“So what’s our next move, Admiral?” Commander Thomas asked. “How soon will it be before the Hocklyns realize that two of their escort cruisers have gone missing and send a fleet out searching for them?”
Admiral Tolsen leaned back in his chair and thought about the commander’s words. “No one can know what their response time will be. It may be a few months to a few years; all we can do is get ready. I have already requested two military transports from Earth. They will be bringing twenty more defensive satellites as well as six missile platforms. There will be an additional company of marines assigned to Caden’s World as well. Fleet Command will also be assigning two destroyers to the system to support the orbital defenses.”
“We have over thirty systems with mining operations in them,” pointed out Thomas, wondering if additional defenses were going to be added to all of them. “The Hocklyns could show up in any one of them.”
“I know,” Tolsen responded with a nod. “I suspect all of their defenses will be beefed up. We need those mining systems to stay intact for the raw material they are providing for the future war effort.”
“What are my orders now, Sir?”
“Return to New Tellus to have your ship checked. I suspect the Argyle will need some yard time. You have just successfully fought off two Hocklyn escort cruisers, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a promotion were forthcoming. Good job, Commander!”
Chapter Two
Two blue-white spatial vortexes formed suddenly in the outer regions of the New Tellus system. The battle cruiser WarHawk, along with the battle carrier Liberty, flashed into existence. The battle carrier Independence and the rest of the fleet had remained behind in Gliese 667C to give support until the military transports arrived with additional defense satellites. The FTL messages had been hot and furious from various commands demanding to know what had happened above Caden’s World. Already, word was spreading across the Federation that a battle involving Hocklyn warships had occurred in Federation space.
Admiral Tolsen was in the Command Center as the screen cleared and the sensors began functioning. Looking around, his eyes focused on the communications officer.
“We are being hailed by the light cruiser Crescent,” Lieutenant Judy Davis reported from Communications. “It is the normal request for ship identification.”
“Send it,” Tolsen confirmed, satisfied with the quick detection by the light cruiser.
This was standard operating procedure in all of the ten inhabited systems of the new Human Federation of Worlds. The Federation consisted of thirteen inhabited planets plus Ceres with the government centered on Earth.
A few monuments later, Lieutenant Davis turned and looked toward the admiral. “We have a message from Fleet Command on New Tellus Station.”
“That was quick,” Colonel Beck commented with arched eyebrows.
“Everyone’s on edge now,” commented Tolsen, knowing it was only going to get worse. “The Hocklyns have finally made it to Federation space.”
“What’s the message?” asked Colonel Beck, looking back over at Lieutenant Davis.
“We are to micro-jump to New Tellus, and Admiral Tolsen is to report to Fleet Admiral Johnson with the details of what happened in Gliese 667C.”
“Commander Thomas kicked the Hocklyn’s collective asses is what happened,” Colonel Peter Beck commented with a smirk.
“Set up the jump, Peter,” ordered Tolsen, taking a deep breath. He knew that Fleet Command was anxious for a firsthand report of the battle. “We won this round, but round two will be coming at some point in time. We have to be ready for that one. This time we took the Hocklyns by surprise; that won’t be the case next time.”
Tolsen looked up at the large holographic image above the plotting table, which was now displaying the eight planets of the New Tellus system. New Tellus was planet number four and located almost dead center in the system’s Goldilocks zone. There were currently twenty-two million humans living on the planet, the majority of them direct descendants from the original survivors of the first Human Federation of Worlds. There were an additional two million living inside the huge manmade caverns inside the asteroid Ceres in the Sol System.
The holographic image was full of different colored icons. Each icon represented a planet, ship, defensive satellite, or other manmade object; the image was blanketed with them. The New Tellus system was the most heavily fortified system in the new Human Federation of Worlds. The reason was simple; someday the plan was to lure the Hocklyns into attacking the system in overwhelming numbers. If they did, the Hocklyns would walk into the biggest trap ever built. New Tellus was also the closest system to the Hocklyn Slave Empire.
