General Weston nodded. “Keep pounding them. Contact Rear Admiral Collison and inform him to launch his attack. It’s time we showed the Confederation what real war is like.”
-
Fourth Fleet came in and hit the front of the Confederation fleet, breaking the englobement of Alpha One. Behind the fleet over seven thousand attack interceptors swept in, using their fusion missiles to annihilate any damaged Confederation ship they could find. Space lit up with thousands of explosions, many of them marking the death of warships and attack interceptors.
-
Fleet Admiral Horrabe was not surprised by the fury of the attack. It was what he was coming to expect of these Humans.
“The forward section of our englobement has been broken,” reported High Commander Corr, looking stunned. “The Humans are pressing their attack, trying to force our fleet back. We are having a hard time dealing with their small attack craft. There are thousands of them!”
“Between the firepower from the shipyard and its defenders and the Human fleet, they will succeed,” said Horrabe in a steady voice. “We can still salvage a victory. We will take part of the Morag fleet and attack Earth. If we can hit it with a barrage of antimatter missiles, this can still be considered a victory.”
Horrabe sent out a mental command, and nearly three hundred Morag warships, many of them battleships, pulled out of the battle. They quickly formed up and headed toward Earth.
-
Rear Admiral Leeson saw the sudden change in tactics by the Confederation fleet and recognized what they were trying to do. “Contact Rear Admiral Collison and tell him that I’ll handle those Morag vessels.”
Leeson then contacted the surviving ships of Second Fleet, pulling them from the battle and moving to intercept the enemy vessels. He also took five hundred attack interceptors with him.
“Can they get through to Earth?” asked Captain Newman, showing some concern.
“Not if we can help it,” replied Leeson.
On the main tactical screen, Leeson noticed that most of the Morag vessels were battleships. One larger-than-normal battleship was in the center of the formation. No doubt this was the flagship of the Morag admiral commanding the Confederation fleet. In Rear Admiral Leeson’s mind, this particular admiral must die.
-
“We have three other dreadnoughts and forty-seven battlecruisers,” reported Captain Newman. “We’ll be slightly outnumbered.”
Leeson laughed. “Tell me something new. We’ll hit the center of that Morag formation of battleships with the attack interceptors directly behind us. Our primary target is that big battleship in the middle.”
Newman was quiet for a long moment. “This may be a suicide mission, Admiral. I thought you didn’t believe in those.”
A serious looked crossed Rear Admiral Leeson’s face. “That Morag admiral in that battleship has been responsible for killing millions of our people. No way I’m letting him get away without paying for it.”
Newman let out a deep sigh. “Sometimes, in war, great sacrifices must be made. Let’s go get that SOB.”
-
Fleet Admiral Horrabe saw the group of Human ships break off from the main force and head toward his fleet. “They came. It is as I expected. That fleet will be led by their fleet admiral. He must realize by now that I am in this fleet and which ship I’m aboard. He comes to kill me. These people are truly warriors. I fear the fate of the Confederation will be decided here in the next few minutes and not back in the Human Empire.”
“Do you think these Earth Humans are really that dangerous?” asked High Commander Corr.
Horrabe nodded. “These Humans here are the greatest threat our Confederation has ever faced. We must not fail in striking this Human world, and we must kill this Human admiral who now challenges us.”
-
The Morag fleet continued toward Earth with the small Human fleet in close pursuit. The Morag fleet entered the range of the orbiting ODPs and missile platforms. Heavy weapons fire erupted, lighting up the entire forward section of the Morag fleet. Several battleships exploded from the sheer volume of incoming fire. Then the pursuing Human fleet caught up and slammed into the rear of the Morag force, followed by the five hundred attack interceptors. The entire Morag formation erupted in fire as antimatter and fusion weapons lit up space.
