Chapter One

The 1,200-meter battle cruiser StarStrike slid quietly through empty space. The ship was a Conqueror Class Command Cruiser, one of the most powerful warships ever built by the Human Federation of Worlds. There were only four of the powerful ships of war in the Federation’s entire fleet. The StarStrike and its small fleet were on a fact finding mission deep within suspected enemy territory. The 1,500-meter Galaxy Class Battle Carrier Victory was above the StarStrike, along with its four light cruiser escorts. Several small fighter craft flew around the small fleet keeping a constant vigilance for any incoming threats. Two space destroyers were ahead of the fleet scanning for any potential enemy targets. It was essential that the human fleet remain undetected until it had completed its reconnaissance mission.

Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth sat at his command console watching the main viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center. He was of medium build, and his dark hair was just starting to turn gray on the sides. The admiral was forty-two years old, and the worry lines on his face showed that he had been through a lot the past few months. Months he would like to forget. It had been a trying and desperate time for the entire human race.

The viewscreen showed unwinking stars ahead, and the scanners and long-range sensors were free of threats. The Command Center was in the shape of a rectangle, and its twenty-crew personnel were efficiently going about their jobs. At the reinforced security hatch, two heavily armed marines stood guard. No one entered the Command Center without the proper clearance. Two more similarly armed marines stood just outside the hatch in the corridor. Security now was much more obvious than a few short months ago.

“Still nothing,” Colonel Amanda Sheen, the executive officer, spoke. She was standing next to the holographic plotting table, which showed the present fleet disposition and the CAP fighters that were flying their routine patrol routes. She was currently checking the large tactical screens above her as well as the information appearing on the table.

“Confirm mission status,” ordered Admiral Streth, letting out a deep breath and shifting his gaze from the viewscreen to his executive officer.

They had picked this system hoping it would be clear of enemy activity. Their mission was extremely sensitive, and the security of the Human Federation of Worlds depended upon its success. Hedon felt the full weight of that responsibility on his shoulders and knew that this mission just had to succeed. Failure was not an option. The entire Federation was in extreme danger, and this mission might well determine the future of mankind in the galaxy.

“Navigation, I want a position status report,” Colonel Sheen barked, her blue eyes turning toward the two officers sitting at the main navigation console.

“We are currently one hundred and eighteen astronomical units out from the target system’s primary. Fleet is currently moving in system at eighteen percent speed of light on sublight engines,” replied the chief navigation officer.

“What do we have on the long-range sensors?” Sheen asked over her mini-com, glancing over at the large scanning and sensor console, which was manned by two fleet officers. She wore a small communications device in her right ear, which allowed her to contact any station on the ship in an instant.

“System has two planets,” Lieutenant Stalls reported smoothly as he checked the latest information coming in on his computer screens. “Both are gas giants in distant orbits. No asteroid fields or moons detected. System is absent of any artificial emissions.”

“System is as we had hoped,” reported Colonel Sheen turning to face the admiral. “There are no signs of any enemy vessels, and the system has no significant resources to attract any type of mining or scientific activity.”

Admiral Streth nodded his head in acknowledgement. He knew that Amanda was a highly qualified officer graduating in the top ten percent of her class at the fleet academy. She was a brunette with a trim figure and thirty-two years of age. She was also a firm disciplinarian. The crew respected her, and she was everything he could ask for in an executive officer.

“Get me the Victory, I think it’s time we get some information about this area of space,” ordered Admiral Streth, reaching a decision. They had been moving steadily deeper into suspected Hocklyn space for the last eight weeks. “It’s time we launch the stealth scouts and find out what’s out there.”

Colonel Sheen nodded. This was their mission and she was ready to get it started. Glancing back at the sensor and scanner screens, she noted that they were clearly empty of any hostile threats. That needed to continue for several more days if they hoped for any chance of success. Looking around the Command Center, she could sense the heightened vibrancy in the crew at the admiral’s announcement to begin the actual mission.

-

On board the Victory, Commander Adler listened as the admiral ordered the launch of the stealth scouts. The Victory had six of the highly advanced scout ships on board, which were nearly undetectable to normal methods of scanning. It was hoped that the Hocklyns would have no way to detect the small surveillance vessels. Their entire mission and the safety of their fleet depended on it.

Adler ended the communication with the admiral and turned to his executive officer Major Timmins. “I want all six scout ships ready to launch ASAP. Mission is a go.”

“Finally,” responded Major Timmins letting out a deep breath and then announcing over his mini-com, “All stations stand by for scout ship launch. Mission is a go. Flight bay, begin launch preparations.”

Instantly the tension and excitement in the Command Center notched up. This was what everyone had been waiting for. It was time to find out just how large the Hocklyn Empire was and how big a threat they were to the Federation.

Commander Adler turned toward the lieutenant in charge of Navigation. “I want a list of the twenty nearest stars that are capable of supporting life-bearing planets.”

“Yes, sir,” the young blonde replied as she began entering commands into her computer.

Lieutenant Ashton was rated as one of the top navigators in the entire fleet. She also held an advanced degree in Stellar Cartography. She had written an impressive thesis on deep space navigation her senior year at the fleet academy on Tellus.

-

Down below in the main flight bay, the six scout ships were brought up on elevators from their secure hangers beneath. The ships were covered in a layer of dark composite material that the scientists swore would be impervious to Hocklyn scans. Power sources were muffled, and the ships were built to present a minimal profile to enemy ships.

Each scout could carry a six-man crew and were capable of operating independently of the fleet for eight to ten days. They had FTL drives as well as powerful sublight engines. The ships were wedge shaped with gentle curves. Each was twenty-two meters long and twelve meters wide. Weapons consisted of six Hunter anti-fighter missiles hidden inside the wings and two medium lasers in the nose. The nose lasers were a recent development and had been added at the last minute to the scouts. The pilots were still arguing whether the lasers were an improvement over the 30 mm cannons they had replaced.

Technicians quickly checked over all six ships, making sure they were ready for their missions. The ships had been kept on standby for nearly two weeks. A quick check and all the scouts were deemed ready for immediate launch. The deck chief notified flight control that all six scouts were mission ready.

Flight control was at the far end of the massive flight bay. Large reinforced glass windows looked out over the bay allowing the controllers inside to see the activity in the bay. Inside flight control was a hum of busy activity as men and women watched their consoles and kept track of all the activity going on inside the bay as well as outside. The CAG was standing next to the flight operations officer at the main control console. Across the back wall, numerous viewscreens depicted activity inside the bay. Several large scanner screens showed the flight space around the fleet and the current locations of the CAP fighters that were out on patrol.

Activating his mini-com, the CAG gave the order for the flight crews to board their scouts. The technicians were finished, now it would be up to the highly trained crews to begin their mission and bring home the information the Federation so desperately needed.

The waiting crews quickly made their way into their respective vessels. They had been in the pilot’s ready room, hoping this star system would be secure enough so they could start their covert mission. Nerves had been getting on edge and tempers had been flaring as they moved farther away from the Federation and deeper into what was suspected to be Hocklyn controlled space. They all felt relieved and energized that it was finally time to launch the mission.

Captain Karl Arcles settled down into his pilot’s seat in one of the scouts and looked over at his copilot, Lieutenant Lacy Sanders. The young twenty-six-year-old blonde looked slightly pale. It was one thing to train for this type of mission; it was another to actually do it.

“Nothing to be nervous about Lieutenant,” Arcles said with a reassuring smile. “Just treat this as a routine flight. We’ve done this often enough in practice.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Lieutenant Sanders taking a deep breath. Lacy could feel her heart racing. She looked over at Captain Arcles and said nervously. “Only this time it’s for real, and what we find may determine the future of the entire human race. I know they said the Hocklyns shouldn’t be able to detect our scout ships. We all know that the Hocklyn’s technology level is higher than ours. What if the experts are wrong?”

Arcles leaned back in his seat and didn’t reply. The lieutenant was correct. The future of humanity's home system and its four outlying colony worlds rested on what this mission discovered about the Hocklyns. The Hocklyns had attacked the Human Federation of Worlds without provocation. Millions of innocent people had died in the brutal attack.

The mission of this fleet was to find out just how large an empire the Hocklyns controlled, and what could be done to prevent future attacks. Was it just a few worlds as the Federation government hoped, or was it a large galaxy-spanning empire? The Hocklyns held a decisive edge in technology. That had already been determined from the technologies on their ships. Did they also hold a decisive edge in population as well as natural resources? Karl just hoped the experts were right and the scout ships were undetectable.

“Launch at your discretion, Captain Arcles.” The CAG’s voice came over the com system. “Good luck and good hunting.”

“Let’s get the systems powered up,” ordered Arcles glancing over at Lieutenant Sanders. “It’s time to get this show on the road.”

It only took the two a few minutes to finish powering up the small ship and complete their final preflight checks. The techs had already checked everything earlier, so it was mainly a matter of flipping a few switches and powering up the sublight drive.

“Everything shows green,” Lieutenant Sanders reported as she tightened her safety harness. She closed her eyes briefly and said a short prayer. This mission frightened her. They were so far away from home, and if anything happened, they would be on their own. No one would be coming to save them.

Captain Arcles reached forward, taking the scout ship’s controls. A moment later, the little ship darted out from the flight bay and moved away from the majestic battle carrier. “Insert first FTL coordinates,” he ordered, looking over at Sanders. He had flown with the lieutenant often enough that he knew that once the mission began she would calm down. She was a very capable officer; she just needed to learn to control her anxiety.

The lieutenant tapped a few commands into her navigation computer and then nodded as she double-checked the results. “Coordinates locked in.”

Arcles nodded and turned the controls over to the ship’s flight computer. He watched as the FTL timer began counting down and soon neared zero. The other scout ships didn’t show on the small ship’s scanners and sensors, but he knew they were out there.

“Standby for FTL insertion,” Arcles spoke over the com to the other crewmembers. There were two mission specialists in the cockpit behind him who were responsible for the scout’s sensors and stealth systems. Two more technicians were back in the small crew compartment.

Moments later, a spatial vortex of blue-white light appeared directly in front of the curved nose of the scout ship. The scout ship darted into the vortex, which instantly vanished, leaving no sign of the scout. Within a few minutes, the other five scouts had vanished in the same way. Each scout had a different set of destinations to search.

-

Admiral Streth watched as the six scout ships vanished into the blue-white vortexes of light. He let out a deep breath and wondered about what they would find. They were nearly six hundred light years from home, and in what was believed to be enemy territory. The entire outcome of the war might very well rest on what the scouts discovered.

“It’s begun,” Colonel Sheen commented quietly, seeing that the six blips representing the scouts had vanished from her plotting table. They had been tracked by high-resolution cameras as they left the Victory.

In a way, she felt relieved that the mission had finally been launched. Not knowing what the Federation actually faced had been gnawing fearfully in the pit of her stomach for quite some time. Amanda just wanted her parents to be safe back home on Aquaria. Recent events had made her extremely concerned for her parents' safety.

Colonel Sheen pursed her lips, feeling apprehensive at what the scouts might discover. When she had entered the fleet academy, she had never dreamed she would become part of an interstellar war. That was something that only happened on the holo vids or in books. Her parents lived on the colony of Beltran Three, called Aquaria by its inhabitants. The planet was nearly eighty percent water and possessed the most beautiful ocean beaches of any of the four major colonies. Amanda knew that the orbital defenses above her home planet were being heavily strengthened to protect the colony from another Hocklyn attack. She just prayed that it would be enough and that her parents would remain safe.

“Mission counter has started,” she reported as a timer began moving on the plotting table. “First system emergence should occur in twenty-two minutes.”

Admiral Streth nodded. “I want the fleet kept at Condition Two. We don’t know how well the stealth protection on those scouts will hold up. If the Hocklyns detect them, we could have their warships here soon after.”

“Yes, sir,” responded Colonel Sheen, hoping that was not the case. She walked several paces over to a set of consoles manned by two lieutenants and two ensigns. “Keep all weapon systems on standby. If any unknowns are detected, I want firing solutions yesterday!”

Lieutenant Jacobs instantly responded. “All targets will be locked upon FTL emergence until deemed friendly or unfriendly.”

Colonel Sheen nodded and passed the same order over her mini-com to the rest of the fleet after setting her com to fleet-wide so she could communicate the admiral’s orders to the other ship commanders. She then continued to walk from console to console in the Command Center, talking to the men and women who manned them. At the helm control console, she ordered Lieutenant Jenikens to be prepared for emergency maneuvers upon her command if they went to Condition One.

Satisfied that everything was as ready as it could be, she returned to her station at the plotting table. She could have done the same thing over her mini-com, which connected her to all the stations, but she preferred to talk to the individual crewmembers whenever possible. She felt it made a better impression upon them.

Admiral Streth had watched Colonel Sheen move through the Command Center talking to the crew. He leaned back in his seat, thinking about what had brought them to this point. It had all started eight months back when a strange vessel had entered the Stalor System, which contained a small mining operation. The miners had instantly screamed for help when their scanners had detected an alien ship going into orbit above the volcanic moon they were mining. It was the first alien ship ever encountered by the Federation.

-

Eight Months Previously

Marcus Drenn was manning the communications and sensor console in the operations center for the small mining operation. It was a boring job as nothing ever came in on the com channels and ships were few and far between. It was another two weeks until the next ore freighter was due for its regular pickup. A Federation light cruiser came into the system once a week to check on the mining operation but other than that, it was a lonely and distant outpost.

The mining operation was on an airless moon of Stalor Four. A rich deposit of heavy metals had been discovered close to the surface of the small volcanic moon, and the Grayson Space Metals Company had purchased the mining rights from the Federation. A small automated mining operation had been set up, and twenty men had volunteered to work the mine. Each of them would receive a hefty bonus when the operation was finished. The bonuses were what made this type of operation extremely popular with miners. The hours were long and hard, but the money made it worth it. Then it would be three months off before they returned to start a new mining operation on another airless moon somewhere else.

Marcus was taking it easy and listening to some music when his eyes strayed over to the sensor screen. A bright blip had appeared at the extreme edge. “What the crap?” he muttered, sitting up and turning off his music. He knew there were no scheduled ships that should be in the system. Marcus wondered if it was the Federation cruiser making a surprise visit or a freighter off course. Their operation was perfectly legal with all the proper paperwork filed. There was no reason for a surprise inspection. They were also so far out from the normal freight routes that it shouldn’t be a freighter.

As he watched the screen, he saw the blip rapidly closing with the mining operation. “That can’t be right,” he mumbled to himself as he reached forward and adjusted the screen. Damn that ship was moving fast! Impossibly fast! Glancing at the computer, he saw that the contact was closing with the outpost at twice the speed of a Federation cruiser. He pressed a few buttons on the scanning computer to confirm the speed of the approaching ship. This had to be a computer malfunction. His face turned pale, and a cold chill ran down his back as he read the results. No ship could move that fast!

Starting to get extremely nervous, Marcus flipped on the outpost’s com system and requested that Martin Stent report to the operations center immediately. Martin was the operations chief for the mining operation. Looking back at the screen, Marcus saw that the computer in charge of the station’s long-range sensors and close-range scanners was still trying to identity the incoming ship. Martin hoped that Stent would get here quickly, he suddenly didn’t like being in the small operations center by himself.

By the time Martin reached the operations center, the unidentified ship was already sliding into orbit above the moon. It had closed and gone into orbit at an astonishing speed.

“What’s going on?” Martin demanded in a gruff voice. He had been sound asleep when Marcus had summoned him. Most of his time was spent down in the mine, and he had been exhausted at the end of his last shift. Even though most of the operation was automated, it still took a lot of hands on work by the miners. “This had better be important!”

Marcus just pointed to the sensor screen, his face slightly pale. “The computer says that the ship that’s currently going into orbit is not of Federation origin.”

“What the hell do you mean, not of Federation origin?” Martin demanded his eyes drilling into Marcus. Then his gaze switched over to the sensor screen and the attached computer.

“It means that ship above us was not built by the Federation,” Marcus explained with fright in his eyes. “It’s an alien ship!”

Martin sat down stunned. “Alien?” he spoke slowly trying to grasp what Marcus had just said. “That’s impossible. The Federation has never encountered any traces of aliens so far in its explorations. The computer must be wrong.”

“Well we have now,” responded Marcus, trying to stay calm. “That’s an alien ship in orbit above us.”

The two men looked at the sensor and scanner screens. Why did this have to happen here and now? Another two months and this mining operation would have been finished.

“Send an FTL transmission to the cruiser Avenger,” Martin ordered as he watched the blip on the screen nervously. It was just setting there, doing nothing.

Contact with aliens was totally out of his league. The Avenger should be close by, and they could handle this situation. He just hoped the aliens stayed in their ship until the military got here. He realized just how defenseless the mining operation was. There were no weapons allowed for safety reasons.

-

Commander Adam Standel was in the Command Center of the light cruiser Avenger when the communications officer motioned for his attention. The officer, Lieutenant Teena Arcles, had been busily talking to Lieutenant Jacen Barnes, the sensor operator, about a high priority message she had just received. She had wanted to verify a few things before she brought it to the commander’s attention. Teena was having a hard time believing what was in the message. In the back of her mind, she kept saying to herself that this couldn’t really be happening.

The Avenger was 600 meters in length and equipped with the latest weapons and sensor equipment from its recent upgrade at the massive shipyard in orbit above New Providence. It was currently on a routine patrol searching outlying star systems for unauthorized mining activity, as well as checking on the few legal mine sites within their patrol sector.

“What is it, Lieutenant?” asked Commander Standel strolling over to the communications console. These patrols were normally uneventful.

“It’s the mining colony in the Stalor System. They report that an alien spacecraft has gone into orbit, and they are requesting our immediate assistance.”

It had been a routine patrol so far checking the mining operations and the few scientific expeditions currently in their patrol sector. Teena felt an icy chill run up her back. She knew their patrol was about to turn into something much more than just routine. Teena had always wondered what it would be like to meet aliens. It sounded as if she was about to find out.

“An alien spacecraft!” Commander Standel exclaimed, his face turning pale. In all of the Federation’s explorations, they had never found any traces of alien life. “Are they sure?”

“Yes, sir, and we have confirmed it. They sent us their sensor readings, and it is definitely not a Federation ship,” Lieutenant Barnes responded. Teena had given him the sensor scans that had been attached to the message. He had quickly confirmed the data before Teena had told the commander. “I’ve run the sensor scans through our data base, and it doesn’t match any known Federation ship.”

“An alien spacecraft,” Major Winfred repeated stunned, looking at Commander Standel in confusion. Major Winfred was standing near the plotting table in front of the command console. He could scarcely believe what he had just heard. Winfred had been in the fleet for twenty years and had never expected to hear those words. “What are we going to do? Stalor Four is in our sector, and we’re responsible for their security.”

Commander Standel spun about, reaching a quick decision and looking over at his executive officer spoke decisively. “Plot a jump to the Stalor System and go to Condition One as soon as we exit the vortex. Have our two fighters ready to launch.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Major Winfred nodding toward the navigation officer. “Lieutenant, plot a jump back to the Stalor System. Helm, stand by for high speed maneuvering after we come out of hyperspace.”

Commander Standel looked toward the front of the Command Center at the large viewscreen. Ariel, the ship’s AI, was watching him. Her dark eyes looked inquisitive, and then she spoke.

“Commander, I have analyzed the sensor readings from Stalor Four and Lieutenant Barnes is correct; the ship in orbit does appear to be alien in nature. It does not match any current or past Federation military or civilian designs.”

“When we jump into the system, I want a full sensor scan of that ship, Ariel. I want to know exactly what we’re up against. Hopefully they’re just a peaceful exploration mission.”

“Yes, sir,” Ariel replied. The AI looked relaxed in her dark blue fleet uniform with her black hair lying upon her shoulders.

A few minutes later, a spatial vortex of blue-white light formed in front of the powerful Federation cruiser and the ship plunged through it. The Avenger was only two light years from the Stalor System. The jump lasted a short twenty minutes before a second blue-white vortex formed in the Stalor System and the Avenger was expelled.

“Status report!” Commander Standel demanded his eyes moving to the large sensor screen above the plotting table.

“All systems on line. FTL drive core is cooling down. We are at Condition One with all weapon hatches open. Missiles are spun up and available,” Major Winfred reported calmly. Then, listening to a report on his mini-com, which he wore on his right ear, he continued. “Marines have been deployed into all critical ship areas.”

“Alien ship detected,” reported Lieutenant Barnes from his computer in front of the ship’s sensors. “The ship is still being classified as unidentified and of possible non-Federation construction.”

“That’s confirmed,” added Ariel as she studied and analyzed the sensor data that was coming in. “We are too far out to pick up any fine details, but the ship is definitely alien.”

“Send an FTL message up the chain of command,” Commander Standel ordered. “The top brass needs to know what we’ve encountered. Let them know that we’re closing on the alien’s position and will attempt to make contact.” He knew that even an FTL message would take a full day to reach the home system of the Federation. The Stalor System was far out on the very edge of Federation explored space.

His best hope was that a battle cruiser or a fleet battle carrier was nearby and would pick up the message. The bigger ships had people trained for possible first contact scenarios. With resignation, he knew that until someone higher up made an appearance he would be responsible for this first contact situation.

Gazing at the sensor screen, which showed the alien ship in orbit above the mining colony, Commander Standel looked over at Major Winfred. “Take us in, Bob; let’s see what we’ve got.”

-

For the next two hours, the Avenger slowly closed with the alien ship. Once they got close enough, an image of the strange ship appeared on the main viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center. Ariel reappeared on a smaller screen next to it.

“The alien ship is 800 meters in length and wedge shaped,” Ariel reported in a calm voice. “It is nearly 400 meters in width at its widest point. It is also very heavily armed. Numerous gun ports are visible as well as what appear to be missile tubes. Sensors are unable to penetrate their hull. It appears to be made of a composite material that’s not in my data base.”

“That sounds more like a warship than an exploration vessel,” Major Winfred commented uneasily. Looking worriedly over at Commander Standel, he continued. “Depending on their technology level, we may be outgunned. Should we launch our fighters?”

“I know,” replied Commander Standel drawing in a sharp breath. He didn’t like the looks of this at all. “Continue to close until we reach extreme weapons range, then bring us to a stop broadside to the alien. Keep the weapons hot and aimed at our new friend. Hold the fighters in the bay for now.”

“From the speed the alien ship was traveling as it approached Stalor Four, I would place their technology level slightly above ours,” Ariel commented. “I would not recommend any type of military engagement.”

Commander Standel and Major Winfred looked at each other worriedly. It was bad enough to encounter an alien warship that was larger than the Avenger, but to learn that it might be more advanced was even more troubling. Standel wondered just what they were getting themselves into.

-

The Avenger moved into orbit above the mining colony and one hundred kilometers from the alien. For several minutes, neither side moved. Both sides were obviously studying the other.

“We’re receiving a message from the unidentified ship,” Lieutenant Arcles suddenly reported from Communications. “It’s in standard, sir.” Teena tried to sound calm. She couldn’t believe that she had just received a message from an actual alien.

“They already know our language,” Major Winfred spoke uneasily with a frown appearing on his face. “That means they have been observing the mining colony for quite some time.”

“What do they want?” asked Commander Standel looking over at Communications. This was a situation he had never been trained for. He would have to be extremely careful in how he proceeded. He didn’t want to screw this up.

“They say they’re from the Hocklyn Trade Alliance and wish to implement talks on setting up diplomatic, as well as trade relations.”

“A strange way to implement talks by sending a warship,” commented Major Winfred, looking at the alien ship on the viewscreen. “Commander, this whole thing doesn’t feel right.”

“I agree,” replied Commander Standel gazing at the main viewscreen. “But it’s not our decision to make.” Turning back to Lieutenant Arcles, he ordered a message sent to Fleet Command. “Inform Fleet Command of the Hocklyn Trade Alliance’s request. Also inform the Hocklyns that we have sent a message requesting a diplomatic negotiating team to be sent to this system.”

“Messages sent,” Lieutenant Arcles reported after a moment. “The Hocklyns say that’s fine, and they’re willing to wait for the diplomats.”

“Very well,” replied Commander Standel feeling relieved. “Major Winfred, put the ship at Condition Two and spin down the missiles. It looks as if we’re going to be here for awhile.”

-

Admiral Streth looked at his new orders with distaste. He was to rendezvous with the destroyer Astral and pick up a diplomatic mission. A Federation Senator and part of his staff had been on an inspection tour of Aldon Two’s largest mining operation. The mining operation had come under investigation when it was discovered that a number of ore freighters had been found to be under reporting the ore they were carrying.

“What do you know about this senator?” asked Colonel Sheen, coming over to stand next to Admiral Streth. “I’m not familiar with him.”

Admiral Streth folded his arms across his chest, then frowned and looked over at his executive officer. “Senator Jacksom is from New Eden. He is highly anti-military and has been quite vocal in the Federation Senate about curtailing further exploration.”

“Sounds like someone I don’t want to meet,” commented Colonel Sheen cocking her eyebrow. “How many in the senator’s party?”

“Four, plus the senator,” answered Admiral Streth. “Make sure they have appropriate quarters.”

“Yes, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied. “I will make sure our guests are comfortable, even though I suspect the senator will not be happy with his accommodations.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Admiral Streth sighed resignedly. “But this situation calls for diplomacy and the Federation wants a senator to handle it.”

“Aliens,” spoke Colonel Sheen shaking her head in disbelief. “In all these years of exploration we never found a trace.”

“It had to happen eventually,” replied Admiral Streth knowing how she felt. “The farther into space the Federation expanded made contact inevitable at some point.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Colonel Sheen said. “I just wish it didn’t involve us.” Turning, she made her way out of the Command Center and headed toward the StarStrike’s guest quarters. Dealing with politicians was one of her least favorite duties.

-

A few hours later, the StarStrike and her task force made contact with the 400-meter destroyer Astral. A shuttle brought the senator and his party over, and Admiral Streth was waiting for them in the flight bay. Hedon wasn’t happy about the senator being on his ship. While he understood the importance of a civilian government official being in charge of a first contact scenario, he just didn’t know if Senator Jacksom was the right man.

The senator was the first one to exit the shuttle, and just from the aggravated look on the man’s face Hedon suspected his worst fears were justified. He hoped the Federation wasn’t making a huge mistake sending this man to negotiate with the aliens.

Looking around the flight bay, the senator spotted the admiral and made a beeline straight for him as the rest of his party exited the shuttle. The senator wasn’t happy about his investigation being interrupted and then being sent off on this wild goose chase. The military was certainly going to hear about this! Aliens! Of all things! Couldn’t they have come up with something more original? He wondered if this was just a ruse to stop his investigation of Aldon Two’s mining operations. Could the military be involved somehow?

“Admiral,” Senator Jacksom said with a distasteful frown on his face. “I hope this supposed report from the cruiser Avenger is correct. I would hate to find out that my busy schedule has been interrupted because a Federation warship couldn’t properly identify an ore freighter.”

“I can assure you the report is accurate, Senator,” Admiral Streth replied evenly. “My own command staff has analyzed the data sent from the Avenger, and we have confirmed that the ship is indeed alien. They call themselves the Hocklyns and supposedly represent some type of trade alliance. They wish to establish diplomatic relations as well as set up some trade agreements.”

“Humph, let me be the judge of all that,” responded Senator Jacksom with obvious doubt still lingering in his voice. “How soon can we get to the Stalor System? I want to get this over with as soon as possible. I’m still not convinced that we’re dealing with aliens.”

“It will take us approximately thirty-six hours to reach the Stalor System,” Admiral Streth stated evenly, not letting any emotion show in his voice. It was obvious that Senator Jacksom’s dislike of the military was already clouding his judgment.

“Very well,” replied Senator Jacksom letting out a deep sigh of resignation. “Show us to our quarters and then notify me when we reach our destination.”

Admiral Streth turned to Colonel Sheen, who was standing next to him and had been listening to the entire exchange in disbelief. How could someone so obviously incompetent be a Federation Senator?

“Colonel, will you show the senator and his party to their quarters.”

“Yes, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied in her best professional-sounding voice. Then turning toward the senator, “Senator, if you and your party will follow me, I will show you to your quarters, as well as where the officer’s mess is located.”

“We will take our meals in our own quarters if you don’t mind,” Senator Jacksom spoke sharply. He wanted as little contact with the military as possible.

“That can be arranged,” Colonel Sheen replied calmly, not surprised by the request. She suspected that the senator wasn’t one that enjoyed being around the military, even for a meal.

Admiral Streth watched as Colonel Sheen led the senator and his party off. Shaking his head in exasperation, he turned to make his way back to the Command Center. He just hoped the senator didn’t screw up this first contact situation.

-

Returning to the Command Center, Admiral Streth gave the order for the StarStrike and her four escorts to prepare for an immediate FTL jump. The escorts consisted of four light cruisers of the same class as the Avenger. Currently the fleet was operating in two separate battle groups. The battle carrier Victory was on an inspection tour of several permanent outlying mining settlements, along with two more light cruisers and four escort destroyers. For a few moments, Hedon contemplated calling in the other battle group, but if the reports from the Avenger were accurate, the StarStrike should be able to handle the alien if this first contact situation became volatile. It might also be wise not to show all of his trump cards at once.

Admiral Streth was interrupted from his thoughts when Colonel Sheen walked back into the Command Center. He could tell from the strained look upon her face that she wasn’t pleased.

“Did you get our guests settled in?”

Colonel Sheen looked at the admiral trying to keep the disgusted look off her face. “Senator Jacksom doesn’t care for the military. He doesn’t like his quarters, and he has already requested special food that we don’t normally carry.”

“I thought that might be a problem,” responded Admiral Streth smiling. “That’s why I had the senator’s food stores transferred over from the destroyer Astral. The commander of the Astral had made sure he had the senator’s favorite foods on board so as to make the senator’s time on the destroyer less disruptive."

“Fleet is ready to jump, sir,” the navigation officer reported over the mini-com.

“Very well,” Admiral Streth replied. “Colonel Sheen, implement the first jump. Let’s go find out what these aliens want.”

-

Nearly thirty-six hours later, the StarStrike exited the swirling blue-white space vortex and moments later, its four escorts appeared out of similar vortexes around it. Due to the science behind FTL technology, a space vortex couldn’t form next to another object of mass. This prevented ships from materializing inside one another or too close to a star or planet.

“Escorts moving into screening positions,” Colonel Sheen reported as she looked at the large sensor screen above the plotting table. “Awaiting further orders.”

“Have Senator Jacksom come to briefing room two,” Admiral Streth ordered. “It’s time I told the venerated senator what I have in mind.”

“We’re not taking the StarStrike into the Stalor System, are we?” Colonel Sheen spoke with dawning realization on her face. “That’s why we exited FTL in this system.”

Admiral Streth nodded his head. He was pleased that his second in command had figured that out. That’s what made her such a good executive officer. “That’s correct. I’m taking the light cruiser Vindication into the Stalor System. I don’t want these aliens to see the StarStrike and the rest of the battle group. It prevents them from knowing we have warships like the StarStrike. That way if this turns into a shooting match, I can call the rest of the battle group in. If the aliens have ulterior motives, by meeting them in another cruiser it might force them to show their hand. If they hadn’t shown up in a warship, I would feel differently.”

“That could be dangerous,” warned Colonel Sheen not caring for this idea. The admiral would be much safer on the StarStrike. She didn’t like the idea of the admiral putting himself in unnecessary danger. It was part of her responsibility to keep her commanding officer safe.

“It’s a command decision, Colonel,” Admiral Streth replied evenly, understanding Colonel Sheen’s concerns. “This is a first contact situation, and we can’t risk screwing this up.”

The fleet was Hedon’s life. He was dedicated to his career, and he had been trained to handle first contact situations. He would do everything in his power to make sure this first contact with aliens went smoothly.

Colonel Sheen stepped closer to the admiral and spoke in a lower voice. “You don’t trust Senator Jacksom to handle this properly, do you?”

Admiral Streth hesitated briefly and then spoke. “No, I don’t. That’s why I have to go. This is too important to the Federation.”

-

A few minutes later, Admiral Streth was in the indicated briefing room waiting for the senator. There was a large conference table in the room and Hedon was seated at the head of it. He could hear angry voices outside the door and watched as it opened and the senator and his party entered, followed by an aggravated looking Colonel Sheen. He let out a deep sigh. It was becoming obvious that working with Senator Jacksom was going to be a challenge for everybody.

Seeing the admiral, Senator Jacksom spoke in a loud and demanding voice, “Just what is the meaning of this Admiral? Why did we jump into this worthless system instead of the Stalor System? Can’t the military do anything right?”

“Have a seat, Senator,” Admiral Streth replied calmly, indicating a nearby chair. “I have no intention of taking the StarStrike into a situation as unknown as what this alien ship represents. We will be transferring over to the light cruiser Vindication and then jumping into the Stalor System, where we will rendezvous with the cruiser Avenger. Once there, you and your team can begin negotiations with these aliens.”

“I strongly protest, Admiral,” Senator Jacksom spoke angrily his eyes narrowing. He strolled over to stand next to the admiral looking down at him. “We will be much more comfortable on the StarStrike rather than on a small cramped cruiser. These negotiations may be very delicate, assuming there are actually aliens in the Stalor System. I will have to see them first before I believe aliens actually exist. I demand that you take the StarStrike into the Stalor System!”

Admiral Streth slowly stood up and looked Senator Jacksom directly in the eyes. “Senator, I have no intention of taking one of the Federation’s most powerful warships into the Stalor System. The less these Hocklyns know about the actual military strength of the Federation, the better. At the moment, all they are aware of is the light cruiser Avenger. The appearance of the Vindication will strengthen the appearance that our fleet is built around these light cruisers.”

“I don’t understand,” muttered Senator Jacksom, stepping back away from the admiral and looking confused. “What difference does it make if they know about our military strength? It would allow us to negotiate from a position of strength. We might be able to get more concessions from them if we actually do negotiate a trade agreement. Knowing that we have a very powerful military could be an intimidating bargaining tool.”

“Let me make myself perfectly clear, Senator,” Hedon continued in a commanding voice, his eyes drilling into the senator’s eyes. “Under no circumstances during these negotiations are you to mention anything about the military strength of the Federation. If these Hocklyns ask, all I want you to say is that we have sufficient forces to protect our worlds, nothing else. Do you understand that? If you do otherwise, I will have you thrown into the Vindication’s brig.”

“You have no authority to tell me what I can and cannot say!” Senator Jacksom stammered, his eyes showing anger. “I’m a Federation Senator; you can’t threaten me!”

“Senator Jacksom, you are incorrect in that assumption when it comes to military matters. I am the senior officer in this sector. Don’t force me to demonstrate what that means. You wouldn’t like it.”

Senator Jacksom was silent for a moment. He had never cared for the military. Their arrogance was a good reason for that. This might be an argument not to press. It didn’t sound like this admiral could be intimidated. “Very well, Admiral. I believe we can keep the military out of these negotiations. These negotiations are supposed to be about opening trade routes anyway.”

“You have two hours to get everything you might need ready to transfer over to the Vindication.”

The senator turned and strolled back out of the door to the conference room, muttering under his breath the entire time. When he got back to the Federation, he would file an official complaint against Admiral Streth. He would show this arrogant admiral who could threaten whom.

-

Admiral Streth was in his quarters packing some clothes. There was no way he was going to allow Senator Jacksom to conduct these negotiations without being close by. He sat down behind his desk and rubbed his forehead. This situation with the Hocklyn Trade Alliance made him feel extremely uneasy. If they were looking for trade, why send a heavily armed ship? He just felt there was something extremely wrong about this first contact situation.

There was a knock on his door, interrupting his thoughts. “Enter,” he said in a loud voice.

The door opened, and Colonel Sheen stepped in with a strained look upon her face. “Admiral, I still wish you weren’t going with the senator on the Vindication.” She wasn’t happy with the admiral’s decision. She had decided to try one more time to change his mind. The admiral needed to remain on the flagship for his own safety.

“I don’t dare allow Senator Jacksom to conduct these negotiations without my presence. I just don’t trust the man.”

Colonel Sheen let out a heavy sigh and then added. “I would feel better if you at least took another light cruiser with you. That Hocklyn ship might be more than the Vindication and Avenger can handle if hostilities break out. A third cruiser could make all the difference.”

Hedon leaned back in his chair and gazed at his executive officer. “If I’m there, perhaps I can ensure that doesn’t happen. Even Senator Jackson wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk starting a shooting war with an alien race.” Hedon grimaced at the thought.

“This whole thing just smells,” Colonel Sheen muttered, not happy with the admiral leaving the StarStrike. “I think you’re placing yourself in unnecessary danger.”

“Don’t worry, Amanda,” replied Hedon with a smile, trying to put his executive officer at ease. “You get to be in charge of the fleet while I’m gone. It will be good experience for you.”

“Perhaps, but if anything goes wrong I expect a message from you immediately. One word from you and I’ll jump in with the rest of the fleet.” Amanda couldn’t lay aside her worries.

Hedon leaned forward and gazed at Amanda. He gestured for the colonel to take a seat. “Let’s talk about that. If something does go wrong, this is what I want you to do.”

For the next half-hour, Hedon gave his executive officer some very detailed orders in case she had to jump the fleet into the Stalor System. She asked several pointed questions to ensure that she understood just what the admiral wanted. There were several points she certainly wanted clarified.

“You don’t think these Hocklyns want a trade agreement, do you?” asked Amanda gazing intently at the admiral. She had known Admiral Streth for quite some time and could tell when something was bothering him.

“You don’t send a heavily armed warship to negotiate a trade agreement,” responded Hedon shaking his head. “I can see an exploration ship being lightly armed, but not like this Hocklyn ship is. This is overkill, plain and simple. I just have a bad feeling that this isn’t going to end well.”

“But we’re sending an armed ship,” countered Amanda sounding confused. “Both the Avenger and the Vindication are warships.”

“That’s different,” replied Hedon taking a deep breath. “They initiated this contact. If we had more time, we would be sending a diplomatic mission on a civilian ship.”

Colonel Sheen nodded her head in understanding. She knew she wasn’t going to change the admiral’s mind. “Be careful Admiral. The StarStrike will be waiting for your safe return.”

Chapter Two

Two hours later, Colonel Sheen was in the Command Center watching the Vindication maneuver away from the fleet. Senator Jacksom had been extremely unhappy when he discovered that Admiral Streth would be going to the Stalor System on the Vindication with him. Looking around the busy Command Center, Amanda took in a sharp breath. If the admiral called, it was only a forty-minute jump from their current position to the Stalor System. The jump coordinates were already in the navigation computer and would be updated hourly. If the admiral called, she would be ready.

Looking at the main viewscreen, a blue-white vortex formed in front of the Vindication and the ship quickly entered it. Moments later, there was no sign of the Vindication or the vortex. Amanda knew that, in another forty minutes, the light cruiser would exit a second vortex in the Stalor System. The game was about to begin. She just hoped everything worked out and it wasn’t necessary to summon the StarStrike. Sitting down behind the command console, Amanda prepared herself to wait. She wondered if there was anything else she could do in order to come to the admiral’s aid quicker if the situation became deadly.

-

On board the Vindication, Admiral Streth was standing in the Command Center watching the main viewscreen. In hyperspace, the screen only showed a swirl of dark colors dominated by deep purple. He let out a long breath and looked over at Commander Wisthom.

“We’re on our way,” spoke Commander Wisthom watching the admiral. “It’s hard to believe we’re going to meet aliens.”

“I know,” Admiral Streth replied with a nod of his head. He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake in leaving the StarStrike behind. “After all these years instead of us finding them, they found us.”

“The Stalor mining operation is the farthest out from the Federation,” commented Commander Wisthom arching an eyebrow. “I guess it’s not too surprising that the aliens stumbled across one of our mining operations. We haven’t explored too far out in this area.”

“There must be twenty mining operations out past or on the edge of Federation controlled space,” Admiral Streth responded in agreement. “That’s why the fleet has regular patrols to check on them. We just never expected a first contact situation to come about. We have become too complacent in our explorations in recent years. This just goes to prove that we need to push the Federation Council for more exploration funds, or this won’t be the last time this happens.”

The two became silent as they watched the viewscreen. Time passed quickly, and soon the navigation officer informed them that they were nearing time to exit the jump.

“Two minutes from jump terminus,” Lieutenant Geth reported.

“All systems optimal,” reported the executive officer Major Garner as he checked the plotting table and the screens above it. “Should we go to Condition One upon exiting the vortex?”

“No,” replied Admiral Streth shaking his head. “Go to Condition Two. Weapons ports closed, but I want the crew in a state of combat readiness. We don’t want the aliens to think we’re looking for a fight. This is supposed to be a peaceful meeting.”

“I hope so,” spoke Commander Wisthom watching his crew. They all seemed to be doing their jobs as if contacting an alien ship was a normal everyday occurrence. It was a good group, and he was extremely proud of their professionalism in the face of this unexpected adversity.

A few moments later, the Vindication exited the vortex. Admiral Streth felt a queasiness in his stomach as the ship reentered normal space. Seeing the front viewscreen clear of static and switch to a view of open space, his eyes instantly went to the main sensor screen above the plotting table.

“Two hours to Stalor Four,” Major Garner reported as the Vindication’s position appeared on the holographic plotting table. “Sensors show the Avenger and the alien still in orbit around the moon.”

“Avenger is hailing us,” the communications officer reported.

“Inform Commander Standel that we will be at Stalor Four in two hours,” Admiral Streth ordered. “Let him know that we have Senator Jacksom on board, and the senator will be conducting the initial negotiations.”

The communications officer sent the message and then turned around and looked at the admiral. “Messages have been sent and acknowledged.”

Looking around the Command Center, Admiral Streth could sense the tension and excitement in the crew. They were about to make contact with the first aliens the Federation had ever encountered. This would be a moment forever remembered and talked about in Federation history. Hedon just hoped that the future reports of this first contact were positive.

-

Commander Standel felt immense relief when he saw that the Vindication had jumped into the system. He glanced up at the main viewscreen, which showed the Hocklyn ship. For nearly two days, the Vindication had orbited this airless moon of Stalor Four with the crew watching the alien. There had been no communication between the two ships as they waited for the civilian negotiating team to arrive.

Commander Standel knew that the miners at the mining site were extremely nervous about the situation above them. The leader of the mining operation, Martin Stent, had contacted him several times demanding to know what was going on. The miners felt helpless, as they were powerless to do anything. They were totally dependent on the military to solve this unprecedented situation and to protect them if necessary. They were spending most of their time deep within the mine.

“Admiral Streth is on the Vindication,” Lieutenant Arcles reported from Communications, looking over at the commander.

“Inform the Hocklyns that the civilian negotiating team has arrived and is inbound, and they should be going into orbit shortly. We don’t want to make the Hocklyns nervous when they detect a second warship approaching.” Standel’s gaze moved to one of the large viewscreens on the front wall, which was displaying the alien spacecraft.

“I wonder how far their sensors reach?” Major Winfred asked as he looked down at the plotting table that now showed the Vindication moving toward Stalor Four. He was glad it was the Vindication. He had gone to the academy with its commander and knew that Commander Wisthom was a very competent leader.

“I don’t know,” replied Commander Standel glancing over at his executive officer. “Keep a watch on the Hocklyn vessel and see if it makes any adjustments in its orbit. That might indicate it has detected the Vindication.”

“Why didn’t the admiral jump in with the StarStrike?” Major Winfred asked with some confusion showing on his face.

Winfred would feel a lot more comfortable if the heavy battle cruiser were in the system. He had spent the last several days gazing at the numerous weapons the alien had pointed at the Avenger. While the Avenger had closed the majority of its weapon’s hatches, the alien had kept most of theirs open.

“He’s nervous about this situation,” replied Commander Standel, folding his arms across his chest and thinking. “I bet he has the StarStrike and the rest of his fleet close by where he can call it in if need be. He doesn’t like the fact that a heavily armed alien warship is here at Stalor Four. He also doesn’t want to spook the aliens by showing up with too much firepower.”

“If we run into trouble, that just leaves the Avenger and the Vindication to protect the miners if this becomes a shooting match. It will take time for the admiral’s fleet to jump in. We could be on our own for several hours before the StarStrike can reach us. I’m not sure we can last that long against that ship’s weapons.”

“What other choice do we have Bob?” Commander Standel spoke in a lower voice. “We have to play the hand we’re dealt. We need to trust the admiral. I’m just glad he’s here.”

“Vindication is inbound,” Ariel reported as she watched the sensors and calculated the Vindication’s arrival time. “There has been no further response from the Hocklyns.”

“Thanks Ariel,” acknowledged Commander Standel glancing at the large screen on the front wall of the Command Center that Ariel was using to project her image.

He still wondered why Fleet Command insisted on all the AI avatars being young good-looking women. He strongly suspected it was for morale purposes as well as to make them more acceptable. AIs had only been installed on a few of the fleet’s light cruisers. They were a recent development, and their usefulness was still being evaluated.

“Now we wait,” stated Major Winfred, taking a deep breath and looking around the Command Center.

“Now we wait for the admiral and Senator Jacksom,” agreed Commander Standel nodding his head. “This is in their hands now.”

-

The Vindication went into orbit twenty kilometers above the Hocklyn ship. Admiral Streth was looking at the main viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center, which was showing a greatly expanded view of the alien vessel. The Hocklyn ship was obviously heavily armed. A number of its weapon’s ports were open, and he suspected that the Vindication was now the primary target. It was a clear statement from the Hocklyns that they would not be intimidated by the two Federation light cruisers.

“Sensors are now blocked before reaching the actual hull of the Hocklyn ship,” Clarissa the Vindication’s AI reported. Her deep blue eyes and shoulder length blonde hair made her extremely easy to look at. “I would guess we are looking at a low level energy screen specifically designed for preventing sensor scans. From what the Avenger reported earlier, that screen wasn’t present.”

“I don’t like that,” commented Commander Wisthom frowning. “We don’t have that technology.”

“I agree,” replied Admiral Streth, gazing speculatively at the Hocklyn ship on the main viewscreen. “This brings up another question. Our own energy screen can’t prevent sensor scans. We depend on the composite material in our hulls to do that. Just how powerful are their actual defensive screens?”

“All unknown,” Clarissa responded her blue eyes narrowing slightly. “From what I can see of the Hocklyn ship and the number of hatches and unidentified indentations in the hull, I would estimate that the Hocklyn ship is forty to fifty percent more heavily armed than the Vindication. In addition, their level of technology from observation is slightly ahead of ours. That is conjecture also. In some areas, they could be far ahead. The weapon ports that are currently open seem to contain some type of heavy railgun. The weapons on the bow are unfamiliar and may be some type of energy weapon.”

“Energy weapons,” spoke Major Garner frowning as he continued to gaze at the screen. “Those don’t look like lasers.”

Admiral Streth turned to face Commander Wisthom. “I want both the Vindication and the Avenger at Condition Two during these negotiations. Clarissa, let us know immediately if you can determine what type of weapons those are on the Hocklyn’s bow.” If this was some type of energy weapon, other than a laser, it showed a considerable lead by the Hocklyns in weapons technology.

“Understood, sir,” replied Commander Wisthom nodding his head in agreement. Then turning to Major Garner, “I want the crew on six-hour rotations until we can go to Condition Three.”

“Yes, sir,” Major Garner replied. This would be stressful on the crew, but they could handle it.

“Sir,” the communications officer interrupted in a strained voice. “The Hocklyns are requesting permission to send over a negotiating team. They say that our atmosphere is acceptable to them.”

Admiral Streth looked over at Commander Wisthom before replying. He had assumed the negotiations would take place on the Hocklyn ship since it was larger. “Very well. Ask them how many will be in their party.”

A few moments passed and then the communications officer replied. “There will be six, sir; two negotiators and four what they are calling protectors. There will also be two pilots and two other protectors staying with their shuttle.”

“I assume their protectors are like our marines,” Admiral Streth commented with a frown.

He didn’t like the idea of letting armed aliens on board the Vindication, but he didn’t see any way he could diplomatically refuse. It might be a direct insult to the Hocklyn’s culture if he did so. There were just too many unknowns.

“We should have our own marines ready,” Commander Wisthom suggested with narrow eyes. He wasn’t pleased to hear the Hocklyns would be bringing an armed escort.

“Give them permission to land in the flight bay,” Admiral Streth ordered and then looking over at Commander Wisthom, he added, “Tell the Hocklyns I will meet them there. Get the main conference room ready. I want two marine guards on the outside and two more on the inside. Have a group of six meet me in the flight bay to greet our guests. They will also escort us to the conference room. I want another squad of marines stationed in the corridor outside the flight bay. Once we have passed, they are to enter the flight bay and take up positions at the internal airlock. Make sure there are no incidents!”

“Yes, sir,” Commander Wisthom replied as he activated his mini-com to pass on the orders. He was glad to hear that Admiral Streth felt the same way he did.

“Major Garner, go to Senator Jacksom’s quarters and inform him of what is going on. Tell him we will meet him in the conference room in approximately thirty minutes.”

-

Admiral Streth and six marines awaited the Hocklyn shuttle in the flight bay. He watched as the bay’s twin doors slid open and the approaching shuttle appeared. It slowed down, passed through the atmospheric force field, and landed smoothly in the center of the bay. The shuttle was tear shaped, and there were no signs of any weapons. It was also extremely dark in color. The shuttle seemed out of place in the brightly lit bay.

The marines lined up behind the admiral and stood at attention, waiting for the Hocklyns to make an appearance. They didn’t have long to wait. The shuttle door slid open and two heavily armed Hocklyns stepped outside, taking up a position at the foot of the shuttle’s ramp. Several of the marines drew in sharp breaths at seeing the aliens.

Both Hocklyns were a little over two meters in height and very muscular. They wore some type of light body armor that was dark, almost black. They were a pale green in color, and their eyes were twice the size of a human's. A small crest on top of their head was a slightly darker green. The protectors carried some type of heavy assault rifle, but it was hard to tell whether it fired projectiles or was some type of beam weapon.

Two more Hocklyns appeared in the door of the shuttle. Both of these were slightly smaller than the two protectors standing at the foot of the shuttle’s extended ramp. These two were also dressed in light body armor, but their armor was a much lighter color, almost a greenish-yellow. As they walked down the ramp, two more heavily armed protectors appeared. They stopped at the top of the ramp and, after looking around, proceeded to follow what were obviously the two negotiators. Once these four Hocklyns stepped off the ramp it folded back up and the door to the shuttle slid shut.

The two Hocklyns in light colored body armor approached Admiral Streth. One of them was holding a small metal globe in his hand.

“Greetings,” the nearest Hocklyn spoke. The voice seemed to come from the small metal globe the Hocklyn was holding. Pointing toward the globe the Hocklyn continued, “This device is a universal translator. It will translate your language into ours and our language into yours.”

“Greetings,” Admiral Streth replied with a slight nod of acknowledgement. “Our civilian negotiator and his team are waiting for us in our main conference room. Is there anything your people will require while on board our ship?”

“No Admiral, your atmosphere is very similar to our own. As far as refreshments, cold water will be fine.”

“Very well, if you will follow me, we will go to the conference room, and I will introduce you to our civilian team of negotiators.”

A few minutes later, they entered the main conference room. Admiral Streth had made sure the corridors they were walking through were empty of crewmembers, and all the adjoining hatches were closed. Once Hedon knew more about the Hocklyns, then perhaps a tour of the ship could be arranged. For now, he was going to be cautious.

Senator Jacksom and his four aides were waiting in the conference room. Upon the Hocklyn’s entrance, Admiral Streth noticed the senator’s face turn pale. Several of his aides looked as if they were about to faint. The senator and his aides rose, and Senator Jacksom stepped around the table to greet the Hocklyns.

“Greetings,” the nearest Hocklyn spoke. “I am Grethen, First Leader of our ship.” Then turning and indicating the other Hocklyn in light colored body armor, Grethen continued. “This is Rathan. He is our language specialist.”

Senator Jacksom had already noticed that all the words in standard were coming out of the small metal globe that Rathan was holding. The Hocklyn’s own language was full of rasps and sharp inflections.

“I am Senator Jacksom, and I am a government representative of the Human Federation of Worlds.”

“Then you have more than one world you come from?” Grethen asked with obvious interest.

“We will discuss that in another meeting,” Admiral Streth quickly interrupted with a warning glance at Senator Jacksom. “Once we know each other better, we can discuss our actual spheres of influence.”

“That is wise,” Grethen responded with a slight nod of his head. “It is best that we learn to trust each other first. There is much benefit in our races learning to work together peacefully. We have much to offer, and I suspect your race does also.”

“Let’s sit down and we can begin,” suggested Senator Jacksom indicating the waiting chairs around the conference table. “Let me say in advance that I apologize for any possible future misunderstandings due to our lack of knowledge of each other’s customs and language.”

“That is not a problem,” Rathan responded his large dark eyes focusing on Senator Jacksom. “We have dealt with first contact situations before and are well aware that cultural differences can easily lead to misunderstandings.”

As they all sat down, Admiral Streth wondered about Rathan’s words. It sounded as if they were used to first contact situations and this wasn’t their first one. Which once more brought up the issue as to why they would initiate a first contact situation with a warship? Admiral Streth noticed that the four heavily armed protectors had positioned themselves back behind their two leaders close to the wall where they could keep a watch on everything. The two marine guards at the door were doing the same thing.

“Let me begin by apologizing if we frightened your miners on the moon below us,” Grethen spoke. “We were on an exploratory mission and were not expecting to find a mining operation in this system.”

“Your apology is noted and appreciated,” Senator Jacksom replied. “I will inform the miners of this.”

"You mentioned that you have had other first contact experiences?” asked Admiral Streth, looking over at Grethen.

“Yes,” Grethen responded with a slight nod of his head. “I have been involved in two others previously. In each, we were able to establish new trade treaties beneficial to both the two new races and ourselves. In time, they joined our trade alliance as full members.”

“Is that a requirement?” asked Senator Jacksom. “Do all races you sign trade treaties with have to join your trade alliance?”

“No,” Grethen replied his eyes focusing on Senator Jacksom. “That is up to each individual race.”

“How many races are in your trade alliance?” Admiral Streth asked. Perhaps he could find out just how large this Hocklyn Trade Alliance was.

Grethen hesitated a moment before answering. “As you said earlier Admiral, once we get to know each other better we can discuss that information.”

“Very well,” spoke Senator Jacksom deciding to take charge of the meeting. “Let’s discuss what we can do to help establish both diplomatic and possible future trade relations.”

The first meeting lasted about an hour. The Hocklyns claimed that they were exploring far out away from their trade alliance, seeking new markets for their products and searching for trade items the numerous members of their alliance might be interested in. The Hocklyns mentioned several examples of trade items that they were willing to offer, including some highly advanced medical technology. They also claimed to have some very efficient automated mining equipment, which could drastically increase the productivity of almost every type of off planet mining operation.

Senator Jacksom and his aides asked numerous questions about the medical equipment and its potential uses. They also requested additional information about the mining equipment. These sounded like items the Federation might be interested in.

In return, the Hocklyns indicated that they would like to send trade delegations to each of the human worlds. This would allow them to see what unique items each world might have to offer in trade goods that the trade alliance might be interested in. These trade delegations would be in small unarmed merchant ships with no protectors aboard.

It was at this point that Admiral Streth interrupted and suggested that the Hocklyns give examples of the types of trade items they were interested in. Admiral Streth went on to stress that he could arrange for several cargo ships to come out with examples of various possible trade goods from the human worlds. For the time being, he didn’t want any Hocklyn ships going anywhere close to the colony worlds or the home system.

When the meeting was over, Admiral Streth escorted the Hocklyns back to their shuttle and watched as the shuttle departed and headed back toward their ship. The meeting had gone better than he had expected, but he still didn’t trust the Hocklyns. There was a feeling in the back of his mind that everything had gone too smooth. Almost as if the two Hocklyns were following a script. He shook his head and started back toward his quarters after dismissing the marines. He needed to write up a report with his observations and get it sent off to Fleet Command.

-

After two days of intense negotiations, Admiral Streth was taking a brief break. Senator Jacksom and the two Hocklyn representatives were currently going over a list of potential trade goods that might be of interest to both parties. The lists were long and tedious, and Hedon had decided this was something that Senator Jacksom and his aides were better suited for. He had looked closely over the lists that Senator Jacksom had. He had wanted to ensure that there was no sensitive information or items on the lists that could give the Hocklyns a hint of where any of the human worlds were located. This was information he still didn’t feel comfortable in furnishing the aliens. For some reason, Hedon still felt uneasy about this entire situation. He had gotten these feelings in the past, and each time something bad had happened.

