Wolves at the Gate (Star Wolf Squadron Book 3)

by Shane VanAulen

  “What ships do we have?” Mike asked as he moved to the maser station.

  “Beside the twin armored cruisers that we just passed, I’m reading a Titan class battle carrier, a Leader class battle cruiser and two more armored cruisers. There are also, two light cruisers, four modern heavy frigates, six corvettes, a hospital ship and four freighters,” the maser operator reported.

  “A reinforced battle group,” Hunter said thinking out loud. There should only be two armored cruisers not four in a battle group but they were probably there on permanent station to help protect the starbase.

  “Sir, there is more,” the space radar operator, “I’m reading an old escort carrier and two Planetary Assault Ships by the far gravity well that’s near the planet.”

  Mike stayed by the maser station but looked not to the main viewer but at the Star Tiger’s captain.

  “Strange configuration to guard a system,” he commented having learned to do better than this in his first year at Harpers Academy.

  Hunter nodded his agreement.

  “They have the majority of their ships in orbit around the base, only two ships are guarding a gravity well that has an enemy force only one bend away. Their secondary well is guarded by an obsolete escort carrier and two PAS that are lucky to have the firepower of standard frigate.”

  A PAS or planetary assault ship was used for troop landings on hostile world. They could be armed with assault shuttles, grav tanks, light star fighters and were always equipped with drop tubes. Usually, they carried several hundred colonial marines or Con-Fed soldiers as well as Starborne Units. They were not normally assigned picket duty as they were not meant to slug it out with other ships but support ground assaults and landing operations. There was no sense risking your troops that way.

  “Are you getting the feeling that someone doesn’t know what they are doing, sir?” Collins posed.

  “We are getting ship identifications from their transponder signals,” the comm. officer reported.

  “So, who do we have?” Hunter remarked looking up at his tactical holo-map as the ships appeared along with their names and class.

  “The battle cruiser is a Leader class and is the ISS Cromwell,” Mike announced just as the information appeared on the tactical holo-map. Looking at the ship he couldn’t help but be reminded of the Star Destroyer that he helped capture at the Battle of Austro Prime. That ship was now with the Wolf Squadron and was called the IPS Half Moon. Staring at the viewer, he felt he had found the other half of that moon.

  The battle cruiser was your big bad boy and was at least three times the size of the Star Tiger. It was meant to take the battle to the enemy and crush them with its overwhelming and superior fire power. It had an immense Type G spinal mounted particle cannon. Its hull bristled with long-range particle turrets, heavy fusion turrets, and missile pods. Torpedo tubes, point defense lasers, and anti-missile gauss cannons made her into a formidable sight. She carried a dozen star fighters as a combat space patrol to keep enemy fighters off her back as she would lead the thrust into any enemy formation. If you saw a battle cruiser coming at you your best bet would be to run and run fast.

  Mike was impressed and was sure that the former Lord Protector of England, Oliver Cromwell would have been proud to have such a ship named after him.

  “The two other armored cruisers are the ISS Roosevelt and the ISS Bismarck.”

  Hunter’s blue eyes looked from the tactical holo-map to the main viewer and then to the built-in computer screen in his captain’s chair.

  “The battle cruiser and armored cruisers have large orbits around the station,” he announced.

  “An outer picket force?” Collins questioned.

  Edmund nodded, “Most likely our Commodore Essex or the station admiral wants them close but not too close.”

  “Battle Carrier coming up,” the maser station operator sang out.

  The battle carrier was big, even larger than the battle cruiser. The Titan class battle carrier was identified as the ISS Pallas. A Titan class carrier contained one hundred star-fighters and had the additional fire power of a heavy cruiser. Of course, the last thing you wanted was an enemy force close enough to your carrier to force her into a knock down drag out shooting match. If it did happen, then the Titan class at least had some teeth.

  Looking at her, Mike couldn’t help but think of his father’s ship the ISS Prometheus which was a sister ship to the ISS Pallas, both being Titan class carriers. If the reports were true, then his father was now the captain of that ship. The rumor was that he had won the posting in battle after her original captain had been killed in action.

