“Thank you, sir,” General Allister replied, pleased with the comment. He had heard a lot of good things about Admiral Streth. He just hoped they were all true. “I have a vehicle for us, and Senator Glason is waiting in the base’s main conference room.”
“Let’s not keep the senator waiting,” Admiral Streth responded. He had met the senator on several occasions, and the man seemed to be a level headed individual for a politician.
Before entering the vehicle, Admiral Streth paused and saluted the assembled marines. “Yes, a very good group,” he said as he got into the vehicle.
A few minutes later, they walked into the main conference room where Senator Glason and several other politicians were waiting. Hedon noticed that several of the men had agitated looks upon their faces, probably from having to wait. Senator Glason rose from his chair and took several steps toward Hedon, reaching out and shaking his hand. The senator was in his late fifties and his hair, while still thick, was entirely gray.
“It’s good to finally get to sit down and talk to you,” Senator Glason spoke in a firm yet friendly voice. “I know you have been busy getting the fleet ready and everything, but I think it’s important for us to get together and discuss the direction the defense of this planet is headed.”
“I agree,” replied Hedon, hoping he wasn’t going to get into an argument with the senator. Since Senator Glason was on the Federation Council, he was technically Hedon’s superior.
“I want to know what happened with this supposed Hocklyn scout ship your fleet destroyed today. Why did you destroy it, and why wasn’t I notified when you realized there was a Hocklyn ship in our system?”
Everyone took their respective seats, and Hedon turned to face the senator. He didn’t sound too happy about being kept in the dark. This wasn’t how Hedon had wanted to start this meeting. He wondered how the senator had found out so quickly about the scout ship. That information hadn’t been released yet.
“We didn’t know until the last minute that it was actually a Hocklyn ship,” Hedon began in a calm, straight forward voice. “The cruiser Avenger and the destroyer Astral were conducting routine maneuvers and system surveillance when they detected what they thought was a ghost echo out in the area of the comet ring.” For the next few minutes, Hedon described in detail exactly what had happened.
“They attacked us for no reason?” Senator Glason asked after listening to the admiral. “You say they destroyed one of our fighters with a missile?”
“Yes, Senator,” Hedon replied. “We tried to initiate communications with the Hocklyns. The Hocklyns made no attempt to reply to our requests to talk. They launched two interceptor missiles at our fighters as soon as they were detected, destroying one. We were fortunate not to lose both of them.”
“Very unfortunate that we lost even one,” replied Senator Glason, shaking his head sadly. “As you know the Federation Council, under advice from President Timmons, has recommended that we use a civilian ship to attempt to communicate with the Hocklyns.” The senator’s face took on an extremely serious look. “Do you think the Hocklyns will fire upon our negotiating ship?”
Hedon was silent for a moment before answering. “I’m not sure, but from their previous actions I think the odds are fairly good that they might.”
Senator Glason nodded his head as if agreeing with the admiral. “Then we need to think of a way to avoid that. It was originally suggested by President Timmons that we meet the Hocklyns with a negotiating team on a civilian ship escorted by a single destroyer. Do you agree with that, Admiral?”
“No, sir, I do not. I would recommend attempting contact with at least two to three cruisers accompanying the civilian ship. This might cause the Hocklyns to pause long enough to allow us to establish communications.”
“I agree,” Senator Glason responded. “Particularly since I plan on being on board that civilian ship. Now let’s discuss what we need to defend this planet if the meeting goes sour.”
-
For the next hour, Admiral Streth and Admiral Flaxen described their plans for the active fleet units in the New Providence System, as well as the offensive and defensive modifications being done to the shipyard.
“Sounds as if you have thought this out very thoroughly,” Senator Glason spoke approvingly.
“We are also adding more defensive satellites and platforms to the orbital defensive grid,” Admiral Flaxen added. “If we have the time, we plan on putting two hundred small railgun satellites in orbit, twenty heavy rail gun satellites, and ten Shrike missile platforms.”
“Can these stop a Hocklyn fleet?” Senator Glason asked.
“We might be able to stop or damage their smaller ships,” Admiral Flaxen replied. “The main purpose of the defense grid will be to take out any of their fighters or missiles that get close to the planet.”
Senator Glason nodded in understanding. “What about here on the planet?” he asked, turning to General Allister. “What if these Hocklyns get past the fleet and land an invasion force? How do you plan on dealing with that threat?”
“We are strengthening several of our underground installations as well as building seven new ones,” General Allister replied. He stood up and walked over to a large map of the planet on the wall. “We will have ten defense centers scattered across the planet well away from the cities. Each one will be staffed with 2,500 marines plus support personnel. These centers will be responsible for coordinating all military operations within their jurisdiction.” General Allister went on describing his other contingency plans if the Hocklyns managed to land a large invasion force.
