Slaver Wars 1: Moon Wreck
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Jason nodded, not sure what to say. To get to travel on one of the Federation’s warships was something he couldn’t turn down. He knew without looking that Greg was thinking the same thing.
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Jason and Greg sat in the shuttle, excited about the prospect of getting to go aboard an actual Federation light cruiser for six days. Admiral Streth had been silent about where they were going, but Jason had the impression their eventual destination was not in Earth’s Solar System. Across from Jason and Greg sat Admiral Streth. They had been surprised to find out that he was going along with them. The shuttle had made a micro-jump as soon as it had cleared the gravity well of Ceres. Both had been a little pale from the queasiness the jump had caused.
“I haven’t been outside of the Solar System in over 100 years,” spoke Admiral Streth, looking over at the two Earth humans. “I believe the two of you will enjoy this experience.”
Outside the shuttle, two space fighters flew in formation, keeping a protective eye on the shuttle. The fighters had come from the light cruiser they were approaching. On board the cruiser, the commander was keeping a close watch on the shuttle. The admiral was on board, and his safety was paramount.
The shuttle made its approach to the cruiser and slid easily into the brightly lighted flight bay. The pilot landed the shuttle without the faintest hint of a jar. This brought a smile to the admiral’s face. It was good to see the members of the fleet were still well trained.
Admiral Streth turned to Jason and Greg. “We will proceed to the Command Center. I am sure both of you would like to see a light cruiser in full operation. We will be making an FTL jump to our destination. Matter of fact, there will be three jumps.”
“Where are we going?” Jason asked curiously as all three stood up and moved toward the hatch, which was now opening. Admiral Streth had just confirmed that they would be leaving the Solar System.
“To a star system 27 light years core-ward from Earth,” Admiral Streth replied with an enigmatic smile. “There is a surprise there I want the two of you to see.”
Stepping outside the hatch, the admiral was surprised and pleased to see a full platoon of marines in their parade dress uniforms standing at attention. The commander of the ship was also present, as well as several other of the ship’s officers.
“Admiral of the fleet arriving!” a voice boomed as the admiral descended the ramp.
Jason and Greg gazed at this obvious showing of respect and reverence for the admiral. The man was truly loved by the men and women under his command, even after all of this time.
“Commander Andrew Benson reporting, sir!” the commander of the ship spoke, saluting the admiral.
“At ease Commander,” replied Admiral Streth, saluting the commander and then turning to salute the assembled marines. “You have an excellent looking group here, Commander.”
“Thank you, sir,” Commander Benson replied. “If you will follow me, we will go to the Command Center. We’re ready to jump on your order.”
The group made their way through the ship with a small escort of marines. Upon reaching the Command Center, they were allowed admittance and soon were standing around the holographic plotting table.
“Course is set for New Tellus, sir,” the Navigation officer reported.
“Very well, you may jump at your discretion,” Admiral Streth replied. It felt good to be in the Command Center of a warship again. It almost felt like the old days.
“We will arrive in the New Tellus System in twenty hours,” Commander Benson informed Admiral Streth.
Jason and Greg just looked at each other. They could barely believe what they had just heard. They were traveling to another solar system 27 light years away.
Admiral Streth turned toward the two with an all knowing smile. “After each jump the ship’s engineers will fine tune the FTL drive and allow the core to cool down. This is a safety procedure to ensure that we don’t jump too close to a planet or a moon’s gravity well. If we were to do so, it could seriously damage the drive. In an emergency, we can make another jump almost immediately with relative safety.”
“We also try to limit our jumps to about five light years,” Commander Benson added. “The drives are capable of more, but we try not to overtax the system.”
Jason nodded. It was becoming more evident every minute just how far Earth would have to advance before it was ready for this type of advanced technology. It was amazing the difference a fully trained crew made in the Command Center. Normally, on the Avenger, only a few people were present and they were usually asking Ariel questions. Ariel was currently controlling all the systems on the Avenger.
“If you gentlemen will observe the main viewscreen you will see the warp vortex form,” Commander Benson said, gesturing toward the large screen on the front wall of the Command Center.
As Jason and Greg watched, a blue-white vortex formed in front of the cruiser. A moment later, the vortex seemed to grow rapidly as the cruiser flew into it. Jason felt a wrenching feeling in his gut, and then everything returned to normal.
“Glad I didn’t eat a big meal,” Greg commented with a pale face.
“Takes some getting used to,” Admiral Streth remarked with a knowing smile. “I lost my meal the first time I experienced a jump.”
Jason looked around the bustling Command Center. Everyone seemed to be busy working at their consoles and talking to different sections of the ship over the com system. It was evident that this was a well trained and knowledgeable crew.
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The next day, the cruiser exited another blue-white vortex into the New Tellus System. For four more hours, the ship cruised on its sublight drive and finally rendezvoused with another ship.
