Looking up at the viewscreens, more damaged ships were shown. There was a Federation battlecruiser with most of its bow gone; a battlecarrier had a deep scar across its upper hull where an energy beam had struck. For a moment, Hedon wondered if the attack on Kenward Seven had been worth it.
“Any estimate on the Hocklyn losses in the last battle?” he asked.
“From our latest figures, the Hocklyns lost thirty-eight of their dreadnoughts forty-two warcruisers and one hundred and eighteen of their escorts.”
“We took a hell of a lot of them out,” spoke Colonel Trist relieved the fighting was over. “With the ships we destroyed earlier, the four shipyards, and now these ship numbers, we scored a significant victory today.”
“That may be,” Hedon conceded. “But we lost a lot of good people doing it. We also lost three irreplaceable Alton ships and I’m not sure how they’re going to take that.”
“It had to happen eventually,” responded Colonel Grissim. Anne walked over closer to the command console and then continued, “Our attack will severely hamper the Hocklyn’s ability to build and repair ships. It could be the turning point in this war.”
Hedon was silent. He hadn’t told his command staff about the news that Admiral Telleck had brought back from the Federation. They had slightly less than two years to win an impossible war or all organic life in the galaxy might come to an abrupt end. They also had a new enemy to face, the Borzon. Hedon let out a deep sigh. Once again, this war had taken a new and dangerous turn.
Chapter Eighteen
Hedon looked at the latest reports from the long-range scouts that were keeping track of the Hocklyn and Borzon fleets in the Kenward Seven star system. For a full three weeks, both Federation fleets and the surviving Alton ships had been jumping back toward Careth. It would be another four weeks before they arrived.
“They’re coming after us, aren’t they?” Colonel Grissim asked in a calm and steady voice. She looked at Hedon expectantly for an answer.
“It looks that way,” Hedon replied as he leaned back in his chair and looked at the other two officers. Both Colonel Trist and Colonel Grissim were with him in the small office off to the side of the Command Center.
“We've probably really ticked them off taking out those shipyards,” Trist spoke with deep satisfaction in his voice. “We also destroyed several hundred of their ships in the process, most of them their big capital ones.”
“From the scans we managed to take, many of those ships are the same ones that attacked New Tellus,” Anne said, looking meaningfully at the two men. “That means the Fleet Commodore that was instrumental in the attack at their fleet base as well as at New Tellus was probably in that system. He won’t take kindly to what we did. He may feel it is a matter of honor to return the favor.”
“I thought some of the attack patterns looked familiar,” Hedon commented as he arched his eyebrows in thought. “As for that honor system of theirs, I don’t know how that will play into this.” There were many things in this war that didn’t make a lot of sense. It was particularly difficult since they had never been able to capture a live Hocklyn for interrogation.
“The scouts are reporting that additional AI ships have jumped into the Kenward Seven system,” Trist said worriedly. “I wonder why?”
“Resupply,” Anne responded, her eyes shifting from Colonel Trist to Admiral Streth. “Just as the Altons are supplying the new antimatter missiles to us, I would guess the AIs are doing the same thing for the Hocklyns.”
“Once they’re resupplied they will be coming after us,” Trist said, his eyes narrowing. “They can’t afford to let us continue to use Careth as a base against them, not after what we just did.”
“I wonder if the AIs will come with them,” said Hedon, taking a deep breath. “Our stealth scouts will have to start back tomorrow or they won’t be able to catch up to us.”
“We could slow down, give them more time on station,” Anne suggested. She knew the new scouts were capable of long jumps with little cool down time needed for their drive cores.
“No,” responded Hedon, shaking his head. “We need to get back to Careth and get prepared for an attack. I’ve already sent a message to Grayseth explaining what to expect. He’s relaying the information on to the Federation.”
“Admirals Strong and Sheen should be in the system when we get there,” added Trist, feeling relieved that more Federation ships would be at Careth. “That will at least give us a large fleet presence along with our allies.”
