Star Strike: Book 3 of the Star Man Series

by I. G. Roberts

  FD-892S

  Four weeks after discovering the way to Hangelore, Admiral Zhavan’s Task-Force reached the uninhabited System designated FD-892S on their charts. This System held four Jump-Points. Although she didn’t know it then, one of those Jump-Points led to the System where Magni and Forseti first saw the Pirate Fleet before the Battle of Cambridge. When everyone arrived, Zhavan’s Fleet moved toward the Jump-Point to Hangelore. By then, she’d calmed, so her rage didn’t burn as bright as before they found the coordinates needed to reach the Pirate world. During their transit to FD-892S, the Admiral spent many hours with her staff planning their attack. The one thing they lacked was up-to-date intelligence. Nobody dared dwell on this lack although it was essential for their planning. The risks this operation presented were higher than anyone dared admit, even to themselves. They expected to overcome the Pirates, but Zhavan had to get most of the Fleet into Hangelore intact to make sure of victory.

  During transit to the Jump-Point, Admiral Zhavan called her Captains together to plan their assault. This was her second mistake. The role Zhavan set for her Captains required plenty of imagination. They were a competent but unimaginative group, and should never rise past their present positions. They had to consider threats before they saw the System and then devise counter tactics. While they received briefings on Cambridge’s defensive measures and knew about Mines, none had an inkling of the threat waiting on the other side of the Jump. These Officers never imagined the sheer numbers of Mines and Missiles the Pirates kept ready to unleash on any invader who attacked Hangelore. Few of these Officers had prepared their crews for battle the way Captain Koral did on FNS Disna. Several Captains, including Koral, were so cocksure of the outcome, they vied for the honor of entering Hangelore first. Zhavan wasn’t the most original tactical thinker either. She favored more conventional tactics believing in the tried and tested. These worked for a force with advantages but not against the storm they would enter. These problems arose because the fires of war hadn’t forged the Kislaran Fleet into the deadly machine they needed.

  After arguing over the order of entry for much of the transit, the Captains agreed to send ships through Jump two at a time with each pair five-minutes apart. This was Zhavan’s third mistake. To send ships through in pairs was solid tactical thinking but a five-minute separation was too long. Vessels entering the System were alone until backup arrived. Federation Naval Doctrine dictated a standard five-minute separation for safety reasons, but this grew from a peacetime mentality. The two-minute separation the Pirates used when invading Cambridge might’ve helped by increasing the Federation weapon count faster. This should split Hangelore’s defensive focus and reduce the time for the Pirates to prepare.

  The fourth mistake Zhavan made was to send a Destroyer with a Patrol-Boat for the first few pairs, limiting the Point-Defense density at the other end. Zhavan made her first mistake when she ignored Colin Gordon’s plea to wait until they found reinforcements. Zhavan was unaware of her mistakes then, rushing toward her Task-Force’s destruction, unaware of the long-term consequences. Maybe if she had the prescience to understand what lay ahead, she might’ve stopped.

  FNS Camarn

  FNS Camarn was a Shanonah class Destroyer built under license twenty years before in the Kislaran Shipyards for the Kislaran defense contingent. Her Captain, Tava Lishu was one of Kislara’s better Officers. He’d kept his ship in good repair by bullying the logistics staff into releasing spares, so his crew repaired or replaced failed components faster. Lishu convinced Admiral Zhavan that he alone possessed the skills to keep his ship going until reinforcements arrived. The Admiral never doubted his abilities, she considered him an excellent Officer.

  An alarm rang showing five-minutes to Down-Jump. Camarn’s crew waited in position, ready for the ship to arrive in Hangelore. The First Officer with a full team manned the CCC so if they lost the Captain someone remained in charge. Their confidence was unbounded, they expected to crush the Pirates.

  FNS Camarn burst from the Jump-Point in Hangelore like an avenging angel. With her Point-Defense online, the Sensor arrays fed data to targeting computers as Camarn cleared the Jump-Point event horizon. Sensors found an abundance of targets near the Destroyer and opened fire, but a few objects were too close for the Point-Defense to attack. Those close in targets were Mines. Their Passive Sensors detected a large, unidentified mass within the programmed attack radius. They rotated around their transverse axis, and fired their small thrusters, pushing them into the invader before her Shields activated. Multiple explosions erupted along Camarn’s Hull, damaging and degrading the Destroyers Point-Defense and Shields.

