The Star Cross

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Then they are neutralized from ever becoming a threat,” replied High Nest Leader Trill, as the flagship shook from multiple energy weapons striking its defensive screen.

  “Yes,” answered Fleet Commander Tilett, watching one of his cruisers destroy another of the Human’s lighter units. “It is time for us to withdraw. We’ve learned what we needed to. We’ll take over the outer regions of the former Hocklyn Empire, but the central regions are now under Human control.”

  “I will pass on the order to enter hyperspace,” responded the High Nest Leader.

  “We will make our report to the high queen,” stated Fleet Commander Tilett, partially spreading his wings. “She will be satisfied with what we’ve learned today.” Tilett was anxious to return home; it was time for him to mate with his own queen and add his genes to the Borzon race. His many offspring would continue to grow the Borzon Empire.

  -

  “Light cruiser Dante is down,” reported Lieutenant Davis in a neutral voice. That was the second light cruiser and its crew they’d lost, though several of the heavier ships were reporting some damage. There would be casualties on those vessels as well.

  “The Borzon are withdrawing,” spoke Commander Arnett, pointing toward one of the tactical displays, as the enemy ships vanished into hyperspace.

  “Let them go,” responded Admiral Tolsen, nodding his head. “We’ve shown them that certain areas of the former Hocklyn Empire are off-limits to them.”

  A few moments later, the last Borzon cruiser vanished into a swirling white spatial vortex, leaving the Federation fleet alone in the small star system.

  “Remaining ships report able to enter hyperspace,” spoke Lieutenant Travers from Communications. “Several have mentioned that they’ll need some yard time to repair damages.”

  “Very well,” answered Admiral Tolsen. “Commander Arnett, have the fleet set course for Careth. The Bears’ shipyards can easily repair our battle damage.”

  “Do you think the Borzon will come back?” asked Colonel Brice Cowel, the executive officer. He had been at the Tactical console, helping to coordinate the firing of the ship’s weapons.

  “Not for a while,” Tolsen answered, his face covered in a frown. “They know we won’t allow them to enter the central regions of the former Hocklyn Empire, but we don’t have enough ships to adequately guard the periphery.”

  “Then we allow the Borzon to take over all the inhabited worlds near their empire?” asked Colonel Cowel, knowing they were talking about hundreds of inhabited planets. Many were just beginning to recover from their years or even centuries of Hocklyn rule.

  “No,” responded Tolsen, shaking his head. “Several fleets will be assigned to patrol the regions next to Borzon space. We’re hoping we can slow down or even discourage Borzon encroachment, but, for some areas, that may already be too late.”

  Race turned his attention to the primary viewscreen as a blue-white spatial vortex opened up in front of the WarHawk. Moments later the Helm officer flew the powerful battleship into the vortex, and the ship made the transition into hyperspace.

  Still looking at the viewscreen, Race could see the swirling deep purple colors, which designated this strange realm that allowed spacecraft to travel many multiples of the speed of light. With a sigh he turned the Command Center over to Commander Arnett, then Race headed toward his quarters. He wanted to get some rest and think about what was still ahead of them. Taking a turbolift, he reached his quarters in a few minutes, and, after going inside, he sat down on the comfortable couch.

  On the far wall of his room was a picture of a blazing white light surrounding a Federation warship. It was the Avenger, which had been missing for over four years. The entire Fourth Fleet and the Carethian Fleet had been swallowed up by the raging nightmare at the galactic center. What had happened there had shaken to their core the New Human Federation of Worlds and their allies.

  To this day, there was much supposition about what had happened to Admiral Strong and his ships. Many people believed Strong and his fleets had been destroyed outright in the violent energy surges at the heart of that blazing sphere of light. Others firmly believed Admiral Strong and his ships had been transported to another galaxy, and the blazing sphere of light was a distorted spatial vortex—a vortex created when Admiral Strong had used the Avenger in a daring suicidal attempt to destroy the Hypertranslation Station of the dreaded AIs.

