“That’s great news,” spoke Commander Standel, smiling. He knew that Admiral Streth would be pleased that they had found more survivors. The more people they could take with them, the better. “Helm, place us ten thousand meters off the bow of the depot. We will stay at Condition One until the Harrington has offloaded all the supplies she can from the depot, as well as the Talon fighters.”
-
Hedon was standing in the depot’s flight bay, watching as the crated up Talon fighters were loaded into the depot’s supply shuttles and flown over to the Victory, where they would be reassembled. He had made it a top priority and Captain Racles had assured him that all eighty would be flight ready within seventy-two hours. It would leave the Victory’s flight bay and lower hanger decks overcrowded until the Harrington returned.
The depot had twenty Talons that were part of its defense force, and these would be flown straight over to the Harrington when it returned. The good thing about these fighters was that they came with fully trained pilots.
“The supply transfer is going well,” Captain Jenson reported as he listened to reports over the mini-com in his left ear. “The light cruiser Brice is docked to the main starboard docking port, and we are loading her up with supplies and munitions. Do you want Devastator missiles on the light cruisers?”
“Yes,” responded Hedon, turning to face the captain. “Don’t put any on the destroyers, but I do want a full load outs on the light cruisers.”
“We have a lot of them,” Jenson added with a frown. “A month before the Hocklyns attacked, Admiral Kinseth sent a large load of nukes out to us. I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I suspect they were for you.”
“Probably,” Hedon responded, still amazed at all the planning Admiral Kinseth had done.
Hedon didn’t know how, but it almost seemed as if Admiral Kinseth had known or suspected the Federation would fall and had sent every type of supply and parts he could think of to the depot. Hedon wondered if the other depot was similarly stocked.
If everything went as planned, they would be ready to leave in four days. All the supplies would be loaded, and the warships fully topped off with fuel and ammunition. Before they left, he had one more task he had to complete. It was time to find out what the secret communication satellite in the home system was protecting. He suspected it was some last minute instructions from Admiral Kinseth.
-
Captain Arcles was told that he would be flying his scout ship back to the home system for one final mission. Lieutenant Sanders was in the copilot’s seat with the two specialists behind them.
“I wonder what we’re going to the home system for?” asked Sanders, frowning heavily. “From what Captain Simmons said, it’s full of Hocklyn warships.”
Karl nodded his head in agreement. Captain Simmons had piloted one of the two scouts that had checked out the home system. “I don’t know, but we’re waiting for an officer that will be going with us.” Looking out the cockpit window his eyes grew wide as he saw Admiral Streth and two tough looking marines coming toward the shuttle.
“Is that the admiral?” asked Lacy, looking out the cockpit window not believing what she was seeing. “Why would he want to go somewhere so dangerous? The fleet can’t afford to lose him!”
“I don’t know,” Karl replied in a serious tone. “He must have a good reason. It will be up to us to keep him safe.”
-
Twelve hours later, the small scout was on the outskirts of the home system. Admiral Streth was standing in between the two specialists looking over Rather’s shoulders at the main sensor screen. For over an hour, the scout’s sensitive sensors had been scanning the system.
“How many ships?” asked Hedon, looking at the sensor screen that was filled with red threat icons.
They were especially thick around Tellus and Maken. Thinking about Maken, he wondered if his brother’s cabin by the lake had survived. It was something he would never know, and a place that had been put forever out of his reach. He let out a heavy sigh. Those times at that cabin with Taylor and Lendle had been very special. They were memories he would always treasure.
“I make it at over one hundred and sixty warships and some other different types of support ships. Possibly supply ships and troop ships.”
“They must be stripping Tellus and Maken of anything useful,” Hedon spoke grimly, shaking his head in disgust. “Are we picking up any type of broadcasts at all, even on the emergency channels?”
“No, sir,” Lacy responded. “Everything seems to be quiet except for the Hocklyns.”
