by Don Viecelli
“I’m familiar with that region. It’s delightful. You will enjoy it for sure.”
Janice picked up a tray for her food and ordered lunch. While she waited, Doctor Mun asked, “Where’s Doug now?”
Janice felt the baby move inside her as if to let her know it felt her anxiety. “He’s on the USS Illinois, Earth’s first warship, getting ready to leave for Holtu.”
Doctor Mun was quiet for a moment. “The fleet is going to leave us then?”
“They have to, Doctor Mun. The battle for Holtu will begin soon. They have to defeat the Yoyka to save everyone.”
Janice forced herself to remain calm and not cry; for herself and the baby. The next few days would be hard for everyone on Mars and on Earth. The outcome of the battle for Holtu would determine if the Yoyka come back to destroy them. Suddenly, she no longer felt hungry.
*****
Commander Douglas Martin stood on the Command Bridge next to Captain Jason Weston, recently promoted to Admiral of the new warship, USS Illinois; the first Earth built, Holtu designed, UN Space Strike Force warship under human control. The ship was still in orbit above Mars, but it was getting ready to depart with the rest of the Holtu warship fleet under High Leader Altek’s command.
Promotions come fast in war under battle conditions. Senior leaders were picked for their courage under fire and for their results in battle. Admiral Jason Weston was already a proven leader in the US Navy and served capably under Vice Leader Di in the most recent battle with the Yoyka. Doug felt Admiral Weston was the obvious choice to command the newly commissioned warship, USS Illinois.
Doug was surprised to be selected as Admiral Weston’s second in command and promoted to Commander UNSSF and serve as Executive Officer of the warship. He had expected to stay with Vice Leader Di, but the Admiral received orders from General Bradstone to have Doug promoted. Admiral Weston’s only request was to have Squadron Commander Susan Potter become Commander of the Space Wing to replace Doug. This request was approved. The USS Illinois was fully manned with 75 crewmembers and four hundred pilots (of which 100 were Holtu androids), one hundred Zoltu fighters and five hundred UN Space Marines under the command of Colonel Shirley Tills, also promoted. They were all ready for battle.
Admiral Weston had finally received official orders from UN Space Defense Group (UN Command). He announced to the officers on the Bridge, “We will join the Holtu warship fleet when it departs for Holtu at 1200 hours tomorrow. Prepare final systems and maintenance tests. I want everything at peak efficiency before we leave.”
The order was acknowledged. Admiral Weston turned to Doug and said quietly, “General Bradstone says the UN wanted us to stay back and protect our solar system, but President Anderson interceded and said we must show the Holtu we are committed to the Alliance and will do our part.”
“The Holtu are leaving behind four warships to guard our planets. I agree with the President’s decision, Admiral. If we don’t stop the Yoyka at Holtu, it won’t matter who stays behind.”
“That’s my thinking too. Besides, we have human crew members aboard almost every Holtu warship now and they have been trained to operate and maintain every system. We are as much as part of this war as the Holtu. We have as much to lose as anyone. I want to go with High Leader Altek’s fleet and see what this ship can do.”
Admiral Weston prepared to leave the Bridge. “Make sure the routine system tests are completed and then join me in my quarters at fourteen hundred hours. I have a video call with Altek to go over final operations. I want you, Commander Potter and Colonel Tills to join me as well.”
“Very well, sir. I will join you at fourteen hundred hours and advise Potter and Tills of the meeting. Commander Potter requested my presence. I need to see what she wants on the Flight Deck.”
“Very well. See what see wants. I have a feeling her fighter squadrons are going to get the brunt of it when we reach Holtu. Have the senior duty officer watch the deck while you’re gone.”
Admiral Weston left the Command Center to return to his quarters. Doug informed the senior duty officer to watch the Bridge as he took the lift down to Level 10 where the hangar bay was located. He found Commander Potter in the Flight Deck Control Room.
