Captain Hawkins (The Jamie Hawkins Saga Book 1)

by H. Alesso

  As the Victor came to, the leading Hellion, the flagship, closed in and gave her a raking broadside.

  The column accelerated. A pair of lumbering damaged ships trailed well behind. The column proceeded to the intercepting point at breakneck speed.

  As the last ship in the Jaxon line passed the Hellion, the Jaxon line had formed a U shape with Victor in the lead. Then a Hellion division bore up to join their rearguard compatriots.

  The scanner went dark and he held his breath for several seconds until it recovered. The admiral’s heart pumped faster with each new data point of disappointment. There was evidence that his sensors were corrupted and offering false images.

  Got to know what’s happening.

  Forester made a signal, “Engage the enemy more closely.”

  The enemy formation was in possession of the strategic advantage which could spell the doom of the Jaxon fleet if properly exploited.

  “Admiral I have a damage report.”

  “Not now.”

  “Admiral I have reports of damaged and destroyed ships coming in.”

  “Not now, I’ve got to think.”

  The main Hellion battle force tightened its formation, but kept coming straight at the outnumbered Jaxon fleet. The movements were precise. Previous encounters had shown that the Jaxon ships had a slight technological advantage in weapons and defensive systems, but the Hellion were more maneuverable and slightly faster.

  They were acting like a stalking school of sharks. In fact, they looked more like a long line with their fastest ships far in front. Clearly they intended to cripple as many ships as they could and leave them for annihilation later.

  Now it was Forester’s turn to unleash his power and strike back. They surged forward to meet the enemy. It wasn’t going to be all one sided. Their fire ripped at the enemy brutally wounding many.

  The thermal wave of destruction flickered. One ship exploded and went supernova.

  At that critical juncture, Forester ordered his frigates to launch an all-out attack by charging at the Hellion ships to disrupt their formation.

  ***

  Hawkins led the Indefatigable towards the rear of the Jaxon line, much closer to the larger group. He came to the conclusion that the maneuver could not be completed. Unless the movements of the Hellion ships could be thwarted, everything so far gained would be lost. Hawkins gave orders to maneuver ship and to engage the smaller Hellion group.

  As the distance between the rebel fleet and the rearguard decreased, the Hellion fired and scored some hits, damaging nearly all the rebel warships.

  For a moment, Hawkins faltered. Then he told himself, We can do it, casting out his troubled doubts.

  The Hellion flagship, the Rusk, was directing its ships to attack the leading rebel units.

  The rebels exchanged laser and plasma fire at close range. A frigate moved hard to port, readjusting its position to meet enemy fire. The salvos were falling on target, but they did not have enough forces to cover their flanks, so the Hellion was moving around them. There was little chance of them escaping unscathed from the ships’ withering fire.

  Hawkins could make out several frigates on courses directly toward the Indefatigable, firing, and then reversing course. After taking a hit, one frigate slowed and fell behind. It became easy prey for the following ship. The hapless ship struggled to get away, but it was marked by explosions of orange flame until the destroyer finally disappeared in a bright flash.

  Hawkins directed the Indefatigable to cross ahead of the Hellion ships in that group which included the largest ship ever built, the Rusk, the flagship of the Hellion fleet.

  Hawkins's decision was significant. Indefatigable gradually overhauled the Rusk and began a close engagement. Momentarily the Indefatigable was under fire from as many as three Hellion ships. Soon however, several Jaxon dreadnaughts caught up with the Indefatigable and supported her fire.

  Moments later, three Jaxon dreadnaughts commenced an attack on the Rusk, with one stationing herself on the bow and another on the quarter of the Hellion ship. Observing that the Victor was about to pass close astern, the Rusk judiciously hauled down away and called for assistance from her fleet.

  The Victor's guns came to bear with effect.

  It was almost twenty minutes later that Indefatigable was in close action with another Hellion ship. By now her guts were shot out, but she continued to fight.

  In a few more minutes, Hawkins ordered his severely damaged ship on a course to escape the action.

