“Everyone is taking cover,” reported Colonel Williams, the operations officer. “Ganymede, and the other Jovian moons are putting their people into the underground bunkers as rapidly as they can. Same for Titan.”
“I wish there was room for everyone,” muttered Colonel Bryson. “Only 60 percent of the people on those moons can fit into those bunkers.”
Reynolds let out a deep sigh. “We tried to get more of them to evacuate. There’s only so much we can do.” Reynolds had pleaded with the leaders on some of those moons to evacuate their people. Some had agreed, while others had completely ignored the advice.
The fleet admiral’s gaze moved to several viewscreens focused on Titan. Massive crowds could be seen trying to get into the bunkers. Hundreds of Marines were doing their best to control the crowds, letting in women and children first. It was already getting out of control.
“It’s like that on every colony,” said Colonel Bryson. “We’ll lose some people just trying to get them into the bunkers. We’re sending more Marines to help with the evacuations.”
“Our Marines are doing the best they can,” replied Reynolds, as he gazed at other screens showing similar scenes. Only on Ganymede was there a semblance of calm. Of course Ganymede, with its large population, also had the largest contingent of Marines.
“All outlying picket ships have been recalled,” reported Colonel Williams. All those ships would be needed in the defense of the Solar System.
Admiral Reynolds leaned back in his command chair. They had a plan, and everyone knew what to do. All he had to do for the next several hours was ensure everyone adhered to what they had worked out. Now it was a waiting game to see exactly where the Confederation struck first.
-
Time continued to tick down, and suddenly eight Confederation fleets materialized out of hyperspace around all eight interdiction battlestations on the edge of the Solar System. The battlestations were under AI control, but those AIs had been reprogrammed by Linda Martin and Alicia Morr.
As soon as the AIs detected the incoming Confederation ships, energy shields snapped into place, and energy turrets turned and sought targets. Hundreds of hatches slid open, revealing deadly fusion and antimatter missiles. Energy beam satellites and missile platforms quickly locked on target. Two seconds after the Confederation fleets emerged from hyperspace, the battlestations fired.
-
Fleet Admiral Horrabe clenched the armrest of his command chair, causing one of the armrests to crack. His flagship shook violently as its protective energy screen lit up from the ferocity of the attack from the battlestation his segment of the fleet was englobing.
“Fire!” he roared. The battlestations were far heavier armed than he had expected. It seemed as if every square meter of the battlestation’s hull sprouted a weapon of some sort.
On one of the viewscreens, a Morag battlecruiser exploded, sending fiery debris across space, slamming into the shields of several nearby vessels. “Increase our ship spacing,” ordered Horrabe, his gaze glued to the viewscreens.
Horrabe’s own weapons were now impacting the battlestation’s energy screen. Space around the station was full of explosions, as the fleet took out the orbiting satellites and missile platforms. The platforms were firing nonstop, trying to drain their missile reserves before they were destroyed. In massive flashes of light, the platforms were annihilated one by one.
-
The AI in charge of the battlestation was running through thousands of calculations to make its weapons cause the maximum amount of damage possible. On a screen, a counter ticked down—the estimated time until the shield failed and the station was destroyed.
At the moment the counter was at fifty-two seconds and counting down. The AI adjusted all the station’s weapons to fire upon just two ships of the Morag. One of the chosen battlecruisers was slammed, as dozens of antimatter missiles detonated against its energy screen, and fusion energy beams probed the wavering shield, seeking a weakness.
Suddenly a dark spot appeared in a small area of the screen, and a fusion beam shot though, blasting a cavernous hole in the side of the ship. The shield flickered briefly, and that was enough to allow four antimatter missiles to penetrate and to explode against the hull. For a brief moment a light as bright as a nova appeared. When it died down, the Morag battlecruiser was gone.
