Chapter 73 Stranded.
The resupply went smoothly and the additional crew came aboard shortly after.
The ship was ready for the crossing and the data sent by the probes indicated that there were no threats in the system they were connected to.
Only one thing was still bothering everyone,namely who or what opened the wormhole as according to the data there was nobody around.
-Thanatos you have permission to enter the wormhole but at the slightest sign of trouble or danger you are ordered to return immediately.
The chairman sent the orders.
-Acknowledged,we will be careful.
Simon answered and gave the order to approach the wormhole.
The ship entered the portal smoothly but everyone onboard was nervous as it was their first time using a wormhole and they knew very little about the other side.
The travel time was short as only about five minutes later they came out on the other side of the galaxy.
The first thing they saw was thousands of ships leftover from the battle that took place a long time ago.
Some of the ships were in more or less one piece so Simon ordered the drones to be released and scan them before he would send the boarding parties.
-This is The Thanatos ,we made it to the other side and are proceeding with the mission.
He said through the communication's channel that was opened with Earth.
-Copy that Thanatos,proceed with caution.
Came the answer.
-Understood,proceeding with caution,will report any findings as soon as we can.
Simon said.
A Moment later he got the scan data from his drones and the ships were deemed safe enough to send boarding parties.
There were too many of them to board at once so the priority was given to the ships that were nearest to them.
The shuttles launched,each one carrying a scientist, an engineer and two squads of soldiers as a security personnel.
In the meantime the Terran ship started to deploy more probes that were designed to scout and scan the planet.
The sensor officer and technicians were trying to find the energy source that powered the wormhole but had no luck so far.
Further scans of the battle field revealed that each of the ships resting here had way more advanced weapons and shields than anything they had ever come across.
In comparison the Thanatos weapons looked like a musket compared to the assault rifle,the difference was enormous.
After the preliminary analysis it was deduced that three shots from any of the energy weapons found on this battlefield would deplete their shields and another two would penetrate their armored hull.
The shields of those ships on the other hand would last much longer than the Thanatos ammunition and energy reserves.
In other words they were defenseless against this kind of ship as it would most likely take the combined firepower of the Terran fleet to take one of them down.
The boarding teams got aboard of their assigned ships and reported that the technology is so advanced that they are unable to figure out how those vessels were powered or how they operated in the first place.
The most shocking thing was that the ships they boarded were the smaller ships and the big ones dwarfed the Thanatos as they found some of the ships to be over ten kilometers in length and three kilometers high and wide.
Simon reported his findings so far and the council wanted to send more ships to tow a few of the wrecks back for study.
-I don't think that it is wise to do so at this time since we still don't know what is powering the wormhole and when it will collapse.
I recommend….
His words were interrupted as a static noise was heard through the speakers.
The wormhole destabilized in an instant,he didn't even have the time to order his teams to return when it just vanished without a trace.
All he was able to do was to send all the data he collected so far and pray that it was received on the other side.
He ordered his boarding teams to return to the ship with their findings and called a meeting with his senior officers to discuss their plans.
-We all knew that this could happen and it did so we are now stranded here and have a half a year journey ahead of us to return home unless we find a way to reactivate the wormhole.
Simon started the meeting.
-How long will our rations hold out after the resupply?
The lead scientist asked.She was invited to this meeting as a newly appointed chief science officer.
We were resupplied to last for half a year along with our standard supplies but we always have more stores just in case so we have rations for eight months added with the matter converter. We can last two or three years without resupplying.
The water on the other hand we will need to resupply within two months time.
Said the quartermaster.
The ship was a marvel when it came to recycling but it had its limits.
-The water problem is easy to solve right now as we have a planet before us and it seems to have plenty of water.
Simon said activating a holographic device that displayed the planet and its surroundings.
-Now that we know our supply situation,it's time to formulate a plan of action.
He continued.
-Personally I would like to stay here for some time to explore this planet and the remains of the ships as we know that they were much more powerful than our ships.
It would be best if we could find a way to assimilate their weapons and shields into our ship or even better find one of the ships that isn't too badly damaged and try to repair it.
Simos expressed his opinion.
-Admiral,I would also like to study the technology here but we have a long way home and the sooner we start the sooner we can return.
The main engineer shared his thoughts with everyone.
-That is why we have this meeting right now Jeff.
I could just give the order and have it my way but I want to listen to everyone's opinion before making the decision.
Simon said .
-Alice,how long till we can plot a course home?
He asked his navigation officer.
-We will be able to do so but there is a problem as we don't have any star maps of this part of the galaxy and we will have to use short jumps to find our way around.
She answered.
-Please explain this in more detail.
Simon asked.
-The thing is that we don't know what is out there and if we can't find any maps then it will be dangerous to just blindly jump in the direction of earth not knowing where we can refuel and or if there is a black hole in our way so we will have to jump a few lightyears and stop to gather the information before jumping again.
Alice explained.
-Thank you.
Athena, is there a way to connect to one of the ships computers to look for navigational data?
He asked the A.I.
-I think it's possible but we would have to power up one of the ships nav computers and find a way to connect with it.
Also the maps we would find will be thousands of years old so i don't think that they will be useful to us.
She shared her thoughts on the matter.
-Even outdated maps are better than what we have right now and it would help us to at least know where we can find systems to refuel if nothing else.
Alice said before Simon could even open his mouth.
-Then that is the main priority on the next boarding mission.
Simon decided.
-We would like to send an away mission to the planet if you have the men to accompany us.
The Science officer said,as it looked like they will stay in this system for a while.
-Approved,and try to find out who opened the wormhole if you can.
I have a feeling that there is something familiar about this planet but I can't explain what or why it is familiar as I have never been here.
Simon approved the mission.
-We all have the same feeling Admiral so you are not the only one.
The commander of the ground forces spoke for the first time in this meeting.
-That doesn't make me feel any better about it.
Simon said with a smile.
-If there is nothing further to discuss for now then we will stay here to gather the information we need and maybe some new technologies while we're at it.
Also the priority is to find a way to open the wormhole back to earth,If we find it impossible then we will go back using the FTL.
-Prepare the boarding parties and I will go with you this time.
Simon said.
-May I ask why would you come with us?
The ground forces commander asked.
-Because it's no fun just waiting for the reports.
Also I want to see the ship that could take the Thanatos out in a few salvos with my own eyes.
Simon said with sparkles in his eyes.