  There were unconfirmed rumors that the last two survivors of the Special Five were working with the Altons on a rescue mission. No one could verify if this was true or just a wild hope that something was being done. Many felt, even if the swirling white light had been a spatial vortex, that Admiral Strong and his fleets had been transported so far away that there was no conceivable hope of rescue.

  Race let out a deep breath, leaned back, and closed his eyes. So many good people had been lost at the battle in the galactic center. Everyone who had been there knew Admiral Strong had saved the Federation by his brave act. All the Federation fleets would have been destroyed by the AIs, but, instead, by destroying the AIs’ Hypertranslation Station, Admiral Strong had paralyzed their enemy, allowing the Federation to be victorious. Every child was now taught that Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth had saved the Human race from the Hocklyns, but Admiral Jeremy Strong had saved everyone from the AIs.

  -

  Admiral Kalen was busy in his office on his flagship, the battleship Ceres, as he read the latest dispatches from Allied fleets and diplomats scattered across the former Hocklyn Empire. The most interesting was from Senator Jalen Arden, who was currently at New Providence in the Old Human Federation of Worlds. As had been expected, new and thriving colonies were now well established on all the former Federation worlds, which had been devastated by the Hocklyn and AI attacks. She was reporting the completion of the final planetary defense grid over New Eden in the Cantos System and the quota of immigrants from the New Human Federation of Worlds that would be allowed to settle there. He looked up when Colonel Ackerman joined him.

  “New Providence has come a long way,” commented the colonel, who had transferred to the Ceres after the defeat of the Hocklyn Slave Empire. “Many of the fleet personnel who were in cryosleep for so many years have retired there.”

  “Yes,” Kalen responded with a relaxed smile. “I recently received a message from former Fleet Admiral Streth with an invitation to come to Maken to visit him and Janice if I’m ever in the area. I know it meant a lot to them to return home.”

  “How does he like retirement?”

  “He loves it,” Kalen responded with a sigh, wishing he could do the same. “Hedon says he spends his days fishing and taking long hikes around his private lake. In the evening, they sit outside on the porch, watching the sunset.”

  “How’s Admiral Sheen doing on Aquaria?”

  “She and Richard are having a child,” Kalen said, grinning. “Amanda always wanted children, but she wanted the Hocklyn and AI threat to be over with first. In four more months, a new member will be added to their family.”

  “That’s great!” spoke Ackerman, nodding his head approvingly. “So many things have changed since the end of the war.”

  “There are still the Borzon and the other two Slaver Races,” replied Kalen in a more serious tone. “Admiral Tolsen just battled with a small Borzon fleet deep in former Hocklyn territory. He sent them packing with only minimal losses to his own fleet.”

  “We’ve had a number of minor skirmishes with them over the last two years,” commented Ackerman with a frown. “It’s evident they want to expand their empire into former Hocklyn space.”

  “We can’t defend all of it,” Kalen said with a heavy sigh, as he leaned back in his office chair. “We just don’t have the ships to cover such a large area. We’ve set up a safe corridor four thousand light years across that extends from the Alliance all the way to the Hocklyn home worlds. The Old Human Federation of Worlds plus Careth are included in the safe area.”

  “Plus
several thousand inhabited planets, which were formerly Hocklyn slave worlds,” added Ackerman, thinking about the massive task the Alliance had taken on, bringing those worlds out of slavery.

  “Fortunately the Altons are heavily involved in rehabilitating the people and reconstructing these former slave worlds,” Kalen said, recalling what he had been told at his last briefing with Fleet Admiral Nagumo. “They have hundreds of ships with thousands of crewmembers working with these planets, and, in a few years, some of them will be ready to join the Alliance.”

  “We’ll need them,” Ackerman said, folding his arms across his chest and gazing across the large desk at Admiral Kalen. “Sometime in the future we’ll have to take on the Borzon and other Slaver Races. We can’t allow tens of thousands of inhabited worlds to be enslaved and to live in the conditions their conquerors demand. We’ll need their help in freeing them.”

