Nanomachine War series Box Set

by Don Viecelli

  Doug had one question he felt he should ask High Leader Altek. “What if the Emperor or his military decide to surrender first? Will we still use the new weapon?”

  Altek did not hesitate in his answer. “Our Galactic Military Alliance Leaders have ordered that the planet Yoykan will not be spared from using this new weapon. Its fate has been decided. There will be no possibility of surrender for the Emperor Rahta or the people on Yoykan. They will all die if we are successful in our attacks.”

  The meeting was close to over. Altek laid out the final attack plans before ending the meeting. Everyone was told to prepare to leave for Yoykan space in two hours. The final battles of this war were ready to begin and would end one way or another. It was not entirely clear who the winner would be, but regardless of the outcome, the Yoykan Empire was about to suffer extreme casualties of war, which would never be forgotten by all who participated.

  Chapter 58

  Battle For Yoykan Begins

  Doug looked at his wristcom as he sat in his command seat on the Bridge of the USS Illinois. It was time to leave for the Yoykan solar system. He had spent the last two hours briefing his crew and working with Space Wing Commander (CAG) Susan Wellsey. Vice Leader Di had chosen five warships from Group 2 to provide twenty Zoltu fighters each to participate in the first phase of the attack on Yoykan. Doug’s warship was one of the chosen. A total of one thousand Zoltu fighters from fifty warships would begin the first phase of the attack on Yoykan.

  Qum was one thousand light years from Yoykan. It would take one hour to reach the outskirts of the Yoykan solar system where the Zoltu fighters would be released. All fifty warships would remain cloaked during the entire mission. The Zoltu fighters would also be cloaked as they traveled the remaining distance inside the Yoykan solar system. They would approach the solar system from all sides moving at ninety percent light speed. The solar system was twelve billion kilometers in diameter. It would take up to six hours to reach the center of the system from any direction. The plan was to attack as many Yoykan warships as possible and then escape through hyperspace before any Yoyka defense could be mounted. It was basically a sneak attack on the enemy with the sole purpose of creating fear and chaos.

  “We are ready to enter hyperspace, Admiral,” XO Commander John Drake announced.

  “Proceed, Commander,” Doug said.

  Doug checked with AIC. “Control, make sure we are cloaked when we arrive at our destination.”

  “Cloaking will be activated upon arrival, Admiral.”

  “Very well.”

  Doug decided to check in with Wing Commander Wellsey. “CAG, this is Admiral Martin. Are your pilots ready?”

  Wing Commander Wellsey answered quickly, “We are ready, Admiral.”

  “Who will be leading the Squadron?” Doug asked.

  “Lieutenant Commander Ben Crosset will be the Squadron Leader, Admiral. Lieutenant Megan Riles will be Flight Leader One. Lieutenant Tom Dunton will be Flight Leader Two. They are all experienced pilots, Admiral. I have complete confidence in them.”

  “No doubt, CAG. Make sure they stay cloaked until the mission is over. I want full voice and video comlinks on at all times, Commander.”

  “Noted, Admiral.”

  “Good hunting, CAG.” Doug ended the call.

  “Is everything ready, sir?” Drake asked listening to the call.

  “Yes, we’re ready. If all goes as planned we will be in and out of Yoykan space quickly.”

  “We will surprise them, sir.”

  Doug nodded his head in agreement. All they could hope for was a similar result as what happened at the start of World War II. A sneak attack at Pearl Harbor took out a large part of the US Navy and airplanes, which reduced the fighting capability of the US war effort for months. The goal of this attack was to reduce the Yoykan warship fleet by destroying as many warships as they could before the next phase of the space battle begins.

  The hour passed quickly as everyone on board the USS Illinois prepared for battle. Doug’s mission was to exit hyperspace on the far side of the Yoykan solar system. The other forty-nine warships from all four fleet Groups would arrive at the same time at their destinations before releasing their Zoltu fighters.

  “Exiting hyperspace in one minute, Admiral. Cloaking is turned on,” XO Drake confirmed.