“Commander Potter, you wanted to see me?”
“Yes, Commander Martin. Thank you for coming. Join me in my office.”
Once they were both inside her office, Potter closed the door for privacy. “I thought I should mention this before we leave for Holtu. A few of my pilots are objecting to having Holtu androids serve with them on their fighters. They want all human crews, sir. Before reprimanding any of them, I thought I would ask your opinion on what to do.”
Doug removed his hat and held it under his arm. “I see. I was hoping this would not become a serious problem with our crews or pilots, but it needs to be dealt with immediately. Remind the officers involved that any type of discrimination will not be tolerated and any officer or crew member who discriminates against any Holtu android will be prosecuted and charged accordingly. The UN Space Strike Force will not tolerate this type of behavior, especially on this warship in time of war. The Holtu are to be treated as equals and with respect as we are treated by the Holtu on their ships.”
“Very well, sir. I will take care of it.”
“Tell me, Commander; have all your pilots received the latest Zoltu fighter Memory Immersion updates?”
“Yes, sir. All our pilots have been updated. Even the Holtu pilots have updated their MI training.”
“Good. One more thing, Commander. Admiral Weston has requested your presence in his quarters at fourteen hundred hours for an operations briefing with High Leader Altek.”
“I will be there, sir. Does this mean we are leaving for Holtu soon?”
“I believe so, Commander. The Yoyka must be near Holtu by now. When we arrive, the battle will have started and we need to be ready for it.”
Doug left the Flight Room and headed for Level 9 where the Space Marines train. He found Colonel Tills talking with Captain Chuck Williams near the Colonel’s office. He was glad they both now served on the warship. Colonel Tills and Captain Williams saluted Doug as he approached. Doug returned the salute and shook their hands.
“What brings you here, Commander Martin?” Tills asked, surprised to see him.
“Admiral Weston wants you to attend a meeting at fourteen hundred hours in his quarters. I was told to let you know.”
“You could have sent a message, sir. No need to do it in person.”
“I was in the area, Colonel. Nice to see you again, Captain. How’s the Marines treating you?”
“I am now in fighting Marine shape, sir. Colonel Tills has made sure of it.” He smiled at Doug. It seemed a long time ago he worked for Doug on Mars as a security and police officer.
“And your kids; how are they doing?”
“Both are fine. I just saw them and the wife a week ago. How about you? Have that baby yet?”
“Jan is seven and a half months pregnant. I’m betting it will be a girl, but we did not want to know before it’s born.”
“That’s unusual, sir. Why not?” Tills asked politely.
“We both just wanted it to be a surprise. That’s all. Tell me, Colonel. Are the troops ready?”
“As much as we can be, sir. They’re ready for ground action, boarding enemy spaceships or preventing enemy boarding parties taking this ship. We have different tactics and weapons for all the above. We’re Marines, sir!”
Doug smiled at the statement. He knew it to be true. He had watched the Space Marines train for over two months now. He had joined them in some of their training missions. Colonel Tills was a fine officer and leader. He had no doubt they would perform well in battle.
He prepared to return to the Bridge. “I’ll see you at Admiral Weston’s quarters, Colonel. Take care, Chuck. Everyone will receive new orders after this meeting.”
Doug walked to the nearest elevator. He could hear the Space Marines shouting
in the background during their training exercises. The last thing he heard before the doors closed was the Marine battle cry—OO-RAH!
Chapter 45
Ready To Depart
One minute before 1400 hours, Doug knocked on Admiral Weston’s stateroom door where the meeting was to be held. He heard the admiral say “Come in” and entered. He was the first to arrive. The admiral was seated at his office desk and got up to greet him.
“Please have a seat, Commander.” Jason pointed to a comfortable blue colored couch that took up a large section of the luxuriously appointed cabin. Admiral staterooms were well furnished and much larger than other officer quarters. They usually served for entertaining visiting quests on board the ship. It also served as the admiral’s office space when not on duty and included sleeping and eating areas.
