On the viewscreens, the Lamothian battleship was suddenly covered in massive explosions. Antimatter and fusion missiles detonated against its energy screen. However, nothing penetrated. Its shield was too powerful.
“Run for it,” ordered Derrick, as an antimatter missile detonated against the ship’s energy screen, shaking the Destiny violently. Several alarms sounded, and more red lights appeared on the damage control console. “Try to put some distance between us and those warships.”
-
The Destiny suddenly accelerated and headed away from the Lamothian vessels. At nearly the same time the cargo ship exploded as a fusion missile tore it apart, sending glowing debris flying across space.
Seeing the Destiny attempting to elude them, the Lamothian warships set out in pursuit. For several long minutes the chase continued with the Destiny slowly pulling away. Then the ship shook violently, as the sublight drive shut down.
-
“Now what?” Derrick asked Audrey. Looking at the tactical display, he saw the Lamothians were nearly in weapons range again.
“The drive overheated. The heat sinks for the drive were damaged when Engineering was hit with that energy beam. The Chief Engineer says it will be twenty minutes or longer before the drive is back online.”
Derrick’s eyes widened. “We don’t have twenty minutes.”
On the tactical display, the Lamothian warships were now rapidly closing the distance. The Destiny was still traveling forward but at a slower rate.
“They’re launching missiles,” called out Lieutenant Nower.
“All power to the shields!” ordered Derrick, gripping the armrests of his command chair.
Missiles began striking the energy shield, flaring up brightly.
“Energy shield is at 32 percent and dropping,” reported Lieutenant Breen, as he fired more missiles at the Lamothian ships.
Space was lit up from the ferocity of the powerful explosions. The energy screen of the Destiny now glowed constantly under the bombardment from the Lamothians.
“Put all the energy we have into the shield, including life support!” ordered Derrick. He just needed to buy another minute or two, and Rear Admiral Leeson should be here.
The lights in the Command Center dimmed as all power was diverted to the energy shield. Even the steady hum of the air-ventilation system died down to nothing. Everyone’s gaze were glued to the viewscreen, hoping to see the appearance of Rear Admiral Leeson’s ships.
-
Rear Admiral Leeson leaned forward in his command chair. “Drop us out right on top of those enemy vessels. All ships are weapons free. I want those Confederation ships blown to pieces!” Leeson just hoped Captain Masters could hold out for a few more seconds. Help was almost there.
-
Derrick drew in a sharp breath as the Destiny shook violently. If he listened hard enough, he could hear the hull being ripped open. The ship seemed to be groaning with pain. Looking over at the damage control console, he saw it covered with glaring red lights. Numerous ruptures were in the hull, and fires burned out of control in several of the cargo holds. They had lost communication with several sections of the ship.
“We won’t last much longer,” said Audrey in a low voice.
“Energy screen is failing. Down to 12 percent,” reported Lieutenant Breen in a steady voice. “We’re losing power from the fusion power plant.”
“It’s shutting down,” confirmed Audrey, her voice hinting at her hidden fear.
Suddenly on the tactical display, seventeen green icons dropped from hyperspace right on top of the Lamothian ships. Instantly huge explosions lit up space as the sixteen Imperial battlecruisers and the single dreadnought poured all their firepower into the enemy vessels.
“Those ships can’t exist,” said Razam in disbelief. “Those are Imperial warships.”
Derrick smiled in relief. “They’re real, and they are Imperial. I believe the Lamothians are about to be taught a lesson.”
-
In space, the battle quickly intensified. The Lamothians were stunned when a fleet of Imperial warships dropped in, right on top of their formation. Even more disconcerting was the fact the ships were armed with antimatter weapons and fusion energy beams.
In just a few seconds the first Lamothian battlecruiser blew apart, as numerous antimatter explosions knocked its energy shield down and the next missile destroyed the ship. Another Lamothian battlecruiser’s shield was weakened to the point that Imperial fusion energy beams penetrated and riddled the ship until it exploded.