  The damage inflicted by the Mines slowed the Shield’s response though they increased in strength. Worse, the trip into Hangelore left the Jump-Drive depleted. FNS Camarn had to find safety in normal Space, but there was nowhere to run, the Pirates had trapped them in a kill zone. Captain Lishu worked hard to preserve his Command, but he fought a losing battle. Wherever they turned, they found more Mines, waiting to attack. Soon, Missiles streamed toward Camarn as the Battle-Stations activated nearby Missile Platforms. Even with the Shields at full strength and the Point-Defense operating at full capacity, FNS Camarn would’ve struggled to survive this onslaught.

  Lishu saw his companion Patrol-Boat destroyed. FNS Sinsaron never stood a chance. Her Jump emergence triggered twenty Mines as she plowed into the Minefield. Those Mines smashed into her Hull and exploded. The first few detonated against the outer Hull and opened large sections to Space. Later Mines entered through these holes and exploded against bulkheads inside the ship. The end came when one Mine drilled its way into the main Engineering spaces before detonating. FNS Sinsaron became an expanding cloud of debris within a minute of entering Hangelore. Zhavan lost FNS Sinsaron with all hands, most vaporized or mutilated in the explosions, but a few died when decompression and blasts threw them into the vacuum of Space.

  Unsupported and with nowhere to run, FNS Camarn never stood a chance. The sheer numbers of arriving Missiles overwhelmed her Point-Defense and battered her Shields into collapse. Missiles and Mines continued smashing into the stricken Destroyer till she was little more than a drifting hulk. Captain Lishu bowed to the inevitable and ordered his crew to abandon ship six minutes after they entered the System. He hoped the Federation forces proved victorious and picked his people up, at least the survivors. Under ideal conditions, the entire crew should evacuate in under three minutes, but another flight of Missiles smashed into FNS Camarn before they’d escaped. Missiles and debris shattered several escape pods soon after they ejected, killing the occupants. Captain Lishu died on the Bridge of his ship when a Missile penetrated to an adjacent compartment and exploded, smashing the intervening bulkhead and vaporizing the remaining delanot. FNS Camarn tumbled through Space, a powerless, twisted, lifeless wreck. By the time her fight ended, only thirty percent of FNS Camarn’s crew remained alive.

  Hangelore System

  Two Battle-Stations backed by Mines and Missile Platforms guarded this Jump-Point. When two unidentified warships; a Destroyer and a Patrol-Boat arriving in Hangelore triggered alerts, their crews raced to Duty-Stations ready to defend Hangelore from attack. Mines near the Jump-Point smashed into the invaders wreaking havoc. The Patrol-Boat lasted less than a minute before she succumbed. She exploded, clearing more Mines from the Jump exit lane. The Destroyer survived somewhat longer before attacking Mines and Missiles overwhelmed her defenses.

  Before the Federation forces lost their first Destroyer, more enemy ships arrived in Hangelore. Again, these comprised a Destroyer and a Patrol-Boat. The first two invaders cleared dozens of Mines from the Jump exit lane, giving the second two precious seconds to bring their Shields online. Point-Defense from these two ships sprayed shots in all directions, shooting Missiles, and Mines with wild abandon.

  Sithu Harsen, the Station Commander, sent a message to Hangelore Orbital, telling Suhmarlin Hazilsor somebody was attacking Hangelore. The boss could
decide if he wanted to join the fun. The Battle-Stations had the exits covered and hadn’t fired their onboard weapons yet because Mines and remote Missile Platforms had inflicted plenty of carnage on their own. As incoming ships depleted the Mines and Missile Platforms in the Jump exit lanes, later invaders found it easier to move into the System.

  Harsen allowed the second pair of ships to penetrate further before unleashing a massive barrage of Missiles. The Alliance had plenty of assets placed to enable defense in depth. The trick was to make sure the invaders didn’t have time to recharge their Jump-Drives and escape. Missiles streaked toward the Federation warships, and they flinched under the onslaught when Missiles reached their targets and detonated against the Shields. After several minutes of this, the Shields weakened, then collapsed, first on the Patrol-Boat and a few minutes later, on the Destroyer. Once again, escape pods ejected from the stricken ships, and once more, the next pair of ships arrived in time to witness their predecessor’s destruction.

