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

by Weil, Raymond L.

  Amanda’s face broke out into a big smile as she picked up the pins and carefully attached them to Richard’s collar. “At least now I don’t outrank you,” she commented with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “There is one more promotion,” Admiral Streth continued. He took out a set of pins for a full admiral and handed them to Commander Adler. “Admiral Adler, you will be in charge of third fleet, which will have a heavy battle carrier component. You will also be my second in command for this campaign.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” spoke Adler, taking the pins and allowing Amanda to attach them to his collar. He had never thought he would receive this high honor.

  He could hardly wait to see his new command. He had some ideas about battle carrier tactics he wanted to discuss with the people in military intelligence as well as several strategists. If things worked out as he hoped, the carriers would be taking on a much larger role in the coming war.

  Hedon looked around the room before continuing. “Colonel Grissim, I have asked that you be temporarily assigned to the Ready Reserve Fleet as my Intelligence officer.”

  “I would be honored, Sir,” replied Grissim, knowing the position would carry a lot of responsibility.

  “Let’s get back to planning this mission,” suggested Admiral Streth now that the pleasantries were out of the way. “Rear Admiral Stillson of New Tellus has over three hundred stealth scouts currently surveying the space between us and the Hocklyn Slave Empire.”

  “That’s a lot of scouts,” commented Richard surprised at the number. Three hundred scouts should be able to cover a lot of territory.

  “We have tried to keep track of the advancement of the Hocklyn Slave Empire for years now,” Colonel Grissom informed them. She looked around the group and continued. “We didn’t want the Hocklyns to stumble across us before we were ready. The stealth scouts are the only way we have of keeping an eye on the Hocklyns without their knowledge.”

  “We’re fortunate to have them,” Hedon continued, nodding his head. “They are searching for any Hocklyn controlled worlds as well as their fleet bases, which will be the first priority in our attack. We know where some of them are, and we are currently conducting a thorough exploration of all nearby Hocklyn controlled space.”

  “The closest part of the Hocklyn Slave Empire is less than 600 light years distant,” Colonel Grissim reported as she stood up and activated a large viewscreen on the front wall.

  A map of that section of the galaxy was displayed, showing the section the Hocklyns controlled nearest to the Federation. There were also six flashing red icons that represented new fleet bases that were either complete or under construction.

  “From what we know of current Hocklyn jump drive technology, that puts us only six days away in hyperspace from contact,” she informed them.

  “Their jump drives are still slightly better than ours,” Admiral Kalen admitted. “We suspect it’s because of the AI’s. We know that a normal jump for a Hocklyn ship is approximately twenty-five light years with a cool down time of about two hours.”

  Hedon knew that the newer Federation ships could almost match that but not quite. “From experience, the Hocklyns don’t keep a lot of ships in occupied systems,” he said. “If we can locate all of their fleet bases and knock them out, we can force them back away from human space. We are fortunate that our lines of supply will probably be much shorter than the Hocklyns. If we can succeed in this initial attack, we can probably postpone any retaliatory strike for several years.”

  “We shouldn’t be facing any AI ships,” Amanda commented as she leaned back and thought about the attack Admiral Streth was proposing. “They only put in an appearance when an advanced adversary has been detected that the Hocklyns may have trouble with.”

  “That’s correct,” responded Admiral Streth in agreement, his eyes meeting hers. “However, due to the fact the Hocklyns may suspect that something is out here, there may be a few AI ships in nearby Hocklyn space.”

  “What happens if we encounter an AI ship?” asked Amanda, recalling how only two had wiped out the entire Federation fleet back in the old Human Federation of Worlds.

  “We leave them to the heavy attack cruisers,” responded Hedon, looking over at Admiral Kalen.

  “The heavy attack cruisers have been developed for the primary purpose of engaging an AI ship,” he explained. “We don’t know if we can take one out, but our best shot will be with the Devastator Three missiles they are equipped with.”