-
On the Destiny Razam looked on in awe. “We’re actually winning!”
Derrick grinned. They were all watching the battle on the viewscreens. Even as they watched, another Lamothian battlecruiser was blown in two, and then the two parts were riddled with fusion energy beam fire.
“Well, if we weren’t at war before, we are now,” commented Audrey. “We’re witnessing the first fleet battle between the Human Empire and the Confederation in over one thousand years.”
“Yes,” replied Derrick, “but this time we’re winning.”
“Lamothian ships are jumping into hyperspace,” reported Lieutenant Nower.
“We destroyed four of their battlecruisers,” said Audrey, impressed. “This is a good beginning to the war.”
Derrick had to agree. “Let’s see what kind of shape the Destiny is in. We also need to make arrangements with Rear Admiral Leeson to take our refugees on board one of his battlecruisers.”
-
For the next hour, repair crews went through the Destiny, freeing crewmembers trapped in cut-off compartments. Rear Admiral Leeson had all the refugees loaded onto the Titan. Unfortunately, in the battle, eighteen of the refugees had been killed, as well as twenty members of Destiny’s crew.
Finally Derrick had all the ship’s files downloaded to the Titan. After inspecting his ship, he had come to the conclusion the Destiny was too badly damaged to be salvaged. It was best to set her self-destruct charges and let the Imperial light cruiser die where she had fought her last battle.
-
Twenty minutes later Derrick stood in the Command Center of the Titan, along with Lieutenant Commander Banora and Rear Admiral Leeson. They watched the main viewscreen as two antimatter warheads detonated, obliterating the light cruiser. When the twin fireballs died down, the ship was gone.
“I’m sorry, Captain,” said Admiral Leeson. “I know how much the Destiny meant to you.”
Derrick turned slowly toward the admiral. “She served her purpose. She transported the Princess safely to Pallas, and now she completed her mission to the Confederation.”
“She was a good ship,” said Audrey, with the hint of a tear in her eyes. “We’ll miss her.”
Admiral Leeson nodded. “When we get back to Pallas, I’m sure your crew will be assigned a new ship. Either a battlecruiser or a dreadnought.”
Derrick nodded. He would miss the Destiny. It had served him well over the years. But the war against the Confederation would not be fought with light cruisers. If he wanted to be part of the war, eventually he would have had to transfer to a heavier warship. At least this way the Destiny went out in a blaze of glory with a mission well done.
“What now?” Derrick asked Rear Admiral Leeson.
“We head back to Earth. The data you gathered, plus what the refugees know, will be invaluable to the war effort.”
Derrick nodded. For better or for worse, Earth was now at war with the Confederation.
-
Kalar was in the quarters assigned to him and Anna. He couldn’t believe what had just occurred. “They have actual Imperial warships. I saw battlecruisers and even a dreadnought. I don’t know where these people come from, but they have an impressive fleet. They destroyed four Lamothian battlecruisers and forced the rest to flee.”
“Will we be safe?” asked Anna, gently rocking their daughter.
Kalar sat beside Anna on the bunk. “Yes, for the first tim
e in a long while, I believe we’ll be safe.”
Anna smiled. That was all she wanted. A place to raise their daughter without fearing what might happen the next day.
For Anna and Kalar their nightmare was finally over. Now they would raise their daughter in peace and hope for a bright future. From what they had seen on this ship, that future seemed like a very good possibility.
Chapter Nine
Admiral Kreen stood in the Command Center of his flagship, the Avenging Light. He had recalled the task force he had originally sent to investigate the system that contained Earth so his fleet would be at maximum strength. He felt it prudent that he combine all his forces into one large fleet to ensure victory, if it came down to a battle. He had recently received word from the Great Council of an actual attack in the Confederation itself. Confederation warships had been destroyed, and confirmed reports of the existence of Imperial warships had shaken the council to its core. This was the first actual attack in Confederation space in over twenty thousand years.