The AI turned its attention to the battleship it was attacking on the other side of the station. Its energy screen glowed brightly as waves of energy crashed against its shield from exploding warheads. The battlestation suddenly shook violently, and a number of red lights appeared on the damage control console. The AI noted the shield had been penetrated by several fusion beams, causing considerable damage to sector 17, and subsectors 20 thorough 27. The AI instantly sealed off those sections and rerouted power.
The energy screen protecting the bow of the battleship suddenly dimmed, and a fusion missile managed to penetrate. In a huge explosion, the forward one-third of the battleship blew apart. The shield protecting the rest of the ship suddenly faded, and dozens of fusion and antimatter missiles slammed into the remaining section of the ship. When the explosions faded, all that was visible were a few glowing fields of drifting gas.
The station shook steadily now. The AI directed its fire not to necessarily destroy Confederation ships but to damage them, as the number of weapons it had available rapidly dwindled. The station suddenly seemed to keel over to one side, as a severe vibration threatened to tear it apart.
The AI noted a fusion missile had penetrated the structure, and nearly one-quarter of the battlestation was missing. Even as it watched, an antimatter missile detonated in the damaged area. While raging antimatter fire consumed the AI, it noted it still had two seconds left on its countdown clock.
-
Fleet Admiral Horrabe watched as the station blew apart, sending debris flying in all directions. The battle had been much more intense than he had expected. The Humans had loaded the former Druin interdiction station full of weapons. “What were our losses?” Horrabe knew several of his warships had been destroyed.
“We lost four battlecruisers and one battleship,” reported High Commander Corr. “We have another seven battlecruisers and two battleships reporting significant damage.”
Horrabe wondered if this meant anything. He knew from scans that not a single Human had been onboard the station. He had been fighting an AI. Five ships and their crews lost, and not a single Human had been killed. “Take the fleet to the rendezvous coordinates for Stage Two. Also launch the sensor drones. I want detailed scans of this entire system.”
He did not trust these Humans. Horrabe felt the station should have been more heavily defended. He was certain the Humans were up to something. He must figure out what it was.
-
Inside the Pallas Command Center, Admiral Reynolds let out a long breath. He looked over knowingly at Colonel Bryson. “About what we expected. Sensor satellites in the far reaches of the Solar System indicate that all eight battlestations had been destroyed. How many ships did they lose?”
“Forty-one battlecruisers and three battleships.”
On the tactical display, Reynolds saw the Confederation fleets all enter hyperspace. “Where are they going?” It was obvious they were not heading toward any of the moons or planets in the system.
“They’re rendezvousing at two locations just outside the orbit of Neptune,” reported Major Fields from Sensors. “Admiral, all eight Confederation fleets have released hundreds of probes.” On the tactical display, several thousand small red icons were now visible. They spread slowly throughout the Solar System.
“Sensor probes,” said Colonel Williams, frowning. “They want detailed scans of our defenses.”
“They’ve never done that before,” said Colonel Bryson. “Why now?”
“We’ve never fought a Morag before either,” replied Admiral Reynolds, as he gazed at the tactical displays. “Contact all our interceptors out on patrol and have the
m destroy as many of those probes as possible. Just maybe we can minimize the tactical data the Confederation is gathering. Have all our bases put up some additional interceptors to take those probes out if they come near.”
“They’re moving slowly,” commented Colonel Williams. “At that speed it will take them nearly six hours to gather detailed data on all the system.”
“Hours the Confederation will be using to repair their damaged ships,” said Admiral Reynolds. It was now becoming obvious this Morag admiral would not rush into anything. This caused Reynolds to feel some concern. This admiral was not like the others who had attacked the Solar System in the past.
-
In the Human Empire, Fleet Admiral Marloo, General Gantts, High Princess Layla, Chancellor Stein, and Rear Admiral Lira Carrie were all in the massive underground Command Center, waiting as the reports of Earth’s resistance came in.
“All eight battlestations gone,” said Carrie, shaking her head. “I’ve seen those stations, and they were as heavily armed as ten dreadnoughts, and that does not include the defense satellites and missile platforms that formed a protective ring around them.”
