisers in,” ordered Altrab. “Let’s see what happens when our ships jump into the same coordinates the enemy occupies.” Altrab knew that at Malkor such an attempt had greatly diminished the power of the ship of the ancient Sphere Builders. Perhaps the same would happen again.

-

Commander Zafron gasped as the Dominator was suddenly shoved sideways as if it had been struck by a giant fist. “Kazak, report!”

“The Simulins are clever. They tried to jump two of their escort cruisers into the same coordinates the Dominator occupied. I had our energy shield set up to push us to one side if they made such an attempt. The Distant Horizon’s shield is also set to be repelled by such an attempt. The attempt did cause a power drainage of 12 percent.”

Kazak calmly fired two of the ship’s gravitonic cannons at a nearby Simulin battlecruiser. With satisfaction, he watched the beams tear it apart. He wished they would have had time to finish the weapons upgrades. As it was all they had managed to do was increase the power of the gravitonic cannons. The enemy fleet was still in the process of dispersing and he decided now was the best time to use the Dominator’s most powerful weapon.

-

On the hull of the Dominator massive hatches slid open. From each a blue sphere of energy leaped forth, targeting the nearest Simulin vessels. The energy spheres struck the Simulins’ energy shields, draining them, and then latched onto the ships themselves. In moments they were turned into drifting fields of black space dust. Seventy-eight Simulin ships and their crews died gruesome deaths.

-

Around the Dominator, the AI warspheres were laying down a devastating fire of particle beams toward the Simulin warships. A battlecruiser exploded and then two escort cruisers died. However, the Simulins were also firing back. An AI warsphere saw its energy screen riddled with weapons fire and then died as an antimatter missile exploded against its hull, destroying the vessel. Another AI warsphere had a deep crater blown in its side as Simulin energy weapons ripped the ship open nearly to its heart. In a blinding explosion the ship blew up, sending glowing debris in all directions.

-

Jeremy waited expectantly as the Simulin fleet charged toward his fleet. Eighteen thousand warships were headed toward Gaia with another four thousand going to Borton.

“They’re spreading their formation apart,” reported Kelsey as she studied the latest data. “Probably to prevent Kazak and Clarissa from using the energy-siphoning field.”

“Weapons range!” called out Kevin. “Incoming fire.”

The Avenger shook violently as it was pounded by numerous Simulin weapons. Alarms sounded as the ship began to take damage.

“Firing weapons,” reported Lieutenant Preston.

-

Across the fleet the damage quickly mounted. A strikecruiser died as it was torn in two by an antimatter explosion. Two Alton battleships were blown apart as their screens were overwhelmed by hundreds of antimatter missiles. A Human battleship had its stern ripped open by multiple energy beam strikes. Moments later a Simulin antimatter missile arrived, turning the ship into an expanding fireball of released energy.

-

“There’s too many of them!” cried out Kelsey as the Avenger rang like a hollow bell. Several lights on the damage control console turned a glaring red. “They’re going to overrun us.”

“All ships, pull back to the defense grid,” Jeremy ordered grimly. He knew it was his only option. With the full firepower of the defense grid, he might be able to slow the charge of the Simulin fleet.

“We’ve lost twenty-eight ships,” warned Kevin. “Including the battleship War Hammer.”

“We have a number of others reporting heavy damage,” added Angela. “Several are requesting permission to pull back beneath the grid to initiate repairs.”

“No,” replied Jeremy, knowing he was probably condemning those ships. “We don’t have time for such repairs.”

“Pulling back to the defense grid,” Ariel said. She looked over at Jeremy and then spoke in a low voice. “It’s not going to be enough.”

Jeremy was afraid Ariel was right. He looked around the Command Center. It hummed with activity as the crew fought the ship. He looked over at Kelsey, who was busy passing out orders. He needed a miracle, but he knew there were none coming. All he could do was try to hurt the Simulins enough that they would turn back before they reached Gaia.

-

At Borton, High Commander Caluthe gazed critically at the tactical display. One hundred and eighty-two red threat icons were arrayed in a defensive formation facing his fleet.

“Those are all AI ships,” Second Commander Gantol reported as he turned away from the sensor console where he had been studying the scans of the enemy warships. “They will be armed with particle beam cannons, antimatter missiles, and heavy energy beams.”

Caluthe looked at the other icons, which represented orbiting shipyards and possibly a Command Center of some type. “What does the battle computer recommend?”

“Full frontal attack,” Gantol answered promptly. “There are no ancient ships in that formation and no indications of any of their weapons. The battle computer predicts a 98 percent probability of victory.”

“Very well. All ships will proceed to engagement range. We’ll fire a full spread of antimatter missiles followed up by our energy beams. We have four thousand warships. This battle will be over with shortly.” Caluthe knew a victory here might still allow him to be promoted to a Supreme High Commander position.

-

The Simulin fleet advanced cautiously until they reached weapons range. Instantly thousands of antimatter missiles vanished from their launch tubes to impact the powerful energy shields of the AI ships. The amount of energy released was so intense the entire AI fleet seemed to vanish in a bright flare of light.

-

The Command AI had been expecting this. As soon as the Simulins launched, the entire AI fleet jumped into hyperspace, leaving decoys behind to draw in the missiles. The Command AI’s ship and the thirty-two warspheres appeared around the orbiting Command Station. However, the one hundred and fifty fifteen-hundred-meter spheres had another target. They all appeared simultaneously in the middle of the Simulin fleet. As soon as their systems stabilized, they set off the hundreds of antimatter missiles within their hulls. Each AI ship became the center of an expanding sphere of energy consuming everything in its path. Simulin ship after Simulin ship saw its energy shield overloaded, causing it to fail. The ravaging antimatter firestorm did the rest.

-

Caluthe watched in rage as the center section of his fleet was destroyed by the ravaging antimatter energy released by the suicidal AI ships. The only reason Caluthe’s flagship had been spared was because it was at the rear of the formation.

“Damage report!” he demanded, his eyes glowing red with anger. He had never imagined the AIs would use such a tactic, neither had the battle computer.

“Twenty-two hundred and eighteen ships confirmed destroyed,” Gantol answered in a stunned voice. “Another six hundred and seven are reporting moderate to heavy damage.”

Caluthe’s eyes shifted to the tactical display. The remaining AI ships had reappeared around what he assumed was their orbital Command Station. He still had an effective fleet of over one thousand ships. More if he included the damaged ones.

“All ships are to close with the remaining AI forces and engage. Spread the formation so they cannot use that tactic again.” Caluthe knew he had made a fatal mistake keeping his ships so close together in such a tight defensive formation. It had cost him, and now he was going to make the AIs pay.

-

“The Simulins continue to advance,” reported the AI hovering in front of the sensor station.

The Command AI went over its list of options; none were promising.

The ship shook violently as the Simulins drew within weapons range.

“Returning fire,” reported the AI at Tactical.

“All ships are engaged,” the AI hovering at the sensor station stated. “The Command Station is firing.”

The ship shook again and the Command AI felt fear flow through it. This was a new emotion, very seldom experienced. “We have made a mistake placing the Master Codex upon the planet.”

Even as the Command AI spoke, a number of Simulin ships broke off from the main fleet and headed toward the shipyards. The shipyards were lightly armed as they depended on the AI fleet and a few particle beam satellites for protection.

“Warspheres WS-247, WS-252, WS-303, and WS-326 have been destroyed,” the AI at sensors informed the Command AI.

On one of the viewscreens, the Simulins ships could be seen approaching the nearest shipyard. Defensive fire initiated, striking the energy shields of a number of the approaching vessels. Then the Simulins fired. Antimatter missiles and powerful energy beams stuck the energy shield of the shipyard, overwhelming it and causing it to fail. Six antimatter missiles exploded against the hull of the shipyard, tearing it apart. In just a few moments all that remained was a twisted hulk of glowing wreckage.

“The shipyard has been destroyed,” reported the AI at the sensor station. “The Simulin force is heading toward the next shipyard.”

Over the next few minutes the Command AI watched as the work of several years was annihilated by the Simulins. In the end, all of the shipyards were destroyed, leaving expanding fields of wreckage in orbit around Borton. For several long moments the Command AI studied the viewscreens and the wreckage.

The ship shook violently, and warning alarms began sounding.

“Several energy beams have penetrated the screen, and our hull has taken severe damage,” reported one of the AIs responsible for keeping track of the ship’s integrity. “Our weapons capability has been degraded by 38 percent.”

“The Simulins force that destroyed the shipyards is firing upon the planet.”

The Command AI looked toward a bank of viewscreens that showed Borton. Large nuclear detonations were going off across the planet. The Command AI knew that beneath each of those brilliant flashes of light was an AI installation. Huge mining and refining operations were being obliterated. Spaceports built to bring the refined metals up to orbit were vanishing under nuclear fire. The Command AI shifted its gaze to one large viewscreen. It was focused on the location of a deep underground facility.

As expected defensive weapons fire knocked down numerous missiles targeting the site. The missiles stopped and then Simulin energy weapons were directed from orbit toward the defensive installations, wiping them out. Then the missiles began to fall again and after a few minutes all that remained was a deep glowing crater.

A strange feeling swept across the Command AI. It had just watched the Master Codex being destroyed. There was no longer a way to program new AIs. The Command AIs plan of creating a new race of AIs to coexist side by side with the Humans and their allies had just died. Its reason for continued existence was gone. On the viewscreens, the Command AI saw several more warspheres vanish in antimatter explosions.

The ship began shaking violently and then a burning fire raced through the Command Center, vaporizing everything it touched. The Command AI’s last thought was that it had failed. It had promised to preserve the lives of the organics that had made Gaia their home. That was a promise it could not keep. In a flash of searing heat, the Command AI ceased to be.

-

“Jeremy, Borton is no more,” reported Ariel in a stunned voice.

“What? How bad is it?” Jeremy was certain he had misunderstood Ariel.

“They’re all gone. The shipyards, the Command Station, all the infrastructure on the planet including the Master Codex.”

Jeremy sucked in a deep breath feeling shocked at the magnitude of the disaster. The shipyards and infrastructure on and above Borton were irreplaceable. “What about the Altons and Humans at Borton?”

“All dead,” Ariel answered grimly. “None were able to get away.”

Jeremy knew Kurene had been at the Master Codex installation as well as a number of other Altons. There had been Humans on the shipyards and the Command Station.

“The AI fleet?” If any survived, he could use them at Gaia.

“All destroyed,” reported Ariel as her dark eyes focused on Jeremy. “They did manage to take out over twenty-four hundred Simulin warships.”

“How did they do that?”

Ariel explained about the AI ships and their suicidal hyperjumps.

“What about the Command AI?” Jeremy over the years since arriving in the Triangulum Galaxy had come to consider it almost Human, particularly in its desire to make up for the atrocities carried out by its kind in the Milky Way Galaxy.

“Gone,” answered Ariel, shaking her head. “There are no survivors from Borton.”

The Avenger shook violently, drawing Jeremy’s attention back to the battle at hand. The fleet had withdrawn to the outer edges of the defense grid. “What are the Simulins doing?” He had no time to think about Borton and the tragic losses suffered there. He had a battle to fight.

“They’ve spread out and have encircled Gaia,” answered Kelsey. “The Dominator and Distant Horizon are jumping from one location to the next engaging Simulin ships, but the Simulins are refusing to bunch up. It almost seems as if they’re willing to take the losses as long as they can kill the rest of us.”

“Jeremy, the Clan Protector,” Ariel said, drawing his attention to one of the main viewscreens.

-

“Continuous fire all weapons,” growled Grayseth as the Simulins encircled the shipyard. He had eighty-nine warships including three battleships under his command.

“Enemy are closing,” warned Ganol, Grayseth’s second in command.

The Warrior’s Pride suddenly took a jarring hit and warning alarms began sounding.

“Energy beam strike to the outer hull,” reported the damage control officer. “We’re venting atmosphere; I’ve sealed off the damaged compartments.”

“The Clan Protector is launching all of its fighters and bombers,” Ganlon reported as several hundred small green icons appeared around the shipyard.

“Daelthon sends forth the small ships to harass the Simulins,” Grayseth said proud of his clan brother.

“The hunt grows close,” warned Ganlon as more Simulin ships closed on Grayseth’s forces.

Grayseth nodded his understanding. There were one hundred and twenty particle beam satellites around the shipyard as well as four Type Two battlestations. The Clan Protector was also very heavily armed.

“We fight with honor!” Grayseth roared as he watched one of his cruisers vanish in nuclear flame on one of the viewscreens.

“Daelthon has activated his weapons,” Ganlon pointed out.

On the viewscreen particle beams, power beams, and even a few ion cannons struck at the enemy. The hatches on two hundred and twenty missile tubes slid open, and Devastator Three and antimatter missiles began launching in sprint mode. If the Simulins wanted to destroy the station, it was going to be costly.

-

In space, the battle for the Clan Protector heated up. Grayseth’s warships stubbornly clung to their defensive positions as they were battered by the numerically superior Simulin fleet. The ships were firing every weapon they possessed trying to turn back the incoming enemy. From the Type Two battlestations, particle beams and power beams lashed out at the Simulins. There was no doubt to the crews on the four stations that their lives were forfeit. Missile hatches slid open. They intended to launch every missile in their possession before the stations were destroyed.

The advancing Simulin fleet reeled from the devastating attack. Particle beam fire slammed into the central section of a Simulin battlecruiser, setting off massive explosions and hurling glowing debris into space. More explosions rattled the ship and then a Devastator Three missile arrived, turning the vessel into fiery wreckage.

The stern of an escort cruiser was blown off by a missile strike and then power beams riddled the vessel causing it to explode.