Admiral Streth gazed at the viewscreen, felt his heart racing, and knew his breathing had picked up. A truly massive warship was on the viewscreen. It was the flagship of First Fleet and his personal command. The battle cruiser StarStrike was waiting for him.
“What is that?” Greg spoke, his eyes growing wide. If that ship was as large as it looked on the viewscreen, it was much larger than a light cruiser. This had to be one of the Federation’s first line warships. He had wondered if any had survived.
“That, my friends, is the StarStrike,” Admiral Streth replied with a fond smile. “She is a Conqueror Class Command Battle Cruiser. The StarStrike is 1,200 meters long and 250 meters wide. She is the most powerful ship in the fleet.”
Greg took a step back. His eyes were open wide, and his heart was racing. Jason and he had thought a light cruiser was impressive. Nothing they had seen thus far could compare to what was showing on the viewscreen in front of them.
“Is this your largest warship?” Greg asked, intrigued. He couldn’t imagine anything bigger.
“No,” replied Admiral Streth shaking his head. “A battle carrier is bigger, but it’s not as heavily armed as the StarStrike. We currently don’t have a battle carrier deployed.”
“But you do have one?” pressed Greg, wanting to see one.
“There are two in their bays on Ceres,” Admiral Streth responded. “When we get back I will take you and Commander Strong on a personal tour. The battle carriers carry our air wings.”
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Several hours later, they were in the Command Center of the StarStrike. Jason gazed in amazement at everything around him. Consoles, viewscreens, situation boards, and control stations were all about him and manned by a confident group of men and women. The ship gave off a feeling of ultimate power. But a shadow of worry hung in the back of Jason’s mind. If the Federation had lost the war against the Hocklyns with ships like the StarStrike, what was going to happen in 268 more years? Could the Hocklyns even be stopped? Jason was beginning to have his doubts. The Hocklyns might be an unstoppable force.
Since boarding the StarStrike, they had micro-jumped closer to New Tellus and were now approaching the planet on the ship’s powerful sublight drive. Jason knew that two light cruisers were escorting the flagship in toward the
planet. Glancing down at the holographic plotting table, it also showed six space fighters flying CAP around the three warships.
As they neared the blue-white globe that was steadily growing on the viewscreen, Admiral Streth turned toward Jason and Greg. “We have a small settlement on the planet. From what I have been told there are currently 2,300 people living on the planet below.”
The viewscreen suddenly switched to show a large space station under construction in orbit. It was obvious the StarStrike was moving to match orbits with the station.
“Why is that here?” Jason asked. It was clear that a lot of time and effort had been expended to build the station. “This system is a long ways from Earth. What if the Hocklyns stumble across it?” Looking at the screen, he could see that the finished section of the space station looked to be heavily armed. There were numerous weapons turrets and what he guessed were some type of missile platforms.
“That’s why it’s here,” Admiral Streth replied in a determined voice. “This system is between Earth and the Hocklyns and far enough away so that the Hocklyns should discover it before reaching Earth. We keep the StarStrike and four light cruisers in this system at all times. We have a squadron of long-range stealth shuttles that we use to monitor the systems farther core-ward for any signs of the enemy. Hopefully we will have an advance warning before they arrive here.”
“You’re not sure about the 268 years, are you?” Jason said, realizing why this system was here. “You built this base to hold up the Hocklyns if they come too soon.”
Admiral Streth let out a deep breath. “You’re very observant, Commander. We feel pretty comfortable about the 268-year figure, but one of their supposed trading scouts could arrive sooner. If they do, we will make it disappear. We won’t make the same mistakes we made last time.”
“What exactly are your plans for this system?” Greg asked. He was intrigued by the planet below. What would it feel like to set foot on another world besides Earth?
“We’re going to fortify it to the maximum,” Admiral Streth replied, determinedly. “It will also serve as a training center for the fleet that I hope we can build with Earth’s help. There will be a very powerful defensive grid placed around the planet consisting of railgun and missile platforms. There have also been some suggestions about mine fields, but we don’t know how effective they might be against Hocklyn ships. We are going to make this system into a death trap for the Hocklyns.”
The viewscreen returned to a view of the peaceful planet below them. Jason could see oceans and even clouds. In many ways, it resembled Earth. He thought about Admiral Streth’s words. Here was a man that had led the fight against the Hocklyns for the Human Federation of Worlds. A Federation that no longer existed. Jason hoped that same fate wasn’t in Earth’s future.
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Early the next morning, a large shuttle landed on the edge of the small spaceport next to the human settlement on New Tellus. Jason and Greg stepped out onto a new world never before touched by humans from Earth.
Greg took a deep breath of the fresh air. In the distance, he could hear what sounded like birds calling. He could see a few flying in the air, but they were unlike any birds he had ever seen before. A gentle breeze blew. He could see numerous trees in the distance. Some looked just like trees back on Earth and others were very different. This was like a dream come true. He had actually made it to another world. At that moment, Greg felt as if he was on top of the world. Never in his life had he expected to experience something like this. He looked over at Jason and smiled. He was glad he had made the trip to Ceres.