  Both Hellion vessels, he had engaged were successfully captured by Jaxon ships, moments later. A Hellion dreadnaught exploded.

  By the time the Rusk had also surrendered, an entire group of Hellion dreadnaughts were so damaged that they too surrendered. After the Rusk was captured, the confusion amongst the Hellion fleet was so great that they were unable to use their guns without causing more damage to their own ships than to the Jaxon. The Hellion men fought fiercely without discipline.

  About half of the Hellion fleet fled the battle area, leaving their damaged brothers to surrender to the Jaxon fleet.

  Admiral Forester signaled his fleet to recover his damaged and disabled vessels while his frigates were directed to take the prizes in tow. The fleet was ordered to take station in line astern of Victor.

  It was a great victory for the Jaxon space fleet—40 Jaxon ships had defeated a Hellion fleet of 70, and the Hellion ships had a greater number of guns and men. But, Admiral Forester had trained a highly disciplined force and this was pitted against a demoralized Hellion navy under Slade.

  ***

  “Admiral Forester! The rebel ships are withdrawing from the battle area, sir,” reported the sensor tech.

  “Humph,” was the Admirals only reply.

  His chief of staff asked, “They’re badly damaged—some of them crippled. A small task force could easily finish them off, sir.”

  “Humph.”

  “Sir, they’re out of weapons range now! We’ll lose them from our scanners in a few minutes.”

  “Humph.”

  The remaining rebel ships receded into the distance with impressive speed. Soon they were no more than a few spots of light on Admiral Forester’s monitor.

  A moment later they were gone.

  CHAPTER 27

  The Bad Seed

  After several weeks resting in orbit over Spindrift, the Indefatigable was recovering from her severe wounds and Hawkins was enjoying a rejuvenating sleep. When somewhere far away, above the background hum that disturbed the otherwise silent room, he heard the faint ghostly murmur of voices, and then, after a moment there was nothing but silence once more. He thought the darkness had hushed the secret whispers until there was a soft knock on his stateroom door.

  He muttered, “Enter.”

  He thought he heard a muffled, “I’m first.”

  Then a bridge messenger entered.

  “Captain, we’ve received a message.”

  “Let the OOD handle it,” said Hawkins, turning over and pulling the covers over his head.

  “He sent it to you, sir,” said the messenger, biting his lower lip, and shifting his weight from foot to foot.

  Throwing the covers off, Hawkins swung his legs over the side of the bunk and let his bare feet touch the cold metal deck. It was with a lazy temperament that he faced the day and he waited for a moment before taking the tablet. He stared at the screen with uncomprehending eyes for several seconds before he said, “Lights.”

  The illumination materialized the letters, but he was slow to comprehend the import of the words.

  Captain Hawkins,

  I’m willing to honor the prison exchange arrangements you offered several months ago. I’m sending a transport to Tarija with four hundred rebels in exchange for a like number of Jaxon soldiers.

  It’s my hope that before long further rapprochement will be possible.

  Admiral Forrester

  Commander Jaxon Combat Fleet

  Hawkins ordered,
“Ask Mr. Hale to come here.”

  “Aye aye, sir.”

  A few minutes later, Hale read the note and commented, “This is a good sign.”

  Hawkins nodded.

  Hale added, “Perhaps, we’ve fostered sympathy from some in the Jaxon Navy.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “In addition to the prisoners, we should send our wounded to Tarija. They’ll get better medical treatment there than we can offer here.”

  “I agree,” said Hawkins, then after a pause, he added. “Include Joshua. He’s on the mend, but it would do him good.”

  “I’ll make the arrangements.”

  Before Hawkins could shoo Hale away, another tap was heard.

  “Enter.”

  “Can I have a few minutes, Captain, seeing as how you’re already up?” said young data tech Nathan McClain.

  This must be another of the secret whispers I heard this morning.

  “OK, Nathan, what can I do for you?”

  Hale made room for the young man.

  “I was working on the deep space signal with Joshua until he was wounded. Since then I’ve been on my own, and today I found . . .”

