“All emergency bulkheads have been activated,” reported the damage control officer. “We have fires in several compartments, where the fire suppression equipment has failed.”
“Activating maneuvering thrusters,” reported the executive officer. “We’re moving backward but very slowly.”
Captain Dorn looked at the viewscreens, but all he saw was a brilliant light as the energy screen was covered in explosions.
The ship suddenly felt as if it collided with a large object. Dorn instantly looked at damage control, seeing more red lights flare up.
“We have a hole in our starboard hull nearly thirty meters across and descending through numerous compartments. It goes down through seven decks.”
The lights suddenly dimmed and stayed dim.
“We have too many damaged power couplings,” reported the damage control officer. “I’m trying to reroute power.”
“Chief engineer reports major damage to secondary engineering,” reported the executive officer. “He’s shutting down the reserve fusion power plant, before it explodes.”
Moments later the lights dimmed even further.
“We’ve lost power to all weapons systems,” reported tactical as the consoles shut down.
“That’s it then,” said the executive officer, looking over at the captain.
Captain Dorn nodded. “Unfortunately so.”
The next moment the Indomitable blew apart, as an antimatter missile tore the ship into a million flaming pieces. Captain Dorn was not even aware that his ship had been destroyed.
-
“Indomitable is down,” reported Lieutenant Casella.
Dylan grimly nodded. Over one thousand Humans had been on that ship. “Continue to pull back.” Dylan shifted his gaze to the dogfight. The drones were now using fusion and antimatter missiles to try to take out the attack interceptors. They were having some success, but the squadrons were spaced far apart, making it hard to take out large numbers at a time. They were getting closer to Rear Admiral Carrie’s fleet, but, with her dreadnoughts and battlecruisers, she was well protected. Also the defense grid now fired on the drones. They wouldn’t last long under the intense firepower from the defensive grid’s energy beam satellites and missile platforms.
-
Druin Admiral Falorr saw his drones were about to be wiped out by the heavy firepower from the defensive grid. “Order them back,” he said, shaking his head. Falorr was greatly disappointed in the effectiveness of the drones. The Human interceptors were more maneuverable and, with their missiles, held a slight advantage over the Druin drones. This would have to be reported, so the designers could see if the drones could be modified to make up for this failure.
However, his ships still had the superior firepower, though this new weapon the Human dreadnoughts were equipped with was devastating to his battleships. He had ordered all Zynth and Druin battleships to concentrate on the Human dreadnoughts, while all the battlecruisers focused on the Human battlecruisers.
“We’re almost in range of the planet’s defensive grid,” warned First Officer Dagor.
“I want 20 percent of all missiles aimed at ground targets,” ordered Falorr. “Maybe we can get some through.”
Looking at the viewscreens and the tactical displays, his fleets were still taking out two Human ships for every one he lost. However, he was losing a larger percentage of his battleships. He had pulled his own battleship back into the center of his wedge formation, where it should be partially safe.
-
In space, the Druin drones broke off their attack and headed back to their carriers. Only 847 still survived. They had lost nearly two-thirds of their number.
The defense grid was now in range of the enemy fleets and began obliterating the front sections of the Zynth and Druin formation. Thousands of missiles were launched, as well as energy beams. The entire front of the two enemy fleets suddenly looked as if they were on fire. Tendrils of raw energy from exploded fusion and antimatter missiles spread across space.
-
Suddenly on the Themis, alarms sound, as more red threat icons appeared out of hyperspace, just behind the Confederation fleets.
Dylan felt his heart skip a beat. If these were reinforcements, then the battle might be lost. Suddenly the red threat icons turned green.
“They’re Earth ships!” shouted Lieutenant Casella.
“It’s Rear Admiral Barnes with Third Fleet,” reported Lieutenant Newsome from Communications. “Rear Admiral Barnes wants to test out their new accelerator cannons against the Confederation ships, if it’s okay with you.”
