Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars)

by Raymond L. Weil

  Jeremy nodded and led the small group down the corridor and up a small stairwell to the next level. Reaching that level, Jeremy carefully glanced down the corridor and saw Ensign Rafferty standing guard in front of Lieutenant Nelson’s quarters. Rafferty had a pistol in his belt.

  “Damn, Rafferty is standing guard,” Jeremy said in a quiet voice looking back at Kelsey. “He’s armed, too.”

  “What now?” Kevin asked. “Rafferty won’t hesitate to shoot, particularly if he sees you or me.”

  “Not necessarily,” spoke Angela taking a deep breath. She carefully unbuttoned the top two buttons on her uniform, allowing a large amount of cleavage to show. “Put your eyes back in your heads, guys,” Angela said, feeling her face flush. “I’ll distract Rafferty. You two just make sure you disarm him before he goes too far.” Stepping out into the corridor, she began walking casually toward Rafferty.

  Hearing a peculiar noise, Rafferty glanced down the corridor and his eyes widened upon seeing Angela. “What are you doing out of your quarters?” he demanded, his eyes dropping down to gaze at her exposed cleavage. He could feel his heart start to beat faster.

  Angela walked just past Rafferty and then turned to face him so he would be facing away from where the others were waiting. “Your friend Barr let me out,” she replied in her best flirting voice. “I told him that I would agree to your terms.”

  “Really?” Rafferty spoke in disbelief, forcing his eyes up to gaze into Angela’s eyes. “What made you change your mind?”

  Angela only smiled. She leaned forward and kissed Rafferty on the lips. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Jeremy and Kevin coming up behind Rafferty, trying to be quiet.

  “You did,” she replied, leaning back and running her hands suggestively across his chest. Just as Rafferty started to reach for her, Jeremy and Kevin grabbed him, throwing him roughly down to the deck.

  Katie came running down the corridor with Kelsey and in just a few seconds had the door to Lieutenant Nelson’s quarters open.

  Lieutenant Nelson stepped out, seeing Rafferty pinned to the floor by Jeremy and Kevin and Kelsey standing there. He didn’t recognize the young green-eyed blonde who had evidently opened his door.

  “What’s going on?” demanded Nelson, knowing the cadets had to have been desperate to try to free him. He could see the frightened and worried look on Kelsey’s face.

  “There’s a Hocklyn ship inbound,” Kelsey informed Nelson, hoping he would know what to do. “It’s already detected the New Horizon and is on an intercept course.”

  “What type?” Nelson demanded as he helped Jeremy and Kevin disarm Rafferty, tossing him into his former quarters and shutting the door. Using the pistol, he smashed the console, which allowed entry to his former quarters. That would keep Rafferty trapped inside. The com system had already been disabled so Rafferty couldn’t call for help.

  “Katie says it’s an escort cruiser,” replied Kelsey, looking over at the nervous teenager.

  Looking at Katie, Nelson asked her. “Where have you been hiding? You’re obviously not a member of this crew.”

  “I’m Katie Johnson, Greg Johnson’s daughter. I stowed away when the ship left the spacedock. I’ve been hiding in one of the shuttles.”

  Nelson nodded as he took it all in. He checked Rafferty’s pistol and pocketed the two extra clips they had taken from him. “Let’s get back to the flight bay. We need to try to contact a Federation ship.”

  “What Federation ship?” asked Kelsey, shaking her head. “We’re thousands of light years from Earth. We also don’t have an FTL transmitter.”

  “Yes, we do,” Nelson spoke as he led the small group down the corridor. “One of the shuttles has an FTL transmitter on board, and there is a chance, even though it’s a small one, that the WarStorm may be in range.”

  “The WarStorm,” Kelsey said, her eyes growing wide. She had heard her father mention the new warship. It was supposedly the most powerful ship the Federation survivors had ever built.

  “Yes, it was due to leave on its mission and should be close by. I just don’t know if it will be close enough to receive our transmission.”

  Jeremy was listening to all of this and growing more confused with every word. There was something going on here that he had no clue about. What was this Federation and what was the WarStorm? He had never heard of either.