“Thank you, sir. I spoke to Commander Potter and Colonel Tills. They should be here shortly.”
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, sir. I’m fine.” Doug found a spot on the couch to sit down. He looked at the pictures on the walls. They were all hand painted watercolors of outdoor scenes on Earth.
Jason noticed Doug studying the pictures while he picked up a water bottle and opened it. “My wife drew these pictures. She’s a talented artist.”
“I agree with you, Admiral. They’re very good.”
“I decided to bring pictures of Earth with me instead of ocean or ship scenes. They relax me.”
Another knock on the cabin door drew their attention away from the paintings. “Come in,” Jason said.
Commander Potter and Colonel Tills had arrived. They entered the stateroom and greeted the admiral and Doug.
“Everyone take a seat. Grab a drink on the counter if you wish. I will explain why you’re all here in a moment. I need to set up the video call screen.
On one side of the room was a wall display used for conference calling with other people. Jason turned on the display and adjusted the volume. The screen was blank at the moment.
“We will be speaking with High Leader Altek and Vice Leader Di in a few minutes. Altek will tell us when we leave for Holtu. I wanted to inform you first that General Bradstone has been appointed as Military Chief of the UN Space Defense Group under the direction of the UN Security Council. We are the first warship commissioned in the UN Space Strike Force. Two more warships are ready for testing in space trials. Once they are commissioned, we will have a real space fleet. A new age of space travel has arrived for human beings; one that will allow humans to colonize other star systems if we are successful in defeating the Yoyka military threats. I just wanted you to know we are the first, but more will follow if we are successful.”
The display screen came to life. High Leader Altek’s face appeared. He was sitting at a similar looking table in his stateroom. Three other androids were present; Vice Leader Di with his second in command, First Leader Miata, a female looking android and the third was Altek’s second in command, First Leader Orentu, a new android unfamiliar to the group.
Altek did not have a translator device around his neck. He no longer needed one to speak excellent English. He spoke first. “Admiral Jason Weston, thank you for taking this call. I do not have much time, so I will be brief. The Yoyka will arrive in our star system soon. I must leave to prepare our space fleet forces for attack. We estimated from our surveillance probes travelling in hyperspace behind the Yoyka fleet that they will arrive in three of your days. Their space fleet is composed of four hundred sixty warships. Emperor Rahta’s imperial dreadnaught is among them.
“We are confident the main Yoyka warship fleet will attack our forces protecting Holtu without delay since they outnumber us. The Yoyka know how many warships we have near our home planet. We have moved seventy-five of our warships away from Holtu to give the impression we are trying to protect our outer planets and bases, but the Yoyka will see this as a weakness and try to defeat us in a single assault on our home defenses.
“It is critical that the warship fleet here in Earth space arrive in time to save us from defeat. Once the battle begins, I will send the attack message through quantum QTL links. The Yoyka will not expect the rest of our warship fleet to arrive from Earth so quickly. It will be our only chance to surprise them and attack from behind. I believe our superior FTL hyperdrive technology, new weapon and energy shield capabilities will defeat their attack and drive them out of out star system before too much damage has occurred.
“Since I am leaving after this call, Vice Leader Di will be in charge of the Holtu fleet. He will take command in my absence. You are welcome, Admiral, to join our fleet as I have been informed by General Bradstone that this is your wish. I want to acknowledge the addition of the humans already aboard our warships serving as crew members and pilots for our Zoltu fighters. They will be a great asset in our battles with the Yoyka.
“I am sending you our final attack plans for the fleet. Vice Leader Di will keep you informed of any changes in the plan. That is all I have to say. I hope success favors our cause and we meet again safely in Holtu after the battle.”
Admiral Weston acknowledged the statement. “I wish you victory as well, High Leader Altek. We will do our best to support you and help defeat the Yoyka. Our people will not let you down. There is no other option. We win this battle or we all die trying.”
