The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Avenger is dead in space,” Clarissa reported as she scanned the stricken ship with her remaining sensors.

  “It’s over,” spoke Commander Wisthom solemnly, looking over at Admiral Streth. “We can’t take them. Both of our cruisers are too heavily damaged.”

  “Stand by to repel boarders,” ordered Admiral Streth, bracing himself for what he knew would come next. “They will want to capture our ships and search them for any pertinent military information. They may also want prisoners.”

  Major Garner calmly walked over to a weapons locker and unlocked it. He began passing out weapons to the command crew. He handed Admiral Streth and Commander Wisthom a pair of assault rifles. “We will make them pay,” he promised, looking toward the door to the Command Center and the marines waiting expectantly there.

  Admiral Streth looked back at a small viewscreen, which was still on. It showed the Hocklyn ship. From what Hedon could see, the enemy vessel had only suffered minor to moderate damage. It would be finished with the two Federation cruisers and long gone before the StarStrike could arrive.

  It was at that moment that two massive beams of orange-red light struck the Hocklyn ship, followed by a massive missile bombardment. The alien ship was covered in fiery explosions, driving its energy screen against its hull and knocking it down in several locations.

  “Where’s that fire coming from?” demanded Commander Wisthom looking up at his dead sensor screens.

  “It’s the StarStrike!” Clarissa answered with relief in her voice. “The battle cruiser is here. I’m routing some of my emergency power to Communications.”

  “How’s that possible?” Major Garner asked, with hope appearing on his face. His head was bleeding profusely from a wicked looking cut on his forehead from when he had fallen earlier.

  “I have Colonel Sheen on the com,” the communications officer reported. “She wants to know what her orders are.”

  Admiral Streth activated his mini-com and contacted his second in command. “Colonel Sheen, commence jamming of all outgoing signals. Launch your fighters to finish off any Hocklyn fighters that have been launched. I want that alien ship destroyed. We will worry about the consequences later.”

  “Yes, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied.

  The StarStrike continued to close, and the 1,200-meter battle cruiser continued to fire its heavy laser batteries, as well as its massive rail gun turrets. More hatches opened, and missiles blasted forth to turn and accelerate toward the beleaguered Hocklyn ship. Under the onslaught, the Hocklyn’s screens finally collapsed, and the ship began to take heavy damage. In a sudden massive explosion, the Hocklyn vessel vanished in an orange-red ball of nuclear fire.

  “They self-destructed!” Commander Wisthom spoke in shock. “They destroyed their own ship!”

  The lights in the Command Center suddenly brightened, and some of the consoles came back to life.

  “We have partial power restored,” Clarissa reported.

  “What about the enemy fighters?” Admiral Streth demanded.

  “Admiral, the Hocklyn fighters did the same thing. They all self destructed right after the Hocklyn ship blew up,” Clarissa reported.

  “Why?” asked Major Garner, feeling confused and looking over at the admiral. “They could have surrendered.”

  “So we couldn’t learn anything from them,” answered Admiral Streth shaking his head. “Clarissa, was there any outgoing communications from the Hocklyn ship before it attacked us?”

  Clarissa quickly reviewed her sensor scans from that time period. “Yes, sir, I found a FTL signal they sent out just before they launched their attack.”

  “Damn,” Admiral Streth muttered with a grimace. “I bet they sent out the location of our colonies to another waiting ship.”

  “Now what?” asked Commander Wisthom looking over at Admiral Streth. This entire situation had suddenly turned into a nightmare. “I guarantee you the location of the trading world they gave Senator Jacksom is a fake. We have no idea where their worlds are located, and they know the spatial coordinates of all four of our main colony worlds thanks to Senator Jacksom.”

  “We get ready for war,” replied Admiral Streth shaking his head and feeling frustrated at what had occurred. “Unless I miss my guess, the Hocklyns are not from a trade alliance. Have the other shuttle prepped. I need to get over to the StarStrike. The Federation needs to know what might be coming. I will also send repair crews over to help get your ship underway. We will be leaving the Stalor System as soon as possible. Have your injured taken to the flight bay. We can treat them better on the StarStrike.”