“Each was attacked by over one thousand ships,” said Fleet Admiral Marloo. “Admiral Reynolds knew they would not survive, and that’s why he had them evacuated and didn’t waste any warships defending them.”
“It’s still a big loss in resources,” commented Rear Admiral Carrie. “They must be rebuilt.”
“Over 8,200 Confederation warships are in that fleet,” added General Gantts. “From the initial reports, there are ships from each of the seven races.”
“This will be one hell of a battle,” said Rear Admiral Carrie. “Can Earth win?” She was familiar with the defenses in the Solar System; even so, she wasn’t sure if it was enough.
“The Solar System is our most heavily fortified Human system,” said Fleet Admiral Marloo. “The Confederation has not yet encountered the true defenses of the system, and none of Earth’s warships or attack interceptors have been committed. This is a long way from over.”
Chancellor Stein folded his arms across his chest. “This will last for quite some time, won’t it?”
Fleet Admiral Marloo nodded. “Most likely. This is a battle that may go on for several days, before it’s decided.”
“Then I suggest we go to one of the conference rooms, where we’ll be more comfortable,” said Layla. “I also want to prepare a rescue and assistance fleet to aid in reconstruction and recovery efforts in the Solar System, as needed. While we may not have warships to send, we do have people who have considerable experience in dealing with destroyed cities, due to the Druins.”
“I’ll make the necessary arrangements,” replied Chancellor Stein. “I believe we can make up such a fleet from the core worlds in just a day or two.”
Layla nodded. “As soon as it’s ready, send it toward Earth. We can always recall it if it’s not needed.” Layla hoped it wouldn’t be for, if it was, it would indicate the Solar System had suffered major damage and population losses. If the Empire was to survive and to grow, it needed Earth to survive.
-
Lieutenant Truman banked his interceptor sharply to the left, as he came up on another of the Confederation’s sensor drones. In the last hour he had destroyed seven of the elusive probes.
“Locking on,” reported Lieutenant Banks, as the interceptor fell in behind the dodging alien drone. “Target lock! Firing!”
From the interceptor a small missile blasted toward the probe, striking it dead center, the probe and the missile vanishing in a small fireball, which quickly dissipated.
“Scratch number eight,” bragged Banks. “That’s all of our harvester missiles.”
Truman nodded. “Time to return to the barn to rearm. I hope everyone else is having as much success as we are.” Turning the interceptor, Truman kicked in the afterburners and headed back toward Ganymede Central. He knew they were still in the early stages of the battle.
-
Fleet Admiral Horrabe studied the data coming in. The Humans were rapidly destroying the probes, but that was fine. He had half expected that. As it was, the probes were providing a wealth of tactical information.
“Do we stay with the plan?” asked High Commander Corr.
Fleet Admiral Horrabe nodded. “I don’t see anything that suggests we need to change, at least not yet. How are our ships doing as far as repairs?”
“Nearly complete. We only have two battlecruisers that won’t be at 100 percent efficiency when we’re ready to renew our attack.”
Horrabe looked at the tactical displays, still filling with data. “We will renew our attack in two hours. The targets will be the moons of the two gas giants as we had planned earlier. Make sure all commanders are familiar with their mission objectives.” It was nearing time to kill some actual Humans.
-
“Do we defend Ganymede with a fleet?” asked Colonel Evelyn Bryson. She gazed at the tactical display of the Jovian system of moons.
Admiral Reynolds slowly nodded his head. “I think we must. Ganymede has very powerful defenses. We could inflict some major losses on the Confederation fleet when they attack, particularly if we send in Rear Admiral Leeson and his Second Fleet. I will speak with Leeson shortly, as well as Colonel Green, who is in command of Ganymede Central.”
“What about Titan?” asked Colonel Susan Williams, the Operations Officer. She knew over seven million people lived on Titan. Surely they would not abandon them.
