“What are the populations on the two planets?”
“Unknown,” Anne replied. “From our long distance scans both planets boast large populations, probably in the hundreds of millions.”
“Typical Hocklyn slave planets,” muttered Colonel Trist, shaking his head disgustedly. “I just wonder what their population was before the arrival of the Hocklyns?”
Admiral Streth and Colonel Grissom were silent. They both knew the Hocklyns had a tendency to reduce the population on slave planets down to a more manageable level, normally by the use of nuclear bombardment from space.
“What of the two Hocklyn fleets in the system?” Hedon asked as his eyes shifted to the red threat icons being displayed on the tactical display. It looked as if there were two full war fleets present. That in itself indicated the importance the Hocklyns attributed to the system.
“Forty-eight ships each,” Colonel Grissom confirmed as she checked some data. “Each fleet is similar, being comprised of four dreadnoughts, eight warcruisers, and thirty-six escort cruisers.”
“I wonder if any of those ships have been updated?” asked Colonel Trist, cocking his eyebrow. “This system seems as if it's a pretty important one to the Hocklyns. Those ships might have better weapons and shields.”
“I doubt if they've had the time,” Hedon responded. He knew from the captured data at the Hocklyn fleet base that the Hocklyn Empire had four main fleet construction facilities. Due to the distance to the nearest, he didn’t think the Hocklyns would've had the time to update the ships in the system.
“How do we want to do this?” asked Trist, looking over at Hedon. The problem was they only had First Fleet with them, and two different Hocklyn fleets at two different planets that needed to be attacked. At the moment, the two planets were separated by a great distance, being on opposite sides of the system’s sun.
“I don’t want to divide the fleet,” Hedon said as he thought about their options. He knew his brother Taylor would have agreed with him on that. From a tactical standpoint, it was much better to keep the fleet together and eliminate the two Hocklyn fleets one by one.
“The inner world seems to be the more populous of the two planets,” Anne commented as more information continued to come in from the two forward scouts. “The computers are starting to give us population estimates based on our scans. The inner world has a population of approximately three hundred million and the outer one a population slightly in excess of one hundred million.”
“Then the inner world will be our first target,” spoke Hedon, folding his arms across his chest. He missed having Clarissa available. Her ability to take the data from the sensor scans and correlate it was remarkable. He really missed her insights in situations like this. “Take the fleet to Condition One and prepare to jump. I want to jump to just outside of the inner planet’s gravity well. The battlecarriers and ten light cruisers will remain here in case the Hocklyn fleet at the other planet jumps in. I want our carrier’s bombers tasked for a shipping strike if needed. It'll take the Hocklyns awhile just to clear the gravity well, and by then the battle at the inner planet will be over. Commander Bixby aboard the battlecarrier Essex will be in command of the carrier group. Also, contact Admiral Cleeteus and ask him to leave four of his Alton battlecruisers with the carriers. That should ensure they stay safe from attack.”
The orders were quickly passed and the fleet was brought to Condition One. On board the StarStrike, the crew raced to their battle stations, knowing that very shortly they would be engaged against the Hocklyns once more.
“Ready to jump,” Colonel Trist reported as he took up his position in front of one of the four tactical displays the StarStrike was equipped with.
“Initiate jump!” ordered Admiral Streth as he held his breath waiting for the StarStrike to enter the spatial vortex. They were just outside the system and this would be a very brief stint in hyperspace. Moments later, he felt the normal queasiness associated with an FTL jump. In all his years in the Fleet, he still hadn’t gotten used to that gut wrenching feeling.
-
War Leader Briton was asleep in his quarters when the warning klaxons sounded and the red alert lights began flashing. Jumping up, he grabbed his battle armor and pressed the com button connecting him to the War Room. “What is the alarm for?” he demanded as he pulled on his chest plate and buckled his knife to his waist.
“It’s the Humans; a large fleet has just jumped into the system outside the gravity well of the planet,” his First Leader responded in a concerned voice.