Admiral Streth looked over at the two Earth humans, guessing what they were experiencing. He would let them enjoy this day. There was so much to show them on this beautiful world. In many ways, it was like Tellus. In the back of his mind, he would always remember the day that his own people had been discovered by the Hocklyns and later how their worlds had met their end. He would do everything in his power to make sure Earth didn’t suffer the same fate.
Jason looked around, breathing in the fresh air. The admiral and he had spoken quite a bit on the trip to New Tellus about the current situation on Earth. Both had agreed that the governments of Earth should reveal that an advanced spacecraft had been discovered on the Moon. They would say there were no survivors and that it had crashed there a long time ago. That would allow the technology from the ship to be spread slowly across the planet. There would be no mention of the Hocklyns or the survivors from the Human Federation of Worlds.
Once the people of Earth began to get used to the idea that there could be other races out in the universe, they would begin constructing Earth’s first true spaceships. They would be smaller than the Federations and would serve as training platforms. For a few decades, they would be allowed to explore the neighboring stars. Admiral Streth had mentioned to him that there were ten systems with habitable planets within twenty light years of Earth. These ten systems could be colonized and eventually prepared for the coming conflict with the Hocklyns. Given enough time and resources, the Hocklyns when they arrived would face a well armed and determined human race.
Jason hoped they had the time and fortitude to do what was necessary. The Federation people would help, but for the time being it would be behind the scenes and secretive. No one outside of a few carefully chosen people would know about the Federation base inside of Ceres or here on New Tellus.
Jason knew he had his work cut out for him over the next few years. The diplomacy would be left to the politicians, but the Avenger was another matter. Once the surviving section had been repaired, Admiral Streth had suggested expanding the Avenger base. It would make an ideal training center for Earth’s future space force. Admiral Streth had made it clear that he wanted Jason in charge of that base. He also had mentioned that Ariel would demand it anyway.
Looking over at Greg, Jason could see the excited look on his friend’s face. They had made it to another world! Someday Greg’s son might also be standing here on New Tellus if he joined the future space forces. Jason had a strong suspicion that he would. But for now, all of that was in the future. They were the first Earth humans to set foot on a new world, and he wanted to take advantage of that. For the next few hours, he didn’t want to worry about the future.
Admiral Streth felt pretty sure he knew what Jason and Greg were thinking, and he had no intention of spoiling this moment. He watched as the two walked over and stood on the grass next to the landing field. He walked down the ramp and out to where they were standing. “I have arranged for an atmospheric transport to take us around,” Admiral Streth informed Jason and Greg. “This is only the second time I have been on this world.” Then, with a smile on his face, he added, “Let’s explore it together.”
The End
If you would like to see this story continue in the Slaver Wars, put up a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and help books to sell. Reviews can be just a few short sentences describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website listed on the following page. Thank you for reading Moon Wreck and being so supportive.
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Turn the page to see other books by Raymond L. Weil.
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Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Other Books by Raymond L. Weil
Available at Amazon
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Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars
Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening
Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon
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Star One: Tycho City: Survival
Star One: Neutron Star
Star One: Dark Star
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Moon Wreck: The Slaver Wars Book One
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book Two)
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book Thre
e)
The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book Four)
The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book Five)
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Turn the page for a quick description of The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact.
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact can be read either before or after Moon Wreck. It is a stand alone novel.
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact
Chapter One
The 1,200-meter battle cruiser StarStrike slid quietly through empty space. The ship was a Conqueror Class Command Cruiser, one of the most powerful warships ever built by the Human Federation of Worlds. There were only four of the powerful ships of war in the Federation’s entire fleet. The StarStrike and its small fleet were on a fact finding mission deep within suspected enemy territory. The 1,500-meter Galaxy Class Battle Carrier Victory was above the StarStrike, along with its four light cruiser escorts. Several small fighter craft flew around the small fleet keeping a constant vigilance for any incoming threats. Two space destroyers were ahead of the fleet scanning for any potential enemy targets. It was essential that the human fleet remain undetected until it had completed its reconnaissance mission.
Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth sat at his command console watching the main viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center. He was of medium build, and his dark hair was just starting to turn gray on the sides. The admiral was forty-two years old, and the worry lines on his face showed that he had been through a lot the past few months. Months he would like to forget. It had been a trying and desperate time for the entire human race.
The viewscreen showed unwinking stars ahead, and the scanners and long-range sensors were free of threats. The Command Center was in the shape of a rectangle, and its twenty-crew personnel were efficiently going about their jobs. At the reinforced security hatch, two heavily armed marines stood guard. No one entered the Command Center without the proper clearance. Two more similarly armed marines stood just outside the hatch in the corridor. Security now was much more obvious than a few short months ago.