“No, we can’t afford to commit Leeson’s fleet out that far. We’re pushing it just by sending him to Ganymede. Titan’s pretty well defended, six ODPs in orbit and eight PDCs. It also has a defensive grid but not as powerful as I would like. For now, they’re on their own.”
“Does Governor Blake know the fleet won’t be coming to his rescue?” asked Williams. She looked at a viewscreen, showing people crowding into an underground bunker under the watchful supervision of a number of Marines.
Reynolds nodded. “Yes, we’ve spoken about this. He’s getting as many people as possible away from the settlements and into the underground bunkers. We’re just hoping to hold the losses to a minimum.”
Reynolds wasn’t pleased about this decision, but he had to think first about Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Pallas. Those had to be his primary concerns, though he would put considerable effort into saving Ganymede. Twenty million people were on Ganymede and probably more now from all the evacuations.
-
Rear Admiral Leeson was in the Command Center of the Titan, his flagship. He currently had 607 battlecruisers and 41 dreadnoughts in his fleet. He drummed the fingers of his right hand on the armrest of his command chair, keeping his gaze on the tactical display. At the moment it was linked into the sensors on Ganymede Central. His fleet was currently at Condition two, though he expected to go to Condition One shortly.
“How much longer?” asked Captain Newman. Everyone was growing impatient for the main part of the battle to start.
Leeson shook his head. “They’re in no hurry. They must have received some damage from the battlestations. That was pretty intense for a few minutes. I suspect they’re repairing their ships and reviewing the data from all those damn probes they’ve sent everywhere.”
“No secrets this time, huh?”
“No, by now they know what our defenses are and what they must do to take them out.”
Suddenly alarms sounded on the sensor console.
“Enemy ships entering hyperspace,” reported Lieutenant Stewart at Sensors. “Their targets are Saturn and Jupiter.”
Captain Newman looked confused. “Why not jump directly to Earth and attack us here, while they still have their full strength?”
“This Morag admiral is a clever one. He’s testing our defenses. If he has an easy time at Saturn and Jupiter, then he will move on to his next target. He’s making sure he doesn’t over commit his fleet.”
“What are your orders?”
; “Take the fleet to Condition One and prepare to jump to Jupiter. As soon as we have confirmed locations on the enemy fleet units, we’ll jump in and assist Ganymede Central.” It was time to show this Morag admiral that the Solar System would not be a pushover.
Chapter Sixteen
Fleet Admiral Horrabe’s fleet came out of hyperspace a few thousand kilometers above Titan. It was a large moon orbiting Saturn that had been terraformed, and sensor scans from the probes had indicated a number of large Human settlements.
“Keep the fleet together,” ordered Horrabe. “As the moon’s defenses come into range, we’ll destroy them as we proceed in our orbit.”
“Confirming previous sensor scans,” reported High Commander Corr. “A defensive grid surrounds the moon, as well as six large orbiting military structures. Also eight large fortifications are on the surface. No signs of any warships.”
On the viewscreen, a large space station appeared. Already small shuttles were leaving it and heading toward the surface.
“The space station is armed and protected by an energy shield.”
“Weapons range!” called out the tactical officer.
“Fire!” ordered Horrabe. He wanted this moon and its defenses annihilated as quickly as possible.
From four thousand warships, energy beams and missiles were fired and launched.
-
In the underground Command Center near the capital, Colonel Edwards watched as the Confederation fleet opened fire. At the same time he gave the order for the defense grid, the ODPs, and the space station to return fire.
“That fleet’s massive,” muttered Governor Blake in despair, his gaze focused on the viewscreens. “We can’t defeat that!”
“We know,” replied Edwards. “That’s one of the reasons Admiral Reynolds wanted us to evacuate as many people as possible.”
“What about the bunkers?” Dozens of large underground bunkers were next to the cities. It had been a terrible expense just to build them.
“Won’t hold all of our people,” answered Major Janine Patterson. “We’ve already given the order to seal them up. Everyone left on the surface is being directed to flee into the countryside.”
The Forgotten Empire: The Battle For Earth: Book three Page 19