-
“I guess this is it,” Lieutenant Stalls spoke in a nervous voice on the private com channel he maintained with Lieutenant Trask.
“I guess so,” Angela responded as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Benjamin, promise me one thing,” she said after a moment, deciding to take the plunge.
“What’s that?” he asked, looking across the Command Center toward Angela’s station.
“After we're finished with the Hocklyns and the AIs we resign our posts and settle down on Aquaria.”
“Settle down?” Benjamin said his eyes narrowing. Was Angela saying what he thought she was? They'd spoken about this briefly before.
“As husband and wife,” she replied firmly.
Benjamin was silent for a moment and then replied as a smile spread across his face. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
-
There was a sudden, gut wrenching feeling and everyone knew the WarStorm had dropped out of hyperspace. The tension in the room skyrocketed because they were now in the Hocklyns’ second most populous system. The system contained the world of Anlesh, which reportedly had a population of over twenty billion.
“We’ve exited hyperspace,” the helm officer reported.
“Systems coming online,” reported Colonel Leon as she watched the static begin to clear from the viewscreens.
“Data beginning to come in from our initial sensor sweeps,” Lieutenant Stalls reported as he scrutinized his computer screens.
“All ships reporting successful jumps and Condition One status,” Lieutenant Trask reported from Communications.
Amanda focused her gaze impatiently on the tactical displays, waiting for them to begin displaying information. She knew it would only be a few seconds, but those few seconds seemed like an eternity.
On one of the displays, red and yellow icons finally began to appear. As moments passed, the display became covered in variously colored icons.
“The yellow icons are orbiting habitats,” Stalls reported. “The red ones are Hocklyn ships, both warships and civilian.”
“Display habitats, planets, and warships only,” Amanda ordered wanting to see what she was up against.
“The tactical display updated itself and the number of red icons decreased considerably. There were small Hocklyn fleets around fourteen of the habitats. Only one of the fleets was a major one. There didn’t seem to be warships around any of the planets or moons.
“They’ve decimated their fleets fighting over supplies,” Commander Diaz spoke, relieved there weren't thousands of Hocklyn warships on the tactical displays.
He knew that reports from the scouts indicated a depleted Hocklyn fleet, but he'd never expected to see this. The fighting between Hocklyn warships trying to acquire additional food supplies must have been savage indeed to leave so few surviving.
“Helm, plot a microjump to the nearest habitat with a Hocklyn fleet,” Amanda ordered. “We’ll take them out one by one.”
-
High Councilor Desmonde stormed into the Operations Center of his personal habitat, angry at being woken from his sleep. “What is it?” he demanded, glaring at the senior Protector on duty.
The Protector turned to face Desmonde, his face impassive as he began his report. “The Humans and the Altons have jumped into the system in large numbers. We’re detecting a fleet of at least one hundred and fifty vessels.”
“The Humans and the Altons are here?” Desmonde rasped his blood turning cold at the ramifications.
“Yes,” Protector Ganlon replied.
“What are they doing?”
“Scanning the system before they begin their attack,” Ganlon answered.
“What fleet units do we have that can be used to defend the system?”
“There are fleets around some of the other habitats, but I doubt if they'll move to attack the Humans and Altons for fear of leaving their habitats unprotected.”
Desmonde gazed at the large sensor screen on one of the walls of the room. The Operations Center was responsible for monitoring the day-to-day operations of the habitat.
“Send out a message to all fleet units still in the system that they are ordered to attack the invaders, and put my name in the message. I am a High Councilor, and surely our warriors will obey my orders to attack the Humans and the Altons.”
“I don’t believe they will,” Ganlon replied his large reptilian head turning to look at the large sensor screen. Even as he watched, the invading ships vanished, only to reappear a few moments later around one of the habitats with a defending fleet. “They’re going to eliminate our fleet units one by one until none remain. We no longer have sufficient forces in the system to repel the attack.”
Desmonde tried to fight down growing panic as he realized there was little he could do. All habitats, including his own, were unarmed and not protected by energy shields. The costs of adding defenses and an energy shield were too prohibitive due to the size of the habitats.
