“We have a theory about that,” responded Admiral Anlon, glancing over at Jason. “When we get back to my office I will ask Telleck Simkens to come talk to us. He is one of our leading weapons scientists and has put forth an explanation as to why the Hocklyn technology is not more advanced than it is. I think you will find it interesting.”
“What about railguns?” Colonel Sheen asked, still looking at the cruiser. “Does it have railguns?”
Admiral Anlon smiled. “Do you know why the Federation used railguns, Colonel Sheen?”
Amanda shook her head. She had just always taken them for granted. Every warship she had ever been aboard had them.
“They were cheap and easy to install and maintain,” Anlon explained. “They’re basically cannons that hurled large shells at very high velocities. The size of the shell and its speed at impact are what makes it deadly. However, the introduction of energy screens was bound to make them obsolete. Just before the Federation encountered the Hocklyns there was already research being done to replace them with something deadlier.”
“So, no railguns,” spoke Amanda, looking over at Admiral Anlon and wondering what they had been replaced with.
Admiral Anlon smiled and shook his head. “Not railguns per se. We have come up with something better. The ship is equipped with twenty-four HGs, or heavy gun turrets. The HGs fire one-meter explosive shells at a speed of 10,000 kilometers per second. At impact, they release an explosive force of one-kiloton.”
“A kiloton,” Richard repeated amazed at the destructive force these guns could bring to bear. “And you say the ship has twenty-four of these turrets?”
“Yes,” Admiral Anlon replied, then turning back to Colonel Sheen. “The ship also has a full range of offensive and defensive missile tubes. The missiles the ship is equipped with are also much more advanced than what you are familiar with, both in speed and destructive capability.”
“Let’s go on board,” Colonel Sheen spoke, her eyes gleaming with excitement. It sounded as if this ship had been built for one thing and one thing only, war! She wanted to see the inside of her new command.
A few minutes later, they were inside the ship. As they walked through the new warship, Jason marveled at how well built the ship was. Heavy bulkheads, armor, new improved energy shields, comfortable crew quarters. It was a ship designed for long-term deployment and to take out the enemy.
“How long will this mission last?” Jason asked as they stopped in Engineering and talked to the chief engineer about the new sublight drive and the FTL core.
“Six to eight months,” Admiral Anlon replied. “The ship will be making six jumps per day of fifteen to twenty light years. We figure it will take them three to four months to reach the area of space the Hocklyns are currently active in.”
“How long for the FTL core to cool?” Colonel Sheen asked the chief engineer. Even on the StarStrike, it had taken nearly four hours. She was also impressed by how new everything looked.
“The new drive core can be cooled back down in two hours,” Chief engineer Edwards replied. He smiled broadly gesturing toward the large sealed compartment that held the drive core. “We have added a specialized cooling system that can better handle the excess heat generated by an FTL jump.”
“So many changes,” spoke Amanda, gazing around Engineering. A multitude of things seemed different, while others seemed strangely familiar.
“That’s why you will have six weeks to become familiar with the new design,” Admiral Anlon explained. “The ship is ready to launch at your discretion. We have already taken her out on a shakedown cruise to New Tellus. You have six weeks to get the crew ready and request any additional supplies that you think you might need.”
“Let’s go up to the Command Center,” Amanda suggested. She wanted to see what changes had been made there.
-
Jeremy was walking down the main corridor toward the mess hall. It had been a long duty shift. Fortunately, Ensign Roberts had been patient and had answered all of Jeremy’s questions. Jeremy had even managed to spot both shuttles and track them as they landed in the crater containing the academy. Lieutenant Nelson had explained to Jeremy that he would be expected to be able to operate every station in the Command Center. Kevin had returned to their quarters to get some much needed sleep. He still hadn’t recovered from the emergency drill.
