by Saxon Andrew
The two hundred ships disappeared and Oh watched his monitor. He wanted to know which pilots under his command could think fast enough to make critical decisions. Every one of them would have a target that was already destroyed. Let’s see how they responded.
It didn’t surprise him that his Wing Commanders immediately ignored the destroyed targets and skipped to the next signature. An Audon Wing Commander did it the fastest. The reflexes of the birds were incredible. The first ships arrived about ten seconds ahead of the others and Oh said, “Did you get a list of the early arrivals, Gravity?”
“I did.”
“Show me where they’re assigned in the command.” Oh looked at the diagram on his display and saw that most of them were in the Audon’s wing. He smiled and activated the communicator, “The following pilots will be promoted to Lieutenants and will be second-in-command to their Wing Commanders. You will receive your new positions momentarily. Wing Commander Flexrel you are promoted to my Second-in-Command and your second will assume your position as Wing Commander. His second will be determined during the next exercises.
Oh’s display activated, “Captain Oh.”
Oh saw Admiral Silva on his display, “Yes Sir.”
“How did you know I was going to move you?”
“I didn’t. However, if everyone is being promoted at an accelerated rate, I was not going to leave my unit without a good Commander to lead it.”
“That is the kind of planning we need, Commodore. You will take command of ten groups and start organizing them into a cohesive unit. Your current command is far ahead of the other nine groups and I would recommend you make promotions from within your command.”
“Will you provide me another unit and allow me to disband my unit and spread them out into the other ten units, Admiral?”
Silva smiled, “I will. They will arrive here momentarily.”
Oh activated his frequency and said, “Our unit is being disbanded and all of you will be promoted to wing Commanders. The current Wing Commanders will be promoted to Captain and will assume command of a group being assigned to my command. You will take those units and run them through the same exercises I used to train you. Make me proud.”
The pilots began cheering their Commander over the frequency. Within six weeks, Oh’s squadron was ranked number one in the newly formed fleet. In another six weeks, his command was disbanded again and Oh was promoted to Rear Admiral. His Fleet’s scores were rivaling the scores of the Goran and Human Fleets of telepaths. The building of the new fleets surged as the training procedures were developed for the new pilots and the numbers grew as the stored light ships were put into the Alliance Navy’s inventory of active warships.
• • •
Rose looked at her senior admirals and smiled. Admiral Ambrose and his Fleet Admirals sat with the Goran High Command and their Fleet Commanders to her left. Matt and his Admirals sat to her right. She waited to start the meeting to give the Senior Officers a chance to mingle and get to know each other. There was a clear air of respect among them. The Regulars had seen the training scores of the new fleets and knew they were good. She finally entered the room and Admiral Ambrose yelled, “ATTENNSHUN!”
Everyone came to attention and Rose smiled, “Everyone at ease and please take a seat.” Everyone sat down and Rose looked around the room. “It appears our numbers are growing. I’ve called you here to issue orders changing your areas of responsibility.” Everyone stared at her and wondered what was coming. Rose turned to Admiral Ambrose, “What are the things that must happen in order for us to take on the Feeders?”
“We have to build enough ships to take them on without being overwhelmed.”
Rose nodded, “What else?”
“We have to reduce the territory they control.”
“Right again. Currently, your fleets are removing the Feeders from the planets they’ve conquered. So we’re working on the second issue but doing nothing about the first.”
Ambrose shrugged, “High Leader, our numbers are increasing at a prodigious rate every day.”
“There is another way to work on getting their numbers under control.”
Ambrose looked at her, “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You’ve seen the results of the attack carried out by the twenty-five ships against the small Feeder Fleet?”
“I have.”
“You can shorten the time needed to build enough ships if you can reduce the numbers of warships the Feeders currently have in their inventory. Admiral, where is the vast majority of the Feeder Fleets currently located?”
Ambrose stared at her for a moment and said, “They’re in the four clusters searching for us.”
“Which means that if we go and attack them there, it will delay them looking elsewhere while we build up our forces.”
“High Leader, there are ten Feeder Fleets in the clusters with close to a billion ships in each fleet.”
“That should make finding a good target rather easy.” Ambrose shook his head and Rose said, “I know that trying to fight a major fleet action against them is perilous at best.” Rose paused and smiled, “Why do you think I sent twenty-five ships out to attack ten thousand?”
“I thought it was to demonstrate that non-telepaths could perform against the Feeders?”
“That was part of it. It was also done to show how hit and run tactics against them could destroy large numbers of their warships. Are you capable of coming up with a plan to do just that, Admiral?”
Ambrose looked at his Admirals sitting around him and saw them nodding. “Yes, High Leader, I believe we can. But what about the conquered galaxies they control?”
“That will be handled by the new fleets we’re bringing on line. I intend to attack them wherever they are and reduce their numbers and territory.”
