He just wondered what the Kleese would do now. Would they fortify their home systems and try to repair the damage Fourth Fleet had inflicted, or would they launch a massive attack against the Alliance and the solar system seeking revenge for what had been done to them? There was no way of knowing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Supreme Military Overlord Harmock listened in growing anger to the final report of the damage the human attack had caused. It was astonishing what the humans had been able to accomplish.
“Seven Council Overlords died in the capital city when the human weapons detonated,” Minor Overlord Gareth reported. “Six million Kleese are reported to be dead with many others injured. Much of the city is in ruins from the human attack as well as the collateral damage from our own weapons that were trying to take out the human ship.
“We will have to delay our attack,” spoke Harmock in a cold and deadly voice. “The damaged shipyard must be repaired and fortifications put in place around our planet to ensure this doesn’t happen again. We’ll have to assign fleet units to protect our worlds.”
“What about the ice moon?”
Harmock glared at Gareth, his multifaceted eyes glowing red in anger. “Four Queens killed! The entire facility destroyed. If the council under former Supreme Overlord Xatul had acted properly when the humans were first found, none of this would ever have occurred.”
“How long will we delay our attack?”
“At least six months, possibly longer,” Harmock answered. “When we do, we must not underestimate the humans and their Alliance.”
“We will avenge our dead Queens,” uttered Gareth.
Harmock didn’t respond. The humans were an adversary beyond any the Kleese had encountered before. Never again would Harmock underestimate them; from now on he would consider them as equals to the Zaltule in combat. It was the only way to guarantee victory.
-
Wade and Beth were in his quarters on the troop assault ship Defender. The fleet had already stopped at the gas giant planet and spent slightly over a week performing necessary repairs before continuing on in Fold Space toward the Alliance. Beth had decided Major Jeffries could handle the Marine duties on the Argyle. She was going to spend the long weeks on the voyage home with Wade.
“I’m resigning my commission again as soon as we reach Vesta,” Beth told Wade as they sat together on the comfortable couch in his quarters.
“Are you going back to your job as head of security for the cloning facility?” asked Wade. He was pleased Beth was getting back out of the military.
“No,” Beth answered with a strange look in her eyes. Her face was even a little flushed.
“I plan on staying home for awhile and raising our kids.”
Wade’s eyes focused on Beth. “Are you telling me you’re pregnant?”
Beth laughed and shook her head. “No, not yet, but we have a long trip back to Vesta and once we’re there I want to be able to tell your parents and my mother they’re going to become grandparents.”
Wade allowed himself to smile. Their parents would be excited about that announcement. Now he just needed to make sure Beth was pregnant when they got back. He was fairly certain they could accomplish that. Perhaps it was even time for him to think about requesting a military position at Vesta.
“I think our fighting is done,” Beth said softly as she placed her hand on Wade’s chest. “It’s time for the younger generation to take over.”
Wade turned toward Beth and kissed her; he knew she was probably right.
-
Casey and Ryan were in quarters assigned to them on the Kivean medical ship Micene. Harnett had personally arranged for the quarters when Casey told her she wanted to stay with Ryan.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Ryan as Casey lay down on the bed next to him.
“I’m sure,” Casey replied. Lauren would be smiling if she knew she and Ryan were together. Lauren had been pushing for this for months.
“What about our military careers?”
“We’ll worry about them when we get back,” Casey answered as she snuggled up closer to Ryan. “Right now I just want you to focus on me.” She rolled over and kissed Ryan on the lips, feeling his arms slide around her. She wasn’t frightened or nervous; she knew she would never be as long as she had Ryan.
-
Marken and Harnett were in their quarters talking. The mission had gone far better than they’d ever expected.
“You were right picking the humans to fight the Kleese,” Harnett said, reaching out and taking her life mate’s hand. “When you first came to me and said they were the ones, I had my doubts.”
“The Alliance they’ve formed will only grow stronger when word of what they just did reaches other worlds,” replied Marken. “The attack upon the Kleese wasn’t just done by human ships; the majority of the warships in the fleet were from Alliance worlds.”
“This was always your dream,” Harnett said, gazing deeply into Marken’s eyes. “To rid the galaxy of the Kleese. I never thought it would be possible.”
“It’s not done yet,” Marken replied. “Attacking the Kleese home system was a huge step and it shows the Alliance is real. We must continue to add new worlds and prepare for the coming attacks from the Kleese.”
Harnett was silent for a long moment. “Do you think we’ll win in the end?”
Marken smiled and slowly nodded his head. “The humans don’t know how to lose. I don’t think even now the Kleese realize just what the humans are capable of.”
Harnett nodded her head, she trusted Marken’s judgment. If he felt the humans would win in the end, she believed him.
-
Deep in Strell space, Supreme Overlord Xatul stood before the most powerful Strell Queen and her entourage. Ten Kleese in battlesuits stood behind him.
