The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book Four) (3 page)

A panel
shorted out, throwing a cascade of bright sparks across the War Room. Smoke was
becoming prevalent in the air as the ship’s ventilation system struggled to
keep the air clear.

“Evidently
not,” Slith retorted as more red lights appeared on the damage control board. The
ship was starting to come apart around them! The damage control board was
indicating numerous compartments in vacuum and spreading fires; the ship
wouldn’t last much longer. “Those are human ships out there, and our jump drive
is offline. Engineering is reporting the drive core has suffered heavy damage,
and we can’t jump until repairs are made. The WarFire is reporting their drive
is also offline.”

“Intensify our
attack then!” Malken hissed, his cold, dark eyes gazing at the tactical console
and the four Hocklyns who sat there. “We must destroy them!”

There was no
doubt in Malken’s mind that they had found who had been destroying their ships
and was responsible for those mysterious ship readings: it was the humans! He
had to get this information back to the Hocklyn High Council! If he could
escape and take this information back, then honor might yet be forthcoming. He
felt his ship shake violently, and more red lights appeared on the damage
control console.

-

Thomas felt
the StarSearch shudder as an enemy missile penetrated a weak spot in the energy
screen and detonated against the ship’s hull. Glancing at the damage control board,
he saw that only minor damage was being reported. The new energy screens were
holding up against the Hocklyn weapons fire. However, the Hocklyn energy beams
were causing the screens to fluctuate and allowing some ordnance to penetrate.

On a side
viewscreen on the front wall, he watched as the two Devastator missiles launched.
The two were separated by a five-second firing interval. More missiles erupted
from the other six missile tubes, targeting the same location on the Hocklyn
ship’s shields. The six Klave class missiles contained high explosive penetration
warheads. The shield was already wavering under the intense fire from the
lasers.

Occasionally a
laser or an explosive round would strike the Hocklyn cruiser, causing even more
damage. Large areas on the Hocklyn ship’s hull were showing heavy damage with deep
jagged holes. Weapon emplacements had been blasted away, and numerous fires
were burning inside.

“Swanson is
reporting severe damage,” the communications officer reported, looking over at
the commander. “They have numerous fires that are out of control and heavy
casualties. They are requesting permission to withdraw.”

“Denied,”
Commander Thomas spoke with pain in his voice. “He had to keep the pressure up
on the two Hocklyn warships even if it meant sacrificing the destroyer.

It was at that
moment that the first Klave missile detonated against the Hocklyn’s shields,
followed seconds later by one of the Devastators. The ten-kiloton warhead finished
what the lasers had nearly completed; the Hocklyn’s energy shield went down.
The second Devastator missile and the rest of the Klaves detonated against the Hocklyn
ship’s hull and the resulting nuclear explosion washed over the main
viewscreen. When it cleared, the Hocklyn ship was gone.

“Hostile One
destroyed,” reported Major Mason.

“Target Hostile
Two,” Commander Thomas ordered, his eyes shifting to the two green icons on the
tactical display that represented his destroyers. They had to help them before
he lost one; they were not designed to take on a Hocklyn escort cruiser by
themselves.

“Swanson is
down,” the sensor operator reported suddenly as a brilliant flash covered the
main viewscreen. “Argyle is reporting that they are taking on heavy weapons fire
and their shields are close to failure.”

“Bring our
heavy lasers to bear and fire two more Devastator missiles,” ordered Thomas, feeling
numb at losing one of the destroyers and over two hundred men and women. This
was the first time he had lost anyone in combat.

Moments later,
the second Hocklyn vessel vanished in multiple nuclear explosions as it
activated its self-destructs.

“Hostile Two
is down,” the sensor operator reported with obvious relief in his voice.

“Communications,
contact the Argyle and see if they need assistance,” ordered Thomas, allowing
himself to take a deep breath. Looking over at Major Mason, the commander continued,
“Check on our casualties, Glenn; we lost some good people today.”

“Yes, Sir,” Mason
replied. He let out a long breath and glanced around the Command Center. Everyone looked shaken but were going about their assigned duties.

Thomas looked
over at the communications officer. “Communications, after you have contacted
the Argyle, send a message to Fleet Command in the New Tellus system. Inform
them that the two Hocklyn ships have been destroyed, but we lost the destroyer
Swanson.”