“How large?” demanded Briton as he prepared to leave his quarters. His First Leader had never been exposed to combat. It was disconcerting that the Humans had chosen this moment to attack. In another few weeks, his fleet would have gone to Kenward Seven to be updated.
“Our sensors are detecting eighty-five ships, War Leader.”
“Bring our fleet to battle readiness and send a report of the arrival of the Human fleet to Fleet Commodore Resmunt at Kenward Seven,” Briton ordered as he stepped out of the door to his quarters and began rushing toward the War Room.
Because of the importance of this system, they had an AI FTL communicator. Each week the system sent several cargo ships with rare metals to the AIs at the center of the galaxy. This system could not be lost or there would be serious ramifications.
A few minutes later, the out of breath War Leader burst into the War Room amongst the still ringing klaxons and flashing red lights. “Turn those off!” he roared, shaking his head. “What are the Humans doing?”
“They're beginning to enter the gravity well,” First Leader Bakh reported as he watched War Leader Briton take his position upon the command pedestal.
Briton studied the tactical screen for a long moment and then turned back to his First Leader. “Form the fleet up into formation B-14 and begin moving toward the Humans at twenty percent sublight. We'll meet them away from the planet.”
The Hocklyn fleet quickly formed up into the designated formation, which was an inverted shallow cone with the most powerful ships at the center.
-
“Hocklyns have formed up and are coming out to meet us,” Colonel Trist reported in surprise. He'd thought the Hocklyn War Leader would have stayed closer to the planet in order to better protect the rear of his formation. “Should we launch our fighters?”
“No, not unless the Hocklyns do,” Hedon replied as he watched one of the tactical displays.
All of his bombers were aboard the battlecarriers and would not take part in this engagement. He still wanted to continue to test the Federation’s newly upgraded weapons against the Hocklyns. The one brief battle, when they had first returned, had been impressive. He wanted to see if that continued here.
“Engagement range in ten minutes,” Captain Reynolds reported from his sensor console. “Hocklyns are headed directly for us.”
“We need to be prepared for possible suicide runs,” Colonel Grissom cautioned as she watched the approaching Hocklyn fleet. Anne knew that not even the new and improved shields could withstand an eight hundred-meter ship or larger smashing into them.
“Pass the warning,” Hedon ordered as he buckled himself into his command chair.
-
The two fleets continued to close and then, as they approached optimum engagement range, both began to slow to allow for better targeting acquisition of their weapons. The Hocklyns knew they couldn't escape the gravity well quickly enough to escape the larger Human fleet. Their best option was to engage and hope they could destroy enough of the Human ships to force them to withdraw. Orders had already been sent for the other Hocklyn fleet to come to their aid.
-
“Optimum firing range,” Major Weir reported calmly from Tactical as he prepared to order his weapon crews to fire.
“All ships lock on to targets and fire!” Hedon ordered over his mini-com, which connected him to all of the ship commanders in his fleet.
“Firing,” Major Weir replied as h
e sent the orders to his subordinates and crews.
Instantly from the StarStrike, ten Devastator Three sublight missiles flashed from their missile tubes and four powerful power beams shot out to strike a nearby Hocklyn warcruiser. It was the same with the entire Human fleet. Hundreds of Devastator Three missiles were being fired and the more powerful power beam weapons were turned upon the Hocklyns. For this battle, the newer Alton furnished antimatter missiles and deadly particle beam weapons would not be used.
Massive nuclear explosions began to roll across the screens of the Hocklyn ships, blasting them down and leaving the ships’ armored hulls defenseless. Power beams struck, cutting deep into the warships causing substantial damage. Railgun rounds began impacting, leaving small, glowing craters wherever they impacted. None of these Hocklyn ships had been updated and all had the weaker energy shields. In most cases, it was only taking a single Devastator Three missile to knock a shield down. Space was full of power beams, energy beams, pulse lasers, railgun rounds, and missiles as the two fleets tried to destroy each other.