-
Rear Admiral Leeson felt the Titan shake severely as it was hit by multiple antimatter missiles and fusion energy beams. None penetrated, and the shield stayed up. Intense weapons fire crawled over the flagship’s screen, seeking an opening. Leeson’s gaze focused on the main viewscreen and the massive Morag battleship that was his target. Already weapons fire from the Titan was striking its energy shield.
-
Fleet Admiral Horrabe saw the large Human warship bearing down on his flagship. He had always dreamed of fighting a worthy enemy, and that time had finally arrived. “I want two full missile barrages from every ship aimed at Earth. Once that’s been done, we must destroy these attacking ships and withdraw.” Horrabe had no intention of withdrawing until this fleet admiral was dead. It had now become a matter of honor, as far as he was concerned.
-
“Admiral, the Morag ships are launching missiles toward Earth,” reported Lieutenant Stewart.
“Detach half of our attack interceptors to destroy those missiles,” ordered Leeson. “The orbital defense and the ground interceptors will take care of the rest.”
The Titan shook violently, and several red lights appeared on the damage control console. The shield was being ravaged by Morag weapons fire and was close to failing.
On the viewscreen, the Morag flagship was plainly visible. Its own screen radiated just as brightly as the Titan’s.
Looking at the tactical display, Leeson saw the interceptors were gaining on the rear of the missiles, and the energy beam satellites in the defense grid around Earth were starting to take them out in small explosive fireballs.
On other viewscreens, both Human and Morag warships were dying as they blew each other apart. The battle was brutal, and, if not for the several hundred interceptors still with Second Fleet, it would have already been over.
The Titan suddenly shook violently, and Leeson could hear the sound of tearing metal.
“Energy shield is about to fail,” reported Lieutenant Tasha Brewer. “I just wish we could have gotten their admiral.”
Rear Admiral Leeson’s gaze turned hard as steel. “Full speed ahead. We’ll ram that son of a bitch.”
The Titan lurched ahead as it gained speed.
Captain Newman looked at the admiral. “It’s been an honor, sir.”
“The honor’s been mine,” replied Leeson, his gaze focused on the viewscreen and the rapidly nearing flagship of his enemy. “This is the best crew an admiral could ever want.”
“Energy screen is down!”
-
Fleet Admiral Horrabe was stunned at what was happening. The enemy flagship was on a collision course with his vessel. On the main viewscreen, weapons fire was starting to tear it apart, but it was already too close to hit with a missile.
“They’ll ram us!” uttered High Commander Corr, stepping back from the viewscreen.
“Of course they’ll ram. That fleet admiral is a warrior, and he intends to take us with him. We die an honorable death.” Horrabe knew his flagship could not dodge what was coming for him. He leaned back and closed his eyes, waiting for the arrival of oblivion.
-
The two vessels collided, and a massive explosion overshadowed both fleets. For a moment the weapons fire stopped as the commanders of all the warships realized what had just happened. Both fleet admirals had just died. The surviving Morag ships turned instantly and made the transition into hyperspace. All the Morag ships still battling around Alpha One did the same. Their fleet admiral was gone, and it was time to leave.
Zynth Admiral Laru, seeing the Morag pull out, instantly ordered all his ships to do the same.
Within
minutes the fighting was over, as all the Confederation ships turned and fled the system. The battle was over, but the death and the destruction was not.
-
General Weston’s attention was called to the main viewscreens of Earth. Not all the Morag missiles had been stopped. Four large mushroom clouds rose into Earth’s atmosphere. “Any sign of the Titan?” He had witnessed the two flagships collide.
“No, sir,” replied Colonel Dean. “Both ships were totally annihilated in the explosion. I believe Rear Admiral Leeson may have rigged several of his antimatter warheads to explode upon contact with the enemy flagship.”
General Weston sat, gazing at the viewscreen for nearly a minute. No doubt Rear Admiral Leeson’s sacrifice had won the Humans’ the battle for Earth. The death of the Morag fleet admiral had shaken the surviving Confederation forces, and, when the Morag left, the others simply followed.