“Ready to jump,” Colonel Beck informed the admiral as Navigation and helm reported their readiness.
“Then take us home,” ordered Admiral Tolsen, leaning back in his command chair. Admiral Tolsen had been born on New Tellus and was well aware of the massive defenses in the system.
In front of the WarHawk and the Liberty blue-white vortexes of swirling light appeared. The two ships maneuvered into the center of the vortexes and vanished as they made the transition to hyperspace. Behind them the vortexes collapsed, leaving no trace of ever being there.
A few moments later, Admiral Tolsen felt the familiar wrenching sensation as the WarHawk dropped out of hyperspace and exited the vortex. The Liberty appeared off her port side and moved slowly into supporting position. Several Talon fighters took off from her flight bay and took up CAP positions around the two ships.
“Put New Tellus Station on the screen,” Colonel Beck ordered as he adjusted the holographic image above the plotting table to show the area around New Tellus only.
It was covered in blue and green icons. The blue icons represented defensive satellites and the green icons represented ships. There were also eight large violet icons, which represented the massive asteroid fortresses that were in orbit around the planet, as well as six yellow icons, which represented the large orbiting shipyards. The Federation survivors had spent the last four hundred years preparing the system for the coming war with the Hocklyns.
“Take us in to New Tellus Station and contact Docking Control to see where they want us,” ordered Tolsen, looking at the viewscreen, which showed the massive shipyard. New Tellus Station was the largest shipyard in the Federation. “I will be in my quarters getting ready to see the Fleet Admiral. Contact me when we’re docked.”
“Yes, Sir,” Colonel Beck replied as he walked over to the command console to take over operations in the Command Center.
-
It was nearly three hours later when Admiral Tolsen made his way into the large briefing room in the station to meet with Fleet Admiral Johnson. New Tellus station was sixteen kilometers in length and eight in width. It contained six massive construction bays, which could produce any size ship the Fleet required, as well as twelve repair bays. It had been necessary for Admiral Tolsen to take a transit tube to reach the center of the station, which was four kilometers distant from where the WarHawk was docked.
“Good to see you, Race,” spoke Admiral Karla Johnson, rising to her feet.
“Good to be back, Admiral,” Tolsen replied as he saluted.
“Have a seat,” Johnson said, indicating a chair close to her.
Tolsen took the indicated seat, noticing there were ten other people sitting at the conference table. They were all part of the admiral’s staff or scientists.
“We have a lot to discuss and some plans that need to be made,” Admiral Johnson said as she sat back down. The admiral was 56-years-old and had been born on Earth.
“There is some disturbing data in Commander Thomas’s sensor readings,” Admiral Freeman informed the group, looking over at Tolsen. Freeman was Admiral Johnson’s chief of staff and in charge of all Federation shipyards. The man was efficient and knew ship construction intimately.
For the next few hours, the group went over the Hocklyn incursion into the Gliese 667C system. They went over
the data recorded by the StarSearch and the effect their weapons had on the Hocklyn escort cruisers.
“I don’t like how their energy shield managed to resist the StarSearch’s lasers,” Admiral Freemen commented with a heavy frown, leaning back and gazing at the others. “Those shields should have failed quicker than they did.”
“It looks like some type of possible upgrade,” Josh Sayth added as he studied the data, his forehead creased in a frown. He was a scientist and well versed in Hocklyn weaponry. “From what I am seeing from these scans, I would guess there has been a twenty to thirty percent increase in the strength of the Hocklyn’s energy shields.”
“Why?” asked Fleet Admiral Johnson not liking the news. “Why would they strengthen their shields suddenly? They have gone centuries without any improvements in their weapons or shields.”
