“Yes, sir,” replied Colonel Sheen, moving toward the communications console to comply. She was glad this little talk with the admiral was over with.
“I’ll be in my quarters if I’m needed,” Admiral Streth added. “I need to get an action report off to Fleet Command. They need to know that we may be at war.”
Colonel Sheen’s face turned pale. She hadn’t realized until this moment what the ramifications of this incident could mean. She thought about her parents back on Aquaria. An interstellar war could endanger them as well as everyone else in the Federation.
-
On the Avenger, Ariel had just finished her report of the damage the ship had suffered to Commander Standel. The energy beams the cruiser had been struck with had gone completely through the 150-meter wide cruiser. Bulkheads had been melted, and explosions had buckled that area of the ship. Damage was total in those areas, and there was very little that would be salvageable. Almost everyone who had been in that area of the ship had died.
“I’m worried about the stress levels on the hull around that buckled area,” Major Winfred was saying as he looked at a computer screen. He was looking at a schematic of the ship where the damage had occurred. “I don’t know if the ship will be able to handle a FTL jump. The stress may fracture the hull the rest of the way. We have way too many stress fractures throughout the hull. If we jump into hyperspace, the ship might come apart around us.”
“Have the engineers weld some temporary beams across the inner hull,” ordered Commander Standel, looking over Major Winfred’s shoulder at the schematic. “We just need to be able to get to New Providence. Once there, the shipyard can finish the repairs. The StarStrike is sending over some damage control people. Put them to work on this.”
“We can do it, I guess,” replied Major Winfred letting out a heavy sigh. “It won’t look good, but I don’t see what else we can do. The ship’s really a mess. There’s major damage everywhere. I’m amazed we survived.”
“Get down there and make sure it’s done right, Bob,” Commander Standel spoke, his eyes looking at his friend. They had known each other for years. “The ship can be repaired; we just need to get her home.”
“It’ll get done,” Major Winfred promised with determination. With a nod, Major Winfred left the Command Center to take charge of the repairs.
“Ariel, what’s the final causality report?”
Ariel’s deep dark eyes gazed at the commander. “Forty-seven confirmed dead, seven missing, and sixty-eight wounded. Doctor Severson reports that a medical team from the StarStrike has arrived, and some of the more severely wounded will be transported back to the flagship.”
Commander Standel sat down in his chair at his command console, taking a deep breath. There were so many dead and wounded. The Avenger had a combined crew of 575 men and women including the marines. He knew that a lot of people he had known for quite some time were gone. He looked up at the main viewscreen next to Ariel. The AI was using one of the smaller screens to project her image. The larger screen was focused on the Vindication.
The light cruiser looked as if it had gone through a meat grinder. The hull was covered with burn marks and jagged holes where Hocklyn weapons fire had penetrated. He knew that the casualties over on the Vindication were going to be bad. He wondered if Commander Wisthom would have enough crew left to get the ship back to New Providence. It might be necessary for the other ships in the fleet to transfer some personnel over. Looking at the Vindication, he knew that the Avenger had been lucky.
At Communications, Teena Arcles was also looking over at the viewscreen. She felt sick at her stomach. Teena had known several members of the Vindication’s crew. At the moment, she had no way of knowing if they were okay. She was still waiting to hear who had been lost on the Avenger.
“Looks bad,” spoke Lieutenant Jacen Barnes, walking over to stand next to her. “The Hocklyns really did a job on us.” He knew she was taking this hard. The look of anguish on her face said more than mere words possibly could.
“So many people died,” replied Teena, fighting to keep the tears back. “Why did this have to happen? Why couldn’t they have been peaceful traders as they said?”
“I don’t know,” replied Barnes, shaking his head. “We’re members of the fleet, and we’re supposed to be trained for this type of situation. We just never expected to run across hostile aliens.”
“I don’t know if anything can prepare a person for something like this. There’s going to be a war, isn’t there?” asked Teena, fearing the answer.