  This battle carrier was parked close to the starbase and even that seemed strange to have such a large ship so close but not docked. Ryu-Six’s starbase was a full naval base with starship repair facilities and was literally a floating city. She even dwarfed the two huge capital ships in her size. She looked like a gigantic floating mushroom cap with three arms each ending with a smaller mushroom-shaped cap saucer. Docked along her arms were merchant ships and transports. As they closed on the station they could read that there were two light cruisers, four heavy frigates, and four corvettes, all of which were parked along her extended arms.

  “That’s a lot of perfectly good warships to be sitting in dock,” Mike once more commented.

  Cmdr. Hunter remained silent as he looked up at the tactical holo-map. His hand was on his chin and he was absently rubbing it as he thought through the situation.

  “Sir, the Pallas is signaling us and they want to talk to you,” the comm. station reported.

  “On main viewer,” he said in calm voice.

  The bridge of the battle carrier was large and the viewer’s image only covered a portion of it as people came and went in the background and from either side. It’s CIC must have been at least three times larger than that of the attack cruiser’s entire bridge.

  “Good to see you Star Tiger and welcome home,” a smiling man of African descent said from the central command chair. He was dressed in a tan Confederation duty uniform and had the rank of full commander on his collar.

  “I’m Commander Hunter,” Edmund said with a nod.

  “I’m Rick Hemmings, I’m the executive officer of this big old monster,” he joked still smiling.

  “I’ll need to speak with your Ship Captain and Commodore Essex immediately,” Hunter said keeping the conversation to business.

  The XO’s smile quickly slipped away.

  “Commodore Essex and the Captain LaFevers are in a meeting and left orders not to be disturbed.”

  Hunter shook his head and locked his jaw for a few seconds before he spoke again.

  “I have important communications and intelligence reports from the front lines,” he informed and added, “they come from Admiral Sir Egbert Norton-Underhill, Commander of the 12th Defense Fleet and from Fleet Captain Sir Randolph Hope.”

  “Sorry but the Commodore said not to be bothered unless the enemy was in the system,” Cmdr. Hemmings replied also not happy about his orders.

  “Very well, I’m sending over Lt. Collins here, to report in to the Commodore. He is carrying important dispatches and time sensitive orders,” he said glancing over to Mike who had moved up to stand next to him.

  Hemmings didn’t answer right away but looked for a moment at Collins and then nodded.

  “That’s fine but he’ll probably have a wait on his hands,” the XO replied.

  “I’m taking the Star Tiger to the gas giant and will be carrying out refueling operations. Have your Captain or your Commodore contact me at their convenience,” Hunter said, already wishing that he were back behind enemy lines.

  “You could refuel at the starbase,” Hemmings suggested.

  “No thanks,” he answered and explained, “I can’t stay that long as I have orders to report to the Admiralty as soon as possible.”

  Commander Hemmings shook his head and ran a hand through his dark curly brown hair.

  “
Sorry but Commodore Essex and Admiral Yancy, the star-base commander, have ordered that no ships are to leave the system without their expressed permission,” he explained, again looking pained at having to pass this along onto the attack cruiser’s captain.

  “Well, isn’t that a fine …” Hunter started.

  “Careful, our ship has an A.I. and is probably recording all of this for the Commodore to review,” Cmdr. Hemmings said trying to save Hunter from saying something that could get him in trouble or even be brought up on charges.

  “Terrific, but I’m still going to refuel my ship,” Edmund said with sour look.

  “Go ahead, there are no orders to stop you from doing that,” Rick Hemmings said paused for moment and the added, “I’d use the gas giant that’s close to the Beta gravity well if I were you.”

  Commander Hunter looked at him for minute and nodded.

  “Thanks, out here,” he quickly said.

  “Roger, out,” the executive officer replied and once more smiled a big toothy grin.