“It may be our own fault,” suggested Admiral Arnold Bennett, leaning forward and looking around the group. Bennett was in charge of the six shipyards orbiting New Tellus. “Over the last sixty years, we have engaged and destroyed twenty-four Hocklyn escort cruisers that have ventured close to our space. We have also sent hundreds of stealth scouts into their empire keeping an eye on their advance toward us. They may suspect something or someone is out here, and this may be part of that response.”
Admiral Johnson tilted her head and spoke softly. “Let’s just hope their shields are all that has changed. We can deal with that.”
“We have another problem you need to be made aware of,” Sayth commented with a deepening frown. “I spoke to Doctor Reynolds at Ceres earlier today, and the cryosleep units are starting to show signs of failure.”
“They’re failing?” Fleet Admiral Johnson spoke, her eyes focusing intently on Sayth. “What do you mean they’re failing? I thought they were good for years yet. We need those people!”
“I don’t mean the units are about to quit working, it’s the people in them. Their bodies are starting to degrade.”
“Admiral Streth and the others?” Admiral Johnson asked with deep concern in her voice, her eyes looking intently at the scientist. “Can they be saved?” She knew it would be a deep morale blow to the Federation if Admiral Streth were to die. Everyone knew he had gone to sleep to be awakened in the future to lead them to victory over the Hocklyns.
“Doctor Reynolds is suggesting waking up all ninety-two people who are currently in cryosleep within the next two weeks,” answered Sayth, recalling his brief conversation with the cryosleep specialist. No one’s body has yet reached the point of no return.”
“It’s just as well,” said Major Ackerman, entering the conversation and opening a thick folder he had brought with him. He was from military intelligence and his department was tasked with keeping track of the Hocklyn Slave Empire’s advance. “From our latest reports and considering the events of today, I am afraid the Hocklyns are ahead of their projected time schedule to make contact with us.”
“How far ahead?” asked Admiral Johnson, fearing the answer. They were not quite ready yet with all their preparations. She could feel her heart start to beat faster as she waited for the answer.
“Close to thirty years,” Ackerman replied, his eyes focusing on the Fleet Admiral.
“That puts full contact at any time,” Admiral Johnson responded, her face turning pale. “Why wasn’t I told about this sooner?”
“We only became aware of it recently ourselves,” Ackerman replied in a calm voice. “The latest reports from the stealth scouts indicate the Hocklyns are constructing some new forward bases that will be within easy striking distance of our space. You were to be briefed on these developments next week.”
“Why did they build these new bases?’ asked Admiral Johnson, feeling aggravated with military intelligence for not telling her sooner. She would have a word with their commanding officer once this meeting was over. “What does military intelligence believe the Hocklyns response will be to the destruction of these two cruisers?”
“They will undoubtedly send a fleet to investigate the disappearance of the ships that Commander Thomas destroyed today. We believe they have begun sending their ships out in groups of two in order to find out if there is a threat to their empire. That may also be the reason for the new bases we discovered. We should have been more careful in engaging their exploration ships in recent years. There is also the possibility that they have been able to partially detect some of our stealth scouts that have been operating in their space.”
Admiral Johnson leaned back in her chair in deep thought, crossing her arms over her chest. None of this news was good. It looked as if the war they had been preparing for over the past few centuries was nearly upon them. Fortunately, her staff had already discussed plans as to what would have to be done in case the Hocklyns were to arrive early. She had several options available to her even though she was leaning toward a third, particularly since the people in cryosleep were to be awoken.
“I need to go to Earth and brief the Federation Council,” she said after a moment. Then, turning to Major Ackerman, she asked in a serious tone, “How soon before this response fleet of the Hocklyns arrives once they realize that their two cruisers are missing?”
“I would need to talk to some of our strategists, but I would guess we have maybe three to four months.”
Admiral Johnson nodded her head. “Very well then. I will suggest to the Federation Council that we go to a state of readiness for war and take the appropriate actions.”
“That won’t be very popular with all the Federation senators,” commented Admiral Freeman, shaking his head.