  Commander Wisthom looked over at the damage control console, which was covered with glaring red lights. He knew that the casualties his ship had suffered would be heavy. Many men and women that he had known for years had just died. He let out a sharp breath. The next few days were going to be extremely difficult for his surviving crew.

  “We will need some major yard time,” Major Garner said as he listened to the reports coming in from all over the ship on his mini-com. From the reports, he knew they had been lucky to survive.

  “The Avenger also,” Admiral Streth spoke. “We need to find a way to strengthen our energy screens as well as a better way to penetrate theirs. I strongly suspect the Hocklyn ship we destroyed today was not one of their first line jobs. I don’t know what will happen when we have to face one of those.”

  “Your shuttle is prepped,” Major Garner reported. “I am also getting a report that the section of our ship, which contained the brig is in a vacuum. I’m afraid that Senator Jacksom didn’t survive.”

  “That might be for the best,” spoke Commander Wisthom looking over at Major Garner. “He should never have given the Hocklyns the locations of our colonies.”

  A few minutes later, Admiral Streth was on his way over to the StarStrike. He was afraid that the human race had just entered an interstellar war. Letting out a deep breath, he gazed out the viewport at the Vindication. The light cruiser was heavily scarred, and numerous jagged holes had been torn open in the ship’s hull. The ship had been extremely lucky to have survived. Another few minutes and he knew that the Hocklyns would have boarded or destroyed both of the light cruisers. Closing his eyes, he dreaded the report he would shortly be making. The Human Federation of Worlds was about to receive a shock. Aliens had been discovered, and they were not friendly!

  Chapter Three

  Admiral Streth gazed attentively at the StarStrike as the shuttle he was in neared the powerful battle cruiser. Its eight heavy dual railgun turrets across its upper hull were still zeroed in toward where the Hocklyn warship had been annihilated. From the sides of the ship, another forty-eight secondary 60 mm twin offensive turrets dotted the hull. With a heavy sigh of relief, he was glad the StarStrike had made it before the Hocklyn vessel had finished taking out both of the light cruisers. What was bothering Hedon was how in the hell had the StarStrike arrived so quickly?

  The shuttle slipped beneath the massive cruiser and then turned to approach the flight bay. The large hatches were both open, waiting for the admiral’s shuttle to land. Other shuttles were taking off carrying repair and medical teams to the stricken light cruisers.

  Closing his eyes briefly, Hedon pondered the heavy loss of life suffered on both of the light cruisers as well as the ruthless annihilation of the mining operation on the airless moon below them. The numerous injured and dead on the cruisers was appalling and weighed heavily on his mind. In all of his years of service to the Federation, none of the ships under his command had ever suffered causalities as the two light cruisers had today.

  He opened his eyes and gazed down at the moon below where the mining operation had been. The ground was still glowing a deep cherry-red from the nuclear explosion that had wiped out the miners. He doubted if they had even known what had struck them. Death would have come instantly.

  It still worried Hedon about how quickly the Hocklyns had attacked. As soon as they had procured the information the
y wanted from Senator Jacksom, they had returned to their ship and immediately launched their preemptive strike against the Federation ships. It was now obvious that the entire trade discussion had been nothing more than an elaborate ploy by the Hocklyns to learn the location of the human home worlds. Senator Jacksom had given them most of that. Senator Jacksom’s aides had been highly upset when they learned of his tragic death. It was something that Hedon would have to explain to the Federation Council. They would want to know why a Federation Senator had been placed in the brig where he had been killed in the Hocklyn attack.

  Now Hedon was concerned about how soon it would be before the Hocklyns did something with the information they had gained from Senator Jacksom. Since the Hocklyn ship had sent out a FTL message, it indicated there was probably another Hocklyn vessel lurking around in some nearby system. There was no point searching for the second ship. It would be next to impossible to find in the short time that was available for a search. It was expedient that they return home as quickly as possible to spread the warning about the Hocklyns to the Federation. Hedon felt confident they had some time. Probably quite a bit of time before the Hocklyns could react.