  As soon as they burst through hyperspace, Doug scanned the area. No enemy warships were waiting for them. The closet Yoyka warship was orbiting the twelfth planet several billion kilometers away. Doug called Commander Wellsey. “Release your fighters, CAG!”

  “Fighters leaving now, Admiral.”

  It only took two minutes for all twenty Zoltu fighters to depart the hangar bay. Doug could track them on his viewscreen, but enemy warships would not be able to find them until they were very close; roughly within one thousand kilometers, and then only after they fired their missiles.

  The Zoltu fighters were on their way. Doug knew that other warships were releasing Zoltu fighters at the same time in fifty different locations outside the solar system. It would take a few hours for the first fighters to reach their targets, which would be many. Doug was sure the Yoyka would not be expecting an attack in this manner. They would be expecting the entire Allied warfleet to appear and wage war warship to warship. It was the traditional way to fight space battles. It was not the way to win this war.

  Now all they could do was wait for the first missile strikes to begin.

  Lieutenant Commander Ben Crosset was keeping radio silence. He didn’t think the Yoyka could detect his fighter or squadron with their scanners, but they could detect radio signals if they were monitoring for them. His fighter was still travelling at sublight speed and would reach his target area in six hours. All he could do was sit tight and watch out for any warships or enemy fighters that might be patrolling in this area. He set his detection alarms and tried to relax. This was not the first time he had been in a battle. He fought at Mars, Holtu and Tekoy before this. He was a good pilot and experienced squadron leader. He was proud to be part of Admiral Martin’s team and would do whatever it takes to defeat this merciless enemy.

  Ben was only twenty-eight years old. He joined the Air Force right out of college. He had no idea Earth would be invaded by aliens and he would be part of an air wing fighting in outer space using alien technology. It still amazed him beyond his wildest imagination. He looked out his window at all the stars shining in the darkness. If it wasn’t for the threat of dying in the next few hours, he would have thought how peaceful and beautiful everything looked. What a future, he thought, if they all lived to enjoy it.

  To whittle away the time, he checked and rechecked all his weapon systems. Besides the normal energy laser beam guns, he carried ten Kinetic Energy Missiles, ten nuclear tipped missiles and one cloaked Orca drone equipped with five, fifty megaton missiles to use against enemy warships. It was the goal of every Zoltu fighter on this mission to take down at least one enemy warship. Of course, that would not happen, but even if they only accomplished a ten percent kill ratio; that would mean twenty-five less enemy warships to face in the coming battles.

  Ben looked at his wristcom. He was finally getting close to his destination. He checked his monitors. The display lit up with enemy targets; none within several hundred thousand kilometers. He slowed his speed and picked the nearest enemy warship as his target. He set an intercept course and locked target space coordinates. It was time to teach these alien bastards how surprise sneak attacks really worked.

  The space territory Ben’s squadron entered was near the seventh planet in this solar system. It was alive with twenty enemy warships and several hundred Spitka fighters all patrolling the area in set patterns. Everyone in his squadron of twenty Zoltu fighters would have plenty of targets to attack. It was time to break radio silence. Even so, it would be too late for the Yoyka to stop what was about to happen.

  “Flight Leaders, prepare for attack! Fire NEM missiles at will!”

  “Affirmative,
Commander! Flight Leader One; over!” Lieutenant Megan Riles replied.

  “Copy Squadron Leader! Picking targets now! Flight Leader Two; over!” Lieutenant Tom Dunton confirmed.

  All twenty Zoltu fighters in Ben’s squadron fired half of their NEM missiles at moving warship targets. They were still travelling at sublight speeds so the NEMs didn’t need much time to reach top speed. It only took milliseconds for the first kinetic energy missiles to reach their targets.

  It was like shooting plastic ducks at a carnival. Numerous warships were hit, punching holes right through their metal hulls. Energy shields were not effective against NEM missiles. Enemy warships began to explode in space before the fleet understood what was happening and tried to change courses.