Admiral Streth had been surprised at just how good a job Senator Jacksom was doing. Once he had gotten over the initial shock of dealing with actual aliens, the senator had done a remarkable job of negotiating. He had been a stickler for equivalency, insisting that trade for both sides should be of equal value. There would be no trade deficit between the two space faring cultures.

Hedon was sitting in the officer’s mess drinking a hot cup of coffee when Commander Wisthom came in. Spotting the admiral, he walked over and took a seat across from him.

“How are the negotiations going?” the commander asked as an ensign came over and placed a cup of steaming coffee down in front of him. He took a sip and smiled. “Nothing like a hot cup of coffee to get your mind going.”

“Good so far,” replied Hedon leaning back and holding his cup in one hand. “So far the Hocklyns have given us no indications of being anything else other than what they claim to be. In another day or two, we should have the basics of a temporary trade agreement. I’m going to suggest to Senator Jacksom that both sides meet back here in the Stalor System to bring samples of potential trade items. If everything goes well with that meeting, then we might give them access to one of our colony worlds and see how that progresses.”

“Traders looking for new trade routes,” commented Commander Wisthom shaking his head in doubt. “That still doesn’t explain why they’re out exploring with such a heavily armed ship. If there were a civilian ship with them that handled the first contact situations, I could understand it better.”

“I agree,” replied Admiral Streth taking another sip of his coffee. “We must remember that they are an alien culture, and they may do things differently than we do.”

“I suppose,” replied Commander Wisthom cocking his eyebrow. “I just wish this was over. I also wish we could get a look inside their ship.”

Hedon agreed. He had suggested to the Hocklyns that some of the negotiations could be held on their ship, but they had politely refused. They had claimed that their atmosphere was slightly different from what humans were used to and could cause some unhealthy respiratory complications.

Hedon had wondered if that was true, or just an excuse to keep the humans off of the Hocklyn ship. He had also refused to show the Hocklyns around the Vindication. Senator Jacksom had suggested this privately, but Hedon had politely told him no. Surprisingly, the Hocklyns hadn’t made this request. He had half-ways been expecting it.

They were interrupted as Major Garner’s voice came over the com system. “Admiral Streth and Commander Wisthom, please report to the Command Center.”

The two looked at each other and then both stood up. “I wonder what’s going on?” spoke Commander Wisthom setting down his cup of coffee. It wasn’t like Major Garner to page him unless it was something serious. The major was an extremely competent officer.

“I don’t know,” Admiral Streth replied as he started for the door. He had a sinking sensation that it involved the Hocklyns. He wondered if Senator Jacksom had insulted their guests somehow.

Several minutes later, the two entered the Command Center and immediately noticed a heightened feeling of tension amongst the crew.

“What’s going on?” demanded Commander Wisthom striding over to Major Garner who was standing by the plotting table.

“The Hocklyns broke off negotiations suddenly. They are returning to their ship,” his executive officer replied.

“Do you know what happened?” asked Admiral Streth with growing concern. He should never have left Senator Jacksom and his aides alone with the Hocklyns, not even for a short time. He wondered if the senator had managed to offend the Hocklyns in some way.

“No, I just received a report from one of the marines stating that the Hocklyns suddenly left the conference room for no apparent reason and departed on their shuttle.”

Admiral Streth stepped over to the com system on the command console and activated it. “Senator Jacksom, this is Admiral Streth. I need you to report to the Command Center immediately.”

“The Hocklyn shuttle has reached their ship,” Clarissa reported. “I am detecting a buildup of their energy screen.”

Admiral Streth looked at the main viewscreen for a moment before reaching a decision. “Commander Wisthom, move the Vindication back one hundred kilometers from the Hocklyn vessel. Also, have the Avenger move closer for support. I don’t like this at all. Something’s going on. Maintain Condition Two for now until we find out what’s happened.”

Orders were quickly passed, and both ships began to move into their new orbits. The hatch to the Command Center opened and a marine allowed Senator Jacksom to enter.

“What’s going on?” Senator Jacksom demanded in an aggravated voice.

He had just been preparing to work on his latest report detailing today’s meeting with the Hocklyns. This trade agreement with the Hocklyns could result in a significant boost to his political career. Perhaps he could even move into the inner circles of the Federation government on Tellus in the home system.

Admiral Streth took several steps toward the senator eyeing him suspiciously. “Why did the Hocklyns leave the negotiations so suddenly? I thought we had several more hours of negotiations scheduled for today over the trade items.”

“I don’t understand, Admiral,” Senator Jacksom responded with a heavy frown. “We finished the negotiations for today. We accomplished everything we set out to do.”

“Finished, what do you mean finished?” Admiral Streth demanded his eyes narrowing. There was no way those negotiations could have been done so quickly. Something wasn’t right and he needed to find out what it was. He had a chilling feeling that time was swiftly running out.

What had the senator done? When he had left the meeting, he had understood it would last for several more hours as the two sides went over potential trade items. They were close to working out a tentative trade agreement, but there were still several sticky issues that needed to be resolved.

“You will be quite pleased, Admiral,” Senator Jacksom responded with a broad smile. “The Hocklyns gave me the location of their primary trading world nearest to the Federation, and in return I gave them the location of all four of our primary colony worlds. They will be sending a trading fleet to each of the four systems with potential trade goods we might be interested in.”

“You did what?” roared Admiral Streth, his anger boiling over and his eyes growing wide in disbelief. “Did I understand correctly that you gave the Hocklyns the spatial coordinates to our four main colony systems?”

“Why yes, Admiral,” Senator Jacksom replied with a confused look on his face. “I thought it was a very good deal. It will help to expedite our trade agreement. They also gave me the location of one of their main trading systems. I don’t understand what your problem is with that.”

Admiral Streth turned to the two marines standing at the door. “Take Senator Jacksom into custody and put him in the brig. I am charging him with violating Federation security. If he resists, shoot him!”

“What?” Senator Jacksom stammered, his face turning livid. “I am a Federation Senator, you can’t do this!” He swallowed loudly and looked around the Command Center as if searching for help. No one would make eye contact.

“You may have just given the Hocklyns exactly what they were after all along,” Admiral Streth responded, his eyes gazing piercing at the senator. “Didn’t it ever occur to you that this entire trading story might have only been a ruse to allow them to learn the location of our home worlds? You have just furnished them with that!”

Senator Jacksom turned pale as the two marines stepped forward, grabbed him by the arms, and started to escort him out of the Command Center. “I didn’t know,” he muttered shaking his head in disbelief. “You must be wrong. Surely the Hocklyns are only harmless traders? They gave us the locations of one of their systems also.”

“How do you know the location is real?” demanded Admiral Streth sharply, his eyes biting into the senator. “It could lead to nowhere!”

“Admiral,” Clarissa interrupted her eyes narrowing and her normally calm voice sounding concerned. “The Hocklyn’s energy screen strength has just increased exponentially. From the readings our sensors are showing, their screens are much more powerful than our own. I am also detecting active targeting scans emitting from the Hocklyn vessel.”

“Get him out of here,” Admiral Streth ordered as he turned to face Commander Wisthom. “Commander, I want the Vindication and the Avenger at Condition One. Standby for combat maneuvers. Communications, send a flash FTL message to the StarStrike. Situation volatile. Implement jump.”

Klaxons sounded loudly, and red lights flashed as the crew raced to action stations. The Command Center came alive with intense activity as the crew prepared for battle. The atmosphere in the Command Center had suddenly gone from routine to one of growing apprehension.

“Sir, we’re being jammed. All long-range communication is compromised,” the communications officer reported. “We have short-range communications only.”

“Get a shuttle out,” ordered Admiral Streth knowing the situation was about to get desperate. “Full sublight until they can contact the StarStrike. I want them to broadcast continuously once the shuttle leaves the flight bay. I want both fighters to fly escort for the shuttle.”

“Yes, sir,” Major Garner responded as he activated his mini-com and passed on the orders.

The Vindication and the Avenger moved closer together and then turned broadside toward the Hocklyn ship. Railguns rotated and turned to target the Hocklyn vessel. Crews on both ships were at full alert and holding their breath waiting to see what happened.

“Shuttle and fighters have left the flight bay,” Clarissa reported. “I am detecting small craft launches from the Hocklyn ship.”

“Fighters,” the sensor operator reported as he used the short-range scanners on the small craft. “They’re heading toward our shuttle and the fighters.”

“Damn, they're fast!” spoke Major Garner, watching the Hocklyn fighters on the sensor screen and then glancing down at the plotting table. “They’re going to catch the shuttle and our fighters before they can clear the jamming.”

Admiral Streth activated his mini-com, which was tied in to short-range communications so he could talk to the Avenger. “Commander Standel, launch your fighters and help cover that shuttle. It’s imperative that the shuttle gets past this jamming so it can send a message to the StarStrike.”

“Message received, Admiral,” Commander Standel replied. “Our fighters are ready to launch and will be out of the flight bay momentarily.”

“Load all heavy and secondary batteries with armor piercing rounds,” ordered Admiral Streth. “Standby to fire on my order.”

“Detecting more active targeting scans from the Hocklyn ship,” Clarissa reported with a look of worry crossing her face. “Their remaining hatches and weapon ports are opening. Inbound weapons fire detected!”

The Vindication shook as weapons fire from the Hocklyn ship impacted the ship’s energy screen. Alarms sounded, and the lights flickered. Admiral Streth could feel the ship shudder slightly from the impacts.

“Energy screen is holding,” Major Garner reported from the plotting table. He looked up at the screens above him. “We are being hit by some type of energy weapon, much more powerful than our lasers. There is also some high-speed projectile fire from what are obviously railguns of some type. Our energy screen can’t hold up to this for long!”

“Return fire!” barked Commander Wisthom glancing at Admiral Streth who nodded in agreement. “All railgun batteries fire armor piercing rounds. Standby for missile launch. I want a full spread from our Shrike missile pod. Helm, turn us eighty degrees starboard, flank speed.”

The ship shuddered again and red lights began flashing on the damage control console. “Section twelve reports major damage to the hull armor and loss of pressure in adjoining compartments. We have a fire in section four, and two of our defensive railgun batteries have been destroyed,” the damage control officer reported. “Damage control teams are en route.”

“Their weapons are penetrating our energy screen,” reported Major Garner worriedly as he listened to several reports over his mini-com. “The screen is being weakened in some areas by multiple hits.”

“I am detecting a missile launch from the Hocklyn vessel,” Clarissa reported with growing concern in her voice. “It’s aimed for the mining installation.”

“What type of missile?” Admiral Streth demanded, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The two cruisers were too far away to intercept the missile. He hadn’t expected the Hocklyns to attack the mine. Those were defenseless civilians, why attack them? The miners posed no threat to the Hocklyns.

“It’s nuclear,” Clarissa reported as she tracked the missile. “The mining operation will not survive.”

“That’s an unprovoked attack upon civilians!” Commander Wisthom protested angrily. “There’s no reason for that! What kind of people are these Hocklyns?”

“Hocklyn ship is maneuvering. It’s turning its bow toward us,” warned Major Garner.

“Trying to bring their primary energy weapons to bear,” Admiral Streth guessed. “All batteries continuous fire, target the center of the Hocklyn vessel. We need to knock their screens down!”

“Nuclear detonation detected,” reported Clarissa as the viewscreen switched to show a view of the mining site as seen from space. A fiery glow of raging destruction covered the former location of the defenseless mining operation. There was no chance anyone could have survived.

“Damn them,” muttered Major Garner his eyes showing anger. “Those civilians never had a chance.”

“Shrike missile pod firing,” the weapons officer reported.

From the Vindication, twenty-four missiles blasted away from the large hatch, which contained one of the Vindication’s two Shrike missile pods. It took the deadly missiles less than ten seconds to travel the one hundred kilometer distance between the Vindication and the Hocklyn vessel.

The Hocklyn vessel released a series of interceptor missiles and weapons fire, taking out sixteen of the inbound missiles. Small bright explosions littered the space between the two ships. The other missiles impacted the Hocklyn’s energy screen, driving it back against the hull and causing it to waver in a few areas. Several armor piercing railgun rounds penetrated the weakened screen and struck the hull, causing moderate damage to those sections of the Hocklyn ship. The rounds tore through the hull armor, leaving gaping holes and a burning red glow.

“We hurt them that time,” Major Garner reported as he studied his screens and read the data coming across.

“Our fighters are engaged against the Hocklyn fighters. It’s six against four,” Clarissa reported as she watched the dogfight that was now raging in space several thousand kilometers away from them. “The shuttle is accelerating away from the battle and is still broadcasting. We just lost one of our fighters.”

More explosions covered the energy screen of the Hocklyn ship as a missile strike from the Avenger slammed home. Two of the explosions were in the kiloton range. When the explosions cleared several large burn marks were visible on the hull of the Hocklyn ship, as well as severe damage to one small section of the hull.

“That caused more damage,” reported Major Garner watching his screens and studying the tactical data. “Their energy screen is a problem. We need to concentrate the firepower from both ships in one area to penetrate their screen in order to do significant damage. We’re just not hurting them enough.”

“Move us out of here,” Commander Wisthom ordered as he saw the Hocklyns trying to line up for a bow shot at the Vindication. “Maneuver Delta Seven! We need to hit them with our lasers. Helm, get this ship turned now!”

The sublight drives of the Vindication brightened as she began to turn trying desperately to bring her primary lasers to bear. It was a desperate race to see which ship could get their heavy energy weapons to fire upon the other first.

As soon as the order was passed, Admiral Streth looked up at the scanner and sensor screens. They weren’t turning fast enough. The Hocklyn ship was almost in position. Hedon was afraid they were about to find out what type of weapon was on the bow of the Hocklyn ship.

“Hocklyn ship is firing its main energy weapons,” Clarissa warned as the enemy vessel completed its turn. She could sense targeting scanners scanning the Vindication.

A bright glow appeared on the bow of the Hocklyn ship. The Vindication shook violently and then the lights in the Command Center went out. Major Garner was thrown off his feet, and there was screaming in the sudden darkness. Several panels blew out, sending a shower of brilliant sparks cascading across the room. A few moments later, the emergency lighting came on.

“Major damage to primary hull,” Clarissa reported as she used her internal sensors to scan the ship. She could almost feel the pain from the damage since she was monitoring all of the ship’s systems. The AI had its own emergency power system, so it could remain operational in an emergency. “Numerous compartments have been compromised. FTL drive is down. Sublight has been reduced to fifteen percent. Main weapons are off line, secondary weapons are off line. We have numerous fires raging throughout the ship.”

More Hocklyn rounds were penetrating the severely weakened energy screen of the Vindication, rattling the ship with each hit. More lights on the damage control console turned a glaring red. The ship was starting to come apart around them. Smoke began filling the air in the Command Center, making it difficult to breathe.

Admiral Streth glanced over at the damage control console. Even from his position at the command console, he could see the multitude of red lights. The ship was dying around them! A muffled explosion rattled the Command Center, sending several crewmembers to the floor. Admiral Streth grabbed the command console in order to keep his footing. It wouldn’t be much longer now. He could hear frantic crewmembers screaming and crying for help. With growing guilt, Hedon knew that he should have brought the StarStrike in to begin with. Amanda had been right.

Commander Wisthom was shouting orders over his mini-com trying to find out the status of his ship and get aid to where it was needed. Major Garner was getting up from the floor where he had been thrown. He staggered over to the plotting table trying to make sense of what it was showing.

In space, the Avenger had completed its turn and its two main bow laser batteries fired. Commander Standel knew he had to take the Hocklyns attention away from the Vindication. Two bright orange-red beams of light reached out and touched the bow of the Hocklyn ship. Two small explosions occurred where the beams penetrated the Hocklyn’s energy screen and struck the unprotected hull.

The Avenger quickly followed it up with a missile strike from their remaining Shrike missile pod. Explosions spread across the bow of the Hocklyn ship, but very little damage resulted. It was obvious this part of the Hocklyn ship was heavily armored. The Hocklyn ship maneuvered slightly, bringing its heavy bow weapons to bear on the Avenger. The Avenger went to flank speed and tried to maneuver out of the way, but it was too late. Two beams of violet light shot out from the Hocklyn vessel, penetrating the Federation ship and coming out the other side. The Avenger’s sublight drive died, and the ship lost all power.

“Avenger is dead in space,” Clarissa reported as she scanned the stricken ship with her remaining sensors.

“It’s over,” spoke Commander Wisthom solemnly, looking over at Admiral Streth. “We can’t take them. Both of our cruisers are too heavily damaged.”

“Stand by to repel boarders,” ordered Admiral Streth, bracing himself for what he knew would come next. “They will want to capture our ships and search them for any pertinent military information. They may also want prisoners.”

Major Garner calmly walked over to a weapons locker and unlocked it. He began passing out weapons to the command crew. He handed Admiral Streth and Commander Wisthom a pair of assault rifles. “We will make them pay,” he promised, looking toward the door to the Command Center and the marines waiting expectantly there.

Admiral Streth looked back at a small viewscreen, which was still on. It showed the Hocklyn ship. From what Hedon could see, the enemy vessel had only suffered minor to moderate damage. It would be finished with the two Federation cruisers and long gone before the StarStrike could arrive.

It was at that moment that two massive beams of orange-red light struck the Hocklyn ship, followed by a massive missile bombardment. The alien ship was covered in fiery explosions, driving its energy screen against its hull and knocking it down in several locations.

“Where’s that fire coming from?” demanded Commander Wisthom looking up at his dead sensor screens.

“It’s the StarStrike!” Clarissa answered with relief in her voice. “The battle cruiser is here. I’m routing some of my emergency power to Communications.”

“How’s that possible?” Major Garner asked, with hope appearing on his face. His head was bleeding profusely from a wicked looking cut on his forehead from when he had fallen earlier.

“I have Colonel Sheen on the com,” the communications officer reported. “She wants to know what her orders are.”

Admiral Streth activated his mini-com and contacted his second in command. “Colonel Sheen, commence jamming of all outgoing signals. Launch your fighters to finish off any Hocklyn fighters that have been launched. I want that alien ship destroyed. We will worry about the consequences later.”

“Yes, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied.

The StarStrike continued to close, and the 1,200-meter battle cruiser continued to fire its heavy laser batteries, as well as its massive rail gun turrets. More hatches opened, and missiles blasted forth to turn and accelerate toward the beleaguered Hocklyn ship. Under the onslaught, the Hocklyn’s screens finally collapsed, and the ship began to take heavy damage. In a sudden massive explosion, the Hocklyn vessel vanished in an orange-red ball of nuclear fire.

“They self-destructed!” Commander Wisthom spoke in shock. “They destroyed their own ship!”

The lights in the Command Center suddenly brightened, and some of the consoles came back to life.

“We have partial power restored,” Clarissa reported.

“What about the enemy fighters?” Admiral Streth demanded.

“Admiral, the Hocklyn fighters did the same thing. They all self destructed right after the Hocklyn ship blew up,” Clarissa reported.

“Why?” asked Major Garner, feeling confused and looking over at the admiral. “They could have surrendered.”

“So we couldn’t learn anything from them,” answered Admiral Streth shaking his head. “Clarissa, was there any outgoing communications from the Hocklyn ship before it attacked us?”

Clarissa quickly reviewed her sensor scans from that time period. “Yes, sir, I found a FTL signal they sent out just before they launched their attack.”

“Damn,” Admiral Streth muttered with a grimace. “I bet they sent out the location of our colonies to another waiting ship.”

“Now what?” asked Commander Wisthom looking over at Admiral Streth. This entire situation had suddenly turned into a nightmare. “I guarantee you the location of the trading world they gave Senator Jacksom is a fake. We have no idea where their worlds are located, and they know the spatial coordinates of all four of our main colony worlds thanks to Senator Jacksom.”

“We get ready for war,” replied Admiral Streth shaking his head and feeling frustrated at what had occurred. “Unless I miss my guess, the Hocklyns are not from a trade alliance. Have the other shuttle prepped. I need to get over to the StarStrike. The Federation needs to know what might be coming. I will also send repair crews over to help get your ship underway. We will be leaving the Stalor System as soon as possible. Have your injured taken to the flight bay. We can treat them better on the StarStrike.”

Commander Wisthom looked over at the damage control console, which was covered with glaring red lights. He knew that the casualties his ship had suffered would be heavy. Many men and women that he had known for years had just died. He let out a sharp breath. The next few days were going to be extremely difficult for his surviving crew.

“We will need some major yard time,” Major Garner said as he listened to the reports coming in from all over the ship on his mini-com. From the reports, he knew they had been lucky to survive.

“The Avenger also,” Admiral Streth spoke. “We need to find a way to strengthen our energy screens as well as a better way to penetrate theirs. I strongly suspect the Hocklyn ship we destroyed today was not one of their first line jobs. I don’t know what will happen when we have to face one of those.”

“Your shuttle is prepped,” Major Garner reported. “I am also getting a report that the section of our ship, which contained the brig is in a vacuum. I’m afraid that Senator Jacksom didn’t survive.”

“That might be for the best,” spoke Commander Wisthom looking over at Major Garner. “He should never have given the Hocklyns the locations of our colonies.”

A few minutes later, Admiral Streth was on his way over to the StarStrike. He was afraid that the human race had just entered an interstellar war. Letting out a deep breath, he gazed out the viewport at the Vindication. The light cruiser was heavily scarred, and numerous jagged holes had been torn open in the ship’s hull. The ship had been extremely lucky to have survived. Another few minutes and he knew that the Hocklyns would have boarded or destroyed both of the light cruisers. Closing his eyes, he dreaded the report he would shortly be making. The Human Federation of Worlds was about to receive a shock. Aliens had been discovered, and they were not friendly!

Chapter Three

Admiral Streth gazed attentively at the StarStrike as the shuttle he was in neared the powerful battle cruiser. Its eight heavy dual railgun turrets across its upper hull were still zeroed in toward where the Hocklyn warship had been annihilated. From the sides of the ship, another forty-eight secondary 60 mm twin offensive turrets dotted the hull. With a heavy sigh of relief, he was glad the StarStrike had made it before the Hocklyn vessel had finished taking out both of the light cruisers. What was bothering Hedon was how in the hell had the StarStrike arrived so quickly?

The shuttle slipped beneath the massive cruiser and then turned to approach the flight bay. The large hatches were both open, waiting for the admiral’s shuttle to land. Other shuttles were taking off carrying repair and medical teams to the stricken light cruisers.

Closing his eyes briefly, Hedon pondered the heavy loss of life suffered on both of the light cruisers as well as the ruthless annihilation of the mining operation on the airless moon below them. The numerous injured and dead on the cruisers was appalling and weighed heavily on his mind. In all of his years of service to the Federation, none of the ships under his command had ever suffered causalities as the two light cruisers had today.

He opened his eyes and gazed down at the moon below where the mining operation had been. The ground was still glowing a deep cherry-red from the nuclear explosion that had wiped out the miners. He doubted if they had even known what had struck them. Death would have come instantly.

It still worried Hedon about how quickly the Hocklyns had attacked. As soon as they had procured the information they wanted from Senator Jacksom, they had returned to their ship and immediately launched their preemptive strike against the Federation ships. It was now obvious that the entire trade discussion had been nothing more than an elaborate ploy by the Hocklyns to learn the location of the human home worlds. Senator Jacksom had given them most of that. Senator Jacksom’s aides had been highly upset when they learned of his tragic death. It was something that Hedon would have to explain to the Federation Council. They would want to know why a Federation Senator had been placed in the brig where he had been killed in the Hocklyn attack.

Now Hedon was concerned about how soon it would be before the Hocklyns did something with the information they had gained from Senator Jacksom. Since the Hocklyn ship had sent out a FTL message, it indicated there was probably another Hocklyn vessel lurking around in some nearby system. There was no point searching for the second ship. It would be next to impossible to find in the short time that was available for a search. It was expedient that they return home as quickly as possible to spread the warning about the Hocklyns to the Federation. Hedon felt confident they had some time. Probably quite a bit of time before the Hocklyns could react.

It would take time for the Hocklyn ship to report back to its base of operations and inform their superiors of what they had found. Then more time for the Hocklyns to gather a force capable of striking the human worlds. That gave the Federation some valuable time. Hedon hoped it was enough. That an invasion or attempted takeover of the Federation was coming was inevitable in Hedon’s opinion. That was the only plausible explanation for the Hocklyn’s actions after obtaining the location of the Federation’s four main colony worlds.

The shuttle entered the flight bay, and the pilot set it down gently in the ship’s artificial gravity. An atmospheric energy screen kept the flight bay pressurized and allowed flight crews to work in a hospitable environment. This allowed them to rapidly turn shuttles as well as the ship’s ten Talon space superiority fighters around at almost a moment's notice. As a safety precaution, the deck crew worked in special suits that could serve as an emergency spacesuit for a few precious minutes if necessary.

“The shuttle is secure, sir,” the pilot reported, turning around to face the admiral who was in the copilot’s seat. “Colonel Sheen is waiting for you in the Command Center.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Admiral Streth replied as he unbuckled his safety harness and stood up. Making his way back to the main cabin, he saw the hatch was already open and the ramp extended.

The inside of the bay was busy as medical personnel and repair teams boarded shuttles to be taken to the two ailing cruisers. Voices could be heard shouting and giving instructions trying to keep a semblance of order in the chaos. Other medical personnel were waiting for inbound casualties. Hedon just prayed that the systems on both cruisers could be repaired enough to allow them to jump to a shipyard for major repairs. He suspected that both cruisers would be out of service for at least several months. If there was going to be an attack, they would need every ship the Federation had.

“Admiral on deck!” the deck chief Captain Vincent Racles barked upon seeing the admiral descending the ramp. Instantly everyone snapped to attention, and it became quiet in the bay.

“At ease,” responded Admiral Streth, acknowledging the salute. “We have some damaged ships and wounded comrades out there. Let’s get them taken care of.”

“Yes, sir!” Captain Racles replied crisply. “Everyone back to work!”

Admiral Streth made his way past the two marine guards at the double airlock and was soon on his way to the Command Center. He had a number of questions he needed to ask his second in command. There was no way the StarStrike should have been able to arrive at Stalor Four so quickly. He wondered what Colonel Sheen had done. He had a suspicion, but he wanted to hear it from her.

Entering the Command Center, he saw Colonel Sheen standing next to the plotting table, talking to several lieutenants while listening to something over her mini-com. “I don’t care what it takes; I want this ship ready to jump within two hours!”

“I don’t know if the Avenger and Vindication will be ready by then,” one of the lieutenants commented doubtfully. “We’re still getting the damage reports from the Vindication, and we may not have all the spare parts needed to repair her so she can jump. Both ships took a lot of damage in the attack. Some of their structural supports are damaged or in the case of the Vindication completely gone in some areas.”

“We won’t be able to seal off all of her compartments,” the other lieutenant added with a worried frown. “Part of the ship is going to have to stay in a vacuum. The ship might not be safe to jump in her present condition. The stress could break her apart.”

“The Vindication doesn’t need to be made fully operational,” interrupted Admiral Streth, walking over to stand next to Colonel Sheen. He noticed the colonel’s eyes widen at seeing him. “I just need both cruisers space worthy enough to make it back to the shipyard at New Providence. Do whatever is necessary to strengthen the Vindication’s hull. That ship is returning to New Providence with us!”

“Yes, sir,” replied both lieutenants saluting the admiral.

“That still may be a difficult job, considering how badly damaged the Vindication is,” one of the lieutenants ventured in a cautious voice. “She has several really large holes in her hull and stress fractures throughout her center structure.”

“I want a status update on both ships as soon as possible,” continued Admiral Streth, gazing at the two lieutenants. Both were highly qualified engineers and familiar with repairing battle damage. At least they were in drills. “Just do your best. Those two ships fought bravely, and they deserve to make it back home. Use whatever personnel you need from the StarStrike to get the job done.”

The two lieutenants returned to their consoles and began talking to their counterparts aboard the Avenger and the Vindication. They had a lot of work to get done and coordinated. If there were any way possible, they would get the two light cruisers back to New Providence.

Admiral Streth turned to face Colonel Sheen. Then in a quiet but stern voice he asked, “How did you get the StarStrike to Stalor Four so quickly?”

Colonel Sheen looked down at the floor, her blue eyes not wanting to face the admiral. She took a deep breath and could feel her pulse racing. Then forcing her eyes back up, she replied. “Per your orders, we were keeping a shuttle just outside what we estimated was the Hocklyn’s maximum possible sensor range. It was just on the edge of the Stalor System. The shuttle had instructions to send the StarStrike a FTL message if anything suspicious occurred.” This was part of the plan the two had made up prior to the admiral leaving on the Vindication.

“That still doesn’t explain how you got here so quickly,” Admiral Streth interrupted his eyes narrowing. “It should have been a forty-minute jump from the StarStrike’s position to the Stalor System and then another two hours time to reach Stalor Four. If my calculations are correct, you showed up in less then twenty minutes.”

“Yes, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied uneasily. She knew the admiral wouldn’t like what she was about to say. “After you left in the Vindication, I decided to move the StarStrike. I left the three light cruisers behind and jumped the StarStrike to just outside the periphery of the Stalor System.”

Admiral Streth frowned, but then relaxed. He had not specifically told his executive officer not to do this. “Then what?”

Colonel Sheen took another deep breath. This was the part that would get her in trouble with the admiral. “When the jamming started, I micro-jumped the StarStrike to Stalor Four.”

“You did what?” Admiral Streth exploded, his voice growing louder. “Jumping that close to a planet could have seriously damaged the StarStrike, or at a minimum the FTL drive.”

He knew there was a minimum safe distance a ship could jump in proximity to a planet. Too close and the stress could wreck the FTL drive or even destroy the ship. That was one reason why ships jumped into a system at a safe distance from a planet’s gravity well.

“The ship wasn’t damaged,” replied Colonel Sheen evenly her eyes looking at the admiral. “We jumped in and engaged the Hocklyns. I think our jump and sudden appearance surprised them as well.”

“What about the FTL drive?” Admiral Streth persisted. He suspected his executive officer wasn’t telling him everything.

Colonel Sheen let out a deep sigh of resignation and then admitted there was a problem. “It was damaged. However, the chief engineer says he should have it back up and operational in two to six hours. The drive harmonics are off, and it will take time to readjust to allow for a safe jump.”

Admiral Streth shook his head. He knew that a FTL drive had to be carefully adjusted to allow for a successful jump. An unbalanced drive could result in a ship reappearing anywhere. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. If Colonel Sheen hadn’t done what she did, the Avenger and Vindication would have been destroyed. The Hocklyns would have escaped the system unscathed with possibly priceless information about the Human Federation of Worlds. At least this way they had no real idea of the Federation’s capabilities and they hadn’t been able to board either of the light cruisers.

“This was an unknown situation,” Admiral Streth admitted slowly his eyes taking on a serious and unrelenting gaze. “You did the right thing. There was no way we could guess the Hocklyns would attack so suddenly.”

Colonel Sheen felt relieved. She had known the admiral for quite some time, but had not been sure how he would react to the danger she had put his flagship in.

“Let’s see to the repairs of all three ships. Send a message to the other three cruisers to jump into the Stalor System. We don’t know if the Hocklyns have any other ships close by. I suspect they have at least one. Let’s not take any chances.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Colonel Sheen, moving toward the communications console to comply. She was glad this little talk with the admiral was over with.

“I’ll be in my quarters if I’m needed,” Admiral Streth added. “I need to get an action report off to Fleet Command. They need to know that we may be at war.”

Colonel Sheen’s face turned pale. She hadn’t realized until this moment what the ramifications of this incident could mean. She thought about her parents back on Aquaria. An interstellar war could endanger them as well as everyone else in the Federation.

-

On the Avenger, Ariel had just finished her report of the damage the ship had suffered to Commander Standel. The energy beams the cruiser had been struck with had gone completely through the 150-meter wide cruiser. Bulkheads had been melted, and explosions had buckled that area of the ship. Damage was total in those areas, and there was very little that would be salvageable. Almost everyone who had been in that area of the ship had died.

“I’m worried about the stress levels on the hull around that buckled area,” Major Winfred was saying as he looked at a computer screen. He was looking at a schematic of the ship where the damage had occurred. “I don’t know if the ship will be able to handle a FTL jump. The stress may fracture the hull the rest of the way. We have way too many stress fractures throughout the hull. If we jump into hyperspace, the ship might come apart around us.”

“Have the engineers weld some temporary beams across the inner hull,” ordered Commander Standel, looking over Major Winfred’s shoulder at the schematic. “We just need to be able to get to New Providence. Once there, the shipyard can finish the repairs. The StarStrike is sending over some damage control people. Put them to work on this.”

“We can do it, I guess,” replied Major Winfred letting out a heavy sigh. “It won’t look good, but I don’t see what else we can do. The ship’s really a mess. There’s major damage everywhere. I’m amazed we survived.”

“Get down there and make sure it’s done right, Bob,” Commander Standel spoke, his eyes looking at his friend. They had known each other for years. “The ship can be repaired; we just need to get her home.”

“It’ll get done,” Major Winfred promised with determination. With a nod, Major Winfred left the Command Center to take charge of the repairs.

“Ariel, what’s the final causality report?”

Ariel’s deep dark eyes gazed at the commander. “Forty-seven confirmed dead, seven missing, and sixty-eight wounded. Doctor Severson reports that a medical team from the StarStrike has arrived, and some of the more severely wounded will be transported back to the flagship.”

Commander Standel sat down in his chair at his command console, taking a deep breath. There were so many dead and wounded. The Avenger had a combined crew of 575 men and women including the marines. He knew that a lot of people he had known for quite some time were gone. He looked up at the main viewscreen next to Ariel. The AI was using one of the smaller screens to project her image. The larger screen was focused on the Vindication.

The light cruiser looked as if it had gone through a meat grinder. The hull was covered with burn marks and jagged holes where Hocklyn weapons fire had penetrated. He knew that the casualties over on the Vindication were going to be bad. He wondered if Commander Wisthom would have enough crew left to get the ship back to New Providence. It might be necessary for the other ships in the fleet to transfer some personnel over. Looking at the Vindication, he knew that the Avenger had been lucky.

At Communications, Teena Arcles was also looking over at the viewscreen. She felt sick at her stomach. Teena had known several members of the Vindication’s crew. At the moment, she had no way of knowing if they were okay. She was still waiting to hear who had been lost on the Avenger.

“Looks bad,” spoke Lieutenant Jacen Barnes, walking over to stand next to her. “The Hocklyns really did a job on us.” He knew she was taking this hard. The look of anguish on her face said more than mere words possibly could.

“So many people died,” replied Teena, fighting to keep the tears back. “Why did this have to happen? Why couldn’t they have been peaceful traders as they said?”

“I don’t know,” replied Barnes, shaking his head. “We’re members of the fleet, and we’re supposed to be trained for this type of situation. We just never expected to run across hostile aliens.”

“I don’t know if anything can prepare a person for something like this. There’s going to be a war, isn’t there?” asked Teena, fearing the answer.

“Probably,” Lieutenant Barnes replied slowly. “I guess the politicians will have to figure that one out. But after what happened here, I don’t think we’re going to get a choice.”

“My brother’s a fighter pilot on the Victory,” Teena added worriedly. “I wish now he had chosen something else.”

“I wouldn’t worry about your brother,” Lieutenant Barnes replied. “From what I hear, he’s one hell of a pilot.”

The two continued to look at the viewscreen. Both were silent as they thought about the future and what it might hold.

Commander Standel had overheard the two talking. He couldn’t blame Teena for being scared. The truth was, he was feeling extremely worried also. His own family lived on Maken back in the home system. The Hocklyns were such a big unknown. Were they dealing with just a few systems, or something more? For the first time, Commander Standel felt relieved that the Federation had a large and powerful fleet. It had been the Federation’s doctrine for years always to be prepared. Be it a civil war between colonies or possible contact with hostile aliens, the fleet had grown as the Federation expanded. Commander Standel just hoped that it would be enough.

-

Admiral Streth was in his quarters sitting behind his desk. He had finished his action report and was almost ready to send it along with all the sensor data of the battle back to Fleet Command. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his right hand. It had been a frustrating day. Nothing had gone right. People had died, and now the Federation might be at war. He was still extremely angry with himself for leaving Senator Jacksom and his aides alone with the Hocklyns. He opened his eyes and gazed wearily at the computer screen on his desk. There would be an uproar at fleet when his report arrived. There was no doubt in his mind that his next orders would be to report to Fleet Command on Tellus to explain his actions. He just hoped he would still be in command of his fleet when that meeting was over with.

His mind was still partially numb from the deaths that had occurred under his command. If this turned into a full-fledged interstellar war, there would be many more. The days of peace and tranquility in the Federation might well be over.

-

Colonel Sheen was standing next to the plotting table overseeing the current repairs being done to the two light cruisers. The two lieutenants were keeping her informed on the progress over their mini-coms. Fortunately, the StarStrike had hit the Hocklyn ship before it could bring its beam weapons to bear on the flagship. She had caught the alien ship out of position and had taken advantage of it. Even though the StarStrike had much more powerful energy screens than a light cruiser, she didn’t know how they would have held up to those deadly beams the Hocklyns had used.

She currently had two shuttles and several Talon fighters out scouring space for any wreckage from the Hocklyn ship. So far, all they had found was some fused metal that was useless. The Hocklyn ship had obviously contained some very efficient self-destruct devices that had ensured that all sensitive equipment or technology was destroyed. Federation ships contained no such self-destruct devices. If this incident broke out into a full-scale war, she wondered if that might not become the norm on Federation ships as well.

“The Avenger is reporting that they have finished strengthening their hull where the Hocklyn’s energy beams penetrated,” Lieutenant Angela Trask reported from Communications. “Commander Standel says they will be ready to get underway in another hour.”

Colonel Sheen nodded her head. That was good news. However, the latest report from the Vindication wasn’t encouraging. Amanda wondered if they would be forced to abandon the light cruiser. Normally they would send a fleet repair ship to pick it up, but with this Hocklyn menace, she suspected they would be ordered to destroy the Vindication to prevent it from possibly falling into Hocklyn hands.

Glancing up at the main viewscreen, Amanda wished they had an AI on board the StarStrike. The AIs were extremely useful on smaller ships to help with the operation of the ship. However, the StarStrike had a crew of over 2,200, and it had been decided not to have AIs on the Federation’s first line warships. The StarStrike did have a highly sophisticated computer, which Amanda felt in some ways was superior to an AI. Letting out a deep breath, she let her eyes roam across the Command Center. The crew in the Command Center was going about their jobs with practiced ease and precision. They had responded well to this situation, demonstrating that they were highly trained and proficient.

Colonel Sheen walked over to the center command console and sat down. Her thoughts turned to her parents back on Aquaria. At this time of the year, her parents liked to spend some time at their vacation home on Southern Krall Island. The beaches on the shores of the island were pristine and the water was unbelievably clear, making for some great diving.

Her father was an avid diver and even took small groups out on special night dives along the Heritage Reef. Amanda could still remember her first night dive when she was a young girl. She had been fourteen at the time and had been filled full of wonder at all the marine life her father had shown her. Closing her eyes, she wished she were at home now and not in this dire situation. The knowledge of what had just happened in the Stalor System made her feel small, helpless, and worried about the future.

-

Admiral Streth had just finished talking to Commander Wisthom. The commander felt that it would take another four hours to make the Vindication ready for a FTL jump. Even then, over thirty percent of the compartments in the light cruiser would still be open to space. There were parts of the light cruiser they couldn’t even get access to due to the heavy damage the cruiser had sustained. He also informed the admiral that they had not been able to recover Senator Jacksom’s body. His body had either been blown out into space or incinerated by the Hocklyn’s energy beams. The other four members of his party were still alive and were being flown over to the StarStrike.

Leaning back in his chair, Hedon looked across his office at a painting on the wall. It was a view of the planet Maken at sunset. A crystal clear lake with towering trees hugging the shore with the sun setting in the background reminded him of the times his brother and he had spent fishing at that lake. The painting had been a gift from his brother the last time the StarStrike had been back in the home system.

His brother was a major in the marines and was currently stationed at the main marine training facility on Maken. His brother’s wife was also in the marines. Perhaps after his debriefing he could arrange to spend a few days with Taylor and Lendle. He suspected he would need some days away from the fleet if the debriefing went as he feared it would. There were always head hunters in this type of situation.

Hedon allowed himself a few minutes to rest and then, reaching forward, pressed a button on the computer terminal on his desk. This would send a highly encrypted message to Fleet Command back on Tellus. It also had a large attachment describing the battle and all the sensor readings taken by the Federation ships. Hedon knew they would probably be halfway home before he got a reply. He let out a deep sigh, wishing that the meeting with the Hocklyns had gone differently. Now they might very well be at war with an enemy they knew nothing about.

Standing up, he knew he needed to get back to the Command Center. While he didn’t think the Hocklyns had any type of fleet nearby, the alien ship had sent a message off to someone. Hedon didn’t want his fleet to be around in case that particular someone came calling. The StarStrike must remain a secret. It was best if the Hocklyns thought the two light cruisers had managed to destroy the other Hocklyn ship.

-

Four hours later, the final repairs had been made to the Vindication and the Avenger. Commanders Wisthom and Standel both reported that their ships were ready for FTL travel. The injured on both ships had been transferred over to the StarStrike, and both light cruisers were operating with minimal crews.

“Fleet is ready to move out,” Colonel Sheen reported as she studied the fleet’s current deployment around the StarStrike. Then, looking over at the admiral she added. “The Vindication reports that their sublight drive is only at forty percent.”

“Very well,” replied Admiral Streth gazing at the main viewscreen, which was focused on the battle, damaged Vindication. “Move us out at twenty percent sublight until we clear the planet’s gravity well. I want to put minimal stress on the damaged ships until we jump.”

The fleet began to move, with the three undamaged light cruisers taking up screening positions around the StarStrike and the two wounded cruisers. Behind the fleet, the volcanic moon still held a dark blister where the Hocklyn nuclear weapon had detonated above the mining operation.

It took nearly three hours for the small fleet to climb safely out of Stalor Four’s gravity well to the point where it was safe to jump the fleet. The fleet came to a stop and waited on orders from the flagship.

“Jump the undamaged cruisers first,” Admiral Streth ordered. “If the Vindication or the Avenger have any problems with the jump, the cruisers will be waiting to assist them. We will jump last.”

“Passing on your orders, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied as she activated her mini-com to speak to the other ships. “Light cruisers will be jumping in five minutes. The Vindication and the Avenger will jump five minutes later.”

“Lieutenant Stalls, I want full sensor scans of the system up until the time we jump,” ordered Admiral Streth looking over at the scanning and sensor console. “That Hocklyn ship sent a message to someone, and I want to know if they’re still around.”

“Yes, sir,” Stalls reported as he looked sharply at his scanning and sensor screens. “Pushing out sensors to maximum range.”

“Communications, keep monitoring all frequencies,” the admiral continued. “If the message went out to another Hocklyn ship, they may send a reply.”

“I have all recording devices on, sir,” Lieutenant Trask reported from her communications console. “If they transmit anything, I’ll get it.”

“Cruisers jumping,” Colonel Sheen reported.

In front of the three undamaged light cruisers, blue-white vortexes appeared. In just a matter of a few minutes, the cruisers had entered the vortexes and were gone from the Stalor System.

“Vindication and Avenger are powering up their FTL drive cores. Jump in two more minutes,” Colonel Sheen reported as she watched the information coming across the plotting table. “Both cruisers report FTL drives functioning normally.”

Admiral Streth clenched his fist, hoping the two damaged cruisers would be able to make the jump. Jumps put a lot of stress on a ship. If they could make this first one, which was very short, then they should be able to make the other longer ones.

-

In front of each of the two cruisers, blue-white vortexes appeared. On board the Avenger, Commander Standel looked over at his waiting executive officer. “Take us in Bob.”

“Helm, move us into the vortex,” ordered Major Winfred bracing himself against the plotting table. Then adjusting his mini-com, he addressed the remaining crew. “Attention! We are about to attempt FTL insertion. Report any new damage or additional structural strain on the ship’s hull. Our repairs should hold without a problem, but everyone needs to be alert.”

Lieutenant’s Arcles and Barnes looked at each other, feeling the tension. Barnes gave Teena a reassuring look and a confident smile. Then, over the mini-com that connected the two, he spoke. “The hull’s been reinforced, and the major did a good job. This jump will be a piece of cake.”

“I hope so,” Teena replied with a weak smile.

-

Admiral Streth watched on the viewscreen as the two cruisers moved slowly into the vortexes and vanished. Only the StarStrike remained in the Stalor System. “Wait ten minutes and then we’ll jump. Keep sensors active and continue to monitor communications.”

The ten minutes passed slowly by, but nothing showed up on the long-range sensors and communications remained quiet. The only ship in the Stalor System was the StarStrike.

“Okay, jump us,” Admiral Streth finally ordered. He dare not wait any longer.

“Initiating jump countdown,” Colonel Sheen replied as she relayed orders over her mini-com.

In another minute, a blue-white vortex appeared in front of them. The helm officer used the ship’s sublight drive to maneuver the StarStrike into it, and moments later the battle cruiser had left the Stalor System far behind.

-

Three hours later, a nearly white vortex appeared in the Stalor System and a Hocklyn ship appeared. It paused and spent several long minutes scanning the system. Finally satisfied that no other ships were present, the ship began to move in system toward Stalor Four. It had come to investigate why its sister ship hadn’t sent any follow up messages. Very seldom did they encounter a race that could even damage a Hocklyn warship.

The commander of the Hocklyn ship knew that his fellow ship commander had encountered a space-traveling race in this system and had initiated contact as was dictated in their standard operating procedures. It was rare to come upon a race as advanced as this one apparently was.

In a short time, the Hocklyn ship was orbiting the volcanic moon of Stalor Four. From the fused debris in orbit, it was obvious that the other Hocklyn ship had been forced to activate its self-destruct system. That did not bode well. If these humans, as they called themselves, were powerful enough to destroy a Hocklyn support cruiser so easily, then it would take time to gather sufficient forces to subjugate their worlds. The Hocklyn commander gazed speculatively at the forward viewscreen. If it came to war, he looked forward to serving the empire as a warrior. There was no greater glory for a member of the Hocklyn race than to die in battle. It had been decades since they had fought a major war against another advanced civilization.

For an hour, the Hocklyn ship continued to circle the small volcanic moon. Its scanners and sensors searching for any clues the humans might have left as to their technology level. Finding nothing but fused and twisted wreckage, the commander finally gave the order to leave the vicinity of the moon. Activating its sublight drive, the ship began rapidly to pull away from the desolate moon. After reaching a safe distance, another white vortex formed, and the Hocklyn ship darted inside. It would take the ship nearly three weeks to get back to its fleet base with the information about the humans.

Thanks to the information furnished by the human negotiator, they knew where to find four of the human’s major colonies. Those four worlds would be added to the growing Hocklyn Slave Empire. The commander knew that his superiors would be extremely pleased with this information. It could result in an increase in his rank, and maybe even the command of a heavy war cruiser.

-

In a nearby star system, Admiral Streth looked over the latest reports from the Vindication and the Avenger. There had been no problems with the jump. Leaning back in his command chair, Hedon made a decision. He would send his three undamaged cruisers to rendezvous with the battle carrier Victory. While he didn’t think there was any immediate threat of a Hocklyn attack, he wanted to make sure the battle carrier had sufficient firepower to defend itself if necessary. The battle carrier and her escorts would continue to patrol this area of space, and keep a close watch over the other mining operations in this sector. Fortunately, none of those were out as far as Stalor Four.

The StarStrike would escort the two damaged cruisers back to New Providence. Once the two cruisers were safely berthed in the shipyard, then the StarStrike would return to the home system. Due to the amount of time a message took to travel from Stalor Four to the home system, Fleet Command wouldn’t know for over a day just what had happened in the Stalor System. Admiral Streth had to return home to tell his superiors in Fleet Command that he had probably just started an interstellar war.

Chapter Four

The StarStrike exited the blue-white vortex on the outskirts of the Holden System. The seven planet star system held the human inhabited world of New Providence. Nearly 1.8 billion people made New Providence their home. New Providence was a Tellus type planet with large oceans and forests. The entire planet was habitable except at the poles, where mile thick ice caps stayed frozen year round.

“One quarter sublight toward the inner system and New Providence,” ordered Admiral Streth, allowing himself to relax now that they had made it safely to the Holden system. “Send a message to the shipyard that we’re coming in with two heavily damaged ships.”

The shipyard already knew that and they were expecting them. He had sent them a message detailing the damage to the two cruisers before they had made their last jump. This message was just to let them know they had exited hyperspace and were inbound.

“I have a message from Admiral Flaxen,” reported Lieutenant Trask listening to the com traffic that was now directed at the StarStrike from the inner system.

“That was quick,” commented Colonel Sheen, looking over at the admiral. “They must really be watching their sensors to have spotted us this quickly.”

“I have three inbound light cruisers and two flights of Talons closing on our position,” Lieutenant Stalls reported with surprise in his voice as he watched his sensor and scanner screens. “They’re several million kilometers away but are closing rapidly. They must really be pushing their drives.” Stalls shook his head, realizing that their recent contact with the Hocklyns had already caused some significant changes in system security.

“Increased security already,” Colonel Sheen commented with a satisfied look upon her face. “That’s a good reaction time.”

“Cruiser Hydra is demanding our identification codes,” Trask continued as she received another message. This really surprised her. Very seldom did any ship request the top-secret ID codes.

“Send the codes,” ordered Admiral Streth, nodding to Lieutenant Trask. The codes were highly encrypted and verified by computer in order to maintain their security.

Hedon had known Admiral Flaxen for years. He was currently in charge of the huge Federation shipyard that orbited New Providence, as well as the system’s defenses. The admiral would have taken the potential Hocklyn threat extremely seriously. That was the type of officer he was.

“I’m picking up a dozen light cruisers covering all the close FTL jump points in the system,” Stalls continued as his sensors reached out scanning the entire Holden system. He was surprised by the number of cruisers he was picking up. Normally there were half that number in the system. “I’m also picking up a battle carrier and several destroyers in orbit above the shipyard.”

Admiral Streth nodded. Due to the gravity from the system’s sun and the seven planets, there were certain areas in the system that were prone to receive inbound ships. “What was in the admiral’s message?”

“He is instructing us to dock immediately with the shipyard. Repair bays four and seven have been opened to receive the Avenger and the Vindication. He also has a new load out of munitions for the StarStrike which has been authorized by Fleet Command on Tellus.”

“New munitions?” Colonel Sheen spoke confused looking over at the admiral. “I wonder what type of new munitions?”

Admiral Streth was quiet for a moment as he pondered her question. “The R&D group has supposedly developed some new missiles for deployment. The missiles have been stockpiled at the shipyards and the two fleet munitions depots. There has been no authorization from Fleet Command for actual deployment due to no threat to the Federation. I guess that’s changed now.”

“We have a twelve-hour flight inbound unless you want to do a micro-jump to move us in closer,” Colonel Sheen said looking down at her plotting table that currently showed the StarStrike’s current position in the system. They could have jumped in closer, but they had decided to be safe so as to put minimal stress on the hulls of the two damaged cruisers.

“No, that would put too much of a strain on the Avenger and the Vindication. We’ve got them this far, let’s make sure they can make it the rest of the way. I’m going to go get some rest. I imagine that Admiral Flaxen will have a lot of questions to ask once we get docked.”

Colonel Sheen nodded as she watched the admiral leave the Command Center. She felt extremely uneasy about the next few days. The incident with the Hocklyns really worried her. Amanda hoped Fleet Command wasn’t looking for a scapegoat. They had lost Senator Jacksom, returned with two heavily damaged cruisers, lost hundreds of lives, the mining operation had been nuked, and they had been forced to destroy the Hocklyn ship. There was enough there if someone wanted to go after the admiral. It wouldn’t be the Admiralty they would have to worry about, it would be the politicians!

As the StarStrike moved farther into the system, the cruiser Hydra and her two escorts rendezvoused with them. The three light cruisers took up screening positions around the battle cruiser and the two damaged ships she was bringing home. The six Talon fighters made close flybys of all three warships and then headed back to their respective cruisers to land.

“They’re really checking us out,” commented Lieutenant Stalls, seeing how close the Talons had come to the StarStrike. In normal times, they would have been warned off.

“I’m sure everyone’s curious as to what happened to us,” Colonel Sheen spoke, her eyes moving to the main viewscreen, which was now focused on one of the escorting cruisers. “Can’t say that I blame them.”

Colonel Sheen continued looking across the Command Center. The atmosphere was routine as everyone went about their jobs. She smiled to herself, pleased with how professional the crew was acting after what they had been through. She planned on turning the watch over to Major Trist in another four hours. A few good hours worth of sleep was definitely calling out to her. She would return to the Command Center an hour or two before they arrived at New Providence.

-

Reaching her quarters, Amanda took off her uniform and spent nearly twenty minutes taking a hot relaxing shower. She wondered if she would have time to take a trip to Aquaria before the StarStrike sortied back out from the massive fleet base in the home system. It would be nice to get to see her parents and perhaps even go diving with her father. If this issue with the Hocklyns turned into a full-scale war, it might be quite some time before she made it back home again.

Stepping out of the shower, she dried herself off and then stopped to look at herself in the full-length mirror. Her brunette hair was cut short, but still slightly longer than what a man's would be. Her deep blue eyes stared back at her, and she smiled. She knew that blue eyes on a brunette were rare, but she really liked her eyes. Her body was trim and fit. She ran her hands over her flat stomach and turned looking at her profile. Her figure was nice, and it curved in all the right places. She wasn’t overly endowed, but that was fine with her.

She sat down and brushed her hair. Once they arrived at the shipyard it might be a while before she got an opportunity to rest again. Rising, she put on her favorite nightshirt and lay down on her bed. Even here in her quarters, she could feel the gentle vibration of the ship’s sublight drives. In a few minutes, she was sound asleep.

-

Admiral Streth and Colonel Sheen were both back in the Command Center watching the massive shipyard grow larger on the main viewscreen. There were three large shipyards like this in the Federation. The largest was in orbit above Tellus in the home system. There was another in the system of Beltran, which held the planet Aquaria and of course this one.

“Have you identified the battle carrier that’s in orbit above the shipyard?”

“Yes, Admiral,” Lieutenant Stalls reported. “It’s the Liberty.” Stalls knew that the Liberty was the newest battle carrier in the fleet. It had only left the construction docks above Tellus in the last year.

“They must be using some of the Liberty’s escorts to cover the probable jump points,” Colonel Sheen commented as she watched the viewscreen. She knew that normally the system had only six light cruisers and a couple of destroyers assigned to it.

“I have Admiral Flaxen on the com,” reported Lieutenant Trask, turning toward the admiral. “He is requesting that the Avenger and the Vindication dock first. They have a team of inspectors from Tellus that want to examine the damage to both ships so they can learn more about the Hocklyn’s weapons.”

Admiral Streth flipped on his mini-com, which allowed him to talk to the other admiral. “Admiral Flaxen, this is Admiral Streth.”

“Good to hear your voice Hedon,” Flaxen’s friendly voice came over the com. “That was some bad business out there at Stalor Four. I knew when I heard that Senator Jacksom was involved something bad was going to happen. He screwed up the negotiations with the Hocklyns, didn’t he?”

“I can’t say what happened,” Hedon replied noncommittally. “Not until I report to Tellus and get debriefed.”

“I understand,” Flaxen responded knowingly. “I have been ordered to give you a full load out on new munitions. Once that’s been done, you’re to take the StarStrike and report to Fleet Command.”

“What type of munitions?” Hedon asked curiously. Were these the new ones he had heard so much about? The order to report to Fleet Command he had been expecting.

“You’re getting the new Devastator class missile, which carries a ten kiloton nuclear warhead.”

“Nuclear!” Hedon interrupted his eyes growing wide in surprise. Warships were not allowed to carry any type of nuclear weapons. His report of his encounter with the Hocklyns must have shaken Fleet Command as well as the civilian government to allow the deployment of such weapons so quickly.