Hedon nodded his head. With the amount of ships the Hocklyns had here, he doubted if there were any human survivors. He reached into his pocket and handed Lieutenant Sanders a small flash drive and a piece of paper. “Send the message on that flash drive to the coordinates on that paper. Then we wait to see if we get a response.”
Lieutenant Sanders inserted the flash drive into her communications console and punched in the coordinates on the paper. As near as she could tell, the coordinates were located in empty space. They were not near a planet or any of the moons in the home system. She wondered what was going on. As soon as the flash drive had downloaded the message to her console, she pressed the transmit button and then leaned back to wait.
“Message is sent, sir,” Lacy spoke.
“Very well, Lieutenant,” Hedon spoke. “Let me know if you get any type of response.”
Captain Arcles kept looking at his small sensor screen. The entire system was covered in red threat icons. Hocklyn ships were everywhere, including numerous Hocklyn fighters. “Admiral, there must be some type of resistance still going on. It looks to me as if the Hocklyn fleet is spread out to prevent any ships from escaping the system.”
Admiral Streth looked intently at the larger sensor screen on Specialist Rather’s console. “You may be right, Captain. Notice how they have overlapping coverage above Tellus and Maken. They also have a few ships above all the other planets and moons.”
“They don’t want anyone escaping,” Lacey spoke quietly as she sat listening on her com for a response from her message. “They want all of us dead. Our biggest concentration of ships, both military and civilian was in this system.”
“That’s why so many fighters are on patrol,” Hedon added in agreement. “They have every approach to the system sewed up. They want to ensure that any small ships or even FTL equipped shuttles can’t get away. As long as they can catch them in a planet or moon’s gravity well they can destroy them.”
“There may be marine units still active on Tellus and Maken,” Arcles commented. “There may even be several of the marine facilities that are buried deep beneath the ground that are still intact.”
“Perhaps,” Hedon responded grimly. “But with the ships the Hocklyns have in the system, that resistance can’t last much longer.”
“I don’t see any sign of the two AI ships,” Rathers reported as more information continued to come in from his sensor scans.
“They probably jumped in, wiped out our warships and then left leaving the Hocklyns to finish the dirty work,” spoke Hedon, feeling appalled at the deaths that had occurred in the home system. Over ten billion humans had lived on Maken and Tellus.
“Sir, I’m receiving a reply,” Lieutenant Sanders reported. Suddenly her eyes narrowed as she listened intently to the incoming message. “We are being given a set of jump coordinates. We are also being instructed not to jump to these coordinates unless we are in one of the stealth scout ships.”
“It looks as if you were expected, Admiral,” commented Captain Arcles, glancing back at Admiral Streth.
“Where do we exit the jump, Lieutenant?” Hedon asked with growing curiosity. This was not the type of response he had expected. Was it possible there were still a few hidden survivors somewhere in the system the Hocklyns hadn’t found yet?
“It’s near the Casmer asteroid field, sir.”
Admiral Streth nodded his head. That made sense.
The home system had a number of large asteroid fields. The only rational place to hide from the Hocklyns would be inside one. Of course the Hocklyns would know that also and were bound to be searching them methodically.
“Plot a jump Captain,” ordered Hedon, sitting back down. “Let’s see what we have waiting for us.”
Captain Arcles nodded at Lieutenant Sanders. “The drive core is cool enough, so go ahead and put in the coordinates.”
Lacy nodded and punched the new coordinates into the navigation computer. She felt some anxiety at what would be awaiting them. She hoped it wasn’t a Hocklyn trap to capture or destroy any ships they had missed in their original attack.
“Coordinates are ready, and the jump drive is charged,” reported Lacy, preparing herself for the jump.
“Initiate jump,” Arcles ordered as he prepared to activate the scout’s sublight drive. If they had to do some quick maneuvering, he wanted to be ready.
In front of the scout, a blue-white vortex suddenly formed. The scout darted forward entering the center. Almost instantly, the vortex collapsed upon itself, and there was no sign of it ever being there, or of the scout.