An antimatter missile struck the bow of a Simulin battlecruiser, destroying all six energy weapon spires. Moments later two Devastator Three missiles arrived, turning the damaged vessel into glowing gas and plasma.

All across the advancing Simulin fleet destruction was being handed out. Unfortunately, due to the numbers, it was not enough.

Simulin energy weapons fire struck one of the Carethian battleships. The Clan Victory seemed to keel over to its starboard side as jarring explosions tore open its hull. Emergency alarms sounded, and the crew rushed toward the damaged section to initiate repairs. More energy beams tore through the weakening energy shield opening up compartment after compartment. The commander of the ship, realizing his vessel was fatally wounded, turned the ship toward the nearest Simulin battlecruiser and activated his sublight drive at full power. Moments later the Carethian battleship slammed into the energy shield of its target. In a blinding flash of light, both ships died.

-

“We’ve lost the Clan Victory,” reported Ganlon in dismay. “Commander Taseth rammed one of the Simulin battlecruisers even as his ship was dying around him.”

“He died with honor,” Grayseth rumbled. “He served his clan well. Let Taseth be an example to all of us.”

“We’re losing ships rapidly,” Ganlon continued. “Many warriors are meeting their honor in battle.”

“Too many,” responded Grayseth as he watched the Carethian battlecruiser Crimson Clan die on one of the viewscreens. “Pull our ships back closer to the Clan Protector. We must form a barrier between it and the Simulins.”

-

The fury of the battle continued to grow. A Type Two battlestation suddenly exploded, sending scattering debris into the side of a Carethian cruiser destroying it. A Simulin antimatter missile managed to penetrate the protective energy shield of the Clan Protector, destroying two of its construction bays and a repair bay. A second Type Two battlestation died as multiple Simulin energy beams tore through its energy shield.

-

“I have a message from Daelthon,” the communications officer reported. “He is recommending we fall back to Gaia.”

“No!” roared Grayseth, his large eyes widening. He had known Daelthon since they were cubs. “We will not let the Clan Protector fall!”

“We just lost the battlecruisers Balton and Creston,” Ganlon said with deep concern. “We won’t last much longer. There’re just too many Simulins.”

On one of the viewscreens, Grayseth watched as a number of Simulin energy beams struck the Clan Protector, ripping open huge glowing gashes in its hull.

“The fighters and bombers?”

“Destroyed,” replied Ganlon dejectedly “The defensive fire from the Simulins was too much for them.”

On the viewscreen, a huge explosion suddenly tore through the Clan Protector as another Simulin antimatter missile detonated inside a repair bay. The entire station began shaking violently and then began to break up.

“Message from Daelthon,” cried out Communications. “He says his honor is your honor.”

Grayseth watched in horror as hundreds of Simulin antimatter missiles arrived, blowing apart the broken segments of the Clan Protector. Where the Clan Protector had resided only moments before an inferno of released antimatter energy now existed.

Grayseth’s shoulders drooped as he realized his oldest friend and clan brother had just perished along with the entire crew of the station. Daelthon had been so proud of what he had accomplished with the Clan Protector.

“Pull us back to the defense grid,” ordered Grayseth. He knew the Simulins would now be turning their full attention to what was left of his fleet. He would be fortunate if any of his ships reached the safety of the grid.

-

Jeremy had watched the entire horrific battle. He leaned back in his command chair, not wanting to believe the Clan Protector was no more.

“Malith!” cried out Kelsey, knowing her Bear friend had just died.

“Grayseth’s withdrawing back to the defense grid,” Kevin said, his eyes focused on the fleeing green icons trying to escape the clutches of the Simulin fleet.

Kevin took a deep breath, Grayseth’s fleet was surrounded. He watched in anguish as one after another of the friendly green icons blinked out. After a few minutes of heavy fighting, eighteen Carethian ships made it safely back to the defense grid, including Grayseth’s flagship.

“The Warrior’s Pride has suffered heavy damage,” reported Angela, her face stricken with grief after seeing the Clan Protector destroyed along with the loss of Malith. She was just thankful Karalle was down on Gaia with her family.

“Jeremy, the Simulins are continuing to close with the defense grid,” reported Kevin. “Over half of their firepower is targeting the battlestations and the particle beam satellites!”

-

In space, the Simulins continued to close their noose around the planet. Ship after defending ship was blown apart as well as hundreds of particle beam satellites. The Type Two battlestations were targeted and in the space of ten minutes, twenty-four of them were annihilated.

-

On the Star Defender, Admiral Sithe felt a sharp pain in his ribs as he was flung against the safety harness holding him securely in his command chair.

“We’ve lost our bow particle beam cannons,” Commander Buckley reported as she scanned the damage control console. “We have fires in six compartments and over a dozen more open to space.”

The ship shook again and the lights dimmed. The smell of smoke was evident in the air.

“We’ve just lost the Aegina and the Rashal,” Lieutenant Calydon reported, his eyes shifting to the admiral. “We’ve lost most of the fleet, sir.”

Admiral Sithe nodded his understating. They had come to the Triangulum Galaxy to save and support the Lost Fleets. Now it looked like they were all going to make the ultimate sacrifice. “All ships, continuous fire. We’re going to take as many of them with us as we can.”

The ship suddenly shook violently and in the distance, Admiral Sithe thought he could hear explosions.

“Energy shield is down,” yelled Commander Buckley, her face turning pale.

“It’s been an honor, Commander,” Admiral Sithe said just as a searing wave of heat flashed through the Command Center, annihilating everything in its path.

-

“The Star Defender is down,” reported Kevin, his face turning ashen. “The entire New Providence fleet has been wiped out.”

Jeremy felt his heart skip a beat. Admiral Sithe had been a fine admiral. Shifting his gaze to the tactical display, he saw the Dominator and the Distant Horizon were still jumping from location to location engaging the Simulins ships and then jumping away before a large force could be sent against them. Between the two Jeremy guessed they had already taken out over a thousand Simulins warships.

“How many Simulin ships are left?”

“The ones from the attack on Borton have arrived,” Kelsey said as more red threat icons began appearing on the nearby tactical display.

“Over seventeen thousand,” Ariel answered. “Even with the defense grid, the Dominator, and the Distant Horizon, we’re just not destroying them fast enough.”

Even as Jeremy watched, a fifteen-hundred-meter AI sphere jumped inside a tightly grouped force of Simulin ships. In a blinding explosion, the AIs set off all of their antimatter weapons, wiping out over eighty Simulin warships.

Jeremy grimaced at the sacrifice. For the most part the Simulins were staying spread out, ensuring those types of suicidal jumps couldn’t be made. He also knew the main reason for their fleet being so dispersed was so the Distant Horizon and the Dominator couldn’t use their energy siphoning fields against the Simulins. So far that strategy was working.

“AIs have reformed their fleet to give maximum coverage to all of our other ships,” Kelsey reported with anguish in her voice. “They’re taking massive losses. Over forty of the fifteen-hundred-meter AI spheres have been destroyed in the last five minutes.”

Jeremy looked at the viewscreens. The space around Gaia seemed to be on fire. Hundreds of nuclear and antimatter explosions were going off every few seconds. Energy weapons fire was prevalent on every viewscreen. On one screen, a nearby Alton battleship was being carved apart by Simulin energy beams. On another, an Indomitable Class battlestation was under heavy attack. In a powerful explosion it blew apart, sending debris raining down on the planet.

“Jeremy,” spoke Kelsey. “The Gaia has been disabled.”

“They’ve lost their energy shield,” Angela reported.

“Gaia is down,” Kevin said, shaken. The Gaia had been Rear Admiral Newman’s command. He had only been an admiral a short time.

“Simulins are beginning to target the planet,” Ariel reported, her dark eyes showing fear. “They’re launching thousands of nuclear-armed missiles.”

“The battlecarriers have launched all of their fighters,” Kelsey added as she spoke with Rear Admiral Akira over the fleet comm channel. “He’s recommending we send the bombers in while we still have them.”

“Make it so,” Jeremy ordered. “Have them target damaged Simulin vessels only.”

A sudden flash of white light filled the viewscreens of the Avenger. The ship shook violently as debris impacted the ship’s energy shield.

“What was that?” Jeremy knew it had to have been close by.

“The Cydonia Two,” Kevin said barely able to speak.

Jeremy felt stunned. The Cydonia Two was Alton Admiral Cleeteus’s flagship. Cleeteus had been with him from nearly the beginning.

“Jeremy, look at the main viewscreen!” cried out Kelsey in horror.

Shifting his gaze to the viewscreen, he saw a terrifying sight. Two mushroom clouds were rising up into the atmosphere of Gaia.

“Where did those hit?”

“In the countryside,” Kevin reported relieved. “A lot of missiles are starting to get through. General McGown reports that missile intercepts are becoming common. He has all of his Talon fighters up and covering the cities.”

Taking a deep breath, Jeremy looked at his command crew. They were all doing their jobs but fear was starting to show on their faces. Jeremy didn’t blame them. The Simulins were destroying everything.

-

Kazak stood in the Command Center of the Dominator. Since the battle had begun, he had lost twenty-eight of the AI warspheres assigned to him.

“The battle is lost,” Commander Zafron said as he watched a second Indomitable Class battlestation die under the weapons fire of hundreds of Simulin warships.

“We have suffered only minimal damage so far,” Kazak quickly pointed out.

“Even so our ship’s computer is predicting no chance for victory. Fleet Admiral Strong and his people will die here if they don’t jump out.”

“They can’t,” Leeda said. “They will never abandon their people on the planet.”

“Leeda’s right,” Commander Malen said. “Jeremy will never abandon Gaia as long as a single person is alive on the surface.”

Kazak studied the ship’s tactical display for several long seconds even as the ship fired its gravitonic cannons, tearing two more Simulin battlecruisers apart. “We need to force the Simulin ships to gather together and move away from the planet.”

“Impossible,” Zafron said, shaking his head. “They are intent on destroying the defending warships and the defense grid.”

“There may be a way,” Kazak said. “They don’t want any of Fleet Admiral Strong’s ships to escape or they might have to fight this battle again one day.”

“What good will it do to pull them away from the planet?” demanded Zafron. “Once the Simulins have defeated Admiral Strong they will turn their full force on us. Even the Dominator and the Distant Horizon can’t fight a fleet of that size. We would be destroyed and I will not allow that.”

“Give Kazak a chance,” suggested Commander Malen. “We’ve suffered very little damage so far. We can wait a little while longer.”

Kazak remained silent as he contacted Clarissa. She was the only one that might be able to help him carry out his plan. If this worked, perhaps he could save part of Fleet Admiral Strong’s fleet and even Gaia.

-

“He wants us to do what?” exclaimed Kathryn in disbelief. “There’s no way Jeremy will abandon Gaia.”

“Look at the tactical display,” Clarissa said, putting her hands on her hips. “In twenty more minutes it won’t matter as every ship Jeremy has will have been destroyed.”

Kathryn looked long and hard at Clarissa. Even as she did she felt the Distant Horizon shudder from antimatter strikes against the energy shield. “Do you trust Kazak? The lives of everyone in the fleet and upon Gaia might depend on this.”

Clarissa nodded her head. “Yes, I do. I also don’t believe we have any other choice.”

Kathryn let out a deep sigh. On one of the long-range viewscreens, she saw a strikecruiser explode as a Simulin antimatter missile blew it apart. “Contact Ariel and I’ll contact Jeremy.”

-

Jeremy looked over at Ariel feeling perplexed. “What good will this do?”

“I don’t know, but it might draw the Simulins away from the planet.”

Looking at the viewscreen, Jeremy could see where four more nukes had struck Gaia. He took in a deep breath. The defense grid was in shambles. His only effective forces were the AIs and Rear Admiral Akira’s battlecarriers. Both the Dominator and the Distant Horizon still had the majority of their AI warspheres with them. Perhaps if he joined forces with them, they could damage the Simulin fleet sufficiently to make it withdraw. Jeremy knew it was a long shot, but what else was there?

“Very well, we’ll do it. “All ships are to immediately leave the orbit of Gaia and rendezvous with the Dominator and the Distant Horizon.”

Jeremy had Kelsey send a message to Rear Admiral Akira instructing him to position his battlecarriers beneath one of the remaining Indomitable Class battlestations. His bombers were to continue their attacks against damaged Simulin ships while his fighters were to knock out any missiles targeting Gaia.

“Jeremy!” called out Kevin pointing to a viewscreen. Another nuclear cloud was rising above Gaia.”

“What’s that location?”

“Clements,” answered Kevin in a whisper.

Jeremy felt an icy chill spread across him. He was beginning to believe none of them would survive this battle. “Lieutenant Striker, plot a course to the Distant Horizon and get us there as quickly as possible.”

-

Simulin Supreme High Commander Altrab watched as the remnants of the organic and AI fleet fought its way through his fleet formation to where the two ships with ancient weapons waited. On a viewscreen, he saw one of the large AI ships blow apart under the fire of numerous Simulin ships. The AI vessels seemed to be trying to protect the organic ships. Knowing the AI spheres were the biggest threat due to the number of particle beam cannons they carried, he ordered his fleet to concentrate their fire on those.

“Some of the organic ships will make it to where the ancient weapons ships wait,” High Commander Jarald pointed out.

“Let them. We will leave one thousand of our vessels to continue to assail the planet while the rest of the fleet moves out to engage what remains of the organic and AI fleet.”

“What of the two ships with ancient weapons?”

“We will suffer losses,” Altrab said. “However, we will keep our fleet spread out over a large area so they cannot use the energy siphoning weapon against us. If we detect such a weapon has been activated, we will send more escort ships to jump into the coordinates they occupy in space.”