  “Devastator Threes,” commented Amanda, curiously. “Are those similar to the old Devastator Two missiles with sublight drives and an inertial dampening system?”

  “Yes,” replied Kalen, nodding his head. “Only these are more deadly and cost efficient. While still expensive to produce, we do have enough to arm the Fleet.”

  “The heavy attack cruisers are capable of launching multiple Devastator Three missiles simultaneously as well as being equipped with our new power beams. We believe a combination of the two should allow our weapons to penetrate the AI’s energy shield.”

  “I am glad to hear about the new power beams,” Admiral Adler commented. “From what I have read on their specs, they are more powerful than the Hocklyn’s energy beams.”

  “That’s why we need to attack first,” emphasized Hedon, wanting to take advantage of the situation. “We have superior weapons for now, and we need to use them against the Hocklyns. I strongly suspect at some point in time the AIs will upgrade the Hocklyn’s weapons if this war is going against them.”

  “We consider that a very real possibility,” spoke Colonel Grissom, agreeing with Admiral Streth. She was impressed by how well he had thought everything out. “We have no idea of the actual ship strength of the AIs since they depend on their four warrior races to expand their empire. However, against a superior enemy as we will be, our war strategists feel the AIs will not only upgrade the Hocklyn’s weapons but also commit a major portion of their fleet to defeating us.”

  “What are the odds of that?” asked Amanda, not wanting to think about facing large numbers of the giant 1,500-meter AI ships. She didn’t see how anything the Federation had could stand up to a force like that. It would be suicide! “I mean, what if we encounter entire fleets composed of AI ships?”

  The room was quiet for a few heart-stopping seconds, and then Admiral Streth spoke up. “Because of the distance involved it will take a while for any major commitment of AI ships. If we can knock out a few of them, it might give the AIs pause about committing their warships.”

  “Our Intelligence department concurs,” added Colonel Grissim, her eyes gazing at Admiral Streth. The longer she was around the Fleet Admiral the more impressed she became. “We believe it will take the AIs nearly two hundred days to get a sizable fleet here from the galactic center.”

  Admiral Streth nodded. “That’s what I was expecting. By the time they can send a sizable force, we should have already encountered smaller groups of their ships and learned how to destroy them. The AIs will be operating far from home, and hopefully that will give us an advantage.”

  “So far, none of the scouts have reported spotting an AI ship,” Colonel Grissim informed them. “It might be a while before we have to face one.”

  “Rear Admiral Sheen, as soon as we have enough ships updated to form Second Fleet, you will proceed to the New Tellus System and begin fleet maneuvers. I want a highly trained force when the time comes to launch our attack.”

  “Yes, Sir,” replied Amanda, thinking about what all would have to be done. At least Richard and she would both be stationed in the same system for a while. “We will be ready.”

  “Admiral Adler, I want you to get with the war strategists here on Ceres and discuss battle carrier tactics and see what we can come up with that may be effective against the Hocklyns. From our previous engagements, the Hocklyn ships are only equipped with fighters and no bombers. Perhaps we can use our own bombers more effectively against them.”

  “I was thinking a
long the same lines,” responded Adler, nodding his head in agreement. “I will get on that immediately.”

  The small group spent a few more hours making plans and then broke up. They had a lot to think about as well as preparations to begin.

  -

  Admiral Johnson was back aboard New Tellus Station sitting in her office. She was watching several large viewscreens, which showed ships being towed carefully into the shipyard’s repair bays. As she examined the ships on the screens, she noted that there were two battle carriers and four Monarch cruisers. All would be updated with new systems and modern weapons.

  “We are working on what Admiral Streth is calling Second Fleet,” Rear Admiral Bennett commented from the chair in front of the admiral’s large wooden desk. “He wants it up and operational as soon as possible so Admiral Sheen can begin whipping it into shape.”

  “How long will that be?” asked Karla, turning her gaze away from the viewscreens and back to Rear Admiral Bennett. It had been amazing to meet Admiral Streth and the others. Some of those people she had read about in the history books, especially the survivors from the New Horizon incident!