  The Duty Officer on Hangelore Orbital, sent a terrified slave to wake Hazilsor and tell him they were under attack. For a few seconds, the Pirate Chief considered killing the woman but changed his mind and punched her instead. He’d burned too much money with the slaves he murdered in fits of pique. Their deaths were becoming tiresome. It was so easy to kill a slave. None dared fight back, they looked at him with pleading, cow eyes, accepting their fate. Hazilsor rose from his sleeping pallet and walked to the nearby System-Command-Centre, leaving the frightened slave cowering.

  When he entered he barked, “Report!”

  “Federation warships have entered Hangelore, Sir. Our defenses are holding. We’ve destroyed six enemy ships so far, but they keep coming.”

  “So, we’re under attack then. I’m not too surprised. It was inevitable, the Federation would come. Have we identified any of them yet?”

  “Yes, Sir, so far, they’re Kislaran.”

  “That’s interesting. Assemble the available fighting ships. I’ll go out to meet any Kislarans who fight through our defenses.”

  FNS Brina

  After the first two Destroyer/Patrol-Boat pairs passed through the Jump, several Patrol-Boats followed. The Kislarans expected their first ships to clear the Jump-Point environs by then so the lighter Patrol-Boats could enter in safety. FNS Brina with a Destroyer escort followed these Patrol-Boats. The Kislaran’s still maintained their disastrous five-minute separation.

  The choice of when to Jump into Hangelore proved difficult for Zhavan. If Brina went too early, she risked destruction, leaving the Task-Force without the leadership Zhavan provided. Arriving too late left them leaderless. FNS Brina arrived in Hangelore leading the second wave of heavy ships. Zhavan intended to be among the first of five Destroyers in this second wave. She expected her early ships to wreak havoc among the defenders and planned to bring order to the chaos in Hangelore and defeat the Pirates.

  When FNS Brina and her consort arrived in Hangelore, debris in the Space surrounding the Jump-Point cluttered the Sensor displays. Debris hit both ship’s Hulls before the Shields came online, but inflicted little damage. Zhavan peered at the Sensors trying to make sense of the situation. The Admiral expected to see at least a few of her ships in control of the nearby environment, but only one Patrol-Boat remained. It fought a desperate battle, trying to fend off the Missiles hurtling toward it. Zhavan watched in horror as the Missiles reached the Patrol-Boat, and she ceased to exist. By then, FNS Brina and her consort had cleared the region near the Jump exit and came under sustained attack. Missiles appeared from nowhere, streaking toward the Destroyers. Zhavan ordered the two ships to close so they could offer mutual support with their Point-Defense. Brina and her consort held against the first barrage of Missiles as only a few made it past their defenses to explode against the Shields. Each Missile that hit the Shields stressed them. Although Shields can withstand weapons fire, they have limits, needing time to recover. If the hit frequency is too high, the energy released by the hits batter the Shields until they fail.

  More Missiles smashed into FNS Brina’s Shields, weakening them until they collapsed. By then other Kislaran ships were in Hangelore and raced to help protect FNS Brina, but they too came under heavy attack. Pandemonium reigned on both Destroyers as Missiles smashed into their Hulls. FNS Brina lost power to her drives, closely followed by her weapons, making her defenseless. The crew made desperate efforts to restore damaged systems, but Pirates boarded her before they succeeded. FNS Brina’s Troopers and crew fought to defend FNS Brina and each other, but the Pirates brought an overwhelming force. Soon, the Federation forces held the Bridge, the CCC, and Engineering. Pirate troops controlled the rest with most of the Kislaran crew either dead or prisoners, destined for a brutal life of slavery.

  Zhavan sat at her Command-Station inside the CCC in shock. She wondered, ‘Where are the rest of my Fleet? How did these Pirates win?’

  By then, few Sensors still worked either inside or outside her Flagship. Her lack of situational awareness proved a blessing. Zhavan didn’t see the rest of her Task-Force arriving, or the Missiles descending on them. She was oblivious to the death and destruction her people suffered. By then, FNS Brina had drifted out of immediate danger from Mines and Pirates had control, so Missiles no longer hit the Hull. Zhavan’s Flag Captain died after a stray railgun round hit him in the temple. It punched a neat hole through his skull, pushing fragments of bone and the projectile into his brain. Zhavan listened as the sounds of fighting outside the CCC quietened.