  Nathan threw his hands in the air excitedly.

  Hawkins said, “Calm down, Nathan. Start at the beginning and tell us the whole story.” He leaned back on his bunk to get comfortable because he suspected this was going to be some tale.

  Nathan brightened and said, “You’re going to love this. Huh . . ., sorry, sir, I mean . . .”

  Hawkins smiled, “Never mind. Go ahead.”

  “I followed Joshua’s example and decoded the encrypted Hellion secret orders while at the same time examining the overlaying deep space signal. I found that the signal contained an embedded digital code. Several years ago, when Hellion cybersecurity started collecting the signal pulses for examination, the embedded virus infected their network and created an alien program.”

  Nathan paused to take a deep breath and waited for his senior officers to digest the information.

  “That’s quite a leap,” said Hale.

  “It’s all I could make out from the puzzle I’ve been working on, sir.”

  Hawkins said, “Did you verify that there aren’t any human colonies in the vicinity of the signal’s origin?”

  “I checked. There aren’t. The signal can only be of alien origin. And the nearest possible source is 44.4 light years away. If that’s not the origin, then the signal could be very ancient and might have traveled through space for eons.”

  Hale turned to Hawkins and said, “It could be an ancient alien weapon unleashed at a long dead enemy.”

  Hawkins said, “Or a weapon of mass extinction.”

  Nathan licked his lips and said, “But that’s not the best part, sir. I’ve found out who is sending the fake orders.”

  “Spit it out man,” said Hale impatiently.

  “Captain Hawkins!” said Nathan.

  The three remained silent for a full minute before Hawkins asked, “How does my name figure in this puzzle?”

  “The alien program created phony orders for the Hellion security force to assassinate President Victor and left evidence that ‘Captain Hawkins’ was the culprit behind the orders.”

  Hale said, “Much too clever for a prepackaged program. It not only threatens Hellion’s primary enemy, but simultaneously casts blame on another rival.”

  Hawkins said, “We’re dealing with an alien artificial intelligence.”

  “Yes, sir, that my conclusion too. The initial signal must have been a simple replicating virus that evolved into an AI.”

  “And now it’s working out how to further its own survival within our world,” concluded Hale.

  “Good job, Nathan. Continue to work on this. It’s a major priority.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Nathan.

  After the young man left, Hale said, “I guess it’s my turn now.”

  Hawkins sighed.

  Hale said, “Alyssa sent a message.”

  “She sent a message to you?”

  “No. She sent a message for you.”

  Hale abruptly left—leaving the message on Hawkins’ tablet.

  Hawkins considered Hale his close friend, and it suddenly occurred to him in a strange and bitter way, that their friendship was under threat from another whom he hoped would become his closest friend—Alyssa.

  CHAPTER 28

  An Unwitting Choice

  Rodríguez sat motionless in the Special Forces Data and Intelligence Analysis Center glaring at his maps. It was unlikely that there was more to be gained from decoy traps. The rebels had become too wily. Hawkins had gotten into his head, somehow, and the frustration was exasperating.

  What if I could reverse that?

  A realization materialized in his mind, and with it, a sense of purpose appeared.

  I can reverse that!

  With great deliberation, Rodríguez said, “I may have a solution to the Hawkins Problem.”

  “That would be a relief,” said Admiral Samuels, turning away from the digital display monitor and focusing his attention on his commander.

  “As with all breakthroughs, the answer is obvious in retrospect.”

  “Oh?” asked Samuels, eagerly.

  “Until now we’ve searched vast stretches of space, placing traps in likely locations, all to no available. We’ve been trying to go to him. What we need to do is make him come to us,” said Rodríguez.

  Samuels appeared puzzled.

  Rodríguez said, “I’ve been studying Hawkins’s behavior. I’ve come to understand him. I know how he thinks, how he reacts to opportunity, and most importantly, how he reacts to threats.”

  He curled his lips into a twisted smile, relishing the moment. “Everyone needs a purpose in life—a meaning to make them feel fulfilled. I’ve come to realize that catching Hawkins comes down to motivation.”

