“I’m assigning our remaining carriers to Admiral Kimmel; two of his supply ships have additional Talon fighters and Anlon bombers on them,” Hedon informed Amanda as he thought about how best to defend the fleet. “That should allow us to fill the carrier’s flight bays.”
“We lost a lot of pilots,” added Amanda, knowing that many had been left behind when they hadn’t been able to get to the carriers before the ships jumped. There were additional pilots in Admiral Kimmel’s fleet but they wouldn’t be as experienced as the ones that hadn’t made it out.
“We lost a lot of people today,” Hedon replied in a voice heavy with sorrow. “They died for the Federation, and it’s up to us to make sure their sacrifice wasn’t in vain.”
“It won’t be,” promised Amanda. “I’ll have my ships get started on repairs. I just hope we have the time.”
“Admiral, I have a final ship total,” Clarissa reported as she walked up to the command console. She had already sent a brief message to Ariel informing her of what had happened. It had been alarming how close she had come to dying today. It was something she never wanted to experience again.
“What do we have?” asked Hedon, bracing himself. The original Ready Reserve Fleet that he had brought to this sector had been comprised of over three hundred and fifty-six ships. He knew he would be going home with far less.
“First Fleet survivors include the StarStrike, four battlecruisers, three Monarch cruisers, and five light cruisers,” Clarissa reported in a calm and clear voice. “Second Fleet survivors include the WarStorm, two additional battlecruisers, four Monarch cruisers, and nine light cruisers. Third Fleet survivors consist of seven battle carriers, one Monarch cruiser, six light cruisers, and nineteen destroyers.”
Hedon turned pale at hearing the numbers; when the battle over the fleet base had begun there were two hundred and thirty combat capable Federation ships. Now he was reduced to sixty-seven ships, and most of them were damaged.
“Six hours,” spoke Hedon firmly, looking over at Colonel Trist. “Then we start our jumps back to New Tellus.”
“Do you think the AIs and the Hocklyns will follow us?” Colonel Grissom asked. She kept looking over at the tactical displays expecting to see red threat icons appear at any moment.
“Eventually,” replied Hedon, looking over at the Intelligence officer. “Once they reorganize their fleets I expect they will follow us all the way back to the Federation.” Hedon noticed the silence in the Command Center; everyone was still in shock from the battle above the fleet base. He couldn’t blame them; he knew he would have nightmares for months over what had happened.
Clarissa remained silent. She knew Admiral Streth was right. The Hocklyns and the AIs wanted to annihilate the human race and would do everything in their power to make that happen.
-
Fleet Commodore Resmunt was in the War Room of his flagship, the Liberator, looking at the main viewscreen. It was focused on the smoking and burning ruins of his former fleet base. The ground invasion had ended in a disaster. The humans had rigged the base with nuclear explosives that had detonated when the first Hocklyn Protectors set foot on the perimeter of the spaceport. From the last report, over six thousand Protectors had died and numerous others were badly injured. The humans seemed to be experts at setting traps; it was something to remember in future engagements.
“These humans are worthy opponents,” commented First Leader Ganth as he gazed icily at the smoking ruins on the viewscreen. “Much honor was gained today and more awaits us on their home worlds.”
“True,” Resmunt replied in his rasping voice. “We lost a lot of Protectors on the planet, more than expected. We will have to request more to be sent to us before we can attack the human home worlds.”
He glanced over at another viewscreen that showed the heavily damaged AI ship. The other two intact AI ships were hovering close by, assisting with repairs. The humans had managed to destroy seven of the stupendous spheres of the masters and seriously damaged another. It made Resmunt wonder silently to himself who the Hocklyns should actually be fighting.
-
Amanda had just received the latest heartbreaking news from sickbay. Lieutenant Ashton had died from her injuries just as the battle with the Hocklyns ended. She had already informed Lieutenants Stalls and Trask, and they both had taken the news very hard. Amanda let out a deep breath, looking over at Navigation, knowing they would never see the talented navigation officer there again. Gazing around, she noticed how quiet the entire command crew was. They all knew that Karen had been one of the original crewmembers of the old StarStrike that had gone into cryosleep so many long years ago.
