“It’s so nice down here,” Kelsey spoke happily as she massaged Jeremy’s shoulders with her hands. “This beach reminds me so much of the one on New Tellus.”
“I’ve heard Admiral Sheen talk about the beaches on Krall Island on Aquaria,” replied Jeremy, feeling more relaxed with each passing minute. Kelsey’s hands felt so good on his shoulders. “She says the beaches there are a pristine white, and it has some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving anywhere in the old Federation.”
“Maybe we will get to see it someday,” responded Kelsey, giving Jeremy’s shoulders one final squeeze and then coming around to stand in front of him. “Let’s go for a swim.”
Jeremy nodded and, taking Kelsey’s hand, stood up. She looked great in the light blue two-piece she was wearing. She was as beautiful now as she had ever been. A minute later, they were both in the water, laughing and splashing each other. It was good to get away from everything, even if it was only for a few hours.
On the shore, a few crew personnel paused as they watched Jeremy and Kelsey. It made them feel good to know that their admiral was no different from anyone else and could just relax and have fun. After a few moments, they moved on, leaving Jeremy and Kelsey their privacy.
-
Katie and Kevin were on the Avenger working with Ariel. This was the first time in quite some time that Ariel and Clarissa had been separated and could not communicate regularly with one another.
“It feels so lonely,” Ariel complained with her hands on her shapely hips. Clarissa and she could share thousands of bits of information in moments during their communications. It was not quite the same with her human friends.
“You will get used to it,” promised Katie, reassuringly. “I’m sure Clarissa is feeling the same way.”
“Do you think they will ever allow more AIs like Clarissa and I to be created?” Aerial asked, with her dark eyes focusing intently on Katie. It would be nice to have more AIs around.
“I don’t know,” replied Katie, truthfully. “If not for the AIs in the center of the galaxy, I would say yes. But those AIs frighten people.”
“But Clarissa and I are not like them!” Ariel protested, her dark eyes glinting. “We would never harm a human!”
“Some people feel all AIs are alike,” Kevin explained in a patient voice. He agreed with Ariel. If they had more AIs like the ones they had it could make a big difference in the war. He had seen firsthand how Ariel and Clarissa could fight a warship.
“Perhaps sometime in the future we will be allowed to create more of your kind,” Katie said. “Now, let’s look at this new firewall I have made to protect you from attack.”
“I don’t see why I need it,” Ariel complained with a frown. “I can block any virus or attempt to take over my program.”
“That we know of,” Katie reminded her. “We don’t know for sure what the AIs may have that could be a danger to you. At the moment, they don’t know that you and Clarissa exist. If they ever learn that we have two AIs they may attempt to infiltrate your program and this firewall should at least give you some added protection.”
“Alright,” Ariel relented. “I will trust your judgment in this. But I would never allow the AIs to influence my program.”
“Fine,” Kevin said with a grin. “Let’s finish this up and go eat. The chef in the officer’s mess has promised to make me a double cheeseburger better than any I have ever eaten before. I bet him a week’s wages that it couldn’t be done.”
“This I have to see,” Katie replied with a good natured laugh.
Ariel shook here head and smiled at her two friends, it was good to hear them laugh. She was also curious about this cheeseburger the chef was going to make and what would make it so special. The chef in question had been assessing the ship’s computer and requesting various recipes for cheeseburgers. Evidently, he was taking this challenge very seriously.
-
Angela was busy talking on her communications console to the marine captain she had been spending some time with. He had recently been assigned to duty on the space station, and Angela was trying to set up a time so they could get together. It shouldn’t be too difficult as the Avenger was currently docked to the station.
“Later tonight,” Angela suggested. “My duty shift will be over in a few more hours and I can come over.”
“We can eat in the officer’s mess hall over here,” the captain said. “It has some really good food.”