  “We are talking about four battle cruisers, six battle carriers, twelve Monarch cruisers, four strike cruisers, forty light cruisers and twenty destroyers,” Admiral Bennett replied as he thought over the logistics of what needed to be done. “Fortunately, the strike cruisers are new and ready, so we just need to update the others.”

  “I want those ships to have first priority over everything else,” Karla stressed, her eyes focusing intently on Admiral Bennett. “This fleet sounds like it may be Admiral Streth’s Sunday punch with the way he has composed its elements and placed Rear Admiral Sheen in command. I suspect Second Fleet will be used to crack any heavy Hocklyn fleet concentrations or defenses.”

  “We have forty-two repair bays available in our six shipyards around New Tellus,” Bennett responded. “Second Fleet is composed of eighty-six ships. The destroyers and light cruisers can be updated quickly. The ships are in rather good condition since they were part of the Ready Reserve. We are already well under way in updating a number of the units. I would estimate I can have all of Second Fleet fully operational in six weeks.”

  “What about the other shipyards in the Federation?” Karla asked. The Federation Council had agreed to make all of them available for updating the Ready Reserve Fleet. “How are they doing?”

  “Only Earth has shipyards comparable to ours. Admiral Freeman is concentrating on the heavier ships being updated in Earth’s shipyards and is using the other Federation shipyards to update the lighter units. If everything goes as planned, we will make your six month deadline, but just barely.”

  “We need to speak to Admiral Streth I’m afraid,” commented Karla, knowing she was about to throw a wrench into Admiral Bennett and Freeman’s plans. “He has given command of Third Fleet to Admiral Adler, a battle carrier commander. I suspect it will have a powerful battle carrier contingent.”

  Bennett was quiet for a moment as he mulled this information over. “I will talk to Admiral Freeman; we could move more of the battle carriers ahead of some of the Monarch cruisers if we need to.”

  “I think we should do that,” Karla suggested. “Please work out the details with Admiral Freeman and get back with me.”

  “Once we get the Ready Reserve updated what will be next?”

  “Then we will start on the Inactive Reserve,” Admiral Johnson informed Bennett with a smile.

  “I was afraid you were going to say that,” replied Admiral Bennett with a groan and shaking his head, knowing that would be a big job. “Those ships have been inactive for twenty to forty years; it will take much longer to update them than the Ready Reserve. Some of them are in pretty bad shape.”

  “But we can update them much faster than building a completely new ship,” Karla pointed out. “And we may need those numbers even though they are older ships.”

  “Yes,” agreed Bennett, nodding his head slowly in agreement. “We can update one of those ships in half the time it takes to build a new one. They won’t be quite as powerful as our newer ships, but they will still pack a solid punch.”

  “We’re going to need them, Arnold,” Karla said, leaning forward. “The Hocklyns have one hell of a fleet out there. There is no way for us to know how this war is going to turn out. Our major advantage is that our worlds are all within twenty light years of Earth, except for New Tellus, and we have three allies on our flanks to take some of the pressure off. The Hocklyn Slave Empire is scattered over a quarter of the galaxy, and it will take them time to mount a major attack against us.”

  “The Federation Council has at least agreed to go on a war preparation footing for ship construction,” Bennett added with satisfaction in his voice. “Admiral Freeman has already issued the orders for every shipyard in the Federation to begin constructing new warships.”

  “I know,” replied the Fleet Admiral, letting out a deep breath. We can only hope that it’s enough.”

  -

  Jeremy, Kelsey, Angela, and Kevin had all been ordered to report to the heavy strike cruiser Avenger. It was berthed in bay twenty-one on Ceres, along with two other modern strike cruisers.

  “Now those are ships!” Kevin said excitedly as he looked at the 1,000-meter ships in awe.

  “The Avenger,” Kelsey spoke affectionately, her deep blue eyes focusing on the strike cruiser closest to them. Her eyes took on a thoughtful look. “I wonder if that ship was named after the light cruiser Avenger that crashed on the Moon?”