“Yes, nuclear,” Flaxen replied in a more serious voice. “Only the battle carriers and the big battle cruisers will be so equipped. You’re also getting the new Hunter interceptor missile. Those should take down any enemy fighters you come across. You’re also getting some better armor piercing rounds for your main railguns. I will be sending some munitions experts over, and they will go with you to Tellus. Their job will be to train your tactical people on how to use these new weapons.”

“I will have our people ready to load the new munitions as soon as we dock,” Hedon replied. It sounded like the brass on Tellus was panicking some if they wanted the weapons loaded immediately. This could have been done just as easily at the shipyard above Tellus.

“Hedon, just between you and me, walk carefully back at Fleet Command,” Flaxen warned in a concerned voice. “The politicians will be hunting for someone to blame this debacle on. Don’t let it be you.”

“Thanks for the warning,” responded Hedon, knowing that Flaxen was genuinely concerned. He wasn’t looking forward to explaining his actions to the politicians either.

“If this comes down to a war between us and the Hocklyns, we will need all of our good admirals. You’re one of the best if not the best we have. We can’t lose you to the politicians.”

-

Six hours later, the StarStrike had been completely resupplied with all the basics as well as the new munitions. Major Trist had overseen the loading of the munitions and their proper storage in the ship’s magazines. The Avenger and Vindication were in the repair bays, and the experts were already looking at the damage caused by the Hocklyn weapons. All the wounded had been transferred over to the shipyard and the more severely wounded ones were in the process of being transferred down to the large civilian medical centers on the surface of New Providence.

“I guess it’s back to Tellus,” Colonel Sheen said quietly, looking over at the admiral who was sitting behind his command console.

The StarStrike was still docked to the shipyard, and the last of the ship’s hatches were in the process of being sealed. Amanda looked at a console next to the plotting table and saw a green light flash on, indicating that the ship was ready to depart.

“Take us out,” Admiral Streth ordered with a nod. “It’s time we learn what our fate is back on Tellus.”

“Release docking clamps,” ordered Colonel Sheen as she stood with her arms behind her back, looking at the crew. “Helm, back us out slowly and bring us around one hundred and eighty degrees. Communications, inform the station dock master that we’re departing. Ship is at Condition Four until further notice.”

“Dock clamps released,” Lieutenant Jenikens reported as he delicately maneuvered the large battle cruiser away from the station. “Initiating turn with station keeping thrusters. Sublight drive is available upon your command.”

“New Providence Station is acknowledging our departure,” Lieutenant Trask reported from Communications. “Admiral Flaxen sends his regards and wishes us a safe flight to Tellus.”

“Tell the admiral thank you, and we will see him next time around,” Hedon replied with a nod.

On the big viewscreen, the station slowly began to grow smaller as the StarStrike moved away on its station keeping thrusters. The view suddenly switched to the blue-white planet below. White clouds could be seen floating in the atmosphere, and the blue waters of the oceans seemed to beckon.

Seeing the oceans displayed so prominently made Amanda feel homesick for Aquaria. It had been months since her last leave. New Providence was the most heavily populated colony. Even so, great care had been taken not to upset the fragile ecology of the planet. Huge areas of the planet had been set aside for future generations and kept in its original pristine condition. You could fly over hundreds of kilometers of forests and mountains and not see a single road or any sign of human interference.

“Safe distance for sublight,” reported Lieutenant Stalls watching his short-range scanners.

“Take us out at twenty percent sublight until we reach the inner markers, then increase to seventy percent until we reach the outer ones,” Colonel Sheen ordered.

The inner markers indicated a space out to nearly one hundred thousand kilometers where ship speeds were restricted. The outer markers were at one million kilometers and indicated where a ship could initiate a FTL jump if it had permission from New Providence Station.

“We have permission for a FTL jump once we pass the outer markers,” spoke Admiral Streth, looking over at Navigation. “Plot a series of jumps to Tellus. Quickest route possible.”

“What do you think will happen once we reach Fleet Command?” Colonel Sheen asked as she approached the admiral. She knew that both the admiral and she would be required to testify as to what had happened with the Hocklyns.

“I don’t know,” replied Hedon letting out a deep breath. He folded his arms across his chest and gazed at his second in command. “We did nothing wrong Amanda, but the civilian government on Tellus is going to be highly upset no matter what. There could be a Hocklyn invasion fleet coming at any time.”

Colonel Sheen was silent for a moment. She knew the admiral was correct. Sometimes the civilians demanded their quota of blood when things went wrong, and they didn’t care where they got it. “The four members of Senator Jacksom’s party are being held on the shipyard. I wonder why?”

“I suspect Admiral Flaxen is giving us a chance to report first before he releases the politicians. That’s not going to make him really popular with the civilians back at Fleet Command.”

Colonel Sheen nodded and returned to her position next to the plotting table. As she waited for the ship to clear the inner markers, she shivered slightly. She hated dealing with politicians.

“Inner markers cleared,” Lieutenant Stalls reported as he watched his sensors.

“Engage sublight drive at seventy percent,” Colonel Sheen ordered.

The StarStrike leaped forward as she accelerated. Her drives tubes were glowing a bright blue as they pushed the battle cruiser to a speed of over ten thousand kilometers per second. Down in engineering, Major Stent hovered over his engineering crew like a mother hen. The noise in the engineering area had changed to a slightly higher pitch as the power to the sublight engines was increased. His eyes swept knowingly over the controls and consoles, and he nodded to himself. The sublight engines were working flawlessly.

Ten minutes later, they had cleared the outer markers and put enough additional distance between them and New Providence to where a jump was relatively safe.

“Initiating first jump,” Colonel Sheen reported as the navigation officer entered the FTL coordinates. “Jump in twenty seconds.”

A blue-white vortex formed in front of the StarStrike. The battle cruiser entered the vortex and vanished. They were on their way to Tellus to find out their fate and to warn the human race that they might be at war.

-

Hedon was on Maken visiting his brother and his brother’s wife. After a very thorough debriefing at Fleet Command on Tellus, Hedon had been told to take a two-week leave while the fleet admirals and the civilian government of the Federation decided how best to respond to the Hocklyn threat. The briefing had been long and extremely detailed.

The politicians had demanded to know if there was anything that could have been done to prevent the Hocklyns from breaking off negotiations. One of the main sticking points was why Admiral Streth had not been in the conference room when Senator Jacksom gave away the spatial locations of all four of the main colony worlds. When the debriefing was over, Hedon left with a sour taste in his mouth. He didn’t feel it had gone well. Several of the politicians were out to find a scapegoat, and they had already decided that Hedon fit the bill nicely.

Hedon and his brother were currently out at their favorite lake doing some fishing. Hedon found fishing to be extremely relaxing, and he loved the sport. It was just so seldom that he ever got to go anymore with his fleet duties taking up so much of his time.

“There are a lot of rumors going around about you and your fleet,” Taylor commented as he made a long cast, placing his lure just beneath a small overhanging branch next to the shore. It looked like a good place for a fish to be lurking.

“I’m not surprised,” Hedon replied as he slowly reeled his line in. He moved the tip of his rod up and down slightly so his lure would mimic a live bait fish. “There will probably be a lot more rumors floating around during the next few weeks.”

Taylor jiggled the tip of his rod slightly, making his top water lure bob and move slightly beneath the overhang. To a fish feeding in the depths, it would look like a large insect had jumped into the water and was trying to get safely back to the shore. “A marine friend of mine stationed on New Providence sent me a message that two of your fleet’s light cruisers are in the repair bays of the shipyard. He said they had been heavily damaged and had obviously been in some type of space battle.”

Hedon paused for a moment and looked over at his brother. Taylor was slightly slimmer and six years younger than Hedon. “That information is supposed to be classified. Your friend had better watch it. That information is extremely sensitive and shouldn’t be out.”

“So two of your cruisers were in a space battle,” Taylor continued with an I gotcha grin. “What happened?”

Hedon was silent for a long moment, his fishing momentarily forgotten. “Admiral Kinseth figured you would be asking. He gave me permission to tell you some of what happened, but you can’t mention it to Lendle or anyone else. If you do, your career will be over. Do you still want to know?”

Taylor hesitated for a brief moment. The marines were his life. Both Lendle and he had dedicated themselves to the service. But this was his older brother. “Yes, I need to know.”

Hedon reeled his line in and laid his rod down on the grassy bank. He sat down and picking up a small stone, tossed it in the water watching the ripples spread as it bounced. Taylor reeled in his line and came over and sat down next to him. For the next hour, Hedon told his brother what had happened with the Hocklyns and what the possible ramifications could be.

“Interstellar war!” Taylor breathed his gaze looking out over the calm water. “We finally find intelligent life and they attack us.”

“Unfortunately, they know where our four main colony worlds are, and we know very little about them other than they are highly aggressive,” Hedon added worriedly. “We aren’t in a very good tactical situation. Right now the Hocklyns hold all the cards.”

“Is there any chance this could have been a misunderstanding?” asked Taylor, rubbing his forehead with his right hand. “Are you certain the Hocklyns pose that big of a threat to the Federation?”

“Looking back at it now, there is no doubt that they are a danger. The whole trade routine was a ruse to get the spatial locations of our worlds. Once they had those, they attacked our warships hoping to gather more information. I don’t believe they would have acted that way if they didn’t have the fleet to back them up. No, the Hocklyns are coming, and we better be ready. They wanted the location of our worlds, and that’s exactly what they got.”

“All of our colony worlds have a defensive system around them,” Taylor reminded Hedon.

“One hundred and some odd defensive satellites won’t be enough to stop the Hocklyns,” said Hedon, grimacing and shaking his head sadly. “Those systems were designed to protect the planets against a small attack, not against a fleet. Plus, they’re an extremely old system. I doubt if all the satellites are still functional.”

“I still can’t believe we even built them,” continued Taylor watching a large snow-white bird fly low over the lake. He didn’t think the defensive satellites were even checked anymore. The colonies were more dependent on the fleet to protect them nowadays.

“The civilian government built the original defensive systems to make the colony worlds feel safer in the early years to help encourage colonization. For years, everyone was nervous about a first contact situation. Everyone expected to discover aliens at the next star system the fleet explored. When it never occurred, the fear began to abate. That’s why the systems are extremely basic. A few missile platforms and railgun satellites.”

“They might have to be upgraded considerably,” spoke Taylor wondering how many of them were still functional and how many would actually be needed to adequately defend a planet.

“They will be,” responded Hedon, looking across the lake. It seemed so calm and peaceful here. He let out a heavy sigh, wishing he could spend more time with his brother and Lendle.

“I wonder how the civilian government is going to respond to all of this?” asked Taylor, trying to imagine the discussions going on about the Hocklyns. He saw the white bird dive down and come back up with a small fish in its beak. “You’re not going to lose your Fleet Command over this, are you?”

“I hope not,” replied Hedon, letting a little frustration enter his voice. “I should know in a few more days.”

“They won’t dare do anything to you,” Taylor spoke with assurance. “You’re too valuable as a Fleet Commander.”

“Let’s go back to fishing,” urged Hedon, standing back up. “We can talk more about this later.” He picked up his rod and cast his lure back out on the water. Moments later, he saw his brother do the same.

-

Hedon was sitting out on the front porch of his brother’s cabin. His brother had purchased a small two-bedroom cabin on the shores of the lake to use when he and Lendle could manage an extended leave together. They were both based at the large marine training base on Maken and lived together on the base. The cabin made a nice relaxing get away, and Hedon was extremely grateful that they had it. Looking across the small lake, he watched as the sun began to sink beneath the distant horizon. The few small white clouds in the sky took on a dim reddish glow from the sun’s last fading rays of light.

“I like to watch the sunsets,” Lendle spoke softly as she stepped out on the porch smiling at Hedon. “It seems so peaceful out here. I enjoy the quiet and watching the occasional birds that nest around the lake.”

Hedon smiled and nodded his head in agreement. “Taylor and you made a good decision in buying this cabin. It’s nice to be able to get away from the hectic pace we live in every day.”

Lendle sat down in the chair next to Hedon. Lendle was trim and fit from her years in the marines. She was a captain in charge of teaching tactics to potential officer candidates at the base. Perhaps in a few more years, she would be ready to settle down and have a child or two. Hedon wouldn’t mind a few nieces or nephews.

“Supper tonight was great. I don’t know when the last time was that I ate so much. You’re a fantastic cook!”

Lendle smiled. She liked to cook, and the fish that Taylor and Hedon had brought back had made a perfect meal. “I’m glad you could come visit us. We don’t see one another often enough. I know your brother loves the time the two of you spend together.”

“I wish we could do this more often,” replied Hedon, enjoying just being able to relax and not worry about anything for a short while.

Taylor came out on the porch and sat down across from the other two. “I just got off the phone with General Matheson. Once we’re through with our leave, we are to report to Tellus for a briefing. We’re being transferred to New Providence for ninety days to step up their marine training program.”

“New Providence!” Lendle exclaimed, her dark eyes widening in surprise. “Why New Providence?”

“It was a special request from Admiral Flaxen. He wants the marines under his command to go through an intense sixty-day retraining course. He wants them prepared for actual combat, particularly his officers. He asked specifically for us.”

Lendle looked over at Hedon speculatively. She suspected this had something to do with why the StarStrike had returned unexpectedly to the Tellus System. She knew better than to ask. If Hedon wanted to talk about it, he would. “At least we have this time together. I’m planning something special in the morning for breakfast.”

Hedon nodded and didn’t add anything. Looking back at the last rays of the setting sun, he wondered what Amanda was doing. His second in command had gone to Aquaria to see her parents. He hoped she was enjoying her time away from the StarStrike.

-

Amanda and her father were beneath the ocean diving on a small reef near their home. They both held small diving lights and were watching the brightly colored schools of small fish that were swimming beneath them. Her father gestured and pointed his light off to the side. A large reef shark was gliding smoothly through the water. It was a good ten meters in length. Reef sharks were very docile and not a threat. Amanda felt a thrill at being in the water so close to such a majestic creature.

For another thirty minutes, the two continued to swim along the reef and then her father gestured toward his dive watch indicating that it was time to go back up. The two slowly ascended and upon reaching the surface, climbed into the small boat that was anchored there.

“That was great!” spoke Amanda grinning at her father. “It’s been years since I’ve seen a reef shark that large.”

“That one’s been hanging around this reef all summer,” her father replied with a satisfied smile. It wasn’t often he got to dive with his daughter anymore. Her career kept her visits brief and far between.

Amanda nodded her head in understanding. A reef shark was territorial, and this one had evidently picked this reef as its personal hunting grounds. The large shark had a small mouth and fed primarily on small fish.

“I’m just glad to be able to come home for a few days. It will be nice to spend some quality time with you and Mom.”

“Your mother’s preparing a special meal for tonight,” her father replied grinning. “She has been planning this ever since you called and told us you were coming home.”

Amanda could already feel hunger pangs. The food on the StarStrike was good, but it couldn’t compare to her mother’s home cooking.

-

Later that night, Amanda lay on her bed thinking about the future. She wished her parents lived on Tellus. The home system was so well defended that they would be safe there. Aquaria had its orbital defense satellites, but they were so antiquated she doubted that they would do any good. It would be up to the fleet to defend Aquaria. At least there was a shipyard in orbit, and it was heavily armed. There were normally a number of fleet vessels in the system going to and from the shipyard.

Amanda wondered how she could go about suggesting to her father that he should strengthen the large basement beneath the house and stock it with emergency supplies. She knew that she couldn’t mention anything about the Hocklyn threat to her father. Perhaps the best thing to do was to go purchase everything that her mom and dad would need to survive in case of an attack and put it in a storage building in town. When the government finally announced the Hocklyn threat, she could send them a message so they could go pick it up.

There was no doubt that when the government made their announcement of what had happened with the Hocklyns, there would be panic buying and it might become difficult or next to impossible to find needed supplies. One thing she would include were several military style heavy caliber assault rifles and plenty of ammunition. Her father was an avid hunter and wouldn’t have a problem handling the heavier weapons. He had also served in the marines for a few years when he was younger. She had a friend in town that could get the weapons she wanted with no questions asked.

-

Hedon was walking down the central corridor of Fleet Command on Tellus. Two heavily armed marines followed close behind. He had been called to Fleet Command for a final decision from Admiral Kinseth on whether he would keep his command or be busted down to a desk job. Hedon had no idea what the decision might be. He just hoped he would be allowed to remain on the StarStrike. A desk job was not something he saw or wanted in his future.

In his three days of debriefing, there had been three admirals and four civilian senators asking the questions. Some of the questioning had been extremely pointed, with one of the senators demanding to know if Hedon had attempted to start a war with an unknown race on purpose. Hedon had politely pointed out that Senator Jacksom had been in charge of the negotiations, and it had been Senator Jacksom that had revealed the locations of the four colony systems. That had shut the senator up, but there was no doubt in Hedon’s mind that nothing he could say could convince that particular senator that Senator Jacksom’s lack of discretion had caused the incident with the Hocklyn ship. One of the other senators had also been highly critical of Hedon’s handling of this first contact situation.

Hedon came to a stop in front of a large heavy door where two more marines were standing guard. One of the guards stepped over and opened the door, indicating for Hedon to enter. Going inside, he saw Admiral Kinseth sitting behind a large desk. Hedon instantly came to attention.

“At ease Admiral,” Admiral Kinseth said standing up. He indicated for the marines to leave so he could speak to Admiral Streth alone.

“It’s been a tough two weeks Admiral,” began Kinseth, motioning for Hedon to take a seat in front of the desk. “Several of the senators wanted your head, but I managed to convince them that we couldn’t remove one of our best admirals if this comes down to a shooting war.”

Hedon nodded, relieved that he was going to keep his command. “So what has the Federation government decided? Are we to prepare for war?”

“It took a lot of convincing,” Admiral Kinseth said, sitting back down. “There will be a two-pronged approach to this situation with the Hocklyns. An unarmed diplomatic ship will be stationed in each of the four colony systems. Each diplomatic ship will have a destroyer as an escort. If and when the Hocklyns show up, the civilian ship will contact them and try to initiate new negotiations.”

“I don’t think that will work,” commented Hedon, shaking his head in doubt and recalling how viciously the Hocklyns had attacked the cruisers. “I don’t think these Hocklyns want to talk. Their entire trade routine was a ruse. From the ferocity of their attack, I believe this is a race bent on conquest, and we’re next.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” admitted Admiral Kinseth, nodding his head in agreement. “That’s why I’m taking the following steps. All battle cruisers and battle carriers are putting into the shipyards for updating. We have a new composite armor that will be placed over the more vulnerable parts of a battle cruiser’s hull. We are also strengthening the energy shields with a new shield generator developed by our R&D department. We have had it for a few years, but didn’t see the need to install it in our ships until now.”

“How long will this take?” Hedon asked worriedly. He didn’t like the thought of all their first line ships being in the yards at the same time.

“Not long; less than two weeks. The StarStrike has already been updated. I didn’t see any reason not to update your ship while she was here. We are also reactivating all the old Monarch Class Cruisers that were mothballed ten years ago. They will be fully updated with modern weapons, armor, and shields.”

Hedon recalled those old cruisers. They were larger than a light cruiser and more heavily armored. “Those ships have been inactive for quite some time. Will they be that easy to reactivate?”

“There are twelve of them,” replied Kinseth opening a folder on his desk and glancing at it. “My yard people tell me it will take two to four months to modernize them and bring them back fully to active service. Those old cruisers will give us quite a bit more firepower if we need it.”

Admiral Streth was quiet for a moment as he watched Admiral Kinseth. He could see the worry in the admiral’s eyes. “I hope we have that much time.”

“So do I,” Kinseth replied with a serious look on his face. “We will be strengthening the old orbital defenses also. I just hope it will be enough.”

“The ship we fought against would blow right through those orbital defenses,” commented Hedon, recalling the energy weapons the Hocklyns had used against the light cruisers. “The only thing the orbital defenses might be good for is against their fighters and any missiles they might launch.”

“Several of our engineers and tacticians have suggested deploying larger satellites and missile platforms. We could place some Shrike missile platforms in orbit around the colonies. That might give their fleet pause to think before attacking one of our worlds.”

“Shrike missile platforms might work,” conceded Hedon nodding his head. “They have enough firepower to cause some damage. What worries me is the Hocklyn’s advantage in technology. Even in our brief encounter, it was obvious they had superior shields and weapons.”

“We know so little about the Hocklyn’s capabilities,” Admiral Kinseth spoke with a heavy frown. “You are to report to the StarStrike immediately. Your crew has been recalled, and you will be leaving the shipyard the day after tomorrow. I want your fleet to take up a defensive position in the New Providence System. The Victory is already en route and will be entering the shipyard’s main repair bay in the next day or so for updating. Your fleet will be augmented by four more destroyers as well as two more light cruisers. I am also assigning the Avenger to your fleet as well. Your fleet’s designation from now on will be First Fleet.”

“We will be ready, Admiral,” Hedon said, standing up. “The Hocklyns won’t get through us.”

“I pray that they don’t,” Admiral Kinseth said rising. He reached across his desk shook Hedon’s hand. “Our worlds are depending on the fleet, and we can’t let them down. I just hope that we’re wrong and the Hocklyns don’t attack.”

-

Hedon caught a shuttle back up to the massive orbiting shipyard above Tellus. The Tellus shipyard was the largest in the Federation. It held four self-contained construction bays capable of building new ships up to and including a 1,500-meter battle carrier. There were also eight repair bays and six additional docking ports for fleet ships. The shipyard stretched for kilometers. Hedon knew that the complete shipyard was nearly seven kilometers in length and three kilometers across. Nearly thirty thousand fleet personnel lived and worked in the shipyard every day.

As the shuttle approached the shipyard, he noticed that the StarStrike was docked to one of the anterior docking ports. His massive battle cruiser looked pristine and ready for battle. Even from here, he could see the armor looked darker where the new composite hull material had been added to strengthen the hull. He was surprised to see several full squadrons of Talon fighters on patrol around the shipyard. Hedon had a feeling that a heightened state of security had already been implemented at all the fleet’s facilities.

“We will be landing on the StarStrike shortly,” the pilot said, turning to look at Admiral Streth. The admiral was sitting directly behind the pilot in what would normally be the navigator’s position. This trip was so short that a navigator hadn’t been needed.

Hedon nodded his head and continued to study the massive shipyard. It gleamed brightly in the sunlight, and he could see a few of the station’s defensive batteries pointed out toward space. There was no doubt that the number of weapon batteries on the station would be increased substantially in the coming months. This shipyard would be Tellus’s main defense if the Hocklyns ever got this deep into the home system.

As he watched, the flight bay doors on the StarStrike slid open, and the shuttle banked toward it. The pilot was in communication with the flight operations officer in the flight bay. Moments later, the shuttle slid inside the large doors and landed in the cavernous bay.

“Good flight and landing Lieutenant,” Hedon spoke as he stood up.

“Thank you sir,” the pilot replied with a pleased smile. It wasn’t that often he got a thank you from an admiral.

Walking down the extended landing ramp, Hedon was met by Colonel Sheen. She had a relaxed look upon her face, and it was obvious to Hedon that her trip to see her parents had been well worth it. For that matter, his time off at his brother’s cabin had been a blessing. It had allowed him to put a lot of things in perspective as well as think about the best way to defend against a potential Hocklyn attack.

“Good to see you, sir,” Amanda said, pleased that the admiral was back on board the StarStrike. “We are ready to get underway as soon as you give the word.”

“How were your mom and dad?” Hedon asked. He had met Colonel Sheen’s father once at a fleet dinner.

“Great, sir,” Amanda replied, pleased that he had asked. “The trip home was just what I needed.”

“The entire crew got two weeks of R&R,” Hedon responded. “It may be the last we get for quite some time. Let’s go to the Command Center. We have a colony to defend.”

-

The StarStrike exited the blue-white vortex and was back once more in the New Providence System. They were instantly hailed by a light cruiser off their port bow. The cruiser was nearly two million kilometers away but had evidently been on high alert. This made Hedon smile. He knew that Admiral Flaxen was taking this threat extremely seriously.

“That was fast,” Colonel Sheen said, impressed as she looked at the plotting table, which showed the friendly green icon of the light cruiser.

“Once we reach New Providence, I plan on the two of us meeting with Admiral Flaxen. We need to discuss what needs to be done to strengthen this system’s defenses.”

The Victory arrived earlier today,” added Colonel Sheen, glancing at the admiral. “The Victory is already in one of the two construction bays beginning her refit.”

Hedon nodded. The battle carrier had arrived ahead of schedule. He wanted the battle carrier out of that construction bay as quickly as possible. “Contact Admiral Flaxen and tell him I would like to meet with him and his staff as soon as we’re docked.”

Colonel Sheen nodded and walked over to Communications. After talking briefly with Lieutenant Trask, the message was sent.

Hedon looked at the large central viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center. It currently showed nothing but a sea of stars. For the moment, everything was peaceful. The civilian populations of the six inhabited human worlds of the Federation didn’t know what danger lay in their future. The president of the Federation was going to make a speech in two more days to describe the potential threat from the Hocklyns. At the same time, he would assure the public that everything possible was being done to ensure that their lives would continue uninterrupted.

-

Far off in distant space, the Hocklyn Slave Empire was already starting to marshal its forces. In a small, nondescript solar system, a massive fleet military base was the gathering point for the planned attack against this new space faring race that had recently been discovered. Already the word had been spread that a new glorious war of conquest would soon be launched. It would take several months for word of the new war to spread across the thousands of light years of the massive slave empire.

First Leader Regith was standing rigidly at attention in front of Fleet Commodore Anglert. This was his fourth day of intense questioning about the loss of the support cruiser Daedem.

“From the reports sent from the Daedem, I still don’t see how those two human cruisers could destroy our ship,” the commodore spoke in a most displeased voice.

“The Daedem was not destroyed by the humans,” Regith replied in a respectful tone. “The ship was destroyed by its own self -destruct charges.”

“So it seems,” responded the commodore, taping his light green breastplate armor with the tip of one of his fingers. His eyes grew into slits as he gazed at First Leader Regith. “What threat could have caused First Leader Grethen to activate those charges and destroy his ship?”

“That is unknown,” Regith replied in a steady voice. “His ship was destroyed immediately after he sent the information on the location of four of the human colony worlds. He was going to attempt to disable the two human warships and board them. He felt their computers would hold additional information about their military forces. Also, by capturing the ships, we could learn more about their technology.”

“A mystery indeed,” Commodore Anglert spoke in an unsatisfied voice. “Evidently he failed in his attempt to disable the two human cruisers and had to destroy his own ship.”

The commodore didn’t like the fact that they had stumbled across a highly advanced civilization. Their lords and masters would expect the Hocklyns to neutralize this potential threat and bring these human worlds into the empire as soon as possible. There would be much glory and wealth for a few fortunate individuals. For others, there might be death. Most of the civilizations they came across were weak and easy conquests.

“You have done well bringing back this valuable information to the empire,” Anglert spoke in his rasping voice. “Your family will be amply rewarded after the human worlds are brought into the empire. Return to your ship until I have need of you again.”

After Regith left, Commodore Anglert walked over to the large reinforced glass window that looked out over the world they had constructed their fleet base upon. Outside snow and ice fell, and the wind howled. This was not a world that was hospitable to life. Even their reptilian species could only move about outside in environmental suits. It was not uncommon for the simple laborers to die from the dismal conditions upon the planet’s surface. Many of those laborers were slaves from conquered planets. Anglert felt no pity for them. They were replaceable. There were hundreds of billions of slaves in the empire.

For several minutes, Commodore Anglert gazed outside. He knew it would take several months to gather the fleet, and then more information would have to be gathered about these humans. Most importantly, where was their home world located? By studying the location of the four colonies they knew about, it should be possible to narrow the search parameters considerably. Idly, Commodore Anglert wondered if he should command the attack fleets. Four new worlds or more brought into the empire could bring tremendous wealth and prestige to his family for generations.

-

On board the massive shipyard that orbited New Providence, Admiral Streth and Colonel Sheen were meeting with Admiral Flaxen and his staff. Everyone was aware of the current situation. Now was the time to make plans for the future defense of the system.

“The Hocklyns currently only know about our light cruisers,” Colonel Sheen spoke to the assembled group. “It might be to our advantage to keep our heavy cruisers and battle carriers a secret for as long as possible.”

“That might be difficult,” Admiral Flaxen spoke his eyes narrowing slightly. “It won’t be easy to hide warships of their size. We also don’t know what the Hocklyn’s sensor range is.”

“We need to look at anything that might give us an advantage,” Admiral Streth spoke. “For the time being, we will assume that their sensor range is similar to ours. What kind of additional defenses can the shipyard be equipped with?”

“Ever since we heard about the possible Hocklyn threat, we have been running computer simulations on how best to defend the shipyard,” chief engineer Strickland replied. He had been on Admiral Flaxen’s staff for two years now.

“We have been using Ariel on the Avenger and Clarissa on the Vindication to help,” Admiral Flaxen added.

“Have the AIs been useful?” Admiral Streth asked curiously. It had never occurred to him to use the two AIs in such a manner.

“We currently have eighteen defensive turrets on the station and four Shrike missile pods,” Strickland continued. “Ariel and Clarissa have given us plans that include increasing the defensive turrets to ninety-six, adding twenty-four secondary offensive turrets, and twelve Shrike missile pods.”

“That’s a big increase in firepower,” Colonel Sheen said, amazed that the AIs had come up with those suggestions. The AIs continued to surprise her. She was beginning to think they might be more useful in this current situation than the StarStrike’s own computer.

“Not only that,” Admiral Flaxen spoke, arching his eyebrow. “They have suggested putting a ring of defensive platforms around the station. These would include an additional four Shrike missile platforms, twenty purely defensive platforms, and sixteen medium offensive rail gun platforms.”

“What about fighters?” Admiral Streth asked. The shipyard’s Talon fighters could be extremely useful in a fleet engagement. The fighters could be equipped with two medium missiles to be used against enemy capital ships.

“We can base ten full squadrons on the shipyard,” Admiral Flaxen informed Admiral Streth. “If we have time, we may be able to build two more flight bays on the aft side of the station that could hold an additional six squadrons.”

Admiral Streth nodded; everything so far sounded extremely good. He also had a few ideas of his own he wanted to run across Admiral Flaxen and his staff. This was going to be a long meeting.

-

After the meeting, Amanda was walking through the shipyard. Major Andrews had volunteered to show her around. Amanda had been on the shipyard several times, but had never had the opportunity to see much of it. Richard Andrews was a tall dark headed man with rich brown eyes. He was also Admiral Flaxen’s chief of staff.

“How long have you been on the station?” Amanda asked as they walked along a corridor that led to one of the repair bays.

“Almost three years,” Richard replied as they reached a large metal hatch. Richard entered a command code on the touch pad next to the hatch, and the large metal door swung open.

Stepping through, they walked along another short corridor, and after going through another hatch found themselves standing in one of the large construction bays. A Monarch Class Cruiser was currently in the bay being updated.

“So that’s a Monarch cruiser,” Amanda said looking at the large ship. She knew the cruiser was 800 meters long and 200 meters wide. When fully updated it would be a powerful addition to the fleet.

“That is the Crucible,” Richard informed Amanda pointing at the name of the ship on its bow.

Amanda gazed at the ship, noting numerous workers and construction robots swarming over the hull. The construction robots resembled giant spiders and could be programmed to do almost any construction job.

“How long before the refit is complete?”

“A little over two months,” replied Richard, wishing it could be done quicker. “We have to replace all of the hull armor and install completely new weapons systems. That’s just the beginning. We’re almost building a new warship.”

“What about the other Monarch cruiser we’re supposed to get. Is it here also?”

“Yes, it’s in the other construction bay. Both ships should be done with their refit about the same time.”

After asking a few more questions, Amanda followed Richard out of the bay, and they headed toward the station’s Command Center. The Command Center was located in the center of the massive station.

Stepping into the Command Center, Amanda was amazed at its size. As she gazed around, she could see dozens of consoles and screens scattered across the large room. The room was easily fifty meters across. There were a series of very large viewscreens on one wall. Looking at the screens, Amanda noticed that several screens were focused on the planet below. The others were focused into space. A few of the screens showed nothing but star scenes, and others showed different ships in orbit around the planet.

“We don’t only monitor our warships, we also keep track of all the civilian traffic in the system,” Richard explained. “Every ship that leaves the system must clear its flight with us. That way if a ship goes missing we know which ship it is, the time it should have taken for that ship to reach its destination, as well as its projected flight path.”

Looking around the large Command Center, Amanda noticed that everyone looked very professional in their jobs. She almost felt as if she was back on the battle cruiser in its Command Center, except this one was much larger.

“If the Hocklyns attack, the defense of this system will be coordinated from here. If they give us enough time, we will be a hard nut to crack.”

“I just hope they do give us the time,” replied Amanda, letting out a sigh. “We know so little about them.”

“We will learn more when and if they attack,” Richard replied in a confident tone. Then with a smile, he looked over at Amanda. “The officer’s mess is just down the corridor. Want to get a bite to eat? It’s been a long day.”

“Sounds great,” replied Amanda, realizing that she was ravenous. She hadn’t eaten since earlier that morning, and that had just been a quick snack.

The two went down the corridor and Amanda soon found herself enjoying a surprisingly good meal. Richard and she began talking, and she was pleasantly surprised to find out how much they had in common. He enjoyed traveling and loved to go diving. Amanda told him about her father’s house on Krall Island and the night dives he occasionally took her out on. For nearly an hour, they talked before Amanda informed Richard that she should get back to the StarStrike.

As she made her way back to the docking port, Amanda realized that Richard was someone she would like to get to know better. Perhaps over the coming months she might allow that to happen.

Chapter Five

Admiral Streth was in his quarters with Admiral Flaxen reviewing the latest readiness reports sent to him from Fleet Command. Admiral Kinseth was sending daily updates to the admirals of all four of the fleet’s battle cruisers in order to keep them apprised of current developments. It had been over six weeks since Hedon’s return from Stalor Four and already much had been accomplished. All four of the fleet’s powerful battle cruisers had been updated and redeployed. A battle cruiser and a fleet task force had been assigned to each colony system.

Of the fleet’s six battle carriers, three were still in the process of being updated and would be out of the shipyards in two more weeks. Two would be assigned to protect the home system, and one each would be assigned to the colony worlds. The Victory was due out of New Providence’s shipyard in two more days. That would significantly strengthen First Fleet.

“We’ve accomplished a lot in the past four weeks,” Admiral Flaxen commented from across the desk where he was sitting in a comfortable chair. “First Fleet is nearly at full strength; it just needs the Monarch cruisers. My yard chief tells me that the Crucible will be out of the construction bay in two more weeks.”

“That’s ahead of schedule,” Hedon commented, pleased at the news. The powerful Monarch cruiser would make a good addition to the fleet. “What about the Endeavor?”

“They’re having problems with the ship’s power grid,” Flaxen said with a frown crossing his face. “Looks as if we’re going to have to tear the mains out completely and rebuild. Probably a good four weeks before the ship’s finished.”

“Those two Monarchs will add a lot of firepower to the fleet,” commented Hedon, thinking about the numerous changes that had been made to the two ships. Heavier railgun batteries, Shrike missile pods, more missile tubes, better armor, and a much more powerful energy screen.

“They will be as good as new,” Flaxen promised confidently. “Those ships have been completely modernized and designed for battle.”

“Admiral Kinseth has deployed a screen of destroyers between the colonies and the Stalor System,” added Hedon, shaking his head. “He has ten destroyers jumping from one system to another keeping a watch out for any trace of Hocklyn ships.”

Admiral Flaxen leaned back and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. “The chances of the destroyers finding the Hocklyns before they attack us is slim. I would rather see those destroyers back here in the colonies where they could do some good.”

“I agree,” responded Hedon, standing up and stretching. “Those ships would be a lot more useful here, but I think the civilians in the home system are screaming about early warning. Fleet gave in to civilian pressure to deploy those destroyers.”

“Leave it to the civilians to interfere with the military,” Admiral Flaxen muttered with a grimace. “Have you managed to see your brother or his wife since they arrived on New Providence?”

“No, not yet,” Hedon replied. He had spoken briefly to his brother several times, but hadn’t managed to work it into his schedule to get down to the surface. “I’m going to catch a shuttle down to the surface today or tomorrow. We’re going to try to go out and eat if we can work the scheduling out.”

Admiral Flaxen stood. They were going to go on an inspection tour of the shipyard and discuss the possibility of mounting several heavy laser batteries above the construction bays. “Make sure you take the time, Hedon. Family is important, and I know you don’t get to see yours very often.”

-

Colonel Sheen was down in engineering arguing with Major Stent, the StarStrike’s chief engineer. He was stubbornly refusing to allow the shipyard’s engineers to make a minor modification to the sublight engines. This standoff had been going on for nearly an hour when Colonel Sheen had been called to come to engineering. Once there, the head engineer from the shipyard had patiently explained to her what they wanted to do. After listening to the engineer, Amanda called Major Stent over.

“The modification will increase the acceleration we can use in battle,” spoke Amanda, feeling irritated at Stent’s refusal to listen to reason.

“But it could potentially increase the instability in the drive system if used at high acceleration for too long,” countered Major Stent, shaking his head. He didn’t want anyone tampering with the ship’s drive systems. He had them fine-tuned to perfection. Hell, he could just listen to them and tell if they were operating properly. “What if the sublight drive fails in a battle due to the drive core becoming too unstable?”

“It won’t become unstable,” replied Amanda trying to be patient. “It’s been tested and already installed in other ships without a problem.”

Stent bit his lower lip, not pleased with what the colonel was wanting. He knew this modification had been approved. “How about this?” he proposed, glancing over at the waiting engineering team from the shipyard. “I’ll agree to allow them to make the modification if I can hardwire in a bypass to be used in case the drive core becomes unstable.”

Amanda thought about it for a moment. Stent’s request seemed reasonable. “Okay, I’ll agree to that if the engineers from the shipyard think it’s feasible. Let’s just get this done.”

After leaving engineering, Amanda made her way to the officer’s mess. It had been a long morning, and she still had to check requests for shore leave. While they were still in orbit above the shipyard, they were allowing the crew to take short leaves planet side. This was great for ship morale.

Picking up a sandwich and a glass of tea, Amanda made her way over to a corner table where she could relax for a few moments. She took a bite of the sandwich, following it with a sip of tea. Looking around the room, she noticed that there were only a few other fellow officers eating.

Reaching into her pocket, she read the com message she had received from her father the previous day. In it, he told her that he had gone to the storage unit she had stocked up with supplies and moved them all into the large basement beneath the house. A neighbor had come over, and the two of them were strengthening the basement as she had suggested. They had also installed a much heavier door at the top of the stairs. The neighbors name was Brennen. Amanda thought she could remember meeting the Brennens once on one of her visits home. They were an older couple close to the age of her parents. Mister Brennen had seemed very nice, and his wife had been very polite.

Looking down further in the message, she reread the part about her father thanking her for the weapons. She had managed to acquire two military assault rifles and 2,000 rounds of ammunition from a friend who had access to those types of weapons. It was illegal, but this was her family and she wanted to make sure they survived if the Hocklyns invaded. The military assault weapons should be able to penetrate Hocklyn body armor. She shuddered slightly, hoping her father never had to use those weapons.

At the end of the letter, there was a message from her mother telling Amanda how much they loved her and hoping everything turned out okay. She felt a tear in her eye and reached up with a napkin to wipe it away.

“Hope I’m not the one making you cry,” a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

Turning her head around, Amanda saw Major Andrews standing there with a big smile on his face. “Richard, what are you doing on the StarStrike? I thought you were going down to New Providence today.”

“That got changed to tomorrow. What’s in the letter? Bad news?”

“No, it’s from my parents back on Aquaria. I’m just really worried about them with this Hocklyn threat hanging over us. I don’t know when I will get to see them again. Guess I just miss them.”

“Can’t blame you there,” replied Richard sitting down. “My parents divorced when I was a kid. I haven’t seen my mom in years, and my dad is a miner. Last time I heard from him was nearly two years ago.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Amanda replied. She couldn’t imagine growing up without both of her parents. “What are you doing on the StarStrike?”

“Admiral Flaxen feels it would do me some good to spend some time on a warship. He thinks it will give me a better sense of perspective if this turns into a shooting war with the Hocklyns. Any chance you can give me a tour of the ship? I’ve been aboard the Victory some while we have been doing the refit. I know the StarStrike is similar in some ways and very different in others.”

“The StarStrike’s a lot different than a battle carrier,” Amanda responded with a grin. She took another bite of her sandwich washing it down with a sip of her tea. “The StarStrike is designed to engage enemy capital ships while the Victory supplies the air arm. The Victory can engage an enemy capital ship, but that’s only as a last resort.”

“We’re talking about installing some laser batteries on the shipyard. Ariel has suggested we install four turrets above the construction bays. With the power we have available on the shipyard, she thinks they could really do some damage.”

“The AIs are certainly becoming useful,” Amanda said with a nod of her head. “I’m starting to regret that we don’t have one on the StarStrike.”

“Why don’t you?” Richard asked curiously. “You would think Fleet Command would want the AIs on our most powerful ships.”

“Which is exactly why they aren’t,” countered Amanda, recalling the original argument over the AIs. “The AIs in an emergency can take complete control of their ship if the commanding officers become incapacitated. The civilians were nervous about this and only agreed to install six of the AIs on light cruisers as a trial. The trial is supposed to last two years. At the end of that time, a decision will be made as to whether to install the AIs on the rest of the fleet’s ships.”

“After working with Ariel and Clarissa, I think they’re making a big mistake in not doing it right now. The AIs could be invaluable if this develops into a shooting war.”

“Perhaps,” Amanda replied noncommittally. She didn’t know if she would feel comfortable with an AI in complete control of the StarStrike. “You said they want to install some laser batteries on the shipyard?”

“That’s what they have suggested. Do you mind if we look at the lasers on this ship? It will help to give me an idea of what’s going to be involved with installing something similar on the shipyard.”

Amanda quickly swallowed the last bite of her sandwich and downed the last two swallows of her tea. “No problem. We will have to go into the bow so I can show you how the system is installed. I think you will find it extremely interesting from a technical point of view. The only problem with lasers is that they’re a power hog. They consume tremendous amounts of energy every time they’re fired.”

“We’re installing two extra fusion reactors just for the lasers,” Richard explained. He had talked in depth to the two AIs about the power requirements for the lasers they’re proposing. “Ariel and Clarissa have assured us that will be plenty of power to operate the lasers.”

“Two fusion reactors should be sufficient,” agreed Amanda, her eyes widening at the thought of how much power that would be. “It should give the laser batteries an effective range of close to one hundred kilometers.”

“That’s what we were hoping for,” Richard said, standing up. He was really beginning to enjoy Amanda’s company. She was fun to be around and easy to talk to. She was also extremely intelligent. Richard could well understand why she had been chosen as executive officer of the StarStrike.

Amanda stood and motioned for Richard to follow her. Perhaps the afternoon was going to be more interesting than she had originally thought. She was pleased that she was going to be able to spend some more time with Richard.

-

The Avenger was far out in the outer reaches of the New Providence System. The light cruiser had been fully repaired, and Commander Standel had taken the ship out on a shakedown cruise.

“Everything seems to be functioning smoothly,” Ariel commented as she checked the ship’s systems. “Hull integrity is at one hundred percent, and all systems are functioning normally. I am detecting no strains or indications of any malfunctions. The Avenger is as good as new!”

“The shipyard seems to have done a fantastic job,” Major Winfred added as he studied the sensor and scanner screens above his head. The destroyer Astral was keeping pace with the light cruiser, staying fifty kilometers off the port bow. The friendly green icon that represented the destroyer was plainly visible on the plotting table.

“She seems like a new ship,” Commander Standel replied with a pleased grin, agreeing with Ariel. He could walk through the ship and find no traces of battle damage. The shipyard had done a remarkable job.

“We’re picking up something at extreme range,” Lieutenant Barnes said suddenly over his mini-com. “I have a vague sensor echo that I can’t identify.”

“Ariel, any idea what our sensors may be detecting?” asked Commander Standel, looking up at the long-range sensor screen above the plotting table.

“No, sir,” Ariel replied as she studied the sensor data. “The unknown contact is originating out near the comet ring. It may be a reflection off a comet or from a small cloud of ice crystals. It’s too far out to identify.”

“Should I increase the alert status?” asked Major Winfred, glancing over at Commander Standel. The ship was currently at Condition Three, which was a low alert level.

Commander Standel looked at the sensor screen for a long moment. It showed an extremely vague contact at extreme range. He could micro-jump the Avenger and the Astral out closer to the comet ring to investigate. That was probably the wisest course of action considering the impending Hocklyn threat. That contact could be a Hocklyn scout attempting to gain additional data on the New Providence System. He took a deep breath and gazed intently at the sensor screen.

He was just about to contact Admiral Streth and report the sensor reading when the contact vanished. “What happened?”

“It’s gone,” reported Lieutenant Barnes, working his console trying to get the contact to come back up. “Whatever was there isn’t being picked up on the sensors any longer. It must have been a false reading.”

“Very well, we will maintain this position for an hour to see if the sensors pick it up again,” replied Commander Standel looking over at Major Winfred. “Just to be safe, send a copy of our sensor readings to the StarStrike.”

“Yes, sir,” Major Winfred replied as he passed on the orders to Lieutenant Barnes and Lieutenant Arcles. Then turning back to the commander, he spoke. “If that is a ship out there, it could have gone behind an asteroid. There’s a lot of stuff out in the comet ring a ship could use to hide from our sensors.”

“Bob, take us to Condition Two. A practice battle drill will be good for the crew,” ordered Commander Standel, watching the large sensor screen above the plotting table. For some reason, that strange contact made him feel uneasy. His executive officer was correct. There were a lot of places out in the comet ring where a ship could hide.

-

An hour later, the Avenger went back to Condition Three and turned back toward New Providence. The Astral fell back behind the cruiser to practice trailing the larger ship in a support position. The sensor ghost had never made another appearance and Commander Standel felt relieved. It must have been a false reading after all. Those things happened on occasion.

-

Lieutenant Arcles was getting bored. Here they were in a heavily populated star system and the com traffic was almost dead. Com traffic had been restricted for the last several weeks as a safety precaution to prevent the Hocklyns from gathering any useful information about the colonies and the home system.

“Have you managed to visit your brother over on the Victory?” Lieutenant Barnes friendly voice came over the mini-com. He had set the com to a private channel so he and Teena could talk without being overheard.

“I spoke with him yesterday,” replied Teena turning to smile at Jacen. Their consoles were about five meters apart. “He’s been busy on the Victory training new pilots. He’s a squadron leader now and has been given a lot of added responsibilities.”

“Good for your brother,” replied Jacen grinning. “He’s doing well. But the two of you need to spend some time together.”

“I know,” Teena replied in agreement, letting out a long sigh. “He has some leave time scheduled for later this week. I need to speak to Major Winfred and see if I can swing a few days off.”

“We’re heading back to the shipyard shortly. I bet he will let you off ship for a few days. Especially since it’s your brother.”

“I hope so,” Teena replied somberly. “He’s the only family I have left.”

It was at that moment that a green light on her communications console started blinking. That meant an urgent message was coming in from command.

-

Deep inside the comet ring, the small Hocklyn scout cruiser had slipped behind a large rocky ball of ice. The scout cruiser had been observing the human system for almost three days. It had noted numerous cruiser size ships similar to the ones encountered at the human mining operation patrolling the system. There were also some smaller support ships as well. The ship’s sensors only reached into the system to the area of the fifth planet. To move in any closer might invite detection. This mission was all about stealth.

First Leader Rhyson was satisfied that he had discovered what was needed. The human’s heaviest warships were their cruisers, and those would pose no significant threat to the Hocklyn fleet. Numerous freighters and passenger ships leaving the system daily indicated a robust civilization. There were indications of mining operations on some of the other planets and moons of the system. This would be a good system to add to the empire.

First Leader Rhyson wished he could take his ship deeper into the system and scan the human colony world, but he dared not take the risk. The human’s cruisers would be able to detect his ship. It was best for his ship to stay inside the comet ring for another two days before heading for home. The First Leader knew his superiors would be extremely pleased with his report. If the other human colony systems were defended by these same size cruisers, then there would be no problem bringing all four worlds into the empire.

-

Commander Standel listened to his new orders with surprise. Admiral Streth was ordering him to take the Avenger and the Astral and probe out by the comet ring. There was some concern at New Providence that their sensor ghost could be a Hocklyn ship hiding in the ring. Two other cruisers were also being dispatched. He had approval from command to implement a micro-jump to the comet ring. This made him wonder if command had spotted something in the sensor information that he had missed.

He walked over to the plotting table, which currently showed the New Providence System. Reaching down, he entered some instructions on a small computer screen and the table changed to show an expanded view of the area of the comet ring where the sensor ghost had been spotted. He studied the displayed information for a moment before making a decision.

“I want to plot a micro-jump to these coordinates,” he said, pointing to an area a safe distance from the ring but close to where the sensor reading had briefly appeared.

“That’s about a half a million kilometers out from the comet ring,” commented Major Winfred looking at the indicated coordinates. “That’s pretty close. It might put a strain on our FTL drive. There could be a few small asteroids in that area.”

Standel was quiet for a moment as he calculated the risks. He didn’t want to put the Avenger back in the repair bay again. “I think we have to take the risk, Bob. If command’s suspicions are correct and we have a Hocklyn ship snooping around out there, this will put him within easy scanner range. He won’t be able to hide from us.”

“If it is a Hocklyn ship, what are our orders?”

Commander Standel was silent for a moment. “We don’t have time to get the civilian negotiating team out here. If they give us the chance, we will attempt to contact them. If they refuse to answer or try to escape, our orders are to attack and destroy.”

“We didn’t do so well the last time we engaged the Hocklyns,” Major Winfred reminded Commander Standel.

“The other two cruisers will be there shortly after we jump. We also have better screens and munitions than last time. Set up the jump. We need to find out for sure if anything is out there.”

Major Winfred quickly ordered the jump and passed the information over to the Astral. The cruiser would jump first and the Astral second. If there was a Hocklyn ship out there, this jump should take them by surprise. Winfred let out a long breath. He looked over the crew of the Command Center, knowing that they might be going into battle shortly. He could already sense an air of anticipation in the crew in the Command Center.

“I want both ships at Condition One,” ordered Commander Standel, taking a deep breath. “Have our two fighters ready in the flight bay. I want both of them launched as soon as we emerge from the vortex.”

“Yes, sir,” Major Winfred replied as he pressed a button on his console and activated his mini-com. Instantly, loud klaxons began sounding, calling the crew to action stations. “All crew go to Condition One, this is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill. We have a potential Hocklyn ship out in the comet ring. We have been ordered to investigate.”

-

First Leader Rhyson felt relieved with his ship now hidden safely behind the small asteroid. The ice and heavy metals in the asteroid would prevent his ship from being detected by the human’s sensors. He would wait a few hours and then peek back out to see if anything had changed in the system. He didn’t like playing this game of surveillance. He preferred open combat, but his superiors wanted additional intelligence on the human worlds. Anytime a human ship came too close, they retreated behind the asteroid to hide from the human’s sensors.

Turning command over to Cryles, his Second Leader, he retired to his quarters to get some rest. He expected the next few days to be uneventful. It might be necessary to schedule some battle drills for the crew. Hocklyns were expected to stay sharp both mentally and physically at all times.

-

The first warning that First Leader Rhyson had that something was wrong was when the red alert lights began flashing in his quarters. He hit the com button on his desk and demanded to know why the ship had gone on combat alert.

“Human fighters have found us,” Cryles replied evenly over the com. “I am already launching missiles to eliminate them.”

“I want flank speed to the sublight engines,” First Leader Rhyson ordered sharply, feeling concerned that the humans had taken them by surprise. Their sensors must be better than believed. “Power up the FTL drive. We jump as soon as we are safely out of this ring’s gravity well.” First Leader Rhyson stood up and charged out of his quarters heading toward the War Room. The mission had suddenly gone terribly wrong.

-

On board the Avenger, Commander Standel stared in surprise and apprehension at the readings coming back from the fighters.

“It’s confirmed, sir,” Lieutenant Barnes reported as he studied the sensor readings being transmitted back by the two fighters. “The ship is of Hocklyn design, and it was using that asteroid to shield itself from our sensors.”

“How large is it?” Major Winfred demanded, his eyes narrowing. “Can we take it?”

“It’s only two hundred meters in length,” Lieutenant Barnes reported. “Sensor readings indicate it’s heavily armed for a ship of that size.”

“An armed scout ship of some type,” spoke Commander Standel, looking over at his executive officer. “Give me flank speed on the sublight drive. We can’t let them get away. Lieutenant Arcles try to contact them. Tell them we wish to talk, and their ship will not be harmed.”

“Do you think they will respond?” Winfred asked, his eyes on the plotting table, which was now showing the two fighters as well as the Hocklyn ship. The fighters were rapidly closing on the Hocklyn’s position.

“I don’t know,” replied Standel, watching the main sensor screen and the fighters. “If their actions at Stalor Four are an example of their thinking, then I doubt it. Lieutenant Arcles, inform command that we have encountered a Hocklyn scout and are attempting to establish communication.”

“They have fired missiles at our fighters,” Barnes spoke in a concerned voice as a blinking red warning light lit up on his console. “The fighters are going evasive. The Hocklyn ship is starting to pull away from the asteroid. It looks as if they’re trying to escape.”

“That rules out talking,” Major Winfred said, his eyes narrowing. “Do we take them out?”

Commander Standel nodded. This didn’t surprise him. “I want our starboard Shrike missile pod ready to fire. As soon as we have a targeting solution, I want to hit them hard. Astral is to follow us in.”

The two human ships leaped forward as their sublight engines kicked into flank speed. Their drive tubes glowed a brilliant blue as they accelerated toward the Hocklyn vessel. A bright explosion suddenly lit up the asteroid ahead, briefly illuminating it.

“They got one of our fighters,” Lieutenant Barnes reported as the fighter icon vanished from his screen. “The second fighter has eluded the missile targeting it.”

“Order the other fighter back,” Commander Standel spoke through clenched teeth. A brave young pilot had just died. He planned on making the Hocklyns pay for that death.

-

The First Leader made it into the War Room just in time to see one of the human fighters vanish from the sensor screens. “Status!” he barked as he took his place at the command pedestal and looked with narrow eyes at Second Leader Cryles. This situation had gotten out of hand very quickly. The humans now knew they were here and would surmise what they had been doing.

“We took out one of their fighters with a missile. The second fighter is withdrawing. The two human ships are rapidly closing and will be within weapons range before we can safely jump.”

First Leader Rhyson let out a deep breath. He wondered where he had erred. The humans should not have been aware of his ship’s presence. This would not set well with the Hocklyn High Command. He could very well be stripped of his commission, and his family could lose status. The humans were not supposed to become aware of the surveillance.

There was only one response to this present situation from a warrior of the Hocklyn race. “Bring us about and target the human ships. We will attack the humans and show them what it means to face a Hocklyn warship. If we are to die, then we will die as warriors!”

-

“The Hocklyn ship is coming out from behind the asteroid,” Ariel spoke as she used the ship’s short-range scanners to gather information on the small scout ship. “I am detecting targeting systems going active. I believe they mean to attack.”

Commander Standel nodded at the AI. “They know they can’t get clear of the comet ring before we get within weapons range. We’re too close to them.”

“We have a targeting solution for the starboard Shrike pod,” Major Winfred said suddenly.

“Fire!” Standel ordered as Ariel switched the main viewscreen to show the approaching Hocklyn ship. “Hit them before they can hit us.”

The ship on the screen was remarkably similar to the one that had been in the Stalor System, only smaller. It was wedge shaped and bristling with weapons.

“Missiles away,” the weapons officer reported.

The Avenger shuddered slightly as twenty-four missiles blasted away from the ship. The missiles rapidly sped away from the Avenger, their targeting systems locking onto the Hocklyn scout.

“Target impact in twelve seconds,” Ariel reported as she used the ship’s short-range scanners to track the missiles. “Hocklyn vessel is launching missile interceptors. They are also firing their railguns.”

“Lock our heavy bow guns on their engines,” ordered Standel, watching the main sensor screen. “Load armor piercing rounds and begin firing. Astral is to lock on with all batteries and begin bombardment. I want that ship’s screen knocked down!”

“Railguns firing,” replied Major Winfred, bracing himself against the plotting table.

The Avenger shook as several of the Hocklyn rounds slammed home against her screen. One round penetrated and struck the ship’s armor, causing minor damage. A single red light appeared on the damage control board.