“Probably,” Lieutenant Barnes replied slowly. “I guess the politicians will have to figure that one out. But after what happened here, I don’t think we’re going to get a choice.”
“My brother’s a fighter pilot on the Victory,” Teena added worriedly. “I wish now he had chosen something else.”
“I wouldn’t worry about your brother,” Lieutenant Barnes replied. “From what I hear, he’s one hell of a pilot.”
The two continued to look at the viewscreen. Both were silent as they thought about the future and what it might hold.
Commander Standel had overheard the two talking. He couldn’t blame Teena for being scared. The truth was, he was feeling extremely worried also. His own family lived on Maken back in the home system. The Hocklyns were such a big unknown. Were they dealing with just a few systems, or something more? For the first time, Commander Standel felt relieved that the Federation had a large and powerful fleet. It had been the Federation’s doctrine for years always to be prepared. Be it a civil war between colonies or possible contact with hostile aliens, the fleet had grown as the Federation expanded. Commander Standel just hoped that it would be enough.
-
Admiral Streth was in his quarters sitting behind his desk. He had finished his action report and was almost ready to send it along with all the sensor data of the battle back to Fleet Command. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his right hand. It had been a frustrating day. Nothing had gone right. People had died, and now the Federation might be at war. He was still extremely angry with himself for leaving Senator Jacksom and his aides alone with the Hocklyns. He opened his eyes and gazed wearily at the computer screen on his desk. There would be an uproar at fleet when his report arrived. There was no doubt in his mind that his next orders would be to report to Fleet Command on Tellus to explain his actions. He just hoped he would still be in command of his fleet when that meeting was over with.
His mind was still partially numb from the deaths that had occurred under his command. If this turned into a full-fledged interstellar war, there would be many more. The days of peace and tranquility in the Federation might well be over.
-
Colonel Sheen was standing next to the plotting table overseeing the current repairs being done to the two light cruisers. The two lieutenants were keeping her informed on the progress over their mini-coms. Fortunately, the StarStrike had hit the Hocklyn ship before it could bring its beam weapons to bear on the flagship. She had caught the alien ship out of position and had taken advantage of it. Even though the StarStrike had much more powerful energy screens than a light cruiser, she didn’t know how they would have held up to those deadly beams the Hocklyns had used.
She currently had two shuttles and several Talon fighters out scouring space for any wreckage from the Hocklyn ship. So far, all they had found was some fused metal that was useless. The Hocklyn ship had obviously contained some very efficient self-destruct devices that had ensured that all sensitive equipment or technology was destroyed. Federation ships contained no such self-destruct devices. If this incident broke out into a full-scale war, she wondered if that might not become the norm on Federation ships as well.
“The Avenger is reporting that they have finished strengthening their hull where the Hocklyn’s energy beams penetrated,” Lieutenant Angela Trask reported from Communications. “Commander Standel says they will be ready to get underway in an
other hour.”
Colonel Sheen nodded her head. That was good news. However, the latest report from the Vindication wasn’t encouraging. Amanda wondered if they would be forced to abandon the light cruiser. Normally they would send a fleet repair ship to pick it up, but with this Hocklyn menace, she suspected they would be ordered to destroy the Vindication to prevent it from possibly falling into Hocklyn hands.
Glancing up at the main viewscreen, Amanda wished they had an AI on board the StarStrike. The AIs were extremely useful on smaller ships to help with the operation of the ship. However, the StarStrike had a crew of over 2,200, and it had been decided not to have AIs on the Federation’s first line warships. The StarStrike did have a highly sophisticated computer, which Amanda felt in some ways was superior to an AI. Letting out a deep breath, she let her eyes roam across the Command Center. The crew in the Command Center was going about their jobs with practiced ease and precision. They had responded well to this situation, demonstrating that they were highly trained and proficient.
Colonel Sheen walked over to the center command console and sat down. Her thoughts turned to her parents back on Aquaria. At this time of the year, her parents liked to spend some time at their vacation home on Southern Krall Island. The beaches on the shores of the island were pristine and the water was unbelievably clear, making for some great diving.