-

Down on the
planet, Lieutenant Krandle stared with open relief at the long-range sensors
that showed both Hocklyn ships had been destroyed. She also noticed with
sadness that one of the green icons representing the Federation ships was also
missing. The battle hadn’t been without losses.

“Sergeant
Simmons, tell the people they can come out of the deep bunkers. Set the
defensive satellites to Condition Two. This is over with for now.”

-

Commander
Thomas had moved his remaining two ships over Caden’s World. The StarSearch and
Argyle had just gone into orbit when the sensor operator reported more contacts
jumping into the system. The tension in the Command Center went up as everyone
wondered if it were more Hocklyns.

“What do we
have?” demanded Thomas, focusing his eyes on the large sensor screen next to
the plotting table. He watched nervously as over a dozen red threat icons
appeared, and then visibly relaxed as they turned to a friendly green.

“I have the battlecruiser
WarHawk and two battle carriers, the Liberty and Independence, as well as two Monarch
heavy cruisers and eight light cruisers reporting in,” the communications
officer replied.

“They sent a
full fleet,” Major Mason commented surprised at the number and size of the
ships in the quick response force. “They were not going to take any chances
with what might be waiting for them here.”

“I have Rear Admiral
Tolsen on the com, Sir,” the communications officer reported. “He is requesting
our current status.”

Thomas took a
deep breath and then activated his mini-com, putting him in instant contact
with Admiral Tolsen. “Admiral Tolsen, this is Commander Thomas of the
StarSearch. We are currently going into orbit over Caden’s World. Both of the Hocklyn
ships have been destroyed and from what we can tell were not able to get word
out as to what they had found.”

“That’s good
news, Commander,” Admiral Tolsen’s strong voice responded. “What are the
conditions of your ships?”

“The Swanson
was destroyed in the battle, the Argyle has moderate damage, and I have sent
additional repair crews over to assist. The StarSearch received some minor
damage and should be back to full operational status within two hours.”

Admiral Tolsen
was quiet for a moment before replying, “We will be micro-jumping in system and
will rendezvous with you in a few hours. Once there, I want you and your
executive officer to come aboard the WarHawk for a meeting. I want to go over
the battle with you in detail as well as all the data that you collected. If
the Hocklyns found this system once, it’s only a matter of time before they
find it again.”

-

Commander
Thomas looked out of the shuttle’s cockpit windows as they neared the WarHawk.
The ship was massive at 1,200 meters. The battlecruiser was covered with weapon
emplacements, including offensive and defensive turrets that dotted the hull. However,
Thomas knew that the WarHawk’s most powerful weapons were the new power beams
that had been installed in the bow. Rumor had it that they were much more
powerful than lasers.

“I wonder what
will happen next?” Mason commented as he stared at the massive warship and the
open flight bay that they were rapidly approaching.

“We prepare
for war,” Thomas replied in a sad voice. “We knew this day was coming, it’s
just here earlier than we expected.”

After the
shuttle landed in the bay, Commander Thomas and Major Mason made their way to
one of the small briefing rooms next to the Command Center. Two heavily armed marines
allowed the two to enter. Once inside, they found Rear Admiral Tolsen and
several of his aides.

“Have a seat,
gentlemen,” said Tolsen, motioning for them to sit down. “I want to go over
this battle in detail before sending a full report to Fleet Command.”

For the next hour,
they went over every aspect of the battle, from the weapons used in the opening
salvos to the end when the heavy lasers had been used as well as the four Devastator
missiles.

“I’m concerned
about one thing,” Admiral Tolsen commented as he watched the last Hocklyn escort
cruiser explode in a series of nuclear explosions on the large viewscreen. “The
Hocklyns screens seemed to hold up surprisingly well to our initial attack.
Even when the lasers were used, the shields didn’t go down instantly.”

“Is it
possible the Hocklyns have strengthened their shields?” asked Major Mason,
worriedly.

For years, the
Federation had been basing their strategy on the fact that the AIs had not
allowed the Hocklyns to further develop their weapons. For untold centuries,
the Hocklyn ships and weapons had remained the same.

“I guess it’s
possible,” Tolsen surmised not looking pleased. “We need to get this data back
to Fleet Command and let the experts analyze it. I’ve already sent shuttles out
to check the wreckage, but I don’t expect to find anything meaningful.”

“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!”

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.