“Only a couple,” responded Admiral Johnson, knowing the two Freeman was talking about. “The rest will support us; they know what’s at stake.”
“Admiral Freeman, I want our stealth scouts searching all the nearby stars between us and the Hocklyns for any trace of a war fleet. Search all the way to known Hocklyn space if necessary. I also want to know where all of their new bases are and their estimated fleet strength!”
“I will send the order to Rear Admiral Stillson,” Freeman replied with a nod. “He has over three hundred stealth scouts at his disposal.”
“I want all of them out searching,” stressed Admiral Jonson with narrowed eyes. “If the Hocklyns are out there, I want to find them!”
She then turned her attention to the shipyards. “Admiral Freeman, what is the current status of new construction in the shipyards here at New Tellus?”
Admiral Freeman glanced at a computer pad he had brought with him. “We have one fleet command Vanquisher class battleship, two Conqueror class battle cruisers, and two strike cruisers currently under construction in the main bays here,” he replied. “We have an additional four light cruisers and six destroyers being constructed in the other shipyards.”
Admiral Johnson leaned forward and spoke. “I want all shipyards prepared to go to full military production once I return from Earth. I also want all the repair bays brought to full standby.”
“Why the repair bays?” asked Freeman, confused. “The only damaged ship we have is the Argyle.”
“It’s simple,” Admiral Johnson replied, her eyes focusing on Admiral Freeman. “I am going to recommend to the Federation Council that the entire Ready Reserve Fleet be activated and updated.”
The Ready Reserve Fleet were all the ships that had been deactivated in the past twenty years. The Inactive Reserve were ships deactivated from twenty to forty years. After that point, a ship was taken to the breakers to be disassembled and its parts or metal used for new construction.
“The Ready Reserve,” repeated Admiral Bennett, surprised. “Why activate the Ready Reserve? Those ships are to be used to replace fleet losses that can’t be made up by new construction in case of war.”
“Because the Hocklyns are coming and we’re not quite ready for them yet,” Johnson replied, her eyes focusing on Admiral Bennett who was in charge of the New Tellus shipyards. “How long will it take to update all the ships in the reserve and
have them ready for combat?”
Bennett leaned back and closed his eyes in thought. Leaning forward, he opened them and asked a question. “How long do I have?”
“Six months,” Johnson replied, her eyes deadly serious. “That should be after the Hocklyn response fleet arrives and before they can launch a major attack our planets.”
“Can I use all the shipyards in the Federation, including those in the Sol System?” He asked, looking over at Admiral Freeman and Fleet Admiral Johnson.
“I will have it approved by the Federation Council,” Johnson promised. “They will agree to it once I tell them what I have planned.”
“Very well,” replied Bennett, knowing he had a herculean task ahead of him. “It will be close, but I think it can be done. Can I ask why?”
“Its simple,” Admiral Karla Johnson replied with a mystifying smile. “Admiral Streth will need a fleet to command, and I am giving him the entire Ready Reserve.”
“Admiral Streth!” several of the staff member spoke aloud, their eyes growing wide. Everyone knew of the legendary admiral and that he was waiting in cryosleep to lead them in the war against the Hocklyns.
“He will need a flagship,” commented Admiral Freeman thoughtfully, his eyes focusing on the Fleet Admiral. “I don’t think you want to give Admiral Streth a ten or twenty year old battle cruiser as his flagship.”
“Of course not,” Admiral Johnson replied with a nod, and then she smiled. “We have a new fleet command ship under construction here in our own bays. I intend to turn that ship over to Admiral Streth to act as his flagship.”
Everyone was quiet. The fleet command ship was of a new design. It was a Vanquisher class battleship, the largest warship ever built by the Federation. It had originally been planned for use by Admiral Johnson to command the Federation Fleet.
“It’s fitting,” Admiral Freeman spoke in agreement after he thought it over. “He should have the best ship we have.”
The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book Four) Page 3