  Mike turned and looked to Hunter.

  “Sir, did he just tell us to refuel and make a run for the gravity well?”

  “Yep, he was telling us to get the hell out of Dodge,” Hunter agreed.

  “What should we do?”

  “Well, you’re still going over to the Pallas and do your part of this mission. Try to convince them to follow Admiral Norton-Underhill and Captain Hope’s plan.”

  Mike nodded while thinking that his job sucked.

  “And you, and the Star Tiger?”

  “We’ll refuel and move to escape,” he said and continued, “I’ll wait as long as I can and will try to reason with these idiots but I doubt they will listen to me.”

  The young lieutenant tilted his head a little questioningly.

  Edmund Hunter shook his head no.

  “I can never play that card,” he whispered so softly that only Mike’s enhanced hearing could hear what he was saying.

  Collins nodded knowing the Commander’s secret. That he wasn’t just a career naval officer but was also the Black Prince and the eldest son of the Emperor of the Confederation.

  “So, I could get stuck here?”

  Hunter nodded, “Just keep the faith and do your job. No matter what happens, don’t lose your cool.”

  “Roger that, sir,” Mike said turning to get his gear and report to the shuttle bay.

  “Oh, and Mister Collins?” the Commander said as he turned away

  “Yes sir?” he asked turning back.

  “Good luck,” Edmund said and smiled.

  “To both of us,” he replied and left to carry out his fool’s errand.

  Chapter Two

  The Ryu-Six System had a twin or binary star system with an alpha and a beta sun. The alpha was heavy mass and the beta was smaller that had an internal barycenter that forced the smaller star to orbit the larger. Most of the seven worlds in the system were lifeless rocks or gas balls but one planet fell in the habitable or Goldie Locks zone. Novus Orbis or New World was an underdeveloped, out of the way planet which was only partly terraformed.

  Before the war, the planet had only been colonized on its western coast. This region had been completely terraformed with Earth type trees and vegetation, which had supplanted the smaller, weaker, more water needy underbrush. The rest of the planet's sole continent which lay beyond the Azure Mountains was still waiting for that once promised terraforming.

  In its early colonial days, it had once had a terraforming research facility and a United Earth desert training and survival school. Unfortunately, both sites had been destroyed by the Karduans in the earliest days of the war as they carefully tested human resolve and technology.

  The coast had been the natural site of the planet's sole city and star port. Once a Confederation starbase had been built in the system a new wave of settlers and land developers moved onto the planet and it quickly grew. Though they had only one city it was a major one which was called Novenna.

  “Almost there, sir,” the shuttle pilot announced breaking the young officer from his palm pad.

  Lt. Collins had been reading about the distant colony world since his shuttle had departed from the Star Tiger. It made sense to familiarize himself with the system and its one inhabitable world, yet he doubted that it would help him in his current mission. Still, it was better to spend his time reading and learning something than to sit and know nothing.

  He had all of his traveling gear, copies of the dispatches and his own knowledge of the events surrounding the Star Wolf’s actions. Even with his recent experiences, he wondered if he could convince the Commodore to join their fight.

  Mike could no longer see the attack cruiser as they had turned away from her after exiting the shuttle bay. Glancing up from his palm pad, he saw that the shuttle’s cockpit screen was now filled with the image of the immense battle carrier.

  Entering the shuttle bay, they could see that it was just that a standard shuttle bay. Mike would have liked to have seen the carrier’s fighter bay but they had been directed to this bay instead. Passing through the outer airlock took a few minutes as his shuttle rolled into the inner bay.

  The shuttle bay had a four-berth cargo bay which was used mostly for personnel shuttles and supply transports. Currently, only one other transport shuttle was there and had ship personnel busily unloading cargo containers.

  Getting up from the co-pilots seat the shuttle pilot grabbed his arm.

  “Good luck, sir,” Lt. Tony Doyle said with a smile as he released his arm and offered him his hand.

  Collins returned his smile and took his hand.