  It would take time for the Hocklyn ship to report back to its base of operations and inform their superiors of what they had found. Then more time for the Hocklyns to gather a force capable of striking the human worlds. That gave the Federation some valuable time. Hedon hoped it was enough. That an invasion or attempted takeover of the Federation was coming was inevitable in Hedon’s opinion. That was the only plausible explanation for the Hocklyn’s actions after obtaining the location of the Federation’s four main colony worlds.

  The shuttle entered the flight bay, and the pilot set it down gently in the ship’s artificial gravity. An atmospheric energy screen kept the flight bay pressurized and allowed flight crews to work in a hospitable environment. This allowed them to rapidly turn shuttles as well as the ship’s ten Talon space superiority fighters around at almost a moment's notice. As a safety precaution, the deck crew worked in special suits that could serve as an emergency spacesuit for a few precious minutes if necessary.

  “The shuttle is secure, sir,” the pilot reported, turning around to face the admiral who was in the copilot’s seat. “Colonel Sheen is waiting for you in the Command Center.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Admiral Streth replied as he unbuckled his safety harness and stood up. Making his way back to the main cabin, he saw the hatch was already open and the ramp extended.

  The inside of the bay was busy as medical personnel and repair teams boarded shuttles to be taken to the two ailing cruisers. Voices could be heard shouting and giving instructions trying to keep a semblance of order in the chaos. Other medical personnel were waiting for inbound casualties. Hedon just prayed that the systems on both cruisers could be repaired enough to allow them to jump to a shipyard for major repairs. He suspected that both cruisers would be out of service for at least several months. If there was going to be an attack, they would need every ship the Federation had.

  “Admiral on deck!” the deck chief Captain Vincent Racles barked upon seeing the admiral descending the ramp. Instantly everyone snapped to attention, and it became quiet in the bay.

  “At ease,” responded Admiral Streth, acknowledging the salute. “We have some damaged ships and wounded comrades out there. Let’s get them taken care of.”

  “Yes, sir!” Captain Racles replied crisply. “Everyone back to work!”

  Admiral Streth made his way past the two marine guards at the double airlock and was soon on his way to the Command Center. He had a number of questions he needed to ask his second in command. There was no way the StarStrike should have been able to arrive at Stalor Four so quickly. He wondered what Colonel Sheen had done. He had a suspicion, but he wanted to hear it from her.

  Entering the Command Center, he saw Colonel Sheen standing next to the plotting table, talking to several lieutenants while listening to something over her mini-com. “I don’t care what it takes; I want this ship ready to jump within two hours!”

  “I don’t know if the Avenger and Vindication will be ready by then,” one of the lieutenants commented doubtfully. “We’re still getting the damage reports from the Vindication, and we may not have all the spare parts needed to repair her so she can jump. Both ships took a lot of damage in the attack. Some of their structural supports are damaged or in the case of the Vindication completely gone in some areas.”

  “We won’t be able to seal off all of her compartments,” the other lieutenant added with a worried frown. “Part of the ship is going to have to stay in a vacuum. The ship might not be safe to jump in her present condition. The stress could break her apart.”

  “The Vindication doesn’t need to be made fully operational,” interrupted Admiral Streth, walking over to stand next to Colonel Sheen. He noticed the colonel’s eyes widen at seeing him. “I just need both cruisers space worthy enough to make it back to the shipyard at New Providence. Do whatever is necessary to strengthen the Vindication’s hull. That ship is returning to New Providence with us!”

  “Yes, sir,” replied both lieutenants saluting the admiral.

  “That still may be a difficult job, considering how badly damaged the Vindication is,” one of the lieutenants ventured in a cautious voice. “She has several really large holes in her hull and stress fractures throughout her center structure.”