“It will take quite a long time to remove them from their conquered galaxies.”
“We’re changing how we’re going about doing that.”
Ambrose’s eyes narrowed, “What kind of change?”
“We’re not going to attack them one planet at a time. We launched stealth probes into the conquered Feeder Galaxies more than twenty years ago and they’ve collected data from all the planets they control. Once the new fleets are operational, we will attack an entire galaxy in one operation. Then we’ll move on to the next.”
Ambrose shook his head, “That is a massive undertaking.”
Rose looked at Matt, “Can you do it?”
“Given enough ground forces I can.”
“You’ll have more than eight million armored warriors to use within six months.”
Matt smiled, “I look forward to giving it a go, High Leader.”
Rose stood up, “You are dismissed and may go make your plans. Admiral Goodwin, if you’ll remain for a moment I have an issue to discuss with you.” Sam nodded. The room emptied and Rose walked from around her desk and sat down in the chair next to Sam, “How long have you felt this way about me?”
Sam turned red and lowered his head, “I’ve been following your career since you left the Academy.”
“Why?”
“Is that important?”
“Yes, it is.”
“You were two grades ahead of me at the academy and from the first moment I saw you commanding your company on the parade ground, I was smitten by your beauty. I watched you as much as I could and I got a feel for what kind of person you are. When you shamed the Brigade Commander for insulting a freshman in your company, I just knew you were someone I wanted to know.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then?”
Sam shrugged, “You were a senior and I was just a second year cadet. I felt you were out of my league.”
“But you continued to follow my career?”
“How did you know about that?”
“I had the computer look at anyone that looked at my personnel files. Your name kept showing up.”
Sam sighed, “I’m sorry, Sir. I apologize for violating your pri
vacy.”
“Don’t be sorry. You had no choice.”
“What?”
“We have been pushed toward each other for a very long time. You are the one that I am intended to marry.”
“WHAT!?”
“I’ll explain it later. However, I kept you here to tell you that I am in agreement with this destiny and there is no one else that will take your place. I’ve also felt your heart and I am deeply touched by what I see.” Rose leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, “But for the moment, you and I have another destiny that must be completed before there will be time for us to be together.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“You don’t have to, Sam. Just know that I love you and I’m looking forward to the future. You should go and get your fleets ready.”
Sam stared into Rose’s eyes and shook his head slightly before standing up and leaving the room. Rose looked up and sighed, “How long was this in the making?”
“About a thousand years.”
“It still might not happen.”
“That’s true. He could be killed in combat.”
Rose looked at Sam as he exited the double doors and prayed he’d survive. But there was Matt and Eddy if something went wrong. She sighed and logged in to her computer.
Chapter Nineteen
Captain Race watched the small formation of Feeder Ships moving in on a planet where the population had been stunned by the linked Feeder Fleet they were assigned to support. The large transports were moving into orbit to go down to the surface and start gathering thousands of the stunned inhabitants to store until the food stores on many of the warships ran low.
Chase stared at the transports and pulled up the feed from the stealth probe that was following the major Feeder Fleet that had just gone into the void to continue the search for their new enemy. The huge fleet disappeared in the distance and he watched it on his Sit Rep display. “I want three ships to move in on each of those transports and prepare to open fire with disruptors. We’re not going to waste missiles on taking them out.” Chase assigned his wing to the transports and said, “Move in and take them out.”
The transports were slowing above the planet and were about to launch shuttles to go down to the surface. Suddenly, the light ships appeared around them and opened fire with their twelve disruptors. The dark matter beams shot through the transports hulls and blew out the other side of the giant ships. The transports defensive beams opened fire but the small ships attacking them disappeared and reappeared above them before they could be targeted. One light ship in each group of three had been assigned to target the bridge of the giant Feeder vessels and the bridges along with all the commanding officers on each ship died instantly. In less than a minute, all sixty transports were burning and exploding above the planet. They blew apart and the huge pieces of debris began falling toward the surface. The light ships activated their high-energy disruptors and disintegrated the largest pieces but many pieces made it to the surface and caused massive explosions.
“Speedy, any damage to the major city they were above?”
“There are a number of places where debris hit in the city but that really can’t be avoided when ships that large are destroyed.”
“Make an entry that in the future transports should be hit before they move into close orbit.”
“We couldn’t have hit them sooner, Captain. The Feeder Fleet was still in communication range.”
“Then note that the bridges should be taken out with missiles. That should stop any communications taking place.”
“You are right about that. The Feeders are always on the bridges of the warships they command.”
Chase looked at the feed from the probe and saw the Feeder Fleet was still moving away. They’d be back. Once the transports didn’t report in, they would come back to determine what happened. The inhabitants that died in the falling debris were probably lucky. His wing had only delayed their capture. “All ships move into the barrier and prepare to follow the Feeder Fleet from proscribed distance. Communication silence is now in effect. Maintain normal separation.”