Altek nodded his head in understanding and ended the call. There was nothing more to say.
Admiral Weston commented after the display turned dark, “I didn’t know Altek was planning to leave first to travel to Holtu. It makes sense though. He can prepare the Holtu space fleet for our arrival and give them hope. If this works as we planned, the Yoyka will be taken completely by surprise since they don’t know how fast we can get there.”
“Will it be enough, sir? The Yoyka still have the advantage by attacking first. The Holtu could be overwhelmed by the time we get there,” Doug said.
“Surprise will be our best weapon. We’ll get there in time to support the Holtu forces and I can tell you now our new weapon will hurt the Yoyka badly. They won’t know what hit them!”
Chapter 46
Holtu
High Leader Altek made the journey on the Iconda warship to Holtu in twenty hours, Earth time, using the new FTL hyperdrive power system. Time was short. According to Altek’s best data collected from the surveillance probes following the Yoyka space fleet, Holtu could be attacked within the next forty-eight Earth hours. It was difficult to predict precisely due to the fluctuations of the space time continuum within hyperspace that distorted all tracking systems except quantum communication QTL links. Altek was confident, though, the Yoyka would exit hyperspace soon somewhere close to Holtu in their star system.
The Iconda was one of the most powerful warships in the Holtu space fleet. With the enhanced ZPE power system, Altek knew Holtu energy shields were stronger than the Yoyka’s shields, which should allow the Holtu warships to withstand bombardment from energy beams and missile attacks to within ten kilometers. The energy shields on the Yoyka warships could fail under one hundred kilometers. This advantage may ultimately decide the outcome of the space battle if the battle went as planned.
“We have exited hyperspace without incident, High Leader,” Altek’s First Leader Orentu announced. His android features closely matched that of Altek’s in size and mannerisms, except he appeared older and had different colored hair and eyes.
Altek noted they were outside the gravity well of the sixth planet from their sun, a large gas giant planet. “Move us to Holtu as quickly as possible, First Leader.”
“Very well, High Leader. Iconda identification codes confirmed. Authorization received to dock at Holtu Spaceport.”
The Iconda quickly proceeded to Holtu where Altek was to attend a meeting with First Chair Brendu, First Chair Cleota, Vice Chair Penda and several top military officers.
After docking at the spaceport that orbited Holtu, Altek took a short shuttle trip down to the capital of Holtu,
also named Iconda. It was good to be home after spending so much time in the Earth solar system. He had lived on Holtu for over two hundred Earth years and had witnessed many changes over that time. He would do everything in his power to prevent the Yoyka from taking his home world away from his people, which included the Qumru who lived on the planet with them.
The shuttle landed near the Holtu military headquarters building just outside the city. Altek was the senior Holtu military officer and had his office inside. His destination, however, was the main conference room located on the top floor of the ten story building. He thanked the pilot who flew the shuttle as he left and walked quickly to the elevator inside the building. Several androids were busy running errands inside the lobby and all stopped to salute their leader as he walked by. Altek was aware of a sense of urgency in everyone around him. They all knew what was about to happen to their world.
Altek focused his attention on the task at hand and waited for the doors to open on the top floor. He walked down the hall and entered the meeting room.
“High Leader Altek! We are glad you finally arrived. We await your report on the situation before us,” First Chair Brendu motioned for Altek to take a seat at the table between him and First Chair Cleota.
Altek removed his hat and acknowledged Brendu, Cleota and Penda with a nod of his head before taking his seat. He recognized the other warship leaders sitting at the table and immediately began speaking. “As all of you know, the Yoyka will soon arrive in our star system. The data from our surveillance probes following the fleet confirms their speed and destination. They will arrive in two days. All warships and defenses will be put on full alert tomorrow.”
Altek turned to his senior commanders at the table. “You have all received the plans for our defense. They must be implemented as outlined.”