  “We can ask her commanding officer when we report in,” responded Jeremy anxious to go aboard the ship.

  He was very familiar with the old Avenger as he had been raised on board her. He had been very disappointed to learn while they were on the Moon, that the Avenger was now used only as a museum. Jeremy had come to know Ariel very well after they had returned from the New Horizon mission. He had been very sad to learn that the AI was no longer functioning. It was like losing a good friend.

  Jeremy gazed thoughtfully at the heavy strike cruiser, wondering what awaited them. He had served six years aboard several light cruisers after the New Horizon incident and had been promoted to the rank of executive officer on his final posting. A light cruiser was not nearly as large or as powerful as this warship.

  “Let’s report in,” suggested Kevin, pointing toward the ramp that led into the large open hatch on the side of the ship. “I’m getting hungry!”

  “You’re always hungry,” admonished Angela with a chuckle, shaking her head. “I don’t see how you stay so lean with as much as you eat.”

  “High metabolism,” responded Kevin, patting his stomach. “I hope they serve good hamburgers on this ship.”

  The others all laughed and headed toward the ramp. At least they were all four still together.

  A few minutes later, the four of them had made their way into the ship and reported to the officer on duty. They were told to report to the Command Center for their assignments. As they turned to leave, they failed to notice the slight smile that appeared on the officer’s face.

  “Why the Command Center?” asked Kelsey, feeling confused. Normally the ship’s commanding officer would meet new crewmembers in his on board office, if at all. The executive officer or another ship officer handled most of the crew assignments.

  “I guess we’ll find out when we get there,” Jeremy answered. He too wondered why they were reporting to the Command Center.

  Nearly thirty minutes later, they made it to the ship’s Command Center. They had heard these new ships had rapid transit tubes inside so the crew could get to their stations much quicker. However, they were hesitant to try the new tubes without some additional explanation about their function.

  “Major Jeremy Strong, reporting for duty,” Jeremy informed the two marines standing at the open hatch.

  “Allow them to enter,” a strangely familiar woman’s voice spoke from inside.

  The four
looked at each other and then stepped inside the Command Center, pausing in astonishment. The Command Center was twice the size as the ones Jeremy had served in aboard the light cruisers. Crewmembers were busily going about their jobs, and all the stations were manned. But what drew Jeremy and the other’s attention was what was on the main viewscreen.

  “Ariel!” Jeremy blurted out in incredulity, staring at the dark headed AI that was watching them with a pleased smile. “What are you doing here?” He had never expected to see the AI again. For a moment, he almost felt as if he was back home in the old Avenger.

  “She’s the AI for this ship,” another strangely and almost haunting voice spoke from behind Jeremy. Turning slowly, Jeremy saw a strikingly beautiful young blonde with green eyes stand up from where she had been working on the main computer console.

  “Katie?” Jeremy spoke in a stunned voice, his eyes growing wide in shock.

  “It can’t be,” added Kelsey, looking intently at the young blonde lieutenant who was coming toward them. “Katie was only twenty-one when we went into cryosleep and still attending the university here on Ceres.”

  “True,” the young woman replied, smiling. “But I waited and went into cryosleep six years after you four did. I am now twenty-seven.”

  “Why haven’t we seen you before this?” Angela asked curiously, finding it hard to believe she was actually talking to Katie. “We have been awake for nearly four weeks.” Katie and she had become quite close after the New Horizon incident.

  “After you four went into cryosleep, I continued my work with computers on Ceres. I discovered that Ariel and Clarissa’s programs were beginning to fail. They had not been designed to function for such an extended period of time.”

  “What did you do?” asked Kevin, suspiciously. When it came to computers, Katie was capable of almost anything.

  “I developed a computer memory crystal which could handle an AI’s memories. We transferred Ariel and Clarissa’s memories, or consciousness, to the new crystals, and they went into cryosleep with me.”