  “Someday,” Kalen acknowledged with a nod. “But right now I need to visit Ceres for a meeting with Governor Barnes. It seems a Carethian delegation of Bears has arrived, and they’re demanding an immediate audience with the governor.”

  “The Fourth Fleet and the Carethian Fleet,” speculated Ackerman, his eyes growing a bit wider. “They’ll want to know what we’re doing about the missing fleets.”

  “I know,” Kalen replied with some anguish in his voice. “Governor Barnes’s daughter has been just as demanding.” Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes had been at the galactic center battle and had witnessed what had happened to the missing fleets.

  “Do you think they survived?”

  “That’s the big question,” Kalen answered, his eyes taking on a haunted look. “I’ve seen the videos of the battle and what happened. Most of the people in the Federation have watched them. It was terrifying and magnificent. The Avenger flying into certain death, destroying the Hypertranslation Station, and then vanishing along with part of the Fourth Fleet into the swirling white vortex. Then Grayseth leading his Carethian ships into the vortex with Admiral Susan Marks following close behind.”

  “And they were never heard from again,” said Ackerman in a subdued voice.

  “There were hundreds of AI ships drawn into the vortex as well,” Kalen added with a heavy sigh. “Even if Admiral Strong and the Fourth Fleet did survive, they would have had a huge battle on their hands on the other side.”

  “Do you think we’ll ever know?” Ackerman asked, his eyes focusing on the admiral.

  “I don’t know,” Kalen replied, as he stood up. “To the Carethians, Admiral Strong and the rest of the Special Five are heroes who saved their world. Those crazy Bears are willing to commit their entire fleet to a rescue effort, if we can just tell them where to go—and, of course, that’s the problem. We have no idea what happened to the Fourth Fleet or even if it survived.”

  -

  Governor Barnes drew in a deep breath, as the door to his office opened, and four Carethians entered. The four Bears towered over the two Humans in the room, and their massive bodies gave off an aura of strength and fortitude.

  Standing up, the governor indicated for the four to sit down in the large chairs provided. “I welcome our allies from Careth.”

  “I am Santell,” spoke the largest Carethian, as he sat down. His fur was a deep dark brown, and his eyes gazed intently at Governor Barnes and Admiral Kalen. “We have come to speak of a matter of grave importance to my race and our honor.”

  “It’s about Admiral Strong and Grayseth,” spoke Governor Barnes knowingly, sitting back down in his chair. He had been governor for two years since former Governor Malleck had decided to retire and not run for reelection.

  “Yes,” answered Santell, nodding his large head and blinking his eyes. “I am of Grayseth’s clan, and Admiral Jeremy Strong is an honorary clan brother. For four long years, he and Grayseth have been missing. Our people yearn to know the fate of our missing brothers.”

  “We all would like to know,” answered Governor Barnes with a deep sigh. “My own daughter was at the great battle at the galactic center and scarcely a day passes where she does not send me an inquiry asking the same thing.”

  “We have tried to ask the Altons, but they refuse to give us an audience,” Santell added. “I believe our physical form frightens them.”

  Governor Barnes nodded and smiled. “Highly probable,” he replied. “Most of the Altons are a very pacifist people and are only interested in research, while the more daring are involved in exploration. Only a few fought in the war, and, even now, most of their warship crews are augmented by Humans trained to operate their ships.”

  “I believe only the great science of the Altons can discover what happened to my clan brothers,” Santell continued. “We would like for you to arrange a meeting between my people and theirs to see what can be done. We are willing to equip and send ships to the nearer galaxies in search of the missing fleets. We are aware such a journey will take years and be extremely dangerous, but we must know what happened. Our honor demands it.”

  “There are many who believe the ships, which entered the white vortex, were destroyed by the rampant energy released when the Hypertranslation Station was destroyed,” Admiral Kalen pointed out. “There may be nothing to find.”