The twenty-four missiles of the Shrike attack quickly closed the gap between the two ships. Eight missiles vanished in small bright explosions as they were intercepted. The other sixteen slammed into the Hocklyn’s energy screen, knocking it down. The Hocklyn ship writhed under the onslaught as its hull was breached in numerous locations. Railgun rounds from the Avenger and Astral struck the hull, leaving gaping wounds.

-

First Leader Rhyson picked himself up from the deck of the War Room and looked around. Second Leader Cryles was dead. A displaced control console was lying across his body. Several other members of the War Room crew were also dead or severely wounded. Only a few still remained at their posts. The War Room was full of smoke and a small fire was raging over to one side where several consoles were burning.

Looking at the damage control board, First Leader Rhyson saw it was covered with red warning lights. The weapons were out, power was failing, and the jump drive had been destroyed. He tried to reach forward, but his right arm wouldn’t move. Looking down, he saw it was twisted at a sharp angle. With an angry snarl, he used his left hand to punch in a code on his command console. The humans might have destroyed his ship, but they would not retrieve any information from it. With a vicious grin, he pressed down the single red button on his console.

A moment later, the Hocklyn vessel exploded in a huge fireball, leaving nothing behind but fused and twisted wreckage.

-

“I believe they self-destructed,” Ariel spoke. “I am not detecting any active power sources.”

“The Hocklyn ship is a wreck,” Lieutenant Barnes confirmed. “My sensors are showing that the blast was caused by several nuclear explosions. We don’t have any nukes, so it had to be their self destruct mechanism.”

“I don’t think there are going to be any prisoners in this war,” Major Winfred spoke, gravely staring at the screen.

“I had hoped to capture that scout,” Commander Standel said with a heavy sigh of disappointment. “We could have gotten a lot of valuable intelligence from it.”

-

A few minutes later, the other two light cruisers arrived. Shuttles were quickly launched, and the wreck was cautiously approached. After careful scrutiny it was quickly determined that other than a few samples of hull material, there was nothing worth recovering.

“They aren’t afraid to die,” Major Winfred spoke as he listened to the shuttles report their lack of finding anything useful. “What type of race is it that destroys their ships and sacrifices their people like that?”

“We don’t know,” replied Commander Standel gravely as he watched the main viewscreen, which had one of the shuttles on it. “We don’t know anything about the Hocklyns other than what they look like and now two of their ship types.”

“Analysis of the battle reveals very little new information about the Hocklyns or their weapons,” Ariel reported. Her dark eyes gazed at the commander. “I did get some pretty decent scans of their missile interceptors as well as an estimated measurement of the ship’s energy shield strength.”

“That’s something at least,” spoke Commander Standel, folding his arms across his chest as he thought. “Let’s finish things up here and then head for home. I’m sure Admiral Streth will have a lot of questions about our engagement.”

-

Amanda and Richard had listened with rapt attention to the attack updates from the Avenger. They were both in the Command Center of the StarStrike. The communications officer of the light cruiser had transmitted a running commentary of the attack on the Hocklyn ship as well as live video. They continued to listen as the other two cruisers arrived and a search of the wreckage was begun.

“They’re not going to find much,” spoke Amanda, shaking her head in disappointment. “If those were nukes there won’t be much left of their ship.”

“What concerns me is that even their small ships are armed with nukes,” Major Trist commented with worry in his voice. He had been covering the Command Center while Admiral Streth and Colonel Sheen were away. When news of the supposed Hocklyn vessel had been reported, he had summoned Colonel Sheen to the Command Center.

“This is going to frighten a lot of people,” commented Richard, looking around the room. During the attack, the crew had gone about their jobs as if the brief battle had been an everyday occurrence.

“This incident will really worry my mother when she hears about this,” said Amanda, thinking about her parents back on Aquaria. From the actions of the Hocklyn scout, it made war seem inevitable. “This will bring the reality of the Hocklyn menace to everyone’s attention.”

Richard nodded. He couldn’t blame Amanda for being worried. Everyone should be.

-

Back on Aquaria, Amanda’s father looked around the basement beneath their home, feeling satisfied with what they had accomplished. Between him and Avery Brennen, a lot of changes had been made. The three rooms in the basement had been heavily reinforced. A number of heavy beams had been pounded into place to add more support to the ceiling, and new heavier doors had been installed at the entrances to the other two rooms. A series of batteries had been installed to furnish some power if the power grid was to fail. They also had a small emergency generator if needed. At least they would have lights.

A heavy wood door at the top of the stairs had two solid metal bolts that could be slid closed from the inside to prevent entry. The door was thick enough that Anson doubted if even a heavy rifle round could penetrate it. Two of the rooms had been made into bedrooms. In the main room, two of the walls were covered with shelves. All of these were packed with the supplies that Amanda had placed in the storage unit. There was enough food to last four people for a good six months or more. Several sofas, his favorite recliner, a few other chairs, and furniture made the room seem almost comfortable. If they had to stay down here, it wouldn’t be too bad.

Anson looked around the basement and then his eyes focused on the locked metal gun cabinet on the far wall. It contained the two military assault rifles that Amanda had managed to procure along with .ammunition for the two weapons. He had his own hunting rifles and a shotgun upstairs. Most of the ammunition for those was also in the gun cabinet. Letting out a deep sigh, he prayed that he would never need to open that gun cabinet to get the assault rifles. He also said a short prayer that his daughter would stay safe and would someday return home.

“Are you ready to eat?” his wife asked from the top of the stairs where she was watching her husband.

All this work down in the basement made her nervous. Anson had explained why it had to be done, but it still made her feel uncomfortable. Ever since the Federation president had explained the potential Hocklyn threat, Anson had been down here working in the basement. Sometimes their closest neighbor Avery Brennen and his wife would come over. While the two men worked down in the basement, the two women would busy themselves baking or talking about how hard it had become to buy things in town.

“I’m almost finished for today,” Anson replied as he placed the last two packages up on a shelf. Each shelf was labeled with what was setting on it. Amanda had done an excellent job picking out what they would require if these mysterious aliens invaded. Anson hoped none of the supplies in the basement would be needed. “I’m coming up, and I’m starving.”

“I baked a pie for tonight,” his wife replied smiling. Once Anson was back upstairs, she could shut the door to the basement and forget about what it meant.

-

Admiral Streth was down on the surface of New Providence at the large marine base just outside of the capital city of Ashton. Ashton had a population of nearly six million and was the largest metropolitan center on the planet. Hedon had taken a shuttle down to the base to meet with General Allister, commander of the base and the highest ranking marine officer on the planet. Admiral Flaxen had also come along since some of what they would be discussing would involve the defenses they were putting in place above the planet. Hedon had also invited Senator Tarn Glason to attend the meeting. Senator Glason was the senior senator in the New Providence government and was also one of the six senators currently sitting on the Federation Council.

Admiral Streth and Admiral Flaxen walked down the ramp of the shuttle and were pleasantly surprised to see a company of marines dressed out in full dress uniforms standing at attention in front of them. General Allister was standing at the bottom of the ramp with several of his senior officers.

“Welcome to Fort Ashton,” spoke General Allister, saluting the two admirals.

“At ease, General,” Admiral Streth replied with a friendly smile. “Your marines look excellent. That’s a fine looking group of men and women you have there.”

“Thank you, sir,” General Allister replied, pleased with the comment. He had heard a lot of good things about Admiral Streth. He just hoped they were all true. “I have a vehicle for us, and Senator Glason is waiting in the base’s main conference room.”

“Let’s not keep the senator waiting,” Admiral Streth responded. He had met the senator on several occasions, and the man seemed to be a level headed individual for a politician.

Before entering the vehicle, Admiral Streth paused and saluted the assembled marines. “Yes, a very good group,” he said as he got into the vehicle.

A few minutes later, they walked into the main conference room where Senator Glason and several other politicians were waiting. Hedon noticed that several of the men had agitated looks upon their faces, probably from having to wait. Senator Glason rose from his chair and took several steps toward Hedon, reaching out and shaking his hand. The senator was in his late fifties and his hair, while still thick, was entirely gray.

“It’s good to finally get to sit down and talk to you,” Senator Glason spoke in a firm yet friendly voice. “I know you have been busy getting the fleet ready and everything, but I think it’s important for us to get together and discuss the direction the defense of this planet is headed.”

“I agree,” replied Hedon, hoping he wasn’t going to get into an argument with the senator. Since Senator Glason was on the Federation Council, he was technically Hedon’s superior.

“I want to know what happened with this supposed Hocklyn scout ship your fleet destroyed today. Why did you destroy it, and why wasn’t I notified when you realized there was a Hocklyn ship in our system?”

Everyone took their respective seats, and Hedon turned to face the senator. He didn’t sound too happy about being kept in the dark. This wasn’t how Hedon had wanted to start this meeting. He wondered how the senator had found out so quickly about the scout ship. That information hadn’t been released yet.

“We didn’t know until the last minute that it was actually a Hocklyn ship,” Hedon began in a calm, straight forward voice. “The cruiser Avenger and the destroyer Astral were conducting routine maneuvers and system surveillance when they detected what they thought was a ghost echo out in the area of the comet ring.” For the next few minutes, Hedon described in detail exactly what had happened.

“They attacked us for no reason?” Senator Glason asked after listening to the admiral. “You say they destroyed one of our fighters with a missile?”

“Yes, Senator,” Hedon replied. “We tried to initiate communications with the Hocklyns. The Hocklyns made no attempt to reply to our requests to talk. They launched two interceptor missiles at our fighters as soon as they were detected, destroying one. We were fortunate not to lose both of them.”

“Very unfortunate that we lost even one,” replied Senator Glason, shaking his head sadly. “As you know the Federation Council, under advice from President Timmons, has recommended that we use a civilian ship to attempt to communicate with the Hocklyns.” The senator’s face took on an extremely serious look. “Do you think the Hocklyns will fire upon our negotiating ship?”

Hedon was silent for a moment before answering. “I’m not sure, but from their previous actions I think the odds are fairly good that they might.”

Senator Glason nodded his head as if agreeing with the admiral. “Then we need to think of a way to avoid that. It was originally suggested by President Timmons that we meet the Hocklyns with a negotiating team on a civilian ship escorted by a single destroyer. Do you agree with that, Admiral?”

“No, sir, I do not. I would recommend attempting contact with at least two to three cruisers accompanying the civilian ship. This might cause the Hocklyns to pause long enough to allow us to establish communications.”

“I agree,” Senator Glason responded. “Particularly since I plan on being on board that civilian ship. Now let’s discuss what we need to defend this planet if the meeting goes sour.”

-

For the next hour, Admiral Streth and Admiral Flaxen described their plans for the active fleet units in the New Providence System, as well as the offensive and defensive modifications being done to the shipyard.

“Sounds as if you have thought this out very thoroughly,” Senator Glason spoke approvingly.

“We are also adding more defensive satellites and platforms to the orbital defensive grid,” Admiral Flaxen added. “If we have the time, we plan on putting two hundred small railgun satellites in orbit, twenty heavy rail gun satellites, and ten Shrike missile platforms.”

“Can these stop a Hocklyn fleet?” Senator Glason asked.

“We might be able to stop or damage their smaller ships,” Admiral Flaxen replied. “The main purpose of the defense grid will be to take out any of their fighters or missiles that get close to the planet.”

Senator Glason nodded in understanding. “What about here on the planet?” he asked, turning to General Allister. “What if these Hocklyns get past the fleet and land an invasion force? How do you plan on dealing with that threat?”

“We are strengthening several of our underground installations as well as building seven new ones,” General Allister replied. He stood up and walked over to a large map of the planet on the wall. “We will have ten defense centers scattered across the planet well away from the cities. Each one will be staffed with 2,500 marines plus support personnel. These centers will be responsible for coordinating all military operations within their jurisdiction.” General Allister went on describing his other contingency plans if the Hocklyns managed to land a large invasion force.

After listening to the general, Senator Glason stood up and with a serious look on his face, began to speak. “We have no idea how serious this Hocklyn threat may be. Our preparations may well be overkill. Their threat may be minor. The problem is we just don’t know. Admiral Streth, Admiral Flaxen, and General Allister, I want you to do whatever you think is necessary to defend this planet. If you need something, let me know and I will see that you get it. There are 1.8 billion people on this planet, and I will not put their safety in danger for political reasons. The only thing that I ask is that you keep me informed of what’s going on, particularly incidents like today.”

“You will be, Senator,” Admiral Streth promised. He felt relieved to meet a senator that sounded reasonable. He knew there were others, but many times the outspoken ones were more like Senator Jacksom had been.

The senator and his party left the meeting and the two admirals and General Allister spent another two hours going over the finer details of the planet’s defense. When they were finally finished, all three felt as if they had mapped out a reasonable plan that should keep the planet safe. It was certainly a step in the right direction.

“This should work unless the Hocklyns attack in overwhelming force,” commented Admiral Flaxen, leaning back in his chair and stretching.

“That’s what worries me,” Admiral Streth spoke with a heavy frown. “General Allister, what kind of preparations have you made to protect the civilians if we were to be attacked by an overwhelming force that could land large numbers of enemy troops on the planet?”

General Allister was silent for a moment. This was something he had given a lot of thought to. “We have been discussing building bunkers for people in some of the deeper mines and caves. This would be a last resort. But it would protect part of the planet’s population.”

“How many?” Hedon asked. He doubted that all the planet's 1.8 billion people could be put underground.

“Around 200,000,” General Allister confessed. “More than that isn’t practical. The rest will have to take shelter in basements, storm shelters, and whatever other protection they can find until the enemy forces are dealt with.”

“Hopefully that will not be necessary,” Admiral Flaxen commented. If it was, then that would mean that the shipyard was gone as well as the fleet. There would be no hope of rescue for the civilians.

-

Later that evening, Hedon was enjoying a late evening meal with his brother and sister-in-law at their quarters on the base.

“How’s the training going?” he asked as he took a long sip of tea. Lendle could certainly make a good glass of tea.

“Great so far,” Taylor replied as he used his knife to cut a generous slice off the steak he was eating. “General Allister has made it extremely clear to all of his officers that he expects them to excel in this training.”

“We have some war games scheduled for next week,” Lendle commented. “We will see then how well they have understood their tactical training.”

She frowned at Taylor. She didn’t know how many times she had told him not to eat such large slices of steak. For a moment, she thought about kicking him under the table, but then she reminded herself that Hedon was Taylor’s brother and knew how he ate.

“General Allister has also asked us to stay on for an additional month or two and help set up the defenses around several of his new defense centers,” Taylor added. “He wants our suggestions on air defenses as well as ground defenses.”

Hedon leaned back and patted his stomach. “That steak was excellent, Lendle. That’s the best one I’ve had in months.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a pleased smile. Taylor seldom commented on her cooking. He could shovel it down so she knew her husband liked it. She just wished he would say so every once in a while.

“I hope we have another month or two,” Hedon spoke, a trace of worry in his eyes. He went on to tell Taylor and Lendle about the Hocklyn scout ship the Avenger and Astral had destroyed.

The two were quiet for a moment, and then Lendle stood up and started gathering up the dishes and carrying them to the sink to wash later. “Sounds as if we might need to rush the training some.”

“Do you think the Hocklyns will land troops?” Taylor asked.

Hedon stood up and carried his plate over to the sink. Turning back around, he looked at his brother. “I hope not. That would mean that they have managed to break through the fleet and the defenses we are placing around New Providence.”

Lendle came back over and sat down. “There are only 120,000 marines on the entire planet. They’re spread pretty thin.”

“We’re setting up some rapid deployment forces,” continued Taylor, nodding at his wife. “We should be able to get a sizable force to any location on the planet within an hour.”

Hendon nodded. He looked down at the table and then back up. “When all this is over, we need to go to your cabin on the lake. I think all three of us are going to need some vacation time.”

Lendle smiled. “We have some friends that are taking care of the cabin for us. I really miss watching the sunsets from the porch.”

Taylor nodded in agreement and then looked over at Lendle. “What’s for dessert?”

Lendle just laughed. She should have known what he was about to say. Fortunately, she had fixed a special dessert since she had known earlier that Hedon was coming over.

Hedon watched his brother and sister-in-law. Sometimes he regretted that he had chosen the fleet over family. He was thankful that these two had not done the same.

Chapter Six

It was early afternoon, and Admiral Streth was once more down on the planet. The shuttle he was in was flying over a heavily forested area with towering mountains in the distance. Hedon let out a deep sigh seeing how peaceful everything looked. The distant mountain peaks were covered in snow, which was a marked contrast to the green forest below them.

“Some of those trees below us are over one hundred meters tall,” General Allister spoke with a smile. “We have several training areas located in these forests. I can still remember doing my weeklong survival drill in a forest like this one. In some areas, the canopy from the trees almost blocks out the sunlight completely.”

“I’m glad so many areas on New Providence have been preserved in their natural state,” Hedon replied, still gazing out the cockpit window at the trees below. “I think there are more wildlife and nature areas on New Providence than any of the other three colonies.”

“It’s a lesson we learned from Tellus,” replied General Allister, recalling some of the vids he had seen of the rampant pollution in Tellus’s earlier years. “There are very few areas on the entire planet that have remained untouched. Even today, some sections of the oceans on Tellus have very little sea life. The planet is recovering, but I don’t know if it will ever be as pristine as it once was.”

“That’s what happens when you put almost six billion people on a planet,” Hedon said with a sigh, glancing over at the general. “That’s one reason why I wish we were doing more exploring. There will come a day when we will want new planets to settle.”

“I believe you’re right, Admiral,” said General Allister, nodding his head in agreement. “We must be careful not to overpopulate the worlds we have now.”

“If the Hocklyns don’t screw everything up,” Hedon added with a worried grimace.

“I think you will be impressed by our newest base,” General Allister continued. “It will be the central command base for our military.”

“I just wish all of this wasn’t necessary,” Hedon replied somberly. “We are spending trillions of credits across the Federation on a defense we may or may not need. We don’t know how large a fleet the Hocklyns have.”

“We have no choice,” responded General Allister, shaking his head. He agreed that a lot of money being spent on the military could have been used on other projects across the colonies and the home system. “Since the news of what happened on Stalor Four has been broadcast across the Federation, the people on every planet are demanding that planetary defenses be strengthened. I saw the broadcast of the nuclear strike on the mining operation. Everyone did. No one wants that to happen to their world.”

“I know,” responded Hedon looking over at the general. “I realize we have to do this. I firmly believe the Hocklyns are coming. But a war is something everyone in the fleet is taught to prevent. Even at the fleet academy, the cadets are taught methods on how to prevent a war without resorting to force. Sometimes just the threat of force is enough to cool things down.”

“Same in the marines,” conceded General Allister, nodding his head in agreement. “Many of our drills involve the use of nonlethal force. We teach our marines that the use of deadly force should be a last resort.”

The shuttle began to arrow downward as it neared a large mountain. The area around the mountain was extremely rugged, and there were no visible roads. This was untouched wilderness.

A massive hangar door concealed in a dark cliff face slid open, revealing a shadowy interior. The shuttle slowed and then vanished inside. The massive door slid back shut, and the cliff wall looked as if nothing unusual had happened. Once inside, the shuttle landed smoothly without a jar.

“We’re down,” the pilot reported. “I’m opening the ramp.”

A few moments later, General Allister and Admiral Streth walked down the ramp of the shuttle and came to a surprised stop at what was awaiting them. Two full companies of marines were standing at attention in their dress uniforms. A major and two captains were standing off to one side.

“Marines ready for inspection, sir!” the major spoke in a loud and commanding voice.

“At ease, Major Jessup,” General Allister replied with a smile. “This is Admiral Streth. Let’s inspect your people.”

“Yes, sir,” responded Jessup, indicating for General Allister and Admiral Streth to begin the inspection. He was proud of his people, and he knew the two military leaders would be impressed as well.

General Allister, Admiral Streth, Major Jessup, and the two captains walked slowly along the four deep formation of marines.

Hedon was highly impressed. They all looked professional and extremely well trained. They stood at attention, their eyes front, and their faces unmoving. He noticed there were almost an equal number of young men and women.

“Very impressive group,” spoke Hedon, making sure he said it loud enough so many of the marines could hear. He thought he noticed a few small smiles break out on several of the marine’s faces, to quickly vanish.

“Yes, a very good group,” agreed General Allister, nodding toward Major Jessup.

“We have had some good help recently with training,” Major Jessup commented as they reached the end of the line where two other officers were standing. “I believe you know these two, Admiral.”

Hedon looked at the two marines indicated, and his face broke out into a broad smile. His brother Taylor and sister-in-law Lendle stood there at attention.

“At ease,” spoke Hedon reaching out, shaking Taylor’s hand and giving Lendle a brief hug. “I didn’t know you two were working here.”

“They have been helping to train the marines that will be staffing this base, as well as giving us advice on the defensive systems that will be protecting this facility,” Major Jessup explained. He could plainly see a physical resemblance between Admiral Streth and his brother. It was quite obvious they were related.

“Let’s inspect the base and I can explain what our plans are for this facility,” suggested General Allister, gesturing toward another large open door over to one side of the landing bay. “Major Streth, if you and Captain Streth will accompany us, we will explain to the admiral just what we are planning.”

A few minutes later, they passed through the large open door into another large bay. This one was nearly one hundred meters across. Setting in three long rows were twenty Talon space fighters, twenty Anlon class bombers, and ten heavy assault shuttles. The bombers were two-seaters and could operate in space as well as above a planet’s surface. They were capable of carrying missiles as well as bombs. There was a small 30 mm turret on the bottom of the hull as well as another directly behind the flight canopy. In addition, there were two 30 mm cannons in the nose.

“Impressive,” commented Hedon, gazing at the fighters and bombers. This would give the facility a heavy strike capability. He would hate to be on the receiving end of one of the bombers' attack runs.

“They will be used to support ground operations if necessary,” explained Taylor, looking over at his brother. “The bombers will be used primarily to take out heavy ground targets or troop concentrations, while the Talons will protect the bombers from any Hocklyn fighters.”

“How many marines do you have here at the base?” asked Hedon, glancing over at Major Jessup.

“Only about five hundred at the moment, as well as several thousand construction personnel,” Jessup answered. “We still need about two more weeks to finish up the base. Then the rest of the marines will be brought in. When finished, we will have three thousand marines based here as well as nearly four thousand support personnel.”

“Why so many?” asked Hedon, looking inquiringly at Major Jessup. “That seems like an awful lot of support personnel.”

“For a worst case scenario,” Lendle answered, her eyes focusing on Hedon. “If the Hocklyns manage to take over the planet or drop nukes there will be enough personnel in this base to start over as well as to continue the fight. Some of the support personnel will have their families here also.”

Hedon was quiet for a long moment, thinking about what Lendle had just said. He prayed that the worst case scenario didn’t happen. If it did, then a lot of people would have died.

“What about your other bases?” asked Hedon, gazing at General Allister. “Are they being set up the same way?”

“Some of them,” the general responded in a serious voice. “There will be three other bases besides this one that will have extra support personnel, as well as civilian families inside. We are also setting up two facilities in two of the planet’s deeper cave systems, which will house close to twenty-five thousand civilians each. Each facility will have five hundred marines to protect them. The facilities will be completely self-sufficient. If the Hocklyns take the planet, the marines have instructions to blow the entrances and seal themselves in. When the war with the Hocklyns is over, we will dig them back out.”

Hedon nodded his head in understanding. It was obvious that General Allister was preparing for the worst case scenario. If that happened, then Hedon knew he wouldn’t be around. If the worst case scenario occurred, then that would mean that the fleet had been destroyed.

“Let’s tour the rest of the base,” suggested Hedon, gesturing toward the door that led deeper into the mountain. “I am curious to see what else you have done as well as your defenses.”

It took them a few minutes to reach the Command Center of the base. They had to go through several checkpoints and a number of heavily reinforced blast doors. In some ways, it reminded Hedon of the Command Center in the StarStrike, except this one was twice the size and numerous viewscreens covered the walls. The screens had views of the planet as seen from space, as well as important cities and facilities.

“We can see everything that is going on anywhere on the planet from here,” explained Taylor gesturing toward the screens on the walls. “Everything is real time and is being transmitted on secure channels that the Hocklyns shouldn’t be able to intercept.”

“What about defenses?” Hedon asked. “What happens if the Hocklyns find the base?”

Pointing to another screen, an interceptor missile battery could be seen. “We have forty-four heavy interceptor missile batteries surrounding the mountain as well as sixty twin 30 mm defensive railguns. The entire mountain is surrounded with automated heavy weapons emplacements to defend against enemy troops. The majority of the installation is deep enough that not even a nuke will be able to take it out. Of course, our biggest defense will be making sure the Hocklyns never find this base. All the weapons emplacements are camouflaged, and you could walk right past one and not know it’s there. We’re in the middle of the largest wilderness area on the planet.”

“What type of interceptor missiles are you using?” asked Hedon, looking at the screen with the missile battery on it. The missile looked familiar.

“Hunters,” Major Jessup replied. “They have been modified to be used from a ground based missile launcher. Each battery has four and they can be targeted individually.”

“Anything else?” Hedon asked. It looked as if they had thought of nearly everything. “What about a Hocklyn ship in near orbit just pounding the mountain with railgun fire?”

“We have a special surprise for the Hocklyns if that were to happen,” Taylor responded with a wolfish grin. He walked over to a console and talked to the technician who was sitting in front of it. The view on two of the screens changed showing two more weapon systems.

“We have four heavy laser turrets hidden around the mountain,” Taylor began. “These can hit any target up to three hundred kilometers above us.”

“Three hundred kilometers!” Hedon spoke his eyes growing wide as he gazed at the large laser turret on the screen. The lasers on the StarStrike could only reach seventy-five kilometers. “How did you get that range?”

“We pulse them,” Major Jessup replied with a satisfied smile. “The beams only last about five seconds, but they deliver one hell of a punch.”

Taylor pointed to the other screen, where a large dual railgun turret was visible. “We have eight 60 mm railgun turrets capable of hitting anything within one hundred and twenty-five kilometers. If the Hocklyns discover this base, we can keep them away from it.”

Hedon nodded his head. Turning he looked at General Allister. “I hope all this isn’t necessary, but it’s good to know that we will be ready.”

-

On the StarStrike, Colonel Sheen was going over the current readiness reports. Both of the Monarch cruisers had finished their refits and had joined the fleet. The two cruisers had been deployed with an escort of one light cruiser and two destroyers each. They had been moved out far enough away from New Providence’s gravity well so they could jump instantly to wherever they were needed. Five other light cruisers were currently on patrol in the outer regions of the system paying particular attention to the comet ring. The Hocklyns had used it once to try to sneak a scout in. Amanda was determined to make sure it didn’t happen again.

“What’s the current status of the Victory?” asked Amanda, looking over at Major Trist who was assisting her with the readiness reports.

“The Victory reports that her air arm is at one hundred percent, and they are running battle drills daily,” responded Major Trist, looking at a report. “They have been practicing using their fighters to cover their Anlon bombers on attack runs.”

“Those bombers will take heavy casualties if they go up against a Hocklyn ship with its heavy defenses,” Amanda commented with a frown. She didn’t like the idea of acceptable losses.

“We may not have any choice,” replied Major Trist, cocking his eyebrow and looking across the desk at Colonel Sheen. “With the bombers stationed on the Victory and the new wings they are putting on the shipyard, they could pose a major problem for the Hocklyns if they do attack.”

Amanda leaned back and briefly closed her eyes. For the time being, both the StarStrike and the Victory were staying close to the shipyard. It was hoped that the sheer size of the shipyard and other nearby ships would help to mask the presence of the two large warships. It had been over four months since their return from Stalor Four, and so far, there had been no sign of the Hocklyns other than the one scout they had destroyed in the comet ring.

Amanda looked down at her watch, noticing it was nearly time for her to take a shuttle over to the shipyard. She was going to take a tour of the station with Richard. They were going to look over the station’s defenses and see if they could come up with anything else to help defend the station and the planet. Once the tour was complete, they were to report to Admiral Streth and Admiral Flaxen on any suggestions for improvements.

“How much longer do you think we have before the Hocklyns show up?” Trist asked with a worried look in his eyes. “It’s been four months; you would think we would have heard something from them by now.”

Amanda nodded slowly. “I think our time is getting very short. It all depends on how far the Hocklyn’s fleet bases are from the Federation. For all we know, a fleet could be on its way right now.”

-

Hocklyn Fleet Commodore Anglert looked out the thick windows of his office at the bustling spaceport below him. His office was in a high tower, which gave him an unobstructed view of the spaceport and the surrounding area. A light snow was falling, and the ground was blanketed with it. Anglert knew that beneath the snow was a thick layer of ice from the storm the previous day.

“Two more dreadnaughts have arrived in orbit,” his adjutant reported. “That makes four in orbit now, as well as twelve war cruisers and twenty escort cruisers.”

“Excellent,” Anglert replied in his rasping voice. “The final escorts should be arriving in two more days and then we can begin our conquest of these humans.”

“Four more worlds to serve the empire,” his adjutant spoke. “Our masters will be very pleased.”

“Are they ever pleased?” commented Anglert turning to gaze icily at the other Hocklyn. “We do what we must to grow the empire. We bring glory and wealth to our home worlds by ruling all the other races in the galaxy. We do all of this in the name of our masters.”

“It is our destiny,” replied his adjutant evenly. “Our masters made it that way, and our race has grown to be one of the most powerful races in the galaxy. No one can stand before our fleets. Every week the slave races send hundreds of ships loaded with freight to our worlds and our masters.”

“It is as it should be,” agreed Anglert, knowing the awesome power of their master’s ships. “The slave races serve us, and we in turn serve our masters. Very seldom do we see one of their ships in our territory.”

“War leader Sigeth should be here tomorrow with the support fleet and the protector army,” his adjutant added. “Very soon you can leave for the human worlds and bring more glory to the Hocklyn race.”

“That is good,” spoke Anglert, turning to gaze back out the window. The snow was starting to fall heavier. “Our scouts still have not found the human home world. One of the scouts has failed to return and is assumed to have been destroyed. If that is so, then the humans may suspect we’re coming. These humans may yet prove to be a race worthy of battle.”

“Perhaps,” his adjutant replied. “But their ships will be swept aside as all the ships of the other inferior races in the galaxy have been. They may fight, but in the end they will die.”

“That is how it has been for thousands of years,” Anglert answered, still looking out the window. “It is how it shall always be.”

It was cold outside. The report Anglert had read that morning indicated that over one hundred slaves had died from exposure in the past week. He had already requisitioned more from several nearby slave worlds. The slaves were numerous and easy to replace; a few deaths were of no major concern.

-

Colonel Sheen and Major Andrews were just finishing their inspection tour of the shipyard. The changes in the last few months were impressive.

“All the new weapon systems are operational,” Richard commented as they made their way toward one of the conference rooms where the admirals were waiting.

“The shipyard has more firepower than a battle cruiser now,” Amanda replied with a nod. Over the past few months, her relationship with Richard had grown until it was almost ready to go to the next level. They had both been hesitant to go any further as they didn’t know what the future might hold. “The station’s orbital defenses are in place, and now we are concentrating on the defensive systems around New Providence itself.”

“We’re putting new defensive platforms into orbit every day,” Richard responded. He stopped and looked at Amanda. “Have you heard from your parents recently?”

“Yes, my father sent me a message yesterday,” she replied. Amanda knew that it might be quite some time before she would get to see her parents again. The few messages that she received from home were treasured. “The basement’s done, and Dad says that things are starting to return to normal. He says reports on the vid channels indicate that the shipyard above Aquaria has been putting a very strong defensive grid in place around the planet.”

“That’s happening nearly everywhere,” commented Richard gazing at Amanda and recalling the information in the reports he had read.

He didn’t think he would ever tire of looking into her deep blue eyes. Amanda had a smile that turned her face into something radiant and very alluring. He wondered if she knew just how beautiful she was. If it wasn’t for this impending conflict with the Hocklyns, she was just the type of woman he had always dreamed of finding.

“Our encounter with the Hocklyns has caused so many changes in the Federation,” Amanda commented with a heavy sigh. “Every system is preparing for a possible attack.”

“It may not come to a war,” Richard reminded her. “Don’t forget that Senator Glason hasn’t completely given up on peace yet. He still plans on trying to negotiate with the Hocklyns.”

“I’m afraid the senator will die in that effort,” replied Amanda, shaking her head sadly. “He is a good man, and I would hate to see him throw his life away in such a futile gesture. The Hocklyns are coming to conquer our planets for their empire and only our fleet can stop that from occurring. They’re not going to listen to politicians.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Richard agreed with a distant look on his face. “I just wish things were different.”

“So do I,” Amanda replied.

“What really worries me is that some of the civilians are starting to get complacent. It’s been over four months since you returned from Stalor Four. The only contact we have had with the Hocklyns was the scout ship we destroyed out in the comet ring. Some of the civilians are starting to believe than the Hocklyns have decided to leave us alone.”

“What do you believe?” Amanda asked, her face turning to gaze at Richard. “Do you still think they’re coming?”

“Yes, yes I do,” replied Richard, letting out a long breath of resignation. “I think they’re coming and coming soon.”

The two stood quietly in the corridor for several moments and then turning started walking toward the conference room. They both were in deep thought wondering what the future might hold.

-

It was three weeks later and Admiral Streth was on the StarStrike in the Command Center. They had just run a full dress battle drill and Colonel Sheen was reporting on the results.

“Seven minutes for all stations to report combat ready,” she reported as she read the reports on a computer screen. “Talon fighters were launched and in defensive positions in eight minutes. Marines were deployed to all essential areas in twelve minutes.”

“Not bad,” Admiral Streth commented, pleased with the results.

“Sir, I have a priority message coming in from Fleet Command on Tellus,” Lieutenant Angela Trask reported over the admiral’s mini-com. “One of the destroyers on surveillance outside of Federation space has reported spotting a large Hocklyn fleet. They just jumped back into communication range a few hours ago.”

Colonel Sheen looked over at Admiral Streth, her face turning pale. She could feel her heart starting to beat faster in her chest. “They’re coming.”

“Place the fleet at Condition Three, and notify the shipyard,” ordered Hedon, drawing a sharp breath. He just hoped everything was ready. “Pull the light cruisers back into our preplanned fleet dispositions.” Then, looking over at Lieutenant Trask, he asked a simple question. “Did the destroyer give the makeup of the Hocklyn fleet? How many capital units and how many escorts?”

“No, sir,” Lieutenant Trask reported. “That information may be coming later.”

“I wish we knew that information now,” spoke Amanda frowning. “It would give us a better idea on how to position our fleet units.”

“Sir, I am getting an incoming message from Senator Glason,” Lieutenant Trask spoke again. “He is asking if you have time to speak with him.”

“Put him on,” Hedon ordered. “He needs to know what’s going on, even though I suspect he received the same message we did since he is on the Federation Council.”

A few moments later, Senator Glason’s calm voice came over Admiral Streth’s mini-com. “I have been informed of the Hocklyn fleet the destroyer Ardell discovered. What are your current plans for the defense of this system? Are we ready?”

“I am pulling all of our ships inside New Providence’s gravity well except for several destroyers, which will be kept on picket duty on the edge of the system,” Hedon replied. This was the plan that Colonel Sheen and he had devised several weeks back. “The fleet will be forming into its separate task groups, and then we will have to wait for the Hocklyns to appear. It could be today or still several weeks. We don’t know how fast they’re moving or where they will attack first.”

“I will need an escort to rendezvous with the Hocklyn fleet to attempt to open up negotiations,” Senator Glason spoke in a determined voice.

Hedon was silent for a moment. Senator Glason was one of the few Federation senators he actually liked. “I will have two light cruisers ready to escort you to the Hocklyn fleet once it appears in the system.”

“No, Admiral, you may need your heavier ships. I will go out in the passenger liner New Atlas when the Hocklyns arrive. It’s a small cruise ship and has been modified for my use. I will only need a single destroyer to escort us. I will not risk any heavily armed ships that we might need if the Hocklyns refuse to talk.”

“Senator, if the Hocklyns fire on the New Atlas it has no armor or shields. It will be destroyed instantly.”

“I am aware of that Admiral,” Senator Glason replied calmly. “But if they fire upon an unarmed ship seeking negotiations, then we will know that they want war and only war.”

“There’s nothing I can say to change your mind?” Hedon asked. His respect for the senator had just gone up markedly. The man definitely was not a coward. “The cruisers might give you more of a chance at opening negotiations.”

“No, Admiral. I have my job to do, and you have yours. If I fail, just do everything in your power to protect New Providence. There are a lot of good people here. I also don’t think having the cruisers along would make that much difference.”

“I will keep New Providence safe, you have my word on that,” Hedon promised and then the line went silent.

“Admiral Flaxen is reporting that he has placed the shipyard at Condition Three and is doubling the CAP,” Lieutenant Trask reported.

“I am picking up Talon launches from the shipyard,” Lieutenant Stalls confirmed as more green icons appeared next to the shipyard.

-

Aboard the Vindication, Commander Wisthom watched as his ship rendezvoused with the Monarch Cruiser Endeavor. The light cruiser Sundance, the destroyers Anvil and Sword were already there, and forming up into their fleet formation.

“Ship is at Condition Three as the admiral ordered,” reported Major Garner from his position at the plotting table. He glanced up at the short-range scanners and then continued. “We will be in our assigned support position in twenty seconds.”

“Very well,” Commander Wisthom replied. He looked over at his crew. They were performing their jobs as if this was just an everyday maneuver and rendezvous. Not as if they were about to go into the first battle of an interstellar war.

“We are ready, sir,” Clarissa commented from the front of the Command Center.

The blonde haired, blue-eyed AI was visible on the ship’s main viewscreen. She was currently scanning all of the Vindication’s systems, making sure the ship was combat ready. Clarissa was determined to bring the Vindication through this conflict intact. She didn’t think that even Commander Wisthom fully understood all of her abilities and just what she was capable of doing.

-

On board the Avenger, Lieutenant Arcles was speaking to Lieutenant Barnes over a secure link on their mini-coms. Over the past few months, they had become very good friends.

“What do you think will happen when the Hocklyns get here?” asked Teena, looking over at Jacen who was at his sensor and scanner console.

“I don’t know,” Jacen confessed. “The admiral has a plan, and we have heavily fortified the space around New Providence. I guess it depends on how large their fleet is.”

“I’m scared,” Teena spoke quietly into her mini-com. “What if we can’t stop the Hocklyns? What if they are more powerful than we think?”

There was silence over the mini-com for a long moment. “I can’t believe that,” Jacen finally replied. “We destroyed their ship at Stalor Four, and we have new and better weapons now. I think we will be all right. We just have to believe in the admiral.”

Teena looked up at the main viewscreen. Ariel was busy talking to the commander. Teena liked the AI, and the two spoke quite often. Sometimes she felt there was much more to Ariel than people thought.

Jacen watched his scanners as the Avenger rendezvoused with the Monarch Cruiser Crucible. He knew that the Vindication was with the Endeavor. For some reason, the admiral wanted one of his two AI ships with each of his other two heavy warships.

“Clarissa and I have worked out some joint battle plans,” Ariel was telling Commander Standel. “If the Avenger and Vindication could work together, we could be quite deadly to the Hocklyns.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Commander Standel replied.

There was no doubt that the two AIs working together could do things no human crew could possibly do. But did he trust the two AIs to be in complete control of the two light cruisers? What Ariel and Clarissa were suggesting had never been tried before. However, if the situation warranted it, they may have no choice. Reaching a decision, Commander Standel decided to contact Commander Wisthom on the Vindication and discuss it.

-

On the StarStrike, Colonel Sheen gazed at the long-range sensor screen. Other than friendly green icons, there were no threats showing. She hoped that it would remain that way. Glancing over at Admiral Streth, she saw that he was still busy talking to Admiral Flaxen and General Allister over his mini-com. Letting out a deep breath, she just hoped that her parents back on Aquaria were doing okay. What worried her was how the Hocklyns were going to attack. Were they going to attack one system at a time, or all four systems at once? She wished they had more information on the size of the fleet the destroyer Ardell had detected. For now, they were still operating in the dark.

-

Down on New Providence, Taylor and Lendle were in the Command Center of the bunker watching as orders were sent out to close up all the bunker facilities across the planet. At the two deep mine sites, the selected civilians were being located and flown in as rapidly as possible. It was estimated it would take another eight to ten hours to get everyone inside and the facilities closed up.

“All ten bunkers are now sealed tight,” Major Jessup reported as messages continued to come in. “General Allister is moving all the marines off of their bases and deploying them around the planet. He will be here as soon as all the dispositions have been completed.”

“We will be ready if they attack,” Taylor replied evenly. He looked over at his wife. “The marines are well trained. If the Hocklyns land troops, we will be ready for them.”

“I know,” responded Lendle giving Taylor a weak smile. “I’m just worried about your brother up on the StarStrike. His fleet will be attempting to stop the Hocklyns from reaching New Providence. When they make contact, then we will know how powerful the Hocklyns actually are.”

All three turned to look at the main long-range sensor screen. It showed only friendly green icons. The largest icon was the shipyard, but two other unusually large icons were behind it, shielded by a number of large freighters and passenger liners so as to confuse Hocklyn sensors and scanners.

Lendle knew that the two large icons were the StarStrike and the Victory. She prayed silently to herself that everyone would come through this ordeal alive. She reached over and took Taylor’s hand, squeezing it. Sometime in the next few hours or days, the human race would begin an interstellar war. Lendle wished things had turned out differently. Now all they could do was wait.

Chapter Seven

Fleet Commodore Anglert stood on the upraised command pedestal in the War Room of the Hocklyn dreadnaught Invincible. He was dressed in light combat armor and was gazing speculatively at a large scanner screen that showed his fleet’s current disposition.

“All fleet units report combat ready,” First Leader Dreden reported from his position at the main fleet control board, which gave him a detailed status on all of the ships in the fleet.

“War Leader Sigeth has just jumped into the system with the support fleet,” reported Second Leader Kirel. “He is reporting that it will take him an additional two hours to rendezvous with us.”

“Excellent,” Anglert replied his cold eyes gazing at his subordinates. “Once he has made rendezvous, we will make the final preparations for our attack on the human worlds.”

Commodore Anglert turned his gaze back to the main scanner screen, which showed the massed Hocklyn fleet. Four dreadnaughts, twelve heavy war cruisers, and eighty support cruisers floated in space, waiting for the order to attack. While not a large fleet, it should be sufficient to conquer the four human colony worlds. War Leader Sigeth’s fleet had another dreadnaught, two heavy war cruisers, and four support cruisers assigned to it. In addition, there were forty troop ships carrying 110,000 protectors. There were also an additional twenty ships carrying munitions and other necessary supplies.

This was the largest fleet the Hocklyns had gathered in nearly a century. The last time they had put together a fleet this large was when they had encountered an advanced alien race called the Craydons. It had taken nearly two years to subdue them. The Craydons had controlled a small empire of twenty star systems and their small ships had been difficult to catch and destroy.

The Hocklyns had nuked the Craydon’s home world as an example to the rest of their inhabited systems. The other systems had instantly capitulated, agreeing to become part of the Hocklyn Slave Empire. Their remaining small ships had been hunted down and destroyed one by one. With no support base to replenish munitions or for much needed repairs, the small ships had finally been eliminated. Once that was done, the populations of all the Craydon colony worlds had been reduced by sixty percent. The old, the unskilled, criminals, and others deemed unnecessary were eliminated. From then on strict population controls were enacted.

Commodore Anglert reached forward, activated a computer screen, and studied the data displayed. While it hadn’t been possible for the armed scouts to get detailed scans of the human colonies, it was obvious from the number of freighters and other ships that all four colony worlds supported large populations. Once their home worlds were located and conquered, he knew it would be necessary to drastically reduce the size of the human populations on all of their worlds. A population of two to four hundred million was all that was necessary on a slave world. This would ensure the population was controllable and still able to maintain a reasonable level of technology. Once the human worlds were all brought into the Slaver Empire, then it would be decided what they would produce for the Hocklyns as well as for the masters.

Soon the second group of scout ships that had been sent to the human worlds would return. These would not be so obscure in their missions. They would jump deep into the human systems and take detailed sensor readings of the human worlds and their defenses. The scout ships would then jump back to the fleet and report. Once the scouts had returned, the attack would be launched.

Commodore Anglert knew that soon he would be richly rewarded for bringing these human worlds into the empire. The masters would be quite pleased with the four human colony worlds and eventually the human’s home system. The humans should make excellent slaves. His family would prosper and grow, and he would continue to move up in the Hocklyn Hierarchy.

Anglert was growing impatient for the scouts to return. He wanted to get this conquest over with so he could return to the empire. He was already savoring the sweet taste of victory and his coming accolades.

-

Admiral Streth was in the Command Center when a warning alarm began sounding on the long-range sensor console. The atmosphere in the Command Center suddenly went from routine to a feeling of apprehension.

“Report,” ordered Hedon, looking over at Lieutenant Stalls.

“Two unidentified contacts have jumped into the system,” Stalls reported. His fingers flew rapidly over his keyboard as he attempted to identify the two red icons that had suddenly appeared on his screens. “New contacts are one billion kilometers out from New Providence.”

“Order the destroyers Oasis and Lance to investigate,” ordered Hedon, looking over at Colonel Sheen. “They’re to jump into close proximity of the unknowns, but do not engage.”

“Yes, sir,” Colonel Sheen reported as she passed on the orders to the two destroyers.

“I’ve tentatively identified the contacts as Hocklyn scouts similar to the one we destroyed in the comet ring,” Stalls reported as he gazed at the most recent results from his sensors. “I would guess that they are trying to scan the space around New Providence.”

“Go to Condition Two,” ordered Hedon, gazing at the sensor screen and its two threatening red icons. “All fleet units except the two destroyers are to hold position.” He wondered if this could be a prelude to an attack. Was there a large Hocklyn fleet lurking nearby?

"Admiral Flaxen is on the com, wanting to know what we’re going to do about the Hocklyn scouts,” Lieutenant Trask reported.

“Tell him we’re sending two destroyers to investigate.” Hedon knew that the sensors on the shipyard would have picked up the two scouts also.

On the main sensor screen, the two green icons representing two Federation destroyers vanished, to reappear a few seconds later several thousand kilometers away from the two Hocklyn ships. The two Hocklyn scouts were several hundred million kilometers away from each other, so both destroyers had jumped in close to each.

“Destroyers are moving in on their sublight drives,” Colonel Sheen reported as she watched the destroyers close on the two hostile contacts. “No reaction as of yet from the Hocklyns. They are holding position.”

Amanda took a deep breath. She wondered if this was happening in the Beltran System where Aquaria was located. Her eyes focused on the plotting board and the two threatening red icons that were now being displayed.

“No closer than five hundred kilometers,” warned Hedon, keeping his eyes glued to the sensor screen. “If the Hocklyns attempt to engage, the destroyers are to jump to safety.”

Hedon could feel the tension in the Command Center go up as the two destroyers crept closer, then suddenly the two red icons vanished.

“They’re gone,” reported Lieutenant Stalls breathing out a sigh of relief. “They must have finished their scans and then jumped out.”

“For now,” replied Hedon, looking over at Colonel Sheen who was standing at the plotting table. From the resigned look on Amanda’s face, she knew what was coming next. “Order the destroyers to report back here to New Providence. I think we can expect an attack within the next twelve hours. Those scouts were sent to check on our fleet makeup and dispositions. They won’t wait long.”

“Do you think they made out the StarStrike or the Victory?” Colonel Sheen asked worriedly. Those scouts had been pretty close; only a billion kilometers out. Well within what was assumed to be their maximum sensor range.

“I doubt it,” replied Hedon shaking his head slightly. “We have enough freighters and passenger liners around us to mask our signature on their sensors. But they will know about the Monarchs.”

Turning toward Communications Hedon added. “Send a message to Fleet Command on Tellus that Hocklyn scouts have jumped in and scanned the system. We expect an attack to be imminent.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Lieutenant Trask, feeling a sharp chill run down her back.

“Take the fleet back to Condition Three, but let all ship commanders know that an attack is imminent and they can expect to go to Condition One at any moment.”

“Yes, sir,” Colonel Sheen replied as she began passing the message on over her mini-com to the other warships. Amanda had to fight to stay calm. She wished there was some way she could warn her parents on Aquaria that it was time to go down into the basement and stay there.

-

On the Avenger, Teena Arcles waited nervously for the impending attack. She knew that her brother would be leading his squadron of Talons against the Hocklyns from the battle carrier Victory. Teena took a deep fortifying breath and prayed that her brother would come through this safely.

“Thinking about Karl?” Jacen asked over the mini-com on their private channel. He had noticed the tense and worried look on Teena’s face.

“Yes,” she responded with a weak smile. “I can’t help but worry about him.”

“He’s one of our best pilots, Teena,” responded Jacen, putting on a reassuring smile. “He will come through this all right. We all will.”

Teena nodded. Over the com system, she could hear several of the civilian captains talking about what they should do when the battle started. A few moments later, she heard Admiral Flaxen order all civilian ships to be prepared to retreat beneath the planet’s defensive grid. The order would be given once the main Hocklyn attack was detected and they had committed themselves.

“Ariel, I want you to monitor the battle and run simulations on what our best course of action should be,” ordered Commander Standel, watching the dark haired AI on the ship’s main viewscreen. You may make recommendations to me on a course of action if you see the ship is in danger.”

“Yes, Commander,” Ariel responded. “Have you and Commander Wisthom discussed allowing Clarissa and I more control during the battle? We would work very well together if paired up. The Avenger and Vindication working together under our joint guidance could be extremely deadly to the Hocklyns.”

“We discussed it,” replied Commander Standel, folding his arms across his chest. “Let’s see how the battle goes before we resort to such tactics.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Ariel sounding slightly disappointed. She truly thought Clarissa and she could make a difference.

-

Commodore Anglert studied the reports brought back by the scouts. The scouts had managed to get good scans of all four human systems. He didn’t like what they had revealed. There were large human fleets in all four systems. Not only that, but there was a new class of warship they hadn’t seen before. The new ships were 800 meters in length and obviously heavily armed. There were eight of them total. However, he had twelve heavy war cruisers that were 1,000 meters each plus the four dreadnaughts. While this was more human ships than he had expected to face, he didn’t believe the extra ships posed a major threat to his fleet. He had a clear advantage in firepower as well as technology.

“Do we change our attack plans?” First Leader Dreden asked, his eyes focusing on the commodore.

“No,” Anglert replied evenly, shifting his gaze to the First Leader. “The humans have a larger fleet than we expected and that new cruiser, but it will be of no consequence. Our weapons and shields are superior. We will wipe all four systems clean of their warships and then move in on the inhabited planets.”

“Two of those systems have large orbital constructs,” Second Leader Kirel pointed out. “They may be heavily armed.”

“Of no consequence,” responded Anglert brushing off the comment and turning to face Kirel. “They are trapped in orbit and can’t maneuver. They will be easy targets for our war wings.”

“Then we attack?” First Leader Dreden asked. He was impatient to get this battle started. As First Leader of the flagship, he could expect rich rewards from the subjugation of these human worlds.

“We attack!” Anglert responded in an overpowering voice. “Speak with War Leader Sigeth and see if he can perhaps capture those orbital constructs with his protectors. They may serve as excellent forward bases for future conquests in this region of space.”

“Order the fleet to break into four attack war groups as we discussed earlier. War Leader Sigeth will remain here with his ships until I call for him.”

“Yes, Commodore,” First Leader Dreden replied before turning away to carry out the orders.

Commodore Anglert watched as the crew in the War Room went about their work preparing the fleet to attack. Soon they would be engaged in battle. He hoped the humans were worthy adversaries. Very few of his ships had ever engaged an enemy that could actually fire back. Four more planets added to the empire. The riches he would reap from such an addition would give his family much power and prestige for generations. He also had to remind himself that somewhere in this area of space was the human’s home world, which they had not yet succeeded in locating. However, somewhere in these four systems they would find that information and then the home world would fall to the Hocklyns as well.

-

Hedon was taking a brief break in the officer’s mess when the Condition One klaxons started sounding, and Colonel Sheen’s commanding voice came over the com system. “Battle stations, all crew go to Condition One. This is not a drill! I repeat: this is not a drill! We have Hocklyn ships jumping into the system. Admiral Streth to the Command Center.”

Getting up, Hedon laid his half-eaten sandwich down on the table and turned to leave the officer’s mess. It might be awhile before he had a chance to eat anything again. There was a battle to be fought first.

Entering the Command Center, Hedon noticed the increased security in front of the hatch. Four additional marines were now stationed outside with heavy assault weapons. He knew this would be the same throughout the ship. Marines would be guarding all of the StarStrike’s critical systems and compartments. He went over to the command console where Colonel Sheen was sitting as she watched the reports coming in.

“What’s the status Colonel?” Hedon asked as Colonel Sheen stood up and moved over to the side, allowing the admiral to sit down.

“Long-range sensors have detected Hocklyn warships jumping into the system. Current count is twenty-four ships. Four of them are very large. The rest are obviously support ships.”

“Can we tell how large their four capital ships are?” asked Hendon looking up at the sensor screen above the plotting table and wanting to know what he was up against.

“They’re still too far out,” Colonel Sheen replied. She walked over to the plotting table and punched some numbers into a computer console. “Sensors are indicating the four ships are slightly smaller than the StarStrike, but they will have to get closer before we can tell for sure.”

Admiral Streth went over to the plotting table and gazed thoughtfully at the current disposition of his fleet units. Tapping the table with his index finger, he pointed toward the Endeavor and its battle group. “Order the Endeavor to take up a position here.” He pointed to an area nearly ten thousand kilometers from New Providence. Then pointing to a position to one side of the Endeavor group, he continued, “Have the Crucible move to a supporting position five hundred kilometers from the other group.” That would put both battle groups in a line and able to support one another if needed. It would also trap the Hocklyns deep in New Providence’s gravity well.”

“What about our task group?” asked Colonel Sheen, looking across the plotting table at the admiral. “Should we move out from behind the station?”

“No. Pull the screening freighters and liners in a little closer. We won’t move until the Endeavor and Crucible battle groups are ready to engage. I want to lure the Hocklyns in as close as possible before we reveal our true fleet strength. I want them trapped in New Providence’s gravity well. That will prevent them from jumping around and trying to outflank us.”

“Admiral Flaxen has ordered all civilian ships to begin moving beneath New Providence’s defensive grid,” reported Lieutenant Trask, looking over at the admiral. “The screening ships will move last when you are ready to release them.”

“Very well,” replied Hedon nodding at Colonel Sheen. “Now we just wait for them to come closer.”

“I have Senator Glason on the com,” Lieutenant Trask reported her eyes widening. “He is requesting permission to move out and intercept the Hocklyns before they reach New Providence.”

Admiral Streth looked over at Colonel Sheen. He didn’t like the idea, but Senator Glason was on the Federation Council and Hedon’s superior. He took a deep breath and then passed on the order he knew he would probably regret later. “Order the destroyer Lance to accompany the senator,” Hedon spoke in an even voice. “They may leave at the senator’s discretion.”

Colonel Sheen stared at the admiral for a long moment before she sent the order over her mini-com. Amanda was afraid the senator had just pronounced his own death.

Looking down at the plotting table, she watched anxiously as the green icons representing the liner New Atlas and the destroyer Lance broke orbit and began moving in a slow non-threatening manner toward the inbound Hocklyn fleet. It would take them two hours at their current speed to rendezvous with the inbound hostiles.

“Notify Fleet Command that we have a Hocklyn fleet in the system,” ordered Hedon, looking over at Lieutenant Trask. “We will send them more information when we know the exact breakdown of the Hocklyn fleet units. Also tell them that Senator Glason is heading out to make contact and attempt to start peaceful negotiations.”

“This will be over before they receive the message and can reply,” Colonel Sheen spoke.

“I know,” responded Hedon, his eyes gazing at his executive officer. “I just hope when we receive their reply we’re still here.”

-

Commodore Anglert watched curiously as two human ships neared his fleet. One was obviously a light warship and the other was civilian.

“This could be some type of trick,” First Leader Dreden warned.

“No, this is a race of fools,” replied Anglert, feeling disappointed in the humans. “That civilian ship will be full of negotiators wanting to talk us out of attacking. I have seen this tactic before in other weak races. Destroy those two ships as soon as they come within weapons range.”