  By now Lieutenant Commander Crosset’s squadron of twenty fighters were on different flight paths seeking out enemy targets and trying to evade antimissile defense systems firing laser energy beams at them faster than the human eye could see. Cloaking systems came down so energy shields could strengthen to maximum protection. It was going to be a dog fight as soon as those enemy Spitka fighters found them.

  “Flight Leaders, launch the Orcas—now!” Ben barked into his comlink. His orders were not to engage the Spitka fighters if they could avoid it. Instead, the primary goal was to destroy as many warships as they good before getting the hell out of enemy space.

  The voice traffic was at a fever pitch now. Ben could hear his pilots egging each other on and warning of enemy fire. He knew everything could be heard back on their mothership. He also knew their commanders were watching everything on video from their fighter cameras.

  Suddenly, screams could be heard over the comchannel. Some of his pilots were in trouble and there was little he could do about it except hope they pulled through.

  “Flight Leader One, I’m hit! Trying to ej.....!” Silence followed.

  A bright flash of light followed on his right. Ben watched as one of his green fighter beacons disappeared on his display screen. Several beacons were already turning yellow, meaning they were damaged to various degrees, but still flying.

  “Flight Leaders, report status of Orcas!” Ben demanded trying to evade laser fire from a nearby warship.

  “Ten Orcas released and on target!” Flight Leader Two reported loudly.

  “Eight Orcas on target!” Flight Leader One reported a few seconds later.

  “All Squadron fighters—fire nukes as soon as the Orcas reach their targets! Then let’s get the hell out of here!”

  Eighteen out of twenty Orcas were on their way. Commander Crosset knew by the number he had lost at least two Zoltu fighters and six pilots. He didn’t see any escape pod or spacesuit beacons, which meant all souls were lost. It was still better than expected at this point.

  “Firing nukes now!” several pilots yelled over the comchannel.

  Ben looked at his display screen. ten bright explosions lit up the heavens all around him. It was so bright, even the view of the planet they were near disappeared from sight for a few seconds. It was clear the Orcas had done their job. They drained the energy shields and allowed the nukes to penetrate and destroy the warships. It was good enough to claim the mission a success. Now all they had to do was get the hell out of here without losing anymore fighters.

  Ben gave his final orders. “Time to leave folks! Don’t engage the Spitkas! Cloak your fighters and fire your engines. I want everyone in hyperspace in two minutes!”

  It was a race against time now. The Spitka fighters all had their locations and were closing in. There was no time to lose. The Zoltu’s had the advantage of surprise and were already traveling at sublight speeds during the attack runs. They flew right past the destroyed warships avoiding the debris fields as best as they could. Any pieces of debris could shatter their fighters at these speeds. Before the enemy could react against this sneak attack, the Zoltu fighters were already heading away from them and quickly disappeared into hyperspace.

  Ben’s fighter was the last to enter hyperspace. The plan was to fly directly back to Qum where they would land on the USS Illinois and reload for the next phase of the battle plan.

  Chapter 59

  Phase Two

  The first phase of the war against the Yoyka Imperial Fleet in the Yoykan solar system was completed and most of the one thousand Zoltu fighters returned to their warships in one piece. The surprise sneak attack had been more successful than anyone had anticipated. Over nine hundred fighters had survived the mission.

  Doug received word from Wing Commander Wellsey that eighteen of their twenty fighters returned safely to the USS Illinois. They lost two fighters with all six pilots and crewmembers. The fighter pilots reported ten warships destroyed and another five severely damaged during the attack. Doug congratulated the fighter pilots on their successful return and actions. He then reported the results of his mission to Vice Leader Di, who in turn reported to High Leader Altek.

  Altek quickly analyzed the results of the mission and set up a vidcall to all the fifty warship captains who participated in the surprise attack. Doug listened to the vidcall on his Bridge along with XO Commander John Drake.