“Why have you come here?” hissed the Queen. Around her neck was a Kleese collar of obedience.
“I come with a proposal,” Xatul answered. They were in a great den deep beneath the Strell capital planet. Xatul was acutely aware there were thousands of Strell around him.
“What type of proposal?” asked the Queen as the narrow eyes on her wide head gazed at the Kleese before her.
“Your freedom,” Xatul replied as he pressed a button on the black box in his right hand. Instantly the collar around the Queen’s neck deactivated and fell off.
The Queen’s hand went to her neck as she gazed at Xatul. “And what do you demand for our freedom?”
“To help me destroy the Zaltule. Your shipyards are still intact and I have two of our trading stations at my disposal to help make any necessary repairs.”
“And if we agree?”
“The Strell Empire will be returned to its former glory and all Kleese will withdraw.”
The Strell Queen thought over the offer, her long forked tongue flickering forth. “I agree.”
Xatul felt pleased. He would soon show the Zaltule, which was the dominate Kleese caste. It was a war of insurrection he was planning. When it was over, he would once more be the Supreme Overlord of the Kleese Empire.
The End
If you enjoyed The Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance and would like to see the series continue, please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and to help books sell. Reviews can be just a few short sentences describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website. Thank you for reading The Alliance and being so supportive.
Coming soon. The Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection
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Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Other Books by Raymond L. Weil
Available on Amazon
Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)
Moon Wreck: Fleet Aca
demy (The Slaver Wars Book 3)
The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)
The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)
The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)
The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars Book 7)
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Dragon Dreams
Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars
Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening
Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon
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Star One: Tycho City: Survival
Star One: Neutron Star
Star One: Dark Star
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Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)
Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)
Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Book 3)
Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (Book 4)
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The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)
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The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2) summer 2015
The Star Cross fall 2015
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (Book 5) fall 2015
Turn the page for an introduction to The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search.
The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search
A Slaver Wars Novel
Chapter One
Admiral Race Tolsen grimaced as the WarHawk shook violently. They were at Condition One with everyone at their battlestations. On the tactical display, forty glaring red threat icons represented the warships which continued to harass his fleet.
“Light damage to outer hull, section D-12,” reported the Damage Control officer. “Hull integrity is holding.” The ship shuddered as missiles and energy beams continued to impact the defense shield.
“Damn Borzon,” Commander Madelyn Arnett uttered as she held on to the armrests of her command chair. “They should have stayed in their own territory!”
“We’re having this problem all along the entire border of the former Hocklyn Slave Empire,” commented Admiral Tolsen as the WarHawk fired off a series of sublight antimatter missiles at the nearby Borzon cruiser attacking them. “The Borzon are trying to add these worlds to their own empire. This is the deepest any of their fleets have penetrated into Federation-controlled space.”
“Well, that’s not happening today,” said Madelyn, as she ordered the 1,600-meter WarHawk to close the range with the nearest enemy cruiser. “We’ll show them what the penalty is for trespassing in our territory.”
On the main viewscreen, the energy screen of the targeted Borzon ship was lit up from massive antimatter explosions and showed signs of imminent collapse. Other Borzon ships were also under heavy attack from the various ships of the Third Fleet. The Borzon cruisers were slim vessels, heavily armed, and 1,200 meters in length.
“Fire particle beam!” commanded Madelyn, sensing a weakness in this particular Borzon ship’s protective shield. It was flickering and, in some areas, seemed to have faded away completely. While the Borzon ships were quite powerful, the Federation ships had superior weapons and energy shields.
Instantly a bright blue beam flashed from the WarHawk and easily pierced the Borzon ship’s energy screen, impacting the ship’s hull and causing a tremendous explosion of released energy. A massive section of the hull broke loose and floated away from the ship. Internal explosions could be seen blowing out other sections of hull material. The Borzon ship seemed to falter, and then its energy screen flickered and collapsed. A fifty-megaton Devastator Three missile finished off the ship in a fiery burst of consuming nuclear fire. A few moments later, all that was left of the enemy cruiser was a scattering debris field and some glowing gases.
“Borzon cruiser is down,” confirmed Lieutenant Brent Davis from his Main Sensor console.
“Battleships Ajax and Constitution are heavily engaged with three Borzon cruisers,” reported Commander Arnett as she studied one of the holographic tactical displays. “They’re taking some damage.”
Tolsen nodded as he thumbed his minicomm to Fleet-wide setting. “Strikecruisers Vendetta and Longhorn move to coordinates 17° down by 22° starboard of central axis and assist the Ajax and the Constitution.” Race wasn’t that concerned about the two battleships; he just wanted to hold their damage to a minimum.
-
The pair of strikecruisers quickly accelerated and headed toward the two battleships’ positions. Upon arriving, they found the Ajax and Constitution involved in a missile duel with three Borzon cruisers. Antimatter missiles and powerful nuclear missiles were exploding against energy shields. Suddenly the screen on one of the Borzon ships failed, and twin antimatter suns formed where the ship had been. The two remaining Borzon cruisers shifted their attack, focusing on the Ajax. The battleship’s energy screen lit up in a cascade of raw defensive power as over a dozen twenty-megaton nuclear missiles detonated against it.