“The repair ship Oberon is pulling alongside,” Commander Evans said as she came over to stand next to Amanda. “They’re going to repair that hole in our hull with a more permanent patch.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Admiral Sheen turned toward Evans. “I want all of our ships to get full load outs of ammunition from the colliers. We don’t know when or if the AIs and the Hocklyns will catch up to us. If they do, I want to be ready.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Evans promised. After the recent battle, the WarStorm and all the rest of the ships in the fleet were extremely low on ordnance.
“Also, make sure we get more Devastator Threes,” Amanda ordered. “With as few ships as made it out of the battle there should be plenty to go around.”
Once she was satisfied that everything was operating as it should, Amanda retired to her quarters to try to get a few hours of rest and put everything into perspective. She stood gazing at a picture of Richard in his fleet uniform with a reassuring smile on his face. Then she took a quick shower and lay down on her bed. If the AIs and the Hocklyns came chasing after them, it might be quite some time before she had a chance to rest again. After a few minutes, she fell into a fitful sleep. In her dreams, she saw dying and burning ships with people crying out for help; help that would never come.
-
Jeremy was standing next to Ariel as she reported on the message she had received from Clarissa. Admiral Adler gone, most of First, Second, and Third Fleets destroyed. They couldn’t have received worse news. Admiral Streth had always felt he could save the majority of his fleet; the deadly attack by the ten AI ships and the massed Hocklyn fleets had proved him wrong.
“Admiral Streth was fortunate to escape with the StarStrike,” Colonel Malen said after a long moment of silence. She knew it would have been a heavy blow to the Federation if the Fleet Admiral had died.
“Admiral Adler’s sacrifice saved the flagship,” stated Ariel, feeling frightened at how close Clarissa had come to being destroyed. It was difficult to imagine life without the other AI.
“Admiral,” spoke Lieutenant Walters, pointing toward the tactical display, which was showing the three hundred Hocklyn ships still remaining in the system where the two stealth scouts were observing them.
Jeremy turned around to see what Kevin was pointing at and noticed that all but a small part of the Hocklyn fleet was jumping. “Where are they going?” he asked, looking over at Ariel and knowing she could use the data from the scouts to determine where the Hocklyns were heading.
“To the fleet base,” Ariel replied with confusion on her face. “Why would they be going there? The battle is over.”
“To replace their fleet losses,” Jeremy guessed. It looks as if less than fifty ships remained in the system with the stealth scouts. That made an attack on Careth in the immediate future seem unlikely.
“Admiral Streth destroyed seven of the AI ships and damaged another,” said Colonel Malen, looking thoughtful. “I can’t imagine them going off in pursuit without more AIs.”
“AI ships have better jump drives and can jump further than Federation or Hocklyn ships,” Ariel reminded them. “More AI ships are probably on the way and will rendezvous with the Hocklyn fleet before it reaches the Federation.”
“I just wonder how many more?” Colonel Malen asked worriedly, looking
over at Admiral Strong. “How many AI ships are there in the center of the galaxy?”
“Unknown,” Jeremy replied in a calm voice. “No one has ever been there.”
“Someday, someone will have to,” Colonel Malen spoke into the silence.
“Take our forces to Condition Three and get me Grayseth on the com,” ordered Jeremy, realizing they could relax their alert level. “He needs to be informed that the expected attack has been delayed. Also, have all of our stealth scouts deployed between Hocklyn space and us. Perhaps we can detect these additional AI ships and warn Admiral Streth and the Federation as to the numbers they will be facing.”
-
Kelsey looked back at Kevin and Angela; all three felt immensely relieved that the battle had been postponed. “At least we have a few more days,” Kelsey commented in a more relaxed voice.
“Maybe they won’t attack at all,” Angela said, expressing her deepest hope.
“We have time to study what strategies they used to attack Fleet Admiral Streth,” Ariel spoke as she listened to the others. “It might make a difference.”