Anglert glanced across the War Room. There was an aura of anticipation as they neared time for combat. This was what the Hocklyns lived for; to grow the empire through domination of every race they encountered. The humans and their paltry resistance would soon fall before the power of the Hocklyn fleet.

-

Admiral Streth watched anxiously as the two Federation ships neared the Hocklyns. He didn’t want to see the senator die in his valiant attempt to communicate. “Contact the captain of the New Atlas. He is to have his jump core powered up. If there is any sign that the Hocklyns are going to attack, he is to jump the New Atlas out of harm's way immediately. Once the New Atlas has jumped, the Lance is to follow.”

“Senator Glason won’t go along with that,” cautioned Colonel Sheen, looking over at the admiral. She knew the senator was determined to contact the Hocklyns and prevent this conflict.

“He doesn’t have to know,” Hedon responded calmly, making eye contact with the colonel. “Make sure the captain of that liner understands that.”

Colonel Sheen nodded. She proceeded to contact the captain of the New Atlas and pass on the admiral’s instructions. Once finished with that she would contact the destroyer Lance. However, knowing how determined the senator was to prevent this war, Amanda doubted if this would do any good. She suspected the captain of the New Atlas had some overriding orders about what the senator expected him to do.

Admiral Streth moved over to the plotting table next to Colonel Sheen. Both of their eyes were on the two green icons moving steadily closer to the Hocklyn fleet.

“I contacted the New Atlas and the Lance,” Colonel Sheen commented. “I don’t know if it will do any good. The senator is committed to this.”

“I know,” Hedon replied discontentedly. “But we had to try.”

“We have new data coming in from the Lance on the makeup of the Hocklyn fleet,” Lieutenant Stalls reported. “Their command ship is 1,200 meters long, the other three capital ships are 1,000 meters, and their support ships are 800. All are heavily armed, and their weapon ports are all open.”

“Not exactly looking for peaceful contact, are they?” commented Colonel Sheen, looking up from the plotting table at the admiral.

“No, they’re not,” Hedon replied worriedly as he watched the two green icons steadily close with the mass of threatening red ones.

He knew that the two Federation ships must be close to entering the Hocklyn’s weapons range. Very shortly, they would know if Senator Glason would be successful in his attempt to open negotiations, or if his attempt at communication had been a deadly mistake. Hedon just prayed that he was wrong about the response he expected from the Hocklyns.

“The New Atlas has started transmitting,” Lieutenant Trask reported as she listened intently to the com channel the New Atlas was on. “Senator Glason is asking for a meeting with the commander of their fleet. He is stressing that we don’t want an armed conflict. Peaceful contact between our two cultures would be far more beneficial to both than war.”

After a moment, Hedon looked over at Lieutenant Trask. “Any response from the Hocklyns?”

“I’m detecting weapons fire!” Lieutenant Stalls reported suddenly in a loud voice. “Energy weapons are being fired at the New Atlas and the Lance.”

“Tell them to jump now!” Admiral Streth ordered, his eyes looking up at the long-range sensor screen. He prayed for the ships to jump or they would be destroyed. He should never have agreed to let the senator do this.

“New Atlas reports their jump core is down. The Lance is moving in to cover the liner and is returning fire,” Colonel Sheen reported as she listened to the two ships over her mini-com. “The captain of the New Atlas is trying to escape with their sublight drive, but he’s not turning fast enough. Their damage control officer is reporting heavy damage to the ship with numerous fires and other sections of the ship in vacuum.”

On the sensor screen, one of the green icons suddenly flared up and vanished. A moment later, the other green icon disappeared to reappear several million kilometers away from the Hocklyns.

“The New Atlas has been destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Stalls, feeling stunned at the sudden loss of the senator’s ship.

“The Lance jumped away but is reporting heavy damage,” Colonel Sheen added in a restrained voice. It had been a shock to see the senator’s ship destroyed so quickly.

The Command Center suddenly became eerily quiet. Their last hope for peace had just been blown away.

“Send a message to Fleet Command on Tellus that Senator Glason’s peace attempt has failed. His ship was attacked and destroyed without warning. Also, give them the latest data the Lance transmitted on the Hocklyn ships. Inform them that we are now at war.”

“Yes, sir,” Lieutenant Trask replied as she began sending the messages. She noticed her hands were shaking slightly as she pressed the buttons on her console. She took several deep breaths and slowed down. The admiral would get them through this.

Colonel Sheen looked across the Command Center. While the death of Senator Glason had been a shock, she could see the determined look upon the face of every crewmember. The Hocklyns would not like what the StarStrike was going to do to them. This crew would show them what the consequences were for killing helpless civilians, particularly a Federation Senator.

“Hocklyns are continuing to approach,” Lieutenant Stalls reported as the data continued to come across his screens from the ship’s sensors and scanners.

Colonel Sheen watched the plotting table as the information being displayed was constantly updated. She was watching to see what type of attack formation the Hocklyns would use. “Hocklyns have entered the outer regions of New Providence’s gravity well.”

“Let them come in a little deeper,” Hedon spoke with a cold and determined look upon his face. The death of the senator had angered him. The Hocklyns had demonstrated once more that they were a heartless and cruel race, just as they had done when they had nuked the defenseless mining colony at Stalor Four. “Order the Victory and our support ships to stand by. We will be moving out shortly. I don’t want a single Hocklyn ship to escape.”

-

Commodore Anglert watched from the War Room of the Hocklyn dreadnaught Invincible as they closed on the human ships. He felt satisfied and pleased with the progress of the fleet. They had destroyed the human negotiating ship easily, and the lone escorting warship had fled. Now the remaining human warships were pinned within their own planet’s gravity well. To attempt to escape would seriously damage or destroy their ships if they attempted to jump to safety. That was good. It meant there would be no searching nearby systems for escaped human warships. They would die here. This was a serious mistake in the human’s strategy. This commander was sacrificing his warships in a battle he couldn’t win.

“Standard attack formation,” ordered Anglert, gazing coldly at the sensor screen, which showed the human fleet’s current position. “We will take them one group at a time.”

The opposing fleet only had ten warships in it. The human’s two heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, and four support ships would not stand a chance against his fleet of twenty-four powerful Hocklyn warships. He would sweep them quickly out of the way and continue to advance upon the planet. He could already taste victory.

“Ten minutes until we reach optimum weapons range,” Second Leader Kirel reported from where he was standing behind the main weapons console.

“There are still a large number of ships around and behind that orbital installation,” cautioned First Leader Dreden, looking at the sensor data that was coming in. Unless there were additional warships hiding at that installation, this battle would be extremely short. “They could be masking some of their warships with their civilian vessels.”

“Doubtful,” Commodore Anglert spoke, his eyes focused on the sensor screen and the human ships he was about to destroy. “Even if there are a few more human warships, we will just destroy them later.”

“Should we launch the war wings?” First Leader Dreden asked. He knew if they were going to use their fighters, they should be launching now.”

“No, we won’t need them,” Anglert replied confidently. “We will use them later to eliminate any planetary defenses they may have and to reduce the defenses of that orbital construct.”

First Leader Dreden nodded. He had never served under Commodore Anglert before. While the Hocklyn race was supreme in the galaxy in weapons, not counting their masters, he hoped Commodore Anglert was not underestimating these humans.

-

Admiral Streth was watching intently as the Hocklyns passed the inner marker and continued in toward his waiting warships. “Order all ships to go to full power and move out,” he ordered. It was time to show the Hocklyns just what they were facing. “Order Admiral Flaxen to begin launching the station’s squadrons, they will go in with us.”

The StarStrike and Victory began to move out from behind their screen of freighters and passenger liners. Five additional light cruisers moved out with them as well as three more destroyers.

Once clear of the station, Admiral Streth ordered the Victory to begin launching their air wings. He planned on taking the fight right down the center of the Hocklyn formation.

-

Warning alarms began sounding on the Invincible. First Leader Dreden looked at the reports coming in, and his face paled. He turned to face Commodore Anglert. “More enemy warships have been detected emerging from the mass of ships around the orbital construct.”

“What are a few more warships?” Commodore Anglert commented without concern. “We will just destroy them sooner.”

“Perhaps not,” First Leader Dreden replied with a hint of anger in his voice at the overconfidence of Commodore Anglert. “One of the ships is of Dreadnaught class, and the other is even larger. They have eight more escort ships with them. Not only that, but the orbital construct is launching numerous fighters.”

Commodore Anglert turned on First Leader Dreden with a scathing look. “They will be of no consequence. Our weapons and technology are superior. Launch our own war wings. It is time to destroy these humans!”

First Leader Dreden turned to obey. For the first time, he had actual concerns about this attack. It was becoming rapidly evident that Commodore Anglert might not understand what he was up against. However, a Hocklyn was duty bound to obey his commanding officer.

-

The StarStrike and her battle group rapidly joined up with the Endeavor and Crucible. He ordered both of the other two battle groups to close up with his formation. The StarStrike would strike the center of the enemy fleet with the two Monarch cruisers and their escorts hitting the sides. It would be swift and deadly. Hedon planned on taking his ships into the heart of the enemy formation at point blank range. He hoped the extreme close proximity to the Hocklyn ships would neutralize their more powerful shield technology.

“Standby for nuclear strike,” he ordered over his mini-com as he watched the sensor screen intently. Only the two Monarch cruisers, the StarStrike and the Victory, were armed with the deadly nuclear weapons. These missiles were in their own launch tubes, and it took two Command Center officers to activate the arming codes. “Immediately after the nuclear strike all ships are to hit the Hocklyns with Shrike missiles. One pod each!”

Colonel Sheen turned her nuclear launch key on the command console and entered her access code. It felt strange to her to be authorizing the use of nuclear weapons.

After Colonel Sheen had finished entering her code, Hedon did the same. He intended to destroy the Hocklyn fleet, and the use of nuclear weapons were the key to that strategy.

“Devastator missiles are armed,” Lieutenant Jacobs, the weapons chief, reported as eight green lights on his console flared up.

“All ships reporting ready to launch,” confirmed Colonel Sheen, glancing at the admiral. This would be the first time nuclear weapons had ever been used in war. She hoped they were making the right decision.

“Launch,” Hedon ordered with a grim and determined look upon his face. It was time to give the Hocklyns a taste of their own medicine.

On the hull of the StarStrike, hatch doors slid open, and eight deadly devastator missiles blasted out on pillars of orange-red fire toward the Hocklyn fleet. They were joined by twenty-four others from the other three large Federation warships.

“Impact in twelve seconds,” Lieutenant Stalls reported as his sensors and scanners tracked the nuclear missiles.

"Hocklyns are firing,” Colonel Sheen reported as the StarStrike shuddered slightly. “Energy beam hit, but the shields are holding.”

“Destroyer Anvil is down,” Lieutenant Stalls reported as the Anvil’s icon blossomed briefly on his screen and then died. “Hocklyns are trying to intercept our missiles.”

“Detonate the nukes,” ordered Hedon watching the main sensor and scanner screens above the plotting table, which showed the progress of the missiles. “Launch Shrike missiles!”

Immediately fourteen ten-kiloton nukes detonated just in front of the Hocklyn fleet, momentarily blinding their sensors. The other eighteen had been intercepted by Hocklyn defensive fire.

Before the Hocklyn’s sensors could clear, three hundred and twelve Shrike missiles arrived. Each missile contained a high explosive one-kiloton warhead. Across the Hocklyn formation, bright explosions rolled across the Hocklyn fleet, overloading and knocking down some of their powerful energy shields. Large numbers of Shrike missiles struck the unprotected hulls of the Hocklyn warships that had suffered shield failure. The missiles detonated, blasting huge smoldering holes in the hulls of their targets.

“All ships, fire at will,” Admiral Streth ordered determinedly. “Take us in, Colonel Sheen.”

Colonel Sheen gave instructions to the helm officer, and instantly the StarStrike leaped forward toward the center of the enemy fleet. The rest of First Fleet followed. She could feel her heart racing and adrenaline flowing. This was war. Space war on a scale she had never imagined.

Lasers suddenly lit up space as the Federation ships fired at the battered Hocklyn fleet. Railgun batteries began firing, and more missiles left their launch tubes. Space became filled with deadly ordnance as both fleets tried to destroy the other. Heavy railgun rounds from the Federation fleet began to impact the remaining Hocklyn energy screens. In moments, Hocklyn ships began to die.

-

On board the Hocklyn Dreadnaught Invincible, Commodore Anglert picked himself up off the floor. Smoke was prevalent in the War Room, and he could see First Leader Dreden lying against a console with his neck at a sharp angle. Anglert knew that the First Leader was dead.

“Report!” he roared, turning angrily toward Second Leader Kirel.

“The human nuclear strike was aimed to blind our sensors,” Kirel reported as he listened to the damage reports coming in over the com system. “They followed it up with a heavy missile strike before our sensors cleared. A number of ships had their energy screens knocked down and are reporting heavy damage. Two support cruisers have been destroyed, and the war cruiser Domination is reporting their primary power system is out. Their energy screen is currently down, and they are taking heavy damage from railgun and missile fire.”

“Engage the humans!” Anglert ordered heatedly his eyes turning red. “I want their ships destroyed!”

The Invincible shuddered again, and the lights in the War Room flickered. Several consoles erupted in bright showers of sparks. The ship began returning fire. On the main sensor screen, another human ship died. Anglert smiled to himself. He would teach these humans a lesson. Once he had eliminated their fleet, he would destroy the ten largest cities on their planet as an object lesson in why they should not have resisted the Hocklyn Slave Empire.

-

The Command Center shook violently as numerous missiles and railgun rounds struck the StarStrike’s energy screen. The Federation fleet and the Hocklyn fleet were becoming intermingled. In open space, Talon fighters and Hocklyn fighters fought in a swarming melee of death. Bright explosions were scattered throughout the battling fighter formation as fighters from both sides died.

“Status!” demanded Admiral Streth, holding on to the command console as the ship took another hit. He was trying to take stock of the rapidly changing tactical situation. The nuclear missile strike had given the Federation fleet a brief tactical advantage, which he was still trying to exploit.

“Light Cruiser Horizon is down,” Colonel Sheen replied with a strained look upon her face. So many ships and people were dying. The StarStrike shuddered violently, and Colonel Sheen looked over at the damage control board. “We’re starting to take hits. We have several compartments in vacuum, and a number of fires are being reported. Damage control teams are en route.”

Admiral Streth nodded. He had chosen a new target for the StarStrike. “Continue the attack. All weapons concentrate on their big ship. I want that command ship destroyed! Move us in closer.”

The StarStrike turned and moved toward the Invincible. Weapons fire between the two fleets grew even more intense. Defensive weapons fire from both fleets destroyed missile after missile in bright explosions. Screens lit up and flickered as railgun rounds and missiles impacted. Occasionally a missile or railgun round would penetrate, causing severe damage to the unfortunate ship. Neither side showed any mercy. Neither side asked for any. This was a fight to the death!

-

On board the Avenger, Ariel was pleading with Commander Standel. “Commander let Clarissa and I fight the ships. Working together we can destroy the Hocklyns.”

The Avenger shuddered violently as another railgun round penetrated her weakening screens. Looking at the sensor and scanner screens, Commander Standel could see that both fleets were now intermingled. Reaching a quick decision, he contacted Commander Wisthom on the Vindication. If something wasn’t done, they could still lose this battle. Perhaps Ariel and Clarissa were the answer.

-

Commodore Anglert stood on the command pedestal screaming out orders to the crew of the War Room. His right arm hung limply at his side, broken when he had been knocked violently against a console. Second Leader Kirel had been carried out unconscious only moments before. A heavy layer of smoke was in the air, making breathing difficult. Looking at the main sensor screen, he could see that more human ships were dying, but so were his.

Anglert knew he had badly underestimated the human’s capabilities. They had larger ships than expected. Their weapons were much improved over those reported above the mining moon. Even their screens seemed to be stronger. For once Anglert began to have serious doubts if they could win this battle. However, for a Hocklyn warrior there was no choice. Retreat was not an option. To retreat from battle would shame his family for generations. They would be stripped of all honor and all property. No, it was better to die in battle.

“All weapons concentrate fire on their flagship!” he roared. He could see the enemy flagship was on a course toward him. He would destroy it! If he could destroy their flagship, then victory might still be within his grasp, and he could save his honor.

-

The Vindication and Avenger had joined up and the two AIs now controlled all of the systems on the two ships. The ships dodged and flew in unbelievably sharp turns and in a dangerously close formation. They would turn sharply and accelerate then bring every weapon to bear on a single point on an enemy warship’s energy screen. Time after time, the two AIs performed the same maneuver, knocking the Hocklyn’s shields down and then pouring railgun rounds and missile fire into the enemy ship’s unprotected hull. In less than ten minutes, three Hocklyn support ships had been eliminated by the two AIs.

In the Command Center of the Avenger, all Commander Standel and his crew could do was standby and watch in awe. Only now did Commander Standel realize just how dangerous and deadly Ariel and Clarissa could be.

-

Admiral Streth looked over at the damage control board. More lights were showing red or amber than green. The StarStrike had been heavily damaged, but the majority of her weapons were still functioning. Taking a deep breath, Admiral Streth knew that the battle could still go either way. He had to do something to shift the odds back in the Federation’s favor.

“The Crucible is down,” Colonel Sheen reported as she held on to the plotting table for support. “She rammed their last large cruiser before she died. We’ve also lost the cruisers Sundance and Archer as well as the destroyers Warden and Vigilance. Almost all other ships are reporting heavy to moderate damage except the Victory.”

“Tell the Victory and Admiral Flaxen to send in the bomber wings,” ordered Admiral Streth knowing he was sending most of those bomber crews to their deaths. The fire between the two fleets was just too intense for a bomber to survive for long. “We are going to need them if we’re going to win this.” Hedon closed his eyes, saying a brief prayer for those bomber crews and what he was asking them to do.

-

From the shipyard and the Victory one hundred and forty Anlon bombers and their fighter escorts flew toward the battle. Each Anlon bomber was equipped with four Shrike missiles. As they neared the battle, Hocklyn fighters tried to intercept but were stopped by determined Federation pilots in their Talons. Hocklyn fighter after fighter exploded in a fiery death. For every two Hocklyns that were destroyed, a Talon went with them.

The Hocklyns must have recognized this new threat as numerous missile interceptors were launched from their remaining ships. Bomber after bomber exploded in powerful fireballs as the missiles slammed home. Then it was the bombers' turn to extract vengeance for their fallen comrades. They hit the heavily damaged Hocklyn fleet, concentrating on the largest surviving warships. Even as the bombers launched their payloads, the Hocklyn point defense weapons continued to take their toll. The Anlon bombers had lost sixty-two of their number, but the surviving seventy-eight delivered 312 Shrike missiles to their targets. When they disengaged to return home, most of the surviving Hocklyn fleet had been turned into burning wreckage.

-

Commodore Anglert looked at the carnage around him. The War Room was a wreck and his fleet was gone. Only a few of the lighter units remained, and the humans were rapidly finishing them off. Fires lit up the War Room, and many of his fellow warriors were lying on the deck either dead or unconscious. Reaching forward, he punched in a command code on his command console. Two red buttons rose up. He pressed both and then stepped back. He would die. However, the humans had made a grave mistake. They had defeated his fleet, but now the Hocklyn’s masters would come and they would not be merciful.

Aboard the Invincible six nuclear devices detonated, blowing the flagship apart. Other explosions occurred across the Hocklyn fleet as more self-destruct devices were activated in dying ships.

-

Admiral Streth ordered his fleet to withdraw at flank speed. The bomber attack had worked. Around him, the Hocklyn fleet finished its dying in brilliant fireballs of nuclear destruction. Several unfortunate Federation ships were caught too close and damaged even further. The destroyer Oasis exploded as a large piece of wreckage from a Hocklyn ship impacted its hull.

“We won,” mumbled Colonel Sheen, looking at the carnage visible on the main viewscreen. Burning and glowing wreckage was scattered across space. Not a single Hocklyn ship remained intact. She doubted if they would be able to recover anything useful from the wreckage. Too many nukes had gone off.

“For now,” agreed Admiral Streth, gazing numbly at the screen. He knew that thousands of fleet personnel had just died and numerous others were injured. He felt a dull ache in the pit of his stomach at the deaths.

Turning toward Lieutenant Trask, he ordered, “Inform Fleet Command on Tellus that we have destroyed the Hocklyn fleet but have suffered heavy damage to First Fleet. Tell them we will not be able to withstand another attack of this magnitude.”

The heavily damaged Federation fleet pulled back close to the shipyard to await news from Fleet Command. Everyone wanted to know if this had been an isolated attack or if every colony world had been targeted at the same time. Inside the damaged ships, crewmembers raced to repair as many of their ship’s damaged systems as possible in case another attack was forth coming.

-

“What’s the fleet damage report look like?” asked Admiral Streth, looking over at a tired and worried Colonel Sheen. He knew it would be bad. He shuddered to think what the hull of the StarStrike must look like. His flagship had been hit heavily and would need some major yard time.

Colonel Sheen let out a deep breath. For the last hour, she had been talking to the commanders of the other surviving ships trying to get a damage assessment. While they had managed to take out the Hocklyn fleet, it had been a costly victory.

“We lost the Monarch heavy cruiser Crucible, the light cruisers Sundance, Archer, Horizon, and Defender. We also lost the destroyers Anvil, Oasis, Warden, and Vigilance.”

“What about the Talon and Anlon losses?” Hedon asked. He knew these would be quite heavy. There had been too much ordnance flying around during the battle.

“Not good,” answered Colonel Sheen, looking down at the reports on a computer screen. “We lost seventy-eight Talons and eighty-three of the Anlons. We have managed to recover twenty-two pilots who were able to eject.”

“What are our least damaged ships?”

“The Victory came through relatively unscathed. She stayed back conducting fighter and bomber operations. The Avenger and Vindication are also in good shape.”

“Yes, the Avenger and Vindication,” Admiral Streth repeated his eyes narrowing. “I need to talk to their commanders about some unorthodox tactics they resorted to.”

“You mean turning their ships over to the AIs?”

“Yes. Ariel and Clarissa were a deadly pair to the Hocklyns. From the battle assessment I have been doing, they were directly responsible for taking out four Hocklyn support vessels and heavily damaging two others.”

“Sir, I am receiving a message from Fleet Command on Tellus,” Lieutenant Trask reported. “I am transferring it over to you.”

Colonel Sheen watched as the admiral listened to the message. She had been waiting nervously for a report from Fleet Command. It had been weighing heavily on her mind whether the Hocklyns had attacked the other colonies as well. She prayed that her parents on Aquaria had come through this unharmed.

After listening to the message from Fleet Command, Admiral Streth made an announcement to the remaining fleet units of First Fleet. “I just received word from Fleet Command on Tellus that the Hocklyns launched simultaneous attacks on all four of our colony worlds. As of yet we don’t know what has happened in the other battles. Information should be available in the next few hours. I will keep you informed when we know more.”

Colonel Sheen momentarily felt weakness in her legs. The Hocklyns had attacked Aquaria also! God! She hoped her parents were okay. Amanda didn’t know what she would do if something happened to them. She forced herself to calm down. There was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

“Admiral Flaxen wants to know if you want to move some of our more heavily damaged ships into the bays to begin repairs,” Lieutenant Trask reported from Communications.

“I think we had better,” Admiral Streth responded. He knew that some of his ships were barely combat effective. In another battle, those ships would be lost quickly to enemy fire. “We don’t know when the Hocklyns will be back. Colonel Sheen sort our ships by severity of their damage. The shipyard has eight bays available we can use. Both of the construction bays are currently building two new light cruisers. If a ship is under sixty percent combat effective, I want it in a bay.”

“That will only leave the StarStrike, Victory, Endeavor, Avenger, Vindication, and the destroyer Sword combat ready,” Amanda replied worriedly. She looked questioningly at the admiral. “It will be another two months before those two new light cruisers are finished.”

“I know,” Hedon replied evenly. “But unless our ships are repaired, we can’t handle another attack. We have to take the risk of putting them in the bays, even if it’s only for a short time.”

-

On board the Avenger, Teena Arcles was trying frantically to hear news of her brother on the Victory. So far she hadn’t been able to contact anyone who could tell her if her brother had survived the battle or not. She knew a lot of pilots had died.

“Don’t worry,” she heard a voice say and felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure Karl survived. He’s too good of a pilot to let the Hocklyns take him out.” She looked back at Jacen and nodded her head.

Major Winfred walked over toward the two. He knew what they were talking about, and he had the casualty report on the pilots in his hand. He had requested it from the Victory.

“Lieutenant Arcles, I am happy to report that your brother survived the battle. He is currently back on the Victory helping to reorganize their air arm. We lost a lot of good pilots today but from my understanding, your brother’s squadron suffered the smallest amount of casualties and racked up the highest kill count. He did well in the battle.”

“Thank you, sir,” replied Teena, letting out a deep sigh of relief. Her brother had survived!

-

Several hours later, Admiral Streth was over on the shipyard meeting with Admiral Flaxen and his general staff. The news they had received from Fleet Command hadn’t been good. The other colonies had not done as well as they had. The fleet defending Aquaria had been forced to retreat to the shipyard and use its heavy weapons to finally destroy the Hocklyn fleet. Over half of the defending Federation fleet had been destroyed and the rest were severely damaged. Both of their Monarch cruisers had been lost in the battle.

In the system of Cantos where New Eden was located, the Federation fleet had been forced back beneath the planetary defense grid. They had managed to destroy the Hocklyn fleet but not before seven nukes hit the planetary surface. Casualties were estimated to be in the millions.

There was no word yet from the system of Malten Two. The colony planet Aldon, with a population of 900 million, was in the system. There had been no word since the defending Federation fleet had engaged the Hocklyns. Tellus was sending out the battle carrier Liberty, two Monarch cruisers, six light cruisers, and four destroyers to check on the system. It would be the next day before they knew anything.

“At least they didn’t hit Tellus or Maken,” Major Andrews spoke after listening to the report. “Home fleet is still intact as well as our shipyards here and at Aquaria.”

“We’re going to need those shipyards to replace our ship losses,” added Admiral Flaxen, shaking his head. Then looking over at Admiral Streth he continued, “I just hope nothing bad has happened at Aldon.”

Hedon nodded his head. The Hocklyns had hit them hard; probably as hard as they could in the time they had available to them. If Aldon survived, the Federation had probably bought at least six months to a year's worth of time before the Hocklyns could strike again. In that time, most of the fleet losses could be made up from new construction. The big shipyard above Tellus would be invaluable for rebuilding the fleet. He knew that currently another battle cruiser and a battle carrier were under construction in two of that shipyard’s massive bays.

-

Aboard the StarStrike, Amanda was back in her quarters taking a brief break. Major Trist had returned from auxiliary control, which was his station when the ship was at Condition One or two. If the Command Center was destroyed then he could take over control of the ship from there. She lay down on her bed. It was a relief to know that Aquaria had come through their attack untouched. No nukes had reached the surface. Her family was still safe. Closing her eyes, she tried to sleep. The next few days were going to be frantic as they tried to get the fleet reorganized. Amanda finally fell into a fitful sleep. In her dreams, she kept seeing ships dying and friends calling out for help as the colonies burned.

Chapter Eight

War Leader Sigeth stood in former Commodore Anglert’s office staring out the thick insulated window across the desolate cold landscape. His dark eyes were unblinking as he thought about recent troublesome events. The Hocklyn forces sent to subjugate the human colony worlds had been defeated. In all four cases, the attacking Hocklyn fleets had been destroyed. That there had been no survivors was not surprising. No Hocklyn would return home in defeat. Even in a losing effort, a death in battle could preserve a family’s honor and holdings.

Sigeth wondered how this grave error had occurred. When no ships from the four fleets had returned to his waiting supply and invasion fleet, Sigeth had sent out several small surveillance ships to see what the delay was. He had been dismayed to learn that the humans had managed to destroy all four of Commodore Anglert’s war fleets.

Upon learning this stunning news, he had immediately turned his fleet and started the long sequence of jumps back to the isolated fleet base. This serious setback had to be reported to the Hocklyn High Command. His honor would be preserved as his fleet hadn’t taken part in the actual attacks. The invasion fleet was only to move in after the last human warship had been eliminated. Commodore Anglert had failed to achieve that mission requirement.

On the way back, Sigeth had studied the data from the scouts and taken note of the damage the fleets had done to two of the human colony worlds. There was also clear evidence from the sensor scans of numerous destroyed Hocklyn ships in the human systems. It had been over three hundred years since the Hocklyn Slave Empire had suffered such a total defeat to one of its war fleets. Now four of them had been destroyed by the same enemy in a single day!

Already Commodore Anglert’s family had been stripped of all their property holdings, and their family honor was a thing of the past. It had been the commodore’s responsibility to the Hocklyn Empire to ensure victory. His family would now pay for that failure.

“Our masters are demanding an explanation,” his aide spoke in a quivering voice from behind him. The aide had been standing quietly for several minutes, afraid to interrupt War Leader Sigeth’s thoughts.

“Our masters,” repeated Sigeth, continuing to gaze out the window. He let the words come out slowly, knowing the repercussions for failing the masters. Their masters were demanding and did not accept failure.

“I will communicate with them shortly,” responding Sigeth taking a deep breath. A defeat such as the one suffered by Commodore Anglert had to be reported to the Hocklyn High Command, as well as the masters.

Sigeth knew that he should have been placed in command of the attacking fleets from the start. Under his command, this debacle would never have occurred. He had much more experience in battle than Anglert. However, this had been Anglert’s base, and he had used the prestige of his family to convince the Hocklyn High Command to give him the task of bringing these human worlds into the empire. Now Anglert’s family had paid for that failure, which had cost the Hocklyn Empire four fleets of warships.

Outside, ice pellets were falling. Already visibility was beginning to decrease, and the distant mountains were now shielded in gray as the ice began to come down in earnest. Sigeth knew that in another few hours, a thick layer of ice would cover everything. Looking down at the spaceport, he could see slave technicians trudging across the ice covered landing pads. They were wrapped in heavy clothing, but even from here Sigeth could see a few lying on the ground not moving. It was a shame slaves died so easily on this planet. Every week, they requisitioned more to replace those that had died. This was an extremely harsh and unforgiving world.

It had been over six years since he had last been on one of the Hocklyn home worlds. His duty and the ever constant expansion of the empire had kept him far from home. On several occasions, family members had come out to the frontier to visit him and praise him for bringing honor to the family. Unfortunately, over time outposts like this had become all too familiar.

Sigeth had already sent out his report to the Hocklyn High Command as to what had transpired at the human colonies. He knew that a new and much larger military force would soon be assembling in orbit. From the ship losses the humans had suffered, Sigeth knew they would fall quickly to the new fleet. Anglert had made a serious error in judgment for not requesting more warships for his ill-fated attack. The empire had thousands of ships at its disposal. The next attack fleet would be ten times the size of the previous one. Sigeth didn’t mind sharing the glory of conquering these four human worlds as well as their home system when it was found. Victory would ensure his continued survival and future rise in the Hocklyn Hierarchy. Perhaps he could even return to the home worlds to live out the rest of his life.

However, he now needed to contact the Hocklyn’s masters. They would not be pleased with his report, but the blame for this disaster had already been placed on Commodore Anglert. Sigeth felt uneasy at contacting the masters. If they decided to respond to this defeat, their response could be quick and deadly to the humans. The masters might decide to make an example out of the human worlds instead of adding them to the empire. If that were to happen, then the Hocklyns would lose four potentially valuable new slave worlds plus the human’s home system, which had yet to be discovered.

-

Hedon was back on Maken with his brother Taylor and Lendle. It had been five long weeks since the failed Hocklyn attack on the four colony worlds. The entire Human Federation of Worlds was still in shock over the atrocities committed by the Hocklyns on helpless civilians. It might be months yet before the final total of those killed was known.

Taylor and Hedon were down at the lake taking a late evening stroll and discussing the events that had brought them back to Maken and the cabin by the lake. They had only arrived at the cabin a few hours earlier. Lendle was tidying up the cabin and unpacking some supplies they had brought with them. She had told Taylor and Hedon to be back in time for supper. She didn’t want it to get cold waiting on them.

“I still can’t believe what happened on Aldon,” spoke Taylor, gazing out over the calm lake waters. In a few spots, he could see small ripples where fish were feeding. “The last reports indicate over 87 million dead and another 20 million injured.”

“They nuked the planet,” Hedon said somberly, glancing over at his brother. “They forced the defending fleet to retreat back beneath the planetary defense grid and then used their fighters to take the grid out. The fleet did everything they could to protect the planet.”

“They nuked twenty-two cities,” replied Taylor, coming to a stop. “How could they do something like that? What if they had made it here or to Tellus? The casualties could have been a hundred times worse!”

The lake looked so peaceful. Taylor couldn’t imagine that type of horror coming here. He had seen the photos and some of the vid coverage of Aldon. The carnage in the destroyed cities was beyond belief. Survivors were shown in the wreckage, still searching for missing loved ones. Every effort was being made to get supplies and medical aid to those that needed it. There were so many in need of help that it was seriously taxing the Federation agencies responsible for delivering such aid.

“The battle carrier Harrington and two light cruisers were all that survived the attack,” added Hedon shaking his head. He had read the detailed report of the attack and the desperate attempt by the Federation fleet to protect the planet. “If not for the Harrington and her pilots the damage would have been a lot worse. The cruisers did everything they could to protect the Harrington as her air wings took on the Hocklyn ships. It’s my understanding that only twelve pilots survived, but not a single fighter or bomber was left that was flyable once the battle was over. All three ships are still in the repair bays at Aquaria.”

“Can we not salvage any of the other ships?” Taylor asked. He knew the battle above Aldon had been terrible and merciless.

The story of the heroic battle the Harrington’s air wings had fought was already spreading across the Federation. People across the Federation were still talking about how the last four Anlon bombers, protected by seven fighters, had fought their way to the enemy dreadnaught and then all four bombers had rammed the Hocklyn flagship, detonating their loads of nukes. The resulting explosions had knocked down the dreadnaught’s energy screen and the last bomber’s weapons had exploded against the unprotected hull, seriously damaging the ship. The Harrington had then moved in and used her railguns to finish the dreadnaught off.

They had lost a lot of irreplaceable fleet units and personnel in the battles with the Hocklyns. Taylor didn’t know what the fleet was going to do to make up for the lost ships. General Allister had told Taylor that they might have to consider enlarging the bases on New Providence to take in more civilians. Even Admiral Flaxen had indicated that he didn’t know if they could stop the Hocklyns again if they attacked in the same numbers.

“The Monarch cruiser Thunder and possibly two of the light cruisers might be salvageable,” responded Hedon, recalling the fleet reports that Admiral Flaxen and he had gone over. He had seen the photos of the damage. “The ships have been taken to Aquaria. They are waiting their turn in the repair bays. Once in, the engineers will decide if it will be quicker to repair them or build new ships.”

“How much time do you think we have before the Hocklyns return?”

Hedon pursed his lips and gazed at the distant setting sun. In another thirty or forty minutes, the sun would be below the horizon. “Admiral Kinseth believes we have at least another four to six months before they can return with a sizable fleet.”

“I understand the civilian government is up in arms about what happened on Aldon.”

“After the Hocklyns managed to nuke Aldon and New Eden, the civilian government is demanding that the defensive grids around all the planets be greatly expanded,” Hedon responded grimly. “That will be a major priority now.”

“How are they going to do that?” Taylor asked worriedly. He looked over at Hendon. “Won’t that take away from new ship construction?”

Taylor knew that the manufacturing capability on the shipyards wouldn’t be able to keep up with this new demand for defensive satellites and platforms. They would need hundreds to provide any type of workable defense for the colony worlds as well as Tellus and Maken. Taylor couldn’t imagine reducing fleet construction to build up the defense grids. The fleet was their best defense.

Hedon paused for a moment and took a deep breath before looking over at his brother. “Factories on Tellus and here on Maken are being retooled to make defensive satellites and platforms. The Federation Council wants to strengthen the defensive grids by a least a factor of four.”

“Will that be strong enough?”

“If we can get the fleet built back up, it might be,” Hedon replied cautiously. “We are still facing so many unknowns. We didn’t recover anything really useful from the destroyed Hocklyn ships. The intelligence people at Fleet Command believe some of the Hocklyn self destruct devices on their ships are set to go off automatically under certain conditions.”

In the distance, Hedon could see two large colorful birds circling high up in the air. Their wings were spread wide, and they were riding the dying thermals in the fading sunlight. The birds were Kalens, if Hedon remembered correctly. They mated for life and were highly territorial. It’s a shame that this problem with the Hocklyns couldn’t be as simple.

After talking for a few more minutes, they turned back and started walking toward the cabin. As they neared the cabin, they could smell tantalizing aromas drifting out of the open door. Lendle was cooking supper, and it smelled fantastic!

They both washed up on the porch and then entered the cabin. Lendle was setting the food out on the table, and they could see steam rising from several of the dishes indicating they were hot.

Seeing them, Lendle smiled and gestured toward the table. “The two of you made it back just in time. I was just about to start without you.”

“This smells great,” Hedon said, sitting down and gazing at the food she had spread out on the table. There were baked rolls, some type of rice dish that was steaming, a meat casserole, and several vegetables. “You’re a fabulous cook, Lendle! Taylor is really lucky to have you as his wife.”

“At least someone in this cabin recognizes that,” she said, smiling and looking accusingly over at Taylor.

“I know you’re a good cook,” Taylor replied defensively. “Why do you think I exercise so much? The more I exercise the more of your cooking I can eat.”

“That will work this time,” Lendle replied with a pleased smile.

The three filled their plates and were soon eating. The conversation was very casual and they stayed away from talking about the events of the last few months. For a short time, it was as if the war with the Hocklyns was not lurking constantly on their minds.

After they finished eating, Hedon and Taylor helped Lendle with the dishes and then all three went outside to sit on the front porch. The sun had set, and the stars were beginning to come out one by one. In the distance, you could hear the gentle drone of insects from down around the lake.

“What do you think Admiral Kinseth wants this time?” asked Lendle looking over at Hedon. She thought she could see a few more worry lines on his face. Lendle knew he had been under a lot of stress trying to keep New Providence safe.

“I’m not sure,” replied Hedon, his eyes looking over at Lendle. “He has made it a priority to get First Fleet back up to full strength and all the ships completely repaired.”

“How long will that take?” asked Taylor, leaning back and relaxing. He knew this vacation was going to be very short, and he intended to make the most of it.

“The light cruiser Brice and the destroyer Astral will be out of the repair bays at New Providence early next week. Other ships will still take some time to complete their repairs.”

Lendle closed her eyes for a moment and then opening them spoke to Hedon. “I think the admiral is planning something and it involves you, Hedon. I’m afraid it’s going to involve the Hocklyns.”

“He could be sending First Fleet to attack them,” Taylor suggested, his forehead creasing in a heavy frown. “It might cause them to hesitate before launching another attack if they have to worry about being hit themselves. It could buy us the time we need to rebuild the fleet.”

“Several of the senators on the Federation Council are demanding some type of retaliatory strike against the Hocklyns for what happened on Aldon and New Eden,” Lendle added with a sigh. Her eyes turned toward Hedon. “What do you think? Should we attack the Hocklyns?”

“Perhaps,” responded Hedon, nodding his head slowly. “The only problem is that we don’t know where any of their worlds are. We can’t attack them without that knowledge.”

“It would be a good strategy if we knew where some of their worlds were located,” Lendle conceded thoughtfully. “But I think Admiral Kinseth has something else on his mind.”

“I guess I will know in a few more days,” spoke Hedon, letting out a deep breath. “I have a meeting with Admiral Kinseth scheduled.”

Taylor nodded in agreement. Lendle and he had also been recalled. Admiral Kinseth had requested them for some type of special project here in the home system. He had no idea what it might be, but from the hints he had been able to pick up it was something extremely secretive.

The three sat on the porch for quite some time just enjoying the freedom of not having to worry about anything. In a few more days, they would have to return to the war effort, and it might be a while before they could enjoy an evening like this again. Above them, the stars were becoming more numerous as the night settled in. The planet seemed to be wrapped protectively in their not so friendly light.

-

Amanda and Richard had gone to visit her parents at Krall Island on the planet of Aquaria. She wanted to reassure her parents that everything would be all right after the Hocklyn attack. Amanda had talked Richard into coming with her to go scuba diving as well as to meet her family.

The two were currently out on a small boat floating above the Heritage Reef, which was Amanda’s favorite place to dive. The ocean waves were almost non-existent, and numerous white and gray sea birds were circling looking for small fish.

“This place is incredible,” spoke Richard, looking toward the shore and the sandy pristine beach. The sand was almost white and stretched as far as the eye could see. “I certainly understand why your parents have a house here.”

“We’ve come here since I was a little girl,” Amanda replied with a pleased smile. “My best memories are of diving with Dad here at Heritage Reef. The marine life is unreal, and recently a large reef shark has taken up residence.”

“A reef shark?” Richard replied with interest, his eyes lighting up. “I’ve read about those. Do you think there is any chance that we will see it today?”

“Possibly,” replied Amanda, slipping on her scuba tank. “If not, I can have Dad bring us back out tonight for an evening dive. The reef is amazing after dark with all the fish that come in to feed.”

“I look forward to it,” responded Richard, leaning forward and helping Amanda position her tank.

Richard then started putting on his own scuba gear. It had been over a year since he had gone diving and he was really looking forward to it. He was glad he had agreed to come to Aquaria with Amanda. It was a relief to get away from his duties on the shipyard, even if it was for only a few days.

A few moments later, they were both in the warm ocean water and beginning their slow descent toward the reef, which was only twenty feet beneath them. Even from here, numerous species of multi-colored fish were visible. This was going to be a great day for a dive.

Reaching the reef, Amanda motioned for Richard to follow her. She slowly swam along the reef, pointing out the colorful fish and coral formations. Stopping before a deep indentation in the reef, Amanda pointed out a colorful Razor fish that almost blended in completely with the corral surrounding it. The fish was about the size of her hand and had the ability to change color to match its surroundings.

Amanda could tell that Richard was enjoying the dive. He was also a very good diver, which pleasantly surprised her. She would definitely have to talk her father into bringing them back out later this evening for a night dive. There was no sign of the reef shark, and Amanda wanted Richard to get to see it.

-

Later that afternoon, they were back at the house and Richard was down in the basement with Amanda’s father. Looking around, he was surprised at what Anson and his friend Avery Brennen had accomplished.

“Looks as if you have done a lot of work down here,” spoke Richard, looking over at Anson. The walls seemed sturdy, and the main room looked quite comfortable.

“There are two small bedrooms through those doors there,” Anson said pointing. “If we have to come down here to stay, it shouldn’t be too bad. I tried to make this basement as livable as possible.”

“You certainly have done that,” replied Richard, continuing to look around.

Anson was pleased that Amanda had finally brought a man home. He knew that his wife had been thrilled when she had found out that Amanda wasn’t coming alone. That was all she had talked about when Amanda had called them and said she and Richard were coming for a visit. It had also helped to take her mind off the recent Hocklyn attack.

“I’m glad you’re prepared,” commented Richard, looking back over at Anson. “It will make Amanda feel better. She worries about you and her mother quite often.”

“We should be okay,” responded Anson, nodding his head. He walked over and put his hand on a small portable com system that was setting on a shelf. “I can tune in to the civil defense stations with this in an emergency. If they sound the alarm, Avery Brennen and his wife will come running and the four of us will stay down here until they sound the all clear. We also have a small emergency generator if the power goes out. We were all four in here when the Hocklyns attacked.”

“That was a good decision. I understand you’re a pretty good hunter,” Richard continued. Looking around, he could tell that the basement was well stocked with supplies. Amanda had done a first-rate job making sure her parents would have what they needed in order to survive an attack.

“I do a lot of bird hunting in the fall and spring,” Anson replied with a smile. “I guess Amanda told you about the assault rifles she arranged to get for us. In my younger days, I spent several years in the marines here on Aquaria, so I can handle an assault rifle if necessary.”

“I just hope that it doesn’t become necessary,” Richard replied somberly.

“So do I,” Anson responded with a serious look upon his face. “If it ever comes to that, then something bad has happened to the Federation.”

Upstairs, Amanda’s mother was full of questions about Richard. “It’s about time you brought a man home,” she was saying.

“Mother!” responded Amanda, feeling a faint blush color her cheeks. “It’s nothing like that. Richard and I are just good friends.”

Her mother smiled knowingly. “I see how he looks at you. If you’re good friends now, he certainly wants more later. He sounds like a really good man. You don’t find too many of those, Amanda.”

Amanda was quiet for a moment. “Mom, I really like Richard, but right now with this war and everything it’s not the time for a serious relationship.”

Her mother gazed at Amanda for several long seconds. “No dear, now is the time for that type of relationship. But it’s what will help to get you through this.”

Looking at her mother, Amanda knew in her heart that she was speaking the truth. She just wasn’t sure yet if she was ready for that type of relationship. It was something she would have to think about, perhaps even talk over with Richard. Amanda let out a heavy sigh. Leave it to her mother to make her realize what was truly important.

-

Hedon walked down the long hallway that led to Admiral Kinseth’s office. Reaching the office, one of the two marine guards opened the door and gestured for him to go right in. Once inside, Hedon paused upon seeing Admiral Kinseth and two senators from the Federation Council. Reaching Admiral Kinseth’s desk, he saluted. He wondered why the Federation Senators were here.

“At ease, Admiral,” spoke Kinseth, gesturing for Hedon to sit down in a chair next to the two Federation Senators.

Hedon sat down and then waited, staring questionably at Admiral Kinseth. He had been wondering for several days now exactly why he had been called away from New Providence to the home system. There was still much work that needed to be done getting First Fleet back up and fully operational. The shipyard at New Providence had been working around the clock with full crews on his warships.

“I hope you enjoyed your short leave, Admiral,” Kinseth spoke, his eyes shifting to some papers on his desk and then looking back up. “You did an outstanding job defending New Providence. Better than any of our other admirals in the other colony systems.”

“Thank you, sir,” Hedon replied. “But we still lost a lot of good men and women. I don’t feel good about that.”

“As any good commander should feel,” Admiral Kinseth replied evenly.

Hedon was silent for a moment, and then he asked the admiral, “Why have you called me back to Tellus? We still have a lot of work to do back at New Providence to get ready in case there is another attack.”

“We have called you here because we have a special mission that we need you to undertake,” Admiral Kinseth responded gravely.

“A special mission?” responded Hedon, feeling confused.

Surely they weren’t going to send him to attack the Hocklyns. They had no idea where any of the Hocklyn worlds were. The Federation also didn’t have the ships currently to commit to such an action. If they did it might be the prudent thing to do, but after the Hocklyn attack, the fleet was in no shape to go on the offensive.

“We need to know what we’re up against, Admiral,” Senator Whittington from Tellus spoke with a serious look in his eyes. Whittington had been on the Federation Council for twelve years and was rumored to have the inside track to be the Federation’s next president.

“I don’t understand,” Hedon said, looking over at the senator. “How can we find that out? We don’t know where any of their worlds are. As far as I know, we haven’t recovered anything useful from their destroyed ships.”

“That’s why we want to send you on a special mission Admiral,” Senator Whittington answered. Then looking at Hedon with a serious look upon his face, the senator continued. “We want you to take First Fleet deep into what we suspect is Hocklyn territory and see just how big their empire is. Are we up against a few worlds, or an empire spanning a major part of the galaxy?”

Hedon was stunned at what the senator was suggesting. The Federation couldn’t afford to lose First Fleet or for it to leave Federation space. They just didn’t have the ships to spare right now. All three Federation shipyards were working around the clock trying to repair all the damage suffered by the fleet.

“We have thought about this long and hard, Admiral,” spoke Kinseth, leaning forward slightly. He placed his hands on his desk and then continued. “We won’t be sending all of First Fleet, just part of it. This will be a covert mission. Your success will depend on your fleet remaining undetected by the Hocklyns. Some of our space scientists have determined, based on the time it took the Hocklyns to attack us, the possible location of at least some of their worlds. We have a short window of opportunity between now and when we think they can be ready to launch another attack. That’s why we want to launch this mission now.”

“How long would we be gone?” Hedon asked evenly. He didn’t agree that it would be a good decision to take part of First Fleet and leave the Federation. What if they were wrong about the time needed before the Hocklyn’s next attack? “What if the Hocklyns attack while we’re gone?”

“The battle carrier Constellation will launch next week, as well as the battle cruiser Providence,” Admiral Kinseth replied. “Over the next two months we will be launching eight more light cruisers and twelve destroyers. We are also massively strengthening the defensive grids around all the planets. We’re not expecting another attack for at least four to six months. By then you will be back with First Fleet and we will have even more ships ready.”

“The area we’re sending you to search will take six to eight weeks to reach,” Senator Whittington commented. “You will have to move slowly and make sure you remain undetected as you advance deeper into what our scientists think is Hocklyn space.”

“The StarStrike, the battle carrier Victory, the light cruisers Avenger, Vindication, Hydra, and Brice, plus the destroyers Astral and Lance will be going with you,” Admiral Kinseth spoke. “In addition, we are transferring six long-range scout craft to the Victory. These scouts are covered with a new composite material that should make them undetectable to Hocklyn scanners and sensors.”

“We hope by using the scouts it will prevent your fleet from being detected,” the other Federation senator added. “The scouts can survey the targeted systems without running the risk of detection.”

Hedon recognized Senator Albright from Maken. Senator Albright had been one of those senators that had always opposed the fleet being so large. Hedon wondered why he was here.

Seeming to know what Hedon was thinking, Senator Albright spoke again. “Admiral Streth, you should know that I am not in favor of this mission. However, Senator Whittington and Admiral Kinseth have convinced the Federation President as well as the rest of the council of the importance of this mission. I don’t believe we should risk our valuable ships this way. I am concerned that the Hocklyns might attack before you return or even worse, that your fleet might be detected and never make it back.”

Hedon was silent; he didn’t know what to make of this. He understood Senator Albright’s concerns; it worried him also. This mission would be extremely dangerous, and who knew what they might discover or run into. They would also be cut off from Federation space and any hope of support from the fleet if they were discovered by the Hocklyns.

“We will leave you and Admiral Kinseth alone now,” spoke Senator Whittington, standing up. “He will finish explaining what we expect out of this mission, and he also has another matter that he needs to discuss with you. Good luck with your mission, Admiral.”

Hedon watched as the two senators left the room, leaving him alone with Admiral Kinseth. “What’s going on?” asked Hedon, turning his attention back to the admiral. He had a feeling that he had not been told everything.

Admiral Kinseth rose and walked over to a large safe behind his desk. He spent several moments opening it and then returned with a folder and several computer flash drives. Sitting back down, he slid them across the desk toward Hedon.

“We don’t know how large the Hocklyn Empire is,” Admiral Kinseth began. “There is a possibility, based on the technology we have observed in their warships, that they might indeed control a large number of worlds. If that is the case, we may be fighting a war we can’t win. Also, due to what happened to the colonies of New Eden and Aldon it is prudent that we make sure the human race survives. That folder and those flash drives contain the plans that the Federation Council and I have come up with to ensure that happens. Put those in your safe on board the StarStrike. They contain instructions of what you are to do if we lose this war.”

Hedon picked up the folder and the flash drives. He hoped he would never have to find out what they contained. If he did, then disaster had come to the Human Federation of Worlds.

-

One week later, Hedon was in the Command Center of the StarStrike. Looking at the main viewscreen, the battle carrier Victory was prominently displayed. The fleet was preparing to leave the New Providence system and head out into the unknown. Lieutenant Ashton from the Victory was currently at Navigation helping to plot the jumps. She had spent the last several days talking to various space scientists as to where in their search area the Hocklyns might be located. From talking to her earlier, he knew that the space scientists had pinpointed two probable locations to search.

The first location was over five hundred light years from the Federation. At the speed they would be traveling, it would take them nearly six weeks to reach the first set of coordinates to begin their search. The second area was nearly three hundred light years farther. If they had to go on to the second set of coordinates, it would substantially increase their mission time.

“The other ships are forming up into their support positions and are reporting ready to depart,” Colonel Sheen reported. She looked across the Command Center, checking on the crew. Everyone was busy and going about their jobs as if this was a normal mission.

Amanda let out a deep breath and gazed longingly at the shipyard visible on one of the viewscreens. Richard was on the station and it would be months before she saw him again. At least they had discussed their relationship after returning from Aquaria. Amanda’s mother had made her realize that her life was missing something important. Richard and she had agreed to explore their relationship further when she returned. Both had admitted that they had very deep feelings for the other and would like to see where that would take them.

When she had left the shipyard earlier today, they had shared their first real kiss. Her heart had fluttered and her pulse quickened as Richard leaned forward and their lips had met. It was almost like a fairy tale. The kiss had held hints of promises and hopes for a future when she returned. Looking back over at the admiral, she knew her personal life would have to wait until the StarStrike returned to New Providence in a few months.

“Move the fleet out at one quarter sublight,” Admiral Streth ordered. He was standing behind the central command console with his hands clasped behind his back.

Hedon watched as his orders were carried out and the fleet fell into formation. The two destroyers Astral and Lance took up a screening position in front of the fleet. The four light cruisers Avenger, Vindication, Hydra, and Brice formed a defensive screen around the battle carrier and the flagship. There was no CAP currently deployed since they would be jumping shortly after they cleared the outer markers.

Recalling his meeting with Admiral Kinseth, Hedon wondered what his brother and Lendle were being sent off to do. He had talked briefly with Taylor after his meeting with the admiral and Taylor still seemed confused about their new orders. All he could tell Hedon was that Lendle and he were to board a destroyer the next day and depart for points unknown. Hedon wondered if it had anything to do with the special orders he had locked up in his personal safe. The mysterious orders that Admiral Kinseth had given him and then instructed him not to open unless the Federation lost the war.

Just the fact that Admiral Kinseth had even mentioned the possibility of losing the war had startled Hedon. But the Fleet Admiral was supposed to take all possibilities into account. It made Hendon realize just how important this mission was. It also worried him about what the Federation would do if it was discovered that the Hocklyns did control an empire much bigger than the Human Federation of Worlds. Surrender was not an option, and the Hocklyns didn’t seem to be a merciful race.

The fleet continued to move away from New Providence and was soon nearing the outer markers. The first jump had already been programmed into the fleet’s navigation computers. Every ship in the fleet had been topped off with fuel, ammunitions, and supplies. While the StarStrike and the Victory did have some manufacturing capability, there were a number of items that if they ran short could not be replaced. For this mission, even the light cruisers had been armed with nuclear warheads on their missiles.

“Passing the outer markers,” reported Lieutenant Stalls, watching his scanners and sensors.

Admiral Streth nodded. While it was safe to jump from this point on, he preferred to wait a few more minutes to allow his fleet to get farther out of New Providence’s gravity well. The fleet was going on a long journey, and there was no point in stressing the FTL cores.

-

On the light cruiser Avenger, Commander Standel watched as the fleet put more distance between them and New Providence. Looking up, he saw Ariel watching him. Gazing at the AI, Standel had to remind himself once again that Ariel wasn’t human. Her black shoulder length hair and dark eyes seemed to see right through him. He wondered if somewhere in the Federation if there was a young woman that Ariel had been modeled after.

“Clarissa and I have come up with several more tactics we can use in combat to defend the fleet,” Ariel commented over the mini-com with a charming smile on her face. Only Commander Standel could hear what she was saying. “We can improve the Avenger and Vindication’s combat ability by nearly two hundred percent if we are allowed to use them.”

“I will keep that in mind, Ariel,” Standel replied quietly.

He had been impressed by what Ariel and Clarissa had done in the battle with the Hocklyns. Even though both Commander Wisthom and he had been called into Admiral Streth’s office to explain their actions, he still felt they had made the right decision. The admiral had tentatively agreed to allow such action in the future to be taken by the two commanders, but only if there were no other options available and the results of not doing so seriously endangered the fleet.

-

Teena was talking to Jacen over their own private com channel. The two had become even closer since the battle and were wondering what they should do. Fraternization between Command Center officers was frowned upon. If they decided to continue their growing relationship, one of them might be forced to transfer off the Avenger. Both hated the thought of that, as they liked the ship, its crew, and its commanding officers.

“It may be months before we get back,” spoke Teena, gazing at one of the smaller viewscreens, which showed the blue and white globe of New Providence receding in the distance.

