The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book Four)

by Weil, Raymond L.

  “Yes, Admiral, all of them,” replied Karla as she began to explain the current situation and what had happened in the Gliese 667C system.

  Hedon listened patiently as Admiral Johnson briefed him on the current status of the new Federation of Human Worlds and the task she had set for him. His eyes widened as she described the fleet she was placing under his command and what she wanted him to do with it.

  “You may choose the admirals to command the separate task forces,” she finally finished. “We need you to buy us the time we need to ramp up our fleet production and to finish our defenses.”

  “How much time are we talking about?” Hedon asked as he thought over what the Fleet Admiral was suggesting. He was already starting to feel tired and knew he would need to return to his room shortly.

  “Two years,” responded Admiral Johnson in a grave tone. She could see the weary and tired look in the admiral’s eyes and knew she needed to allow him to return to his room to rest. Karla hoped she that Admiral Streth understood the importance of what she was asking him to do. “The Hocklyns are thirty years ahead of schedule, so some of our plans have to be rushed. We can do it; we just need a little more time.”

  Hedon was quiet for a moment. He knew he had a lot of questions he needed to ask, but those could wait until later after he had recovered more and his mind was sharper and not so full of drugs. “If you need two years, I will give them to you,” replied Hedon confidently, his eyes widening in determination. “I agree with your plan to take the fight to the Hocklyns; I think it is a wise and good tactical decision.” Hedon leaned back and knew it was time to return to his room. He just needed time to rest and figure out how to accomplish what the Fleet Admiral wanted.

  -

  Amanda opened her eyes and waited for her eyesight to return. She could sense someone else in the room with her. “Who’s there?” she managed to ask. “Richard?”

  “Relax, Colonel Sheen,” a friendly woman’s voice spoke. “I am Doctor Reynolds, and I am overseeing your awakening from cryosleep. Your husband, Major Richard Andrews, is also in the process of being awakened. You are both fine, and you should be able to see him later today.”

  Amanda’s vision quickly returned, and she could see she was in some type of hospital room. “Is it time?” she asked, turning her head and looking directly at the woman doctor standing next to the bed.”

  Doctor Reynolds knew exactly what Colonel Sheen was referring to. “Yes, it’s time. Admiral Streth and all the rest of you that have been in cryosleep are being awakened. It is time to fight the Hocklyns.”

  Amanda closed her eyes. She was glad to hear that Richard and the others were okay. It also pleased her greatly to hear that the time to finally confront the Hocklyns was at hand. She just hoped that Earth and Ceres were ready.

  -

  Jeremy opened his eyes and lay there quietly. He could hear noises around him as if someone was moving. Where am I, he thought? The last thing he remembered was going into cryosleep. Kelsey, Angela, Kevin, and he had all opted to go into cryosleep and fight the Hocklyns in the future. Jeremy had spent six years as an officer on a Federation light cruiser, rising to the position of executive officer before the four of them had volunteered for cryosleep. It had been a difficult decision for all of them to leave their families behind, but they had all felt it was what they needed to do.

  During part of Jeremy’s tour on the light cruiser, Kelsey had been on board as the lead Navigation Officer. The four had finally gotten together and decided on this course of action. The important thing was that they would be together and could bring justice to the Hocklyns for the forced destruction of the New Horizon. It was something that had haunted them throughout their careers.

  “Is it time?” he asked in a dry voice.

  “Yes, Major Strong,” a woman’s voice spoke from his side. “It’s time.”

  -

  Admiral Johnson left Major Strong’s room, deeply moved by the things she had witnessed during the day. Almost every single sleeper had asked the same question. “Was it time to fight the Hocklyns?” They all seemed anxious to go into battle.

  “What do you think?” Admiral Teleck asked as they sat back down in a small conference room to discuss the day’s events.

  “It’s been an eye opening day,” confessed Karla. “Meeting Admiral Streth and knowing some of the other sleepers and their ancestry was remarkable. I just spoke to Major Jeremy Strong, his father was Admiral Jason Strong who discovered the Avenger and built the Fleet Academy on the Moon. Jeremy and his three fellow officers that went into cryosleep together were the only survivors of the New Horizon mission, Earth’s first FTL capable spaceship. It’s the same with the other sleepers, Colonel Amanda Sheen, her husband Major Richard Andrews, and all the others. It’s like reading a history book.”

  “They’re all fine people, and they believe in our cause,” spoke Admiral Teleck, softly. “They are the backbone of the Fleet.”

  Karla nodded in agreement. “With people like them, the Hocklyns had better be prepared. I have a feeling Admiral Streth and the others are getting ready to give the Hocklyns their first ever ass kicking.”

  “I agree,” Admiral Teleck responded with a pleased smile. “History will long remember today as the true beginning of our war against the Hocklyn Slave Empire.”

  Chapter Four

  It had been two weeks since Jeremy had awoken from cryosleep. For both of those weeks, he had gone through constant physical and mental therapy to help him adjust to his new surroundings. When he felt he was ready, he had put in a request to be allowed to return home. He was currently standing at the top of the high rim above the crater that contained the Fleet Academy on the Moon. From this location, his father had first set his eyes upon the crashed Federation light cruiser Avenger and set history in motion.