“I hope so,” Katie said from her computer console. “I would like to get back home someday.” She would like to be able to spend some time with some of the remote relatives that Admiral Johnson had introduced her to.
“You will,” Ariel promised in a supportive voice. “We will all make it back to the Federation.”
-
Several hours later, Jeremy was sitting with his friends in the officer’s mess discussing the latest development. “Only fifty Hocklyn ships remain in the attack fleet,” he informed them. “Admiral Stillson, Grayseth, and I both feel it will be a while before they can assemble a force large enough to endanger us here. They lost too many ships in the battle with Fleet Admiral Streth and will be hard pressed to assemble a large enough fleet to attack us any time soon.”
“We’re alone now,” Angela spoke as she watched Kevin pour ketchup over his fries. “Kevin, you can’t even see those French Fries!”
“It’s a habit,” admitted Kevin, sheepishly. “I’ve always used too much ketchup on my fries.”
“At least he doesn’t put it on his eggs,” added Katie, elbowing Kevin in the side.
“What do you think, Jeremy?” Kelsey asked, her deep blue eyes looking over at the love in her life. “Is there a chance the Hocklyns may not even attack us?”
“It’s a possibility,” Jeremy conceded as he cut up the pork chop on his plate. “They may wait until after the attack on the Federation. I suspect they will be rushing every available ship to reinforce their attacking fleet, considering the damage Admiral Streth inflicted upon it.”
“From what Admiral Sheen learned on her scouting trip, there’re not a lot of Hocklyn ships left in the nearby sections of their Empire. It may take them weeks to assemble a force of sufficient size to endanger us here or even to reinforce their fleet that will be attacking the Federation,” Ariel informed them, wondering what food tasted like as she watched Kevin take a large bite out of his hamburger. Her friends obviously enjoyed eating.
“I can’t imagine the Hocklyns and the AIs leaving us alone too long,” Jeremy replied as he used a spoon to toy with his mashed potatoes and gravy. “It’s evident they underestimated our ability to destroy AI ships, which accounts for the losses to the Hocklyn fleet that Fleet Admiral Streth was able to inflict. They won’t make that mistake again.”
“They didn’t realize Admiral Streth had so many Devastator Threes at his disposal,” Kelsey added. Jeremy had allowed her to read the reports from the battle over the fleet base. “They made the difference.”
“We have an even larger supply,” Ariel informed them. “From the simulations I have run, it would be wise to use them to destroy as many Hocklyn ships as possible in the early stages of the battle.”
It made her feel safer knowing they had a weapon that both the AIs and the Hocklyns greatly feared. It might deter them from attacking Careth until they had dealt with the Federation. If the trap at New Tellus succeeded, Careth might not have to face an attack from the Hocklyns and the AIs.
“You think the AIs will send an even larger fleet of their ships to attack the Federation now, don’t you?” Angela asked Jeremy with deep concern showing in her brown eyes. Her brunette hair was cut short with a slight curl in it.
“I do,” he replied, laying his spoon down and picking up his fork. “I just hope the defenses at New Tellus are strong enough to stop the AIs. We have no idea how many AI ships there are in the center of the galaxy. It could be just a few hundred to thousands.”
“Thousands,” repeated Kevin, putting his hamburger down and turning slightly pale. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“It might be,” Jeremy responded, his eyes looking around the group. “After all, they’ve had thousands of years to build up a truly massive fleet. Who knows what is waiting for us there?”
“What about New Tellus?” Angela asked worriedly, not feeling much like eating. “What do you think will happen there?” She knew that if New Tellus fell so most likely would the rest of the Federation.
“Fleet Admiral Johnson and Admiral Andrews will be ready,” Ariel assured them, her dark eyes looking confident. “I have analyzed the defenses they have put in place, and they should be able to stop the coming attack.”
“Once that’s over we should see a relief force,” said Angela, feeling better after listening to Ariel. “We may not be cut off for so long after all.”
“Perhaps,” replied Jeremy, putting his hand on top of Kelsey’s hand. “We will just have to wait and see. It all depends on the number of AIs that show up at New Tellus.”