First Officer Falorr approached Admiral Kreen with the latest reports. “The Confederation is doubling the size of the fleets patrolling the former Human Empire. They are greatly concerned about the existence of Human warships. Even more worrisome is the fact these warships were armed with fusion energy beams and antimatter weapons.”
“A mere base could never have constructed so many warships and made the weapons advancements that have been seen,” replied Admiral Kreen, as he thought over the possibilities. “The resources of an entire planet would be required to field the fleet the Lamothians encountered.”
“Earth,” suggested Falorr.
Admiral Kreen nodded. “It has to be Earth. Logic dictates no other answer.”
“That would mean the interdiction system has been tampered with.”
“Not only tampered with but taken over. The interdiction system must be under control of the Earth Humans.”
Falorr was silent for several moments as he contemplated the ramifications. “For how long?”
“That is what is so worrisome. It could be for the last ten years or the last one hundred. We have no way of knowing.”
Falorr glanced at the tactical display, showing the Druin fleet. Hundreds of green icons represented some of the most powerful warships the Confederation possessed. The fleet formation consisted of 217 battleships and 412 battlecruisers. “It’s only one world. We defeated the Human Empire that consisted of over one thousand worlds. One world cannot be a threat to the Confederation. We will destroy their fleet and annihilate their world.”
Admiral Kreen nodded in agreement. One world could not be a threat to the Confederation. However, he did feel uneasy about this mission. Humans had dared to enter Confederation territory. They had even attacked a world inhabited by one of the seven races. They had destroyed a large space station and a number of Lamothian warships.
Worse than that, the Humans now knew what the fate was for many of the young Humans taken to the Confederation. Once word of that spread throughout the Human worlds, everything would become much more difficult. Admiral Kreen had always believed the Lamothians and their perverse desire for civilized food would someday come to haunt the Confederation. That day was now here.
The problems with the Human worlds would now be multiplied tenfold. Many more Human cities would have to be destroyed to keep them in line. As far as collecting Humans for the Lamothians and to use as labor on the Confederation core worlds, that might now be impossible.
“We’ll be arriving in the Earth star system in twelve hours,” reported Falorr. “We have detected nothing unusual so far on the long-range sensors.”
Admiral Kreen nodded. “We’ll check out the interdiction system first and then proceed deeper into the system.”
“Do you expect a battle?”
“Yes, if the fleet the Lamothians fought against is an example of the power of their warships, we will, indeed, be faced with a battle.”
Admiral Kreen sat his massive form down in his command chair. He felt a slight stir of excitement about fighting a real fleet battle. In most engagements he had ever fought in, his fleet had held a massive advantage in numbers and in technology. That might be tested in the Human star system.
-
Inside Pallas, in the underground Command Center, Colonel Evelyn Bryson approached Admiral Reynolds. “We have intercepted several hyperlight messages. They confirm a large Druin fleet is headed toward us. The Druins are aware of what happened with Captain Masters and the Destiny, as well as what ships Rear Admiral Leeson possesses.”
Admiral Reynolds nodded his head. “That’s one of the bad things about hyperlight communications. Unless it’s very directional, everyone can listen in.” He had already received reports from Captain Masters, as well as Rear Admiral Leeson. He was sad to hear the fate of the Destiny, but the stealth light cruiser had served its purpose and had completed a dangerous mission.
They were currently on their way back to the Solar System, but it would be several weeks before they arrived. Everyone had been shocked to the core when they had learned of the fate of the young Humans the Druins took every year back to the Confederation. It had further served to enforce the determination of every Human in the Solar System to extract revenge against the Confederation for the despicable act of using Humans for an exotic food source. The Solar System was now more committed to the coming war than ever before.
“We have managed to triangulate the current location of the inbound Druin fleet by placing several battlecruisers in nearby star systems,” added Colonel Bryson. “We estimate they are ten to fourteen hours out.”