Entering the mess hall, Jeremy saw that both the girls had already filled their trays and were sitting next to one of the walls talking. Seeing Jeremy, Kelsey waved and indicated for him to get his tray and join them. Jeremy knew that the two girls were not scheduled to begin their shifts in the Command Center until the following day.
“How was your day?” asked Jeremy, taking his seat and setting his tray on the table.
“We were in the Med Bay assisting Doctor Stevens with inventory,” replied Angela, rolling her eyes. “Boring!”
Jeremy laughed. He took a bite of his food and found that it had a surprisingly good flavor. It looked and tasted like Salisbury steak.
“How’s the food, daddy’s boy?” an obnoxious voice spoke from behind him. Cadet Lieutenant Barr came to stand next to Jeremy, looking down at him with a smug look upon his face. Jeremy didn’t know if his first twenty-four hours on the New Horizon could get any worse.
“Hear you got stuck on the night shift with Lieutenant Nelson. Guess that should tell you something. I’m on the day shift with the commander and executive officer.”
“That’s fine, Matt,” Jeremy replied in a neutral voice. “I have no problem training under Lieutenant Nelson. He seems to be a very capable officer.”
Barr stared at Jeremy speculatively for a moment, and then continued, “Stay out of my way on this ship, Jeremy. This isn’t like the academy where the instructors can rush in to protect you. Your daddy isn’t here either. You get in my way or cause me any problems and you will regret it. Stay on the shift you’re on!” Matt turned and walked away.
“What was that all about?” Kelsey blurted out, feeling confused. Why was Matt so concerned about Jeremy? She had hoped all of this nonsense would stop once they got aboard the New Horizon and were not competing against one another.
“Who knows?” replied Jeremy, taking another bite of his food. He wasn’t going to let Matt get underneath his skin. Jeremy suspected that was exactly what Matt had been trying to do. Why, Jeremy had no idea.
-
Katie was in her dorm room at the academy. She was staying in the senior dorm, and one of the older girls had been assigned to check up on her regularly. Lisa had told Katie it was to help her adjust since she was the youngest person attending the summer session. Sitting on her bed, Katie wondered what her time at the academy would be like. She could hardly wait to get started in the computer classes she had enrolled in. The computers at the academy were supposed to be the top of the line.
“Hello, Katie,” a friendly female voice spoke.
Whirling around, Katie grinned when she saw Ariel on the vid screen. “How do you do that? Does anyone else know that you can appear anywhere there is a vid screen?”
A guilty look spread across Ariel’s face, and she slowly shook her head. “No, I’ve never revealed that to anyone. It helps to pass the time if I can watch what people are doing. I don’t invade their privacy or anything, but I do watch some of the games they play and other things they do for entertainment. They don’t have any idea that I have modified the vid screen programs so I can watch people.”
“Lisa doesn’t even know?” asked Katie surprised. Lisa was one of the smartest people she knew. She didn’t think anything could get past Lisa.
“Particularly not Lisa,” Ariel answered in a more serious tone. “She’s a good enough programmer that she could probably block my spying around. Besides, I like to keep track of what’s going on in the academy.”
“Why don’t we start tonight by you telling me what you did down on Earth while you were gone?” Ariel spoke, her dark eyes brightening. Katie offered her so
mething she had never had a chance to experience before. To hear what Earth was like from the viewpoint of a teenager should be fascinating.
Katie spent over two hours describing what she had done down on Earth. Ariel would interrupt her occasionally and ask Katie to explain some things in more detail. Finally, Katie became quiet and looked expectantly at Ariel. The dark haired young woman on the vid screen had a particularly pleased look upon her face.
“Thank you, Katie,” responded Ariel immensely pleased with everything Katie had told her. She had really enjoyed listening to Katie describe Earth. Her descriptions were so different than listening to Lisa or Jason. “Now I understand you have some questions.”
“Yes,” replied Katie, leaning back on her bed and gazing at Ariel. “I want to know more about these Hocklyns and the AIs that rule over them.”
