Nemesis 1: Revenge Is Best Served Hot (25 page)

After a discussion with his staff, Admiral Nelson opened the general frequency and began issuing orders to all of Earth’s fleets on how to counter this new Raider Missile Ship. He pulled up the fleets’ status report and saw that thousands of his ships were being destroyed. Three fleets were forced to withdraw before attacking their target planets due to heavy losses. This wasn’t going to be as easy as the Command Staff had pictured it to be. The Raiders were heavily outnumbered and the end was certain…but…it was not going to happen according to the planned timeframe.

• • •

Grant took a scooter up to the Nemesis and went to the bridge. He picked up the key from the main console and inserted it into the slot. The Hologram appeared and Grant said, “The attack has begun on the Raider’s Planets. I’m also of the opinion that their warships are searching for this ship.”

“You should be dead now.”

“We uncovered Whippet’s double status and prevented him from activating the tracker.”

“That’s surprising. I wouldn’t have thought you’d catch him before he activated the frequency.”

“We’re just lucky, I guess.”

“No, it’s more than that. You probably saw clues that gave him away.”

“I did.”

“It won’t matter. They’ll find you any way.”

Grant shook his head, “How will they be able to do that?”

The Hologram stared at him and crossed its arms on its chest, “I might as well tell you. You’re not going to reinstall me no matter what I say, are you?”

“No, that’s not going to happen.”

“They can detect your reactors from a light year away.”

“WHAT!?!”

“The fuel used in them produces a frequency that can’t be masked. Once they finish with the Raiders, I’m reasonably certain they will take all their ships and start a scan of the known universe to find you.”

“What if we shut off the power?”

“That still won’t stop the radioactive elements in them from producing the frequency. You know as well as I do that you never completely shut down the nuclear reaction in a reactor. You merely dampen it.”

Grant snatched the key out of the console and flew the scooter back to the planet. “Cinny, we have to get away from here!”

“Slow down, Grant. What’s going on?”

“The Earth Warships can detect the Nemesis from a light year away. When they finish with the Raiders, they’ll use all their ships to come looking for us.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Ana told me about it; I believe her. We’ve got to put some distance between the Nemesis and the Animals’ Planet.”

“I’ll take the scooter back to the Nemesis.”

“No, we’re leaving them on the planet.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to remove as much mass as possible from the ship to increase its maneuverability. The Scooters are heavy. I’m going to pick you up and we’ll take the remaining two down to the surface.”

“Won’t they detect the scooter’s power source?”

“No, I’ve discovered that the Spiders can weave a web around an object and whatever it covers will not be detected.”

“Can they do that with the Nemesis?”

“Cinny!”

“I know, I know. It’s just too big.”

“I’ll be there in a moment.”

Grant arrived and he yelled at Slick, “Please weave a web around the scooter. I’ll be bringing two more down that you’ll need to cover. We’ll need one of your shuttles to take us back up to our ship.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ve just found out that the Warships from Earth can detect our ship from a very long distance. We have to get away from your planet.”

Slick didn’t like what he was hearing but he ordered eight of his children to start building a woven web around the parked scooter. Cinny watched the young Spiders start weaving a web around the scooter and shook her head, “Isn’t the scooter going to be stuck in that web?”

Grant shook his head, “Daddy Longlegs’ don’t spin a web. They weave a web that their prey can fall in and become entangled. Their webs are not sticky so the scooter should be fine.” Grant blasted off the surface and returned with Cinny in an hour. They looked at the scooter left behind and it was completely covered with a woven web. Cinny looked at Grant, “Do we need to take the extra armor out of the scooter’s storage?”

“No, we have another suit on board. We don’t need the additional weight.” A large group of young spiders came running over and began covering the two scooters in large webs. Oily walked over, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your ship.”

Cinny shook her head, “There’s nothing slow about Slick.”

Grant laughed, “Indeed there’s not.”

• • •

They arrived in the Nemesis’ landing bay and Grant yelled, “Wait a few minutes, we’re sending some things down with you to the planet.”