From the two strikecruisers, multiple sublight antimatter missiles flashed away from their missile tubes impacting the Borzon energy shields. For a brief moment, it seemed as if two new stars had been born. When the glare died away, the two Borzon cruisers were gone. Several fiery filaments were all that was left to mark their passing.
-
Admiral Tolsen nodded his head in satisfaction at the destruction of three more Borzon cruisers. So far the battle was going just as he had expected. There was no doubt in his mind that the Borzon Empire was testing the Federation’s will to defend former Hocklyn space.
“Light cruiser Baltic is under heavy attack,” reported Lieutenant Denise Travers from Communications. “They report their shields are down to 20 percent and still dropping.”
“How the hell did a Borzon cruiser slip past us and get to our rear echelon?” demanded Tolsen, his face showing concern. Third Fleet’s ten light cruisers were protecting the fleet’s four large battlecarriers, and they weren’t built to take on an enemy cruiser.
“They microjumped,” reported Lieutenant Davis in explanation.
“Saratoga is launching two squadrons of Anlon bombers toward the enemy cruiser,” reported Commander Arnett, the tactical screen showing twenty small green icons flash away from the carrier and accelerate toward the Borzon ship.
“Will they get there in time?” asked Race, his eyes focusing intently on the indicated tactical display. He knew the light cruiser wouldn’t last long against the more powerful Borzon ship.
“No,” replied Lieutenant Davis, as a viewscreen lit up with a brilliant light. “Light cruiser Baltic is down. Anlon bombers are making their attack runs.”
Race watched the tactical display grimly as six of the small green bomber icons vanished, then the icon representing the enemy cruiser seemed to swell up, and afterward it also disappeared.
“The Borzon cruiser is down,” spoke Lieutenant Davis, satisfied that the Baltic had been avenged.
Race let out a deep sigh of regret at the loss of the light cruiser, and the six Anlon bombers and their crews; this was war, and people died, sometimes very suddenly. He turned his attention back to the battle, ordering his ships to press the attack and drive back the remaining Borzon ships.
-
In space the Federation ships’ bright blue particle beams, violet-colored power beams, and the orange-red flash of pulse lasers lit up the darkness. In response the Borzon returned fire with powerful white energy beams and their own orange-red pulse lasers. Both sides were using their deadly sublight missiles in an effort to knock down energy screens and destroy the ships they were fighting. The only difference being, while the Borzon’s sublight missiles were armed with twenty-megaton nuclear warheads, the Federation’s were armed with one-hundred-megaton antimatter warheads.
When multiple Federation antimatter missiles struck a Borzon cruiser’s shield, invariably the shield either weakened substantially or collapsed. In most cases, bright blue particle beams would then finish the destruction, blasting massive holes inside the enemy ship, until it exploded. A Borzon cruiser could only stand a few hits from the deadly mi
ssiles. The cruisers, while dangerous to smaller ships, were finding it difficult to even damage the more powerful Federation ships, particularly the battleships and battlecruisers.
-
“The Humans grow more powerful in every engagement,” rasped Fleet Commander Tilett—a male Borzon standing well over two meters tall with wide multifaceted eyes upon a strangely shaped head. A pair of long, narrow wings was on his back, and his body was covered with fine, stiff short hair. Tilett stood on two legs that were bent strangely and had four slender double-jointed arms capable of grasping and operating the ship’s control consoles.
“Perhaps we have tried to extend the empire too far into former Hocklyn space,” suggested High Nest Leader Trill. “It seems the Humans have laid claim to a large portion of the Hocklyns’ former territory.”
“The Humans have restricted the surviving Hocklyns to their home worlds and a small area of space surrounding them,” Fleet Commander Tilett responded, as he watched several more of his battlecruisers being torn apart by Human antimatter missiles. The empire’s losses were inconsequential as the Borzon had many more cruisers. This raid had been to test the Humans’ determination to retain the space previously held by the Hocklyns.
“Don’t forget about High Leader Nartel,” High Nest Leader Trill spoke, his multifaceted eyes focusing on the fleet commander. “The Hocklyns with him still possess a powerful fleet and control twenty other worlds near the border of our empire.”
“The Hocklyns, along with High Leader Nartel, will not have the numbers to be a threat to anyone for centuries,” answered Fleet Commander Tilett dismissively. “Our high queen has signed a treaty with the Hocklyn’s High Leader Nartel, guaranteeing the Borzon Empire will not attack them, as long as they don’t venture into our space. In addition, the Humans have not been active in that region of space, and we have expanded our empire to completely surround the new Hocklyn system and the twenty worlds they control. Any hope they have of future expansion has been removed.”
Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 4) Page 32