Looking at the viewscreens, Weston saw a large number of damaged ships, missile platforms, and ODPs. “Drop the energy shield, and let’s get some rescue craft out there! Send two of those battlecarriers back to Ganymede.” They would take time to mourn the dead later, and there were plenty to mourn. Many of whom Weston had come to know very well, and all would be missed.
-
Admiral Reynolds was briefed on the latest reports on the damage suffered by the four antimatter warheads that had detonated on Earth. Two had hit water, causing tsunamis. One had struck near Hong Kong, destroying the city, and the other had come down in a desolate region of Russia. Casualties were estimated to be between ten to twelve million. It would be days before an accurate count was tallied.
“It could have been a lot worse,” commented Colonel Bryson. She and Colonel Williams had been extremely busy, keeping track of everything. “What if they had hit Tokyo or New York City?”
“It’ll take time to rebuild the fleet. At least most of our shipyards survived, and Pallas is still intact.”
“We must build more shipyards,” said Colonel Williams. “If we don’t, the Confederation will return. This time they failed because Rear Admiral Leeson made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Reynolds let out a deep sigh. “He went into cryo just to fight the war. He may very well go down in Earth’s history as its greatest hero.”
“People need heroes,” replied Colonel Williams.
Reynolds nodded. He had known Rear Admiral Leeson very well; they had even become friends. “Take all commands to Condition Two. Once we have completed rescue operations, we’ll go to Condition Three. Also get some rescue vessels out to Titan. I want to know if any survivors are on that moon.” The battle was over, but it would take years to rebuild.
-
On Golan Four in the underground Command Center beneath the capital, High Princess Layla and the others were gathered in a large conference room, reviewing the battle in the Solar System.
“We lost a lot of good people,” said Layla, still stunned as she looked at the latest casualty reports. Even with her Royal training, she had a hard time not reacting emotionally. “When the final numbers come in, we may be looking at somewhere around twenty million dead. We also lost Rear Admiral Leeson, Colonel Henderson, and many more who most of us knew.”
“Fortunately most of the major shipyards survived,” said Fleet Admiral Marloo. “Reconstruction of Earth’s fleet will begin almost immediately. Already discussions are ongoing about building some newer and even larger shipyards. All the Confederation accomplished in their attack was to stir up the people of Earth even more.”
“I was so afraid for Earth,” confessed Krista. She had tears in her eyes for all the people who had died and particularly for the ones she had known personally. “War is a horrible thing!”
“It is,” said Chancellor Stein. “But, sometimes for freedom, a terrible price must be paid. We must ensure the Humans in the Solar System did not die in vain. Rear Admiral Leeson was not afraid to die for that belief.”
Layla looked at Fleet Admiral Marloo. “How soon before Admiral Masters launches his attack?”
Marloo knew the High Princess was deeply concerned for the safety of Admiral Masters, probably even more so after what had happened in the Solar System. “It depends how far he will go into Confederation space. Plus we won’t hear anything from him until his fleet is on the way back.”
Layla let out a deep sigh. So much was happening at once. She just hoped Derrick returned safely to her. Thanks to the Solar System’s victory over the Confederation fleet, they now had a real chance at rebuilding the Empire. If Derrick were successful in his attack on a Confederation world, it would buy the Empire valuable time to add new worlds and to build up their fleet. The Confederation didn’t know it yet, but this war had barely begun.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Pallas Admiral Reynolds was attending a meeting of many of Earth’s political and military leaders and others who were onboard Alpha One in the main conference room. Much anger was directed at what the Confederation fleet had done to the Solar System and at what they had attempted to do to Earth.
“It has been three days since the Confederation fleet was driven from the Solar System,” began Admiral Reynolds. “Total casualties from the attack have exceeded 22 million with another 640,000 still missing.”
Mumbling came from the people in the room. Many had not known what the total casualties would be.