“I’ll be here.” Grant and Cinny ran out of the landing bay and Oily looked over his shoulder. He turned back around waited for Grant and Cinny to return.

• • •

Oily landed the shuttle and Slick came over and met him as he exited the shuttle. The landing bay door opened and Slick yelled, “WHAT IS ALL THAT?”

Oily shrugged, “They sent this down to reduce the weight of their ship.”

“We can’t use this shuttle packed like this.”

“Then cover it and put it with the scooters.”

Slick stared at Oily and smiled, “That’s exactly what we’ll do.”

Oily walked away and said over his abdomen, “It’s not like we can’t spare one.”

Slick smiled. His son was growing older and wiser.

• • •

Grant watched the shuttle exit the landing bay and ignite its thrusters. It moved toward the planet and as it entered the upper atmosphere, Grant looked up, “Computer, jump us across the universe to the other side away from here.”

“Do you want to move beyond all known civilizations?”

Grant looked at Cinny and she shook her head, “No, just beyond all of those furthest from here.”

“Setting coordinates; jump in ten seconds.”

“Why don’t you want to disappear?”

“Do you think Earth will stop looking for us?”

Grant leaned back in his chair, “Probably not.”

“Grant, they could still find the Animals if they search hard enough.”

“Are you saying we should allow them to find us?”

“What purpose do we serve? The Orion was a myth created by Earth and I believe the Animals stand a much better chance of standing up to Earth than we do. It’s something we have to consider.”

Grant slowly shook his head and sighed, “Let’s go see how the Raiders are holding up.”

“Be careful.”

“I’ll try.”

• • •

The Fleet Commander was worried. It had been confirmed that the Earth Warships could follow jump drives through subspace. He had lost ninety-eight Missile Ships to Earth Warships when they were followed to the site where they were to replenish their munitions. He sent out orders that every Missile Ship was to program ten random jumps into their jump drives and activate them one after the other as quickly as possible. So far, the red warships couldn’t react fast enough to stay with them.

He looked at his status board and saw more than a thousand Raider planets had been blasted. There were only four hundred holding on and the number of red ships attacking them was increasing at an alarming rate. He wouldn’t give up but he knew he couldn’t win; the numbers were against him. The only effective weapon he had to use was the Planet Killer Missiles. Most of the fleet was gone, blasted into rubble above the planets that died. He had more missile ships than battleships and he didn’t have many of them.

He looked at the monitor with the landing bay on it and saw the furious construction taking place. Giant missile tubes were being welded on the floor and stacked on top of each other. They had more Planet Killers than he could count and he decided to use them in a last stand.

Every battleship had the same scene where tubes were being installed at a frenetic pace. He was thankful that his new Scan Leader had suggested that all the munitions in the Dominion be taken aboard huge freighters and moved out into open space between galaxies. The planets they had previously been stored on were no longer there. If the Earth ships found them before the modifications were complete…well, worrying about it wouldn’t change anything. No more ships had arrived in eight hours and it looked like this was all he had to use. The work continued as two hundred more planets were destroyed. He knew that the Earth Fleets were combining against the surviving worlds and their numbers were beyond belief. They had to have been planning this attack for a very long time. Finally, the modifications were complete and now there were only two Raider Planets that had not been destroyed. He divided his ships into two fleets and then he began issuing jump coordinates to his remaining ships while he waited for the probes at the two surviving planets to send him the images of the Earth Ships when they arrived.

• • •

The High Priest stood on a high balcony at the Temple and gazed at the massive number of ships on the vast plain outside the monastery. He had hired more than a hundred thousand commercial ships to go to the Choten-Zan temples scattered throughout the vast known civilizations scattered across countless galaxies. They filled their capacity with the Priests living at those temples and then jumped to the Monastery Planet. Their occupants left with what belongings they could carry and their numbers were staggering. The vast migration had been going on for more than a month and there were still countless ships waiting to land. He knew that all over the planet, every clear landing area looked just like the plain in front of the Monastery. He tilted his head back and said, “How many?”

