Admiral Streth nodded. While it was safe to jump from this point on, he preferred to wait a few more minutes to allow his fleet to get farther out of New Providence’s gravity well. The fleet was going on a long journey, and there was no point in stressing the FTL cores.
-
On the light cruiser Avenger, Commander Standel watched as the fleet put more distance between them and New Providence. Looking up, he saw Ariel watching him. Gazing at the AI, Standel had to remind himself once again that Ariel wasn’t human. Her black shoulder length hair and dark eyes seemed to see right through him. He wondered if somewhere in the Federation if there was a young woman that Ariel had been modeled after.
“Clarissa and I have come up with several more tactics we can use in combat to defend the fleet,” Ariel commented over the mini-com with a charming smile on her face. Only Commander Standel could hear what she was saying. “We can improve the Avenger and Vindication’s combat ability by nearly two hundred percent if we are allowed to use them.”
“I will keep that in mind, Ariel,” Standel replied quietly.
He had been impressed by what Ariel and Clarissa had done in the battle with the Hocklyns. Even though both Commander Wisthom and he had been called into Admiral Streth’s office to explain their actions, he still felt they had made the right decision. The admiral had tentatively agreed to allow such action in the future to be taken by the two commanders, but only if there were no other options available and the results of not doing so seriously endangered the fleet.
-
Teena was talking to Jacen over their own private com channel. The two had become even closer since the battle and were wondering what they should do. Fraternization between Command Center officers was frowned upon. If they decided to continue their growing relationship, one of them might be forced to transfer off the Avenger. Both hated the thought of that, as they liked the ship, its crew, and its commanding officers.
“It may be months before we get back,” spoke Teena, gazing at one of the smaller viewscreens, which showed the blue and white globe of New Providence receding in the distance.
Jacen smiled over at her and spoke. “We have a pretty powerful fleet with us so we should be safe. Once we find the Hocklyns and get a general idea of what we’re up against, the admiral will bring us back safely.”
“Still, we’re going a long way and anything could happen,” Teena responded slowly. “If something happens to the fleet there will be no hope of rescue.”
“I wouldn’t worry,” replied Jacen, glancing at the main viewscreen and the AI. “We have Ariel, and I trust her to keep us safe.”
Teena nodded and turned back to her com system. She was listening to the idle chatter between ships as they prepared to jump.
On the main screen, Ariel’s smile grew. What the crew didn’t know was that she could listen to everything they said over their private com channels. She had discovered how to do this months earlier and had not told anyone. Even an AI had to have her secrets.
-
Admiral Streth watched as the fleet neared its planned jump point. At a nod from him, Colonel Sheen gave the order for the fleet to jump. Almost instantly, blue-white vortexes formed in front of the two destroyers. The two ships quickly vanished into them. Moments later, the vortexes vanished as if they had never been. On each jump, the two destroyers would go first and scan the target system, and then a few minutes later the fleet would follow.
Hedon waited patiently and soon saw a vortex form in front of the StarStrike. He braced his hands instinctively against the command console. Entering hyperspace wasn’t that big of a deal, but he still tensed up each time it happened. The helm officer moved the StarStrike into the vortex, Hedon felt a quick moment of queasiness, then it was over. On the viewscreen, the dark purple colors of hyperspace were visible. Their mission had started, and they were on their way to search out the Hocklyns. Looking around the Command Center, Hedon noticed the crew seemed to be more relaxed now that they were underway. He just hoped that he would bring them all back home safely.
Chapter Nine
The Present
Captain Arcles tensed as the scout ship exited the space vortex in the first targeted system. For a moment, all the screens and sensors in the small ship were covered in static. He felt vulnerable knowing that, for a few brief seconds, the small scout was helpless and blind. Looking out the cockpit window, he could see nothing dangerous, just the unwinking sea of stars. The stars in this region of space were closer together than at home, and space around the scout seemed to be full of them.
“Sensors coming on line,” sensor Specialist Rathers reported as his screens began to clear. “Beginning long-range scans.”
“How are the stealth systems?” asked Arcles, starting to relax now as all the systems came back on line.
“Functioning normally,” systems Specialist Barkley replied as he checked his computer read outs. “We should be undetectable to sensors and scanners.”
“Let’s hope so,” Arcles commented dryly. He just hoped the scientists and technicians were correct when they claimed the scout wouldn’t show up on Hocklyn sensors or scanners. The scout wouldn’t stand much of a chance against an armed Hocklyn warship.
“I wonder if anything is out there?” commented Lieutenant Sanders, gazing out the cockpit window at the stars. It made her feel so alone knowing they were so far from home and now away from the Victory. She took a deep, steadying breath and looked over at Captain Arcles. His steady confident look made her feel more at ease.
For several long minutes, everyone was quiet as the long-range sensors swept the system. These were special sensors designed to furnish the maximum amount of data possible. Only the sensors aboard a battle carrier or a battle cruiser could compare in sensitivity and range.
“No artificial emissions detected,” Rathers reported as the information began to appear on his screens. “Five planets have been detected, and none are in the liquid water zone.”