“Hell yes!” replied Dylan. Leaning back in his command chair, he knew the battle had just turned.
-
“Whose ships are those?” demanded Druin Admiral Falorr, as a large number of red threat icons appeared behind his fleet.
“Those are Earth ships,” answered the sensor officer. “There are 1,412 warships in that formation.”
Falorr suddenly felt a cold chill run down his back. The battle had been even after the planet’s defense grid opened up. Now he was not so sure. The Earth Humans were considered the most dangerous of all the Humans.
-
Rear Admiral Barnes smiled as the Phobos locked on one of the enemy battleships with its new accelerator cannon. The cannon could accelerate a projectile almost up to the speed of light. Each cannon was capable of firing once every thirty seconds. However, every dreadnought and battlecruiser in her fleet was equipped with just one pair.
“Target locked,” called out the tactical officer.
“All ships fire!” ordered Barnes, her gaze focused intently on the viewscreens, so she saw the damage the projectiles inflicted.
Her ship shook slightly, and suddenly the energy shield on one of the Druin battleships lit up brightly and then failed, overloaded. Several small explosions erupted from the hull of the Druin ship. The next projectile arrived, and the ship vanished beneath a massive fireball, as the vessel disintegrated.
All across the rear of the Druin and Zynth formations, ships were dying by the hundreds. It was a massacre, as the Confederation ships had no defense against this new weapon.
-
“What are they hitting us with?” demanded Falorr, as he saw the rear echelons of his fleets being decimated.
“Some kind of projectile accelerated to a very high speed,” reported First Officer Dagor. “We have no defense against it.”
“Get us out of here,” ordered Admiral Falorr, knowing this battle was lost. “Take us back to the red giant system. If we remain here, we will all die.”
The least he could do was save part of his fleets. To stay here and fight would be suicide. While he could still inflict serious damage to the fleet in front of him, the one in his rear would eventually destroy his two fleets. Better to retreat and come back to fight when they were better prepared.
-
Morag Admiral Norlan saw Druin Admiral Falorr suddenly turn and flee the system. Norlan had witnessed the arrival of the Earth ships and their devastating attack on the Confederation fleets. We shall withdraw as well. Take us to the red giant system. We need to evaluate these new weapons the Empire and the Earth Humans have used against our ships. We must also contact Fleet Admiral Torrant. The fleet admiral must be made aware of the new weapons the Humans have used in the Tantula System.
A few moment later, the Morag fleet vanished from the system, and the fighting, for now, was over.
-
Admiral Cleemorl leaned back in his command chair, with a huge feeling of relief. Most of his fleet was still intact and, not only that, now had a very powerful Earth fleet in the system. “Contact Rear Admiral Barnes. I need to know how her fleet got here and exactly what her orders are.”
-
On Golan Four, Fleet Admiral Marloo had a big all-knowing grin on his face.
“You knew!” exclaimed Layla accusingly. “You knew an Earth fleet would intervene.”
Admiral Marloo nodde
d. “I knew one was on the way. I just wasn’t sure if it would reach the Hagen Star Cluster in time. They have been pushing their hyperdrives ever since they left the Solar System to get here. I didn’t tell anyone, as I didn’t want to give anyone a false sense of hope, until I knew for sure they would make it.”
Cheryl had sat down in shock. For many minutes she had feared the Themis might be destroyed, but now all those fears had evaporated. “Is the battle over?”
“Who knows,” replied Marloo. “The Morag fleet is still intact, and a major portion of the Druin and Zynth fleets are still intact as well. I’m sure our new particle beams and Earth’s accelerator cannons must have come as a shock. It may force them to reconsider this entire attack.”
Layla looked suspiciously at Fleet Admiral Marloo. “Are there any more Earth fleets currently in the Empire?”
Marloo smiled. No point in keeping secrets any longer. “One more. It’s on its way here. It should arrive sometime tomorrow.”