“That will not destroy them,” Jarald said. “We have already tried that.”

“It may not destroy them, but it will serve to disrupt any energy siphoning weapon they deploy. Have you not noticed that every time we jump a pair of escort cruisers into their locations, they suffer a slight drop in power?”

-

Jeremy’s face was pale as the Avenger took up a supporting position on the port side of the Distant Horizon. He noticed Grayseth’s flagship, the Warrior’s Pride, was on the starboard side. He was pleased that his Bear friend had made it out.

“How many AI spheres made it?” Jeremy knew a lot of them had been destroyed as the AIs had been almost fanatical in sacrificing themselves to save organic crewed ships.

“Twenty-seven,” replied Ariel.

“How many of our other ships made it out?”

“One hundred and twelve,” answered Ariel.

Jeremy knew that represented only twenty-six percent of the fleet he had started the battle with. “What are the Simulins doing?”

“The majority of their fleet is moving toward us but staying spread apart.”

“What are we facing?”

“Nearly sixteen thousand ships,” Ariel spoke softly.

Jeremy knew that not even the Dominator or the Distant Horizon could save them. His mind raced as he tried to think of a way to save the rest of his fleet and Gaia, but he could think of no solution.

“Angela, prepare to send a message to the Benson to take all the ships under their command to Ornellia. They’re to report to Admiral Jackson and inform him of what transpired here.” Jeremy was also considering sending his least damaged warships along as well.

Kevin looked at his sensors. “I don’t understand why Kazak wanted us to pull away from Gaia. It makes no sense. There’s no way we can destroy this Simulin fleet.”

Kelsey’s eyes suddenly widened. In the blink of an eye, she knew what Kazak was preparing to do.

“He’s going to destroy them,” she said suddenly.

“What?” Jeremy said, turning to face his wife. “He has no weapons powerful enough.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Kelsey replied, her eyes narrowing sharply. “He still has a dark matter missile on board the Dominator.”

Jeremy leaned back in his command chair. “And you’re just now telling me about this?”

“I had forgotten,” blurted out Kelsey.

“Ariel, what will happen if Kazak detonates the missile in the center of the approaching Simulins?”

Ariel quickly ran some calculations. She turned to Jeremy with an unsure look on her face. “It won’t be powerful enough to destroy the Simulin fleet. They’re spread out too much.”

Jeremy turned back to Kelsey. “Is there any chance Kazak has more dark matter on the ship that you didn’t know about?”

Kelsey thought over what Jeremy had asked. “I don’t know. He was supposed to have disposed of it all but knowing Kazak, it wouldn’t surprise me if he kept some samples.”

-

On board the Dominator, Kazak prepared to fire his lone dark matter missile. As Kelsey suspected, he had kept some samples of dark matter for future experimentation. Only in the last few minutes had the work and repair robots under the supervision of Jolban finished increasing the yield on the missile warhead. He had just finished explaining to Commander Zafron and Commander Malen what he was about to do. Both had expressed their concern about a dark matter detonation of such power occurring so close to the Dominator and the other ships.

“I have calculated a 94 percent probability that the Dominator and the Distant Horizon will escape unscathed from the blast.”

“What about the rest of the ships?” demanded Commander Malen.

“Only 48 percent,” confessed Kazak. “However, if we don’t use the missile their likelihood of surviving the next hour is zero.”

Commander Malen let out a deep sigh. “Use it.”

Commander Zafron nodded in agreement. “Use it.”

-

Kazak communicated with Ariel informing her of what he intended to do. Ariel quickly informed Jeremy that Kelsey was right.

“How will this affect Gaia?” asked Jeremy.

“Unknown,” Ariel replied. “There’s no way to know.”

“I saw what a dark matter missile can do to a planet,” Kelsey said, recalling the destroyed Simulin worlds. “There’s bound to be some damage to Gaia.”

“They’re preparing to launch the missile,” warned Ariel. “I’m ordering all ships to switch all available power to the shields and hold their weapons fire.”

Jeremy leaned forward in his command chair. The next minute would decide the fate of Gaia and the Lost Fleets.

-

Kathryn looked in shock at Clarissa. “Kazak’s launching an enhanced dark matter missile?”

“Yes,” Clarissa said with deep concern. “It will destroy the Simulins, but it could destroy everything else as well. Even Gaia. I’m directing all of our power to the energy shield. I’ve instructed the AI warspheres to do the same.”

-

Supreme High Commander Altrab felt confused. The enemy had stopped firing. He sensed something bad was about to happen.

“I’m picking up a strange power reading from the ancient ship of the Sphere Builders,” the sensor operator reported. “I believe the enemy ships have diverted all of their available power to their shields.”

Turning his eyes toward a viewscreen showing the mysterious ancient ship, Altrab saw a hatch open. In sudden fear, he wondered if he had fallen into a trap. For just a fraction of a second Altrab thought he saw a missile leave the hatch, then space seemed to erupt with a fury he had never imagined possible. One look at the viewscreens and he knew his fleet and the Simulin dream of conquering this galaxy were doomed.

-

The dark matter warhead exploded in the heart of the large Simulin formation. Instantly all Simulin ships within twenty-five hundred kilometers were vaporized. The blast wave rolled outward in all of its fury. When it passed a Simulin vessel, the ship simply ceased to be. For ten thousand kilometers every ship the wave touched died. Then it weakened passing over the Dominator and the Distant Horizon. Even here, a few ships with weakened shields exploded as their shields were overloaded by the dark matter energy. The wave continued reaching Gaia. Every particle beam satellite remaining in orbit was turned into molten wreckage. Several of the remaining Type Two battlestations lost their energy shields and suffered critical damage. Then the wave struck the planet. The atmosphere seemed to erupt in turmoil. Fierce winds swept the surface. Forests caught on fire and then the wave passed leaving behind a devastated world.

-

Jeremy fought to open his eyes. His head was pounding, and he could hear cries of pain around him.

“Wake up, Jeremy,” he heard Ariel’s concerned voice say.

Forcing his eyes open, he saw he was still in the Command Center of the Avenger. Smoke was everywhere and several consoles were on fire. Looking over at Kelsey, he saw she was conscious. Several other Command Center officers were passed out and lying on the deck, including Kevin.

“How’s Kevin?”

“Knocked out,” Ariel replied. “His vitals are okay; he just took a hard blow to the head.”

“Get some medics up here.”

“I’ve already sent for them,” replied Ariel.

“What’s the status of the fleet?”

“Unknown; the dark matter explosion knocked our power out. I’m operating the ship on emergency batteries while Engineering tries to get one of the fusion reactors back up.”

“Can you get me a view of what’s going on outside the ship?”

Instantly the main viewscreen came on. As far as Jeremy could see, were the shattered remains of Simulin ships. Close by he could see the wreckage of a battlecruiser and a strikecruiser. He wondered if there was even a fleet left.

-

Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes looked at the tactical screen feeling her heart beating rapidly. The Simulin fleet had been destroyed though a few vessels were still in orbit around Gaia. Of more concern at the moment was that a number of icons which had been green only a few moments before had disappeared. The Distant Horizon’s sensors were only picking up twenty-eight surviving ships that were not the fifteen-hundred-meter AI ships or the smaller one-thousand-meter warspheres.

“The Avenger and the Warrior’s Pride survived,” Clarissa announced with relief. “Their power’s out but should be restored shortly.”

“What happened to Gaia?” asked Katie, staring at one of the viewscreens. The planet looked gray and forlorn.

“The black matter energy wave,” Andram said as he checked his science console. “Not only that, it appears the Simulins managed to strike the planet with at least twenty nukes before the blast wave hit them.”

“What about the surviving Simulin ships?”

“They’re leaving,” Captain Reynolds reported. “They’re activating spatial vortexes and are jumping away from the planet.”

“How many?” asked Kathryn.

“Less than two hundred,” answered Reynolds.

Kathryn thought for a moment and then began issuing orders. “Captain Travers, contact the Benson and have them return here with all warships and noncombatants. We’re going to need the hospital ships and the fleet repair ships. How many warspheres do we still have with us?”

“Thirty-eight,” answered Commander Grissim.’

“Send them to Gaia and have them secure the planet. I don’t want any Simulin ships sneaking back in and firing off any more nukes.”

“What about the Dominator?” asked Grissim. “I’m detecting twenty-eight warspheres still intact there.”

“Send the Dominator’s warspheres to Borton to search for survivors. Both AI and organic.”

Kathryn took a deep breath. It looked as if the war was over and they had won. But the cost had been horrific. More so than any of them could have possibly imagined.

Chapter Nineteen

The Avenger was back in orbit around Gaia. The planet had been devastated by the Simulin nuclear attack as well as the setting off the dark matter missile. Jeremy spent a long time just staring at the viewscreens showing the ruins of the world they had called home since coming to the Triangulum Galaxy. It was difficult to believe this was the same planet.

“What are we going to do?” asked Kelsey, coming to stand next to Jeremy. “Can we still live there?”

“Ariel, what are the current conditions on Gaia?” Jeremy strongly suspected the news wouldn’t be good.

“Radiation levels are higher than normal, particularly in regions where a nuclear explosion occurred. What makes it even worse is the fact that all the nukes went off around the equator. Then add in the effects of the black matter missile and the planet will soon be completely uninhabitable unless cities are placed inside energy shields such as the one which protects the Fleet Academy.”

Jeremy let out a deep sigh. Living beneath an energy shield presented its own problems. “What about the cities?”

“Only New Eden and a few farming communities survived,” Ariel replied, her eyes showing deep sadness. “We’ve managed to contact many of the deep bunkers and the people in them are fine.”

“What are the estimates on our population loss?”

Ariel hesitated. “Not all of the people made it out of the cities in time, and some of the bunkers didn’t provide adequate protection. We lost about 42 percent of the population.”

“Ariel,” said Angela, her face showing anxiety. “What about the shelter where Clair is?”

“Clair’s fine. It was one the first things I checked on.”

Jeremy shook his head. “Is there anything else I should know?”

Ariel seemed to hesitate and then answered. “The planet, particularly the former habitable area, is infested with Conqueror Drones. Early estimates indicate tens of thousands of the drones were landed on Gaia. There is fierce fighting around New Eden, but so far the defenses are holding. There are several squadrons of fighters and bombers stationed at the spaceport, and they’re flying attack missions against the Conqueror Drones nonstop.”

“Angela, have we managed to contact General McGown?”

Angela shook her head worriedly. “A nuke went off close to his Command Center and at present all communications are down.”

“Do we have contact with any of our Marine bases on Gaia?”

“Only Major Caulder’s,” Ariel replied. “His base is currently under heavy attack from Conqueror Drones.”

Angela looked over at Jeremy deeply concerned. “Brace will hold out until we can send him help.”

It sounded to Jeremy as if the situation on Gaia was dire and if something wasn’t done many of the survivors could fall victim to the Conqueror Drones. Knowing how they killed, he needed to do something to ensure the safety of the survivors.

“How many fighters and bombers does Rear Admiral Akira still have left on his battlecarriers?”

“Not enough,” Kelsey answered, her tone betraying her concern. “I spoke to him a few minutes ago. He lost a big part of his bomber force attacking the Simulins and most of his fighters when the dark matter missile energy wave hit. He has four squadrons of bombers and seven squadrons of fighters still flight capable.”

It seemed as if the bad news was never going to stop. “Have Akira to begin launching attacks on the Conqueror Drones with what remains of his fighter and bomber forces. They’re to concentrate their attack on areas where we know there are survivors. They can also use their ship KEW batteries to take out any large concentrations of the drones.”

The hatch to the Command Center opening drew Jeremy’s attention. With relief, he saw Kevin step inside with a bandage wrapped around his forehead.

Kevin stopped and spent several long moments gazing at the views of Gaia on several viewscreens. “How bad is it?”

Jeremy shook his head. “Nearly as bad as it could be. I don’t think we’re going to be able to remain on Gaia.”

“The Benson and our other ships are emerging from hyperspace,” reported Lieutenant Tyrone Fleming, who had taken Kevin’s place at the sensor console.

“Have them go into orbit around Gaia,” ordered Jeremy. “We’re going to need the hospital ships for the injured. We’re also going to have to start bringing people up from the surface.”

Kelsey nodded. “I’ll inform the colony ships to stand by to start receiving evacuees.”

Jeremy gazed at the viewscreens for several more moments. “We need to set up some safe zones where we can land shuttles. Contact Rear Admiral Akira and have him concentrate his first Conqueror Drone strikes around Major Caulder’s base. We’re going to need his Marines.”

Kelsey sent the necessary messages and then turned toward Jeremy. “Where are we going to go? This was our home!”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” answered Jeremy, folding his arms across his chest. “We’ll have to head out to Ornellia. Admiral Jackson is there and the planet has a powerful defense grid. It can be a safe haven for us until we decide what to do next.”

“He does have a decent sized fleet there,” commented Kevin. “They’re also in the process of building a shipyard.”

Jeremy nodded. He looked at a viewscreen showing the shattered remains of the Clan Protector. Daelthon and his people would be greatly missed. With a deep sigh, Jeremy tried not to think of all of those who had just died.

“Kelsey, get a status on all of our surviving ships. I need to know what we have left and if they’re capable of making it to Ornellia. Then contact the remaining Indomitable Class battlestations as well as the Type Twos and see what their status is.”

“Ariel, contact the Distant Horizon and the Dominator. I need to meet with Rear Admiral Barnes and Commander Zafron as soon as possible. We have one other aspect of this war we need to discuss.” Jeremy was determined to make sure the Simulins would never pose a threat to any race in this galaxy again. They may have destroyed Gaia, but now it was his turn.