The Hocklyn ships had no defense against the improved Human weapons. Internal explosions began to tear ships apart throughout the Hocklyn formation. Munitions exploded, blowing out huge sections of ships’ hulls. Fires raged inside, sucking up the available oxygen and killing the crews. Hocklyn ship after ship perished in fiery balls of blazing light. Some died as their self-destructs were set off and others were destroyed when Devastator Three missiles detonated against their hulls literally vaporizing the tens of thousands of tons of metal that made up each ship.
-
War Leader Briton blanched at seeing the destruction being imposed upon his fleet. Warcruisers and escort cruisers were dying faster than the sensor operator could report. On the main viewscreens, he could see Human power beams and laser beams flashing out and striking Hocklyn vessels. The Humans' power beams seemed to cut right through the energy screens. Occasionally a massive explosion of energy would indicate where one of their deadly sublight missiles had detonated against an energy screen or a ship’s hull.
“We can’t survive this,” First Leader Bakh groaned in anguish as another warcruiser exploded in a ball of nuclear fire. “We are all going to face our honor today.”
“Then we will die,” War Leader Briton spoke, his face looking impassive as he accepted their fate. “Continue to fire all weapons; I want to destroy as many of these Human ships as possible before we go to seek our honor. It is our duty to the Empire.”
Briton felt his dreadnought shudder violently; the lights dimmed and then brightened. Looking over at the damage control board, he saw numerous lights turning amber and then red. He took a deep breath. He'd served the Empire for many long years; he was willing to accept his death. The Humans were demons indeed if they could so easily destroy his ships; he knew the entire Empire could be at risk. The ship shook again, nearly throwing Briton from the command pedestal. He could hear the sounds of tearing metal in the distance, as the hull was ripped open. Smoke was growing thick in the War Room; he knew the battle would not last much longer.
-
“Light cruiser Ascendant is down,” Captain Reynolds reported as the green icon swelled up on his screen and then vanished.
“Hocklyns are taking heavy damage,” Colonel Trist reported as the StarStrike shook slightly from weapons fire impacting the ship’s energy screen. “Energy screen is holding at ninety-two percent.”
“These Hocklyn ships have not been updated,” Colonel Grissim spoke as she looked at some of the data coming back from the ship’s sensors. “They have the weaker screens and weapons. Our power beams are going right through their shields.” Anne knew the power beams were much stronger now that the new Alton fusion reactor had been installed. Even the pulse lasers had more power.
Looking up at a viewscreen, Hedon could see a Hocklyn warcruiser burning. Massive holes covered its hull, and fires could be seen inside. Even as he watched, several violet colored power beams struck the hull, carving deep into the ship. Violent explosions began to wrack the warcruiser, which suddenly exploded as its nuclear self-destructs activated. Moments later, there was nothing left but glowing debris.
“Several Hocklyn ships are attempting to ram!” Captain Reynolds warned as he saw a group of enemy ships begin to accelerate toward the Human fleet.
“Intensify our fire on those ships!” Hedon ordered as he shifted his gaze back to one of the tactical displays. He knew that ramming was the only option the Hocklyns had left.
-
Six Hocklyn escort cruisers were in close formation protecting their last surviving warcruiser. They were on a suicide run that would give them a chance to destroy part of the attacking Human fleet. Missile fire and power beams began to strike the ships as the Human fleet shifted their focus to this new threat. First one and then two of the escort cruisers exploded in bright fireballs as their shields were overwhelmed. A third and a fourth died quickly after Devastator Threes blew them apart. Then the fire shifted to the warcruiser. Its shield wavered as Devastator Threes exploded against it. Then several power beams blasted through the shield, striking the hull. Violent explosions rocked the ship and then the shield failed. Six Devastator Three missiles vaporized the warcruiser into plasma and gas.
The other two escort cruisers were now in amongst the Human ships. One crashed into a light cruiser and the two vanished in a massive ball of flame. The second crashed into a battlecruiser, causing heavy damage. The new energy shield had absorbed just enough of the energy from the collision to prevent the ship from being destroyed.