Layla felt as if she could cry. Their odds of winning had just increased tremendously. “What do you think will happen now?”
Fleet Admiral Marloo let out a deep breath. “If I had to guess, the Confederation will halt their attacks, while they evaluate our new weapons. Whether they will continue their attacks is hard to say. All we can do now is wait.”
Krista sat next to Cheryl. “It looks like our men survived this battle.”
Cheryl nodded. Dylan and Mathew had both survived. She would just feel better when they were both home.
“The Tantula System and the entire Hagen Star Cluster will return to Condition Two,” reported Colonel Hillstrum. “It looks as if the fighting was over, for now.”
Admiral Marloo nodded. One thing that did concern him was that the Morag supposedly had a secret weapon as well. A weapon they hadn’t seen yet. Because of that, he strongly suspected these attacks were probably not over but just beginning.
Chapter Twenty
Morag Fleet Admiral Torrant was stunned when he heard the report from Druin Admiral Falorr, Zynth Admiral Donlur, and Morag Admiral Norlan. Torrant had brought his fleet to a stop in a white dwarf system that only contained a small ice planet and a large asteroid field. His fleet was currently tucked in close to the asteroid field at reduced power, making it harder to detect.
After listening to the three reports, Torrant ordered the three admirals to stay where they were, until they heard back from him. Next he contacted Fleet Admiral Colane and told him what the other admirals had reported.
So the Humans have two new weapons, sent Colane. It’s evident one was developed by the Humans of the Empire and the other by the Earth Humans. It’s also evident the Earth Humans’ weapon is the more dangerous, as it is also on their battlecruisers.
Both weapons can penetrate our energy shields, replied Torrant. In combat we must target the Human Empire’s dreadnoughts, as only those ships seem to meet the power requirements of their new weapon. The Earth Humans are a different matter.
Perhaps, but keep in mind their fleet in the Hagen Star Cluster only consists of 1,400 ships. If we have a sufficient numerical advantage, we could still destroy them.
Fleet Admiral Torrant was in agreement with this. We must call forward Admiral Voxx and his reserve fleet. We shall send part of his fleet to reinforce Admiral Norlan, and the rest will come with us. That should give us the necessary numbers to overwhelm whatever forces the Humans put in front of us.
I agree, replied Colane. We should wait here until the reinforcements arrive. Unfortunately, if Admiral Voxx quits attacking Human worlds on the periphery, the Humans will suspect what our actual targets are.
I will send the message immediately, replied Torrant. It will delay our attack by another four days. I’ll have Admiral Voxx come straight here instead of taking the long way, as we did to avoid detection.
Torrant then turned toward Communications and had the necessary messages sent off. They were directional messages, as they knew exactly where Admiral Voxx was, as well as the other fleets that had attacked the Tantula System.
Looking at one of the viewscreens, Torrant saw one of the secret weapons he had brought to destroy the Humans’ homeworld. He wondered how effective the new weapons the Humans had developed would be against his secret one.
-
The High Council of the Morag was once more in session. The news they had received from their fleets in the Human Empire was not good. The attack against the Tantula System had failed due to the intervention of the Earth Humans.
I have spoken to some of our highest scientists, sent Addonis. They feel we are facing two new weapons developments. The first is a particle beam weapon, which can drill through our energy shields. This weapon was developed by the Humans of the Empire. The second weapon is a mass accelerator cannon. From some of the scans made, our scientists believe it can accelerate an object to nearly the speed of light. Such a weapon will be nearly unstoppable.
What will we do? asked Brant. Should we recall our forces?
Fleet Admiral Torrant is confident that, by combining the Morag fleets, he can still conquer both the Human core worlds and the Hagen Star Cluster. It will delay attacks on both by four to six days at the most.
Delann looked thoughtful. Is it possible the secret to these two new weapons developments can be found in the archives on Bator Prime?