“It’s a good thing we laid that line of Alton communication buoys,” Anne stated. She knew those buoys transmitted messages nearly ten times faster than the ones the Federation deployed.
“They will have sufficient warning,” Hedon said. He had sent a number of recommendations to Grayseth, preparing him for a possible attack. “If the Hocklyns and the Borzons attack together along with the AIs, we'll be facing many more ships than we did at the battle of New Tellus.”
Anne’s face turned pale as she added up the numbers. “Over three thousand ships plus the AIs,” she uttered in a worried voice. “I’m not sure even the defenses of Careth will stand up to that.”
“No,” Hedon responded in agreement. Then he looked intently at the other two. “But what if we could find a way to destroy those three thousand ships; what would that mean for the war?”
“It would be a game changer,” Trist spoke in a low voice as he drummed his index finger on the desk looking thoughtful. “The Hocklyns would no longer be in control of the war, we would!”
“But how do we destroy three thousand enemy warships?” Anne asked, not seeing how it could be done. Not even Hedon could work that type of miracle.
“I don’t know yet,” Hedon admitted, his eyes narrowing in deep thought. “But there has to be a way, we just need to find it!”
-
Janice was in her quarters taking some time to relax. She knew Hedon was having a meeting with Colonel Trist and Colonel Grissim about their current situation. If things continued as they were, they should be able make it safely back to Careth without any problems. That was one of the good things about being responsible for communications on the StarStrike; at least she knew what was going on.
Janice stepped out of the shower and paused in front of the large mirror on the wall of her bedroom. She ran her hands over her full breasts and across her stomach. Turning, she gazed at her profile in the large mirror. She had all the curves in the right places and her intense workout schedule kept the fat off. She knew that Hedon had noticed. She'd caught his looks of interest from time to time and knew that he did think of her in other, more romantic ways occasionally. The problem was getting him to do something about it.
Perhaps when they got back to Careth she could talk him into taking a few days off and going down to the planet to one of the resorts. It would be nice to spend some alone time with him. If something more intimate happened, she wouldn’t object. Perhaps it was time for their relationship to move to the next level. Just the thought made her feel excited. She hadn’t pushed this relationship; instead, she'd let it develop on its own.
It would also make for some interesting conversation next time she returned to her parent’s home back on the planet Horizon in the Tau Ceti system. It would be even better if she could talk Hedon into coming home with her. She could already see the shocked look in her sister Linda’s eyes when she walked in with the Fleet Admiral. Janice also wanted Hedon to meet her parents.
With a long sigh, she lay down on her bed and stretched out. Reaching over to the side, she flipped off the light, letting darkness fill the room. After a few minutes, she fell into a deep, restful sleep. In her dreams, there was a Fleet Admiral and they were both deeply in love.
-
President Kincaid stared at the latest message from Grayseth with deep concern in his eyes. The message was a detailed report of the battle at Kenward Seven and the strength of the fleet that Admiral Streth was expecting to soon attack Careth.
In his office were a number of Federation fleet officers, Governor Malleck, Ambassador Tureen, as well as a number of Federation Senators. He had called these people in because some very important decisions needed to be made and he didn’t have the time to argue with people such as Senator Fulbright.
“Three thousand ships!” uttered Governor Malleck, shaking his head in disbelief. “Can Careth withstand an attack by such a massive fleet?”
“The planet’s defenses have been dramatically increased,” said Fleet Admiral Johnson, taking in a deep breath. Then she looked around the room. “But I don’t know if any system can withstand the attack of three thousand well armed warships. Look at what Fleet Admiral Streth did at Kenward Seven with only several hundred. We also don’t know how many AIs will be involved.”
“But we will be expecting the attack,” Admiral Kalen pointed out. “Admiral Streth took the Hocklyns by complete surprise at Kenward Seven. The Hocklyns won’t do the same to us at Careth. Not only that but we have the new Alton battle stations in orbit around Careth as well as the particle beam satellites. Those will be a very nasty surprise when the attack comes.”