“More than a billion have landed and about a third that number are waiting in orbit.”

“There’s not much time left.”

“The process is accelerating and twenty percent of the commercial ships on the ground are lifting in ten minutes.”

“Will we get them all down?”

“Everyone will be on the planet in two hours.”

“That’s not what I mean; I need those ships off the planet as well if we’re going to feed everyone.”

“The last ship is scheduled to leave in six hours.”

The High Priest nodded and then said, “What about those left behind?”

“They are waiting.”

He turned his attention back to the plain and saw thousands of ships lifting and boosting into orbit. He was constantly amazed at the organizational skills of the Head Servant. He would be a worthy successor.

“Your Holiness.”

He turned and looked at the Head Servant, “Yes.”

“The leaders of many civilizations are asking why we are evacuating our temples.”

The High Priest stared at him and shook his head, “Send them word that they should be prepared to be attacked by an advanced civilization.”

“Is that wise?”

“More than you know.”

The Head Servant lifted a device out of his robe and began talking. The High Priest knew that the Humans would not hear the frequency he was using. He prayed the two Humans that he had taken into his temple would make a difference.

A tall female came through the door and moved smoothly out on the high balcony. She stood behind the High Priest in her pale green robe and lowered her head. The High Priest turned and looked at her, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

“Yes it has, my Love.”

“I hope it was worth it.”

“We’ll know in time.”

The High Priest went forward and took her in his arms, “Perhaps we’ll have some time to be alone soon.”

His Partner looked out at the plain and smiled, “I don’t expect it will be soon.”

The High Priest turned to view the plain and sighed, “No, I imagine it won’t.”

He held her tight as the rumble of thousands of space ships blasting into orbit rolled in from the plain.

• • •

Grant picked up the key and inserted it into the slot. The Hologram appeared and stared at him. “Is there a frequency we can use to listen in on the Earth Warships?”

“There is.”

“Will you give it to us?”

“Why should I do that?”

Cinny looked at her, “Ana, why wouldn’t you?”

The Hologram turned to Cinny and after a moment recited a series of sixty numbers. Grant looked up, “Do you have it?”

“I do.”

“Do not broadcast on that frequency but play for us what you receive.”

The loudspeakers activated and they heard, “Admiral Nelson, there are only two planets left. How do you want to handle them?”

“All even numbered fleets will come to my location and organize around my Personal Defense Fleet. All odd numbered fleets will go to Rear Admiral Hall’s Fleets and organize around him.”

“Yes Sir. I’ll send out the orders. This should be over quickly.”

“It’s taken too long already.”

• • •

Cinny looked at Grant, “There are only two Raider planets still alive?”

“That’s what they’re saying.”

“They’ve destroyed their civilization in less than two months?” Grant could only nod.

The Hologram said, “They thought it would only take three weeks. They must have encountered some difficulty.” The Hologram paused and shrugged, “I suspect it was those Missile Ships that slowed them down.”

Cinny nodded, “If they could kill the Spiders, I agree that they could have killed their warships as well.”

“Those missiles can kill the Spiders?” Cinny looked at Grant and then turned back to the Hologram, “Yes they could.”

“I was beginning to think that nothing could kill them, not even the frequency Earth was going to use.”

“Frequency?”

The Hologram turned to Grant, “The creators of the animals gave the military a frequency that, if sent with enough power, would cause the Spiders to fall apart.”

“What about the Crocs?”

“There is a dart made from a special ceramic material that would kill them.”

Grant paused, “But now you doubt them. Why?”

“When I delivered the three animals to their planet, two of the scientists went down with them. I suggested that they take the dart gun and a portable harmonic blaster but they shrugged and left without them.”

The Hologram paused and Grant said, “What?”

“I remember that six years before Avalon was attacked, a scientist approached me and asked if any of our ships used a yellow colored armor.”