Her father was an avid diver and even took small groups out on special night dives along the Heritage Reef. Amanda could still remember her first night dive when she was a young girl. She had been fourteen at the time and had been filled full of wonder at all the marine life her father had shown her. Closing her eyes, she wished she were at home now and not in this dire situation. The knowledge of what had just happened in the Stalor System made her feel small, helpless, and worried about the future.
-
Admiral Streth had just finished talking to Commander Wisthom. The commander felt that it would take another four hours to make the Vindication ready for a FTL jump. Even then, over thirty percent of the compartments in the light cruiser would still be open to space. There were parts of the light cruiser they couldn’t even get access to due to the heavy damage the cruiser had sustained. He also informed the admiral that they had not been able to recover Senator Jacksom’s body. His body had either been blown out into space or incinerated by the Hocklyn’s energy beams. The other four members of his party were still alive and were being flown over to the StarStrike.
Leaning back in his chair, Hedon looked across his office at a painting on the wall. It was a view of the planet Maken at sunset. A crystal clear lake with towering trees hugging the shore with the sun setting in the background reminded him of the times his brother and he had spent fishing at that lake. The painting had been a gift from his brother the last time the StarStrike had been back in the home system.
His brother was a major in the marines and was currently stationed at the main marine training facility on Maken. His brother’s wife was also in the marines. Perhaps after his debriefing he could arrange to spend a few days with Taylor and Lendle. He suspected he would need some days away from the fleet if the debriefing went as he feared it would. There were always head hunters in this type of situation.
Hedon allowed himself a few minutes to rest and then, reaching forward, pressed a button on the computer terminal on his desk. This would send a highly encrypted message to Fleet Command back on Tellus. It also had a large attachment describing the battle and all the sensor readings taken by the Federation ships. Hedon knew they would probably be halfway home before he got a reply. He let out a deep sigh, wishing that the meeting with the Hocklyns had gone differently. Now they might very well be at war with an enemy they knew nothing about.
Standing up, he knew he needed to get back to the Command Center. While he didn’t think the Hocklyns had any type of fleet nearby, the alien ship had sent a message off to someone. Hedon didn’t want his fleet to be around in case that particular someone came calling. The StarStrike must remain a secret. It was best if the Hocklyns thought the two light cruisers had managed to destroy the other Hocklyn ship.
-
Four hours later, the final repairs had been made to the Vindication and the Avenger. Commanders Wisthom and Standel both reported that their ships were ready for FTL travel. The injured on both ships had been transferred over to the StarStrike, and both light cruisers were operating with minimal crews.
“Fleet is ready to move out,” Colonel Sheen reported as she studied the fleet’s current deployment around the StarStrike. Then, looking over at the admiral she added. “The Vindication reports that their sublight drive is only at forty percent.”
“Very well,” replied Admiral Streth gazing at the main viewscreen, which was focused on the battle, damaged Vindication. “Move us out at twenty percent sublight until we clear the planet’s gravity well. I want to put minimal stress on the damaged ships until we jump.”
The fleet began to move, with the three undamaged light cruisers taking up screening positions around the StarStrike and the two wounded cruisers. Behind the fleet, the volcanic moon still held a dark blister where the Hocklyn nuclear weapon had detonated above the mining operation.
It took nearly three hours for the small fleet to climb safely out of Stalor Four’s gravity well to the point where it was safe to jump the fleet. The fleet came to a stop and waited on orders from the flagship.
“Jump the undamaged cruisers first,” Admiral Streth ordered. “If the Vindication or the Avenger have any problems with the jump, the cruisers will be waiting to assist them. We will jump last.”
“Passing on your orders, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied as she activated her mini-com to speak to the other ships. “Light cruisers will be jumping in five minutes. The Vindication and the Avenger will jump five minutes later.”