  When Pirate troops burst into the CCC, Zhavan scrambled to draw her sidearm from its holster and take her own life. She didn’t wish captivity by these Pirates. As an Admiral in the Federation Navy, Zhavan was a prize for them. Zhavan didn’t succeed in her endeavors. A stunner blast hit before she pulled her gun’s trigger and the weapon fell from fingers that no longer responded to her will. Soon after, silence reigned throughout the ship as the Pirates finished mopping up the last resistance.

  Pirate troops shackled the surviving crew into manageable sized groups and marched them to an airlock where Shuttles waited. With FNS Brina secured, Suhmarlin Hazilsor boarded her to inspect his prize. His shipyard would repair this ship. He grinned in anticipation, the Federation had gifted him with several Destroyers and parts they could use to restore them.

  Zhavan woke to find herself in shackles with a snug fitting collar around her neck. Tiny pricking sensations irritated her under the collar over the spine. A tall Pirate wearing an unfamiliar uniform towered over her, a manic gleam in his eye.

  The Pirate said, “You are the Admiral who dared bring a hostile force to my world. My name is Suhmarlin Hazilsor, you invaded my home. I must thank you for the gift of ships and slaves. Several of your Destroyers are repairable, and we’ll salvage parts from others. I’m sure we’ll find obedient slaves among your surviving crews. The rest will make an entertaining diversion.”

  Zhavan struggled to stand and face this Pirate. Kashir wanted to deny the words, but in her heart, she knew they were true. Kashir Zhavan would go down in Kislaran history as the Admiral who led half the Kislaran Fleet to destruction.

  She said, “You’re lying. You couldn’t have captured more of my ships.”

  In response to her defiant words, Hazilsor showed her a small remote control then, with an evil grin pressed the single button on the surface. Excruciating pain exploded through Zhavan’s body as if someone forced red-hot needles under her skin and through her internal organs. She lost control of her muscles and crashed to the floor gasping for breath. Hazilsor only held the button for a second before he released it and the pain subsided.

  Suhmarlin Hazilsor said, “These collars aren’t meant to kill, but if I hold the button for over two minutes, it will. The collar is more useful as a persuasive device. You have a simple life now, you’re my slave. When you displease me, or whoever holds this remote control, you suffer the pain. If you do what we say, you won’t. Get up, we must evacuate this vessel. My tugs will t
ow her to the shipyard for repair.”

  Zhavan saw she was in a hopeless situation. She soiled herself when the Pirate activated the collar, and this mortified her. He didn’t care as he dragged Kashir to her feet and pushed her toward the hatch. Zhavan wondered if she could prod him into pressing the button long enough to kill her. Memories of the pain dissuaded her from that plan. On the way to the airlock, Zhavan saw Kislaran bodies everywhere. A deep sense of shame settled over her psyche when she realized what a profound screw up she’d made.

  FNS Disna

  Fana Koral brought his ship to Alert One five-minutes before Jump emergence. Koral thought FNS Disna and her crew were ready for whatever waited when they Down-Jumped into Hangelore. Like the others, he’d argued to have the honor of entering the System first. Admiral Zhavan gave that honor to another and relegated him to the last place in the line. His misfortune saved his life, and the lives of his crew. A Freighter with two escorting Patrol-Boats remained in FD-892S. Admiral Zhavan planned to send a Patrol-Boat to retrieve them after she secured Hangelore. FNS Valaron, a Helimon class Patrol-Boat, accompanied FNS Disna into the target System.

  The Federation warships entered Hangelore to find their Sensors blinded by overwhelming clutter. Millions of fragments from Mines, Missiles, and ships, thrown into Space near the Jump-Point during the battle. These drifting pieces caused the confusion. This and the way earlier vessels consumed most of the defender’s ordnance near the Jump-Point saved FNS Disna and her companion from immediate attack after they emerged. At first, the defender’s Sensors didn’t see new ships arriving. By the time they did, Shields had reached full strength, Point-Defense was online and crews alert to the disaster. On Disna’s Bridge, Captain Koral stared in disbelief at the picture his Sensors presented. Although his Command-Team searched, they found no functioning Federation IFF in Hangelore. Koral ordered his Comms Officers to try contacting the Fleet, but these efforts were in vain. None of the Federation ships preceding Disna and Valaron remained intact.