“Contact our other systems and inform them the Humans and the Altons are here, and request that they send all available fleet units to us immediately.”
“This may not be the only attack,” Ganlon responded in a cold and even voice. “The Humans and Altons have probably attacked our other systems as well.”
Desmonde felt as if the air had been knocked out of him. He'd planned on remaining in his habitat with its protecting fleet until the infighting between habitats came to an end. He would then have used his fleet to establish control over the system of Anlesh. Now those plans were in great jeopardy.
“Can our in system fleets stop the invaders?” he asked his large eyes focusing on Protector Ganlon.
“No,” Ganlon responded. “Too many ships have been damaged and are low on munitions. They will put up a valiant fight and die with honor, but they will die.”
Desmonde said nothing as he gazed at the viewscreen, seeing that the Humans and Altons had begun their attack. They had come to end the Empire and he was powerless to stop them. He knew they would show no mercy for the Hocklyns had never shown any.
-
The combined fleet had jumped around one of the larger habitats with a defending Hocklyn fleet. The Hocklyn warships were in a defensive formation surrounding the habitat to protect it from attack by other Hocklyns; they were not prepared to face a heavily armed Human and Alton fleet.
“All weapons, fire!” Amanda ordered as she gazed intently at the nearest tactical display showing the fleet she was attacking. It was a small fleet, but there were several warcruisers showing on the tactical displays.
“Give me a status on that fleet!”
“Four warcruisers and twelve escorts,” Lieutenant Stalls replied. “A number of the ships are showing major damage.”
Amanda glanced up at one of the viewscreens just in time to see one of the Hocklyn warcruisers explode violently when its shield was overloaded as numerous violet power beams and bright blue particle beams smashed into the ship. The WarStorm shuddered slightly from the return fire, but the Hocklyns didn’t have sufficient ships to cause the fleet any major damage.
“Focus on the warcruisers,” she ordered, gripping the arm rests on her command chair. “Eliminate them first and then switch to the escorts.”
“Firing,” reported Captain Kimura as she spoke rapidly to her weapons techs over her mini-com as she directed the firing of the WarStorm’s heavy weapons. Power beams and particle beams were being fired nonstop from the powerful battleship at one of the remaining Hocklyn warcruisers.
-
In space, the embattled Hocklyns were in a dire situation. They were too near the habitat to escape into hyperspace and had no reserves they could call upon. Weapons fire lit up space as they fired back with every weapon they had at their disposal, but the Human and Alton energy shields merely shrugged off the feeble response.
Two more warcruisers died as powerful Alton particle beams tore them apart. The final one exploded under the withering fire fr
om the WarStorm and another Human battleship, and then the escorts began to die one by one.
In another few minutes, it was over as the last escort cruiser was blown apart by an Alton battlecruiser. Space around the Hocklyn habitat was full of drifting debris and glowing gases, which were gradually fading away.
-
“What about the habitat?” asked Commander Diaz, cocking his head and looking over at Amanda. “Should we hit it with an antimatter missile?”
“No,” answered Amanda, shaking her head. “They’re out of food and supplies; they won’t last much longer. Set a microjump to the next habitat with a defending fleet.”
For the next two hours, the combined fleet jumped from habitat to habitat, wiping out each defending Hocklyn fleet with relative ease. Amanda was amazed at how little resistance the Hocklyns were able to muster. She knew she shouldn’t have been too surprised from all the ship wreckage floating around some of the habitats and other parts of the system. It was obvious some fairly massive battles had already been fought over the dwindling food supplies.
Fleet Admiral Streth’s plan had succeeded far beyond their wildest dreams. From some of the communications they'd been monitoring she knew frantic pleas for help were being broadcast constantly from numerous habitats and even several of the planets and a few moons. She'd also been informed from Lieutenant Trask that the calls were not being answered.
-
High Councilor Desmonde stood in the Operations Center, watching as the Human and Alton fleets jumped around the system taking out each of the remaining defending fleets one by one. Just a few short weeks ago, over a thousand Hocklyn warships had been defending the system. Now that number was less than two hundred and growing smaller every minute.