-

Kathryn stared in despair at the ruined planet. Never again would it be able to sustain life. From the sensor scans the ship had taken, it was evident in a relatively short time the planet would be uninhabitable.

“Not even our technology can correct what has happened here,” said Andram as he turned away from his science console. “The radiation we can remove, but the entire ecology of the planet has been irreversibly damaged.”

“What about terraforming?” asked Katie hopefully. “It was being used some back in the Federation.”

“You must understand,” Andram replied in his patient and lecturing voice. “Gaia was already dying. Only the green strip around the equator was habitable. The resources are just not there to make terraforming practical. It’s better if we go and seek another world.”

“That’s why Jeremy will want to go to Ornellia,” said Katie. “Our ships there are already transforming that world back to what it once was. It’s also heavily defended.”

Camlin had reminded silent for much of the battle and she decided now was the time to speak. “There might be another option. One none of you have considered.”

Kathryn turned toward the Originator AI. “What, try to find a new world? I don’t think that will work. We just don’t have the population base anymore to sustain a technology driven civilization. At least at Ornellia, once rescue operations are finished, there will be millions of Ornellians to begin rebuilding a civilized culture. I’m sure the Ornellians will agree to let us have a small area on their world to live.”

“You don’t understand,” Camlin said. “I caused the deaths of many of your people when I interfered with the hyperjump to Ornellia. I want to make up for that.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let us take what remains of your people to the Communication and Transport Hub. There are four Shrieels there. I’m sure we could build appropriate accommodations to suit your people.”

“Commander Zafron will never agree to it,” Kathryn said, partially stunned by Camlin’s suggestion. It was not something she had considered. What Camlin had just suggested would be the best of all solutions. However, there was no way Zafron would ever agree to it.

“One thing you should know,” Camlin said with a smile. “Commander Zafron and Kazak only have command of everything military. Bartoll, as lead scientist, is now the leader of the Originators. If he approves, then Commander Zafron has no choice but to obey.”

“It would be the ideal solution,” Clarissa said, stepping forward and folding her arms across her chest. “We would be safe there and could assist in removing the Simulins from the Control Centers of the other Dyson Spheres. Once that has been done their conquest of other galaxies will come to an end and the Simulin war will finally be over. We can easily maintain our technology base on one of the Dyson Spheres.”

Kathryn shifted her eyes back to the viewscreen. It saddened her that since her return she hadn’t been able to go down to the planet. Now she never would. “Camlin, will you talk to Bartoll for us?”

“Yes, I’ll take Leeda along as well.”

“Admiral Barnes, Fleet Admiral Strong is requesting your presence on the Avenger,” Captain Travers reported from Communications. “He has also requested the presence of Commander Zafron.”

“I wonder what that can be about?” asked Commander Grissim, arching her eyebrow.

“I suspect it has to do with the remaining Simulin worlds,” suggested Clarissa as she ran some quick computer projections. “We just destroyed their fleet. At the moment they would be vulnerable to attack.”

“I guess we’ll find out when we get there. Andram and Clarissa will accompany me over to the Avenger. Camlin, you should get over to the Alton science ship where Bartoll is and see if he will agree to your idea of our people moving to one of the Dyson Spheres. I don’t want to mention this to Fleet Admiral Strong until we know if it’s possible.”

-

Jeremy was waiting in the main briefing room on the Avenger. One of the fleet repair ships was already alongside beginning repairs on the damaged hull of the battleship.

“What forces do we have left?” asked Jeremy, looking over at Ariel who was standing nearby.

“It could be worse,” the dark haired AI replied. “We have sixty-six AI warspheres, twelve of the fifteen-hundred-meter spheres, three Federation battleships, four battlecruisers, four strikecruisers, eighteen battlecarriers, seven Monarch cruisers, and ten light cruisers. The Altons have eight battleships and four battlecruisers. Grayseth has his flagship and four battlecruisers. That’s a total of one hundred and forty-one remaining warships. Plus what Admiral Jackson has at Ornellia.”

Jeremy felt the room swim. He had lost nearly 84 percent of his fleet that had been defending the Gaia System. It was a military disaster by any means even though they had defeated the Simulins.

The door opened and Commander Zafron and Kazak entered. They were followed moments later by Rear Admiral Barnes, Andram, and Clarissa.

“Everyone have a seat,” Jeremy said as he sat down at the head of the table.

“What is the purpose of this meeting?” asked Commander Zafron. “We have defeated the Simulins, and I am anxious to gather all the Originators on the Dominator and set out for the Communication and Transport Hub.”

“I believe you still need to build an intergalactic hyperdrive,” commented Kathryn. “How long will that take?”

Zafron looked over at Kazak and then back to Rear Admiral Barnes. “Using the Originator AIs and the ship’s repair robots we should have the drive completed in six weeks.”

“I have a request to make,” Jeremy said, focusing his attention on Commander Zafron. “We have destroyed the main part of the Simulin fleet. Ariel believes they sent every available ship they had to attack Gaia. Right now their systems are largely undefended except for orbital defense grids.”

“Kazak has also made that assumption,” admitted Zafron. “I don’t see how that involves me or my ship.”

Jeremy took a deep breath. “I want you and Rear Admiral Barnes to take the Dominator and the Distant Horizon to all the known Simulin systems and blow every shipyard they have into oblivion. You will also send a message to each Simulin world that if they build any warships in the future, we will return and destroy their worlds. They may possess lightly armed cargo ships, but nothing else.”

“And why should we do this?” asked Zafron. “Why should I risk my ship once more?”

“Because it will end the Simulin war in this galaxy once and for all,” answered Jeremy. He pointed to the large viewscreen on the wall showing Gaia. The planet’s atmosphere was starting to turn an unhealthy brown. “I no longer have the forces to fight the Simulins in the future. We must end this war now, once and for all. If you do this, I will not ask anything else of you.”

“The Distant Horizon will accompany me?”

“Yes,” answered Jeremy.

“The Simulins will not possess anything that can damage either ship,” Clarissa said. “Our weapons far outrange theirs. We can destroy all of their shipyards and never come under enemy fire. While we’re doing this the AIs and the repair robots can be building the new intergalactic hyperdrive.”

“What about any remaining warships?” asked Kathryn? “Some of them did escape.”

“Destroy them,” Jeremy answered coldly. “The Simulins will not be allowed to possess any warships of any type. We are ending the war in this galaxy!”

Andram looked at the viewscreen, his face covered in sadness. “All of us have lost friends and colleagues today. Our focus right now needs to be on the living. What of the evacuation of Gaia; how is it coming?”

“We are going to establish three safe zones with our remaining Marines. New Eden survived so we have access to the city’s spaceport. The Simulins nuked two of the Marine bases plus the Command Center. We also lost a large number of Marines who were protecting the cities.”

“There are tens of thousands of Conqueror Drones on the planet,” Ariel said. “Currently Major Caulder is flying strike missions against them with his remaining fighters and bombers. Rear Admiral Akira is doing the same. As soon as the deep bunkers are secured, the survivors will be brought out and put on shuttles. The colony ships will be taking them on board as rapidly as they arrive.”

“I intend to have Gaia fully evacuated within the week,” Jeremy said. “Once that’s done we’ll set out for Admiral Jackson and Ornellia.”

-

It was four hours later that Jeremy was summoned over to the Alton science ship to meet with Bartoll and several other Originators. Jeremy was unsure as to what they wanted but he decided to take time out from coordinating the rescues on Gaia. It was nerve wracking as the Conqueror Drones were becoming a bigger threat by the hour. There were numerous reports of pockets of survivors being overrun by the drones.

Entering one of the Alton conference rooms used to hold meetings on various science discoveries Jeremy was surprised to find Bartoll, two other adult Originators, Camlin, Leeda, and Commander Zafron.

“Welcome,” Bartoll said, indicating for Jeremy to sit down. “I want to introduce you to Marisa Lillad, who is a geneticist, and Nomar Krill, one of our scientists well versed in the workings of antimatter.”

Jeremy nodded. “What can I do for you? I really need to get back to the Avenger to help coordinate the evacuation of the planet. The Conqueror Drones are becoming a bigger threat with every passing hour. I want to get the evacuation done as quickly as possible so we can set out for Ornellia.”

“That’s what we wish to speak to you about,” Bartoll said gravely. “We deeply regret the loss of lives that occurred today. I would like to make a suggestion. Even if you transport your people to Ornellia, it will be months if not years before you will be able to establish a thriving civilization there. With the reduction of your population, it might not even be possible.”

Jeremy thought over what Bartoll had said. With everyone that had been lost in the space battle as well as on Gaia, things would never be the same again. “What are you suggesting? If we go to Ornellia, we will have the Ornellians to aid us as well.”

“Allow us to transport your people to one of our Shrieels at the Communication and Transport Hub. We can construct suitable cities in a very short time period capable of supporting all the surviving Humans, Carethians, and Altons still on Gaia.”

Jeremy leaned back, feeling stunned. He didn’t know what to say.

“Your people would be safe,” Bartoll added. “Kazak will have some military duties to perform removing all the Simulin ships from the Shrieels they control.”

“I can do that from the Communications and Transport Hub,” Kazak informed them. “It will be a simple matter of changing a few protocols and downloading the program to all the Shrieels. Once the changes have been made, the internal and external defenses will destroy all Simulin vessels within the vicinity of the Shrieels.”

“We would still need your Marines to drive the Simulins out of the vortex Control Centers,” Marisa said. “While it will do the Simulins no good to activate a vortex once Kazak has changed the defensive protocols, they would still need to be removed.”

Jeremy turned toward Camlin and Leeda. “This was your idea for us to move to a Dyson Sphere.”

“Yes,” admitted Camlin. “Your people have been fighting a war against the Simulins ever since you arrived in this galaxy. Even back in your home galaxy, you were fighting. This will give your people a sanctuary, a place they can live in peace without the fear of war.”

“If you agree to this, some of us will take the Distant Horizon back to the Communication and Transport hub and bring back the necessary ships to transport all of your people.”

“What of the AIs?” Jeremy wasn’t sure what they were going to do since their Master Codex had been destroyed.

“Have you spoken to ZED?” asked Leeda. “I think you should.”

Jeremy was silent as he considered the offer. He didn’t see how he could turn it down. “What about the other Simulin worlds? Their shipyards must be destroyed to prevent them from ever being a threat to this galaxy again.”

“I have spoken to the AIs,” Nomar said. “They have agreed to allow a sufficient number of their surviving warspheres to go with the Dominator to accomplish that mission while the rest of us go on the Distant Horizon back to the Communication and Transport Hub to make the necessary arrangements to receive your people.”

Jeremy looked over at Commander Zafron. “Do you agree with this?”

Zafron slowly shook his head. “No, this will expose your people to our technology, something which goes against our beliefs and laws. However, Bartoll is now the leader of our people, and I recognize some things may have to change.”

“I need to speak to some others before I give you my decision.”

Bartoll nodded. “Take as much time as you need. We will wait.”

-

Jeremy was back on board the Avenger. On the trip back on the shuttle, he had thought about the ramifications of what the Originators were proposing. It was an offer he had not been expecting. It was also an offer that would be very difficult to turn down.

Once arriving on the Avenger Jeremy called a meeting of his remaining command staff as well as several others he wanted involved in this decision.

-

“They want us to move to a Dyson Sphere?” asked Kelsey, her blue eyes widening in shock.

“At the Communication and Transport Hub,” Jeremy added.

“We would be safe there,” explained Clarissa. “It’s in deep space between the galaxies. I’ve spoken to Kazak, and he claims he can fully activate and control the defenses of the Communication and Transport Hub. He says once he’s done that we will be safe from any possible enemy.”

“I’ve seen what’s there,” Rear Admiral Barnes said, recalling her stay while the Distant Horizon was being updated. “What they’ve built is beyond belief. We could be a part of that.”

“We won’t be totally out of the war,” Jeremy said, recalling the problem with the Simulins controlling numerous vortex Control Centers in the Dyson Spheres. “We still would need to furnish some of our Marines to clear out the Simulins from the Control Centers.”

“Which will end the Simulin war,” Ariel pointed out. “Without the vortex Control Centers, the Simulins won’t be able to travel from galaxy to galaxy.”

“I have spoken to Reesa,” Grayseth rumbled. “She has described to me some of the things she has seen on the Dyson Spheres, I believe my people would approve of the move.”

“Would we be allowed access to Originator technology?” asked Rear Admiral Susan Marks, who had come up from the Fleet Academy.

Jeremy nodded. “Some of their technology for sure, that is an area where there will need to be more discussion.”

“I know all of my race will approve of the move,” Andram said. “The research opportunities will be tremendous. There will be so much for us to learn, even more than what is available on Astral and the City of Lights.”

“No more war,” said Kelsey with a far away look in her eyes. “Jeremy, we deserve this. If we can’t return home, this is the next best thing.”

“What about the rest of you?” Jeremy had invited Kevin, Katie, and Angela to the meeting. He trusted them above all others.

“It would be a wonderful place to raise Clair,” Angela said. “We wouldn’t have to worry about our future.”

Kevin and Katie nodded their agreement. “I’m tired of war,” Kevin said. “We deserve some time off.”

“What of Ornellia?” asked Rear Admiral Akira. “We can’t just abandon the Ornellians.”

“No, we can’t,” replied Jeremy. He had been thinking about this earlier. “I will have to speak to Bartoll and the remaining AIs, but I may have a solution for that also.”

“Assign our remaining AI ships to defend Ornellia,” Rear Admiral Marks said in understanding.

“Yes,” Jeremy answered. “I need to speak to ZED. From what I understand he is now the acting leader of the AIs.”

