The Lost Task Force by Vaughn Heppner

Author:Vaughn Heppner
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Published: 2023-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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Maddox and the rest of Victory’s bridge crew became aware they’d reached normal space. There were no compacted starry masses, no shrieking neutron stars, black holes or other spatial distortions. The sense of unreality had vanished as well. Instead, background stars appeared as in normal space and—

“Sir,” Galyan said, “I have detected a G-class star. We are in its outer system. I have counted five terrestrial planets within the inner system.”

“Excellent. Do you see Task Force 3?”

“I have not, sir. I am still looking for them.”

Maddox thought about that. They’d left the strange realm and reached another dimension. If the Builder AI had followed the right trail—he pressed the intercom button.

“Arius, do you detect Task Force 3?”

“That is not my priority, Captain. Mine is maintaining the Yon Soth machine and protecting us from its emanations and its trickery, and charting us through the dimensions.”

“Don’t get your dander up about it.”

“Dander?” Arius asked. “I do not comprehend.”

“How about this,” Maddox said. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

“I believe that is an idiom slur, and after all I have done for you, I’m surprised you’d feel the need.”

Maddox laughed. He felt such relief being in normal space. “It’s a joke, Arius. Didn’t the Supreme Intelligence explain humor to you?”

“He explained it, but I’m not quite certain about it. While I have a high capacity for intelligence and am in many ways superior to the combined intellect of your entire ship, humor is beyond me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Maddox said. “Let’s figure out what’s going on.”

“Sir,” Andros said, breaking into the conversation, “I’m detecting…mobile asteroids.”

Maddox swiveled his chair. “Do you mean large or heavy comets?”

“They’re not a natural phenomenon, sir,” Andros said. “The mobile asteroids have nuclear engines and massive thrusters. They’re heading inward. Following the trajectory of their present path…they’re heading for the fifth planet, the outer planet of the inner ring.”

“Are they military vessels?”

Andros studied his monitor for a time. “Yes, sir. They have armaments and might have parked ships on the asteroid surface.”

“They’re motherships?”

“I’d give that a high likelihood,” Andros said.

“How many of these asteroid motherships do you count?” Maddox asked.

“I’ll put it up on the main screen,” Andros said, “and I’ll give it maximum magnification.”

On that screen appeared…

Maddox counted twenty mobile asteroids. They were far bigger than Victory. Had Task Force 3 arrived in this star system? Might they have faced the mobile asteroids? Did these asteroids maneuver against the task force? Was there something special about the fifth planet?

“Galyan, concentrate on the fifth planet. It may be important.”

While he waited, Maddox drummed his fingers on an armrest. The last aliens in the silver ovals and powered gorilla suits—those aliens had possessed superior technology. They must have been ultra-dense to boot. These aliens in the mobile asteroids with fusion engines—they seemed to have inferior technology.

Maddox rubbed his jaw. “See if you can contact whoever crews the mobile asteroids.”

After attempting it, the comm officer shook her head.

“Captain,” Galyan said. “I am getting a response from them. It is a frequency different from what any of us are used to.

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