They were only in hyperspace for a few seconds when they were expelled from the spatial vortex. The blue-white vortex formed and the scout flew out. Almost instantly, the vortex collapsed.
“Sensors!” barked Captain Arcles, wanting to know what was out there. They had emerged dangerously close to the asteroid field’s gravity well. He also knew there were probably patrolling Hocklyn ships or fighters in the area.
“Nothing close,” Rathers reported as his sensors and scanners came back on line and he could see the preliminary results. “At least nothing within ten thousand kilometers.”
“Keep a close watch,” Arcles warned, his eyes scanning the screens and readouts on his console. “They may have detected the spatial vortex if they’re close enough. Any sign of Hocklyns coming toward us, I want to know!”
“Anything else on the scanners or sensors?” Admiral Streth asked. He suspected that they would be contacted again shortly. “Lieutenant Sanders make sure you keep a close watch on all the fleet communication channels. We should be contacted again.”
“I think we already have,” reported Arcles, gesturing out the cockpit window.
Out the window, another scout ship was visible slowly approaching them. It was of the same design as their own.
“Incoming message, sir,” Lacy reported. “They are requesting we follow them and keep all of our stealth systems engaged.”
“Do as they say,” Hedon ordered. “Let’s follow them and see where they’re taking us.”
For the next hour, the two scout ships moved slowly into the large Casmer asteroid field. Several times the two scouts stopped and hid behind asteroids as they waited for Hocklyn fighters to pass. It was obvious the Hocklyns were determined not to allow any humans to escape.
“We seem to be heading for that large asteroid ahead,” Captain Arcles commented as they maneuvered around and through a thicker section of asteroids.
“This field is full of large asteroids,” commented Lacy checking her computer console and what it said about the Casmer asteroid field. “There were mining operations on several of the larger asteroids in the past. The one we are heading toward is of medium size, and there are several hundred asteroids of that size or larger in the field.”
As the two scouts neared the asteroid, Arcles was surprised to see a hatch slide open and landing lights blink on. “I guess we’re being invited in.”
“Take us in, Captain,” Hedon ordered, his eyes widening in surprise at what he was seeing. He wondered what they had found. He had never heard of a secret base in any of the home system’s asteroid fields. There was no doubt that this was some more of Admiral Kinseth’s doing.
The two scouts entered the large landing bay, and the door behind them closed. It was camouflaged to ensure that no one flying over would detect it. The door was designed to look like the rest of the asteroid surrounding it.
“We have artificial gravity and a breathable atmosphere outside,” reported Lacy, checking one of her computer data screens.
“Let’s not keep them waiting,” Hedon said, standing up. He was anxious to find out what was going on. Going back into the other cabin, he nodded at his two marine escorts. “There should be humans on the other side of that hatch, but be prepared for anything.”
The hatch opened and the two heavily armed marines stepped outside, scanning the landing bay. Seeing a squad of armed marines standing at the foot of the ramp, the marines relaxed. They were human.
“Admiral on deck!” the sergeant in charge of the marines announced as Hedon appeared in the open hatch. At the same time, a door at the far end of the landing bay opened and a small group of fleet officers appeared.
Stepping off the scout’s ramp, Hedon saluted the sergeant and then looked in shock at the group of approaching officers. For a moment, Hedon felt a lump form in his throat, and he was at a loss for words. The officer leading the group was none other than his brother, Taylor!
“About time you got here,” Taylor spoke with a big grin covering his face. He reached out and took Hedon’s hand, shaking it warmly. “It really is me, I’m not a ghost.”
“Lendle?” Hedon croaked out. “Is she here also?”
“Yes,” answered Taylor, releasing Hedon’s hand. “You’re inside that special project that Admiral Kinseth wanted Lendle and me to work on.”
“Admiral Kinseth; is he alive?” asked Hedon hoping the brilliant admiral and friend had survived the attack.