“I wonder if I can have a second helping of fries?” asked Kevin, looking over to where one of the cooks was serving food to several other ship officers.”
“Go ask,” Katie said with a pleasant laugh, her green eyes glinting. “I’m just going to work it off of you later!”
“Katie!” blurted Angela, turning red. “You know as ship officers you and Kevin shouldn’t be doing that on the ship.”
“It’s alright,” said Kelsey, smiling and giggling at Angela’s obvious embarrassment. “No ones going to say anything and besides there’s no guarantee we will ever make it back to the Federation. Also, if I remember correctly you spent a lot of time with a certain marine captain down on Careth when we were on leave recently.”
Angela eyes grew wide and then she nodded. “I guess you’re right. We shouldn’t waste any of the time we might have left.”
“If there is no sign of increased Hocklyn ship activity in the next few days, I am probably going to allow the crews of our ships to take some short two day leaves on a rotational basis,” Jeremy informed them knowing everyone needed some time off. “I want our people to be sharp and rested when the Hocklyns do finally attack.”
Later, everyone had gone to their quarters except Kelsey who was going to return to the Command Center. She and Ariel were going to work on some additional jump simulations. Ariel was still sitting with her, and the two were talking about the new equations they were going to try to set up.
“Excuse me,” Colonel Malen said as she sat down across from Kelsey and next to Ariel. “I couldn’t help but overhear part of your conversation earlier.”
“Which part?” asked Kelsey, feeling her face blush.
“The part about Lieutenant Johnson and Lieutenant Walters sharing their quarters together.”
“If it’s a problem, I will tell them not to,” responded Kelsey, feeling uncomfortable talking about this with the ship’s executive officer. She knew that Colonel Malen could report the situation to Fleet Admiral Johnson when they eventually returned to the Federation.
“No, I didn’t mean that,” Colonel Malen replied with a reassuring smile. “But I think it would be a good idea if you would follow Lieutenant Johnson’s lead. Admiral Strong is under a lot of pressure and could certainly use your companionship, if you know what I mean.” Colonel Malen
winked at Kelsey and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her breasts.
“But what would the crew think?” stammered Kelsey feeling extremely uncomfortable talking about this with Colonel Malen. “Command officers are not supposed to fraternize.”
“The five of you still don’t understand, do you?” Malen said with surprise showing in her hazel-green eyes. “You’re the Special Five and nothing any of you do will ever be questioned. The entire crew already knows about your relationship with Jeremy and approves of it. Don’t waste this precious time; the Hocklyns could attack us in overwhelming force next week and then it could be too late.”
“Colonel Malen is right,” Ariel added with a slight nod of her head. “The crew knows and I hear them talking about it every day. No one disapproves.”
“I still need to go over those new jump equations,” Kelsey spoke doubtfully.
“Don’t worry about the equations for now,” Malen said with a reassuring smile. “Go see Jeremy; he needs you. The equations can wait until tomorrow.”
Kelsey nodded slowly and then stood up and walked out of the door to the officer’s mess.
“I’m surprised you hadn’t already suggested this,” added Colonel Malen, looking over at Ariel. “You seem to keep a very close watch on all five of them.”
“It’s my job,” Ariel confessed in a quiet voice, her dark eyes focusing on the colonel. “Jeremy’s dad asked me to watch over them centuries ago, and they are my closest friends. I didn’t suggest Kelsey go to Jeremy’s quarters because that is still an area of human interaction that I don’t fully understand.”
Colonel Malen nodded. She had become so used to seeing Ariel in her holographic form that sometimes she forgot that she wasn’t human.
“It’s complicated,” conceded Malen, feeling sorry for Ariel, knowing there were some parts of being human that the AI would never be able to experience. Then, leaning forward, Malen continued. “Ariel, if you ever have questions about things like that you can talk them over with me and I will help you to try to understand.”
“Thank you,” Ariel said, surprised and pleased with Malen’s words. She knew she had just made another friend.
The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book Five) Page 26