After listening to the general, Senator Glason stood up and with a serious look on his face, began to speak. “We have no idea how serious this Hocklyn threat may be. Our preparations may well be overkill. Their threat may be minor. The problem is we just don’t know. Admiral Streth, Admiral Flaxen, and General Allister, I want you to do whatever you think is necessary to defend this planet. If you need something, let me know and I will see that you get it. There are 1.8 billion people on this planet, and I will not put their safety in danger for political reasons. The only thing that I ask is that you keep me informed of what’s going on, particularly incidents like today.”
“You will be, Senator,” Admiral Streth promised. He felt relieved to meet a senator that sounded reasonable. He knew there were others, but many times the outspoken ones were more like Senator Jacksom had been.
The senator and his party left the meeting and the two admirals and General Allister spent another two hours going over the finer details of the planet’s defense. When they were finally finished, all three felt as if they had mapped out a reasonable plan that should keep the planet safe. It was certainly a step in the right direction.
“This should work unless the Hocklyns attack in overwhelming force,” commented Admiral Flaxen, leaning back in his chair and stretching.
“That’s what worries me,” Admiral Streth spoke with a heavy frown. “General Allister, what kind of preparations have you made to protect the civilians if we were to be attacked by an overwhelming force that could land large numbers of enemy troops on the planet?”
General Allister was silent for a moment. This was something he had given a lot of thought to. “We have been discussing building bunkers for people in some of the deeper mines and caves. This would be a last resort. But it would protect part of the planet’s population.”
“How many?” Hedon asked. He doubted that all the planet's 1.8 billion people could be put underground.
“Around 200,000,” General Allister confessed. “More than that isn’t practical. The rest will have to take shelter in basements, storm shelters, and whatever other protection they can find until the enemy forces are dealt with.”
“Hopefully that will not be necessary,” Admiral Flaxen commented. If it was, then that would mean that the shipyard was gone as well as the fleet. There would be no hope of rescue for the civilians.
-
Later t
hat evening, Hedon was enjoying a late evening meal with his brother and sister-in-law at their quarters on the base.
“How’s the training going?” he asked as he took a long sip of tea. Lendle could certainly make a good glass of tea.
“Great so far,” Taylor replied as he used his knife to cut a generous slice off the steak he was eating. “General Allister has made it extremely clear to all of his officers that he expects them to excel in this training.”
“We have some war games scheduled for next week,” Lendle commented. “We will see then how well they have understood their tactical training.”
She frowned at Taylor. She didn’t know how many times she had told him not to eat such large slices of steak. For a moment, she thought about kicking him under the table, but then she reminded herself that Hedon was Taylor’s brother and knew how he ate.
“General Allister has also asked us to stay on for an additional month or two and help set up the defenses around several of his new defense centers,” Taylor added. “He wants our suggestions on air defenses as well as ground defenses.”
Hedon leaned back and patted his stomach. “That steak was excellent, Lendle. That’s the best one I’ve had in months.”
“Thanks,” she replied with a pleased smile. Taylor seldom commented on her cooking. He could shovel it down so she knew her husband liked it. She just wished he would say so every once in a while.
“I hope we have another month or two,” Hedon spoke, a trace of worry in his eyes. He went on to tell Taylor and Lendle about the Hocklyn scout ship the Avenger and Astral had destroyed.
The two were quiet for a moment, and then Lendle stood up and started gathering up the dishes and carrying them to the sink to wash later. “Sounds as if we might need to rush the training some.”
“Do you think the Hocklyns will land troops?” Taylor asked.
Hedon stood up and carried his plate over to the sink. Turning back around, he looked at his brother. “I hope not. That would mean that they have managed to break through the fleet and the defenses we are placing around New Providence.”
Lendle came back over and sat down. “There are only 120,000 marines on the entire planet. They’re spread pretty thin.”
“We’re setting up some rapid deployment forces,” continued Taylor, nodding at his wife. “We should be able to get a sizable force to any location on the planet within an hour.”
Hendon nodded. He looked down at the table and then back up. “When all this is over, we need to go to your cabin on the lake. I think all three of us are going to need some vacation time.”
Lendle smiled. “We have some friends that are taking care of the cabin for us. I really miss watching the sunsets from the porch.”
Taylor nodded in agreement and then looked over at Lendle. “What’s for dessert?”
Lendle just laughed. She should have known what he was about to say. Fortunately, she had fixed a special dessert since she had known earlier that Hedon was coming over.
Hedon watched his brother and sister-in-law. Sometimes he regretted that he had chosen the fleet over family. He was thankful that these two had not done the same.
Chapter Six
It was early afternoon, and Admiral Streth was once more down on the planet. The shuttle he was in was flying over a heavily forested area with towering mountains in the distance. Hedon let out a deep sigh seeing how peaceful everything looked. The distant mountain peaks were covered in snow, which was a marked contrast to the green forest below them.
“Some of those trees below us are over one hundred meters tall,” General Allister spoke with a smile. “We have several training areas located in these forests. I can still remember doing my weeklong survival drill in a forest like this one. In some areas, the canopy from the trees almost blocks out the sunlight completely.”