“It’s a date,” Angela replied with a pleased smile. After talking for a few more minutes, she shut down the com system and leaned back, folding her arms across her breasts. She would only get to see her new friend for a short time, but it was better than nothing. A lot could happen in a couple of hours.
-
Kevin and Katie were just about to leave when the warning alarm went off on the sensor console. Kevin spun around, looked worriedly at the large sensor screen, and then relaxed as a green icon appeared.
“It’s the stealth scout that’s been observing the main Hocklyn fleet,” Colonel Malen explained, seeing Lieutenant Walters look of concern. “It was supposed to report back as soon as the Hocklyn fleet jumped out.”
Kevin looked over at Katie; they both knew what that meant. The Hocklyns and the AIs were headed toward the Federation.
“Lieutenant DeSota, contact Admiral Strong on Careth and inform him that the scout ship has returned,” ordered Malen, knowing that Jeremy would want to know.
“Yes, Colonel,” Angela replied as she activated her com system to allow her to contact Jeremy through his mini-com, which he always wore. She knew he would be returning to the ship to review the information from the scout. She hated ruining Kelsey and Jeremy’s plans, but she knew this was important. The Federation needed to be warned about what was coming their way, and that needed to come from Admiral Strong.
-
Fleet Commodore Resmunt watched as his assembled fleet prepared to jump again. The AIs had given him a set of coordinates to meet them at in twenty hours. It seemed the AI’s sensors could reach out over a distance of nearly four light years, and they would be jumping separately searching for the fleeing human fleet. With the repairs that the humans would have had to make to their ships, there was a good possibility they could be found before they reached the supposed safety of their home worlds.
Studying the coordinates carefully, Resmunt knew it would take his fleet three jumps to reach them. Not bad, actually, that gave his drive cores plenty of time to cool down as well as allowed the engineers to keep them tuned properly.
“War leader Osbith is demanding an audience after the next jump,” First Leader Ganth hissed in an aggravated voice.
“I’m sure he wants more ships assigned to him rather than just the one fleet he has,” Resmunt replied, his cold eyes gazing across the War Room. “He thinks that since he was with us at the original battle above the fleet base that he is entitled to a larger command.”
“He seeks the honor such a command would bring him,” responded Ganth, knowingly. “I understand he is related to High Councilor Ruthan.”
“A distant relation,” Resmunt answered.
Too often in the Empire commands were given to non-deserving Hocklyn commanders due to political considerations. Resmunt strongly suspected that over half of the War Leaders in the Hocklyn Empire were incompetent. He was still in the process of evaluating the ones in his own fleet to determine which ones might be a liability. There was no doubt that some incompetent War Leaders had made it into his combined warfleet due to the decisions of the High Councilors. Commodore Aanith was a prime example of that. Resmunt hoped to have a good feel for what War Leaders he could count on before they reached human space.
-
On the dreadnought Viden, War Leader Versith was speaking to Second Leader Jaseth. “You must hold your anger in check if you wish to rise in command,” he was saying. “This anger toward the humans could seriously jeopardize your career.”
Jaseth gazed coldl
y toward the War Leader, hearing the older warrior’s words but not agreeing with them. “My anger makes me strong,” Jaseth countered. “The humans are a threat to the Empire and must be eliminated. In the recent battle, the Viden accounted for four kills of human warships. My anger will not endanger the ship; it will only make it stronger.”
Versith shook his head, knowing the young warrior was not ready to listen. “Heed my words, Jaseth. It is only out of respect for your father and mother that I don’t transfer you to another ship. If I see your anger ever endangering this ship while it is in combat your days as a Hocklyn warrior will be over. Do you understand that?”
“Yes,” Jaseth grated out, trying to hold his anger in check. “I will not endanger the ship; you have my word on that.”
“Very well,” Versith replied. “You may continue with your duties.”
After Jaseth had walked away, First Leader Trion stepped up to the command pedestal and gazed at the War Leader. “Do you think he really understands the danger he is to the ship?”