“Many of our people have met their deaths with honor defending Gaia and Borton,” Grayseth said solemnly. “There will be much sadness in the coming days even for my people. Many cubs have lost their fathers. While much honor has been bestowed on numerous clan households, this will be a difficult time for many.”

“All the more reason to move to one of the Dyson Spheres,” Kelsey said. “It will be a good place for all of our wounds to heal.”

Jeremy took a deep breath. “Then we’re all in agreement.”

Everyone nodded their heads.

“Very well, I will inform Bartoll of our decision.”

Jeremy leaned back in his chair scarcely believing what they had just decided. For him it meant the end of a war and time for him and Kelsey and the others to know peace. Looking over at his wife, Jeremy realized that once they settled down on one of the Dyson Spheres at the Communication and Transport Hub, it might be time for him and Kelsey to finally start their family. He looked over at Kevin and Katie, who were holding hands and smiling at one another. Perhaps Ariel had been right when she said someday there would be a new Special Five.

Chapter Twenty

Major Caulder was growing concerned. The evacuation of Gaia was nearly complete and all that remained was to finish the evacuation of New Eden. Overhead a flight of Anlon bombers dove down toward the thousands of Conqueror Drones steadily advancing toward the defenses surrounding the city. Already heavy fighting was being reported all along the heavily defended perimeter.

“We won’t be able to hold them much longer,” Captain Donaldson said as he peered over one of the defensive walls protecting the tall laser tower. From the top of the tower, the twin laser turret was firing nearly nonstop. A Talon fighter made a low pass over the battlefield, strafing the Conqueror Drones.

Brace let out a deep sigh. There were still long lines at the spaceport of people waiting to board the shuttles. “We need at least three more hours to get everyone off the planet. Can you hold the perimeter that long?”

Captain Donaldson nodded his understanding. “We’ll buy you that time but we’re going to lose a lot of good Marines.”

Several huge explosions struck the line of advancing Conqueror Drones, blasting huge gaps in their ranks. Black smoke rose up into the air. The blasts had been caused by KEW rounds from one of the orbiting battlecarriers. These were becoming more common with every passing minute.

“When they break through the defensive perimeter I want everyone to fall back to the spaceport. We’ll make our final stand around the shuttles.”

“I’ll see you there,” replied Donaldson. “Now you better get back to the spaceport. It’s going to get pretty hairy here shortly.”

Brace nodded. He knew Captain Donaldson was right. He had just made the trip out to the defensive perimeter to get a better feel for what his Marines were up against. “Make sure you make it there. I’ll be expecting you.”

Brace turned and ran back over to his vehicle where his driver was waiting. It had been over a week since the evacuation had started. With any luck, it would be finished in a few more hours and the only thing left moving on Gaia would be the Conqueror Drones.

-

On the Avenger Jeremy listened as Ariel outlined the latest developments on the evacuation. Things on the surface were getting more untenable with every passing moment.

“The colony ship Olympus is 22 percent full and should be able to accommodate the rest of the survivors from New Eden. The evacuation should be completed in two point six hours after which the Marines will make a fighting withdrawal to the spaceport where they will board waiting shuttles. Anlon bombers and Talon fighters will give them covering fire.”

“How many Marines do we still have around New Eden?”

“Six thousand,” Ariel answered promptly. “Twenty-three hundred others have already been evacuated from the other secure landing sites.”

“What’s the current condition at those sites?

“They’re overrun by Conqueror Drones.”

Jeremy thought for a moment. He hated leaving Gaia covered with the drones. Gaia deserved better. “Lieutenant Preston, when the evacuation is complete and all fighters and bombers have returned to the battlecarriers I want Shrike missiles targeted on all the evacuation sites.”

“Even New Eden?” asked Preston, his eyes widening.

“Yes, even New Eden. I want to take out as many Conqueror Drones as possible before we make the jump into hyperspace. Once we leave, I don’t intend ever to return here. Gaia is now a part of our history.”

-

At the Fleet Academy, Rear Admiral Susan Marks stood at the window to her office looking out over the Academy grounds. All the cadets had been evacuated and a shuttle was waiting at the Academy’s spaceport to take her up to the Retribution. She had one more trip to make before she was ready to leave.

-

Twenty minutes later she stood in front of the granite obelisk and walls that listed the fleet personnel who had died since coming to the Triangulum Galaxy. With a deep sigh, she knew that list was now much larger after the losses suffered in the defense of Gaia. For several long moments she stood there with her head bowed and then, turning, she started the long trip back down the wide flight of stairs leading to the parade ground where her Marine escort was waiting. It had been decided not to destroy the Academy. The energy shield protecting it should operate anther sixty years before it ran out of power. Until that time, the Academy and its memorial would bear testimony to the determination of the Lost Fleets to survive in the Triangulum Galaxy.

-

Nearly three hours later Major Caulder watched as the last civilian was loaded on a shuttle, which promptly took off. Knowing it was time, he sent out the order for all Marine units to pull back to the spaceport. The laser towers would be set on automatic and would continue to fire until the Conquer Drones managed to pull them down. From the latest reports from the perimeter, Brace knew his Marines were suffering heavy casualties.

-

Captain Donaldson was in a heavy firefight with hundreds of Simulin Conqueror Drones. In the clear area between the laser tower and the distant tree line, hundreds of destroyed Drones were evident. But more kept on coming. Looking to either side he could see other Marine units similarly engaged. With each passing minute the drones were drawing steadily closer to the defense perimeter. With deep concern he saw a fresh wave of drones erupt from the tree line. This wave was much larger than previous ones.

“Captain, we’ve been ordered to withdraw,” yelled Sergeant Mathews. “I’ve already told the turret crew to set it on automatic and head for the spaceport.”

Even as Donaldson acknowledged the report half a dozen Conqueror Drones came crashing over the top of one of the concrete barriers. Marines began screaming as the drones grabbed them with their oversized pinchers and started tearing them apart. Weapons fire increased dramatically as other Marines rushed to their aid.

Captain Donaldson saw all along the defensive line that the Conqueror Drones were beginning to penetrate. This final wave of drones was too overpowering. With a sudden calmness, he knew his Marines weren’t going to make it to the spaceport.

With a cold chill, Donaldson could hear the screams of his Marines and others all along the line. Many Marines were fleeing their defensive positions and running toward the city hoping to evade the Conqueror Drones long enough to make it to the spaceport. Others would run a few meters, turn and fire at the drones and then start running again.

“Lieutenant Lewis, get me Rear Admiral Akira on the Retribution.”

Moments later he told the Rear Admiral what he wanted done. Donaldson knew he had just given his last order as a captain in the Marines. Even as he saw a Conquer Drone bearing down on him, massive explosions began erupting up and down the defensive line. Donaldson had called in KEW strikes on his own position to give some of his Marines and others a chance to make it to the spaceport. Just before the drone reached him, a massive explosion obliterated the wall he was standing behind, sending Donaldson into peaceful darkness.

-

Major Caulder felt helpless as reports of the Conqueror Drones overrunning Marine positions began to flood in. He had set up a defensive perimeter around the waiting shuttles to allow the Marines a chance to escape. As time passed, Marines began to straggle in. Sometimes in ones and twos and at other times entire squads. For nearly an hour shuttles climbed toward space carrying injured and exhausted Marines.

When Caulder was certain there were no more Marines coming, he gave the order for the Marines on the perimeter to pull back and enter the shuttles. As Brace entered his own shuttle, he turned and stared out the hatch as it closed. Already Conqueror Drones were beginning to swarm onto the tarmac of the spaceport. Then the hatch closed and he felt the shuttle take off. With a deep sigh, he walked over and sat down. Gaia now belonged to the Conqueror Drones. He had also noticed that Captain Donaldson had not been among the survivors

-

“Evacuation complete,” confirmed Kelsey, looking over at Jeremy. “All shuttles have docked and the fleet is ready to depart.”

“Lieutenant Preston, launch the Shrike missiles.”

From four missile tubes on the Avenger, the twenty-megaton Shrike missiles launched and then fell toward their targets.

Jeremy watched silently as the missiles reached the surface and detonated. His eyes focused on where New Eden was, watching with great sadness as a mushroom cloud rose above the city and high up into the planet’s atmosphere. He tried not to think of all the time he had spent in the city with Kelsey, Kevin, Katie, and Angela. All those places were gone now, washed away in nuclear fire.

“Jeremy?” said Kelsey in a softer and understanding voice. “It’s time to go.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Jeremy looked around the Command Center and the quiet group of officers. “Ariel, set a course for Ornellia. It’s time we go and check on Admiral Jackson.”

“Fleet is jumping,” reported Kevin from his sensor console.

The Avenger was the last ship to enter hyperspace. In front of the powerful battleship, a swirling blue-white spatial vortex formed and moments later the Avenger left the Gaia System. The system had served its purpose. It had protected the Lost Fleets and now the system was once more left in solitude.

-

Nearly seven weeks had passed since the Distant Horizon had left the Triangulum Galaxy. Kathryn was in the Command Center as dropout at the Originator Communication and Transport Hub was expected shortly. It had been a long journey but the new intergalactic drive the ship was equipped with had functioned flawlessly.

“It feels strange coming back here after so long,” Bartoll said. The Originator scientist had expressed his wish to be in the Command Center when the ship reached the hub. “In my youth, before the onset of the life extension pathogen, I made the journey to the hub many times. We had several major research projects that were to be launched from here. We had dreams of projects which would allow us to explore our entire universe, to acquire even more knowledge, and perhaps someday unite all the races in thousands of galaxies into working together for the common good.”

“It sounds like an ambitious and worthy goal,” Kathryn said. Just the scope of what the Originators had planned was far beyond anything she had imagined.

“It’s going to be a shock when the other Originator AIs learn we have living Originators on board,” Leeda said with a pleased smile. “We have all waited so long for this day.”

“It will be an adjustment for some of us,” Camlin admitted. “Many of us never thought this day would come.”

“Dropout,” Sible announced as the ship exited hyperspace.

Almost instantly on the viewscreen appeared the massive constructs of the Originator hub.

“I’ll inform them we’ve returned and that a meeting of all Originator AI leaders is necessary,” Camlin said as she moved toward the communications console.

“Even from the other Dyson Spheres?” asked Kathryn, wondering how they would get here fast enough.

“No, just from the hub megastructures,” replied Camlin. “Once we have met then news of the recovery of the Originators will be spread by activating small intergalactic vortexes we use for communication. Within two days all the Shrieels will know of the return of the Originators.”

“How long before we start our return trip to Ornellia?”

“Within the week,” Bartoll said as he stared at the viewscreen. “We will need to update a few ships to transport your people as well as begin constructing suitable cities. The cities will be ready before you return.”

Kathryn nodded. It was strange to think of no more war.

-

Two days passed and Kathryn was summoned for a meeting with Bartoll and the Originator AI leaders. She assumed it was to discuss moving the survivors from Gaia to one of the Dyson Spheres.

Stepping into the large room, Kathryn saw Bartoll and all of the other adult Originators who had been on the Distant Horizon. Four Originators had stayed on board the Dominator to look after the stasis chambers containing the children.

“Thank you for coming,” Bartoll said standing up. “We have much to discuss.”

Camlin indicated for Kathryn to take a seat next to her. With relief, Kathryn saw that while her chair was as tall as the others, it had been modified so she wouldn’t feel like a child sitting in it.

“We are in agreement in bringing your people to the Communications and Transport Hub,” began Camlin. “Your Marines will be needed to clear the Shrieels of Simulins and their Conqueror Drones. Currently Captain Brenda Wilde is going through training on the best methods to accomplish this. We are convinced this can be achieved with minimal casualties.”

“I’m sure that can be worked out,” answered Kathryn. “My people will be thrilled to come and live on one of the Dyson Spheres where they will be free from war.”

Bartoll looked down at the table and then at Kathryn with a sad look in his eyes. “I wish that were true, but we may need your people for another reason.”

“I don’t understand,” said Kathryn, feeling confused. She thought everything had been settled. “What other reason?”

“As you know several million years ago, well before we were faced with the threat of the life extension pathogen, we fought a war against the Anti-Life.”

“Yes, I’ve been told about that,” answered Kathryn, looking over at Leeda. “The war lasted a very long time and eventually the Anti-Life were driven back to their home galaxy. Your people erected a series of hyperspace interference stations to lock the Anti-Life out of ever using any hyperspace bands to escape their galaxy. They’ve been trapped there ever since.”

A distressed look passed over Bartoll’s face. “I wish that were true. When I first arrived here, I went to a secure room that only Originators can access. It receives regular reports from the interference stations to determine if any attempt has been made to leave the Anti-Life galaxy. In the past, this facility always had Originators present.”

“Something’s happened,” guessed Kathryn, feeling an uneasiness grow in her stomach. Bartoll looked so serious.

“When I entered the room, a warning alarm was going off. The interference stations went offline simultaneously over one thousand years ago.”

Kathryn’s eyes widened at this revelation. She looked over at Camlin and Leeda. “Has there been any sign of any of the Anti-Life in the galaxies where your Dyson Spheres are?”

“No,” Leeda said, shaking her head. “There’s been no evidence of any interference from the Anti-Life. We were not aware of the facility that monitored the hyperspace interference stations. Even if we had been, we would have been powerless to do anything.”

Kathryn looked back over at Bartoll. “Where are they? Why haven’t they made their presence known?”

“I think I can answer that,” Nomar said with a deep and regretful sigh. “I’ve spent some time running simulations on one of our main computer cores. It believes the Anti-Life are staying away from galaxies where there are Shrieels. It presumes that out beyond the galaxies we explored there is a war raging. The computer predicts with a 98 percent certainty that the Anti-Life are free of their galaxy and are building a massive empire across much of the known universe.”