Jacen smiled over at her and spoke. “We have a pretty powerful fleet with us so we should be safe. Once we find the Hocklyns and get a general idea of what we’re up against, the admiral will bring us back safely.”

“Still, we’re going a long way and anything could happen,” Teena responded slowly. “If something happens to the fleet there will be no hope of rescue.”

“I wouldn’t worry,” replied Jacen, glancing at the main viewscreen and the AI. “We have Ariel, and I trust her to keep us safe.”

Teena nodded and turned back to her com system. She was listening to the idle chatter between ships as they prepared to jump.

On the main screen, Ariel’s smile grew. What the crew didn’t know was that she could listen to everything they said over their private com channels. She had discovered how to do this months earlier and had not told anyone. Even an AI had to have her secrets.

-

Admiral Streth watched as the fleet neared its planned jump point. At a nod from him, Colonel Sheen gave the order for the fleet to jump. Almost instantly, blue-white vortexes formed in front of the two destroyers. The two ships quickly vanished into them. Moments later, the vortexes vanished as if they had never been. On each jump, the two destroyers would go first and scan the target system, and then a few minutes later the fleet would follow.

Hedon waited patiently and soon saw a vortex form in front of the StarStrike. He braced his hands instinctively against the command console. Entering hyperspace wasn’t that big of a deal, but he still tensed up each time it happened. The helm officer moved the StarStrike into the vortex, Hedon felt a quick moment of queasiness, then it was over. On the viewscreen, the dark purple colors of hyperspace were visible. Their mission had started, and they were on their way to search out the Hocklyns. Looking around the Command Center, Hedon noticed the crew seemed to be more relaxed now that they were underway. He just hoped that he would bring them all back home safely.

Chapter Nine

The Present

Captain Arcles tensed as the scout ship exited the space vortex in the first targeted system. For a moment, all the screens and sensors in the small ship were covered in static. He felt vulnerable knowing that, for a few brief seconds, the small scout was helpless and blind. Looking out the cockpit window, he could see nothing dangerous, just the unwinking sea of stars. The stars in this region of space were closer together than at home, and space around the scout seemed to be full of them.

“Sensors coming on line,” sensor Specialist Rathers reported as his screens began to clear. “Beginning long-range scans.”

“How are the stealth systems?” asked Arcles, starting to relax now as all the systems came back on line.

“Functioning normally,” systems Specialist Barkley replied as he checked his computer read outs. “We should be undetectable to sensors and scanners.”

“Let’s hope so,” Arcles commented dryly. He just hoped the scientists and technicians were correct when they claimed the scout wouldn’t show up on Hocklyn sensors or scanners. The scout wouldn’t stand much of a chance against an armed Hocklyn warship.

“I wonder if anything is out there?” commented Lieutenant Sanders, gazing out the cockpit window at the stars. It made her feel so alone knowing they were so far from home and now away from the Victory. She took a deep, steadying breath and looked over at Captain Arcles. His steady confident look made her feel more at ease.

For several long minutes, everyone was quiet as the long-range sensors swept the system. These were special sensors designed to furnish the maximum amount of data possible. Only the sensors aboard a battle carrier or a battle cruiser could compare in sensitivity and range.

“No artificial emissions detected,” Rathers reported as the information began to appear on his screens. “Five planets have been detected, and none are in the liquid water zone.”

“This system is a bust,” Arcles said disappointedly, letting out a sigh. He knew that the likelihood of them finding an inhabited system on the first jump had been quite low. “No signs of mining operations on any of the planets or moons?”

“No, sir,” replied Rathers, checking his data once more to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. “This system is dead.”

Captain Arcles nodded and turned to look at Lieutenant Sanders. “We will let the jump drive cool for two hours and then jump to our next target. Specialist Rathers continue to run your sensor scans. We might as well gather as much information as possible on this system while we wait.”

Arcles leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. On a fleet warship, the FTL cores were allowed to cool for at least four hours after each jump. One of the side effects of traveling in hyperspace was the heat buildup in the drive core. If the core wasn’t allowed to cool down sufficiently after a jump, it would eventually cause serious damage to the FTL drive. While multiple jumps were possible without allowing the FTL core to cool, it was not recommended. For the small scout ship they were in, the technicians had recommended a cool down period of two hours.

Lieutenant Sanders was busy entering the next series of FTL coordinates. Their next jump point was only 2.6 light years away. She knew that if a Hocklyn ship was to make a sudden appearance they could jump immediately to safety. A couple of quick jumps probably wouldn’t damage the core, but she didn’t want to get stranded out here. If they did, the chance of a rescue was almost nonexistent.

-

It was on their fourth and final jump that they hit pay dirt. The sensors had just begun to clear when Lieutenant Sanders made a startling announcement.

“I’m picking up something on communications.” She had set the scout’s com system to scan all normal communication frequencies. Lacy hadn’t honestly expected to pick up anything, but there the signals were.

“We have a planet in the liquid water zone,” Specialist Rathers spoke excitedly. “I am also picking up energy emissions from it. It’s definitely inhabited.”

“I am picking up radio transmissions on numerous frequencies,” Lacy spoke as she continued to listen to a number of different broadcasts. She couldn’t understand what was being spoken, but it was definitely coming from the planet. “I think we found what we were looking for.”

Captain Arcles leaned forward and studied the small sensor screen in front of him, where Specialist Rathers was sending what was on his larger screen. It showed the fourth planet lit up in artificial emissions.

“There are eight planets in the system,” Rathers reported as he continued to study the data coming in from the scans. “The fourth is inhabited, and I am also picking up emissions from planet five and several of the moons in the system. The others are probably mining operations.”

“What about ships?” asked Arcles feeling tense. He wondered if this was a Hocklyn controlled system and if there were any warships about.

“I show a large space station in orbit around planet four, as well as what appears to be a number of freighters,” Rathers replied as he studied his sensors. It would be necessary to move in closer and use the short-range scanners so they could get more detailed information on the planet and the space station. “I also show several freighters in transit between what I assume are the mining operations.”

“We found an inhabited world,” Sanders spoke quietly, her eyes looking thoughtful.

In all of their explorations around Federation space, this would be the first one. Lacy wondered what the planet’s inhabitants looked like. The Hocklyns were some type of reptilian race, what did this world hold?

“Let’s move in closer,” spoke Arcles, reaching a decision.

They hadn’t detected any signs of a Hocklyn ship, so they didn’t know if this was a Hocklyn system or not. They would have to move farther in system to find out. It was a risk since this system obviously contained a highly advanced civilization. They were about to find out just how good the stealth systems on the scout were.

Reaching forward, Arcles activated the scout’s powerful sublight drive and turned the small ship toward the inner part of the system. He coaxed the sublight drive up to thirty percent power and then set it to hold there. At that speed, it would take the scout three hours to reach scanner range, which would allow them to gather more details about the planet and the orbiting space station. Even if this wasn’t a Hocklyn controlled system, it might be worth establishing contact with the race that inhabited the planet just to see if they knew anything about the Hocklyns.

“Are we detecting any scans of any type?” he asked, looking back at Specialist Barkley.

“No, sir,” replied Barkley, studying his computer screens and running his fingers over a keyboard. “We may be too far out for their sensors.”

“Very well,” Arcles replied, satisfied for the moment. “Keep me informed if anything changes.”

Lacy bit her lip and looked out the cockpit window. She could feel her heart fluttering and her breathing had quickened. Refocusing, she looked back down at the controls and began doing a check of the scout’s systems. If they had to leave in a hurry, she wanted to know that everything was working properly.

-

For three hours, the shuttle moved rapidly farther in system. They continued to gather data and study the inhabited world they were approaching. There were a surprisingly large number of freighters in orbit but strangely enough, there were no liners or other civilian ships.

“I think we should stop, sir,” Rathers cautioned suddenly as more data flowed in from his close-range scanners. He enlarged a video feed, which was capturing views of the space station. “I am picking up a large ship docked to the space station. It’s definitely Hocklyn!”

Arcles felt his blood turn cold. He had hoped this was a system free of Hocklyn interference. A system they could perhaps make contact with and gather additional information. Now it seemed that was not to be. The Hocklyns were already here. What did that mean if the first inhabited system they found was under Hocklyn control?

“What type of ship is it?” Arcles asked with just a trace of concern in his voice. “Is it a warship?”

“Looks like one of their exploration or support ships,” Rathers replied as he adjusted his scanners to give him more detailed information. “It’s of the same type that we encountered at Stalor Four.”

Arcles brought the scout to a stop and wondered what they should do next. If they were detected, the Hocklyn ship could destroy the scout almost instantly. The scout had very light armor and their weapons wouldn’t even put a dent in the Hocklyn ship’s screens. They were already inside the planet’s gravity well and could not get away by jumping into hyperspace. They would have to run on their sublight drive if detected. “Specialist Barkley, how sure are you that they can’t detect us?”

“Positive,” Barkley replied confidently paying close attention to what his stealth systems were telling him. “As long as we hold our drive emissions to a minimum and don’t get too close, the Hocklyns will never know we’re here.”

“How close?” persisted Arcles, his eyes narrowing. He wanted to know how close he could take the scout to the inhabited planet. They needed to gather as much information about the planet, the space station, and the Hocklyn ship as possible. They might not get another opportunity like this.

“About 2,000 kilometers should be safe,” Barkley replied a little hesitantly. “Any closer and they could detect our drive emissions.”

Arcles nodded as he reached a decision. He wanted more detailed information before he returned to the Victory and reported back to the admiral. “We’re going in closer. I want to know everything there is to know about that planet, the space station, and that Hocklyn ship docked to it. If I’m right, everything we set out to learn is right there in front of us. We just have to figure out how to get it.”

The small scout slowly crept forward. Its dark color made it invisible against the wall of stars behind it. The emissions from the drive and the scout’s other systems were carefully masked. For nearly an hour, they moved closer and then the scout stopped. They were still undetected, and now their mission could truly begin.

-

For the next eight hours, the crew in the small scout ship watched the planet and the large orbiting space station. The station was only about half the size of the shipyard above New Providence. It seemed as if the station served more as a way port for the freighters in the system than anything else. There was very little traffic between the station and the planet. In the eight hours the scout had watched, no ships at all had come up from the surface. The station looked as if it might contain one or two repair or construction bays, but there was no evidence of any kind of armaments.

“The station seems to be unarmed,” Rathers reported as he studied the data coming in on his screens.

“I don’t understand,” spoke Lieutenant Sanders, looking confused. She turned and looked over at Captain Arcles. “There’s no defense grid around that planet, no weapons on the space station, just the Hocklyn ship. Why is that?”

“It’s a slave world,” responded Rathers, shaking his head in disbelief. “I have been scanning the planet, and it has a population of around 220 million. From the primitive vids I have been able to pick up the inhabitants resemble humans. The main differences are that they have fur, are a light blue in color, and slightly smaller.”

“Why do you say a slave world?” Arcles asked, not liking that inference and what it implied.

“There is evidence of numerous cities that were destroyed in the distant past,” explained Rathers putting up several long distance photos of overgrown ruins on one of the scout’s small screens. “The computer estimates at one time this world had a population closer to two billion.”

“Two billion!” Lacy stammered, her eyes growing wide at the implications. “What happened to them? Was it a war?”

“The Hocklyns nuked them from orbit,” Arcles muttered, his eyes showing anger. “They reduced the population to a more controllable level, and now this species serves them. Those freighters are probably bound for Hocklyn worlds carrying ore and other supplies. That’s why there are not any civilian ships in orbit around the planet.”

“We need to know for sure,” Lacy spoke quietly, not wanting to believe the Hocklyns were capable of such genocide. “The planet might have had a war before the Hocklyns found them.”

“The evidence points to the Hocklyns being responsible,” Arcles replied sadly. “There’s clear evidence this planet was nuked. There is a Hocklyn warship docked to that space station. We know what the Hocklyns did to Aldon. I think that is evidence enough.”

Lacy was silent for a long moment, feeling a queasiness in her stomach. Was this what was in store for the Federation worlds if the Hocklyns won? She didn’t want to even think about that. It was too horrible. “What now?”

Arcles let out a heavy sigh. “We return to the Victory. I suspect the admiral will have something planned for this system. As I said earlier, everything we need to know is here. We just need to figure out how to get it.”

-

Admiral Streth gazed thoughtfully at the large viewscreen that currently showed what Captain Arcles had found on his scouting mission. It was a beautiful blue-white globe teeming with life. Unfortunately, it was also controlled by the Hocklyns. He had called several of his ship commanders over to the StarStrike to discuss the situation.

“Our scouts located three different inhabited planets,” spoke Commander Adler, shaking his head in incredulity. “I never expected us to find so many. Unfortunately, in each case at least one Hocklyn warship was found in orbit.”

“Three worlds out of the twenty star systems we searched and all three controlled by the Hocklyns,” Commander Wisthom commented, his eyes showing his deep concern. “Were all three systems populated by the same race?”

“No,” replied Commander Adler, looking around the small group. “Three different races and all three inhabited planets showing signs of nuclear weapons being used on their cities sometime in the past.”

“Nuclear weapons,” Commander Standel muttered, not liking the sound of that at all. It was becoming more evident that the Hocklyns had no problem with using nukes on innocent civilians. “It sounds as if they use nukes to reduce the populations of all their conquered planets to a more manageable level.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” spoke Commander Wisthom, hoping they were wrong about why nukes had been used on the planets.

“Unfortunately, the evidence from all three of the scouts seems to point to that,” Commander Adler responded, wondering if the same could happen to the Federation. “Look what they did to Aldon.”

Everyone was quiet as they weighed Commander Adler’s words. In their hearts, they feared that he might be right. No one wanted to see the Federation suffer the same fate as these three planets.

“I don’t see the need for the fleet to go any deeper into what is apparently Hocklyn controlled space,” commented Admiral Streth, taking a deep fortifying breath. “Everything we need to know about the Hocklyns and their empire is in those three systems. The question is how do we get it?”

The people in the small command group looked at each other, as they thought about the different options available to them. Each system had a Hocklyn warship in orbit. In two of the systems, the warship was docked to a space station. In the third, it was floating in orbit above the planet.

Major Graymon cleared his throat and then spoke. “My five hundred marines on the Victory could take one of the space stations, and maybe even the Hocklyn ship that is docked to it. We’re ready to go Admiral. Just give the word.”

“We have another two hundred and fifty on the StarStrike,” added Colonel Sheen, wondering if there was any way they could board the station and seize the Hocklyn ship. “That’s a pretty good size assault force.”

“I don’t see where that helps us,” Admiral Streth interrupted with a frown, raising his eyebrows. “The Hocklyns will detect our assault shuttles before we can land on either the station or the warship. If they detect unidentifiable ships coming toward them, they will undoubtedly use force to destroy those ships. Must I remind everyone here that a single ship exactly like those three almost destroyed the Avenger and the Vindication in the Stalor System?”

Commanders Standel and Wisthom nodded their heads in agreement. They grimaced at recalling the damage the Avenger and Vindication had taken above the mining colony. Those three warships were a problem. If they attacked any one of the three systems, the other two warships would respond to a call for help from the other support ship. The fleet could undoubtedly take out those three ships but would probably suffer some heavy damage in the process. Damage they might not be able to repair so far from home.

“If they detect us,” Major Graymon replied with a wolfish smile. He already had a plan in mind. “What if we can get in without being detected?”

“The scout ships,” Colonel Sheen spoke, her eyes widening at the thought. She hadn’t thought about using the scout ships. “But how close can we get them to the station without being detected?”

Commander Adler looked thoughtful for a moment as he thought about the stealth systems and composite shielding on the scouts. He knew what the scientists and technicians said. They were pretty confident about it being immune to scans or sensors. However, he didn’t know if they had considered a situation like this one.

“Maybe pretty damn close,” he said after a moment. “If the Hocklyns are not expecting us and are not running routine scans we just might be able to pull this off. It will be a risk though. If even one of the scout ships is detected, the Hocklyn ship will probably destroy them all before they can escape.”

“Why would they run routine scans?” asked Colonel Sheen looking around the group. “We may be very deep into their territory in an area they consider safe. Those support ships may be at those three worlds more for show than anything else.”

“We have six scout ships,” spoke Admiral Streth, looking over at Major Graymon. “How many marines and their equipment could they handle?”

“It will take two jumps to get to the targeted system,” responded Major Graymon, looking over at the admiral. He had already worked out a few of the details of this plan earlier when he had been told about the meeting. “I can put ten marines and their equipment on board each scout.”

“Will sixty marines be enough?” asked Commander Standel frowning. “There may be hundreds of Hocklyns aboard that ship and the space station.”

“We also have six heavy assault shuttles on the Victory,” Major Graymon added. “They each can hold twenty marines and all of their equipment. Once we have a secure foothold on the station and the Hocklyn ship I propose jumping all six of them in with reinforcements.”

“We also have four heavy assault shuttles on the StarStrike,” Admiral Streth added. He wondered if this plan could actually work. They would be taking an enormous risk, but the payoff could be worth it. “That will give us another two hundred marines to hit the station and the ship with.”

“We’re going to be taking a lot of risks if we do this,” Commander Adler warned with a heavy frown, hoping they were not making a colossal mistake. “What if the Hocklyns activate the self-destruct on their ship?”

“If we hit them hard enough, we can stop it,” Major Graymon informed them confidently. “From the vids of the support ship at Stalor Four and from their attack on our colony worlds, we have a pretty good idea where their nuclear destruct charges are located. I have several specialists that will be going in with the first group who will attempt to disarm the charges.”

“In all the confusion, it just might work,” Colonel Sheen spoke as she thought about the plan Major Graymon was proposing. “The Hocklyns are bound to be confused from the attack. Before they realize what our marines are after, we may just be able to disarm the self destruct charges.”

“At some point we will have to jump the fleet in,” mentioned Commander Adler, thinking about everything that could go wrong in a complex mission like this. “If this fails, the Hocklyns may send a fleet after us. They won’t like the idea of a human fleet prowling around in their backyard. They also won’t want to risk us making it back home with any information we’ve gathered. We may find it difficult to make it back to Federation space.”

The entire command group was silent as they thought about this. It would be risky just getting the information. However, it might be even more dangerous trying to make it back home with it.

Admiral Streth looked around the small group of officers. He could see that several of his ship commanders were unsure about an armed attack by the marines on the Hocklyn ship and the space station. They were also worried about making it back home. He took a deep breath as he weighed his options. It had taken them six weeks to get this far. They didn’t have to jump into anything. They could take a little time to study this, perhaps come up with a more feasible plan that had a more reasonable chance of working with minimum casualties and risk to the fleet.

“Major Graymon, go ahead and work up an action plan,” ordered Admiral Streth, reaching a decision. “We want detailed knowledge of the territory the Hocklyns control as well as any other Intel we can recover. Obviously recovering computer drives will be a top priority, as well as any star charts that might exist on the station or the Hocklyn ship.”

“What type of force am I allowed to use on the station?” asked Major Graymon, wanting a little clarification. “There might be civilians from the race down on the planet aboard.”

Admiral Streth gave Major Graymon a long and serious look. “It’s imperative that we find out what the Human Federation of Worlds is facing. You are authorized to use whatever force and weapons are necessary to achieve that. I am directing you to attempt to hold any civilian casualties to a minimum and to try to use non-lethal force if possible. However, if civilians offer resistance or get in the way, you are authorized to go through them.”

Major Graymon slowly nodded in understanding. “We will issue stun grenades and a few other non lethal weapons, sir. We will do everything possible to hold civilian casualties down.”

Then turning to the other officers in the room, Hedon continued, “Colonel Sheen, I want you to work with Major Graymon on this. Commanders Standel, Wisthom, and I want to involve the AIs. As soon as Major Graymon and Colonel Sheen have a tentative plan worked up, let the two AIs evaluate it and see what they can come up with in the way of improvements.”

“You want the AI’s involved?” Commander Wisthom asked with a look of surprise.

“Yes,” Admiral Streth responded with a nod. “They came up with some extremely good defense plans back at New Providence, and they showed their tactical ability when they used the Avenger and Vindication to attack the Hocklyn ships. I think it would be wise for us to include them in this.”

Everyone nodded in agreement recalling how deadly the two cruisers had been to the Hocklyns once the AIs were given control. After being dismissed by the admiral, the group broke up and went off to work on their assignments.

-

Amanda sat down on the couch in her quarters and leaned back closing her eyes. She had just spent nearly six hours with Major Graymon working out a tentative attack plan. She just hoped it would work. If not, a lot of good people would die. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked across her quarters. On the far wall, next to her desk, was a large photo of her parents. There was also a picture of her parent’s house on Krall Island. At this time of the year, it would be turning cooler on Aquaria. Since the planet had only a few degrees variance in inclination as it rotated around its sun, the seasons didn’t change too much.

Getting up, she walked over to her desk and glanced at the new picture she had recently placed there. It was a picture of her and Richard at her parents' house. Her mother had taken the photo just a few months back. Amanda missed Richard. His friendly voice, his easy laugh, all made her miss him even more. She was beginning to realize that perhaps her mother was right; Richard was very important to her, more than she had realized. Richard and she had talked about their relationship before she left on this mission. She acknowledged that it was time for her and Richard to pursue this relationship and see where it led.

With a heavy sigh, she knew it would probably be at least another few months before they made it back to New Providence. That would be almost a quarter of a year away from the shipyard. If the mission they had planned worked, they could start back for home again shortly. Maybe within the week. After Major Graymon and she had finalized their attack plan, Amanda had sent copies of it over to the Avenger and the Vindication. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see if the AIs recommended any changes.

-

Early the next afternoon, Amanda had just finished eating in the officer’s mess when she was called to the main conference room. She had been preparing to do a quick inspection of the flight bay on the StarStrike when she received the summons. Upon entering the conference room, she saw that Major Graymon and both Commanders Standel and Wisthom were already there. Not only that, but Ariel’s avatar was showing on the main viewscreen on the front wall. She also noticed that Captain Silvan and Sergeant Craven were present. Captain Silvan was in charge of the StarStrike’s marines, and Sergeant Craven was a platoon leader from the Victory. She had just sat down when Admiral Streth and Commander Adler walked into the room.

“Hello everyone,” Admiral Streth spoke as he took his seat at the head of the table. “We’re here today to discuss the attack on one of the Hocklyn systems. Colonel Sheen and Major Graymon have come up with a plan of attack. That plan was handed over to our two AIs to run simulations on and see if they could come up with anything to enhance our chances of accomplishing this mission plus hold our casualties down to a minimum. Ariel, would you please explain to everyone what you and Clarissa came up with.”

The dark haired AI looked at the group from the large viewscreen. She was visible from the waist up and dressed in the dark blue of a Federation fleet officer. “Clarissa and I have run the plan that Colonel Sheen and Major Graymon have proposed through a number of simulations. We have come up with the following suggestions which could greatly enhance the possibility of success of this mission.”

“That’s what we want to know Ariel,” Admiral Streth commented, curious to see what the AIs had come up with. “This plan has to succeed if we’re going to get the information we need.”

“I understand, Admiral,” Ariel replied with a slight nod. “These are the changes that Clarissa and I would like to propose to the plan.”

-

War Leader Sigeth gazed at the large viewscreen in his office. He didn’t like what it portrayed. Two massive warships had appeared in orbit above the planet. They had jumped in far inside the planet’s gravity well. In his thirty years of service, he had never seen one of these ships before. He had heard about them and seen vids of what they looked like, but this was the first time he had actually encountered one. What worried him was that there were two of the ships in orbit, not just one. The Hocklyn’s masters had arrived, and that did not bode well for the humans that had recently defeated four Hocklyn fleets. The masters must consider these humans to be a significant danger to the empire.

“They just arrived,” reported his aide, gazing nervously at the screen. “There was no notice that they were coming. I checked communications, and there have been no messages.”

War Leader Sigeth walked over to the windows and gazed down at the spaceport. A thick covering of ice and snow lay everywhere. Hundreds of slaves were currently working to clear the snow and ice from the landing pads. Up in orbit, over two hundred Hocklyn warships were waiting for the word to proceed to the human worlds. With the arrival of the masters' ships, there would now be no new honor or riches added to the empire.

The masters could be here for one reason and one reason only. The human worlds had been deemed to be a threat to the Hocklyn Empire and their masters, and the decision had been made to terminate this race. This had happened only several times before in the long history of the empire. Sigeth let out a deep fortifying breath as his gazed turned to the mountains barely visible in the distance.

“There will be no honor in this,” his aide commented from behind him. “Those worlds could have been very useful to the empire.”

“True,” Sigeth replied, his icy gaze looking toward the distant mountains. It looked as if another ice or snowstorm was coming. Already the mountaintops were shrouded with darkening clouds. “Perhaps it is for the best. These humans do not strike me as a race that would agree to be subjects of the empire, even after their worlds are conquered. Several times in the distant past, our masters have come and cleansed worlds that they deemed could be future threats. Our empire has existed for thousands of years following this philosophy.”

First Leader Sigeth’s com system went off, indicating an incoming message. His aide strolled over and activating the com system listened to the message. Then turning, he looked at War Leader Sigeth with a trace of nervousness in his normally cold eyes. “Our masters are summoning you to report to one of their ships.”

For the first time in many years, Sigeth felt fear. There was very little known about the actual physical form of their masters. Very seldom was any Hocklyn, other than a member of the High Command, ever called into their presence.

“Order my shuttle to be made ready,” replied Sigeth, feeling the icy chill coming through the window. He had hoped to achieve more honor in the coming battle with the humans and possibly advance higher up in the Hocklyn Hierarchy. Now he just hoped that he would survive. The masters were not known to be merciful to those who failed them.

-

Captain Arcles watched tensely as he maneuvered the scout ship closer to the space station, which the Hocklyn support ship was docked to. Ariel and Clarissa felt that most of the station’s systems were automated. From studying the scans from the scout, they had detected a com signal each time a shuttle or small ship from one of the freighters had entered what they had determined to be the station’s primary flight bay. The AIs had downloaded that signal into the six approaching scout ship’s com systems, and it was that signal that Arcles was about to transmit. The six scouts were now less than one kilometer from the station, and there had still been no reaction from the Hocklyn warship.

The space station filled the scout’s cockpit windows and Arcles let out a deep breath. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. “Transmit the signal,” he ordered Lieutenant Sanders.

Lacy nodded her head and reaching forward, pressed down on the transmit button. It was all she could do to keep her fingers from shaking. She knew her pulse was racing. If this didn’t work and the Hocklyn warship detected them, she knew they would all be dead shortly. The scouts would not be able to get out of the planet’s gravity well before the Hocklyn warship destroyed them. She heard a slight squealing noise from the com system as the message was transmitted.

Looking intently at the space station, Arcles saw the flight bay doors slide open. He instantly accelerated the scout and flew into the large flight bay. The other scouts followed close behind. The bay was quite large and contained numerous small shuttles of an unknown type as well as several slightly larger ships. He quickly set the shuttle down. Looking at the viewscreen, which showed a view behind the scout, Arcles saw that the other scouts were inside and the flight bay doors were closing.

“Stand by,” he spoke over his mini-com, which connected him to the ten marines in the compartment behind him. He knew the marines were wearing light armor and a sealed suit. There was no way of knowing what the atmosphere on the station would be like.

“Atmosphere seems to be close to Tellus normal,” Specialist Rathers reported. “Nitrogen content is a little higher than we’re used to, but it’s a breathable atmosphere.”

Captain Arcles nodded his head in relief. “Captain Silvan, I am opening the hatch and lowering the ramp. Your mission is a go.”

Back in the other compartment, the hatch opened, and Captain Silvan led his heavily armed marines down the ramp. Quickly scanning the flight bay, he saw no evidence of any aliens from the planet below or Hocklyns.

“Spread out,” he ordered, gesturing for his marines to take up their defensive positions.

Captain Silvan’s mission was to capture the station’s Command Center. Sergeant Craven would proceed to the Hocklyn ship and try to neutralize the ship’s self-destruct charges. Other marines exited the other shuttles and spread out through the bay. After a few moments, they had determined that the other shuttles and small ships were empty with no crew present.

“Seems strange for the flight bay to be completely empty,” commented Sergeant Craven, holding his assault rifle in both hands. “There is no one here at all. I hope this isn’t a trap.”

“Let’s find the exit,” Captain Silvan ordered. “Our luck might not hold out for much longer.”

It took only a few minutes for the marines to find the exit to the flight bay and split into two groups. Four marines remained behind to protect the scout ships in case any of the station’s crew or Hocklyns showed up. Both Captain Silvan and Sergeant Craven were surprised that they still hadn’t encountered anyone yet.

Captain Silvan moved over to Sergeant Craven. “Proceed to the Hocklyn ship. Set off the EMP charge and we will begin our attack.”

This was one of the changes that Ariel and Clarissa had recommended. The marines had a small EMP device that would be set off as close to the Hocklyn ship as possible. It was hoped that the EMP blast would temporality shut down the station as well as the Hocklyn warship, particularly since the ship’s shields would not be up while it was docked to the station.

Sergeant Craven nodded his head, and he motioned to his marines. They quickly proceeded down the corridor and moved off in the general direction of where they thought the Hocklyn ship was docked.

For ten minutes, they moved through the station without encountering anyone. The lighting in the station was brighter than they were used to, but the visors on their armor automatically adjusted to make seeing easier. Sergeant Craven was beginning to wonder if there was anyone on the station when they stepped into another corridor and encountered two Hocklyns.

The surprised Hocklyns, upon seeing the approaching humans, immediately reached for their weapons, which were strapped to their waists. A quick burst of automatic weapons fire from several marines instantly cut them down.

“We need to move quickly now,” Sergeant Craven ordered as he stopped briefly to make sure the two Hocklyns were dead. He didn’t know if others had heard the gunfire.

Sergeant Craven thought they were nearly to the Hocklyn ship when several scouts he had sent ahead returned. They had been checking adjoining corridors to make sure they were going in the right direction. They had encountered four more Hocklyns, all of who had been quickly dispatched by the heavily armed marines. It was becoming extremely clear that the Hocklyns were not prepared to fight a boarding action. None of the Hocklyns had been armed with heavy weapons. It was also strange that they hadn’t seen any of the station’s crew. Sergeant Craven was starting to wonder if there were only Hocklyns on the station.

“The Hocklyn ship is just ahead,” Private Anderlene reported. The young woman gazed intently at Sergeant Craven. “There are four heavily armed Hocklyns at the docking port. I don’t think we can take them by surprise.”

“They might have heard our weapons fire and are wondering what is going on.” Turning around he gazed at the marines behind him. “We will toss several stun grenades down the corridor and then rush the docking port. If the airlock is open, we will set the EMP device inside and detonate it there.”

A minute later, the Hocklyns guarding the docking port looked with surprise as two round metal objects landed at their feet. The stun grenades went off with two loud bangs and two of the Hocklyns instantly went down. The other two fell back against the wall but quickly recovered and aimed their weapons down the corridor. They didn’t know how, but they were obviously under attack. They quickly passed the warning on to the Second Leader who was in the War Room of their ship. Almost instantly, alarms began to go off inside the ship as well as in the station.

Sergeant Craven led his marines down the corridor and seeing two armored Hocklyns still standing fired off a quick burst with from his assault rifle. The other marines began firing also. The two Hocklyns went down, but not before one of Craven’s marines was hit. He could also hear the warning alarms going off. Their attack wasn’t a secret any longer! They needed to move quickly. The next Hocklyns they encountered wouldn’t be taken by surprise.

Striding over to the airlock, he looked in noticing that it was still open. “Set the EMP device in here and set it to detonate in thirty seconds. Everyone else get back to the other corridor.”

“Corporal Everett didn’t make it,” Private Anderlene reported. “He took a direct hit to his chest.”

Sergeant Craven nodded. He had expected to lose some of his marines in this. He suspected that Corporal Everett wouldn’t be the last. Seeing that the EMP device was set, he ordered his remaining marines to move quickly back.

They had just reached the safety of the adjoining corridor when the EMP device detonated. Instantly all the lights in the corridor went out, and there was an eerie silence in the station as the alarms were silenced. Sergeant Craven tapped his shoulder, and two small lights on his suit armor flashed on.

-

Back in the flight bay, Captain Arcles saw all the lights in the flight bay go dark. All the systems in the scouts had been shut down, and the key systems were shielded. Not everything, but they would still be able to fly the scouts out if the mission succeeded. The obvious detonation of the EMP device was a positive sign that the mission was proceeding according to plan.

-

The Vindication and the Avenger were waiting on the far outskirts of the system just out of what they estimated was the extreme range of the Hocklyn’s sensors. Their long-range sensors detected the detonation of the EMP device and the subsequent loss of power to the station and the Hocklyn ship.

“Order the assault shuttles in,” Captain Standel ordered.

Instantly the flight bay doors on both the Vindication and the Avenger opened. The six shuttles rapidly exited the two flight bays, and after a few moments executed in system jumps toward the space station and the Hocklyn ship. The assault shuttles were going to be sacrificed, or a least their FTL drives were going to be. They would be jumping well into the planet’s gravity well, which would destroy the drives but leave the sublight drives intact. That would just leave a fifteen-minute flight at high acceleration to reach the Hocklyn ship and the station. The shuttles would land on the Hocklyn ship’s hull and use directional explosive charges to blast their way in. Once the ship was breached, another one hundred and twenty marines would enter the Hocklyn ship and try to seize it before its systems came back on line. Four other assault shuttles were holding just outside the system, ready to jump in if needed.

-

“In the ship, now!” Sergeant Craven shouted over his mini-com as the marines charged back down the corridor and poured through the Hocklyn ship’s open air lock. It was dimly lit by emergency lighting. “Group one, proceed on mission. Corporal Bates, I want that self-destruct neutralized. Once that’s done proceed to the next self destruct, hopefully I will meet you there.”

Turning, Sergeant Craven led eighteen marines down the corridor toward the center of the ship where the largest nuclear self-destruct device should be located. Corporal Bates was leading nineteen marines toward what was assumed to be the Hocklyn engineering decks and where another nuclear self-destruct was located. The third was in between the two. The two AIs had suggested that it might be set to destroy the ship’s main computer core.

Sergeant Craven and his marines had scarcely entered the next corridor when they ran into a group of heavily armed Hocklyns. The tall reptile like Hocklyns seemed shocked to see humans actually inside the ship advancing on them, but quickly realized the danger and opened fire. The corridor was narrow, and there was no cover. Heavy weapons fire echoed in the corridor, and one of the marines hurriedly hurled a stun grenade in the midst of the six Hocklyns who were trying to block the corridor. A few moments later, it was over. All six of the Hocklyns were dead, but so were two more marines.

“Let’s go,” ordered Craven, moving rapidly down the corridor. “We can’t let them get organized.”

They had two more brief fire fights before reaching their goal. They found themselves in a large room containing numerous control consoles. There were no Hocklyns in the room, and after examining it for a moment, Sergeant Craven realized that this had to be their emergency Command Center.

“The nuke's behind this wall,” Private Anderlene reported as she gazed at an instrument she was holding. It was giving off a reading that could only come from a nuclear warhead.

“Get that wall opened up,” ordered Craven, pointing to several marines.

The indicated marines moved quickly to follow his order. While they started on the wall, he began placing the rest to give cover fire to the room. Private Anderlene and the two marines would need some time to disarm the nuke. He stationed six marines to defend the corridor in case more Hocklyns showed up. He didn’t want to get trapped in here.

A few minutes later, the wall had been opened up, and the marines were busy disarming the small nuclear warhead they had found in the wall. Craven thought he could hear weapons fire in the distance, but he couldn’t be sure. Looking at his timepiece, he knew it was too early for the assault shuttles to be here.

“Sir, there are several computers in here,” reported Private Anderlene stepping over close to Sergeant Craven. “Should we attempt to remove their hard drives?”

It was at that moment that weapons fire erupted down the corridor and two of his marines fell. The other four began returning fire in short controlled bursts. It didn’t look as if they were going to be able to make it to the second rendezvous point.

“Yes, go ahead. We may be trapped in here until help comes.”

Craven sent two more marines down the corridor to help hold it. Looking around, he carefully placed his remaining marines in positions to give overlapping fields of fire across the corridor if needed. There were several other rooms off to the side of the short corridor they were in. He decided to take advantage of the protection from weapons fire they offered. The rooms seemed to hold primarily spare parts and a few supplies. He placed a few marines in each room at the door so they could fire down the corridor if needed.

He quickly ordered several of his remaining marines to move some crates and supplies and stack them across the corridor in front of the hatch to the emergency Control Room. That would give his marines some protection from incoming weapons fire. Now he just needed to hold this position until help arrived. He hoped that Corporal Bates succeeded in deactivating the other two self-destruct devices.

For several long minutes, the firing seemed to intensify. More of his marines fell, and Craven was forced to pull his remaining marines back from the end of the corridor. The Hocklyns poured through the open hatch, and Craven and his people fired a withering hail of bullets into them. The Hocklyns returned fire as casualties mounted on both sides. The Hocklyns finally forced Craven and his marines back inside the emergency Command Center. They pulled their barricade back to the hatch where they could fire over it.

“I have the hard drives pulled,” Private Anderlene reported.

Sergeant Craven pulled her down behind a console as a hail of bullets passed overhead. The corridor was full of smoke, and it was becoming difficult to see the enemy. He doubted if the Hocklyns could see any of the marines. They seemed to be just firing blindly into the room, hoping to hit something.

“Stay down,” Craven ordered his men as more Hocklyn weapon’s fire hit several consoles, shattering them.

Just when it looked as if they were about to be overrun, stun grenades began going off up and down the corridor. Looking over their makeshift barricade, Craven saw the Hocklyns going down as more marines poured into the corridor from the far end.

“Sergeant Craven, are you still with us?” Major Graydon’s commanding voice came over the mini-com.

“Yes, sir,” a relieved Craven answered. The mini-coms had been set for very short range so the Hocklyns would not be able to pick up their signals. “We disarmed the self-destruct and managed to get our hands on several computer hard drives. The Hocklyns had us pinned down in here.”

“Corporal Bates disarmed the other two,” Major Graydon reported as he stepped into the corridor that was filled with dead Hocklyns and marines. “He was pinned down also, but we have managed to reach him. The ship should be ours shortly. A number of the Hocklyns we have encountered were not heavily armed and were quickly dispatched. Evacuate your wounded back to the flight bay on the station. We hold the majority of it now also.”

-

In space, the Vindication and Avenger had micro-jumped to just outside the targeted planet’s gravity well. They were waiting and watching to see if reinforcements would be called in to assist the space station and Hocklyn ship.

“Nothing is happening,” Commander Standel commented over his mini-com to Commander Wisthom. “None of the freighters jumped out, and the people down on the planet don’t seem interested in what’s happening in orbit. That EMP blast should have been detected by planetary sensors.”

“We don’t know what they have down on the surface in the way of sensors,” Commander Wisthom replied.

He too was feeling confused. You would think that the freighters would have jumped out and gone for help. They seemed to be carrying on their business as usual. A few were even still in transit to the station and had not deviated from their courses. It would be hours before any of them neared the station, so they were not a concern as of yet.

“We don’t know how long the Hocklyns have controlled this system,” Ariel commented with a blink of her dark captivating eyes. “The crews of those ships may be under strict orders from the Hocklyns not to deviate from their designated courses under any conditions. They may fear reprisals from the Hocklyns for disobeying orders more than what is going on at the station. We have detected a few sensor scans in the last few minutes from several of the nearer freighters, but other than that there is no other activity.”

“Keep us informed, Ariel,” replied Commander Standel, folding his arms across his chest. He looked up at the main sensor screen, noting the position of the freighters that were being displayed.

The Vindication and Avenger had jumped in to assist with the attack on the space station and Hocklyn ship, but their main mission was to destroy any Hocklyn vessel that might come to the aid of their target. In order to do this with minimal damage to either light cruiser, Admiral Streth had agreed to let the two AIs control the two cruisers if battle was necessary.

“Sir, I’m receiving a message from Major Graydon,” Lieutenant Arcles spoke with an intent look upon her face as she listened to the incoming message. “He reports that the Hocklyn ship and the space station are now under our control.”

“That’s great news,” Standel replied, pleased that this part of the mission was now completed. “Helm, move us in; now it’s our turn.” The Avenger and Vindication would now move in, and specialists from their crews would board the Hocklyn ship and the space station to search for any technology or information that might be useful to the Federation. They would also be treating any wounded marines. Extra medical personnel had been assigned to both ships for this purpose. “Send a message to the StarStrike that we’re moving in to begin Stage Two of the mission.”

Commander Standel knew that the StarStrike and the rest of the battle group would now jump to the edge of the system and wait. If any Hocklyn ships were to show up while the Avenger and Vindication were docked to the alien space station, the battle cruiser would be responsible for taking them out. Standel hoped that wouldn’t be necessary.

Chapter Ten

War Leader Sigeth was in his flagship, the 1,200-meter dreadnaught War Hammer. For over a week, the Hocklyn fleet had been on its way toward the human worlds. This was the largest single fleet the Hocklyns had gathered in well over a century. Twenty dreadnaughts led the fleet with forty-two heavy war cruisers and another two hundred and eight escort cruisers filling in the ranks. There were also another one hundred and twenty-six support ships carrying 250,000 protectors and all of their equipment as well as supplies and munitions for the war fleet. In the midst of the fleet were two massive vessels, from which the Hocklyn ships kept a discreet distance.

Sigeth’s aide, Fourth Leader Breedon, gazed at one of the many viewscreens on the walls of the War Room showing one of the two huge ships of their masters. There was no evidence of the type of engine technology the two massive ships used. The ships of their masters were largely unknown and were seldom seen. Whenever one did make a rare appearance, death normally followed. It was rumored that only the top leaders in the empire had regular contact with their powerful and all controlling masters.

“Their technology is far beyond ours,” commented War Leader Sigeth, noticing what his aide was watching. He looked impersonally at the screen, recalling his brief visit to one of those ships after being summoned by the AIs. It was something he would never forget. “Their ships can jump inside a planet’s gravity well with no damage. That kind of jump would seriously damage or destroy one of ours. Their sublight drive is also much faster.”

“It is rumored that their weapons technology is equally advanced,” Breedon commented in his rasping voice, still in awe at the massive ship on the screen. It dwarfed everything else in the fleet, including the War Hammer.

“There has never been a report of one of their ships being destroyed in battle,” Sigeth replied in a cold voice. “No world has ever managed to withstand the onslaught of one of our master’s ships for more than a few hours. They are the most powerful force in the galaxy, and because of them we have our empire.”

Looking across the War Room, Sigeth noticed that several other members of the crew were watching the ship on the screen. Perhaps he should turn the screen off, since it was obviously distracting them from their duties.

“First Leader Heldrum was saying that they have no missiles,” continued Breedon, feeling intensely curious about their master’s ships. “Only energy weapons.”

“I have heard that also,” confirmed Sigeth, his large cold eyes looking back at the screen and the ship of their masters. “Their ships are protected by a powerful energy screen which no weapon can penetrate. Their energy beams can cut through a ship’s shields and its hull with ease. They began our empire and under their direction, we have continued to grow and prosper. They allow us to rule our section of the galaxy and expand our empire with relatively few demands upon us.”

“Raw materials and specific machined parts,” spoke Breedon, turning to face War Leader Sigeth. “A few hundred heavily laden freighters per year are all they ask from the worlds we control. You would think they would want more.”

“Some of the raw materials on those freighters are very hard to come by,” Sigeth informed Breedon with a frown. “Any one of those freighters would make a Hocklyn fabulously rich.”

“I wonder what they are using all those raw materials for?” Breedon asked. “What are they building in the center of our galaxy?”

“No one fully understands what is driving the AIs,” Sigeth replied. “They are a mechanical race, and we have found serving them to be very beneficial. Whatever they are building is of no concern to us. Our duty is to serve the empire.”

“What is the battle plan when we reach the human worlds?” asked Breedon, changing the subject. He knew that Sigeth had gone on board one of the master’s ships. But the War Leader had not mentioned what he was told or what the masters even looked like. Perhaps he would speak of it later.

Sigeth hesitated. He was still haunted by what he had seen on the master’s ship. He had no desire to ever go on board one of those behemoths again. With hidden anger, he knew there would be no glory for any Hocklyn in what was to come. He had been informed by the AIs that the human worlds would not be added to the empire.

“Our masters will jump their ships in close to the human planets and destroy their fleets,” began Sigeth, recalling what he had been told. Their masters were cold, logical, and totally void of emotions. At least that had been the impression he had gotten. “Once that has been accomplished, our fleet will move in on our sublight drives and bombard the planets until nothing is left living. We will then land protectors to ensure there are no survivors.”

“Then it is genocide,” Breeden commented tonelessly.

Hocklyns were not afraid to die in battle. However, in this battle there would be no honor from combat. Only the senseless slaughter of the humans' warriors. Civilians were of no consequence other than to be used as slaves. However, the total annihilation of a race was something that the Hocklyns had very seldom done. In most cases, they had always left survivors to continue the race and serve as slaves in the empire. Only twice before in the Hocklyn’s long history had their masters demanded that a race be annihilated.

“It is genocide,” Sigeth confirmed coldly. He knew that his future in the Hocklyn Hierarchy depended on making sure no humans survived. The masters had made that extremely clear. That was something else the masters demanded of the Hocklyns. Any race that might be a threat to the masters or the Hocklyn Empire was to be annihilated. It was just so seldom they ever encountered such a race.

-

Four hours after the battle was over, the Avenger and Vindication were heading back out of the planet’s gravity well. The assault shuttles had been maneuvered back into the landing bays of the two cruisers. The six scout ships were keeping pace around the cruisers.

Behind them, the blue-white planet was rapidly growing smaller, and the space station was only a bright speck in the reflected light from the system’s sun. The speck suddenly swelled up in a series of fiery explosions as the nuclear destruct devices on the Hocklyn ship were detonated by remote control. Two other larger nuclear devices also detonated inside the space station. In a matter of a few moments, all that remained of the station and ship were a mass of molten metal, debris and expanding gases.

“That takes care of that,” spoke Commander Standel, gazing at one of the viewscreens that had shown the destruction.

“That should confuse the Hocklyns for awhile at least,” commented Major Winfred from his station at the plotting table, knowing that the nuclear detonations would have eliminated any signs of the presence of humans on board the ship and station. “Hopefully we can put some distance between us and this system before the Hocklyns figure out what actually happened here.”

“The alien freighters have still not reacted to our presence,” Ariel reported as she checked the long-range sensors one more time. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly as she concentrated on the data coming in. “I wonder if the freighters are all automated and don’t have biological crews?”

Commander Standel and Major Winfred looked at each other, surprised by Ariel’s comment. They had assumed that the freighters had at least a small crew on them. However, the lack of a crew on those ships might explain the total lack of response to the attack upon the space station. Everyone had been surprised to find only Hocklyns on the space station. When the fighting had finally ended, they had killed two hundred and seventeen of the reptile-like aliens. This was a surprisingly low number considering the size of the station and the support ship. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

“Lieutenant Arcles,” spoke Commander Standel glancing over at the young communications officer. “Have you picked up any communications from any of the inbound freighters?”

“No, sir,” replied Teena, shaking her head as she quickly ran through the communication frequencies one more time. “We are picking up com traffic on the planet, but nothing emanating from the freighters.”

She paused, and her face suddenly became covered with a confused look. “Commander, we are receiving a tight beam message from the planet. I can’t understand what they’re saying, but the message is quite long.”

“Make sure you’re recording it,” ordered Standel, striding over to the communications console and looking over Teena’s shoulder.

Her screen showed all sorts of information coming in. What the hell was going on? Why would the inhabitants of the planet be sending them a message? If they were going to initiate contact with the Avenger or Vindication, why hadn’t they attempted to do so earlier?

“Can you tell what it is?” he asked, not understanding what he was seeing.

“The first part seems to be a language primer,” Teena said, cautiously peering intently at the data flowing across one of her screens. “There is no way to tell for sure until we run it through the computers.”

“It is a language primer!” Ariel broke in excitedly, confirming Teena’s guess. She had already run the first part of the message through some language decryption programs. “They are thanking us for destroying the space station and the Hocklyn ship. The message contains a short history of their world, a description of the coming of the Hocklyns, and everything they thought might be useful to us. They also say they will not tell the Hocklyns what happened here when they arrive.”

“Interesting people,” spoke Commander Standel, looking up at a viewscreen, which showed the dwindling planet as they continued to accelerate away from it.

He wished they had the time to make contact. These people sounded as if they would make good allies. Allies they might desperately need someday against the Hocklyns. They might also have a lot to teach the Federation.

“I hope the Hocklyns don’t take the destruction of their station and ship out on that planet,” Major Winfred said, showing worry in his eyes recalling what the Hocklyns had done to Aldon. “They didn’t do anything.”

“No, they didn’t,” Standel agreed with a slight nod and arching his eyebrows. “But they obviously have no love for the Hocklyns. Not with the information they’re sending us. Perhaps they’re hoping that sometime in the future we will return and free their world.”

“They’re taking a big risk if the Hocklyns ever discover what they’re doing,” Winfred added with growing respect for the blue-skinned people on the planet. “We may be the first space going race that has appeared in their system other than the Hocklyns.”

“This information will be extremely useful,” Ariel broke in as she continued to analyze what they were receiving. “They have included some technical information as well as additional knowledge about the Hocklyns. These people are definitely not friendly toward the Hocklyns.”

For nearly twenty minutes, the information continued to come in. It finally stopped, and Lieutenant Arcles looked up at Commander Standel. “That was a lot of information, sir. I recorded all of it, and Ariel has a backup file.”

“Contact,” Lieutenant Barnes sang out suddenly as a red warning icon appeared on his sensors. He checked the data intently with concern in his eyes before continuing. “I have a Hocklyn ship that has jumped into the system and is inbound. It will be within combat range in thirty-eight minutes.”

“Right before we clear the planet’s gravity well,” spoke Major Winfred gazing intently at the threatening red icon on the sensor screen above the plotting table. “They timed that pretty well. They must have been watching us on their sensors.”

He quickly punched some numbers on a computer console and then watched the plotting table as it showed when and where the Hocklyn ship would come within combat range of the Avenger and the Vindication.

“Second contact!” Lieutenant Barnes reported, his eyes growing wide. “It’s the StarStrike!”

“They’re going to take out that ship,” Winfred said, glancing at Commander Standel.

“That was the plan if we met resistance,” commented Standel, looking at the sensor screen. Only the StarStrike had jumped in. He wondered what the Hocklyns were thinking. They had jumped in expecting to find two light cruisers, not the massive battle cruiser they were now facing.

“I’m detecting jamming from the StarStrike,” Barnes added as he watched the data coming in from his sensors and scanners. “They’re moving in to engage the Hocklyn ship.”

-

On board the StarStrike, Admiral Streth watched tensely as the flagship maneuvered rapidly to come within effective striking range of the Hocklyn ship. The long-range sensors on the StarStrike had detected the enemy ship as it jumped into the system. This was an eventuality they had been watching for and were ready to take quick action when it did occur. Hedon had immediately ordered his ship to attack. He dared not allow anything to happen to the Vindication or Avenger considering the valuable information both were carrying. They had all the hard drives from the Hocklyn ship and space station on board, as well as the few star charts they had found.

“The Hocklyn ship is turning to engage us,” Colonel Sheen spoke, her eyes growing wide with surprise. She would have thought they would have continued toward the Vindication and the Avenger in order to prevent them from escaping with any valuable information. Their other option would have been to turn around, jump out, and then summon more ships. They had to know they had no chance against the heavily armed StarStrike.

“They don’t know what’s happened here,” Hedon commented in sudden understanding as he watched the approaching Hocklyn warship. “Lieutenant Jacobs, I want all batteries ready to fire. I want to hit them with our lasers first followed by a full barrage of armor piercing rounds from our railguns. I want those shields knocked down and that ship destroyed!”

“Yes, sir,” Lieutenant Jacobs responded from Tactical.

“Lieutenant Trask, are we jamming their communication frequencies?”

“Yes, sir,” Trask replied. She had started transmitting jamming signals as soon as they had jumped into the system.

“Helm, I want our bow facing the Hocklyn ship until the lasers fire. Once the lasers have fired, I want a hard turn to starboard to bring our port railgun batteries in line. I want every gun firing!”

The tension in the Command Center was noticeably rising as the crew prepared for battle. On the main viewscreen, the wedge shaped Hocklyn escort ship was clearly displayed. This ship was the same size and general design as the one the StarStrike had destroyed in the Stalor System. Everyone knew what had happened to the Vindication and the Avenger. This ship was prepared and would be no pushover.

“Lasers firing,” Lieutenant Jacobs reported as he gave the orders to fire.

From the StarStrike, two lance-like beams of orange-red energy leaped across space to strike the bow of the approaching Hocklyn ship. The Hocklyn’s energy screen glowed brightly for a brief instant, seemed to flicker, and then the screen collapsed, allowing the powerful lasers to impact the hull. A few seconds later, the Hocklyn ship exploded as its power plant was hit and its stored up energy was released.

“What the hell!” exclaimed Colonel Sheen, looking at the screen in stunned surprise. “What happened?”

“The Hocklyn ship is down,” Lieutenant Stalls confirmed as the red icon on his screen faded away.

On the viewscreen, all that was left of the enemy ship was a slowly expanding ball of glowing debris, which was rapidly fading. The laser strike had destroyed the Hocklyn vessel.

“Did you record everything?” demanded Hedon, looking across his command console to where Lieutenant Stalls was sitting at his sensor and scanner console. They shouldn’t have been able to defeat that Hocklyn ship so easily. Something here wasn’t right.

“Yes, sir,” Lieutenant Stalls answered as he studied the data on one of his screens. He read over the data quickly and then noticed a possible explanation. “The Hocklyn’s energy screen wasn’t as powerful as those that were protecting the ships that attacked the Federation.”

“It seems as if we have a mystery here,” commented Hedon, gazing thoughtfully at the viewscreen, which now showed nothing but empty space. Why was this ship so much weaker than those that had attacked the Federation?

-

The StarStrike rendezvoused with the Avenger and the Vindication, and then all three jumped out of the system to where the rest of the fleet was waiting. All the information the Avenger and Vindication had recovered was transferred to the StarStrike, as well as the Hocklyn computer hard drives. It was going to take a lot of hard work and ingenuity to get anything off of those drives. The Hocklyn’s computers hadn’t resembled any of the ones on board Federation ships.

Admiral Streth ordered the fleet to stay in the current star system until the FTL cores cooled down sufficiently to allow for a safe jump. Even while they were waiting, experts that had been added to the crew of the StarStrike before they left Tellus began pouring over the information, star charts, and hard drives that had been brought on board.

Hedon was sure they had the information they were sent out to gather. Now he just needed to get it back home. That might be the harder task. There was no doubt in his mind that the Hocklyns would eventually figure out what had happened in that system. Hedon just hoped his fleet could get a good head start before the Hocklyns came hunting.

-

Colonel Sheen watched a timer on the plotting table. It was counting down the time until the FTL core was cool enough to safely perform a jump. She knew they could jump now if they had to. They could probably make three or four emergency jumps before causing irreversible damage to the core. She was glad they were finally returning home. This had been a long mission and Amanda knew the journey home might now be the most dangerous part of it. If the Hocklyns were to discover what had happened back at the space station, they would fill the void between the StarStrike and New Providence with ships seeking to stop them from making it back home. She trusted Admiral Streth to get them back safely.

Thinking about New Providence made Amanda wish she could see Richard if only for a few moments. It had been much harder being apart all these weeks than she had imagined it would be. Her dedication to her job and her daily routine had helped to keep her busy and her mind off the amount of time that was passing. Just thinking about Richard made her heart beat more rapidly. What’s happening to me, she wondered? Is this what love is about? Her eyes wandered back up to the viewscreens, which were covered with cold unblinking stars. Many of those were probably controlled by the Hocklyns. She wished the timer would move faster.

-

The timer finally ran down, and the fleet jumped. Hedon felt relief that they were finally on their way back to Federation space. He had decided to do four jumps per day in order to get back to New Providence as quickly as possible. He had a worrisome feeling that he was needed at home. It was a feeling he hadn’t been able to shake now for several days. It was a constant nagging in the back of his mind. In the past, he had come to trust these sudden feelings of intuition. He had ordered Navigation to work out a series of jumps for a dogleg course back toward home. It would take a few extra jumps this way, but it would make it more difficult for the Hocklyns to find them.