  “It’s hard to believe that’s the Fleet Academy,” Kelsey spoke from Jeremy’s side, gazing down at the crater and the multitude of buildings. Some were truly massive, jutting up over thirty stories from the lunar surface.

  “It’s still even more amazing that we’re standing out here without spacesuits,” added Jeremy, turning to gaze around him.

  An artificial dome covered the entire crater and the immediate area next to it. There was even a scattering of greenery around the Fleet Academy where grass and trees had been planted. From their high location above the crater, people could be seen out walking, going from building to building or just out for a casual afternoon stroll. Outside the dome, Jeremy could see weapon turrets and other emplacements on the dark, desolate surface, a stark reminder as to why the Fleet Academy was here.

  “This memorial does great service to your father,” spoke Kevin, respectfully.

  He was standing in front of a large granite obelisk that towered nearly ten meters above him. On its face were depicted two men, Admiral Jason Strong and Greg Johnson.

  A short inscription read, “From this site, men from the planet Earth first gazed upon the Avenger. This discovery sent the human race to the stars.”

  “The academy has grown so large,” added Angela, feeling awe at all that had been done.

  There was very little resemblance to the old academy she was so familiar with. From what they had been told, the academy now graduated nearly one thousand Fleet officers every year. Angela was dressed in a dark blue fleet uniform with the rank of lieutenant.

  All four of them had found that they had a lot of adjusting to do; everyone they had known and grown up with were gone. It was a new day and age, and the war with the Hocklyns was nearing. They had been allowed to leave Ceres as part of their mental therapy that Doctor Reynolds was closely monitoring. She had thought it would be good for all four of them to make this trip.

  “My father and mother left a number of recordings for me,” Kelsey said quietly, feeling a tear form in her eye. “It’s strange to hear their voices after all of this time and know I will never see them again.”

  “We were all left messages,” J
eremy replied in understanding, knowing how she was feeling.

  He had listened to several from his mother and father. He had been immensely pleased to learn that his younger brother had gone on to serve in the Fleet and had done quite well. His parents had continued their mission to bring Earth up to Federation levels of living and science, and then finally they had introduced the Federation survivors to the world. He had watched a short video of that historic announcement.

  “What now?” asked Kevin, turning to glance over at Jeremy.

  “We’re going to spend a few days down on Earth and then report back to Ceres,” answered Jeremy, looking over at his close friend. “Perhaps we can find out what our assignments will be.”

  “I hope we can all stay together,” Angela said with a brief sigh. “I don’t know what I would do if they were to split us up.” She was also ready to go down and visit Earth.

  They were going to visit the sites where Kevin and Angela’s parents were buried. Doctor Reynolds had felt this would be a good form of closure. Jeremy’s own father and mother were interned on the far side of the obelisk, as well as a few others who had been important during those early days.

  Jeremy took one last look at the headstone that marked his parent’s final resting place and then started down the slope toward the Fleet Academy. A set of wide stairs had been cut into the slope to make access to the obelisk easy. Every student at the academy was required to make the trip to the obelisk at least once since it was an important part of their history.

  -

  On Ceres, Admiral Streth was meeting with a group of officers to discuss the command makeup of his attack force. He understood from talking to Fleet Admiral Johnson that the entire Ready Reserve was in the process of being updated and fully modernized and should be ready for combat in less than six months. That was when he would launch his attack.

  “A first strike against the Hocklyns,” Colonel Sheen spoke, her eyes looking thoughtful. “Can it succeed?” She had never considered such a possibility.

  “They are giving us over three hundred and seventy warships to mount the attack,” Admiral Streth pointed out. “That’s more ships than our Federation had when the Hocklyns originally found us. Not only that but these ships are much more powerful with stronger weapons and greatly enhanced energy screens.”

  Hedon had spent some time reviewing the specs of the ships in the Ready Reserve and had been a little surprised to see that the Federation had gone back to using railguns. Granted, they were much more powerful and cycled faster than the old ones, but they were still railguns. Admiral Teleck had explained that they had experimented with other weapon systems in the past, but railguns were unbelievably reliable and still capable of causing a lot of damage.

  “It sounds like a lot,” Major Andrews commented from where he was sitting next to his wife. “But we know the Hocklyns possess a massive fleet of their own; a fleet that numbers in the thousands. At some point in time, we will be facing them as well as the AIs.”

  “I like the idea of us attacking them,” spoke Commander Adler, leaning forward in thought. “It is something they won’t be expecting and may give us a significant tactical advantage, at least for a while.”

  Commander Adler and his executive officer Major Timmons, formerly of the battle carrier Victory and First Fleet, had gone into cryosleep to be part of the future war with the Hocklyns. They had both been surprised and then excited at the idea of Operation First Strike.

  “We will have the element of surprise,” agreed Hedon, nodding at Adler with a vengeful smile on his face. It was good to see some familiar faces in the room. “If we time our attacks properly, we can drive them back hundreds of light years and free some of their slave worlds in the process.”