“No,” replied Versith, grimly. “His anger is too strong. Keep a close watch on him; I don’t like where this may lead.”
“As you command,” Trion responded. “We have gained much honor in this war so far. I will not allow Jaseth to endanger that.”
“Do as you must,” Versith answered. “The honor of this ship must be preserved above all else. I have done what I can for Second Leader Jaseth, now it is up to him.”
-
Admiral Streth and Janice Duncan were in the gym, jogging. They had started doing this together once per day and were growing more accustomed to each other’s company.
“So Taylor’s wife Lendle was a really good cook?” Janice asked as they jogged side by side.
“The best,” responded Hedon, finding that each time Janice and he jogged together he found it easier to talk to her. “I don’t know where she learned, but she could really prepare a meal. I was always surprised that Taylor could keep his weight down.”
“What was the planet Maken like?” Janice asked. She had always been curious about the old Federation worlds.
“It was a beautiful world,” began Hedon, thinking about all the times he had visited the planet. “It was the second most heavily populated planet in the old Federation; only the capital Tellus had more. Even so, there were wide areas of untouched forests and wildlife preserves.”
“I wonder what it’s like now?” asked Janice, knowing the Hocklyns had heavily nuked the planet.
“Almost as it was when I last saw it,” replied Hedon, feeling a twinge of homesickness as they slowed their jog down to a more casual walk. “Admiral Sheen went on a mission during the time of the New Horizon incident to search our old worlds for survivors. From her reports, the biosphere on Maken had returned to normal. There were no signs of radiation or any other harmful aftereffects from the Hocklyn bombardment.”
“Do you think your brother’s cabin is still there?” Janice asked out of curiosity. She would like to see Maken someday.
“I doubt it,” Hedon replied with sadness in his eyes. He had so many wonderful memories associated with that cabin. “A lot of years have gone by, so I doubt if anything remains.”
“Admiral Streth, report to the Command Center,” a voice spoke suddenly over the ship’s com system.
“I guess our jog for today is over,” Janice replied with a friendly smile.
Admiral Streth walked over to the com panel on the wall and pressed a button. “This is Admiral Streth, what’s going on?”
“Admiral, one of our stealth scouts has returned, and they have detected the Hocklyn fleet.”
Hedon looked over at Janice with a serious look upon his face. “Now the chase starts; let’s see if we can get the Hocklyns to follow us.”
-
After showering and changing, Hedon stepped into the Command Center past the two heavily armed marines that stood at the entrance.
“Report,” he ordered as he took his seat behind the center command console.
“Major Arcles just made it back to the carrier Endurance and reports that he spotted a large Hocklyn fleet three jumps back,” Colonel Trist reported as he stepped away from one of the tactical displays.
“Did he manage to get scans on the makeup of the fleet?” Hedon asked. They had received a report the previous day from Fleet Admiral Johnson on what Admiral Strong had sent Fleet Command as to the makeup of the Hocklyn and AI fleet that had jumped away from the destroyed Hocklyn fleet base.
“Not good scans,” Colonel Trist reported. “He didn’t wait around too long in case his scout had been detected.”
“From what we can tell, the fleet seems to be the same one that jumped from the base,” Colonel Grissim answered as she looked up from a console where she had been studying the data from the scout’s scanning systems. “The number seems to be the same, though we don’t know the exact makeup of the fleet that Major Arcles found. However, only two AI ships were present.”
“The other AI ships are searching for us,” Hedon guessed. He knew the AIs had advanced sensors that could reach out for several light years. Over the past week, they had jumped to a point that had them halfway back to the New Tellus system and the waiting Federation forces.
“The AIs could find us at any time,” cautioned Colonel Trist. “All six of the repair ships have fleet units docked to them undergoing repairs. That might not be safe if an AI ship jumped into our midst.”