“Very powerful weapons indeed,” spoke Admiral Nagumo of Earth. “But even with those weapons, this will still be primarily a fleet battle. If the Hocklyns had attacked with three thousand ships at New Tellus, they would have won.”
The room was silent for a moment as everyone thought over those prophetic words. They all knew that Admiral Nagumo was right. If the Hocklyns could win the space around Careth and defeat the Federation and allied fleets, then they would own the system and could destroy Careth at their leisure.
“We have time to reinforce Careth substantially,” spoke Governor Malleck, looking around at the others. “We can send more defense satellites and even type two battle stations.” He was greatly concerned because not only were the Special Five going to be involved, but so were Admiral Telleck, Fleet Admiral Streth, and Admiral Sheen. The Federation couldn’t afford to lose any of them; it would be devastating to the war effort as well as to the moral of the Federation.
“We can send additional fighters and bombers,” Admiral Kalen suggested. “We have to find someway to even up the odds.”
“There is only one way to ensure victory,” spoke Admiral Nagumo, rising to his feet with a serious look upon his face. “To win victory, we must risk much.”
“You have a plan?” President Kincaid asked his eyes focusing on the admiral. He knew that Admiral Nagumo was a brilliant strategist and next in line to be Fleet Admiral. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be in charge of protecting Humanity's most important system.
“Yes,” Nagumo responded in an even voice. “We have the time but we must start immediately. War is a horrible thing, but once started it must be fought with one goal in mind and one goal only. To do whatever is necessary to end it!”
“Then tell us,” spoke Kincaid, leaning forward to listen. He had a strong suspicion he wasn’t going to like what the admiral was going to say. He also knew he probably wouldn’t have any choice but to go along with it.
For the next hour, Admiral Nagumo outlined what he felt must be done. There was much arguing from some of the Federation Senators at what the admiral was proposing, and even Ambassador Tureen looked uneasy at times. However, in the end they all finally agreed. Careth had to be protected, regardless of the cost.
-
Later, President Kincaid sat in his office talking to Governor Malleck and Fleet Admiral Johnson. “What do you think of Admiral Nagumo’s plan?”
“It’s risky as hell,” replied Karla, crossing her arms across her breasts with a heavy frown. “But I don’t see where we have any choice, not with what Ambassador Tureen and his scientists have told us. This is a battle we can’t afford to lose.”
“The news about what the AIs are building at the center of the galaxy is terrible,” said Governor Malleck, taking a deep breath and looking meaningfully at the other two. “We must do everything in our power to protect Careth, or we may never be able to reach the galactic center in time to stop the AIs.”
“Even if we save Careth, we still might not be able to make it to the galactic center,” Karla reminded him in a soft voice. “There will be hundreds if not thousands of AIs ships between us and our targets.”
“Admiral Streth,” Governor Malleck spoke, his eyes showing fire. “This is why he was brought out of cryosleep, to save us from the Hocklyns and the threat of the AIs. We have to have faith in the Fleet Admiral.”
“I’m afraid this time we’re going to need something more than faith,” Karla spoke with a heavy sigh.
-
Jeremy looked in surprise at the new orders that had just come in from Fleet Admiral Johnson. Instead of taking his fleet in to Careth, he was supposed to stop in system K-891 and wait for additional instructions. Not only that but Admiral Sheen and Admiral Tolsen had received the same orders. The supply fleet would go on as it contained some important weapons and parts for the defenses around the planet.
“What’s going on?” Kevin asked from his sensor console over their secure com channel.
“I don’t know,” admitted Jeremy, feeling that something big was happening. He looked over at Kelsey at Navigation. He forced a smile on his face and saw her shake her head. She could tell when he was worried. “We’re to wait in system K-891 for further orders.”