“Lieutenant Stalls, I want full sensor scans of the system up until the time we jump,” ordered Admiral Streth looking over at the scanning and sensor console. “That Hocklyn ship sent a message to someone, and I want to know if they’re still around.”
“Yes, sir,” Stalls reported as he looked sharply at his scanning and sensor screens. “Pushing out sensors to maximum range.”
“Communications, keep monitoring all frequencies,” the admiral continued. “If the message went out to another Hocklyn ship, they may send a reply.”
“I have all recording devices on, sir,” Lieutenant Trask reported from her communications console. “If they transmit anything, I’ll get it.”
“Cruisers jumping,” Colonel Sheen reported.
In front of the three undamaged light cruisers, blue-white vortexes appeared. In just a matter of a few minutes, the cruisers had entered the vortexes and were gone from the Stalor System.
“Vindication and Avenger are powering up their FTL drive cores. Jump in two more minutes,” Colonel Sheen reported as she watched the information coming across the plotting table. “Both cruisers report FTL drives functioning normally.”
Admiral Streth clenched his fist, hoping the two damaged cruisers would be able to make the jump. Jumps put a lot of stress on a ship. If they could make this first one, which was very short, then they should be able to make the other longer ones.
-
In front of each of the two cruisers, blue-white vortexes appeared. On board the Avenger, Commander Standel looked over at his waiting executive officer. “Take us in Bob.”
“Helm, move us into the vortex,” ordered Major Winfred bracing himself against the plotting table. Then adjusting his mini-com, he addressed the remaining crew. “Attention! We are about to attempt FTL insertion. Report any new damage or additional structural strain on the ship’s hull. Our repairs should hold without a problem, but everyone needs to be alert.”
Lieutenant’s Arcles and Barnes looked at each other, feeling the tension. Barnes gave Teena a reassuring look and a confident smile. Then, over the mini-com that connected the two, he spoke. “The hull’s been reinforced, and the major d
id a good job. This jump will be a piece of cake.”
“I hope so,” Teena replied with a weak smile.
-
Admiral Streth watched on the viewscreen as the two cruisers moved slowly into the vortexes and vanished. Only the StarStrike remained in the Stalor System. “Wait ten minutes and then we’ll jump. Keep sensors active and continue to monitor communications.”
The ten minutes passed slowly by, but nothing showed up on the long-range sensors and communications remained quiet. The only ship in the Stalor System was the StarStrike.
“Okay, jump us,” Admiral Streth finally ordered. He dare not wait any longer.
“Initiating jump countdown,” Colonel Sheen replied as she relayed orders over her mini-com.
In another minute, a blue-white vortex appeared in front of them. The helm officer used the ship’s sublight drive to maneuver the StarStrike into it, and moments later the battle cruiser had left the Stalor System far behind.
-
Three hours later, a nearly white vortex appeared in the Stalor System and a Hocklyn ship appeared. It paused and spent several long minutes scanning the system. Finally satisfied that no other ships were present, the ship began to move in system toward Stalor Four. It had come to investigate why its sister ship hadn’t sent any follow up messages. Very seldom did they encounter a race that could even damage a Hocklyn warship.
The commander of the Hocklyn ship knew that his fellow ship commander had encountered a space-traveling race in this system and had initiated contact as was dictated in their standard operating procedures. It was rare to come upon a race as advanced as this one apparently was.
In a short time, the Hocklyn ship was orbiting the volcanic moon of Stalor Four. From the fused debris in orbit, it was obvious that the other Hocklyn ship had been forced to activate its self-destruct system. That did not bode well. If these humans, as they called themselves, were powerful enough to destroy a Hocklyn support cruiser so easily, then it would take time to gather sufficient forces to subjugate their worlds. The Hocklyn commander gazed speculatively at the forward viewscreen. If it came to war, he looked forward to serving the empire as a warrior. There was no greater glory for a member of the Hocklyn race than to die in battle. It had been decades since they had fought a major war against another advanced civilization.
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact Page 7