  It took them a few minutes to reach the flight bay using the auxiliary corridors. Once inside the flight bay, Katie led them to the shuttle she had been staying on and showed Lieutenant Nelson the Hocklyn ship on the small viewscreen.

  “Kelsey, do you remember how to fly a shuttle?” Nelson asked as he thought about his options. He knew they had less than an hour before the Hocklyn ship reached them.

  “Yes, sir,” replied Kelsey, uneasily. “My father made me learn last summer when I returned home. He thought it might be useful. I’m not the greatest pilot, though.”

  “He was right, and you will do fine,” Nelson replied satisfied with her answer. “We can’t let that Hocklyn ship take the New Horizon. I have to destroy the ship.”

  “What!” cried Angela, realizing what Nelson had just said. “What about the crew? You can’t just let them all die! Most of them are not part of Major Maher’s group.”

  Nelson shook his head sadly. “There is a lot going on here that you cadets don’t understand. Jeremy, your father knows everything, and I hope someday you will understand why this had to be done. If these Hocklyns discover Earth, years of careful planning by your father and others will be destroyed. I can’t let that happen”

  Jeremy only nodded his head; he didn’t know what to say. Angela and Kevin were equally confused as they stared at each other in shock over Nelson’s words.

  “I have to get to Engineering and set the self-destruct,” Nelson said, his face pale. “There is no other choice.”

  “What self-destruct?” asked Kelsey, drawing in a sharp breath. “I thought only warships were equipped with those.”

  “All FTL equipped ships have them now,” Nelson replied as he glanced at the confused cadets. “Even the New Horizon. The device is hidden in Engineering, and Ensign Treadwell will help me. He is also from Ceres.”

  “What do we need to do?” Kelsey asked. She knew Nelson was serious about the self-destruct. It was something that everyone on Ceres was well aware of. No ship could be allowed to be taken that would lead the Hocklyns back to Earth and Ceres. That was why the self-destructs had been added to all Federation ships. She was just stunned to learn that there was one on the New Horizon.

  “Get all these supplies moved over to the other shuttle. It’s the one with the FTL transmitter.” Nelson took a pen out of his pocket and found a piece of paper. He quickly wrote down a series of numbers. “This is the code to enter into the com system to activate the FTL transmitter. Give me twenty minutes, and if I haven’t returned by then get this shuttle out of the flight bay. Once outside the flight bay start transmitting, and then get this shuttle down on the planet. Do whatever you have to in order to destroy the shuttle’s computer, and then hide. Hopefully the WarStorm will eventually find you.”

  Kelsey nodded as Lieutenant Nelson turned and exited the shuttle, running toward the exit. “Let’s get the supplies moved,” Kelsey said, opening a storage compartment and grabbing some containers of food.

  “He’s going to destroy the ship and kill everyone,” said Kevin, feeling confused. “Why is that necessary?”

  “The aliens in that ship will destroy Earth if they learn of it,” explained Katie with dread in her eyes at what Lieutenant Nelson was about to do. “They will send word back to their empire and come for us.”

  “Katie’s right,” Kelsey said, nodding her head and trying not to think about all the innocent people that were about to die. “Lieutenant Nelson has no other choice. This has to be done.”

  “I think you have a lot of explaining to do,” Jeremy said to Kelsey as he loaded his arms up with bottles of water. The
n, turning to Katie, he added. “And so do you, young lady.”

  “Yes, Jeremy,” replied Katie, meekly. She reached into a storage compartment and grabbed more supplies. She had just moved all of this over from the other shuttle.

  It took nearly the entire twenty minutes to get everything moved. As soon as the supplies were moved, Kelsey sat down in the pilot’s seat in the cockpit of the shuttle, hoping she remembered how to fly it. Taking a deep breath, she reached forward and began activating the shuttle’s flight systems. Jeremy was sitting next to her watching in amazement as she entered commands on the touch screens and flipped switches. He was learning very rapidly that there was a lot about Kelsey he didn’t know.

  “So what is this Ceres stuff?” asked Jeremy, knowing there wasn’t a lot he could do to help Kelsey. He also didn’t understand how she knew how to fly a shuttle. He had heard her mention something about learning it the previous summer when she had returned home.