“We've finally received responses from several other core systems,” Protector Ganlon reported, his large cold eyes staring directly at the High Councilor. “At least six other systems are currently under attack by the Humans, the Altons, and at least two other races. All report no success at stopping the attacks.”
“Then this is the end,” Desmonde stated, his hand straying to his waist and the knife, which rested there. He didn’t intend to allow the Humans to take him alive. “Have your Protectors prepare to repel boarders, the Humans will undoubtedly attempt to capture me.”
“As you command,” Ganlon replied. “But the Humans have not boarded any of the other habitats. I doubt if they’ll board this one.”
“Do as I say,” ordered Desmonde, angrily. “They will come for me! I am a High Councilor and they will want my knowledge of the Empire.”
Ganlon turned away to carry out the orders. He didn’t bother to inform the High Councilor that there no longer was a Hocklyn Empire. The Humans and their allies had destroyed it!
-
“Jump complete,” reported Lieutenant Stalls as the WarStorm exited the spatial vortex close to the last Hocklyn habitat with a defending fleet. This fleet was the largest one and had been saved until last.
“What are we up against?” asked Amanda, leaning forward and studying the tactical displays.
“Four dreadnoughts, twelve warcruisers, and twenty escorts,” Colonel Leon reported as she examined the tactical display and the red threat icons it was displaying.
“Begin the attack,” Amanda ordered. “Captain Kimura, use of antimatter missiles is authorized on those dreadnoughts.” This was the only fleet in the system that had dreadnoughts.
“The Hocklyn fleet is forming up into an attack formation,” Lieutenant Stalls reported. “They’re coming out to meet us.”
“This is the first fleet to do that,” commented Commander Diaz. “Their commander obviously wants some maneuvering room away from the habitat.”
“Caution all ships to watch for suicide runs,” ordered Amanda, eyeing the advancing Hocklyn formation suspiciously. There were just enough ships in this fleet to be a problem.
“Firing weapons!” Captain Kimura reported as she passed on the orders to the other weapon techs.
-
In space, massive weapons fire wracked the advancing Hocklyn ships. Several shields failed and a warcruiser and two escorts vanished in fiery explosions. However, there were four Hocklyn dreadnoughts in this formation and they fired back with every weapon at their disposal. Two of the dreadnoughts even had a few of the no longer widely available AI fifty-megaton sublight antimatter missiles, which they'd been hoarding. Both dreadnoughts fired everything they had simultaneously at Second Fleet. Massive explosions crawled across energy shields and a few failed under the unexpected onslaught. The battleship Voltan died as two antimatter missiles struck her armored hull. Two glowing suns signified the sudden demise of the massive warship.
-
“What the hell!” yelled Amanda, seeing the sudden unexpected destruction being wrought on her fleet.
“AI antimatter missiles,” reported Captain Mika Kimura. “Two of their dreadnoughts fired full salvos at us.”
“I’m detecting twenty-two antimatter explosions,” Lieutenant Stalls reported in a grave voice. “Battleship Voltan, warcruiser Aster, strikecruiser Velm are down. Light cruisers Justice, Ryan, and Creed are also down.”
“Concentrate our fire on those dreadnoughts!” ordered Amanda, shaken by the sudden loss of ships.
“Altons are shifting their fire to the dreadnoughts,” Commander Diaz reported as dozens of bright blue particle beams suddenly flashed out and struck the energy screens of the four dreadnoughts.
Alton particle beam cannons were much more powerful than their Federation counterparts. It only took a few seconds for the beams to smash holes in the energy screens and riddle the four dreadnoughts, leaving glowing hulks on the viewscreens. Moments later, all four dreadnoughts exploded as their self-destructs went off.
“Light cruisers Vicksburg and Crest are down,” Stalls reported as the two ships vanished from his sensors.
“Get the warcruisers!” ordered Amanda, drawing in a sharp breath. The early easy victories were now being paid for in blood.