Addonis had already considered that. Bator Prime is in Lormallian-controlled space. We will have to get their permission to search the archives for such information. Addonis didn’t like that requirement but now was not the time to force a war that would split the Confederation.
They agreed to allow us to search the archives, if we made such a request, pointed out Hiram. We should do so now.
Addonis nodded. I will inform Councilor Damora of our request. We should also prepare some of our scientists to visit the archives. The sooner we discover the secrets to these weapons, the sooner we can come up with a defense. Addonis was deeply concerned about the Earth Humans. A fleet equipped with such weapons could cause considerable harm to the Confederation, if such a fleet were sent to attack Confederation worlds. No doubt, after the recent Confederation attack against Earth, the Earth Humans would not hesitate to attack the Confederation.
-
The Great Council of the Confederation was in session. The meeting had been called by the Morag.
“Why have you called this meeting?” demanded Councilor Reull. He wore his nullifier, as was the Zang councilor. He wondered what new demands the Morag would make today.
Ardon was suspicious of anything Morag Councilor Damora said or requested. Damora had already threatened both the Zang and the Lormallians if they continued to build defensive grids around their key worlds. So far, the Morag had taken no action, though Ardon wondered what would happen once the Confederation’s war with the Human Empire was over. Both the Lormallians and the Zang were building defensive grids and new warships at an accelerated rate. At the moment, with so many Morag ships in the Human Empire, the Morag could do nothing to prevent them. The danger would be when the Morag fleets returned.
“We would like to send a team to Bator Prime to search for some information in the archives.”
Ardon was already aware of the exact information the Morag wanted. He had forewarned his brother, who was the head curator, to hide this information where the Morag would never find it. The Visth had informed him of the situation in the Human Empire and of the new weapons that had been used to temporarily stop the Confederation invasion. No way Ardon would allow the Morag access to even more dangerous weapons than they had now.
“I believe I can arrange for some of your people to search the archives. Let me speak to one of the curators and see when a time can be arranged.”
Councilor Damora rose to his feet in anger. “Our ship with our research scientists will be at Bator Prime by the end of the week.”
“Fine,” replied Ardon, his gaze meeting Damora’s. “However, there may not be any curators ava
ilable, and no one may enter the archives without having a curator with them. I will see to it that your research scientists are made comfortable until a curator is available. The curators are quite busy at the moment, as there have been many requests for information recently. I will also add that Bator Prime is heavily defended, and we have added substantially to those defenses recently.”
Councilor Damora sat down. He hated that nullifier Councilor Reull wore. If not for it, he would simply order the Lormallian councilor to make sure the Morag scientists had full access to the archives. Unfortunately, because of the archives, the planet had always been heavily armed. “Very well, I will tell the scientists they may have to wait a few days. But I warn you, the wait had better be very short, or there will be consequences.”
“I will notify the curators,” replied Reull. “Now, on to other business. Councilor Damora, how is the invasion of the Human Empire going? By now your forces should be reporting some positive results.”
Damora’s large angry red eyes stared down Councilor Reull. Somewhere, the Lormallian Councilor had gotten information that was supposed to be secret. “As well as expected. Our forces have taken a number of the Human worlds on the periphery of their Empire and are currently moving inward. We expect the fighting to be over in another few weeks.”
“Rumors are that your attack on the Hagen Star Cluster has been thrown back, with major loses to the Druin and Zynth fleets. Is that true?”
The other councilors looked at each other in surprise. None of them had heard this information. Not even the Druins and the Zynth were aware of how the war in the Human Empire was going. The Morag were in charge of the disposition of warships in the ongoing war, and they had reported no reversals.
Councilor Damora glared at Councilor Reull. If looks could kill, the Lormallian councilor would be dead. “There have been some setbacks,” admitted Damora. “It has been necessary to adjust our battle plans, as the Empire has a few more warships than we expected.”
The Forgotten Empire: War for the Empire Page 25