-

For two full weeks, the StarStrike’s fleet had been making four jumps per day as they worked on their dogleg course back to the safety of Federation space. They were careful to jump into systems of stars that were not suitable for habitable planets. When necessary they had sent the stealth scouts ahead to scan the systems before the fleet jumped blindly into them. The fleet was currently on the outskirts of a binary system, of which both stars were much larger than any suns in Federation space.

Admiral Streth was in his quarters talking to Colonel Sheen. Major Trist was in the Command Center waiting to implement the next jump as soon as all the fleet ships reported their drive cores were cooled down sufficiently. The tension in the fleet had been slowly building as the crews wondered when the Hocklyns would catch up to them.

“It’s been a long trip,” spoke Hedon, taking a sip of hot coffee and looking over at Colonel Sheen, who was sitting on a small couch.

“But we’re on our way back home and making better time than we did originally,” Amanda replied with a friendly nod. She was drinking a glass of ice tea and enjoying some time away from the Command Center. It was good to get away from all of that stress and responsibility, even if it was only for just a few precious hours.

“We should make it back in two more weeks,” responded Hedon, leaning forward and placing his coffee cup down on a small table.

He had been drinking too much coffee recently. It was becoming harder each night to get a good night’s sleep. That nagging fear that something was wrong in Federation space just wouldn’t go away. Twice the previous night he had awoken to a cold sweat, feeling that something was seriously wrong. He had even contacted Major Trist in the Command Center to confirm that everything was okay.

“What’s going to happen to the Federation?” Amanda asked worriedly, feeling concern for the safety of her parents and Richard. In her deep blue eyes was a hint of fear. “The Hocklyns evidently control an empire of slave worlds. I just wish we knew how large. Do you have any idea how soon it will be until the technicians and scientists have the hard drives downloaded?”

“They already do,” responded Hedon, folding his arms across his chest and recalling the com message he had received earlier in the day. “Not only that, but Ariel and Clarissa have finished translating the message we received from the blue skinned aliens as we were leaving their system. They have also started decoding what was on the hard drives. We lucked out as the message from the aliens also contained a primer for the Hocklyn’s own language.”

“Then we should know shortly,” Amanda spoke, her brow creasing slightly as she thought of the ramifications.

She felt nervous at finally being able to find out what the Federation was up against. If Admiral Kinseth was correct, they should still have several months after the StarStrike returned before they could expect another Hocklyn attack. This information might enable them to deal with that attack while they continued to rebuild the fleet and strengthen the defenses around all the inhabited worlds of the Federation.

Hedon leaned forward, and his voice changed to an extremely serious and worried tone. “Amanda, I don’t like this. For several weeks now, I have had a very apprehensive feeling that we have missed something. I feel as if the Federation is in extreme danger.”

Amanda was silent for a moment. She knew that Admiral Streth had these feelings on occasion. Sometimes she wondered if he wasn’t somewhat psychic. There had been a few very rare cases of this reported in the Federation. His tactical ability was phenomenal. He was the highest rated admiral in the fleet. Perhaps he was one of those special people.

“You think the Federation might be in danger?” asked Amanda, feeling slightly faint as she thought about her parents and Richard.

She hoped they weren’t in any immediate danger. But if the admiral felt something was wrong back home, then they needed to get back as soon as possible. Perhaps they should abandon the dogleg course back they were using. If the Hocklyns had managed to assemble another fleet and launch a new attack then the Federation could be in serious trouble.

Hedon didn’t respond for a long moment. Then a pained and sad look appeared on his face. He drew in a deep breath. “I just feel as if the Federation is in grave danger. We have to know what’s in that data. Ariel thought that she and Clarissa would have a report for us early tomorrow.”

Amanda looked across the admiral’s quarters. The walls were covered with photos of Maken and other sites across Federation space. There was even a breath-taking picture of New Providence as seen from the shipyard. A picture of the admiral’s brother Taylor and his brother’s wife Lendle graced the wall behind where the admiral was sitting.

Pursing her lips, she replied, “Perhaps we will know tomorrow what is causing you to be so worried about the Federation.”

Hedon picked up his coffee cup and took a long sip as he thought about his options. “When you get back to the Command Center, I want you to contact Lieutenant Ashton on the Victory. She is our best navigation officer. I need her to plot a new series of maximum range jumps back to the Federation.”

“Doglegged?” asked Amanda raising her eyes to look at the admiral. Now she was genuinely starting to feel concerned. “We could get back faster if we abandon that. I know it’s safer, but if we need to get back quickly it might be worth the risk.”

“Not doglegged,” replied Hedon shaking his head. “We need to get back to Federation space as soon as possible. I also want to increase the number of jumps per day from four to five.”

Amanda nodded her head slowly. “That will put us back inside Federation space in six to seven days. What if the Hocklyns are waiting for us somewhere along the way?”

“I think that’s the least of our worries,” Hedon replied, his eyes taking on a haunted look. “If we encounter the Hocklyns, we will have to fight our way through them. Nothing must stop us from reaching home.”

Amanda stood up setting her almost empty glass of tea down. “I will go do it now if you feel it’s that important.”

“It is, Amanda,” replied Hedon, closing his eyes briefly and wishing that horrible, nagging feeling would go away. “We need to get back.” He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

-

They had just completed another jump when Admiral Streth called the command group to a meeting in the main conference room on the StarStrike. Colonel Sheen called Major Trist to the Command Center and turned command of the StarStrike over to him as she hurried to the meeting. She had noticed several small shuttles en route, bringing the rest of the command group to the ship. She knew that this meeting must mean that the information from the Hocklyn’s hard drives had been decoded.

Reaching the conference room, she paused to gather her breath. Perhaps she would finally learn how big the Hocklyn threat was to the Federation and her family. She hoped her mom and dad would never have to hide in the large basement beneath the house. Admiral Streth’s concerns had frightened her. If he was worried something was wrong back home, then she wanted to get back as quickly as possible. She had slept very little, worrying about what the admiral had said. Pushing the door open, she stepped inside, seeing that Admiral Streth, Commander Adler, and several of the civilian scientists that had accompanied them on their mission were already seated.

“Have a seat, Colonel,” Admiral Streth spoke. “The others should be here shortly.”

Amanda sat down across from the admiral and glancing up at the large viewscreen on the wall, noticed that Ariel’s avatar was watching her. During her time on the StarStrike, she hadn’t had the opportunity to deal much with the AI’s that were in the fleet. However, from recent events, she was beginning to realize just how valuable they were.

A few minutes later, everyone was in the room. Admiral Streth reached forward and took a long sip of water from the glass that was setting in front of him. Placing the glass back down, he stood up. Everyone looked at him expectantly.

“According to Ariel and the civilian scientists, we have translated enough of the information from the captured computer hard drives to make an assessment of what the Federation is up against,” Hedon informed them, looking over at the screen and Ariel.

“We have also translated the entire message from the Clarions that we received as we were leaving the vicinity of their planet,” Ariel added.

“Clarions,” Commander Standel spoke curiously. He looked intently at Ariel. “Is that what the blue skinned aliens call themselves?”

“Yes,” responded Ariel, her dark eyes gazing back at Commander Standel. “They were a peaceful society until the Hocklyns attacked them a little over ninety years ago.”

“What happened?” Hedon asked as he sat back down. Perhaps that information would give them more insight as to what was in store for the Federation.

“The Hocklyns appeared in orbit around the Clarion’s home planet ninety one years ago,” Ariel began in a calm voice. “The Clarions had already begun exploring the closest star systems to them and were discussing the possibility of establishing a colony on a new habitable world they had recently discovered. They were quite excited when the Hocklyns appeared, until the nuclear weapons started falling.”

“Nuclear weapons,” Standel responded with disgust in his voice.

“The Hocklyns didn’t even try to communicate?” Commander Wisthom asked, his mind aghast at the thought of the unprovoked nuclear attack Ariel was describing.

“Not at first,” Ariel replied, her dark eyes taking on a despondent look. “The Hocklyns eliminated nearly eighty percent of the planet’s population in less than twenty-four hours. They destroyed all the major cities, leaving only the smaller rural communities as well as some medium sized municipalities intact. The Hocklyns finally opened up communications with the survivors and informed them that they were now part of the Hocklyn Empire.”

“A slave empire,” Commander Standel muttered unhappily.

“Yes, a slave empire,” Ariel confirmed evenly. Her eyes looked across the group. “The Hocklyns gave the Clarions a list of products and raw materials they were expected to produce. They were told to send this cargo up to a space station the Hocklyns would put in orbit. The Clarions were also expected to furnish crews for the freighters and the mining operations the Hocklyns would be setting up. That was ninety-one years ago. Their population has been allowed to grow slowly, but no new technology is allowed to be introduced.”

“We can’t allow that to happen to the worlds of the Federation!” Commander Adler spoke in a determined voice, his eyes sweeping across the small group. “We will show these Hocklyns they have attacked the wrong worlds this time.”

“Perhaps not, Commander,” Ariel said with a hopeless look upon her face. She wasn’t happy with what she was about to say. She wished she knew a better way to tell the command group what Clarissa and she had discovered.

Amanda became extremely worried and attentive. She had never seen one of the AIs with such a forlorn look before. It was the same look a doctor had when he was about to tell a patient that there was nothing else that could be done to preserve their life.

“What is it, Ariel?” asked Admiral Streth, feeling a cold chill spread over him. He had a cold foreboding feeling that he was about to learn what had been nagging him the last few weeks.

“The Human Federation of Worlds cannot defeat the Hocklyns,” Ariel began her dark eyes focusing on Admiral Streth.

“What!” interrupted Commander Wisthom, standing up defiantly. “Why not? We destroyed the four fleets they sent against us the first time.”

Ariel's face disappeared from the main viewscreen to appear on one of the smaller ones next to it. A view of the galaxy appeared on the main screen. In the center of the galaxy, a small sphere of bright white was present. From the perimeter of the sphere four separate colors extended out, covering nearly half the galaxy.

“The red color is the section of the galaxy controlled by the Hocklyns,” Ariel informed them, her face looking pale and distant. “The other three colors are the different sections of the galaxy controlled by three other war like races. The Hocklyns themselves control several thousand inhabited worlds. They also have a war fleet numbering in the thousands to ensure those worlds stay under their control as well as to allow for future expansion of their empire.”

The conference room became deathly quiet. It seemed as if no one was breathing. Only the sound of the air coming through the vents was audible.

“Thousands of warships,” Commander Standel repeated not wanting to believe what Ariel had just said. However, he had worked with the AI on his ship long enough to know she wouldn’t report this if she didn’t believe it to be true.

“We have time,” sputtered Commander Wisthom staring at the viewscreen, not wanting to believe what Ariel was showing them. “It will take the Hocklyns months to gather a large enough fleet to conquer our worlds. We can build more ships and strengthen the defense grids in that time. Surely we can hold out against them.”

“If it was only the Hocklyns, it might be possible,” Ariel responded, her eyes taking on a haunted and fearful look. “The problem is their masters.”

“Their masters?” questioned Commander Adler, looking confused. “What do you mean their masters?”

“From what Clarissa and I have been able to learn from the captured hard drives, thousands of years ago there was a very advanced race of humanoids that lived near the center of our galaxy.” She didn’t like what she was about to reveal. It might cause the humans in the fleet to look at her and Clarissa in a much different light.

“An advanced race of humanoids,” Admiral Streth repeated with a frown, his eyes narrowing. “Do they control the Hocklyns? What happened?”

“They spread out over hundreds of worlds and may have been the most advanced society ever to exist in our galaxy,” Ariel continued, her gaze focusing once more on the admiral. “They explored much of our galaxy. One of their crowning achievements was building true AIs to help grow and expand their worlds and their civilization.”

“AIs,” Commander Wisthom spoke. Then he looked questionably at the viewscreen, which was now showing Ariel’s avatar again. “Similar to you and Clarissa?”

“Not quite,” Ariel responded evenly. “As the years passed, the race began to turn more and more of the responsibility of running their worlds over to the AIs. There is no clear record of what happened, but the race that created the AIs died out about ten to twelve thousand years ago. For a while nothing changed, and the AI’s continued to take care of their creator’s worlds.”

“Following their last orders,” Hedon spoke, slowly nodding his head in understanding. He had a terrible suspicion what Ariel was going to say next.

“The AIs continued to take care of the worlds that had been entrusted to them for hundreds of years. Then suddenly they burst out of the center of the galaxy in ships so advanced that no race could stand up to them. They conquered hundreds and then thousands of worlds. They chose four warrior races to run and grow their empire. The Hocklyns, the Shari, the Borzon, and the Ralift. Each is responsive for about a fourth of the AI’s empire.”

“They’re attempting to conquer our entire galaxy,” Commander Standel said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Why?”

“No one knows,” answered Ariel, wishing that she did.

“Do we know what the AI ships look like?” Admiral Streth asked in a quiet and subdued voice. This revelation by Ariel about the AIs was something far beyond anything he had considered even remotely possible.

“Yes,” replied Ariel as a massive warship appeared on the main viewscreen.

The ship was a sphere with small structures covering its entire surface. There were no obvious signs of propulsion or weapons.

“This is the primary warship of the AIs,” Ariel informed them. “The ship is 1500 meters in diameter. It is armed with powerful energy weapons and an energy shield that supposedly no weapon can penetrate. Just one of these ships alone could probably defeat the entire Human Federation of World’s fleet.”

“Just one ship?” asked Commander Standel, looking at the screen his face showing shock.

“Yes, just one ship,” confirmed Ariel, nodding her head. “The AIs seem content to allow their four warrior races to continue to grow their empire. All they demand is that each race sends them certain raw materials and supplies yearly. What the AIs are doing with this is unknown. The AI ships only show up when there is a crisis or when they need to communicate with the leaders of one of their four warrior races. If there is a serious threat to their empire, they eliminate the cause of that danger

“What are we going to do?” Amanda spoke into the silence, feeling as if she was about to throw up. This was her worst nightmare come true. “We can’t let our worlds die.”

Admiral Streth was quiet for a moment as he weighed the options that might be available to the Federation. None were good. If the information Ariel had just shared with them was accurate, then the Federation was looking at total defeat. They would be forced into the Hocklyn’s slave empire or risk their worlds being destroyed by the AIs.

“We have to leave,” Commander Standel spoke, his eyes growing wide as he realized what their only option was. “We have to evacuate as many people as possible from our worlds and travel as far away from the Hocklyn Slave Empire as possible. We have to construct new colonies at the very edge of our galaxy and build up our strength for a future conflict with the Hocklyns. There is nothing else we can do.”

Admiral Streth looked down at the table. He took a long breath and thought about the commander’s words. Standel might be right. The future of mankind might no longer be in the Federation. He just wondered if they had the time to evacuate enough people to make a difference.

“We must get back to the Federation and present this information to Admiral Kinseth and the Federation Council,” he spoke as everyone listened. “They will have to make this decision, and I fear it will not be an easy one.”

-

For the next few days, the fleet jumped rapidly back toward the Federation. Each day after each jump, they expected to find the Hocklyns waiting for them. But as they scanned system after system, there was no sign of the Hocklyns. Of course, they were jumping into systems with suns that were not likely to contain inhabited planets. However, if the Hocklyns were searching for them, they should have posted sentries in even those systems. Something just didn’t seem right.

-

Lieutenant Arcles and Lieutenant Barnes were sitting in the officer’s mess aboard the Avenger eating a light meal together. They had been doing this more often recently particularly considering the ramifications of the war with the Hocklyns.

“I was talking to Ariel earlier,” Teena commented as she buttered a warm roll. One thing she could say about the Avenger was that the food was good. “She is sounding more human every day. Sometimes I find it hard to believe she is an AI.”

“Second generation AI,” Jacen reminded her. “Ariel is a very sophisticated computer with a series of complicated programs designed to imitate human reactions and emotions.”

“Perhaps,” replied Teena, shaking her head in disagreement. “I think her program is working better than her designers had hoped. I was asking her today why she thought we haven’t run into any Hocklyns yet.”

“What did she say?” asked Jacen, laying down his fork and paying more attention to Teena’s words. This was something he wanted to hear.

“Evidently the Hocklyn warship docked at the space station in orbit around the Clarion’s home world was very old,” replied Teena pausing a moment to take a bite of her roll. “From the hard drives we recovered, Ariel has been able to deduce that the ship was nearly one hundred years old.”

“You’re kidding!” said Jacen his eyes widening in disbelief. “Why keep a ship that old in active service?”

“Ariel thinks the Hocklyns use their older ships as a type of garrison force for the slave worlds they control.”

“The ship that attacked us must have been like that,” mused Jacen as he thought about the ramifications. “It was probably from one of their other slave worlds. Being so old, it wasn’t equipped with their latest shield and weapons technology. That would explain why the lasers from the StarStrike penetrated the screen so easily and destroyed the ship. Does the admiral know?”

“Yes,” Teena replied with a nod. She reached down and picking up her fruit drink, took a long sip. “She informed the admiral yesterday.”

“But why haven’t we encountered any of their more up to date warships on our way back to the Federation?” asked Jacen, looking across the table at Teena. “Surely they know what we did in the Clarion’s system by now.”

“Perhaps,” Teena responded. “Ariel thinks there is still a chance that the Hocklyns will believe that it was an accident that caused the self destruct charges to go off due to the age of the ship.”

“But what about the ship the StarStrike destroyed? We don’t know if it sent out a message before it jumped in and was destroyed.”

“The StarStrike was jamming all communication frequencies during the attack. If the ship didn’t send a message first, then the Hocklyns might still be confused as to what happened. Once again they might think it was due to the ship’s advanced age.”

“I hope so,” replied Jacen, reaching across the table and placing his hand upon Teena’s hand. “Have you been able to talk to your brother Karl recently?”

“Yesterday,” Teena replied with a smile. “He’s doing fine and working with his pilots.”

“Any girls in his life yet?” Jacen teased with a grin.

“No,” replied Teena laughing. “Karl is too dedicated to his career. Dating is the last thing on his mind.”

“I’m glad you don’t believe the same way,” Jacen said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

-

In the Command Center, Commander Standel looked at the jump counter, which still showed nearly two hours until the next jump. Each time they jumped, the fleet was put at Condition One just prior to emerging from hyperspace. Every time Standel expected to see Hocklyn ships waiting. However, they were always met with nothing but empty space.

“We will be back home in a few more days,” commented Major Winfred, walking over from his plotting table. “Day after tomorrow we should be able to send a long-range message back to Federation space and warn them about what we found.”

“They won’t like hearing about what we’re up against,” replied Standel, letting out a heavy sigh. “Bob, you and I have been together for a long time. How did we ever get ourselves into this mess?”

Major Winfred shrugged his shoulders while shaking his head. “We were just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. The Hocklyns were going to find us sooner or later. At least now we have the fleet. We have a chance to save something. We have to evacuate as many people as we can.”

“Even if we take every ship we have, every single ship that is capable of jumping, we’re still going to leave billions of people behind. What happens to them when the Hocklyns and these masters of theirs show up?”

“Perhaps someday we can come back for them,” Bob spoke, his eyes showing deep concern for all those that would have to be left behind. “We can build a new and larger fleet and return. Drive the Hocklyns from our worlds. That’s the hope we will have to leave them.”

“If we evacuate and don’t stay and fight it could be years, even decades before we are ready to come back,” Standel spoke, his eyes looking haunted. “What will those years be like for those we abandon? What if the Hocklyns decide the populations on our worlds are too big and reduce them like they did to the Clarions?”

Major Winfred was silent. He didn’t know what to say to that. All he knew for sure was that when they returned home the Federation Council and Fleet Command would have some very important decisions to make.

-

Aboard the battle carrier Victory, Captain Arcles and Lieutenant Sanders were down in the flight bay checking their fighters. Karl stood back and gazed speculatively at the Talon fighter that he normally flew. The small, graceful fighter had two 30 mm canons in its nose plus hard points for four Hunter class interceptor missiles. In the hands of the right pilot, the small elusive fighter could be quite deadly.

Lacy strolled over from where she had been inspecting her own fighter. Even though the techs had already gone over all the systems, most of the pilots preferred their own hands on approach. It felt reassuring to check all the systems before going into combat. “How’s your fighter, Captain?” she asked.

“Ready to go,” replied Arcles, glancing over at the trim blonde lieutenant. Karl knew that Lacy was quite popular with the other male pilots, even though so far she had resisted all of their advances. She seemed to be pretty dedicated to becoming a top-notch pilot.

“How’s your sister doing over on the Avenger?” Lacy asked curiously. The two of them did occasionally talk about their families, so she knew that the captain’s sister was in the fleet.

“I think that she and Lieutenant Barnes are getting pretty close,” Karl replied with an all knowing smile. “I’m glad to see she has finally taken an interest in someone.”

“That’s going to cause problems eventually,” Lacy commented with a heavy sigh. It was against fleet regs to fraternize with a fellow officer in the same department. It could cause too many complications.

“I think one of them is going to request a transfer to another section of the ship,” Karl replied in agreement. “That will probably happen as soon as we get back.”

“I hope things work out for them,” Lacy responded.

“I am sure it will,” replied Karl, nodding his head. He only wanted the best for his little sister. “Let’s go down below and check on our scout ship. Commander Adler wants us to be ready to check out tomorrow’s flight path. Our scout ship and another will be checking all five planned jump points.”

-

On board the StarStrike, Colonel Sheen was sitting at the command console. Admiral Streth and Major Trist were doing a surprise inspection of the flight bay and engineering sections. She hoped the crews in those areas were ready or they would be scrubbing the decks tonight.

She looked at the large viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center. It was currently focused on a large glowing nebula just on the outskirts of the system they were currently in. During normal times, she would have liked to have moved the ship closer and find out what was causing the glow. It was highly intriguing, and several of the Command Center personnel had suggested that there might be another star actually being born in the heart of the nebula.

Other than that, the Command Center was quiet. Everyone was going about their duties as if it were any other normal day. Everyone was trying their best not to think about the Hocklyns and the growing threat to the Federation. Amanda was worried. Just where was the Hocklyn fleet? If they had as many ships as Ariel and Clarissa suggested, then there should be at least some pickets between the Hocklyn controlled worlds and the Federation, yet they had found nothing.

If the Hocklyn fleet wasn’t where they were supposed to be, just where were they? Amanda was growing worried that Admiral Kinseth’s estimate of the time the Federation had before the Hocklyns could launch another attack was off, perhaps way off. She stood up and walked over to the plotting table. It was too difficult just to sit down and remain inactive. She felt so helpless being so far away from the Federation and not knowing what was going on. It would still be a few days before they were in effective communication range.

Lieutenant Angela Trask at Communications watched Colonel Sheen walk back and forth. Every once in a while the colonel would sit down, only to get back up, walk back over to the plotting table, and gaze down impatiently at the fleet’s current location and the counter counting the time down until the next jump.

Angela already had the first message prepared to send back to Federation space. If the fleet continued on its present course, then the day after tomorrow they would be in extreme communications range. The message would be sent and then they would have to wait for nearly two more days before a reply could be heard. It would be a long two days.

Chapter Eleven

Colonel Sheen walked over to the communications console for the second time in less than twenty minutes. Amanda looked at Lieutenant Trask, but all Angela did was shake her head in the negative. Letting out a deep breath, Amanda walked back to her plotting table and stared moodily at one of the viewscreens on the front wall. It showed a sea of unending stars. They were in another star system and were waiting for a reply from Fleet Command on Tellus. The return message should have arrived hours ago.

They had transmitted an encrypted message on a special frequency to Fleet Command that no one else should be able to pick up. That was over three days ago. They had continued to jump and had arrived at this system where a response was to be transmitted to. But no message had come. For the first time in months, Amanda knew she was losing her composure. Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths and then with determination opened them. It was her responsibility to maintain discipline on the StarStrike and the crew didn’t need to see her upset. She felt rattled by the lack of communication from Fleet Command. Especially since the admiral had voiced his concerns about the need to return home swiftly.

“Still no response?” asked Admiral Streth, getting up from his command console and walking over to gaze at the plotting table. He knew Amanda was growing worried at the lack of a response from Fleet Command. Hell; he was too!

“We should have heard something four hours ago,” replied Colonel Sheen, forcing a calm and disciplined look onto her face. “With the information we have Fleet Command should have sent a message immediately after receiving our first report. I was expecting them to send more ships to rendezvous with us to escort us home.”

Admiral Streth nodded his head in agreement. He had expected the same thing. “We will wait another eight hours. If we still haven’t received anything, we will resume our jumps.”

Colonel Sheen nodded her head in understanding. The admiral still felt there was something wrong. “Do you think the Hocklyns hit the Federation while we were gone?”

“I hope not,” Hedon responded with a worried shrug of his shoulders. “Perhaps Fleet Command is not responding for fear of the Hocklyns picking up the message and it possibly leading them back to us.”

“I hope that’s it,” Amanda replied, but her deep blue eyes said she feared the worse.

Hedon returned to his command console and sat back down. He looked down at the console, which showed the current status of his small fleet. The Victory, StarStrike, the four light cruisers, and the two destroyers were all waiting for word from Fleet Command. There were four Talon fighters out flying CAP around the fleet as a precaution.

“Anything on the long-range sensors?” asked Hedon, glancing over at Lieutenant Stalls who was still working on the sensor data from earlier scans.

“Nothing,” reported Stalls, shaking his head. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, then checked the sensor screens again. “This system has no planets and only a few small asteroids.”

Hedon nodded. Many of the systems they had been jumping into had been similar. They were picking these types of systems to lessen the possibility of running into Hocklyn picket ships that might be searching for them. Lieutenant Ashton over on the Victory had been plotting their course. So far, she had done a great job. They were nearly home and still no sign of the Hocklyns.

-

Captain Karl Arcles was in his Talon fighter flying CAP. Lieutenant Sanders was just off of his starboard wing and slightly below. Looking out the cockpit window, he glanced at the StarStrike and still felt awed by the size and power of the fleet flagship. From his current position, slightly to the aft of the ship and above, he could see the eight main upper hull turrets and the twin barrels of the deadly railguns they contained. Each railgun was capable of firing an armor piercing shell two meters in diameter.

“I don’t feel so lonely as long as I can see the StarStrike or the Victory,” Sanders spoke softly over the com. “The Victory almost feels like home.”

“She is our home,” Arcles replied solemnly.

Looking carefully around, he spotted the Avenger and wondered what his sister Teena was doing. He was halfway tempted to switch com channels and speak to her. Karl knew she should be on duty. But he resisted the urge, knowing it was against fleet regulations. After this patrol he had some downtime scheduled, and he would get in touch with her then. In some ways, it made life easier having his sister in the fleet. However, it also worried him when they went into combat. As a fleet pilot, he would do everything possible to protect the fleet and his younger sister.

“I can’t wait to get back home to New Providence,” Sanders continued over the com. “We should get some nice leave time after this mission. There are some great resorts up in the mountains. I think I’m going to try to get some skiing in.”

“I’ve heard about the resorts,” replied Arcles, knowing how Lieutenant Sanders felt. While the Victory did seem like home, it was still nice to go on vacation every once in a while. Skiing did sound interesting. He wondered if Lieutenant Sanders would mind if he tagged along.

The two continued on their patrol, flying in gentle circles around the fleet. Occasionally Karl would change the pattern and fly along one of the fleet ships for a few minutes. He wanted to remind them that the fleet pilots were out here protecting them.

-

“Sir, I’m picking up a signal from what appears to be an emergency beacon,” Lieutenant Trask spoke sharply, her face darkening in worry. “The beacon is in the Tellus system, and it’s transmitting an Omega signal.”

Hedon felt as if he had just been slapped across the face. His blood turned cold, and he gripped the edge of his command console with his hands. It was as if a giant hand had just reached in and squeezed his heart. This was the last thing he had expected. He took a deep breath and steadied himself before responding.

“What does it say?”

“It’s encrypted and addressed directly to you. The first section states that you have the encryption key in your personal safe.”

“Transfer the message to my personal computer in my office. I will decode it there.” Hedon suspected what the key was; the computer flash drives that Admiral Kinseth had given him several months back before he began this mission. Flash drives and information he had been told not to open unless an Omega signal was received.

“An Omega signal,” Colonel Sheen spoke, the color draining from her face. She knew from previous staff briefings that there were several different Omega situations. None of them were good. An Omega signal basically said that the worlds of the Federation were no longer under Federation control.

“Major Trist, come to the Command Center,” Admiral Streth ordered over his com system. Looking around, Hedon noticed that everyone had shocked and frightened looks upon their faces. It was a look he had never seen on his crew before. “Everyone calm down and return to your duties,” he ordered. “I will see what the message says and brief the fleet shortly.”

Admiral Streth waited patiently until Major Trist arrived. He quickly explained about receiving the Omega message and that he had to go to his quarters to decode it. Once he was satisfied that Trist was ready to take over the Command Center, he turned and nodded at Colonel Sheen to follow him.

A short time later, they were in his quarters and Hedon was in the process of opening the safe. He had to steady his hands to get the combination right.

“During my last briefing with Admiral Kinseth he gave me a folder and some computer flash drives,” he explained to Amanda as the safe finally opened. Reaching inside he removed the folder and the drives, carrying them back to his desk and the waiting computer.

“He expected something like this?” asked Colonel Sheen. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. What had happened to the Federation? Was Richard okay? What about her parents back on Aquaria?

“I doubt it,” Hedon replied as he opened up the file with the Omega message and inserted a flash drive, which said Omega Encryption Code on it. “But Admiral Kinseth has always been one not to take any chances. He would have prepared for the worst case scenario.”

They both sat down and waited nervously for the computer to finish the encryption. After about ten minutes, the computer beeped and the message started displaying on the computer screen. Admiral Streth slowly read the message, and his face turned pale. He felt as if the weight of the entire Federation had suddenly crashed down upon his shoulders.

“What is it?” Amanda asked with growing concern. She could tell by the admiral’s reaction that it was very bad news.

“The Hocklyns have attacked the Federation in overwhelming force,” Hedon forced himself to say. “They came in a massive fleet with two new unidentified warships.” He turned the computer screen around so Amanda could see the ships he was referring to.

“Those are AI ships,” Amanda spoke, her eyes widening in shock. Two massive globes were displayed under heavy attack from Federation warships.

“According to Admiral Kinseth those two ships jumped in close to each Federation world and decimated our fleet. Once that was done, they jumped back out and the Hocklyns moved in and bombarded the planets with nukes.”

“Oh my God!” Amanda cried with tears in her eyes as she realized that the worlds she had known were now gone. “What about Aquaria?” Were they attacked also?”

“All of our worlds were attacked,” Hedon replied in a quiet and grim voice. “Admiral Kinseth didn’t know about survivors. He uploaded this message just before his flagship, the battle cruiser Providence, attempted to engage the AI ships over Tellus. Our orders are quite simple now. We are to check each colony system for survivors and evacuate as many as possible on any ships we can find. Once that’s done, we’re to jump to the outskirts of the Tellus system and transmit a signal to a communications satellite in the outer system. If there is a response, we are to follow the instructions we receive. If there is no response, we are to leave Federation space and never return.”

Amanda leaned back in her chair, not sure what to say or do. Everyone back home, including Richard and her parents, could be dead. There might not be anything left to go back to. The Federation as they knew it was gone.

“What are we going to do?” she asked, fighting to stay in control of her emotions. She was second in command of the StarStrike, and the crew was going to need her.

“We go home,” Hedon replied in a quiet voice. For a moment, he paused wondering about his brother and Lendle. Was there any chance that either one of them were still alive? They were all the family he had.

“What about the crew?” Amanda asked slowly. Many would take this extremely hard. Morale would plummet.

“They will have to deal with it,” responded Hedon, standing back up. “We will call a meeting of our ship commanders and go over the message. Once that’s done, I will make a general announcement of what has happened. We have a new mission. It has now become our job to save what is left of the human race.”

-

The StarStrike and her fleet hovered just on the outskirts of the New Providence system. The six scout ships had been launched to do a quick survey of all six of the inhabited worlds of the Federation. Already the news was looking grim.

“What are the latest scans from the Avenger?” asked Hedon looking over Lieutenant Stall’s shoulder. “Can we tell if any Hocklyn ships are still in the system?”

The Avenger had jumped in closer but was still out of what they hoped was the Hocklyn’s maximum sensor range. Admiral Streth wanted Ariel to be able to use the ship’s sensors to better determine the situation around New Providence. The scout ship was still moving in toward New Providence on its sublight drive, but it would be hours yet before the ship got close enough to find out any useful information.

“It doesn’t look good, sir,” reported Stalls, shaking his head gloomily. “The Avenger currently has two Hocklyn support ships on her sensors. Both are close to New Providence. The shipyard is still in orbit and seems to be mostly intact, but it’s hard to tell from the extreme range the Avenger is at what its exact condition is. The surface of New Providence has definitely been nuked. We can tell that from the much higher level of background radiation the Avenger is picking up when it focuses its sensors on the planet.”

“Has Ariel added anything?” asked Admiral Streth, letting out a long breath.

There had been 1.8 billion people on New Providence. He had thought the Hocklyns wanted slaves, not to destroy the planets. Why had they changed their minds? Was it the AIs? Had they felt the human worlds were too great of a threat?

“She hasn’t been able to pick up any ground side communication, but she also says from the range the Avenger is at the radiation in the atmosphere might be interfering with their being able to detect anything.”

Admiral Streth nodded his head as he thought about what to do next. Turning toward Communications, he spoke to Lieutenant Trask. “Send a tight beam message to the Avenger to hold their current position. We will wait on the scout to see what the close in scans reveal.”

Hedon returned to his command console and sat down. The Command Center was unusually quiet. He couldn’t blame his crew. After receiving the Omega message, they had expected to return and find that the Hocklyns had conquered all of the inhabited worlds. However, on the way in, they had used the scouts to check several of the larger mining operations and all had been pulverized by nuclear weapons. It disturbed Hedon deeply that a race such as the Hocklyns would use nuclear weapons with such apparent disdain for the loss of innocent lives. They knew that a few had been used on the Federation worlds from Admiral Kinseth’s message.

Looking over at Colonel Sheen, Hedon knew she was taking all of this extremely hard. Normally she was extremely calm and confident. But today there was a strange, almost frightening look on her face. She had the appearance of someone who had lost everything and was waiting for the next hammer to fall. As his eyes roamed across the Command Center, Hedon noticed that Amanda was not the only one to have that haunted look.

Colonel Sheen was looking down at the plotting table and staring at the bright blue icon that designated New Providence. She knew the shipyard was still in orbit, but everything was silent. It was taking every bit of her willpower not to break down and cry. Richard had probably died defending the shipyard and New Providence. She wished now that she had told him more about how she felt before the StarStrike left on their mission.

“Sir,” Lieutenant Trask reported suddenly as she listened to her com with sudden intent. “I’m picking up communications between the surface and some Hocklyn ships that must be in a lower orbit. It sounds like requests for support.”

“What type of ships?” Hedon demanded, his eyes narrowing. “Can you tell what they’re asking for?”

Lieutenant Trask worked diligently with her console for a long minute as she tried to clear up the faint communications she was picking up.

“Sir, Ariel is reporting that they are detecting six large ships in very low orbit over New Providence. The communications I am picking up seem to be requests for tactical bombardment from the ships in orbit.”

“Survivors!” Colonel Sheen spoke with sudden hope appearing in her eyes. “The bunkers must have survived!”

Admiral Streth nodded his head in agreement. Enough human lives had been lost. He would put a stop to this. With new resolve in his voice, he began to give orders. “Plot a jump to just outside the outer marker. We’re taking the fleet in. I want both of those support ships annihilated. That job will fall to the Avenger and Vindication. I want the AIs in control of both of those two ships.”

Turning to Lieutenant Trask, he continued, “I want all frequencies jammed when we jump. I don’t want any outgoing messages from the Hocklyns to leave this system.”

Using her mini-com Amanda passed on the orders to Navigation. She noticed a new intensity and determination in the crew in the Command Center. There were survivors on New Providence, and they were going in. The Hocklyns would not like what the StarStrike and her fleet was preparing to do to them.

Admiral Streth used his mini-com to contact Commander Adler on the Victory and brief him on the situation. “I want you to use your bombers to take out those ships in low orbit. I suspect they’re troop transports. The destroyers Astral and Lance will go in with your bombers. If you detect any Hocklyn fighters, you are authorized to use your Talons to take them out.”

“With pleasure,” Commander Adler replied over the com. “My pilots will make sure the Hocklyns never leave orbit.”

Admiral Streth spent a few more minutes talking to the other commanders and fine-tuning the battle plan. The light cruisers Brice and Hydra would stay close to the Avenger and Vindication in case they needed assistance. The StarStrike and Victory would continue on to the shipyard and land marines to remove any Hocklyn protectors that might be on board. The StarStrike would also be available to help take out the Hocklyn ships in low orbit if that became necessary.

Finally satisfied that everything was ready, he nodded his head at Colonel Sheen. “Let’s take them out, Amanda.”

Colonel Sheen nodded with a vengeful grin. It was payback time!

“Jump!” she ordered over her mini-com, looking at the main viewscreen. Almost instantly, she saw a blue-white vortex form in front of the StarStrike. “Helm, take us in and be prepared for high speed maneuvers once we exit the vortex.”

In what seemed like just a few seconds the StarStrike exited hyperspace and found herself just outside the outer marker of New Providence.

“FTL is offline,” damage control reported. “Major Stent reports that he will have to retune the drive harmonics.”

“Very well,” Hedon nodded.

He had expected that. He had jumped the fleet in close to the very edge of where damage could be done to the FTL cores. They were inside New Providence’s gravity well, but it had been necessary in order to take the Hocklyns by surprise.

“Astral, Vindication, and Brice are reporting that their FTLs are temporarily down also,” Lieutenant Trask reported. “All three are reporting that the drive harmonics will have to be retuned.”

“Give me sixty percent sublight,” ordered Colonel Sheen glaring at the plotting table that now showed the two Hocklyn support ships as well as the six larger ships in lower orbit.

“Vindication and Avenger have joined up and are moving toward the two Hocklyn support ships,” Lieutenant Stalls reported as he watched his scanners. “We have active targeting sweeps from the Hocklyn ships. We have been detected.”

“Jamming has started,” Lieutenant Trask confirmed. “I have all frequencies blanketed. Only short-range communications will still work. The Hocklyns won’t be transmitting any calls for help.”

The minutes passed as the StarStrike and her fleet continued to move in. The Avenger and the Vindication reached their targets first. Ariel and Clarissa were in their element as Commanders Standel and Wisthom had given them complete control of the two light cruisers. In an impossible turn, the two light cruisers suddenly brought their lasers to bear on one of the Hocklyn support ships. Bright reddish-orange beams struck the Hocklyn’s shields followed a few seconds later by a full missile strike from forty-eight Shrike missiles. Both cruisers had fired one of their pods at the Hocklyn ship. Ariel and Clarissa were able to coordinate their strikes to within microseconds.

The Hocklyn ship began firing back, and the energy screens around the two Federation cruisers lit up under the impacts. Missiles exploded in space between the three ships and then the Hocklyn’s shield was overwhelmed as the Shrike missiles began to detonate. Almost instantly, Ariel and Clarissa fired their ships primary bow railguns hurling large two-meter armor piercing rounds at their target. Explosions marched across the bow of the Hocklyn ship tearing ragged holes in its hull. The Hocklyn ship seemed to stagger, but refused to die.

The Avenger shuddered, and Commander Standel looked intently at the damage control board. A red light was glaring on the board. He knew that a compartment on his ship had been holed. He reached forward and held on to the command console. “Ariel, turn us broadside and hit them with our other railguns!”

“Working on it Commander,” Ariel replied as she and Clarissa rapidly turned the two ships bringing even more weapons into play.

More explosions now raged across the Hocklyn’s hull and then a large explosion occurred in its midsection, nearly cutting the ship in half.

“The other support ship is coming into range, sir,” Ariel reported as she and Clarissa planned their next move.

Commander Standel held on as Ariel turned the Avenger and accelerated at a mad pace toward the other Hocklyn ship. The Hocklyn Commander must have thought she intended to ram because the support ship began to turn away. At the same instant, Ariel and Clarissa fired their remaining Shrike pods, sending forty-eight missiles from close range at the Hocklyn ship. The Hocklyns only managed to intercept six of the missiles before the others struck and detonated against the ship’s energy screen, knocking it down. Instantly, Ariel and Clarissa fired broadsides from their railguns, causing explosions to march up both sides of the Hocklyn ship.

In another minute, the battle was over and both Hocklyn ships were left powerless and broken. There must have been some survivors as both Hocklyn ships suddenly exploded in balls of nuclear fire as their self-destruct devices were set off.

-

“Hocklyn support ships destroyed,” Amanda reported satisfyingly to Admiral Streth. “Avenger and Vindication are reporting only minor damage.”

“All of our ships should have had AIs on board,” Hedon spoke passionately. “With AIs, we just might have been able to stop the Hocklyns.”

Amanda nodded her head in agreement. She had witnessed what two AIs could do working together. What would ten or more be able to do? It might have made a difference.

“Sir,” Lieutenant Trask broke in a look of stunned surprise on her face. “I have Major Andrews on the com. He’s reporting that he still has control of the shipyard.”

“Richard!” Amanda gasped involuntarily. For a moment, she felt faint and couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Could it be possible? Her eyes grew wide with renewed hope.

“Tell him to standby,” ordered Hedon, wondering how the shipyard had managed to stay in Federation hands. “We need to mop this up first.”

It took another twenty minutes but when it was all over, the six large Hocklyn troop transports were history. They had been more heavily armed than expected, and the StarStrike had to move in and use her heavy railguns to finish them off. However, space around New Providence was now back in Federation control. Admiral Streth just wasn’t sure how long that would last.

-

Captain Arcles looked out the cockpit window of the small scout ship. They were in the system of Beltran moving toward the planet Aquaria. They were already in the outer reaches of Aquaria’s gravity well, and he could see the small blue-white globe growing larger.

“I am not picking up any planetary communication networks,” Lieutenant Sanders reported worriedly. She had been scanning all the normal radio and vid channels, but everything was strangely silent. Normally there would be hundreds of channels on the air broadcasting. “I have also been listening to the emergency broadcast system, and there’s nothing being sent out on it either.”

“The shipyard seems to be heavily damaged,” Specialist Rathers reported as he studied his sensor and scanner screens. “I’m not detecting any active power sources.”

“What about the Hocklyn ships?” asked Arcles glancing at the small sensor screen on the panel in front of him. It showed two threatening red icons in orbit around the planet just beneath the ruins of the shipyard.

“They haven’t detected us,” Rathers replied as he once again scrutinized the two Hocklyn support ships. “But I am picking up eight more Hocklyn ships in low orbit. From their size, I would guess they’re troop transports.”

“They’re invading,” Sanders spoke, angrily gritting her teeth. “They have already destroyed the planet; why invade? What else do they want? They’ve won the war!”

“They may not want any survivors,” Arcles replied as he maneuvered the scout closer to the shipyard. “They may have decided to make an example out of our worlds.”

On one of the small viewscreens, the shipyard appeared. Arcles drew in a sharp breath and shook his head in frustration. Part of the shipyard was missing, and the rest was a mangled mass of metal. Jagged holes scarred what was left of the hull and parts of the hull looked as if it had been burned. He knew it had taken the Federation nearly seven years to build the massive structure. Now it lay in ruins.

“No one could have survived that,” Sanders mumbled, her eyes narrowing as she fought to hold back the tears. So many people had died here. Thousands of people had worked and lived on that shipyard. From the severe damage they were looking at, she doubted if any had managed to escape.

“I am picking up more wreckage coming around the planet,” Rathers reported as he adjusted one of the short-range scanners. “Looks like the wreckage of several Federation light cruisers and a battle carrier.”

“Can you tell which one?” asked Arcles, feeling distraught over all the destruction caused by the Hocklyns. He knew the other battle carriers had to have been destroyed. He wasn’t sure he was ready to see one after the Hocklyns had finished with it.

“It’s the Constellation,” Rathers replied gravely as he transferred the image to the small viewscreen on Arcles’s control panel.

The battle carrier was shattered. It didn’t look as if any section had been spared. Jagged holes ran along the hull and the doors to the flight bay had been blasted open. The forward one hundred meters of the ship were missing and looked as if it had been burned off. The ship was tumbling in its orbit.

The two light cruisers were even worse. The cruisers had been blown apart. There was not a single piece larger than fifty meters. Whatever had hit the cruisers had wanted them destroyed.

“What could have done this?” asked Sanders, trying not to think about the thousands of men and women who had died in those three ships. It seemed as if she was surrounded by death.

“The AI ships,” Arcles responded, stunned and angry at the destruction he was seeing. “They destroyed the fleet.”

“Getting first detailed scans from the surface,” Rathers reported as he leaned forward and studied the data coming in. “Radiation levels are just below the lethal category over all. Around the major cities they are much higher, and people couldn’t survive more than a few hours of exposure.”

“That’s to be expected,” Arcles replied evenly, trying to remain calm. “They would have hit all the major cities with nukes.”

“There are some areas in the countryside, particularly around the more mountainous regions, where the radiation is much lower,” Rathers continued as he studied the data coming in. “People could have actually survived in those locations.”

“That’s why the troop transports are here,” muttered Arcles, wishing the scout was armed with nukes. It would be so easy to slip in behind those troop transports and nuke them. He doubted if their shields were even up since all fleet resistance had supposedly been eliminated and they were safe here inside Aquaria’s gravity well.

The viewscreen changed again and showed the city of Nervana. It was the largest city on the planet and served as the planetary capital. A pall of dark smoke hovered above the city, and numerous fires were still burning. From the devastation in certain areas of the city, it was obvious that several nuclear weapons had been used. It didn’t look as if a single skyscraper was still standing.

“How can they be so heartless as to kill so many helpless people?” groaned Sanders, feeling rising anger toward the Hocklyns. They act as if they don’t care!”

“They may not,” answered Arcles, glancing over at the lieutenant. “This is part of their culture, something they have been doing for possibly thousands of years.”

“Someday, someone will stop this,” Sanders spoke, her eyes glinting in barely suppressed anger.

“That might not be for quite some time,” Arcles commented. He wondered how you stopped an empire that spanned thousands of light years of space. The Hocklyn Empire might already have grown too large to be stopped by anyone.

“All scans are complete,” Rathers spoke softly. “There can’t be many survivors left down there on the planet.”

“Over 1.2 billion people,” Sanders mumbled, not allowing herself to cry. She couldn’t bear to think of the horror that had occurred on the planet below. Lacy knew she shouldn’t have volunteered to come on this mission. What she was seeing would haunt her memories for a terribly long time.

“I think it’s time to go back and report,” Arcles said as he turned the scout around and began accelerating away from the dying world. He strongly suspected that, in another week or two, nothing would be left alive on Aquaria.

-

Down on Aquaria on Krall Island, Anson Sheen sat with his wife on the large couch down in the basement. Avery Brennen and his wife were also with them, as well as Avery’s son Donsle and his young wife. They had been hiding in the basement for over two weeks and only occasionally venturing upstairs to look around. They had come downstairs as soon as the vid channels had reported two unidentified ships had jumped into orbit and were engaging the defending Federation fleet.

“What are we going to do?” asked Anson’s wife, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

“I think we’re safe down here,” Anson replied in a quiet voice. “We have enough food and water for months, as well as the emergency generator if we need it. We just need to stay quiet and not go upstairs very often. If we’re lucky, they might overlook us.”

He glanced over at the stairs that led upwards out of the basement. One of the two heavy assault rifles was lying on a gun rack over to one side. The rifle was fully loaded and two extra clips were next to it on a shelf. The gun cabinet was unlocked, and the other assault rifle was inside and loaded. Avery didn’t feel comfortable with guns, and Anson had spent some time explaining and showing him how the rifle worked. Anson just hoped they wouldn’t need them.

Several times in the last two weeks, they had heard some type of aircraft flying overhead. There had also been some weapons fire in the general direction of the town a few days earlier. For the last forty-eight hours, it had been quiet; almost frighteningly so.

“I managed to get a report on the emergency channel last night,” commented Avery, standing up and walking over to the small emergency receiver, which was always on. “I think it was a small marine unit. They reported that the radiation is dying down and for anyone receiving their message to remain hidden. Supposedly Hocklyn troops are searching the countryside for survivors.”

“If we can stay hidden long enough they may leave,” responded Anson, giving his wife’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “If they think there are no more survivors or not enough to worry about, then they may pull their troops off the planet.”

“The fleet’s destroyed, isn’t it?” Donsle’s wife asked worriedly. Her younger brother was in the fleet. He was assigned to a light cruiser in the Tellus system, and she greatly feared that he had been killed.

“Most of it,” replied Anson’s wife, raising her head and looking over at the young woman. Then she got a strange look on her face as if she was listening to someone far away. Then she looked over at Anson and said. “But Amanda’s still fine. I can feel it.”

Anson nodded his head in agreement. A mother would know if her daughter was still okay. Looking up, he knew that somewhere up in space the StarStrike had survived. He just prayed that it would continue to do so.

Chapter Twelve

The StarStrike was docked to the shipyard at one of the external docking ports in case they needed to leave quickly. As soon as Admiral Streth and Colonel Sheen made it through the airlock, they found Major Andrews and half a dozen heavily armed marines waiting for them. Upon seeing Richard, Amanda hurled herself into his arms and started sobbing uncontrollably. Admiral Streth said nothing. He had known about the two for a while, and he couldn’t blame her for this emotional outburst.

“Richard, I didn’t think I would see you again,” Amanda sobbed as she tried to catch her breath. “When we heard the Omega signal, I thought you had been killed.”

“Omega signal?” Richard asked with a surprised look upon his face, glancing over at Admiral Streth. “Are you talking about that signal originating in the Tellus System? It started a few days ago, and we couldn’t decode it.”

He was surprised and extremely pleased at Amanda’s response to seeing him. He had prayed that the part of First Fleet that had left to venture deep into Hocklyn space had survived. For days now, he had given up hope of ever seeing Amanda again. Each day he had expected it to be his last. He knew that the Hocklyns could destroy the station anytime they wanted, even though the laser turrets the station was equipped with would take a heavy toll on any attackers. He held Amanda tightly, still finding it hard to believe that both she and Admiral Streth were here.

“It was for us,” explained Admiral Streth, referring to the signal. “We sent a signal to Fleet Command, and I suspect it activated this Omega signal. The message was in a special code that only I had the decryption key for. It basically said the Federation had been destroyed and we were to return, gather all the survivors we could find, and then leave for parts unknown.”

Richard was silent for a moment. He released Amanda, and she stepped back trying to regain her composure. “What are your plans, Admiral?”

“Let’s go to the Command Center and you can brief me on the current situation on New Providence as well as the condition of the shipyard. I also want to know how you managed to survive. Why didn’t the Hocklyns destroy the shipyard in the original attack? ”

“That’s a long story, sir,” replied Richard, nodding his head. “Let’s go to the Command Center and I will explain everything.”

Amanda worked drying her eyes and wiping the tears from her face. It had been a shock to find Richard still alive. She had given up hope after they had received the Omega signal. She walked holding Richard’s hand, not caring who saw them. For some reason, she had the feeling that the admiral approved.

It took them a few minutes of walking through corridors and taking an elevator to reach the Command Center. One thing that Admiral Streth and Colonel Sheen noticed were the large number of armed marines everywhere they went. They didn’t recall this many marines being on the shipyard the last time they were here.

“The Hocklyns keep trying to land troops,” Richard explained as they passed a barricade in a main corridor where marines had set up some heavy weapons.

Once in the Command Center, they stopped in front a large bank of viewscreens, which showed the planet below. City after city was displayed in ruins. Fires were prevalent, and smoke was bellowing into the air. In a few areas, fighting was obviously still occurring between isolated marine units and Hocklyn protectors. One of the screens showed a battle with massive explosions occurring over a forested area. It was hard to tell who was winning.

“What’s the condition down on the planet?” asked Hedon, gazing at the battle on the screen. He was wondering how many of the bunkers had survived and how many marines were still fighting.

“All ten bunkers are still intact. As a matter of fact, General Allister has just ordered a general airstrike on the Hocklyn ground units since you have taken out their ships in low orbit. Those ships have been keeping the general’s air wings out of the battle. The Talons and Anlon bombers should be launching shortly.”

“What about other survivors?” asked Amanda, looking around the Command Center.

She noticed that many of the fleet personnel had a haggard look about them. Most of them looked as if they hadn’t slept in days. Another thing she noticed was the sudden look of hope in their eyes upon seeing Admiral Streth.

“Both the two main cave facilities are intact and sealed up,” Richard reported as an aide came up and handed him a report, which he quickly glanced at. “General Allister is in the process of moving as many survivors and military personnel as he can into the bunkers and several other deep cave facilities that have been prepared. He’s sending out everything and everyone he can to bring in more supplies and people while he has this opportunity.”

“How many survivors are we talking about?” asked Hedon, gazing at the viewscreens, which showed the destruction that had occurred on New Providence. All the colony worlds must look like this. He felt ill gazing at what the Hocklyns and the AIs had done to New Providence.

“In the secure facilities, about 200,000,” Richard responded, recalling the numbers. “General Allister thinks he can put another 100,000 or so in some of the other cave facilities. The only problem is they’re not as well equipped or supplied as the others and may eventually be found by the Hocklyns.”

“Will they be protected by marine units?” Amanda asked. She knew life for the survivors outside the main bunkers was going to be difficult perhaps impossible.

“Yes,” Richard replied as he changed one of the viewscreens to show a close up of a mountainous area with a single winding road leading to it. “This is the entrance to Darvos Caverns, one of the largest cave systems on the planet. General Allister is rushing marines and supplies even as we speak to the deeper caverns. If we have the time, we could put over 300,000 people in the lower caverns. There is plenty of fresh water inside, and the cave already has its own hydroelectric power supply.”

“I hope he has the time,” Admiral Streth responded.

He knew that living condition in the caves would be extremely difficult and hard for the civilians to adjust to. However, if it meant more people would survive, then it had to be done. People had a way of adjusting to harsh or difficult conditions if it meant their only chance of survival.

“Other survivors are being scattered throughout other mountainous areas with smaller cave systems in the hope that they can survive. General Allister wants to go silent and wait to see if the Hocklyns leave. He’s going to pull all the marine units back. The additional marines should be able to provide some aid to the other survivors, and perhaps offer better protection and living conditions. They will do everything possible to avoid any further contact with Hocklyn protectors after today.”

“That may be his only choice,” Hedon conceded with a heavy sigh of resignation. “Make the Hocklyns think the fighting here is done. What happened to Admiral Flaxen?”

Richard was quiet for a moment before replying. “He was killed in the first attack. He was on an inspection tour of the battle cruiser Independence when those two large Hocklyn ships jumped in. The Independence was the first ship to be destroyed. They jumped in almost on top of the battle cruiser. It never had a chance.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Hedon said with a sad look in his eyes. He had been friends with Admiral Flaxen for years.

“Where did the Hocklyns get ships like those?” asked Richard, looking over at Admiral Streth. “I didn’t think it was possible to jump that far inside a planet’s gravity well. Our weapons couldn’t penetrate their shields and their energy weapons cut through ours as if they were not even there.”

“Those are not Hocklyn ships,” Hedon replied, his eyes narrowing. He then went on to explain to Richard what an AI ship was.

Richard was silent as he digested this new information. “The Hocklyns have support ships that come by on a regular basis. I would guess you have only twelve to sixteen hours before the next group drops in. You need to be gone from here by then. General Allister plans on having his attack on the Hocklyn protectors wrapped up in about six hours and then he will be sealing up all the bunkers.”

“How did the shipyard manage to survive?” Hedon asked. He couldn’t understand why the Hocklyns hadn’t destroyed it.

“I think they wanted to capture it intact,” Richard replied. “Fortunately, the laser batteries we installed above the construction bays were powerful enough to keep their ships at a distance. Evidently, the AIs didn’t realize we had the laser batteries or they probably would have taken them out before they left. The Hocklyns tried on three different occasions to land shuttles, but we managed to shoot them down before they got too close. For the last few days, those two support ships have been sitting just outside of our weapon’s range, watching us.”

“We need to evacuate the shipyard,” said Hedon, wondering how many people were still on board. “Eventually the Hocklyns will succeed in either taking it over or destroying it.”

“I think we can help with that,” Richard spoke with a smile. He touched a button on one of the consoles and it switched to show one of the repair bays.