  Altek appeared stoic and calm as he reported the results of the mission. “Congratulations to all involved on this successful mission. We caused severe damage to the Yoyka Imperial Space Fleet. Recorded data from the attack confirms at least fifty enemy warships were destroyed or badly damage during the mission. After conferring with senior advisors and warship leaders, I have decided to continue these types of hit and run Zoltu fighter attacks for the next twenty-four hours while we prepare for the final attack. We will continue to monitor the battle results with our surveillance probes. We must remain on guard for any retaliatory attacks here at Qum.

  “Please be aware that we have lost the ability to decipher Yoyka military communications as they have changed quantum encryption protocols. The Yoyka will be ready for any attack we make from this point on. I will send future orders as needed to each fleet group. That is all for now.”

  Doug turned to Drake to comment. “Our sneak attack worked better than we hoped.”

  “Hurray for our side! We caught them sleeping. It’s going to be harder to surprise them from this point on.”

  “I agree. They’ll be ready for us when we hit them next. I hope our pilots are ready for some real dog fights from now on.”

  “Commander Wellsey says they’re all itching to get into the fight, sir. That’s what they’re trained for.”

  Doug knew Drake was right. When Doug was in the same position as a US Marine pilot, he longed for action instead of the constant waiting for orders in the flight lounge. The waiting is over. Now the real battles begin. It was time to begin Phase Two of the battle plan.

  *****

  Imperial Leader Rahta waited impatiently in his stateroom on board the Yoykan Malee Tre Imperial Dreadnought for High Commander Anahta to arrive with this report. The latest attack by Holtu fighters in his very own solar system was causing havoc among his military commanders. It was an insult to his royal leadership and had to be stopped at all costs.

  Finally, a knock at his door with an announcement by one of his Imperial Guards that Anahta has arrived. He ordered him to enter.

  “Imperial Leader. I came as quickly as I could,” Anahta said bowing to his emperor.

  “What has happened to my fleet?” We were attacked!”

  “The Holtu sent cloaked Zoltu fighters to attack our warships by surprise, Imperial Leader. We suffered heavy losses before we could chase them away!” Anahta quickly reported knowing this news would only make Rahta angrier than he already was.

  “How could these fighters cause so much damage to our warships?”

  “They used their new weapons, Imperial Leader. They did not enter from hyperspace where we could have detected them before they attacked. I have made changes in our defenses to prevent this from happening again.”

  “What was our damage, High Commander?”

  “We lost f
ifty warships; either completely destroyed or badly damaged. The Holtu weapons they used are hard to detect before they explode and drain our energy shields. We are trying to find ways to detect them before they get too close to our warships.”

  Rahta paced the room trying to understand what he was hearing. He turned to ask, “You knew about this new weapon from before, did you not?”

  “We had reports from previous battles, yes Imperial Leader. We have confirmed for certain they are cloaked drones with several nuclear missiles capable of draining our shields. We should be able to detect them now and use our antimissile defense systems to stop them from getting so close to our warships.

  “I hope you are right, High Commander. Otherwise, our fleet is doomed when the Holtu finally attack us with their full warship fleet.”

  Anahta did not answer. He knew the emperor was correct in his statement. It seems the enemy has finally found a way to fight back. There was a very real possibility the Imperial Space Fleet could be defeated by the enemy if these attacks continued.

  “I want every warship to be on guard for more attacks, High Commander. Have our Spitka fighter bases put on alert. We must be ready for the next attack and destroy their fleet.”

  “As you command, Imperial Leader.” Before Anahta could continue with suggestion how to do this, an alert sounded in the stateroom.

  Rahta turned on the speaker and listened.

  “Warning, enemy ships are attacking our fleet. Emergency maneuvers must be made!”

  Anahta looked at his portable display. More details of the attack appeared on his screen. “The Holtu have sent more fighters, Imperial Leader. They are exiting hyperspace from all over the solar system. We are engaging them now!”

  Rahta looked worried. He needed to make contingency plans in case all went bad. It was time to consider his backup plan.