  “Thanks, Tony,” he replied. Doyle was one of the star fighter pilots who had been a slave on the Karduan repair station. In fact, he was almost executed that is if it hadn’t been for Mike. Since then the young officer and his best friend Lt. Kevin Chow had both volunteered to be two of the fighter pilots for the Star Tiger’s star-fighter wing.

  Exiting the shuttle, Mike remembered the last time that he was on a Titan class Battle Carrier. It had been almost six years earlier right before he left for Harpers Military Academy. His father’s ship, the ISS Prometheus had returned to Earth for a refit. Of course, back then his father was the CSG or Commander Star Group, in charge of the carrier’s fighter wings. Some ship still used the older acronym CAG or Commander Air Group.

  On that past occasion, he had landed in one of the ship’s impressive star-fighter landing bays instead of a smaller cargo receiving bay. Exiting the shuttle, he hurried down the ramp to find his welcoming party. A lone crewman walked towards him from the interior airlock’s hatch.

  “Lt. Collins, I’m Specialist Garcia,” he said as he snapped off a crisp salute.

  Mike shifted his gear and quickly returned his salute. You never let troop hanging with a hand salute, if you do, it just proves you're an ass.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said and continued, “I have important dispatches for your Commodore.”

  “Yes, sir, I’m to escort you to Commodore Essex’s office,” he informed as he reached to take the officer’s space duffle bag.

  “No thanks, I’ve got it,” Collins replied. He could carry his own bag and enlisted personnel weren’t the servants of officers. That was something else his father taught him, along with a lifetime of experience as a navy brat.

  Garcia nodded in return and led him to the inner airlock. From there they moved deeper into the ship to its central lift system. On ships this big, the majority of the personnel lifts were designed to be deeper into the ship’s interior to protect them in battle.

  As they moved through the corridors, Mike was once more amazed at the size of the battle carrier. It was literally a floating city yet with the teeth of a dragon. It had everything you’d expect including; ship stores, fitness centers, rec halls, barber shops and even a multiplex theater. Crew quarters for all levels of ranks with senior ranks having larger and more private housing.

  Despite all of the niceties, it
was a war machine with a hundred star-fighters, anti-ship torpedoes, and three main batteries of particle turret cannons. Bristling along its sides were missile launchers, point defense lasers, gauss cannons and a dozen batteries of fusion turrets. The only thing it lacked was a spinal mounted particle cannon.

  Carriers weren’t meant to be a frontline ship. They were supposed to stay to the rear of the fight, launch star-fighters, repel enemy fighters and re-equip their returning star-fighters. This war had put a newfound need for carriers to be able to hold their own in ship to ship combat. Hell, the newer Deity Class battle carrier was being built with a spinal mount in addition to its one hundred and twenty star-fighters.

  The enemy – that is the Karduans or Blues had a large numerical advantage at the start of the war. In several battles, human fleet carriers found themselves slugging it out with enemy warships and even multiple squadrons.

  Mike’s last command had been an old refitted escort carrier called, the Nathanael Greene. It had once been a top of the line star carrier – twenty years ago. Sold as scrap to a frontier world, she had been given a total refit and restoration. Modern maneuver drives and Bender drives had been added along with her ability to launch twenty-eight star-fighters. When he had liberated the ship from Blues’ hands he had even thought - what a nice ship it was.

  Moving through this Titian Class ship, he followed his guide and noticed that he was the only person wearing a combat space suit. In fact, no one was wearing a space suit. Everyone was in class B uniforms or duty work coveralls. It seemed odd to him not to be in combat armor or space suits and to be ready for battle. Beings there was an enemy squadron within a bend of this sector you would have thought being ready would have been important or even required.

  Complacent, incompetent or just arrogant? That was the question for the ISS Pallas, Commodore Essex, and the 34th Attack Fleet.

  Then again, Mike had never served in a real fleet except for summer training tours during his academy days. Since the “Breakthrough” he had been with the Star Wolf and frankly, he’d rather be there now.