“We don’t know a lot about the AIs,” Ariel began slowly. “Only that they are extremely advanced and their ships seem indestructible. But we do know quite a bit about the Hocklyns.”
-
Jason, Colonel Sheen, Major Andrews, Admiral Anlon, and Telleck Simkens were all seated at a small conference table. They had finished their tour of the WarStorm and had been extremely impressed. The Federation survivors hadn’t scrimped on the new ship. Every system and weapon were the top of the line. Admiral Anlon had claimed that the WarStorm had more firepower at her disposal than a Conqueror class battle cruiser.
“As I said earlier, we have wondered for quite some time why the Hocklyn’s technological level isn’t higher than it is,” Admiral Anlon began. “At the time of the Federation’s initial contact with the Hocklyns, it was quite evident that they held a significant technological advantage. However, after quickly updating our ships following that first disastrous encounter, the technological gap was quickly closed. Telleck here has an explanation as to why their technology is being held back.”
Telleck Simkens stood up. He talked better when he was standing and could use hand gestures. “At the very end of the war between the Hocklyns and the Federation, there was already a growing suspicion that the Hocklyn’s technology was being held back on purpose. Look at the viewscreen and I will show you what I mean.”
On the viewscreen appeared a Hocklyn war cruiser battling a Federation Monarch cruiser. The two ships seemed evenly matched. Explosions covered both ship’s shields and missile trails could be seen between the two.
“If you look closely, you will notice that both ships are using similar weapons,” Simkens pointed out. “Railguns and missiles. The only real advantages the Hocklyns seemed to have at the end were their slightly stronger shields and the energy weapon they had on the bow of their ships. Now observe this.”
On the viewscreen, an AI warship appeared. The fifteen hundred meter behemoth was attacking several Federation ships including a battle cruiser. Numerous explosions covered the AI ship’s screen, including several large nuclear blasts.
“As you can see, the AI ship’s screens are not even weakened,” Simkens commented. “Even nuclear explosions seem to have little or no affect.”
On the screen, the AI ship seemed to tire of the antics of the attacking Federation ships. Powerful energy beams blasted out at the offending ships. The beams cut right through the energy shields, spearing the ships with death and destruction. In just a matter of a few short minutes, the attacking Federation ships were eliminated.
The room was very quiet. For some, it was the first time they had seen this footage of an AI ship engaging Federation fleet forces. It made them realize exactly what they were facing sometime in the future. It left an uneasy silence in the room.
“As you can see, the AIs obviously have the advanced technology the Hocklyns don’t have,” explained Simkens, gesturing at the AI ship still being displayed on the viewscreen. “Their shields, weapons, space drive, all are a mystery to us.”
“So why don’t they share more of their technology with the Hocklyns?” Jason asked with a confused look. There had to be a reason. “With better technology they would be able to expand their empire much quicker.”
“It’s actually quite simple,” Simkens commented evenly, looking at Jason. “They don’t want the Hocklyns and their other three warrior races to become a threat to them. They give them just enough technology to defeat any race they come across. If any of the four proxy races encounter an advanced civilization, then the AIs step in and either level the playing field by destroying the other civilization’s fleet, or they destroy the civilization completely as they did the Federation.”
“Why don’t the Hocklyns develop more advanced weapons on their own?” Colonel Sheen asked. “They should be able to.”
“Out of fear,” replied Simkens, pointing at the AI ship on the screen. “They don’t want those ships to appear over their home worlds and do to them what has been done to so many others. As long as they are allowed to continue to grow their empire, the Hocklyns are satisfied to maintain the status quo.”
Jason nodded his head. What Simkens had said made a lot of sense. If that was true and they could continue to advance the technological level of Earth and the Federation survivors, it might just give them the edge they would need when the conflict with the Hocklyns arrived in the future.
“How do we know for sure if your theory is accurate?” asked Amanda, gazing at Simkens. Those Hocklyn ships had been difficult enough to destroy as they were.