  “We’re originally from the Human Federation of Worlds,” Kelsey replied as she finished activating all the shuttle’s systems. “The Hocklyns destroyed our worlds over one hundred years ago, and the survivors of my people fled to Earth. The Avenger was one of our ships that crashed on your moon. Because of a deadly disease on your world, we were forced to settle inside the asteroid Ceres. This all remained a secret until your father discovered the Avenger on his moon mission.”

  “So my father knows about all of this?” asked Jeremy, feeling perplexed. His father had never mentioned anything about this.

  “Yes, your father has been to Ceres numerous times. Your father and my father are trying to get Earth ready for when the Hocklyns arrive several centuries from now.”

  “Just who is your father?” asked Jeremy, curiously.

  “My father is Admiral Anlon; he is in charge of all the Federation survivors. I just changed my last name so none of the Federation instructors at the academy would know who I was.”

  “There are Federation instructors at the academy?” repeated Jeremy, taking a deep breath. He was still struggling to understand everything he had heard since Katie had freed them. It was starting to sound as if a lot had been going on that had been kept secret from him.

  Their conversation was interrupted as Lieutenant Nelson staggered back into the bay carrying an assault rifle. One look told them that he was seriously injured.

  Jeremy yelled at Kevin, pointing at Lieutenant Nelson, and they hurriedly left the safety of the shuttle to help the lieutenant. He motioned for them to stop as he leaned weakly against the wall.

  “Jeremy, take this assault rifle, I got it off one of Maher’s men down in Engineering. Take these extra clips and these two pistols also.”

  “I don’t understand,” spoke Jeremy, taking the weapons and handing the two pistols to Kevin. “Aren’t you coming with us?”

  Nelson smiled and then grimaced in pain. There was blood flowing from his side. “No, someone has to open the flight bay doors. Tell Kelsey to tell her father I’m sorry. I did my best.” He coughed and nearly fell.

  Jeremy reached forward to help steady him.

  “Get back inside the shuttle and seal it up. The self-destruct will go off in ten minutes. Ensign Treadwell is dead. He was killed when we jumped Maher’s two guards in Engineering. I’m not going; I have to open the flight bay doors.”

  “Isn’t there any other way to open the doors?” asked Kevin, wanting Nelson to go with them. He seemed to know what was going on, and they could really use him. Their chances of surviving on the planet would be greatly increased by his presence.

  “Only from the Command Center, and I don’t think Maher will agree to do that. I can override the system from the control panel outside the hatch. Get in the shuttle; we don’t have a lot of time. They’re bound to be looking for me.”

  Jeremy and Kevin turned to leave and Nelson added, “Jeremy, you’re a lot like your father. You will make a good commander someday.”

  Jeremy turned back to Nelson and nodded, finding it hard to reply. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Now get going,” Nelson ordered as he turned and staggered out the open hatch, shutting it behind him.

  A few moments later, Jeremy and Kevin were back inside the shuttle and had sealed the hatch. Jeremy went into the cockpit and sat down in the copilot’s seat. “Lieutenant Nelson isn’t coming,” he said to Kelsey. “He has to override the flight bay door controls from the corridor.”

  Kelsey only nodded, struggling to keep her emotions under control. She had been counting on Lieutenant Nelson coming with them and helping to fly the shuttle. She had wondered how they would get the doors open, and now she knew. Even as she nodded her head in acceptance, the doors slid open and red warning lights began flashing in the flight bay. Reaching forward, she activated the flight controls and using the shuttle’s engines, flew the small shuttle smoothly out of the open doors.

  -

  In the Command Center, a livid Major Maher had just received the report that all the fires were unreal. Somehow or another the damage control console had been made to show fires that were not there. Then came the stunning news that Lieutenant Nelson had appeared in Engineering and he and one of the assistant engineers had managed to kill both of his guards. The assistant engineer had been killed, but Nelson had managed to escape. Maher wondered if Nelson had been responsible for putting the fake information in the damage control computer. Also, why the hell had he gone to Engineering?