“Could this have something to do with Fleet Admiral Streth’s attack at Kenward Seven?”
“Probably,” Jeremy responded. He had read over the official report of the attack. It seemed to him that it had been highly successful. There had to be something here he was missing.
“What about the new aliens?” persisted Kevin. “You think it might involve them?”
“The Altons are going to be sending us all the information they have on the Borzon,” Jeremy responded. It had been extremely worrisome to find out another one of the AIs proxy races had come to the Hocklyn’s aid. He wasn’t sure yet what that meant for the war effort.
“Admiral Sheen has sent us orders to be prepared to jump shortly,” Ariel reported as she walked over to stand in her customary spot on the left side of Jeremy. “There's been a lot of com traffic between Careth and the Federation for the last several days. It’s encrypted and I haven’t attempted to break it.”
“That’s good,” Jeremy replied. He knew Ariel could probably break the encryption in just a few minutes if she wanted to. However, he'd been stressing that she needed to act more like a Federation officer. “Angela, inform Admiral Sheen that we’re ready to jump upon her orders.”
“I was hoping to get back to Careth,” Commander Malen said as she turned around to face Jeremy from one of the tactical screens. “I wonder how long this delay will be?”
“I don’t know,” answered Jeremy, looking at his executive officer. “I'm anxious to get back to Careth also.” Jeremy had been looking forward to seeing and talking face to face with Grayseth. They'd been sending messages back and forth, but it wasn’t the same.
Jeremy looked around the Command Center at all of the familiar faces. Kevin, Angela, Kelsey, Katie, and even Ariel were all going about their jobs as if being out in deep space was absolutely normal. He just wondered if this was the calm before the storm. He watched silently as Commander Malen returned to the tactical display and began checking the fleet prior to jump. Letting out a heavy sigh, Jeremy leaned back in his command chair. There was nothing he could do but wait.
-
Admiral Sheen was in the Command Center of the WarStorm studying the ships on the tactical displays. There were currently three distinct fleets displayed. Her fleet, Admiral Strong’s, and Rear Admiral Tolsen’s fleet were all vividly shown as bright green icons on the displays. From her command console, she could zoom in on any ship and it would give her the ship class, weapons, as well as the name of its commanding officer. It was amazing all the information she now had at her fingertips.
“These new displays are
a marvel,” Commander Diaz commented from where he was standing at her side. The command console had two designated seats, one for Admiral Sheen and another for Commander Diaz.
“Yes,” Amanda replied with a courteous nod. She was still getting used to all the new officers on the ship. It was still a strange feeling not to see Samantha standing at her side, but the commander of the old WarStorm had died in the battle of New Tellus. “They’re a combination of Alton and Federation technology.”
“All ships are ready to jump,” Colonel Petra Leon reported from where she was standing near Navigation.
“Very well; set the jump and initiate,” Amanda ordered.
She had specific instructions to proceed to system K-891 twenty light years from Careth and wait there for further instructions. Two more jumps and they would be there. The instructions had come from Fleet Admiral Johnson and had offered no explanation for the delay other than she would be contacted later. The supply fleet with its own escorts had already been sent on ahead to Careth.
Amanda glanced back over at the tactical displays; over two hundred Federation ships were in the three fleets as well as twenty Alton battlecruisers. She knew more Alton ships had been assigned due to the changing situation at the galactic center. She had an extremely powerful force under her command with all new or recently updated ships.
She felt the WarStorm’s powerful sublight drive activate and then moments later the stomach wrenching sensation of the jump into hyperspace. She let out a deep, calming breath and looked over the crew of the Command Center. Everything seemed normal, as if a jump into hyperspace was a common everyday occurrence. For them, after traveling all the way from the New Tellus System, it almost was.
“We’re getting close to Careth,” Lieutenant Benjamin Stalls commented to Lieutenant Trask over their private com channel.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” Angela said uneasily. “I really enjoyed our leave time back at New Tellus.”
The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict Page 26