The room was quiet as everyone thought over what this meant. Nomar’s announcement had even caught some of the other Originators off guard.

Kathryn didn’t know what to say. She had thought the Simulins were dangerous with their conquering of numerous galaxies. This sounded a thousand times worse. “Is there anything you can do?”

Marisa slowly shook her head. “There are too few of us, even after we awaken the children. Using the birthing chambers in the Shrieels it will be generations before there are enough of us to even think about interfering with the Anti-Life.”

“Then what’s to be done?”

Bartoll took a deep breath. “All the Shrieels’ defenses are programmed to resist the Anti-Life, so an attack against any of them in the immediate future is unlikely. In the Shrieels we have thousands of warships which have been kept in stasis. However, we only have a few military AIs and none like Kazak.”

“You could build more,” suggested Kathryn. “They could fight against the Anti-Life.”

“We could and we will,” responded Bartoll. “However, the military AIs are designed to operate with a full crew of Originators. It is done that way to prevent the military AIs from making catastrophic decisions such as when Kazak destroyed those six Simulin worlds. A demonstration of the power he possessed would probably have been more effective.”

Kathryn still felt confused. “Then what’s the solution? Someday the Anti-Life are bound to come after the Dyson Spheres and the galaxies they reside in.”

Bartoll looked at the other Originators at the long table. Then he spoke again, his eyes settling on Kathryn. “I am uncomfortable asking this considering all your people have been through but we see no other options. We can’t stand by and let the Anti-Life enslave vast regions of this universe. At some point, they will become so powerful that not even our ships will be able to stand up to them.”

“We need living crews in order to resist the Anti-Life,” said Marisa. “Living officers that can tell our military AIs what to do in some situations.”

“You want us to fight for you,” guessed Kathryn as a cold chill swept over her. They had just finished one war and now the Originators were asking them to fight another, one that would be much more dangerous with even more severe consequences if they failed. How could she go back to Fleet Admiral Strong and tell him this? “You need our people to be your crews.”

“Yes,” Bartoll answered uneasily. “We need your people. We have discussed this situation seeking another solution, but we have found none. We realize this is a heavy burden to place on the shoulders of your people but we have no other viable choice. Do you think Fleet Admiral Strong will agree? We will update your ships with Originator technology and furnish all the AIs necessary to teach your people how to operate them.”

Kathryn knew Jeremy well enough to know he wouldn’t tell the Originators no, not with what was at stake. She could also tell the Originators were backed into a corner and would most likely agree to anything due to the threat from the Anti-Life. If they were going to fight a war, she wanted as many concessions from them as possible.

“I don’t think updating our ships is the solution,” Kathryn said, placing her right hand palm down on the table. “If we’re going to fight a war we will need new ships completely based on your most recent technology and the weapons research done on the Dominator. If you agree to this, I feel certain Fleet Admiral Strong will consent to help.”

Several of the Originators looked concerned but didn’t voice a counter opinion.

“We will discuss your request,” Bartoll said. “We may also be able to create enough military AI so we can activate our ships in stasis. These ships could operate under the command of one of your officers from a fully crewed vessel.”

“How effective will this be? What happens if the crewed vessel is destroyed?”

“Not very,” admitted Bartoll. “As I said earlier all of our warships were designed to be operated by full crews of my people. There are not enough survivors from Gaia for that to be a reasonable option. We’re talking about tens of thousands of warships.”

Kathryn leaned back in her chair, her mind racing. “What if we ask the Federation for help? They have the population base and even trained crews to help fight this war.”

“No,” replied Marisa, shaking her head. “It would involve furnishing the races of your home galaxy with Originator technology and weapons. In the end, that could be more dangerous than the Anti-Life.”

As much as Kathryn hated to admit it, Marisa was right. What if the Shari, the Borzon, or the Ralift learned of this technology? In their hands it could be devastating.

“If only we could bring more of your people here,” said Marisa. “We can control the proliferation of the technology here at the Communication and Transport Hub. Is there any way to contact enough of your people in your home galaxy who would be willing to move to the Shrieel we’re preparing?”

“Not without the secret getting out,” Kathryn replied. She also doubted the Federation Council or Fleet Admiral Nagumo would agree to such a proposition without some Originator technology being turned over. Then Kathryn’s eyes widened as she realized there was a possible solution. One she had been overlooking. “Do you have the capability of moving several million people at once?”

“Yes,” replied Bartoll. “We have some very large ships which can be used for that purpose. Why do you ask?”

With a smile, Kathryn began explaining the plan she had come up with. After much discussion even the Originators thought it would work.

Now she just needed to talk to three other individuals to see if they would agree. Unfortunately those three were not here; they were all back in the Milky Way Galaxy. With a pleased smile, Kathryn knew she was going to see her father again.

Chapter Twenty-One

Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes watched expectantly as the Distant Horizon dropped out of hyperspace twenty-six light years from Earth. They were just on the outskirts of the Human Federation of Worlds. Kathryn stood for a long moment gazing at the viewscreen. For a long time, she had believed she would never return home or see her father again. The screen was full of unblinking stars. She knew that some of those stars held Human inhabited worlds.

“Distance to the nearest star?” asked Kathryn. She could sense the excitement in the Command Center at once more being in the Milky Way Galaxy.

“Six point two light years,” Sible answered. “We exited in a very sparse region of space.”

“Confirmed,” added Captain Reynolds, looking up from his sensors. “Detecting heavy space traffic but none in our immediate vicinity.” The Distant Horizon’s long-range sensors could reach out thirty light years all around them. “I don’t believe we have been detected.”

“Stealth shield is up and operating normally,” reported Major Weir.

“All systems are operating within set parameters,” said Commander Grissim. Anne looked at the viewscreen. “It feels good to be back home.”

“Construction ships are dropping out of hyperspace,” reported Captain Reynolds. On one of his sensor screens, six large Originator construction vessels exited hyperspace. On the tactical displays, they appeared as very large green icons as each was over five thousand meters in length.

“Stealth shields?” asked Kathryn, looking over at Captain Reynolds. It was essential they not be detected.

“Up and operating,” he replied.

Kathryn breathed out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the large viewscreen, she saw twelve ten-meter globes exit the large flight bay of one of the cylinder shaped construction ships. The globes sped away until they formed a sphere one hundred kilometers in diameter. Then they activated, creating a stealth field that would shield everything within from detection.

-

“We’re going home,” said Commander Grissim, gazing at a specific star visible on the large viewscreen. “I didn’t think this would ever happen.”

The star she was gazing at held Earth as well as Ceres. It seemed so long ago since she had left. She had been a colonel in military intelligence and had joined the StarStrike as part of its command crew. It had been a privilege and an honor to serve with Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth.

Anne felt excited and anxious about returning home to Ceres. They all did. She just hoped she could spend some time with her family.

-

“How long will it take to build the accelerator ring?” asked Kathryn addressing Camlin. They would need the accelerator ring to expedite moving ships and material between Ceres and the Communication and Transport Hub.

Two weeks,” answered Camlin. “This one isn’t as large as the ones back at the hub. Once it’s done we can send the request for the transport ships. Four weeks from now we can begin moving people.”

“If I can talk my father and several others into supporting my plan.” Kathryn wondered what her father would say when he found out she had returned. She wasn’t certain, particularly because of what she was going to ask of him.

“He’ll agree,” Clarissa said confidently. “The people of Ceres have never hesitated in providing assistance when needed. They’ve even gone against the wishes of the Federation Council several times.”

Kathryn knew Clarissa was right. If they hoped to find help anywhere, it would be on Ceres.

-

Three days later, satisfied that everything was going as planned in constructing the accelerator ring, Kathryn ordered the Distant Horizon to head for the Sol System. It was time to pay her father a visit.

Due to the speed the Distant Horizon traveled in hyperspace, the trip was relatively short. In fourteen minutes the exploration dreadnought was dropping out of hyperspace inside the Sol System just two million kilometers from Ceres. A special dampening field was used to reduce the energy flux created by the ship’s exit vortex.

“Jump complete,” reported Sible.

“Stealth shield online,” added Major Weir.

“I don’t believe our exit vortex was detected,” reported Captain Reynolds. He leaned back and shook his head. “I thought space traffic was bad last time I was here, but look at it now.”

On one of the tactical displays, thousands of green icons appeared. Many were cargo ships or shuttles, but there were also a large number of military ships. The orbit around Earth and Mars was packed with green icons of arriving and departing vessels. It also showed the large battlestations in orbit above Earth as well as the massive shipyards.

Kathryn spent a moment studying the deployment of the fleet warships in the system. She wanted to avoid them to reduce the chance of accidental detection. If the Distant Horizon were detected, then their clandestine mission would fail.

“Sible, take us to Ceres on our gravity drive. Put us into orbit at ten thousand kilometers.”

That was as close as she dared take the ship. The space around Ceres was heavily defended and crowded with particle beam satellites, Type Two battlestations, Indomitable Class battlestations as well as offensive and defensive sites on a number of small asteroids orbiting close by. Even by using the stealth shield it would be difficult to get by all the detection equipment.

“Yes, Admiral,” Sible replied as she concentrated, sending orders to the ship’s computer activating the gravity drive.

Kathryn took a deep and steadying breath. She was almost home. If everything worked as planned, she would take a small shuttle that had a special stealth shield. She would use it to enter one of the asteroid’s large airlocks when a cargo ship entered and then set down on the far end of the spacedock. She had a unique spacesuit she would wear which had a refraction field that would bend light around it, making her invisible to the casual observer. With any luck, she should be able to make it to her father’s office undetected.

-

Two hours later Kathryn sat nervously in a small shuttle as the pilot carefully threaded its way through the defenses of Ceres. Reaching the planetoid, the pilot patiently waited until one of the large airlocks opened, allowing a cargo ship inside. The pilot dropped the shuttle in directly behind the cargo vessel and followed it down the long tunnel until they passed a second set of airlocks and through an atmospheric retention field. They were inside a large spacedock where dozens of cargo ships and even a few warships were docked. Dock workers and spider robots were everywhere loading and unloading cargo as well as servicing the warships.

“Set down on the far side over there,” ordered Kathryn, pointing to a small empty loading dock. It looked as if it had been shut down for repairs. This would be an excellent place to hide the shuttle. A special refraction field had been activated which bent light around the shuttle, making it invisible.

Kathryn put on her special suit and exited the airlock. She paused and looked around, savoring the moment. She was back home! Taking a steadying breath, she began making her way through the dock and toward her father’s office. Her father’s office was in the Aquarian habitat. Occasionally she passed a dockworker or one of the spider robots. No one seemed to notice her. Feeling more confident, she began moving faster. It was going to take some time to make it where she needed to go.

-

Ceres Governor David Barnes was walking down the hallway which led to his office. It had been a long day and he only had a few more issues to resolve before he could go home and rest. These last few years had been especially lonely and he was considering not running for reelection. Maybe he would spend some time visiting some of the newer worlds joining the Human Federation of Worlds. Already there was talk of changing the name to just the Federation since a number of alien races were now members.

Reaching his office, he told his secretary to see to it that he wasn’t bothered. Opening the door, he stepped inside. With an icy chill running down his back, he became aware there was someone else in the room. For a long moment he stood there staring in shock, even dropping the papers he had been carrying in his left hand.”

“Hi, Dad,” Kathryn said with a broad smile. “I’m back.”

“Kathryn,” Governor Barnes said in a stuttering voice suddenly feeling faint. He had never expected to see his daughter again. “Is it really you?”

“Yes, it’s me,” Kathryn replied as she walked over to her father and gave him a long hug. “I’m not a hallucination.”

“How? I didn’t think there was any way for you to come back.”

Kathryn released herself from her father and walked over to the door, locking it so they wouldn’t be interrupted. She didn’t want anyone else other than her father to know she was here. At least not yet.

“Is the Distant Horizon here as well?”

Turning back to her father Kathryn and took a deep breath. “Yes, its ten thousand kilometers from Ceres.”

Governor Barnes looked confused. “I don’t understand; I would have been notified immediately if a ship as large as that exploration dreadnought of yours approached Ceres.”

“It’s stealthed. I also used stealth technology to sneak into your office past your secretary,” replied Kathryn. Then her face took on a more serious look. “Dad, I need to explain some things to you. I have some people I want you to meet and I have a letter from Fleet Admiral Strong to give you. We’ll have time to get reacquainted later.”

Governor Barnes walked over and sat down behind his desk. “So Jeremy survived?”

“Yes, and a quite a few others.”

Governor Barnes gazed at his daughter for several long moments. “I know you well enough that there must be a very good reason for you to appear this way. What’s going on? Why don’t you want anyone to know you’re here?”

Kathryn took a deep breath and then began explaining to her father the events that had occurred in the Triangulum Galaxy since the Distant Horizon arrived there. For nearly three hours she talked, pausing occasionally to answer questions her father had. For the most part he listened and took occasional notes as was his habit.

She finally reached a stopping point to allow her father to assimilate all she had told him.

“So these Originators and this AI Kazak can stop the Simulins from ever being a threat again?”

“Yes,” Kathryn replied. “We’ll have to furnish some Marines to clear the Simulins and their Conqueror Drones out of some of the vortex Control Centers, but Fleet Admiral Strong doesn’t see that as being a problem.”

“I’ve seen photos and some video of the Dyson Sphere in Shari space,” her father said, leaning back and looking at his daughter. “These Originators have actually invited all the survivors from Gaia to live in one of those?”

“Yes,” replied Kathryn. “But there’s another problem I haven’t told you about. It’s a race that’s called the Anti-Life and they’re out to conquer the entire universe. They’re a much greater menace than the Simulins.”