“This system is a bust,” Arcles said disappointedly, letting out a sigh. He knew that the likelihood of them finding an inhabited system on the first jump had been quite low. “No signs of mining operations on any of the planets or moons?”
“No, sir,” replied Rathers, checking his data once more to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. “This system is dead.”
Captain Arcles nodded and turned to look at Lieutenant Sanders. “We will let the jump drive cool for two hours and then jump to our next target. Specialist Rathers continue to run your sensor scans. We might as well gather as much information as possible on this system while we wait.”
Arcles leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. On a fleet warship, the FTL cores were allowed to cool for at least four hours after each jump. One of the side effects of traveling in hyperspace was the heat buildup in the drive core. If the core wasn’t allowed to cool down sufficiently after a jump, it would eventually cause serious damage to the FTL drive. While multiple jumps were possible without allowing the FTL core to cool, it was not recommended. For the small scout ship they were in, the technicians had recommended a cool down period of two hours.
Lieutenant Sanders was busy entering the next series of FTL coordinates. Their next jump point was only 2.6 light years away. She knew that if a Hocklyn ship was to make a sudden appearance they could jump immediately to safety. A couple of quick jumps probably wouldn’t damage the core, but she didn’t want to get stranded out here. If they did, the chance of a rescue was almost nonexistent.
-
It was on their fourth and final jump that they hit pay dirt. The sensors had just begun to clear when Lieutenant Sanders made a startling announcement.
“I’m picking up something on communications.” She had set the scout’s com system to scan all normal communication frequencies. Lacy hadn’t honestly expected to pick up anything, but there the signals were.
“We have a planet in the liquid water zone,” Specialist Rathers spoke excitedly. “I am also pic
king up energy emissions from it. It’s definitely inhabited.”
“I am picking up radio transmissions on numerous frequencies,” Lacy spoke as she continued to listen to a number of different broadcasts. She couldn’t understand what was being spoken, but it was definitely coming from the planet. “I think we found what we were looking for.”
Captain Arcles leaned forward and studied the small sensor screen in front of him, where Specialist Rathers was sending what was on his larger screen. It showed the fourth planet lit up in artificial emissions.
“There are eight planets in the system,” Rathers reported as he continued to study the data coming in from the scans. “The fourth is inhabited, and I am also picking up emissions from planet five and several of the moons in the system. The others are probably mining operations.”
“What about ships?” asked Arcles feeling tense. He wondered if this was a Hocklyn controlled system and if there were any warships about.
“I show a large space station in orbit around planet four, as well as what appears to be a number of freighters,” Rathers replied as he studied his sensors. It would be necessary to move in closer and use the short-range scanners so they could get more detailed information on the planet and the space station. “I also show several freighters in transit between what I assume are the mining operations.”
“We found an inhabited world,” Sanders spoke quietly, her eyes looking thoughtful.
In all of their explorations around Federation space, this would be the first one. Lacy wondered what the planet’s inhabitants looked like. The Hocklyns were some type of reptilian race, what did this world hold?
“Let’s move in closer,” spoke Arcles, reaching a decision.
They hadn’t detected any signs of a Hocklyn ship, so they didn’t know if this was a Hocklyn system or not. They would have to move farther in system to find out. It was a risk since this system obviously contained a highly advanced civilization. They were about to find out just how good the stealth systems on the scout were.
Reaching forward, Arcles activated the scout’s powerful sublight drive and turned the small ship toward the inner part of the system. He coaxed the sublight drive up to thirty percent power and then set it to hold there. At that speed, it would take the scout three hours to reach scanner range, which would allow them to gather more details about the planet and the orbiting space station. Even if this wasn’t a Hocklyn controlled system, it might be worth establishing contact with the race that inhabited the planet just to see if they knew anything about the Hocklyns.
“Are we detecting any scans of any type?” he asked, looking back at Specialist Barkley.
“No, sir,” replied Barkley, studying his computer screens and running his fingers over a keyboard. “We may be too far out for their sensors.”
“Very well,” Arcles replied, satisfied for the moment. “Keep me informed if anything changes.”
Lacy bit her lip and looked out the cockpit window. She could feel her heart fluttering and her breathing had quickened. Refocusing, she looked back down at the controls and began doing a check of the scout’s systems. If they had to leave in a hurry, she wanted to know that everything was working properly.
-
For three hours, the shuttle moved rapidly farther in system. They continued to gather data and study the inhabited world they were approaching. There were a surprisingly large number of freighters in orbit but strangely enough, there were no liners or other civilian ships.
“I think we should stop, sir,” Rathers cautioned suddenly as more data flowed in from his close-range scanners. He enlarged a video feed, which was capturing views of the space station. “I am picking up a large ship docked to the space station. It’s definitely Hocklyn!”
Arcles felt his blood turn cold. He had hoped this was a system free of Hocklyn interference. A system they could perhaps make contact with and gather additional information. Now it seemed that was not to be. The Hocklyns were already here. What did that mean if the first inhabited system they found was under Hocklyn control?