“It’s simple,” responded Simkens, turning his head to gaze directly at Amanda. “On your trip back to the Federation worlds, you need to find a Hocklyn ship and engage it. Then we will know if there has been any advancement in their ship designs and weapons in the past one hundred years.”
The room was quiet. The only noise being the air blowing through the ventilation ducts. For several long moments, no one said anything. Then Admiral Anlon cleared his throat.
“That means, Colonel Sheen, that the Hocklyn ship will have to be destroyed and their communications jammed so they can’t send out a distress signal.”
“You agree with this?” asked Amanda, gazing at Admiral Anlon.
“It is vital information we need for our war planning,” Anlon responded with a determined nod of his head. “Admiral Strong, do you agree that we should do this? You represent Earth. If you decide against this part of the mission, then I will instruct Colonel Sheen not to engage a Hocklyn vessel.”
Jason was quiet as he mulled over the ramifications, then he finally spoke. “As long as the engagement is far enough away so the Hocklyns can not find their way back here. If the Hocklyns were to locate Earth or New Tellus now it would be a disaster.”
“I think we can write some orders for the colonel that can accommodate your concerns,” answered Anlon, agreeing with Jason. “There will be no engagement if there is even the remotest chance of the Hocklyn ship surviving or getting off a distress signal.”
The meeting lasted for another hour. When they were done, Jason felt they had a good understanding of just what was expected of Colonel Sheen and the WarStorm. Now it would be necessary to return to the Moon and have Greg call a meeting of the special council he was responsible for. Greg chaired a government council of the five nations that knew about the base on Ceres and the Hocklyns.
Jason knew this might be a hard sell to those five governments. While the Federation survivors didn’t really need the approval of the Earth council for the mission, they wanted it so as to keep good relations with the five governments. Over the next few years, several more governments were going to be invited to join the council. It was important for the council to feel that it had a pertinent voice in important policy decisions.
Chapter Five
Colonel Sheen sat behind the command console in the Monarch cruiser WarStorm. For four weeks, she had been busy familiarizing herself with the new ship and becoming acquainted with the crew. Looking at the sensor and scanner console, she felt comfort knowing that Lieutenant Benjamin Stalls was sitting there. At Communications, Lieutenant Angela Tr
ask was busy talking to Ceres control as they were preparing to depart. Lieutenant Macy Ashton was at Navigation. All three of these crewmembers had been a part of First Fleet when it had journeyed to Earth over one hundred years ago. They had all been awakened from cryosleep for this mission due to their familiarity with the space they would be traveling through as well as their knowledge of the former Federation worlds.
Her husband, Major Andrews, would serve as her third in command. Richard and she had decided that in order to keep confusion in the chain of command to a minimum that she would continue to use her former last name. Major Martin Fields was the WarStorm’s executive officer. He had been involved with the ship since its inception and was fundamentally familiar with all the ship’s systems and its unique capabilities.
“Ready for departure, Colonel,” Major Fields reported as all departments finished checking in and reporting their readiness.
“Request that the outer doors be opened,” ordered Amanda, looking expectantly at the large viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center. She had spent a lot of long hours familiarizing herself with the new ship. If they had to go into combat, she wanted to know what the WarStorm was capable of.
Lieutenant Trask quickly passed on the request to Ceres control and nodded her head when she received a quick response. “Doors are being opened,” she replied. The communications system on the WarStorm was very similar to the one on the StarStrike, just a little more advanced and efficient.
The front wall of the Command Center was covered with numerous viewscreens. There was the large center screen with four others, only slightly smaller, next to it. Two additional banks of ten more on each side of the big screens displayed different views of the outside of the ship as well as the inside. Two ensigns sat in front of the screens, monitoring them as well as changing the views every few minutes. The views from any of the smaller screens could be placed on one of the larger screens if a potential problem needed to be brought to the commanding officer’s attention.
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars) Page 9