Kathryn then in very careful words told her father about the Anti-Life and what the surviving Originators had offered. She told him about her plan and then waited anxiously for him to respond.

Governor Barnes sat there staring at his daughter in disbelief. He blinked his eyes and tried to wrap his thoughts around what she had said. After several moments he looked up at Kathryn. “You want to move the entire population of Ceres to one of these Dyson Spheres to fight a war against an enemy that is out to conquer the universe?”

“We wish to invite some Altons and Carethians as well,” Kathryn said. “I would like to meet with Ambassador Tureen and then later I will take the Distant Horizon to Careth to meet with Malrez.”

“You said you had a letter from Fleet Admiral Strong?”

Kathryn handed the letter over and watched as her father opened it and began to read. It was several pages long.

When he was finished, he leaned back and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his right hand. With a deep sigh, he opened them. “You’re asking a lot of the people of Ceres.”

“They’ll have everything they want on the Dyson Sphere as well as access to Originator technology that is far in advance of anything we currently have. The Dyson Spheres are impervious to attack and the crews going out on the warships will have the most powerful weapons imaginable.”

Governor Barnes reached forward on his desk, activating his comm unit. “Barbara, contact Admiral Kalen and ask him to come to my office. Also, send in food for three people. Yes, I said three people.”

Kathryn raised her eyebrows.

“I trust Kalen and Barbara won’t say anything about you being here unless I give her permission.”

Several minutes passed and Admiral Kalen opened the door and entered Governor Barnes’ office. For a moment he didn’t notice who was standing over to one side of the room. When he did, his face turned as pale as a ghost. “Kathryn?” he said, forgetting to use her fleet title.

Kathryn turned to face the stunned admiral. “Hello, Admiral Kalen; it’s been awhile.”

Admiral Kalen took a deep breath and shut the door behind him. “Where’s the Distant Horizon? None of my ships have detected it on their sensors or I would have been notified.”

Kathryn smiled. “It’s close enough.”

“Sit down,” Governor Barnes said, gesturing toward one of two chairs in front of his desk. “We have a lot to talk about.”

The door opened again and Governor Barnes’ secretary Barbara came in carrying a large tray of food. She took one look at Kathryn and promptly dropped the tray, spilling the food all over the floor.

“Yes, it’s her,” Governor Barnes said in a reassuring voice. “I should have warned you. Have someone come in and clean up that mess. We’ll switch to the small conference room, and you can bring the food in there. And Barbara, no one is to know Kathryn is back.”

Barbara nodded. “Yes, Governor.” She then looked at Kathryn with a twinkle in her eyes. “It’s good to see you again, Kathryn.” With that, Barbara left shutting the door behind her.

“Didn’t Barbara take care of me when I was younger?” Barbara seemed very familiar to Kathryn.

Her father nodded. “Yes, right after your mother died. She spent several years helping to raise you. I hired her as my secretary only last year. I think seeing you was a shock, but a happy one.”

-

Later after eating, the three continued to talk. Admiral Kalen read Jeremy’s letter and after placing it on the conference table looked at Kathryn. “What I just read and what you’ve told me is fantastic. If I didn’t know you and Jeremy, I would say this was all made up.”

“I realize this is hard to accept,” Kathryn said as she reached into one of her uniform pockets and took out a small silver disk. She placed it on the conference table and pressed a small button on its side. It began emitting a low buzzing noise and suddenly Clarissa appeared standing next to the conference table.

“Hello, Admiral Kalen,” Clarissa said in her clear, youthful voice. “It’s good to see you again, Governor Barnes.”

“More surprises,” Admiral Kalen said, pleased to see the beautiful AI.

“Clarissa, I believe you have prepared a video for my father and the admiral.

“Yes,” answered Clarissa. “We realized this would be difficult to comprehend so this video will show some of what transpired in the Triangulum Galaxy.”

Instantly above the conference table a holographic image appeared. Over the next hour it showed Gaia, the AIs, the destruction of the dark matter Dyson Sphere, the annihilation of the Simulin worlds, and finally the great battle around Gaia.

“Okay,” said Admiral Kalen. “After watching the video, it’s amazing Fleet Admiral Strong and his people survived. Why are you here? There must be a reason for your sudden appearance.”

“Tell him,” Governor Barnes said.

Kathryn did as her father wanted and explained to Admiral Kalen about the Originators and the war with the Anti-Life. She then told him the reason she had come back home to Ceres.

Admiral Kalen leaned back in his chair and then let out a deep breath. “Governor, what do you want to do?”

“Ceres was built by the survivors of the old Human Federation of Worlds. We helped create the current Federation. I believe it can continue without us. I don’t see how we can turn down Fleet Admiral Strong and the Originators. They’re telling us the entire universe might be at stake and they’re requesting our help providing crews for their warships.”

Admiral Kalen stood up and walked over to the holographic image floating above the table. It was of the Originator’s Communication and Transport Hub. He turned back toward Kathryn. “You said they have agreed to allow us access to their technology?”

“Part of it,” Kathryn answered. “They also want some Altons to come as well since they’re the most scientifically advanced race they know of besides themselves. I believe it’s because of the Altons they’re willing to share their technology with us.”

“Our people are going to take some convincing to do this,” Admiral Kalen said. “We’re asking them to leave their homes and embark on a war the size of which we’ve never even contemplated.”

“I think I know just the man to convince them,” Governor Barnes said with an all-knowing smile.

Admiral Kalen nodded since he knew who the governor was talking about. “I’ll get in touch with former Fleet Admiral Streth. I think I can have him here in a little over two weeks.”

“Don’t forget Ambassador Tureen,” said Kathryn.

“He’s currently at New Tellus meeting with Admiral Nagumo over the Shari fiasco,” her father replied. “I’ll contact him today. It will only take him a day or two to get here.”

“You mentioned the Distant Horizon had been upgraded by these Originator AIs,” said Kalen.

“Look at the hologram,” Clarissa directed. She instantly projected an image of the new and updated exploration dreadnought.

Admiral Kalen only stared as he saw all the changes that had been made to the ship.

“The Distant Horizon by herself could defeat all of the combined fleets of the Federation,” Clarissa announced. “Those are the kind of weapons we’re going to need to defeat the Anti-Life.”

“Is there any chance I can go aboard the Distant Horizon?” asked Admiral Kalen with a glint in his eyes. He was dying to see the inside of the ship.

Kathryn grinned. “I think I can arrange a tour. Besides, there are some people on board the ship I want all of you to meet. However, before we do that I brought a guest along with me.”

“What!” exclaimed her father, looking around the conference room. There was no one else present. “I don’t understand.”

“Camlin,” Kathryn said with a mischievous grin. “You can reveal yourself now.”

Instantly the eight feet tall Originator AI appeared standing just behind Kathryn.

Both Admiral Kalen and Kathryn’s father stared open mouthed at the apparition that had just appeared in front of them.

“This is Camlin,” Kathryn said, introducing her. “She is an Originator AI and will answer any other questions you might have.”

“How did she just appear like that?” asked Admiral Kalen. “We don’t have any type of technology that can come even close to doing that.”

“It’s a minor piece of Originator tech,” Camlin answered. “I have listened to the discussions between the three of you. I am here to answer any worries or concerns you might have in moving to one of our Shrieels, or Dyson Spheres as you call them.”

Kathryn leaned back in her chair as both her father and Admiral Kalen began bombarding Camlin with questions. There was no doubt in her mind that both her father and the admiral were going to support her request to move the people of Ceres to a Dyson Sphere. Now she needed to speak to the Altons and the Carethians as they were a necessary part of what would be needed to fight a war against the Anti-Life.

-

Eight weeks later Kathryn was in the Command Center of the Distant Horizon watching as the massive Originator transport ships entered the swirling vortex inside the ten-kilometer accelerator ring. Ship after ship entered the vortex to begin their long journey to the Originator Communications and Transport Hub. It had taken longer than expected to make all the arrangements and keep all of their preparations a secret.

With a deep sigh, Kathryn thought back to the last six weeks. Her meeting with Ambassador Tureen had gone much better than expected, partially because Kelnor Mard had attended the meeting along with Camlin. Ambassador Tureen had listened patiently and then asked a few pointed questions. He was highly interested about how the Anti-Life had come into being and what caused the life extension pathogen that had wiped out the Originators.

“Our own experiments with nanites indicated grave consequences could result if their programming was tampered with,” he said after hearing how mechanical nanites had created the Anti-Life. “Soon after our experimentation began we implemented broad controls on how they could be used. What you have just told me about the Anti-Life only confirms we did the right thing.”

“As far as sending Altons to fight against the Anti-Life, I have to ask about access to Originator technology. I can well understand the hesitation about letting such technology loose in the Federation or other less developed civilizations. If Alton research scientists were to go on this mission would they be granted full access to Originator technology?”

“Only under supervision,” replied Camlin. “There would need to be an Originator or at the very least some of our AIs present during the research. They would not be blocking any research; they would be there to guide you.”

Ambassador Tureen nodded his head in understanding. “Trust must be developed first. The Altons best suited for this are at Astral in the City of Light. They are keenly involved in research and would be easy to entice if allowed access to such technology and research. We would also need Altons with a more aggressive tendency to operate the warships of the Originators. Fortunately we have a large population and while most of my people are nonaggressive, there are still a large number that will be suitable. I will need to discuss this with our ruling council.”

Seeing the concern on Kathryn’s face Ambassador Tureen smiled. “Don’t worry, Admiral Barnes; we will keep your secret.”

The meeting had ended shortly after that.

-

“How many Altons are on those ships?” asked Governor Barnes, standing next to Kathryn.

“Nearly two million,” replied Kathryn. “Many are family units and a surprisingly large number of research scientists. Nearly 90 percent of the Altons working at Astral elected to come.”

“What of the Human Marines based in the system; surely they know what’s occurring?”

Kathryn smiled. She was very pleased with what had happened there. “General Wesley is in charge of all the marines in the system. He was called in by the two chief research scientists, Garak Rath and Leental Malth. They explained to him what was going to happen and that he would not be able to communicate with his superiors until after the research scientists left. The Alton warships in the system would also not allow any Federation ships to enter the system until well after the scientists were gone. Rather surprisingly, General Wesley and twenty-two thousand of his Marines volunteered to come to the Communication and Transport Hub as well.”

“We were fortunate,” Clarissa said, folding her arms across her chest. “General Wesley is a fine officer and his Marines will help us in removing the Simulins from the Dyson Sphere vortex Control Centers.

Alarms suddenly began sounding on the sensor console as several more of the big Originator transport ships exited hyperspace just outside the stealth field. These were the ships from Careth carrying four hundred thousand Carethian volunteers. Malrez had not hesitated in sending more of his people to support Grayseth and Fleet Admiral Strong. Malrez had said it would be a great honor for his people to serve. The only request Malrez had made was to be allowed to broadcast videos of the battles Grayseth and Fleet Admiral Strong had been involved in. For the Bear clans of Careth, it would bring much honor to those with clan members who had gone to the Triangulum Galaxy.

Other transport ships began dropping out of hyperspace. These contained the people of Ceres and even some from New Tellus. Governor Barnes had contacted the governor of New Tellus and informed her of what was about to transpire. She had demanded people from New Tellus be involved as well since the people of Ceres had colonized the planet shortly after arriving in the Sol System.

“Four million Humans,” Admiral Kalen said as he watched the massive transport ships line up to wait their turn to enter the accelerator ring. “Nearly 82 percent of the people of Ceres volunteered to come.”

‘Many who remained are older or are married to men and women from other worlds in the Federation,” added Governor Barnes. “We have nearly one million volunteers from New Tellus.”

Kathryn nodded. Those had been more difficult to remove due to New Tellus being one of the two main centers of Federation military strength. Numerous passenger liners had been moving between New Tellus and Ceres for over three weeks to bring those who had volunteered to the planetoid.

For nearly an hour they watched the transport ships enter the accelerator ring until it was finally the Distant Horizon’s turn.

Kathryn stood gazing at the viewscreen showing all the stars surrounding the exploration dreadnought. She felt a tear flow down her cheek. She knew they would never be returning to the Federation. That was one of the terms the Originators had set for allowing access to their weapons and technology.

“Commander Grissim, take us through the ring.”

As soon as the Distant Horizon passed through, they would be followed by the six Originator construction ships. Shortly after that, the accelerator ring would detonate destroying itself. The blast would be equivalent to a small nova but would not endanger any of the nearby stars as it would die out in a relatively short time.

As the Distant Horizon entered the vortex, Commander Grissim turned toward Rear Admiral Barnes. “I wonder what Fleet Admiral Nagumo will think when he learns what we have done?”

Governor Barnes smiled. “We left him a message as well as someone to deliver it. I think in the end he will understand.”

-

Six days later, Fleet Admiral Nagumo was in the Command Center of the battleship Luna as it slowly approached Ceres. A full fleet of battleships and strikecruisers accompanied the Federation flagship as it slowly crept toward the planetoid.

“Status?”

“All defenses are down and we’re receiving no response to our hails,” reported the communications officer.

“What about the warships?”

“Same there. I’ve attempted communicating with several of them but all I’m receiving back is silence.”

Fleet Admiral Nagumo stood staring confused at the multitude of viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center. On them were views of battleships, battlecruisers, strikecruisers, and even a few battlecarriers. All were in orbit around Ceres and seemed to have been abandoned. “Send boarding parties over to a few of those ships. I want to know what happened to their crews.”

Seven days earlier, Ceres had gone silent. A space buoy had begun broadcasting a message for all Federation ships to stay away until further notice. It had caused a furor on Earth and Mars as well as the huge battlestations defending the home planet. After every attempt at communication had failed, Admiral Nagumo had decided to take the Luna and its task force to Ceres to find the underlying cause of the mystery.