The warcruisers were firing their energy beam weapons nonstop as well as emptying their missile tubes of every nuclear weapon they still had at their disposal. Fortunately, the missiles didn’t have sublight drives and many were being intercepted by defensive laser fire.
The warcruisers began to die in brilliant explosions of light as they were torn apart by heavy fire from the Human and Alton ships. Then their escorts charged forward in an attempt to ram. Antimatter missiles met them head on and only two managed to ram their Human targets. The strikecruiser Desplains died in a fiery explosion as one of the escorts struck the ship. The battlecruiser Starling was heavily damaged by the second.
The battle waged for a few more minutes, but the remaining Hocklyns ships didn’t have the firepower to seriously endanger the attacking Federation ships. It finally ended when the last warcruiser vanished in the fireball of a one hundred-megaton antimatter missile.
“That’s it,” Commander Diaz informed Admiral Sheen. “All Hocklyn warships in the system have been destroyed.”
Amanda nodded her head, allowing herself to relax. They'd lost some ships, but the price had been light considering they now controlled the Hocklyns’ second most populous system.
“Lieutenant Stalls, put all other Hocklyn ships up on the tactical displays.”
Instantly, hundreds of new red threat icons appeared. Most of the ships were cargo ships and a few were obviously shuttles. Even as she watched, a few red icons fled the system, jumping into hyperspace.
“Split the fleet,” she ordered in a grim voice. They were here to destroy the Hocklyn Slave Empire and ensure it never became a threat again. “I want all of those cargo ships and shuttles destroyed.”
Commander Diaz looked at the admiral, unsure if he had heard her correctly. “Those are civilian ships,” he said, looking intently at Amanda.
“They’re Hocklyn ships; most of them have Hocklyn military personnel on board. I doubt if too many civilians remain
in control since they started fighting one another,” Amanda replied in a firm voice. “Those ships can find supplies and carry Hocklyn Protectors to unprotected slave worlds if we allow them to go free. They can also bring in materials to rebuild the Hocklyn war machine. We’re here to make sure that can’t happen again.”
“Very well, Admiral,” Commander Diaz said with a nod of his head. “I’ll pass on the orders.”
For the next six hours, Amanda watched the tactical displays steadfastly as hundreds of cargo ships and shuttles were hunted down and destroyed. It was gruesome work and Amanda deeply wished it wasn’t necessary. She knew that a few of those ships were probably controlled by civilian crews. Whenever she began to have doubts, she'd think back to the original Federation and what it had been like to see the nuclear destruction the Hocklyns had delivered to the billions of inhabitants, which had once lived in that thriving civilization.
Finally it was over, and Commander Diaz turned to Amanda. “It’s done,” he reported in a solemn voice. “About twenty-two percent of them managed to escape into hyperspace.”
“I doubt whether they’ll return,” she replied. “All of our fleets will be carrying out the same policy. It’s the Hocklyns’ own actions that brought about this Armageddon. Have all ships rendezvous and prepare to jump to the Hocklyn system of Calzen, the world on which the Hocklyns originated. We’re scheduled to hit the system in twelve hours. We’ll be joined by some of our other fleets.”
“What kind of resistance can we expect in their home system?” asked Colonel Leon, stepping closer to the admiral. She'd been watching the tactical screens as individual fleet ships had hunted down and destroyed all of the cargo ships and shuttles.
“Possibly pretty heavy,” Amanda replied in an even voice. “If a major Fleet Commodore survived, it would be in that system.” Then Amanda’s eyes softened. “I would suggest we all get some rest; the next battle will probably be much tougher than what we experienced here.”
After retiring to her quarters, Amanda lay down on her bed. It was all she could do to stop from shaking. She'd hated wiping out the Hocklyn cargo ships and shuttles since she knew she was killing some civilians. However, war was a terrible thing and sometimes hard choices had to be made. To save potentially billions of lives in the future, it had been decided to eliminate as much as possible of the Hocklyns’ space going capability. Granted, a few ships would survive, but if the Federation placed a military base closely enough, they could ensure that none returned.
The Slaver Wars: Endgame Page 19