  -

  Barr had made his way to the Command Center to find out what was going on. He had just been told about Lieutenant Nelson killing the two guards in Engineering. As he entered, he heard the sensor operator announce to Major Maher that the flight bay doors were opening, and one of the shuttles was being flown out. Turning around, Barr made a mad dash to Jeremy and Kevin’s quarters, angrily knowing what he was going to find. Reaching them, he found the quarters empty. He knew if he checked the girl’s quarters, he would find the same thing. Somehow or another Lieutenant Nelson must have freed all four of them. What really concerned Barr was what Lieutenant Nelson had been doing in Engineering? Also, where was Rafferty?

  Reaching Lieutenant Nelson’s quarters, he had to go get some tools to pry the door open, only to find Rafferty standing inside with a frustrated look upon his face. “What the hell happened to you?” demanded Barr, angrily.

  “It was Strong and the others; they have some young girl with them I’ve never seen before. They managed to get the jump on me and locked me in here.”

  “Fool!” roared Barr, shaking his head in disbelief. “Follow me. Someone launched one of the shuttles, and the only way to do it outside of the Command Center is through the override panel in the outside corridor of the flight bay. I want to find out who did it.”

  The two hurried through the ship, arriving in the indicated corridor. To their surprise, they found Lieutenant Nelson sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall in a growing pool of blood.

  “Where are they, Nelson?” screamed Barr, seeing that Nelson was still alive. He reached down and grabbed Nelson’s shoulders, jerking him roughly to his feet.

  Nelson moaned loudly at the sudden pain, looking at Barr. Then his eyes focused on his watch. “Did you know this ship came with a self-destruct?” he asked weakly with satisfaction in his voice. He allowed a smile to spread across his face. “You and your hijacking friends are about to die.” The biggest regret that Nelson had were the numerous innocents among the crew that would have to die to keep Earth and Ceres safe.

  “A self-destruct!” Barr spoke, his eyes growing wide in fear. Now he knew what Nelson had been doing down in Engineering. Even as he turned to race to Engineering a brilliant flash lit up his eyes.

  -

  Jeremy covered his eyes as the New Horizon exploded in a raging, all consuming, ball of nuclear fire. He felt sick inside knowing how many innocent people had just died, and there had been nothing he could do to prevent it.

  Kelsey reached forward on the com pan
el and carefully punched in the code that Lieutenant Nelson had given her. Listening on the com, all she could hear was static. She would have to wait a few minutes until the aftermath of the nuclear explosion cleared.

  “She’s gone,” Jeremy said as he looked out the cockpit window at the fading nuclear explosion. Then turning to look at Kelsey, he asked. “Now what?”

  “We send out our signal and then find a safe place to hide on the planet. Hopefully we will be rescued before the Hocklyns can find us.”

  “You think they will come after us?” Jeremy asked. He saw that all the flight instruments, including the shuttle’s short-range scanners were coming back on line.

  “They’re Hocklyns,” said Kelsey, knowing Jeremy didn’t understand. How could he? All his life this horrendous secret had been kept from him. “They will want to find us and this shuttle to learn where Earth is so it can either be destroyed or added to their slave empire.”

  “Slave empire,” repeated Jeremy, incredulously. Leaning back in the copilot’s chair, Jeremy was beginning to have some serious questions about what all his father had kept secret from him. He also wondered how much of this his mother knew.

  “Yes, a slave empire,” Kelsey explained. “They conquer every world they come across, and if they find out about Earth or Ceres, we will be next.”

  “I guess there’s a lot I don’t know,” admitted Jeremy, letting out a deep breath.

  “When we get somewhere safe I will explain it all,” Kelsey promised as she checked the com once more. “Right now, we need to worry about getting this FTL message off, and then finding a safe place on the planet to hide.”

  “So your people have a method of faster than light communication?” asked Jeremy, wondering if Kelsey were completely human. Were there other things she was hiding from him? He had known Kelsey for over four years now, and he was just realizing that he didn’t really know her at all.

  “Yes,” replied Kelsey, glancing over at Jeremy. She knew he had a lot of questions. It had always bothered her that it was necessary to keep so much a secret from him, but that was one of the conditions her father had made if she wanted to attend the academy on the Moon. “There is even an FTL communications system on the Avenger.”