Minutes passed by and then word came that all the warships the boarding parties had boarded were empty. There were no signs of the crews.

Fleet Admiral Nagumo took a deep breath. He had known Governor Barnes and Admiral Kalen for years. He couldn’t imagine any type of disaster that could have caused this situation. There had been no distress calls or any signs of there being a problem at Ceres until the buoy began broadcasting.

“We checked the ships for any signs of airborne pathogens and radiation,” reported the ship’s executive officer. “All tests have come back negative.”

Nagumo shook his head. This mystery was only deepening.

“Prepare my shuttle; I’m going to Governor Barnes’ office. If there’s an explanation as to what has happened here, that’s where we’ll find it.”

-

An hour later Fleet Admiral Nagumo made his way toward Governor Barnes’ office. He was wearing an Alton spacesuit to protect him against any possible pathogens or unknown radiation that might have affected the people of Ceres. He had also sent squads of Marines into the various habitats to search for survivors.

Reaching the governor’s office he opened the door and stepped inside, leaving his Marine escort out in the hallway. With surprise he saw someone was sitting behind the governor’s desk.

“Hello, Admiral,” said former Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth. “Your protective suit is not needed.”

“Where is everyone?” demanded Nagumo, wondering why Fleet Admiral Streth was here. What did he have to do with this?

“They’re gone,” Hedon replied with an all-knowing smile. “Take off your suit and I’ll explain.”

Nagumo took off his protective suit and went to stand in front of the desk, gazing at Hedon. “How can the population of an entire world just vanish?”

Hedon leaned forward and looked directly into Nagumo’s eyes. “They didn’t just vanish. They left.”

He didn’t bother to explain how he had gone on all the video channels at the request of Governor Barnes and informed the inhabitants of Ceres how important it was to rise to the challenge and go to the aid of Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong and the rest of the Special Five. He had stressed how the Special Five had been fighting for the safety and freedom of the people of Ceres for years in a far off galaxy. Now it was time for the people of Ceres to go to the aid of the Special Five.

“They left!” Nagumo said, looking even more confused. “How? None of the sensors in the entire system detected any unauthorized ship movements.” Then a suspicious look appeared in Nagumo’s eyes. “Does this involve Fleet Admiral Strong?”

Hedon smiled. “I once had a vision the Special Five would be responsible for fighting a great war in order to save numerous galaxies in our universe. That vision has now been verified.” In that vision he had also come to know Jeremy and the others would never return to this galaxy. He had also thought the same of the Distant Horizon though the ship, which returned, was vastly different than the one that had left.

“I don’t believe in visions,” muttered Nagumo.

Hedon slid the letter from Fleet Admiral Strong over to the fleet admiral. He then handed over a small computer disk, which outlined what had occurred in the Triangulum Galaxy. “Everything you need to know is in those.”

Nagumo opened Fleet Admiral Strong’s letter and began to read. Once he was finished he put it down and picked up the small computer disk. “I’m not going to be able to talk to anyone about this, am I?”

“That’s your decision,” answered Hedon, folding his arms across his chest. “However, before you view what’s on that disk let me fill you in on a few more details.”

-

For the next hour Hedon explained to Fleet Admiral Nagumo what had transpired. Hedon had been fortunate enough to go on board the Distant Horizon and meet with the Originator AIs. In many ways, Hedon almost wished he were younger so he could have gone with them.

Fleet Admiral Nagumo listened, his eyes widening in amazement and disbelief. “All of this is hard to believe,” he said when Hedon finally stopped. “A war between two races even older and more advanced than the Altons?”

“You saw the images of the Dyson Sphere in Shari space,” Hedon pointed out. “This is a war involving the builders of that sphere. All the proof you need is on that computer disk.”

Nagumo let out a deep sigh. “I’ll have to tell the president and a few others but I think we can limit those who will have knowledge of what’s happened. We’ll have to find a plausible excuse to explain where everyone went.”

“You might have a problem with that. From what I understand videos of the battles in the Triangulum Galaxy are already being broadcast on Careth.”

Nagumo shook his head. His job over the next few weeks and months was going to be a headache. How could he explain how so many Humans, Altons, and Carethians had vanished?

-

Later Fleet Admiral Streth was standing on a balcony overlooking the Aquarian habitat. In the past deceased Fleet Admiral Carla Johnson and Admiral Teleck had stood in this same place admiring the view and discussing the Special Five and the future of the Federation. With a smile, Hedon wondered what they would be thinking now if they knew what Jeremy and the others had accomplished. Looking upward, Hedon could well imagine the titanic struggle, which would shortly be waging between the galaxies. With a deep sigh, he turned and started walking back to his private shuttle. It was time to go home to his wife and children. He knew after today his services would not be needed again. The future had moved past him and he was now only a part of history.

Epilogue

Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong stood atop a balcony in a tall building that was the headquarters of the new Originator military. Down below on the busy streets, people were going from one building to another anxious to see all the wonders the Originators had provided. When Rear Admiral Barnes had returned with all of the volunteers from the three races a month earlier, the new cities to house them had already been built by the Originators and their AIs. It had been wonderful to see Governor Barns and Admiral Kalen. Jeremy had instantly named Kalen as his second in command. With Kalen’s vast experience it had taken a load off Jeremy.

A whimpering noise behind him drew his attention. With a smile, he turned seeing Angela holding Clair and talking to Brace in a low voice.

“How long until we send ships out against the Anti-Life?” asked Kelsey as she took Jeremy’s hand and squeezed it.

Jeremy looked back out the balcony. “We have a lot to do before we go to war. New ships need to be built and the crews trained. I spoke to Commander Zafron and Bartoll yesterday, and they are both in agreement that it will be a year or two before we’re ready.”

Kelsey grinned broadly. “So I get you uninterrupted for at least a year, minimum?”

“Looks that away,” Jeremy said smiling. “Do you have anything in mind?”

Kelsey just smiled innocently.

Katie walked over and started playing with Clair. She was just about to say something to Kevin when the door to Jeremy’s office opened and Ariel, Clarissa, Kazak, Leeda, Zafron, and Bartoll came in. Ariel had finally allowed her consciousness to be downloaded into the AI body Clarissa had brought for her.

“We may have a problem,” Ariel said as she walked over and tickled Clair under the chin. She enjoyed playing with the small child. Especially now that she could actually feel.

“What now?” groaned Kevin. “We deserve some time off before we start another war.”

Leeda had a very excited look on her face. “Do you remember when I mentioned Kazak had gone to the dark matter Shrieel and searched through the central computer core?”

“Yes,” Jeremy replied. He had been briefed about this. “You thought he was looking for another group of Originators who had left seeking a place of safety, but there was no evidence that actually happened.”

“None that we knew of,” Leeda answered as she turned toward Kazak. “Show them what you found.”

Kazak nodded and activated one of the viewscreens in the office. “When I returned to the Shrieel, I found evidence that a large group of Originators did indeed leave seeking a refuge where they would be safe from the life extension pathogen.”

Jeremy nodded. “You said in the past you thought such a group might exist and you even searched for them for several thousand years. Are you certain the evidence you found was real or just plans the group was making?”

“It’s real,” Bartoll replied. “What Kazak didn’t tell you was that in the records he accessed he found a message.”

“A message?”

Put it up on the screen,” Commander Zafron said.

Instantly on the screen, a jagged line appeared with highs and lows. It was a frequency recording of a message of some kind.

“What does it say?” asked Kelsey, feeling curious. “Did they find a refuge?”

“That’s the strange part,” Bartoll said, looking confused. “All the message says is that we’re safe and we’ll wait for you.”

“What does that mean?” asked Jeremy, his eyes focusing on Bartoll.

“We think it was meant for another group that was supposed to meet up with the original group at a later date. Possibly with the cure. From the date the message was recorded, we know the Originators in the Shrieel had already succumbed to the life extension pathogen when the message was received.”

“So there was no one to receive the message,” Leeda explained. “The core computer in the Shrieel recorded it and placed it in its record files. There was no evidence as to where the message was sent from.”

“When I found the message, I deleted all evidence of it from the files of the core computer as well as the other records which indicated there had been an exodus of a large number of Originators,” explained Kazak. “I didn’t want some future enemy to find them and realize there might still be Originators in the Triangulum Galaxy somewhere.”

Bartoll turned away from the viewscreen with the message on it. “Fleet Admiral Strong, we must find these Originators if they exist.”

Jeremy thought long and hard about what Bartoll was asking. Admiral Jackson was still in the Triangulum Galaxy with a large fleet of warships and AI vessels. They were helping the Ornellians restore their world and rescue the survivors from the other worlds of their empire. The Simulin threat was gone since the Dominator and its escort of AI warspheres had annihilated all of their shipyards.

“A galaxy is a big place to search,” Jeremy finally said.

“We’ll provide everything you need,” Bartoll responded eagerly. “We must know if these other Originators exist. If they do, it would greatly aid us in our war against the Anti-Life.”

“Very well,” Jeremy said after a moment. “I’ll make arrangements for Rear Admiral Barnes to take a task group back to the Triangulum Galaxy and begin a search.”

Commander Zafron nodded. “We’re updating the Dominator with the latest technologies. We’ll also be joining in the search.”

“We’re building ten more ships similar to the Distant Horizon,” Leeda added. “When they’re done they can be sent to the Triangulum Galaxy as well.”

For the next few minutes they made plans to conduct the search and then Bartoll, Leeda, Kazak, and Zafron left.

“And I thought we were going to have some peace and quiet,” muttered Katie.

Ariel looked around the room and then spoke. “More children would be nice. My training program can easily be modified to handle several more.”

“I could assist,” added Clarissa excitedly.

Kevin and Jeremy both looked embarrassed. Katie and Kelsey had thoughtful looks on their faces.

Jeremy walked back over to the balcony, gazing out. This was their new home. A number of cities had been built by the Originators to handle the Dyson Sphere’s new inhabitants. It was a place of safety and beauty, a place where families would never have to fear attack.

Jeremy sensed a presence and turning his head saw Kelsey. She reached out and took his hand and the two of them stood there gazing out at the futuristic city which was now their home.

Everything was peaceful and Jeremy knew there was no reason not to take advantage of this respite and possibly have a child. It was something he would talk over with Kelsey. He knew Kevin and Katie would be having the same conversation.

“I’m going to like it here,” Kelsey said with a pleased smile on her face.

“I think everyone will,” Jeremy responded as he put his arm around his wife and pulled her closer.

The war with the Simulins was over, or would be very shortly. There was still a little mopping up to do. However, now was the time for the survivors of Gaia to rebuild their lives and plan for their future. In the distance, the sky began to darken. Shortly the lights in their new city would come on.

Jeremy looked over at Kelsey. “Let’s go home.”

-

Kelsey nodded. Since the arrival of the Altons, Carethians, and Humans from the home galaxy, Jeremy had seemed to be uplifted. It was wonderful to see all the new and a few familiar faces. Their future looked bright and Kelsey was convinced it would be a good one. Maybe, just maybe, she could talk Jeremy into the two of them having a child. After all, she didn’t want Clair to feel lonely.

-

Back in the Milky Way Galaxy former Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth had made it back home to Maken in the Tellus System. He had built a good life there with his wife and children. Standing outside the new and larger cabin he had recently built he looked up into the night sky. There was a time when the people of this galaxy had considered him to be their greatest leader and warrior. He knew that honor had now been passed on to another. A great war was soon to be fought between the galaxies, a war that he would never know how it ended. However, with Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong leading the forces of light against the forces of darkness, there was no doubt in Hedon’s mind how that war would end. With a deep sigh, Hedon went inside the cabin and closed the door behind him.

The End

If you enjoyed The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators and would like to see the series continue, please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and also help sell books. Reviews can be just a few short sentences, describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website, link below. Thank you for reading Search for the Originators and being so supportive.

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Turn the page for an exciting announcement.

The Originator War Book One

This is an excerpt from the next book in the series. The Originator War will be a trilogy and will bring to an end the Slaver Wars series.

On the far side of the galaxy, the empire of the Ralift was preparing for war. It had been brought to their attention the Shari and the Humans had discovered a Dyson Sphere in Shari space that was millions of years old. The sphere held technology far in advance of anything else in the galaxy, even the AIs.

“How soon before your fleets are ready to travel to Shari space?” asked the AI hovering before the Ralift council. Not all of the AIs had perished in the great battle at the center of the galaxy where the AI’s great project had been destroyed by the Humans and Altons. A number of them had fled to Ralift space to consider their next step in conquering this galaxy as well as others. Taking control of the Dyson Sphere could well set them back on their path of galactic domination and spreading their influence across the galaxies.

“Our fleets will be ready in four more weeks,” replied the Ralift who was in charge of shipbuilding. “The last of the upgrades should be competed by then and crew training completed.”

“What of the Borzon?”

“They too are nearly ready. The fleets from our two empires will overwhelm the Shari and Humans, and the Dyson Sphere will be ours.”

Other Books by Raymond L. Weil

Available at Amazon

Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)

The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)

Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book 3)

The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)

The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)

The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)

The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars Book 7)

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Dragon Dreams

Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars

Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening

Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon

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Star One: Tycho City: Survival

Star One: Neutron Star

Star One: Dark Star

Star One

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Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)

Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)

Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Book 3)

Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (Book 4)

Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (Book 5)

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The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)

The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2)

The Lost Fleet: Oblivion’s Light (Book 3)

The Lost Fleet: Genesis (Book 4)

The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators (Book 5)

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The Star Cross (Book 1)

The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders (Book 2)

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(All dates are tentative)

The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril (Book 3) January 2017

The Originator War (Book 1) March 2017