  “We recognize that possibility,” conceded Santell. “But no wreckage from any of the ships that entered the vortex has ever been discovered. We've taken our pleas to the New Human Federation of Worlds, but they seem convinced a search for the lost fleets is a pointless waste of resources.”

  “I can understand their perspective,” Admiral Kalen replied. “The New Human Federation of Worlds and the Alliance have a huge job on their hands, exploring the former Hocklyn Slave Empire and keeping all those worlds safe. The Borzon are still out there, as well as the other Slaver Races.”

  “We understand,” Santell replied with a nod. “We respect their great concern for those worlds that suffered under the rule of the evil ones.”

  Governor Barnes was silent as he contemplated what needed to be done. There was a secret project that Ceres was working on with the Altons. It had been kept a secret as they didn’t want to give out false hope. After a moment, he reached a decision. “The Special Five have always been very important to the people of Ceres,” he began, pressing a button on his desk, activating a large viewscreen on the wall behind him. “As you know, Kelsey Grainger Strong and Katie Johnson Walters were not with the Fourth Fleet when it entered the vortex. They were aboard the StarStrike with Fleet Admiral Streth.”

  “We were relieved to hear they survived,” Santell replied. “We had hoped they would return to live upon our world.”

  “They couldn’t,” Governor Barnes said, as he manipulated a small computer console on his desk. “They were working on this.” He turned around and pointed at the viewscreen behind him.

  On the viewscreen was a massive starship, the largest any of them in the room had ever seen. A substantial globe on the bow easily identified the ship as being of Alton design.

  “What’s that?” uttered Admiral Kalen, as he looked at the huge ship on the screen. Just from seeing the obvious weapons systems, he knew he was looking at something special and fantastic. He was not aware of such a ship being built.

  “That is the exploration dreadnought Distant Horizon,” Governor Barnes answered with a wicked smile. “It’s the most powerful warship ever built by the Altons or the Federation. The ship is 2,600 meters in length with a crew of over five thousand. The government of Ceres provided the resources and credits to cover the expenses for building this ship.”

  “How was this built with no one knowing?” asked Kalen, glancing over at the governor. “What’s it for?” To build a ship of such size would have been a massive undertaking and extremely expensive.

  “It was built at the Altons’ main shipyard under the direction of both Human and Alton scientists,” Governor Barnes explained. “It was constructed for one purpose and one purpose only—to find out what happened to the lost fleets once and for all.�
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  “How?” asked Admiral Kalen, confused. “We don’t know where the fleets went.”

  “That ship is capable of finding out,” Governor Barnes answered with a pleased glint in his eyes. “There will be a large contingent of Alton scientists and technicians aboard, and some very special sensor equipment. It’s capable of generating a spatial vortex that can reach another galaxy, once they know their destination.”

  “I would like to go on the ship,” Santell spoke, his eyes focused intently on the massive starship. “I will go in search of my clan brothers.”

  “I’m sure we can arrange for a few of your people to be added to the crew,” replied Governor Barnes. He was not surprised by the Bear’s request.

  “This is what Kelsey and Katie have been working on for the last four years,” stated Admiral Kalen, realizing now why the two girls had seemingly vanished after the ceremony honoring the fallen at the Fleet Academy.

  “Yes,” answered Governor Barnes with a nod of his head. “They also had the help of Clarissa.”

  “I’m surprised the Altons allowed Clarissa to be involved, since she’s an AI,” Admiral Kalen said, his eyes widening.

  “Katie can be quite convincing when she wants to be,” replied Governor Barnes, recalling how Katie had convinced Ambassador Tureen to allow the AI to enter Alton space.

  “Who will command the ship?” asked Admiral Kalen, as he thought about the officers who might be qualified for such a command.

  “That decision’s already been made,” Governor Barnes said with a concerned look spreading across his face. “The commander of the Distant Horizon will be my daughter, Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes.”