“What type of ship is it?” Arcles asked with just a trace of concern in his voice. “Is it a warship?”
“Looks like one of their exploration or support ships,” Rathers replied as he adjusted his scanners to give him more detailed information. “It’s of the same type that we encountered at Stalor Four.”
Arcles brought the scout to a stop and wondered what they should do next. If they were detected, the Hocklyn ship could destroy the scout almost instantly. The scout had very light armor and their weapons wouldn’t even put a dent in the Hocklyn ship’s screens. They were already inside the planet’s gravity well and could not get away by jumping into hyperspace. They would have to run on their sublight drive if detected. “Specialist Barkley, how sure are you that they can’t detect us?”
“Positive,” Barkley replied confidently paying close attention to what his stealth systems were telling him. “As long as we hold our drive emissions to a minimum and don’t get too close, the Hocklyns will never know we’re here.”
“How close?” persisted Arcles, his eyes narrowing. He wanted to know how close he could take the scout to the inhabited planet. They needed to gather as much information about the planet, the space station, and the Hocklyn ship as possible. They might not get another opportunity like this.
“About 2,000 kilometers should be safe,” Barkley replied a little hesitantly. “Any closer and they could detect our drive emissions.”
Arcles nodded as he reached a decision. He wanted more detailed information before he returned to the Victory and reported back to the admiral. “We’re going in closer. I want to know everything there is to know about that planet, the space station, and that Hocklyn ship docked to it. If I’m right, everything we set out to learn is right there in front of us. We just have to figure out how to get it.”
The small scout slowly crept forward. Its dark color made it invisible against the wall of stars behind it. The emissions from the drive and the scout’s other systems were carefully masked. For nearly an hour, they moved closer and then the scout stopped. They were still undetected, and now their mission could truly begin.
-
For the next eight hours, the crew in the small scout ship watched the planet and the large orbiting space station. The station was only about half the size of the shipyard above New Providence. It seemed as if the station served more as a way port for the freighters in the system than anything else. There was very little traffic between the station and the planet. In the eight hours the scout had watched, no ships at all had come up from the surface. The station looked as if it might contain one or two repair or construction bays, but there was no evidence of any kind of armaments.
“The station seems to be unarmed,” Rathers reported as he studied the data coming in on his screens.
“I don’t understand,” spoke Lieutenant Sanders, looking confused. She turned and looked over at Captain Arcles. “There’s no defense grid around that planet, no weapons on the space station, just the Hocklyn ship. Why is that?”
“It’s a slave world,” responded Rathers, shaking his head in disbelief. “I have been scanning the planet, and it has a population of around 220 million. From the primitive vids I have been able to pick up the inhabitants resemble humans. The main differences are that they have fur, are a light blue in color, and slightly smaller.”
“Why do you say a slave world?” Arcles asked, not liking that inference and what it implied.
“There is evidence of numerous cities that were destroyed in the distant past,” explained Rathers putting up several long distance photos of overgrown ruins on one of the scout’s small screens. “The computer estimates at one time this world had a population closer to two billion.”
“Two billion!” Lacy stammered, her eyes growing wide at the implications. “What happened to them? Was it a war?”
“The Hocklyns nuked them from orbit,” Arcles muttered, his eyes showing anger. “Th
ey reduced the population to a more controllable level, and now this species serves them. Those freighters are probably bound for Hocklyn worlds carrying ore and other supplies. That’s why there are not any civilian ships in orbit around the planet.”
“We need to know for sure,” Lacy spoke quietly, not wanting to believe the Hocklyns were capable of such genocide. “The planet might have had a war before the Hocklyns found them.”
“The evidence points to the Hocklyns being responsible,” Arcles replied sadly. “There’s clear evidence this planet was nuked. There is a Hocklyn warship docked to that space station. We know what the Hocklyns did to Aldon. I think that is evidence enough.”
Lacy was silent for a long moment, feeling a queasiness in her stomach. Was this what was in store for the Federation worlds if the Hocklyns won? She didn’t want to even think about that. It was too horrible. “What now?”
Arcles let out a heavy sigh. “We return to the Victory. I suspect the admiral will have something planned for this system. As I said earlier, everything we need to know is here. We just need to figure out how to get it.”
-
Admiral Streth gazed thoughtfully at the large viewscreen that currently showed what Captain Arcles had found on his scouting mission. It was a beautiful blue-white globe teeming with life. Unfortunately, it was also controlled by the Hocklyns. He had called several of his ship commanders over to the StarStrike to discuss the situation.
“Our scouts located three different inhabited planets,” spoke Commander Adler, shaking his head in incredulity. “I never expected us to find so many. Unfortunately, in each case at least one Hocklyn warship was found in orbit.”
“Three worlds out of the twenty star systems we searched and all three controlled by the Hocklyns,” Commander Wisthom commented, his eyes showing his deep concern. “Were all three systems populated by the same race?”
“No,” replied Commander Adler, looking around the small group. “Three different races and all three inhabited planets showing signs of nuclear weapons being used on their cities sometime in the past.”
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact Page 20