-
“Light cruiser McLain is down, battlecruiser Resolute is heavily damaged,” Captain Reynolds reported in a stunned voice.
“Let’s finish off the rest of the Hocklyn fleet,” ordered Hedon, letting out a deep breath. He knew that a lot of brave men and women had probably just died on the battlecruiser. Glancing over at Janice, Hedon saw the pained look upon her face. She knew how he felt about casualties.
-
War Leader Briton held on to his command console as his dreadnought was hammered brutally by Human weapons. On the damage control board, more lights were red than green. He knew his ship was dying around him. Looking at the tactical screen, he saw that only a few Hocklyn ships still survived. Even as he watched, two more icons representing escort cruisers faded away.
“We are defeated,” First Leader Bakh spoke, his face covered in blood from a vicious cut across his forehead. The War Room was in ruin, full of smoke and several burning consoles. Most of the crew were either dead or unconscious. “Honor awaits us.”
“Honor awaits us,” agreed War Leader Briton as he reached forward and pressed the large red button on his control console.
Instantly, the self-destructs in the dreadnought activated. Four large nuclear explosions tore the ship apart as nuclear energy rushed through the hull. In moments, it was nothing more than a glowing, expanding debris field.
-
“Last Hocklyn ship has been destroyed,” Captain Reynolds reported with relief.
“What about the second fleet?” Hedon asked. He wouldn’t consider this mission a success unless he could destroy it also.
“It’s just now exiting the gravity well of the other inhabited planet,” Colonel Grissim reported. “They appear to be spinning up their FTL drives.”
“They’re escaping!” oathed Colonel Trist, looking over at Hedon.
“Nothing we can do about it,” replied Hedon, disappointedly. “Turn the fleet around and let’s rejoin Commander Bixby.” Then, turning back to Colonel Grissom, “What were our losses?”
“Two light cruisers destroyed, two Monarchs suffered moderate damage, and the battlecruiser Resolute is reporting heavy damage. At the moment, their FTL core is down and it will take them four to six hours to make sufficient repairs to allow them to jump.”
“Very well,” responded Hedon, letting out a deep breath. “Have Commander Bixby jump his ships to just outside the gr
avity well. Once we make rendezvous we'll decide upon our next move.”
-
Several hours later, First Fleet was floating in the depths of the system surrounded by nothing but unblinking stars. Crews were busily repairing the battle damage suffered in the brief but savage battle with the Hocklyns.
“I have a final damage report,” Colonel Trist said as he approached Hedon. “We lost two light cruisers, with another dozen ships reporting some damage. The only ship that requires being put into a repair bay is the battlecruiser Resolute. I have her casualty figures. The ship lost six hundred and twenty dead, fifteen missing, and another three hundred and twelve injured. They report that all the fires are out and repairs are well underway. We’ve sent additional repair crews over from other ships to assist, as well as med teams.”
“What about Hocklyn losses?”
“We destroyed their entire fleet around the inner inhabited world,” Trist replied with satisfaction in his voice. “It hadn't been upgraded and didn’t have powerful enough weapons to seriously endanger our ships. Our improved weapons and shields seem to be holding up well.”
“I spoke to Admiral Cleeteus a few minutes ago and none of the Alton ships suffered any damage,” Hedon added. “He wants to know what we’re going to do about the two slave worlds in this system.”
“What are we going to do?” Trist asked his eyes looking intently at Hedon. “We can’t afford to fortify this system, at least not yet. We don’t have the resources.”
“No, not at the moment,” responded Hedon, agreeing with his executive officer. He hated leaving the system in control of the Hocklyns, but he didn’t see any other choice.
“Perhaps it would be best to leave the system as is,” suggested Colonel Grissom, coming to stand next to Hedon. “It’s rich in natural resources and could be very useful to the war effort at a later date. If we leave now, the Hocklyns will assume we only came to destroy their fleet and will probably leave the two planets as they are.”
The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict Page 16