Chase entered the barrier and was instantly three hundred miles from the giant Fleet. “Speedy, let me know if any ships leave the main Feeder formation.”
“Will do.”
“I’m taking a nap. Wake me if you see anything.” Chase activated the sleep circuit in his armor. He had been awake more than eighteen hours setting up the attack on the transports. Admiral Ambrose had designated the transports as a priority target. Starving the Feeders would slow them down. Without transports, the Feeders would be forced to use warships to go down to planets to gather their meals. His wing just killed sixty but there were millions in the four clusters. However, hundreds of millions of Light Ships were targeting them. Little bites in huge numbers would eventually make a huge impact. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.
• • •
Matt looked at Silva, Ethan, Jelek, Palel, Sam and Eddy. “I called you here to determine how we’re going to carry out the mission that the High Leader has given us. She wants us to attack an entire galaxy and remove every Feeder in a single operation. Eddy, what are we facing?”
“I’ve looked at the data the stealth probes have been collecting over the last ten years and it’s not going to be easy. Most of the galaxies the Feeders have conquered have, on average, about five hundred thousand planets with intelligent beings. Those planets, on average again, have about twelve thousand communities on their surface.”
Sam shook his head, “That’s about six billion Feeders in each galaxy.”
Eddy nodded, “There are some larger galaxies that have more than triple that number.”
Matt looked at the Admirals, “I’m open to suggestions.”
“We can’t do it in one operation.”
“Why not, Silva?”
“The process that’s been used up to now has had a warrior assigned to each Feeder on a planet and the warriors would take them out at the same moment. Even when the plan was perfect, some Feeders weren’t killed instantly.”
Ethan looked at Silva, “Why not?”
“Because some of them weren’t where they were supposed to be. Some were at other communities or out in the wilds chasing predators. The warrior would scan for the Feeder they were assigned and would come up empty handed. With the numbers you’re talking about here that would happen a lot more often.”
Matt’s eyes narrowed, “Why?”
“Because the attack on planets was often delayed hours or even a day until every Feeder was accounted for and then it would be launched. If we’re supposed to all attack all of them at the same moment a delay is not possible.”
Matt looked at Eddy, “Perhaps we’re looking at this the wrong way.”
“What do you mean, Sir?”
“I don’t believe we are going to be able to take them all out within seconds of each other. I think the High Leader wants us to do the job as efficiently as possible.”
“I still don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Matt looked at them and leaned back in his chair, “In the past, a hundred or a thousand planets were scheduled to be cleansed of the Feeders. Each of those planets were handled individually by the squadrons assigned to them. I think what the High Leader wants is for us to schedule all the planets in a galaxy and remove them with one planned mission. We don’t have to do it simultaneously. If we send the necessary ships and ground forces to each planet in a galaxy and give them a designated time to start their attacks…”
Eddy nodded, “Within a day or so, the entire galaxy would be cleansed.”
Jelek snorted, “All you need is two million Light Ships to scan for the Feeders whereabouts and six billion warriors to assign to each Feeder.”
Matt’s eyes narrowed, “I understand the issue with not currently having the six billion warriors but why do we need two million light ships?”
“Sir, one light ship can only scan the pla
net surface below it. You’ll need four light ships evenly distributed above a planet to scan the entire surface.” Matt stared at Jelek and he said, “You also have to consider that when telepathic warriors went down to the surface, they could control the Feeders with their minds and force them to remain physically frozen until they were eliminated. The warriors we’re going to have to use are not telepathic and they’ll have to take their shots at Feeders that will be doing everything to avoid being killed. I understand their claws can actually penetrate our armor.” Matt nodded.
Eddy’s eyes opened wide, “Is that true?”
Matt shrugged, “Their claws are a rather unique genetic adaptation. They can penetrate our armor and the force field. Their claws will, however, be burned off in the process.”
“Can the warrior be killed by them?”
“If the claws penetrate deeply enough, they can.”
“Why haven’t we developed tougher armor?”
“Weight is the main issue, Eddy. A warrior needs a level of maneuverability that adding more weight would diminish. With telepathic warriors, it wasn’t an issue.”
“But now it is.”
“We’re going to have to train them properly to prevent the Feeders from getting close enough to do them harm.”
Eddy shook her head, “We should have been sent to attack the Feeder Warships in the four clusters and the telepaths should have been given this mission.”
“Not really.” Eddy started shaking her head and Matt smiled, “Eddy, in war, a warrior has to be prepared to take on any enemy. How do you know that we won’t find another species in the four clusters that aren’t telepathic and are more advanced and worse than the Feeders?”
Ethan looked at Matt, “Is that possible?”
“Fleet’s Main Computer says there is a ten percent probability of a species like that in the four clusters. There are trillions of stars in those four clusters and when dealing with that large a number anything is statistically possible.”