  “I want a status update on both ships as soon as possible,” continued Admiral Streth, gazing at the two lieutenants. Both were highly qualified engineers and familiar with repairing battle damage. At least they were in drills. “Just do your best. Those two ships fought bravely, and they deserve to make it back home. Use whatever personnel you need from the StarStrike to get the job done.”

  The two lieutenants returned to their consoles and began talking to their counterparts aboard the Avenger and the Vindication. They had a lot of work to get done and coordinated. If there were any way possible, they would get the two light cruisers back to New Providence.

  Admiral Streth turned to face Colonel Sheen. Then in a quiet but stern voice he asked, “How did you get the StarStrike to Stalor Four so quickly?”

  Colonel Sheen looked down at the floor, her blue eyes not wanting to face the admiral. She took a deep breath and could feel her pulse racing. Then forcing her eyes back up, she replied. “Per your orders, we were keeping a shuttle just outside what we estimated was the Hocklyn’s maximum possible sensor range. It was just on the edge of the Stalor System. The shuttle had instructions to send the StarStrike a FTL message if anything suspicious occurred.” This was part of the plan the two had made up prior to the admiral leaving on the Vindication.

  “That still doesn’t explain how you got here so quickly,” Admiral Streth interrupted his eyes narrowing. “It should have been a forty-minute jump from the StarStrike’s position to the Stalor System and then another two hours time to reach Stalor Four. If my calculations are correct, you showed up in less then twenty minutes.”

  “Yes, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied uneasily. She knew the admiral wouldn’t like what she was about to say. “After you left in the Vindication, I decided to move the StarStrike. I left the three light cruisers behind and jumped the StarStrike to just outside the periphery of the Stalor System.”

  Admiral Streth frowned, but then relaxed. He had not specifically told his executive officer not to do this. “Then what?”

  Colonel Sheen took another deep breath. This was the part that would get her in trouble with the admiral. “When the jamming started, I micro-jumped the StarStrike to Stalor Four.”

  “You did what?” Admiral Streth exploded, his voice growing louder. “Jumping that close to a planet could have seriously damaged the StarStrike, or at a minimum the FTL drive.”

  He knew there was a minimum safe distance a ship could jump in proximity to a planet. Too close and the stress could wreck the FTL drive or even destroy the ship. That was one reason why ships jum
ped into a system at a safe distance from a planet’s gravity well.

  “The ship wasn’t damaged,” replied Colonel Sheen evenly her eyes looking at the admiral. “We jumped in and engaged the Hocklyns. I think our jump and sudden appearance surprised them as well.”

  “What about the FTL drive?” Admiral Streth persisted. He suspected his executive officer wasn’t telling him everything.

  Colonel Sheen let out a deep sigh of resignation and then admitted there was a problem. “It was damaged. However, the chief engineer says he should have it back up and operational in two to six hours. The drive harmonics are off, and it will take time to readjust to allow for a safe jump.”

  Admiral Streth shook his head. He knew that a FTL drive had to be carefully adjusted to allow for a successful jump. An unbalanced drive could result in a ship reappearing anywhere. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. If Colonel Sheen hadn’t done what she did, the Avenger and Vindication would have been destroyed. The Hocklyns would have escaped the system unscathed with possibly priceless information about the Human Federation of Worlds. At least this way they had no real idea of the Federation’s capabilities and they hadn’t been able to board either of the light cruisers.

  “This was an unknown situation,” Admiral Streth admitted slowly his eyes taking on a serious and unrelenting gaze. “You did the right thing. There was no way we could guess the Hocklyns would attack so suddenly.”

  Colonel Sheen felt relieved. She had known the admiral for quite some time, but had not been sure how he would react to the danger she had put his flagship in.

  “Let’s see to the repairs of all three ships. Send a message to the other three cruisers to jump into the Stalor System. We don’t know if the Hocklyns have any other ships close by. I suspect they have at least one. Let’s not take any chances.”