“He’s alive,” Taylor confirmed with a look of sadness appearing on his face. “He’s in the base infirmary. The admiral was severely injured in the attack upon Tellus. His executive officer loaded the admiral on board a shuttle and sent him out here. Admiral Kinseth was unconscious the entire time or I suspect he never would have let his second in command send him away from his flagship.”
“How soon can I see him?” Hedon asked. Perhaps now he could get to the bottom of all of this. “I have a lot of questions to ask.”
“Right now,” Taylor replied with a look of stress appearing on his face. “But Hedon, you need to know that the admiral’s injuries are very severe. The doctors think the only reason he’s still alive is because he has been waiting for you to return.”
Hedon nodded. This was news he didn’t want to hear. Admiral Kinseth had been the backbone of the Federation fleet for years. It was hard to imagine the fleet going on without him.
Taylor led Hedon and the small group of officers through the corridors of the base. They passed numerous people who seemed to be moving at an unusually quick pace. It almost seemed as if everyone was in a rush to get somewhere.
“What’s going on?” asked Hedon noticing the rush. “How many people are in this base?”
“We have nearly twenty thousand civilians and fifteen thousand fleet personnel,” Taylor replied as they went through another hatch and entered the medical area. “The reason they’re moving so quickly is that, with your arrival, we will be evacuating the base shortly.”
“Where to?” Hedon asked surprised. Leaving the base would expose them to the Hocklyns. They might be safer here.
“I think that’s what Admiral Kinseth has been waiting to tell you,” Taylor responded as they entered the infirmary. “I believe he has a destination he wants you to take the survivors to.”
“Hedon,” a female voice spoke excitedly.
Turning his head, Hedon saw Lendle come out of a room. He strode over and gave her a quick hug. “I’m so glad to see you and Taylor. I was afraid you both had been killed in the Hocklyn attack.”
“If not for Admiral Kinseth we probably would have been,” answered Lendle, stepping back from Hedon. There were tears in her eyes, and it was obvious she had been crying. “The admiral is in there,” she said gesturing toward the room she had just left. “He’s been waiting for you; go on in Hedon. I don’t think he will la
st much longer.”
Hedon stepped into the small room. Admiral Kinseth occupied the only bed and two nurses and a doctor were hovering over him. Kinseth was covered in bandages, and it was obvious he had been severely burned. Only his eyes and part of his face were visible.
“Hedon,” Kinseth spoke in a weak voice. “You made it.”
“Yes, Admiral,” responded Hedon, walking over to the bed and gazing down at Admiral Kinseth. “My fleet is waiting at one of the supply depots. We can get you out of here.”
“No,” replied Kinseth gesturing for the doctor and nurses to leave.
The doctor looked over at Hedon and shook his head. “Make it quick, Admiral.”
Once they were alone, Admiral Kinseth gestured for Hedon to come closer. “Were there any more ships at the depots? I tried to save as many as I could when I realized we couldn’t win.”
“Yes,” Hedon responded with a nod of his head. “The Monarch cruiser SwiftFire, the light cruiser Mace, some destroyers, and a number of civilian passenger liners were there. We also found the Harrington and two more light cruisers at New Providence. We have resupplied all of our ships and loaded them up with ammunition. We can leave at anytime.”
“Excellent,” Kinseth spoke, then broke into a fit of coughing. When he spoke again, his voice was extremely weak.
“I have a new mission for you. Talk to Verdun Severs, he is the scientist and historian in charge of this base. He has some coordinates for you. It is a safe place for you to take what is left of our people.”
“Where is that?” Hedon asked doubtfully. He wondered if the admiral was becoming delusional from his injuries and the medication he was on. “We are the last of our people. It will take us centuries to grow our population to the point where we will be able to have any hope of resisting the Hocklyns. I don’t know if it’s possible in the time we will have.”
“No,” Kinseth replied, his voice barely a whisper. “There is another human world. The world our ancestors came from over ten thousand years ago. Severs has the coordinates to that world. Go there and tell them of the Hocklyns. Together you will grow strong and someday return to take vengeance on the Hocklyns for what they have done to our worlds.”
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact Page 29