  He looked directly into Samuels’ eyes and asked, “What motives Hawkins?”

  “He’s a revolutionary. He wants to change the government.”

  “No, he actually came to that cause, very late. That’s not his primary motivation.”

  “Money?”

  “No, his ‘Robin Hood’ complex is unmistakable.”

  “Power?”

  “No, again. He commands, but does not rule.”

  “What then?”

  “People,” said Rodríguez. “The welfare of others. He’s driven by a need to protect those he cares about—the people for whom he is willing to make great sacrifices.”

  “The rebels? The colonists?”

  “Yes, to some extent, but more specifically, a select few. In particular, a young woman named Alyssa Palmer who I’ve had under observation for some time. She may be the opportunity we’ve been looking for.”

  “How does this help us capture Hawkins?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? We imprison as many of these individuals as possible in Zeno. Hawkins will attempt to rescue them.”

  “He would realize it was a trap and know that any rescue attempt would be foolish.”

  “Not just foolish—utterly reckless,” said Rodríguez. With a faraway look in his eyes, he repeated, “Utterly reckless.”

  Rodríguez knew he was right. He knew with absolute certainty that Hawkins would take great risks under the right circumstance. He knew that with the right motivation Hawkins would come to Zeno regardless of the danger. With this knowledge, he could reasonably predict Hawkins’s rescue plan and plot appropriate countermeasures. Even if Hawkins did escape his trap the first time he would keep coming back until he either freed the prisoners or died trying.

  More than anything, Rodriguez yearned to be proven right. Soon everyone would know that he was right. And he was right, of course. Any other contemplation was impossible.

  ***

  Rodríguez proclaimed that in honor of the rebel’s contribution to the recent Combat Fleet victory, any rebel who turned himself into the Jaxon authorities would receive amnesty. He knew Hawki
ns would never accept amnesty, but under this ruse Rodríguez rounded up colonists and citizens, detained them for “processing.”

  He had Alyssa Palmer arrested on trumped up charges to include her in his collection.

  He was particularly pleased when he discovered that one of his routine roundups picked up Joshua Morgan from a colony hospital.

  The new prisoners were swiftly shipped off to Zeno and placed under Seward’s watch.

  As was becoming a habit, Rodríguez was having an acrimonious discussion with his deputy.

  “Amnesty is meant to be a pardon, a reprieve, and chance to start life over again,” said Samuel.

  “I’m . . ., I’m giving them a chance—a simple opportunity to redeem themselves by playing an unwitting part in helping to catch Hawkins.”

  “Your use of this ruse is a cruel deception,” said Samuels.

  Rodríguez said, “These disloyal mining colonists are a scar on the face of our star system.”

  “They’re our people.”

  “They’re irresponsible stupid poor fools living on airless frozen rocks constantly begging for the scarce resources of Jaxon.”

  THUMP!

  Admiral Samuels pounded the table.

  With sternly disapproving eyes, he protested, “It’s dishonorable to not fulfill our amnesty commitment.”

  If Rodríguez was surprised, he didn’t show it. His hard eyes flashed and he said in a husky voice, “Let me worry about your guilty conscience.”

  What followed was an intemperate series of blasphemous obscene invectives that spewed from Samuels’s mouth.

  Rodríguez barked, “Hold your tongue!”

  He stood up and pushed back his chair, then traipsing all the way around the table, he advanced closer to Samuels. As the admiral pushed his chair away from the table, Rodríguez leaned forward and placed his hands on its armrests and brought his face within a few centimeters of the admiral’s. Speaking, hardly above a whisper, he hissed, “Obey my orders, Admiral, or I swear, I will report your disloyal treasonous words to President Victor.”

  The admiral remained seated with fierce hostile eyes, until finally, a sense of wariness prevailed, and reluctantly, he said, “Aye aye, sir.”

  However, even as he executed this deception, Rodríguez was troubled. He questioned whether he was simply doing his duty as a soldier…or instead doing something dishonorable.