Hedon thought for a moment before speaking. “Contact all of the repair ships and tell them they have four more hours to complete their current repairs. Starting with this next jump, the repair ships will be doing emergency repairs only if a ship’s drive system fails.”
“Will we engage the AIs or Hocklyns if they find us?” Colonel Grissom asked her eyes focusing on the admiral. She knew the fleet wasn’t ready for combat, too many repairs still needed to be made.
“No,” replied Hedon firmly, shaking his head. “We will allow them to scan us and then we will make our next jump. From the trajectory we enter the spatial vortexes at, the AIs and the Hocklyns should be able to calculate our general course. We want them to follow us to New Tellus.”
“I would expect them to locate us in the next day or two,” Grissom added with concern in her voice. “The fleet will have to be prepared to jump at a moment’s notice to prevent an AI ship from attacking.”
“I don’t think they will attack us,” Hedon answered. “They want us to lead them back to our worlds, so we will allow them to herd us in that direction. As a safety precaution, we will keep the fleet at Condition Three from now on.” Hedon knew that, at that heightened alert level, they could jump out quickly if the need arose.
“Twenty AI ships,” said Colonel Trist, arching his eyebrows and crossing his arms across his chest. “Can New Tellus stop that many?”
“Fleet Admiral Johnson thinks so,” replied Grissom, recalling the latest intelligence estimates of what would happen if the Hocklyns and the AIs attacked New Tellus. “With what I know of the defenses in the New Tellus system they should be able to handle twenty AI ships. The bigger question is, if we stop this attack by the AIs and the Hocklyns what will our losses be? Will we have enough forces left over to stop the next one?”
“We have a lot of ship production capacity in the new Federation,” Hedon said as he thought about what Grissom had just implied. “If we can have six months before the next attack, we should be ready.”
“Sensor contact!” Captain Reynolds suddenly called out.
“It’s a Hocklyn escort cruiser,” Clarissa said as she walked over from where she had been standing at one of the tactical displays talking to one of the two officers that operated it. “Twenty-two million kilometers and that puts them within sensor range of the fleet.”
“Go to Condition Two,” Hedon ordered grim faced as he realized the repair ships would have to stop in the middle of whatever repairs they were doing. “Fleet will jump in forty minutes.”
“What’s the Hocklyn doing?” Colonel Trist demanded. Then, glancing over at Hedon, “We can send a couple of light cruisers to eliminate it.”
“No,” Hedon replied as the Hocklyn ship was now showing as a red threat icon on one of the tactical displays. “Let them watch us jump; we’re still far enough ahead that they can’t launch a full scale strike against us. They must be using a number of their escort cruisers to scout ahead as well as the AI ships.”
-
In space, the crews on the six repair ships hurriedly finished what they were doing. The docked ships slowly backed away from the massive repair ships and took their positions in the fleet formation. All across the fleet there was increased tension as they watched the Hocklyn cruiser, knowing what it meant. There was a fear that, at any moment, an AI ship could jump in and wreak havoc with the fleet, but nothing happened. Finally, the forty minutes were up and the ships started to jump. Blue-white spatial vortexes formed, and the ships flew into them one by one until the only ship left in the system was the Hocklyn cruiser.
The Hocklyn cruiser had gotten good readings on the trajectories of the human ships. It would not be hard to determine their approximate vector and destination. A white swirling vortex formed in front of the Hocklyn ship, and it flew into the vortex and jumped into hyperspace. It was time to return to the fleet and report.
-
For the next week, the human fleet made short jumps, occasionally staying in a system just long enough for the Hocklyns to find them. In each instance, a Hocklyn escort cruiser would jump into the system and watch the fleet until the human ships jumped, then it would jump back to the advancing Hocklyn fleet and report. The AIs were also keeping a close watch. Most of the time it was their ships that detected the presence of human ships and then ordered the Hocklyns to send in an escort cruiser to scan the human hyperjumps so they could maintain the pursuit.
The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book Five) Page 29