“The hardest hit, besides Earth’s Moon, is Titan, with nearly five million dead. It will take us years to repair the planet’s ecology. We’ve already restarted the terraforming equipment. In the Jovian system, Ganymede and Callisto are both intact and are performing rescue operations on the rest of the Jovian moons.”
“Should we spend the resources to bring Titan back to what it was?” asked President Hughes of the North American Union. “It seems as if being so far out in the Solar System makes it harder to defend.”
“A lot of resources are on the moons of Saturn,” answered Titan’s Governor Blake. “For the immediate future my people will revert to living in domes, but we wish to stay on Titan. It has become our home.”
“We have bought some time,” said Admiral Reynolds. “During that period, we will increase the defenses around all the inhabited planets and moons in the Solar System, including Titan. We will also build more battlecarriers and attack interceptors. The attack interceptors made a huge difference in the battle around Alpha One, and we must have more of them everywhere.”
“Are we certain the Confederation will return?” asked President Chen of China. “We are spending considerable resources on this war effort.”
“They will return,” said Brett Newcomb, representing the Earth Imperials. “They consider all Humans to be a threat, and, after what just happened here, they will be more certain of that than ever. The Confederation covers a large region of space and has almost unlimited resources. In time they will rebuild their fleet, and they will return.”
“What can we do?” asked President Jacques Marlin of the Greater European Union. “We just barely beat them this time, and our fleet has been devastated.”
Councilor Drew Tristan of the Pallas Imperials stood to address the conference. “We must continue to build more warships and to do everything we can to support the reestablishment of the Human Empire. Only the Empire has the necessary resources to fight the Confederation and to keep Earth safe in the long run. This will not be a short war. It may take years to force the Confederation to agree to allow us to live in peace.”
Governor Audrey Fuller of Mars stood to address the conference. “Mars was fortunate to have been spared in this attack. I propose we build two more major shipyards above my planet. It has become very evident that we need a massive fleet, both to defend the Solar System and to help the Empire.”
“We would like to see the two shipyards above Ganymede rebuilt but much larger than what they were,” added Governor Adriana Stone. “We also would like to build a major shipyard above Callisto.”
President Hughes looked at a
ll the people present with determination on his face. “We must strike back at the Confederation as soon as possible. I propose we construct a fleet of at least one thousand ships aimed at attacking Confederation worlds as soon as possible. They must learn there are consequences for their actions. In order to build the ships we need, I suggest we build three more major shipyards above Earth.”
Admiral Reynolds took a deep breath and then spoke. “What we are proposing will require the establishing of many more mining operations throughout the Solar System. While we are building this fleet, we should also build additional defensive systems and thousands of attack interceptors. This will take time and a lot of resources.”
“I have seen the massive crater where Hong Kong once stood,” said President Chen in a solemn voice. “We must do whatever is necessary to win this war and to keep our people safe.”
Admiral Reynolds nodded his head in agreement. “We lost a lot of good people in this recent attack. Rear Admiral Leeson, Colonel Loren Henderson, and many others we all knew very well. If everyone is in agreement, I propose we immediately approve the construction of the proposed shipyards, as well as increase our production of defensive assets and attack interceptors.”
The motion easily carried, with the only major change made to double the current production of battlecarriers. They were deemed necessary to move large numbers of interceptors quickly and efficiently.
“Pallas will make available as many construction robots as needed to work on various projects,” announced Pallas Councilor Drew Tristan. “I’ll have the council give the order to immediately begin expanded production on the robots. Within two months we should have all the robots we will need.”
Reynolds nodded. The specialized construction robots Pallas used would make the work on the shipyards go much faster. With a little luck, all the planned construction could be done in six months or less. In the meantime the shipyards of Earth, Mars, and Pallas would be building warships around the clock to replace those lost in the recent battles.
-
In the Confederation, the Great Council was once more in session. They were reviewing the failed attack on Earth.
The Forgotten Empire: The Battle For Earth: Book three Page 27