Admiral Reynolds nodded. “About what we expected. Let’s go ahead and put the entire Solar System at Condition Three. I want all civilian shipping to take precautionary measures. Preferably they need to go into low orbit around either Earth or Mars, where we can protect them. We’ll go to Condition Two in six more hours and Condition One as soon as the interdiction system detects the first Druin vessel.”
“What about the civilians?”
“We’ll advise them to stay in their homes. Any large-scale evacuations of major cities will result in more deaths than an actual Druin bombardment. Military forces throughout the system will be activated shortly. If the Druins are coming for a battle, we’ll give them one.”
-
Aboard the Themis, Captain Fulmar turned toward the admiral. “Condition Three has been officially set throughout the Solar System. The Druin fleet is expected in ten to fourteen hours. Size of the fleet is still unknown at this time.”
“The Druins don’t do anything in a small way,” commented Admiral Cleemorl. “Take the fleet to Condition Three and prepare to make a hyperspace jump.”
“Where too?”
“The Druins will want to check out the interdiction system first, so they will send ships to investigate one of the eight battlestations. We know the general direction they’ll be coming from, so we can pretty well guess which ones are in danger. We’ll engage the Druins at the battlestation. That will give us its firepower and its attack interceptors to use against the Druins.”
“If we see we can’t win, we can fall back into the Solar System and call up more fleet units. One way or another, this Druin fleet will not return to the Human Empire or the Confederation intact. Put us in the middle of the Kuiper Belt. That should help to shield us from detection. Once we know which battlestation the Druins are heading for, we’ll jump in and engage them.” Admiral Cleemorl was glad that Cheryl was safe in their yacht, which was docked inside Pallas. It was one less thing he had to worry about.
A few minutes later the Themis and its fleet made the transition into hyperspace and exited deep within the Kuiper Belt. Instantly the tactical display lit up with hundreds of small planetoids, ice fragments, and rocky asteroids. Now they would wait for the Druins.
-
At the LaGrange Point space station, between the Earth and the Moon, Colonel Loren Henderson was in the Command Cen
ter, along with his second in command Major Patricia Marcus. Henderson was an Earth Imperial and had spent time in cryo sleep and had only recently been awakened. Patricia was a Pallas Imperial and had been in command of the station until Henderson had been brought out of cryo.
“We’re at Condition Three,” reported Major Marcus. “Reports indicate we have ten or more hours before the Druins arrive.”
“How’s the situation on Earth?” Loren knew the announcement of the setting of Condition Three had been broadcast on all Earth media channels. People were encouraged to stay in their homes, as the military would need the roads and the highways to get to where they were needed. A worldwide curfew had also been established.
“A little panicky,” answered Major Marcus. “Most of the big cities are pretty calm. Law enforcement is out, as well as the military. Media stations are steadily broadcasting what the civilians need to do.”
So far everything was going smoother than Loren had expected. “What about our attack interceptors?”
“All pilots have reported to the interceptor facility. We currently have six interceptors out on patrol.”
“How many warships in our vicinity?”
“A full fleet is in orbit near Earth. We have four battlecruisers and a dreadnought nearby, which we can call upon for support. Also twenty battlecruisers and four dreadnoughts are in orbit around the Moon.”
Colonel Henderson nodded. They were as ready as they could be. “How about civilian shipping?”
“Heading to Mars and to Earth. They’ll go into orbit beneath the defensive grids. Hopefully they’ll be safe there.”
“We better get some rest and something to eat. In a few hours we’ll be too busy to leave the Command Center.” Henderson glanced at a viewscreen showing Earth. They had prepared for this moment, and, in some ways, Henderson was glad that it was finally here. They were about to go to war with the Confederation.
-
Admiral Kreen’s fleet was now near enough to Earth’s star system to scan it with the long-range sensors. One of the first disconcerting things Kreen noticed were the Imperial battlecruisers near all the Druin battlestations. A clear indication that the interdiction system was no longer under Druin control. Scans also showed large numbers of ships in the system, although they could not tell whether they were warships or just civilian vessels.
The Forgotten Empire: Earth Ascendant: Book Two Page 11