“I’m glad so many areas on New Providence have been preserved in their natural state,” Hedon replied, still gazing out the cockpit window at the trees below. “I think there are more wildlife and nature areas on New Providence than any of the other three colonies.”
“It’s a lesson we learned from Tellus,” replied General Allister, recalling some of the vids he had seen of the rampant pollution in Tellus’s earlier years. “There are very few areas on the entire planet that have remained untouched. Even today, some sections of the oceans on Tellus have very little sea life. The planet is recovering, but I don’t know if it will ever be as pristine as it once was.”
“That’s what happens when you put almost six billion people on a planet,” Hedon said with a sigh, glancing over at the general. “That’s one reason why I wish we were doing more exploring. There will come a day when we will want new planets to settle.”
“I believe you’re right, Admiral,” said General Allister, nodding his head in agreement. “We must be careful not to overpopulate the worlds we have now.”
“If the Hocklyns don’t screw everything up,” Hedon added with a worried grimace.
“I think you will be impressed by our newest base,” General Allister continued. “It will be the central command base for our military.”
“I just wish all of this wasn’t necessary,” Hedon replied somberly. “We are spending trillions of credits across the Federation on a defense we may or may not need. We don’t know how large a fleet the Hocklyns have.”
“We have no choice,” responded General Allister, shaking his head. He agreed that a lot of money being spent on the military could have been used on other projects across the colonies and the home system. “Since the news of what happened on Stalor Four has been broadcast across the Federation, the people on every planet are demanding that planetary defenses be strengthened. I saw the broadcast of the nuclear strike on the mining operation. Everyone did. No one wants that to happen to their world.”
“I know,” responded Hedon looking over at the general. “I realize we have to do this. I firmly believe the Hocklyns are coming. But a war is something everyone in the fleet is taught to prevent. Even at the fleet academy, the cadets are taught methods on how to prevent a war without resorting to force. Sometimes just the threat of force is enough to cool things down.”
“Same in the marines,” conceded General Allister, nodding his head in agreement. “Many of our drills involve the use of nonlethal force. We teach our marines that the use of deadly force should be a last resort.”
The shuttle began to arrow downward as it neared a large mountain. The area around the mountain was extremely rugged, and there were no visible roads. This was untouched wilderness.
A massive hangar door concealed in a dark cliff face slid open, revealing a shadowy interior. The shuttle slowed and then vanished inside. The massive door slid back shut, and the cliff wall looked as if nothing unusual had happened. Once inside, the shuttle landed smoothly without a jar.
“We’re down,” the pilot reported. “I’m opening the ramp.”
A few moments later, General Allister and Admiral Streth walked down the ramp of the shuttle and came to a surprised stop at what was awaiting them. Two full companies of marines were standing at attention in their dress uniforms. A major and two captains were standing off to one side.
“Marines ready for inspection, sir!” the major spoke in a loud and commanding voice.
“At ease, Major Jessup,” General Allister replied with a smile. “This is Admiral Streth. Let’s inspect your people.”
“Yes, sir,” responded Jessup, indicating for General Allister and Admiral Streth to begin the inspection. He was proud of his people, and he knew the two military leaders would be impressed as well.
General Allister, Admiral Streth, Major Jessup, and the two captains walked slowly along the four deep formation of marines.
Hedon was highly impressed. They all looked professional and extremely well trained. They stood at attention, their eyes front, and their faces unmoving. He noticed there were almost an equal number of young men and women.
“Very impressive group,” s
poke Hedon, making sure he said it loud enough so many of the marines could hear. He thought he noticed a few small smiles break out on several of the marine’s faces, to quickly vanish.
“Yes, a very good group,” agreed General Allister, nodding toward Major Jessup.
“We have had some good help recently with training,” Major Jessup commented as they reached the end of the line where two other officers were standing. “I believe you know these two, Admiral.”
Hedon looked at the two marines indicated, and his face broke out into a broad smile. His brother Taylor and sister-in-law Lendle stood there at attention.
“At ease,” spoke Hedon reaching out, shaking Taylor’s hand and giving Lendle a brief hug. “I didn’t know you two were working here.”
“They have been helping to train the marines that will be staffing this base, as well as giving us advice on the defensive systems that will be protecting this facility,” Major Jessup explained. He could plainly see a physical resemblance between Admiral Streth and his brother. It was quite obvious they were related.
“Let’s inspect the base and I can explain what our plans are for this facility,” suggested General Allister, gesturing toward another large open door over to one side of the landing bay. “Major Streth, if you and Captain Streth will accompany us, we will explain to the admiral just what we are planning.”
A few minutes later, they passed through the large open door into another large bay. This one was nearly one hundred meters across. Setting in three long rows were twenty Talon space fighters, twenty Anlon class bombers, and ten heavy assault shuttles. The bombers were two-seaters and could operate in space as well as above a planet’s surface. They were capable of carrying missiles as well as bombs. There was a small 30 mm turret on the bottom of the hull as well as another directly behind the flight canopy. In addition, there were two 30 mm cannons in the nose.
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact Page 13