  “Military Intelligence agrees,” Colonel Grissim added with a nod of her head. “The Hocklyns have almost always had the upper hand in their conquests, and to the best of our knowledge no one has ever attacked them first. They won’t be expecting it.”

  “What about allies?” asked Amanda, looking over at Admiral Kalen who was also in the meeting. “Surely, in all of these years, you have found a few?”

  “You would be surprised,” commented Kalen, shaking his head sadly. “There are a number of civilizations within four hundred light years of us, but most are not highly developed. It seems that a lot of civilizations stagnate in the late agricultural age. Their development seems to slow and most of their progress surrounds agriculture and making their lives more bearable. There is no desire or drive to go out and explore beyond their planet.”

  “So we have no allies?” stated Admiral Streth, feeling disappointed. He would have thought after all of this time there would be at least a few.

  Admiral Kalen looked at the group and then continued. “We do have four races we have encountered in our explorations that are highly developed. Three agreed to aid us in the war against the Hocklyns once we showed them what the Hocklyns would do to their worlds. They have built up sizable war fleets and have been tasked with securing their sectors of space against Hocklyn aggression. This will help to defend our flanks as well as force the Hocklyns to spread their forces.”

  “You said there were four advanced races,” Richard pointed out, his eyes focusing on Admiral Kalen. “What about the fourth one?”

  “The Albanians,” muttered Kalen with a heavy frown creasing his forehead. He let out a deep frustrated sigh. “They are a mystery to us. The race is highly developed, and in many areas their science is far ahead of ours, but they are refusing to get involved. They will not aid us in the war.”

  “Why not?” asked Admiral Streth, arching his eyebrows. “Don’t they understand the threat the Hocklyns represent?”

  “They understand, but they believe they can talk to the Hocklyns and avoid bloodshed. They don’t believe in war.”

  “Then they are fools!” Commander Adler spoke, his eyes growing wide. “The Hocklyns will either conquer them or destroy them.”

  “How many systems do they control?” asked Amanda, shaking her head in disbelief and agreeing with Commander Adler. The Hocklyns would show no mercy to this strange race.

  “They have sixteen large colonies in addition to a heavily populated home system. They have research installations and mining operations in at least fifty other star systems,” replied Kalen, recalling the latest security report on the Albanians. “They have also refused to share any of their advanced technology with us even though we do have a trade agreement on non technological items.”

  “We have stressed how important some of their technology could be to us in the war,” Colonel Grissim added with a heavy frown. “But they don’t want to share anything with us that could be used for military purposes. They have been very clear about that in our negotiations with them.”

  “They’re bigger than the Federation,” said Amanda, letting out a deep breath as she thought about how powerful an ally the Albanians could be. “They could be a huge asset to the war effort.”

  “They have no armed ships at all?” asked Richard not believing that a race that advanced could be completely defenseless.

  “That is unknown,” Admiral Kalen said, leaning forward. “Our military intelligence people believe they must have a small fleet of armed ships to protect their space from potential invaders even though we have never seen one. We still have negotiators speaking with them, and we do have an embassy on their home world, but we have been told not to expect any help. They are willing to trade with us, but that is all for now.”

  “We have watched them from outside their space and have even followed a few of their exploration vessels,” Colonel Grissim admitted as she looked around the group. “But we have not been able to spot any signs of weapons on board their ships. As near as we can tell, their exploration ships are completely unarmed.”

  “We have also been extremely careful not to intrude upon their explorations,” added Kalen, hastily. “We believe they expect us to watch them, but we have ordered all of our sh
ips to maintain a respectful distance.”

  “That’s probably wise for now,” Commander Adler agreed. There was no point in agitating a potential future ally. “They may have a change of heart later and join us.”

  “Perhaps,” replied Colonel Grissim, doubtfully.

  “At least we have three allies,” spoke Admiral Streth, feeling satisfied that the Federation was not alone in this war. “We may find others in the worlds that we set free.”

  “How will you be setting up your staff and fleet command structure?” asked Admiral Kalen. Fleet Admiral Johnson and Admiral Teleck had both impressed upon Kalen that he was to give Admiral Streth anything he needed.

  Admiral Streth smiled as he looked over at Colonel Sheen; this was something he had been looking forward to for several days. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a set of rear admiral collar pins and slid them across the table. “Congratulations, Rear Admiral Sheen. You will be in charge of Second Fleet.”

  Amanda felt her heart hammering in her chest as she gazed at the coveted insignia; she had not been expecting this.

  Richard reached out and picked up the gold pins. He carefully attached the rear admiral stars to the collar on his wife’s uniform. “Congratulations,” he said, feeling proud. He knew in his heart that she would make a great admiral.

  “I don’t know what to say,” stammered Amanda still feeling in shock. “I will do my best Admiral, and I promise not to let you down.”

  “I know you won’t, Admiral Sheen,” replied Hedon with a smile.

  “Major Andrews,” continued Admiral Kalen. “We have studied your battle at the shipyard above New Providence and would like to assign you temporarily to the New Tellus System to help with the defenses there. Your knowledge of Hocklyn tactics could prove invaluable in the system’s defense.” Reaching into his pocket, he smiled as he slid a second set of rear admiral gold pins across the table.