Hedon’s eyes grew wide when he saw what was inside. “That’s a battle carrier!”

“Yes,” Richard responded with a grin, “It’s the Harrington. She was inside for some minor repairs when the Hocklyns attacked. We couldn’t get her out as we were under heavy fire. There are also two more light cruisers in two of the other bays that suffered heavy damage and were brought inside for their own safety. We have almost finished their repairs, and they can leave the docks at any time.”

“What about your air wings?” Amanda asked. Having three more warships in the fleet would be a tremendous boost to morale. Especially another carrier.

“That’s a problem,” admitted Richard shaking his head grimly. “The air wings are non-existent. We sent them out to help defend the fleet in the attack, and they were destroyed. We have only four Talons left and no bombers.”

“How many people do you have on board?” asked Hedon, wondering where they could put everyone. These were fleet personnel, and he would be damned if he would leave any behind.

“Admiral Flaxen had four large passenger liners put inside two of the other bays just in case we needed to evacuate,” Richard replied. “There are also two fleet supply ships in bays seven and eight. We have slightly less than 6,000 fleet personnel on board, not counting the ship crews. It will be a little crowded, but we can get them on the four passenger ships. The warships, liners, and supply ships are all fueled and supplied.”

Admiral Streth thought for a minute. He would like to stay longer and top off his own fleet’s fuel, ammunition, and supplies, but he dare not let the Hocklyns catch the StarStrike’s fleet inside New Providence’s gravity well.

“Order your people to get on the liners. Have the Harrington, the two light cruisers, and the supply ships move out of the docks immediately. We’re leaving in two hours.”

“Where to?” asked Amanda, turning to face the admiral. She was still anxiously waiting for the scout ships to return so she could learn what had happened to Aquaria. Richard had survived; perhaps her parents had also.

“We’re going to one of the fleet supply depots,” Hedon responded. “They’re both in open space, and I doubt the Hocklyns have found them. We can refuel, supply, and rearm the fleet. There should also be some Talon fighters in storage. Perhaps we can give the Harrington back an operational air wing or two, if we can find the pilots.”

“Pilots won’t be a problem,” Richard spoke, his eyes lighting up at the thought of getting the Harrington fully operational. “I have nearly two hundred here on the station. We were in the process of increasing the shipyard’s air wings, and they were just finishing their training when we were attacked. Unfortunately, we hadn’t received any new Talons yet.”

“What about after the depot?” asked Amanda, wondering where they could go. “Are we going to search for more survivors? I don’t see what we can do without additional ships to put them in.”

“I have instructions to return to the Tellus system and transmit a signal to a secret communications satellite,” Hedon replied with a frown. “I don’t know why, but Admiral Kinseth was quite adamant that I do this if the Hocklyns won.”

“I wonder what that’s about?” spoke Amanda, shaking her head in confusion. “The Hocklyns probably control the entire system. It might not be safe to even attempt to send that message.”

“Perhaps,” responded Hedon knowing she was right. “But there is a reason he asked me to do this and I intend to obey that order. Major, let’s get your people on board those ships. I also want to speak to General Allister if it’s possible.”

Richard nodded and moved over to the shipyard’s com station to begin passing the orders to evacuate. They could figure all of this out later when they were safely away from New Providence. He would also try to get in touch with General Allister in the command bunker. Richard knew the general was busy conducting attack and rescue missions all over New Providence. But he also knew the general would want to talk to Admiral Streth.

-

Amanda was in her quarters staring painfully at the wall. The wall held a picture of her parents and their home on Krall Island. She had just come from a briefing of the pilots that had returned from the other Federation worlds. Their reports had been alarming and overwhelming. The colony worlds of New Eden, Aldon, and Aquaria had been devastated. The shipyard above Aquaria had been destroyed, and the planet had been heavily nuked.

She had seen the pictures of the capital city of Nervana and had sat in shock, realizing what this meant. Aquaria was gone, and her parents, even if they had survived the initial attack, were probably already dead from radiation poisoning. She knew with a heavy heart that she would never go scuba diving with her father at Heritage Reef again. All she would have now were the memories. Everything seemed so unreal to her. She knew that she was in shock and was having a hard time accepting that her parents and everyone she had known on Aquaria were gone.

Richard had gone on to say again in the meeting that he thought the Hocklyns had spared the shipyard above New Providence because they wanted to use it as a base. They had tried repeatedly to land boarding parties in an attempt to capture it intact. Admiral Streth had agreed with that assumption. As soon as the shipyard was evacuated, the admiral intended to destroy it to prevent the Hocklyns from ever using it for anything.

Before they had left the Command Center, the admiral had spoken briefly with General Allister. Amanda hoped the general would be able to survive without support from the fleet. The general planned on closing up all the bunkers and staying quiet for six months or more in the hope that the Hocklyns would go ahead and leave New Providence. If they did, he would open up several of the bunkers and begin the search for more survivors. During those six months, he planned on doing everything in his power to expand the current bunker system. They had plenty of power and had set up some hydroponic gardens inside the bunkers already. For many years, the only safe place on New Providence might be inside the bunker system out of sight from the Hocklyns.

Amanda shook her head. She didn’t know what it would be like to live underground for such a long period of time. However, humans were adaptable and they would do what was necessary to survive. Leaning back, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. There would be a lot of unknowns facing the fleet in the coming days. She had to regain control of her emotions because the admiral would need her. The fleet would need her!

For several hours, Amanda rested. Richard was over on the Harrington working in the Command Center. He had done extremely well in defending the shipyard and was quite familiar with flight operations. For now, he was third in the chain of command on board the carrier. Amanda wished he had been able to stay on board the StarStrike, but she understood his need to be part of this war.

Her com unit going off signaled Amanda that it was time for her to return to the Command Center. The fleet would be making its jump in a few minutes to the fleet depot. Hopefully it was still intact and they could top the fleet off with fuel and supplies. The fleet had built two of these distant supply depots for use in an emergency in case a fleet couldn’t get back to one of the shipyards to resupply. The depots were supposed to contain everything a fleet might need in a crisis situation.

Returning to the Command Center, she took her position at the plotting table. She had managed to regain her composure and was ready to resume her duties. “Fleet is ready to jump,” she informed the admiral as she listened to the status reports of the different stations over her mini-com.

“Very well,” replied Admiral Streth, looking over at Colonel Sheen. He nodded to himself. She seemed to have herself back under control. The colonel hadn’t been the only one to break down in the last few hours. The admiral hadn’t said anything, but there had already been two suicides on board the StarStrike. “Execute the jump and let’s see what we have.” Then over his own mini-com, which was now connected to all the ships in the fleet he added. “All ships go to Condition One upon emergence from the spatial vortex. Commander Adler, I want a full squadron of Talons launched as soon as your systems stabilize.”

“Yes, sir,” Adler replied over the com. “Captain Arcles will be ready to launch with a full squadron. Gold squadron is already standing by.”

Satisfied that everything was as ready as possible, he looked over at Colonel Sheen. “Jump the fleet, Amanda; let’s go get us some supplies.”

Even as he spoke the words, a massive nuclear explosion lit up the Federation shipyard they had just left. In just a few moments, all that remained was shattered and broken wreckage.

Admiral Streth watched the destruction on the main viewscreen with a pained look in his eyes. It was hard to destroy something the Federation had spent years building. But he would be damned if he would leave it for the Hocklyns. Looking at another viewscreen, he saw the blue-white jump vortexes form in front of the fleet.

The two fleet destroyers flew into them first, followed by the carrier Victory. A full minute later, the rest of the ships entered the blue-white vortexes and vanished. The fleet had left the New Providence system and would not be returning.

-

Down on the surface of New Providence, General Allister watched the main sensor screen in the command bunker as the friendly green icons that represented the last warships of the Human Federation of Worlds vanished. The protectors on the surface had been nearly wiped out when the Talon fighters and Anlon bombers from the bunkers had launched their attacks. A number of special marine units were still engaged in mopping up the few remaining Hocklyn protectors that had managed to escape the bombings. Organized fighting had died down after the heavy assaults from the Anlon bombers. All fighting should be ending within the next few hours. With a heavy sigh, he turned toward Major Jessup.

“We’re on our own now, Kenri. Order all the bunkers to start closing up. All communication from now on will be done over the underground land lines. I want a total communications blackout on the airwaves. I want the Hocklyns to think that their ground offensive succeeded. Perhaps after a while they will leave and we can venture out to search for more survivors.”

“I don’t think we will find many,” Major Jessup replied with a sad look on his face. “The last few marine units to report in are finding very few survivors around the cities. I think the only survivors left are those we managed to get to the mountains. Those are being sent down into the cave systems even as we speak. In another few hours, there won’t be a human left upon the surface. Even our marine units are going inside the caves.”

“Let’s just hope this works,” General Allister spoke, with a grim and determined look upon his face. “If the Hocklyns stick around, it may be necessary to live underground from now on. Inform all units that all search and rescue operations are to cease in six more hours or upon receiving word from us.” He glanced at the main sensor screen. They would have a few hours of warning if the Hocklyns showed back up. That would give them time to make sure all the marines were safely out of sight.

“I hope we can someday return to the surface,” Major Jessup responded, not wanting to imagine what it would be like to have to live underground from now on.

“So do I,” General Allister said his eyes narrowing. “But we will do whatever it takes to survive.”

-

Amanda waited nervously for the StarStrike to exit the jump. She glanced down at the timer on the plotting table and saw that it would be another six minutes before they emerged from the spatial vortex. Looking up at the main viewscreen, she could see the myriads of dark colors dominated by purple that seemed to swirl in hyperspace. She turned her eyes away from the screen. It could be very hypnotic watching the screen for too long. There was a slim possibility that, upon emergence, they might be going immediately into battle.

Admiral Streth waited patiently for the StarStrike to complete her jump. He had decided to jump to the farthest of the two supply depots as an added safety precaution. Once the fleet was fully supplied, he would then take one of the stealth scouts and jump to the home system. He would transmit the coded signal to the hidden communication satellite and wait to see what happened. He had no idea what to expect. Admiral Kinseth had never elaborated.

“Coming out of jump shortly,” Colonel Sheen reported as she watched the jump timer. It was nearing zero, and she unconsciously drew in a deep breath.

Admiral Streth braced his hands against the command console. It was a habit he had acquired over the years. Going into and coming out of hyperspace always made his stomach feel queasy for a few seconds. He suddenly felt a slight wrenching sensation and then the familiar queasiness. At the same instant, stars reappeared on the main viewscreen.

“Status!” he barked as the battle cruiser’s systems all came quickly back on line.

“Sensor contacts,” Lieutenant Stalls called out, leaning forward and gazing intently at his screens. “I have the supply depot and sixteen unidentified contacts around it. Scanners are attempting to identify the size and class of ships.”

“Spin up missiles and prepare to engage,” Colonel Sheen ordered Tactical over her mini-com. “Prepare to fire lasers upon my command. All railgun batteries prepare to fire.” She steadied herself. It looked as if they would have to make a fight of it after all. They needed the supplies on that depot.

“Sir!” Lieutenant Trask spoke hastily. “I am getting a com message from the cruiser SwiftFire!”

“The SwiftFire?” Colonel Sheen echoed in surprise her eyes growing wide. “That’s a Monarch heavy cruiser. What’s it doing out here?”

“All ships, hold your fire!” Admiral Streth ordered over his mini-com, gazing intently at the main sensor screen above the plotting table. They were still ten thousand kilometers from the depot, but they were closing fast.

Switching his mini-com to ship-to-ship, he attempted to contact the cruiser. He hoped it really was a Monarch heavy cruiser. Its firepower would be a great addition to the fleet. “Cruiser SwiftFire, this is Admiral Streth aboard the battle cruiser StarStrike. Please transmit your ID codes or you will be fired upon. We were not aware of any other surviving ships.”

“Sir, I’m pickup up another light cruiser and four destroyers, and what appears to be twelve large passenger liners,” Stalls spoke quickly as the icons on his screen all turned a friendly green.

“Receiving ID codes,” Lieutenant Trask reported. “Computer confirms their authentication.”

“This is Commander Largo,” a relieved voice answered over the com. “We thought we were the only surviving ships. The SwiftFire and the light cruiser Mace were on the way to Aldon when word of the attack reached us. Admiral Kinseth ordered us to come here and wait. He also diverted all of these passenger liners to us. The four destroyers were called in from deep picket. We had hoped more would show up, but so far there have been no others until your fleet appeared.”

“How are the supplies on the station, Commander?” Hedon asked. He was immensely pleased to have found more civilian survivors, as well as fleet ships. This would come pretty close to bringing First Fleet back up to full strength. “I want to fully provision and rearm this fleet. Also, do you know how many Talons are in storage in the depot?”

“There are plenty of supplies still on the station, Admiral,” Largo replied quickly. “I’m not sure how many Talons there are. I can check with the depot’s commanding officer if you want.”

“That won’t be necessary, Commander,” Hedon replied. “My fleet will be taking up a defensive position around the depot and then I will be going over myself to see what is on board. I intend to strip it of everything useful.”

“Then what, Admiral?” asked Largo sounding uneasy. He hoped the admiral wasn’t contemplating attacking the Hocklyns. “Where can we go? The Federation worlds have been lost to us.”

“We’re leaving Federation space,” Hedon responded crisply. “I have one small mission I need to complete and then we’re leaving the Federation behind.”

There was silence from the com and then finally Commander Largo responded. “I think that’s wise, sir. We have been talking about doing the same thing.”

-

Admiral Streth was sitting across from Commander Largo and Captain Jenson aboard the supply depot. The supply depot was a full kilometer across and three hundred meters thick. It was armed with twenty-four point defense batteries and four Shrike missile pods. It also had a full squadron of Talons for additional defense.

Commander Largo and Captain Jenson both looked extremely pale. Admiral Streth had just explained to them what had happened to all the Federation worlds and about the AI ships. It had been hard for them to hear that the Federation was gone. Even though they had already suspected such, they had hoped that the Hocklyns had just occupied the Federation worlds and not destroyed them.

“I sent the battle carrier Harrington and the light cruisers Vindication and Avenger to the other supply depot,” Hedon informed them. “There might be other survivors there, and I also want as many of their supplies as possible, particularly their Talon fighters.”

“They should have eighty, Admiral,” Jenson spoke. “Their crew is the same size as ours; a little over three hundred. We were going to send a destroyer to evacuate them when we were ready to leave.”

“Where are we going, Admiral?” asked Largo leaning forward, his eyes full of curiosity. “If what you say about the Hocklyns and these AIs is true, we will have to go a long ways out toward the edge of the galaxy to be safe.”

“We’re talking about a journey of thousands of light years,” breathed Jenson, his face turning pale. “Can our ships do that?”

“They will have to,” Hedon replied gravely. “That’s why we want as many supplies and spare parts as possible. We can machine some parts on the StarStrike and the two battle carriers if necessary, but there are some parts we can’t hope to make. Those we have to take with us.”

“We have ample munitions, including the new Hunter and Devastator missiles,” reported Jenson, thinking about all the supplies and munitions that were stored on board the depot. “We have plenty of food and water for the ships, so that shouldn’t be a problem. We also have a full load of fuel.”

“Let’s start getting everything loaded,” ordered Hedon, standing up. “I want every ship loaded to the maximum. If we have to put supplies and spare parts in the corridors, we will do so. We can’t be out in deep space and realize we left something behind. I also want a count as to how many civilians are on those passenger liners.”

-

Aboard the light cruiser Avenger, Commander Standel watched the swirling colors of hyperspace on one of the smaller viewscreens. In another twenty minutes, they would reach the other supply depot. After what had been waiting at the previous one, he didn’t know what to expect when they arrived.

“We will have a long journey ahead of us once we leave Federation space,” Ariel spoke, her dark eyes focusing on the commander. “With the information Clarissa and I have recovered from the Hocklyn computer drives and their star maps, we can now project how long the Hocklyns and the other three warrior races will take to conquer the entire galaxy.”

Ariel vanished, and a map of the galaxy appeared on the large viewscreen. It showed the four regions currently controlled by the four warrior races the AIs had chosen to grow their empire. The four regions slowly expanded and over the coming centuries reached the far edge of the galaxy. Every star system was under the control of the AIs and their slave empire.

“Is there nowhere safe we can go?” Standel asked as he realized that, at some point in time, the Hocklyns would find them again.

“No,” replied Ariel reappearing on the main screen. She tossed her head slightly causing her black hair to ripple across her shoulders. “Our ships are not capable of attempting an intergalactic flight. Even with cryo-sleep, we wouldn’t make it. It would take hundreds of years just to reach one of the two nearer satellite galaxies. The ships would run out of power and too many key systems would fail.”

“Then what are we to do?” Standel asked slowly. It sounded hopeless. He noticed that the entire Command Center crew was listening. “There has to be an answer.”

“We go out to the very edge of our galaxy and grow our population. We know the Hocklyns are coming someday, so we prepare for them. We find and fortify a system to the point that the Hocklyns can’t take it.”

“We restrict ourselves to one star system,” Major Winfred spoke, not liking that idea at all. “That doesn’t leave a lot of room to grow. The fortifications to hold back the Hocklyns and these AIs will have to be massive. I don’t know if it’s even feasible.”

Teena and Jacen looked at each other. If they did take the fleet out to the edge of the galaxy, at least they would be safe for the rest of their lifetimes. It might even give them the time to build a life together.

“What do you think?” Teena asked in a low voice over her mini-com on their private channel.

“I don’t think we have any other choice,” Jacen responded as he ran some quick calculations on his computer. “It will take us six months to a year to go out that far, depending on the number of jumps per day the admiral will want to do.”

“But we will be safe from the Hocklyns for years, perhaps centuries,” Teena replied with a glint of hope in her eyes.

“Yes,” Jacen responded with a slight nod of his head. “But someday our descendants will have to face the Hocklyns again. I just hope that they will be ready.”

-

A few minutes later, the small fleet exited their jump vortexes and instantly went to Condition One.

“I am picking up three contacts around the depot,” Ariel reported before Lieutenant Barnes could speak.

“I have another destroyer and what appears to be two passenger liners,” Jacen said frowning at Ariel. Sometimes the AI jumped in before the crew of the Command Center could do their jobs.

“The Harrington is contacting the destroyer,” Teena reported as she heard the com chatter between the two ships. “It’s the destroyer Ranger, and they have two liners with them with a little over 2,500 passengers.”

“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 last 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.”

“Just what is the name of this world?” Hedon asked doubtfully. He felt sure the admiral was delusional. This sounded like some wild tale from a vid telecast.

Kinseth’s eyes seemed to grow bright, and for a moment, he seemed stronger. “Earth,” Kinseth replied as the light began to fade from his eyes. “The planet’s name is Earth. Take our people there.”

Kinseth closed his eyes and the machines that were helping to keep him alive started blaring warning alarms. The doctor and nurses ran back in and after the doctor examined the admiral, he turned toward Hedon and shook his head. Admiral Kinseth was gone.

Hedon stepped back out of the room and noticed that Lendle was in Taylor’s arms, openly crying. “I need to see a scientist named Severs.”

“I thought you would,” Taylor responded knowingly. “He is waiting in a conference room close by.”

A few minutes later, Admiral Streth was sitting across from an older man. Severs had nearly white hair and looked to be in his later years. For a Federation citizen with their advanced medicine that was close to ninety years of age.

“Admiral Kinseth said something as he was dying,” Hedon began. “He said I was to take the survivors to Earth. I have never heard of this Earth. He said you could tell me what this is all about.”

“You wouldn’t have heard of Earth,” spoke Severs, leaning forward and gazing intently at Admiral Streth. “It is one of the Federation’s most closely guarded secrets. Less than ten people in the entire Federation are even aware that Earth exists. All of those except for me are now probably dead.”

“I don’t understand,” spoke Hedon, feeling even more confused. “Admiral Kinseth said that we came from this Earth over ten thousand years ago. How is that possible?”

“In this asteroid there is an ancient space ship,” began Severs, taking a deep breath. “It was discovered several hundred years ago by some miners. It’s from a race that existed thousands of years ago in the heart of our galaxy. They were a great race and traveled far in their explorations.”

“The race that created the AIs,” Hedon said with dawning comprehension. That had to be who Severs was talking about. What did they have to do with all of this?

“AIs,” responded Severs looking confused. “What is this about AIs?”

Hedon took a few minutes and told Severs what they had discovered about the Hocklyns and their AI masters.

“It explains a lot,” Severs said nodding his head in understanding. “It also answers how the Federation was defeated so easily. We know from some of the records we were able to translate that there was a big disagreement about the direction the Altons were taking. From what you have just told me, I now believe that disagreement was over these very same AIs.”

“The Altons,” Hedon repeated. “Is that the name of this race?”

“Yes,” Severs replied as he continued to explain. “We don’t know a lot other than they traveled far out into one of the galactic arms and found Earth. The humans on Earth at that time were very primitive, but the Altons brought back a large number as well as some of the more common animals. They put the humans and their animals on Tellus and left.”

“That’s why there’s such wild diversity in the animals on Tellus,” Hedon spoke.

He recalled in his college days, how several of his college professors had claimed that Tellus seemed as if it had two separate but distinct ecosystems. Scientists for years had argued over how this was possible. Now it seemed there was a rational explanation. One they never would have expected.

“They came here to set up a base to watch over us, but over the years they died out. They didn’t have a large enough population to grow. We estimate that there were only a few hundred of them at the beginning. All we know from their records is that they believed that their fellow Altons had made a huge mistake. They felt by placing humans on Tellus that we might be able to rectify that mistake someday.”

“They wanted us to be able to stop the AIs if they got out of control,” commented Hedon, realizing what this group of Altons had sought. “They realized that creating the AIs was a mistake and one their race might regret later. They wanted a failsafe to stop the AIs if it became necessary. But why humans?”

“Our aggressiveness,” Severs responded evenly. “From what you have told me about these AIs, this splinter group of Altons would have wanted a very aggressive race to be able to stop them.”

“It almost worked,” commented Hedon, letting out a sharp breath. “In another several hundred years, I don’t think the Hocklyns would have been able to conquer us. With newer and better weapons, we might even have been able to stop the AI ships. Now we will never know.”

“But Earth might be able to stop them someday,” Severs spoke, his voice sounding hopeful. “With our aid and with what we know of the Hocklyns and the AIs, it could make all the difference.” Severs reached into his pocket and handed Hedon a small dark colored flash drive. “That flash drive contains Earth’s coordinates and everything we have been able to learn from the Alton ship. There was nothing useable in the ship. After ten thousand years, even one of their advanced vessels deteriorates with age. There were a few records preserved on some metal plates, but not much else.”

“So we take the survivors of our people to Earth,” Hedon commented, still finding it hard to believe what he had heard from Admiral Kinseth and Severs.

“Yes,” replied Severs, nodding his head. “It’s our only hope. Perhaps our galaxy's only hope.”

Hedon leaned back and glanced down at the flash drive in his right hand. “The Altons took our ancestors from Earth over ten thousand years ago according to what you have found. What will Earth be like now? Is it even still there?”

“We will only know by going there,” Severs replied in a low voice. “I believe Earth is still there and that humans still live there. If not, then we have no hope at all.”

Hedon nodded his head. With sudden realization, he knew the decision had already been made in the back of his mind. They had no other real choice. He was going to take the fleet to Earth.

“I guess the next big question is how do we evacuate this base?”

Severs smiled. “I think your brother can answer that. He has something to show you.”

An hour later, Hedon gazed out across a cavernous bay in the heart of the asteroid in shock. Two massive ships resided in their construction cradles.

“What are those?” he asked. He had never seen ships like these before. Both ships looked to be over fifteen hundred meters long.

“Colony ships,” Taylor replied with a smile. “Admiral Kinseth and the Federation Council had been planning on setting up several more colonies farther out away from the Federation. They had already picked out two habitable worlds for the new colonies. Then the Hocklyns struck. Now they will be used to evacuate our people. Lendle and I were sent here to make sure those two ships were finished in time in case we had to evacuate. Admiral Kinseth felt a stronger military presence would get the civilians to working faster.”

From what Hendon could see, the ships were similar to a battle carrier but without the heavy armaments. He could see a large flight bay and numerous point defense weapons, but nothing heavy.

“What weapons are the two colony ships equipped with?” asked Hedon, wondering how well they could defend themselves. If they left the protection of this bay, they would be prime targets. Their size would draw the Hocklyns to them. He doubted if they could get away from the base without a fight.

“They are each equipped with one squadron of Talon fighters and ninety-six dual point defense turrets. They also have a very powerful energy screen. As strong as a Conqueror Class Battle Cruiser.”

“How many people can they hold?”

“Ten thousand each plus a crew of twelve hundred,” Taylor responded. Each ship has the manufacturing capability to create a viable colony.”

“If my calculations are right, that still leaves fifteen thousand fleet personnel without a way off this asteroid.”

“We have more ships,” responded Taylor, motioning for Hedon to follow him. “As soon as the Hocklyns hit the colonies, Admiral Kinseth sent several passenger liners as well as some additional fleet ships to us. They’re in the bay next to this one.”

Reaching the next bay, Hedon looked out over the other ships. He was pleased to see two light cruisers in the bay. There were also five more passenger liners, several fleet supply ships, and two marine assault ships.

“Did marines come with those two assault ships?” asked Hedon, hoping they had.

Additional marines could be very useful. He also knew the two marine assault ships were heavily armed with point defense weapons as well as a number of medium railgun batteries. They were heavily armored and designed to take a pounding.

“Yes,” Taylor answered. “General Crist is in charge of the marines. He has two thousand marines under his command.”

Hedon nodded. “We have a lot of plans to make. It’s not going to be easy escaping from this asteroid. As soon as our ships try to exit, the Hocklyns are going to detect them on their sensors.”

“We will have to fight our way out,” Taylor agreed. “We were expecting that. It will take us twenty minutes to get the ships out of the bays and into space. Then another thirty to navigate the asteroid field and reach a safe distance from the asteroid field’s gravity well to allow us to jump.”

“That’s nearly an hour,” spoke Hedon, thinking about how this could be done. “We’re going to lose some ships.”

“I know it’s a risk, but we have no other choice.”

Hedon thought for several long minutes, gazing out over the bay. “How many stealth scout ships do you have here?” he asked, recalling something that Captain Arcles had mentioned a few days back.

He might just have a surprise for the Hocklyns. The key to getting the ships out of the base was time. Somehow, he had to buy them the time they needed to get to a safe distance so they could jump away. Once in hyperspace, the Hocklyns wouldn’t be able to follow.

“We have seven,” Taylor replied, his eyes narrowing. “What do you have in mind?”

“Let’s go to the Command Center, and we can talk there. I might just have something that could buy us the time we need.”

Chapter Thirteen

Admiral Streth was back on board the StarStrike. For the past two days, he had been working with his command staff to set up a quick strike on the Hocklyns in the home system. Two scout ships had been sent to get more detailed scans of Tellus and Maken to determine if any resistance was still going on. From the number of Hocklyn ships around the two planets, Admiral Streth strongly suspected there was. They had also been directed to scan several of the moons that had large mining operations on them.

“This is quite daring,” Commander Adler commented as he studied what they had come up with looking for anything that might increase their chances of success. They had discussed several different plans, and the current one seemed to hold the highest probability of success.

“Ariel and Clarissa have gone over it, and they made a few suggestions for improvement that we have added,” Commander Standel said gazing over at the main viewscreen on the wall upon which Ariel’s avatar was listening.

“We have thirteen stealth scout ships at our disposal now counting the ones that Admiral Streth brought back from the hidden base,” Ariel commented in her soft feminine voice. “They will be used to create a diversion that should confuse the Hocklyns for a brief period.”

“Everyone needs to understand that we could lose some ships in this operation, but those two colony ships are too valuable not to rescue,” Admiral Streth spoke evenly. “Each one of the colony ships is capable of setting up a viable colony plus they have a tremendous manufacturing capability.”

“From what you have told us the twenty thousand civilians on those two ships were specially chosen,” added Colonel Sheen looking over at the admiral. She had been pleased to learn that the admiral’s brother and Lendle had survived. “They are the best and brightest in the Federation.”

“There are also a number of key research scientists in that base,” Commander Wisthom commented. “They could be very useful in helping us to decide on how to move against the Hocklyns in the future. We will need new and better weapons. We must maintain our technology base wherever we go to set up a new colony.”

“All true,” Admiral Streth responded, his eyes moving over the small group. He hadn’t told any of them, other than Commander Largo, about Earth.

“We need to be able to hold the Hocklyns off the evacuation ships for nearly an hour,” Commander Vincent of the Harrington spoke with a frown. “That’s going to be a tall order, Admiral. There are a lot of Hocklyn ships in the home system.”

“I don’t see where we have a choice,” Major Andrews said, shaking his head slightly. He looked around the group, making eye contact with each of them. “We need those people. It’s our duty as part of the Federation fleet to save them. We’re talking about over thirty-six thousand survivors, counting the fleet personnel in the base.”

Amanda nodded in agreement, giving Richard a slight smile of encouragement. The Harrington had just returned the day before with a full load of supplies, as well as bringing another destroyer and two more passenger ships. They had also evacuated the second depot’s crew.

“To me this plan offers us the best hope of doing that,” Richard continued. “The one thing we need to realize is that if this plan succeeds, the Hocklyns will know there are human survivors and will come looking for us. After the battle we’re going to have to run and run fast.”

“They will have a long ways to go to catch us,” Admiral Streth commented.

He had given Commander Largo the flash drive with the coordinates to Earth. The SwiftFire and one light cruiser would be staying with the civilian fleet at the depot. If the attack failed and the rest of First Fleet was destroyed in the attempted rescue, Commander Largo had orders to proceed to Earth.”

“We attack tomorrow,” ordered Admiral Streth, gazing one more time across the group. He was pleased to see the determined look upon their faces and in their eyes. It was time the Hocklyns received some payback.

-

Amanda and Richard were in her quarters talking about the upcoming mission. With the Harrington away at the second supply depot, they hadn’t had an opportunity to talk for several days.

“This mission is going to be dangerous,” Amanda commented with a heavy sigh. “As many Hocklyn ships as there are in the home system, we’re going to take some losses.”

“I know,” replied Richard, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “But we have surprise on our side. The Hocklyns have no idea we exist. If we can confuse them long enough, we have a good chance of succeeding.”

The two continued to talk about the mission and what had happened to the Federation worlds. They had no idea what their future destination was since the admiral had been very tight lipped about it. They both knew that he had discovered something extremely important on his visit to the secret base in the home system and that he had given Commander Largo a destination to take the survivors to if the mission failed.

Richard finally stood up and leaning forward, kissed Amanda gently on the lips. “I need to be getting back,” he said. “I have the watch tonight.”

Amanda stood up, put her arms around his neck, and smiled. “Not tonight. I asked Admiral Streth to pull some strings. You don’t have to be back aboard the Harrington until morning.”

“Morning...” Richard repeated, his eyes narrowing in surprise. “I don’t understand.”

Amanda leaned forward and kissed Richard again. This kiss held all the passion and desire she had been holding in check the past few months. “Tonight I want you to stay with me. We don’t know what might happen tomorrow. I want this night to be about us.”

Richard looked into Amanda’s eyes and slowly nodded. “I want this too,” he said, with a gentle smile spreading across his face. “I love you, Amanda. I have for quite some time.”

Amanda closed her eyes and felt her face flushing. “I love you too, Richard. Now let’s quit talking.” She leaned forward and kissed him again.

-

Taylor looked at the countdown timer on the main viewscreen in the Command Center. He was on board the colony ship Explorer. In another fifteen minutes, the exodus from the base would begin. The two light cruisers would go first as well as the base’s two squadrons of Talon fighters. The Talons had orders to sweep the asteroid field near the base and eliminate any Hocklyn fighters that might be present. Once the Explorer and Discovery were clear of the asteroid, they would launch their own squadrons for additional protection. Then it would be a waiting game to see if they could clear the asteroids and the gravity well before the Hocklyns responded.

“Do you think we will make it?” Lendle asked nervously. She was standing next to Taylor and watching the busy crew in the Command Center. Her stomach felt as if it had butterflies in it. Combat on the ground was one thing. She was trained for that. But space combat was a new game entirely.

“I trust Hedon,” Taylor responded calmly. “He has never let me down. I don’t think the man knows how to fail.”

Captain Jonas walked over to Taylor. “All systems are ready, sir. We can leave the dock at your command.”

“Some flight trial isn’t it, Captain,” commented Taylor forcing a grin onto his face.

“Trial by fire, Major,” Captain Jonas responded with a friendly nod. “This is a good ship and a good crew. We will make it. I’m confident of that.”

“Are the Talons ready to launch?”

“Yes, they are. Both squadrons will launch from the Explorer and Discovery as soon as we have cleared the base.”

Taylor reached for his wife’s hand and squeezed it. “Now I guess we wait for Hedon. Once he starts his attack, we go.”

Lendle looked at Taylor and nodded. “I will just be glad when this is over with.”

“I think we all will,” Taylor responded in agreement. His gaze focused on the main viewscreen. Very shortly, the large hatches to the bay would be opened. The Explorer and the other ships would be moving out and racing for safety.

-

“Distance to target?” Captain Arcles asked as he continued to close on the large red threat icon on his screen.

“Two thousand kilometers,” Rathers reported as he watched his sensors and scanners intently.

“No sign any of the Hocklyn ships have detected our presence.” Specialist Barkly reported as he scanned his console and checked on the status of the scout’s intricate stealth systems.

“We will continue to close,” Arcles said as he reduced the scout’s speed even further. He was slowly moving up and trying to position the scout behind a Hocklyn dreadnaught. They had been gradually threading their way through the Hocklyn fleet that surrounded Tellus for over an hour.

Looking out the cockpit window, he gazed sadly at the blue-white world below. Not quite as blue-white as it once had been. Smoke was still rising from the burning cities, and he knew that intense fighting was still waging around some of the deep-bunkered marine bases on the planet. Even as he watched, he saw a tactical nuke go off over a mountainous region. The bright flash lit up the area briefly and then the fireball blossomed. There was no way to know whether the Hocklyns had launched it or the embattled marines.

“Fighting’s still going on,” Lacy spoke, aghast at the sight of the nuke going off. “I wonder how many are still left alive down there?”

“Fewer every day,” Arcles answered grimly. Those marines on the ground were fighting a hopeless battle, one they couldn’t win, but they were not giving up. “If the Hocklyns or the marines are still using nukes, that suggests some of the resistance is extremely heavy.”

Even from their distance of twenty thousand kilometers above the surface, they could see rail gun rounds from the attacking Hocklyn ships streaking through the atmosphere and striking other areas of the planet. Captain Arcles knew that this was also occurring on Maken. The two scout ships the previous day had reported that heavy ground fighting was still occurring on both planets. While most of the civilian populations had been wiped out, the surviving marines were still fighting. This might go on for days, but eventually the marines would be overwhelmed.

Another few minutes passed, and Arcles slowed the scout down and finally brought it to a dead stop. They were less than twenty kilometers from their target. He didn’t feel comfortable going any closer. Looking at the countdown timer on one of the screens, he saw they still had five minutes to go. He hoped the other scouts had been as successful in closing with their targets. Seven scouts had gone to Tellus and six others to Maken. All thirteen scouts would target Hocklyn dreadnaughts. If everything worked as planned, the Hocklyns were about to get a thorough kick in their butt.

“This was your idea, Captain,” Lacy reminded Captain Arcles.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me,” he responded with a devilish grin. “The Hocklyns aren’t going to like what we’re getting ready to do to them. It’s time for some revenge for what they did to our worlds.”

“Sixty seconds,” Lacy spoke. She looked over at Captain Arcles and added. “Next time you come up with a plan, pick something less dangerous than trying to take out an alien dreadnaught with a scout ship.”

“Stand by for active targeting scan,” ordered Arcles, watching his console intently. The scout was now operating on minimum power to help prevent detection. “It sounded like a good idea at the time.”

“Thirty seconds,” Lacy spoke, her face turning pale.

“Open missile hatches,” Arcles ordered calmly.

On the wings of the scout, six small circular hatches slid open, revealing the tactical nuclear warheads that had been fitted to the Hunter missiles.

“Targeting scan now!”

Instantly the scout sent a hard scan at the Hocklyn dreadnaught feeding the targeting information to the missiles.

“Zero,” spoke Lacy, trying to sound calm. She felt a cold chill run down her back. They were committed now.

“Launching,” Arcles spoke as he reached down and methodically pressed the six red buttons on a console on his left side.

-

On board the Hocklyn dreadnaught War Hammer, War Leader Sigeth looked in shock as threat alarms started going off in the War Room.

“What’s happening?” he demanded in a cold, hard voice. His eyes instantly moved to the sensor screen looking for enemy ships.

“We have inbound missiles,” the sensor operator called out. “We detected targeting scans and then the missiles appeared from behind us.”

Before War Leader Sigeth could respond, the War Hammer was struck by the six tactical nuclear missiles. Sigeth was thrown to the floor, and he felt his arm break as he struck a console. The lights in the War Room went out, and several control consoles blew out, sending cascades of sparks across the room. Multiple fires erupted, and he could hear crewmembers screaming out in pain.

Struggling back to his feet, he reached the command pedestal just as the emergency lighting came on.

“What happened?” he demanded with rage filling his voice, ignoring the pain in his arm. How had someone managed to attack his dreadnaught?

Sigeth looked over at the damage control board and could see that it was covered in red lights, with more blinking on every second. His dreadnaught had been severely damaged.

“We were hit with six nukes,” his aide reported, blood running down the side of his head from a deep laceration. “Engineering has been destroyed, and the back third of the ship is either burning or open to vacuum. I recommend you move your command to another dreadnaught. This one will not survive much longer.”

“Who did this?” demanded Sigeth, glaring at his aide. He couldn’t believe the audacity of someone attacking his dreadnaught. It had to have been done from a small ship, probably launched from the planet below them.

“It has to be the humans,” his aide reported as he listened to more scattered reports coming in. “There have been attacks on other dreadnaughts. Six are being reported destroyed, and seven others, including the War Hammer, have been heavily damaged. There is no sign of the ships that launched the attack.”

Sigeth recoiled in shock. Never in all the years of Hocklyn history had they lost so many dreadnaughts at once. This was unheard of.

“Find the ships that attacked us; I want them destroyed. Have a shuttle prepared for me. I will transfer my command to the dreadnaught Crimson Steel. Have a medical aide meet me at the shuttle to attend to my arm.”

-

Hedon watched intently as the StarStrike, the Victory, two light cruisers, and two destroyers exited their spatial vortexes close to Lumbar Two, which was a large moon of one of the inner planets. They were just outside of the moon’s gravity well. There were six Hocklyn ships in orbit. Lumbar Two had several large mining facilities on it with nearly two hundred thousand humans living there.

“Hocklyn vessels have detected us and are coming out to engage us,” Colonel Sheen reported as she studied the information appearing on her plotting table.

“Take us in, Amanda,” ordered Hedon, taking a deep breath. It was time to see if the Hocklyns would take the bait.

“I am detecting one war cruiser and five support ships,” Lieutenant Stalls reported as he read the data coming in from his scans.

“Inform the Victory to begin launching her squadrons. I want those six Hocklyn ships taken out as quickly as possible.”

“Five minutes until weapons range,” Amanda responded as she studied her plotting table. The two light cruisers and the two destroyers had taken up supporting positions around the StarStrike, and the Victory was trailing slightly behind.

-

The Avenger and Vindication exited their spatial vortexes just on the other edge of the planet Maken’s gravity well. Both ships shook slightly upon exiting hyperspace.

“Drives still on line,” Ariel reported as she quickly checked the ship’s systems. “Hocklyn ships have detected us.”

Commander Standel smiled, looking over at Major Winfred. “Fire the missiles Bob.”

From both ships, Shrike missiles launched toward the incoming Hocklyn warships. The Avenger and Vindication each fired twenty-four Shrike missiles equipped with tactical nukes. Half the nukes were targeted to explode in open space before striking a Hocklyn ship in order to confuse the Hocklyn’s sensors. The rest were all targeted on four Hocklyn support ships.

“Turn us around, Ariel. Full sublight until we reach safe jump distance. Let the Hocklyns chase us for awhile.”

The missiles started going off in bright bursts of light, and the Hocklyn fleet paused. For a brief few seconds, their defensive targeting systems were confused from the nuclear explosions going off around them. Then twenty-four tactical nukes slammed into the shields of four support ships. On two of the ships, the shields failed and the ships vanished as nuclear fire tore them apart. The other two support ships were heavily damaged and began calling out for help.

-

On board the colony ship Explorer, Taylor watched as they exited the dock and flew out into empty space. On the numerous viewscreens, he could see other ships. It would take another ten minutes before all the ships were safely clear.

“Launching fighters,” Captain Jonas reported. “The Discovery is launching hers also. The light cruisers Arrow and Tracer are moving out into the asteroid field. Base fighters have now launched and are sweeping the asteroid field for Hocklyn fighters and ships.”

“Let’s hope Hedon can buy us the time we need,” spoke Taylor watching the screens on the walls of the Command Center. For now, they were clear of threats, but he knew that wouldn’t last long.

-

Hedon grasped the command console as the StarStrike shook violently; another railgun round from the war cruiser had penetrated their shields. The damage control board had several red lights glaring back at him. Space was lit up with exploding ordnance and missile trails.

“Launch two Devastator missiles,” Hedon ordered as the ship shuddered again from more rounds impacting the shields. “Helm, turn us ninety degrees. I want a Shrike pod launch when the turn is complete. All batteries to fire on the turn.”

“The war cruiser is heavily damaged,” Colonel Sheen reported. “Two of their support ships are down, and the other two have suffered moderate damage. The Victory is launching an Anlon strike to finish them off.”

“Light cruiser Mace is reporting moderate damage, and her FTL is down,” Lieutenant Trask reported as she listened to the reports coming in over her com. “They report their FTL should be back up shortly.”

A bright explosion suddenly lit up one of the screens in the Command Center. “What was that?” demanded Admiral Streth, looking over at Colonel Sheen.

“The destroyer Cadence is down,” reported Colonel Sheen, shaking her head and struggling to keep her voice calm. “She took several nukes.”

At that moment, the StarStrike’s Shrike missiles and the two Devastator missiles hit the Hocklyn war cruiser. Her screens faltered and then collapsed as the two Devastator nuclear missiles detonated their ten-kiloton nuclear warheads against the faltering shield. Several Shrike missiles struck the war cruiser’s unprotected hull and then the full broadside from the StarStrike’s railgun fire impacted. In just a matter of a few short seconds, the war cruiser exploded as her engineering section and power supply were breached.

“Let’s finish off the support ships and then get out of here,” Hedon ordered grimly. This attack had already cost a destroyer. He wondered how many other ships he would lose before all of this was over.

-

War Leader Sigeth was in the War Room of the dreadnaught Crimson Steel. “Report!" he thundered as he strode over to the command pedestal. His left arm was in a sling, and he was feeling anger at the audacity of the humans to attack in such a way.

“It’s an all out attack by the humans,” the First Leader of the dreadnaught reported. “Our dreadnaughts around the human worlds of Tellus and Maken have been attacked. A human fleet has jumped in and engaged our ships around one of the system’s moons. Two of their light cruisers have launched another heavy missile attack against our fleet above Maken. Three of our support cruisers at Maken have been destroyed. Two others are reported as being heavily damaged.”

“What about the human fleet at the moon?” Sigeth demanded, his rage steadily growing. His eyes looked cold and deadly. “What class of ships are we facing?”

Sigeth’s mind raced. Where had these human ships come from? Obviously, they had missed a major base in their original attack. The masters would be extremely upset when word of what was happening reached them. Sigeth knew with trepidation that he could lose everything if he didn’t stop this attack and destroy these human ships.

“The human fleet at the moon consists of one of their large battle cruisers, one of their carrier ships, two of their light cruisers, and two small support ships,” the First Leader reported.

“Send the dreadnaught Raven and six war cruisers to that moon. I want those human ships destroyed!”

How could major fleet units such as these have survived? Sigeth gazed angrily across the War Room. He had thought it possible that a few of the human’s lighter units might have escaped the initial attack. But two of their major first line units was bad news. He knew those two ships could be dangerous.

Sigeth glared across the War Room. His cold eyes taking on a haunted look. The humans had already inflicted so much damage that there was no doubt that he would suffer a loss of honor. The masters would show no mercy in his treatment. He had to destroy the human ships or his career was over with.

-

For over thirty minutes, the evacuation fleet had been on the move, maneuvering out of the asteroid field. The Talon fighters had found and eliminated fourteen Hocklyn fighters that had been searching the asteroid field for any surviving human ships. The light cruisers Arrow and Tracer were sending out jamming signals in the hope that the Hocklyns wouldn’t realize what was happening.

The fleet finally cleared the last asteroid and began accelerating on their sublight drives, racing for the edge of the asteroid field’s gravity well. The two light cruisers took up flanking positions to offer the fleet some protection. Two marine assault ships moved into a position above and below the fleet to offer what defense they could. All weapons were primed and ready to fire. If they could remain undetected for another twenty minutes, then the fleet could jump away to safety. The Talons met back with the fleet and took up a defensive position around it. Eighty fighters were ready if the Hocklyns found them. If necessary, the pilots were willing to sacrifice their lives in order for the fleet to escape.

A few more precious minutes passed, and just when Taylor thought they were going to make it, the sensor screens lit up with red threat icons. The Hocklyns had jumped in just inside the asteroid field’s gravity well, risking damage to their own ships.

“They found us!” cried Lendle, her hand going to her mouth seeing a Hocklyn dreadnaught appear on one of the viewscreens.

“Send out the emergency message,” Taylor ordered grimly. They had been so close to escaping. Now Hedon’s fleet would have to save them.

“Fighters are pulling in closer,” reported Captain Jonas as he listened to the fighters over his mini-com. “Point defenses are on standby, and our energy shield is now at maximum.”

Less than twenty seconds later, new warp vortexes formed. From out of these stormed the battle carrier Harrington and five fleet destroyers. Immediately upon exiting the vortex, the Harrington began launching its Talon fighters and Anlon bombers. One hundred and sixty Talon fighters and sixty Anlon bombers turned and headed toward the Hocklyn ships.

A number of the Hocklyn ships turned to meet this new threat, launching their own fighters while others continued to move toward the evacuation fleet. More blue-white vortexes formed, and the Avenger and Vindication appeared.

Seeing the threat to the evacuation fleet, Commander Standel and Commander Wisthom immediately relinquished control of their two light cruisers to the AIs. Ariel and Clarissa instantly shot the two light cruisers ahead at full sublight to reach the evacuation fleet before the Hocklyns did.

Seconds later more blue-white vortexes formed. The StarStrike and her small fleet exited and instantly turned to engage the Hocklyns. In moments, space was full of exploding ordnance and dying ships. The Victory quickly began launching her Talon fighters and Anlon bombers. More Hocklyn fighters were also launching, and soon space was a hornet’s nest of attacking fighters from both sides.

-

“How many ships?” Sigeth bellowed as he realized how badly he had underestimated the human fleet strength. A full-scale fleet battle was erupting in the system.

“At least twenty-five,” the First Leader responded.

“Twenty-five!” Sigeth screamed, his cold eyes turning red. “Where did the humans get so many ships? Their fleet was destroyed. Send more ships to the asteroid field. They must not escape!”

We can’t,” the First Leader replied. “All the ships we have that are not in a planet or moon’s gravity well have been sent. It will take some time to move more of our ships to where they can safely jump.”

An almost insane look appeared on War Leader Sigeth’s face. “I don’t care if they destroy their drives. Order all ships that have a chance of jumping to that asteroid field to do so or I will strip their First Leaders of their honor!”

-

Hedon grasped the command console in front of him as the StarStrike shook violently. A Hocklyn nuke had exploded against the ship’s energy shield.

“Minor damage only,” Colonel Sheen reported as she listened to the ship’s department heads reporting in. “Shield is holding.”

“How long until the evacuation fleet can jump?” Hedon demanded as the StarStrike launched a Shrike attack against a Hocklyn support ship, crushing its shields and then pounding it to worthless wreckage with her powerful railguns.

“Five more minutes,” answered Colonel Sheen, looking down at the plotting table. “They are starting to take some damage from Hocklyn weapons fire.” The plotting table was full of red and green icons. The battle had grown so large it was becoming difficult to keep track of everything.

Another bright explosion lit up one of the screens as a human light cruiser died under the withering fire from two Hocklyn war cruisers.

“Light cruiser Mace is down,” reported Colonel Sheen, struggling to keep her voice calm.

“Destroyers Lance and Trinity reporting heavy damage,” Colonel Sheen continued, her face turning ashen. “The Trinity reports that her FTL drive has been destroyed, and they have numerous uncontrolled fires burning throughout the ship.”

Shortly another brilliant explosion covered one of the viewscreens.

“Destroyer Trinity rammed one of the Hocklyn war cruisers. The war cruiser appears to be heavily damaged.”

“Move in and finish it off,” Hedon ordered grimly. “That destroyer sacrificed herself; let’s finish the job for them.”

The StarStrike approached the heavily damaged war cruiser and began pounding it with her bow rail guns. Each armor piercing round tore massive holes in the crippled war cruiser’s hull. Moments later, it exploded as its dying commander activated the cruiser’s self-destruct.

“The Harrington just suffered two nuke strikes,” reported Colonel Sheen feeling her heart flutter. “They report moderate damage and several fires are out of control. They are still operational.”

“Have the destroyers Blade and Ranger move over to help cover her,” Admiral Streth ordered. He was not going to lose one of his battle carriers. They were too valuable.

“Evacuation ships are starting to jump,” Colonel Sheen reported with relief in her voice as blue-white jump vortexes began forming in front of the first few.

-

Taylor felt the Explorer shudder as several Hocklyn missiles struck the colony ship’s powerful energy screen. The ship’s point defense turrets were firing non-stop, attempting to knock down as much of the incoming Hocklyn ordnance as possible. The two colony ships were prime targets, and the space around them was full of exploding ordnance and dying missiles.

“The passenger ship Maken’s Dream is down,” Captain Jonas reported, his face turning white with shock. Over three thousand fleet personnel had been aboard that ship.

“Jump in twenty seconds,” the ship’s executive officer reported. “The Discovery will jump five seconds after us. The entire fleet will have jumped in forty more seconds.”

“I just hope we make it that long,” Taylor said as a nuke went off against the Explorer’s shield, sharply jarring the ship. Taylor looked at the damage control board and saw a few amber lights flash on.

“The fleet’s taking a beating out there,” pointed out Lendle, gesturing at the viewscreens, which were lit up with exploding ordnance and missiles. Occasionally a nuke would go off against a ship’s shields.

“It will be over shortly,” responded Taylor, clenching his fist and taking a deep breath. He just hoped they all survived.

-

Ariel and Clarissa were in the process of disabling a Hocklyn war cruiser. They would dart in, launch a missile attack, and then accelerate away at high speed filling the space behind them with railgun and missile fire to detonate any incoming ordnance or weapons.

The two light cruisers began another run and then came to a sudden stop, firing two devastator missiles and a full broadside from their railguns. The two missiles struck the war cruiser, weakening its shields to the point of collapse. A number of railgun rounds penetrated, carving large holes in the ship’s hull. Ariel and Clarissa then turned the two light cruisers bow first toward the war cruiser and fired their lasers at the engineering section. Four orange-red beams flashed out, going through the weakened shield and tearing into the engineering spaces. A resounding explosion and fireball erupted from the stricken section of the war cruiser, and her shields failed completely. Two more Devastator missiles were launched, and the war cruiser was incinerated in two massive fireballs of nuclear destruction.

-

“The evacuation fleet has all jumped,” Colonel Sheen reported suddenly. “They lost two passenger liners, one of the fleet supply ships, and the light cruiser Tracer.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Admiral Streth ordered. “All ships to jump immediately. Order all fighters and bombers to make emergency combat landings.”

“We just lost the destroyer Blade,” added Colonel Sheen, feeling numb at the ships they were losing. Many others had suffered major damage.

“Move us closer to the two battle carriers, we will cover their withdrawal. We have to give them time to recover their air wings. We’re not leaving any pilots behind!”

The StarStrike moved into position. Her railgun and missile batteries were firing constantly, taking down Hocklyn fighters and incoming ordnance. The Hocklyn intensified their attack, realizing that the human ships were escaping. The light cruiser Hydra and the destroyer Astral moved closer to the StarStrike, offering supportive fire.

In less than three minutes, all the remaining fighters and bombers were safely aboard the two carriers. The two carriers immediately activated their jump drives and fled into hyperspace.

Seeing the battle carriers were safely away, Admiral Streth ordered the rest of the fleet to jump. Blue-white vortexes began to form in front of the remaining fleet ships, and in less than a minute they had fled into the safety of hyperspace. Behind them, they left the human home system behind. Each person in the fleet knew they would never see it again.

-

War Leader Sigeth gazed at the long-range sensor screen, which showed that the majority of the human ships had escaped. It left him with a deplorable decision to make. If he informed the masters that he had failed and allowed the humans to escape, then his career was over. However, he could send out fleets to the surrounding systems, take vids of the destroyed human ships, and inform the masters that the situation had been dealt with. He would not tell the masters how many human ships had escaped. He also would not inform the Hocklyn High Command.

He let out a deep breath. What he was going to do went against all of the ideas of honor that had been so dominant in his life. But to do otherwise would result in his family losing everything. It would not be that difficult to set up the vids to show that the human ships had been destroyed. He would send out numerous small fleets all over this section of space. Then after a while, he would announce that the last few human ships had been hunted down and destroyed. The Hocklyn High Command and the masters would never know that he had lied. Why should they? Hocklyns didn’t lie.

-

Eight Months Later

Admiral Streth gazed at the large viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center. It showed a beautiful blue-white globe. The view was being transmitted by one of the remaining stealth scouts. Only four of them had made it back after the battle in the home system. He was glad that Captain Arcles had been one of them. It was his scout that was transmitting the current video.

“The planet is nearly seventy percent water, and the atmosphere is Tellus normal,” Lieutenant Stalls reported as he studied the data being transmitted by the scout. “The scout has detected numerous cities and small villages across the planet. It is definitely inhabited by humans, and quite a few of them. The computer is estimating close to two billion inhabitants.”

“That’s quite a few,” Major Andrews said from where he was standing next to Colonel Sheen.

They had been discussing resigning their commissions and raising a family. Admiral Streth didn’t want to lose the two talented individuals and had said they would work something out. He didn’t think marriage and being part of the military would be a problem any longer.

“Ariel says they are in the late industrial age,” commented Amanda, reaching out and taking Richard’s hand. “They have just started using electricity and their medical practices are rapidly advancing.”

“We can guide them,” Severs commented thoughtfully. He had come over to the StarStrike to help plan their next move.

“What do you mean, guide them?” asked Hedon, glancing over at the older scientist and historian.

“We will work quietly and out of sight,” Severs answered, arching his eyebrow and smiling. There would be much for them to do to get Earth ready for full contact with the remaining Federation survivors. It might take decades. “Contact with an advanced civilization could be devastating to them at this stage of their development. We will guide them through their nuclear age, the information age, and then finally their early space age. At that point, they should be ready for contact with us.”

“That will take time, professor,” commented Richard frowning. “I thought we were going to place a colony on the planet.”

“Oh, we are,” Severs said with a reassuring smile. “We can find a location in some rural area and gradually move our people in. We will just have to be extremely careful. But I believe it can be done.”

“I have run full sensor scans of the system, and it has a large asteroid field with a number of asteroids that might suit our purpose,” Lieutenant Stalls reported.

“Excellent,” responded Hedon nodding his head in satisfaction. “We can send out one of the light cruisers to check them and find one that will be suitable.”

“So you’re going to build your new military base inside an asteroid and not on the planet’s moon?” Severs asked. He had thought the backside of the planet’s moon would be more convenient and still out of sight.

“It will be better hidden that way, and we won’t have to hide our technology from the humans of Earth. If we place it on their moon, we risk the chance of them discovering it someday. Perhaps before we’re ready to reveal ourselves.”

“What about that planet we found twenty-seven light years from here?” Severs continued. “It’s very similar to Tellus. We could even place a colony on it.”

“I may have a plan for that world,” Hedon replied thoughtfully. He had gone down in a shuttle and spent a few hours on the surface. It had been a tremendous relief to get off the ship for a short while. After eight months, he knew that everyone was feeling the same way.

“So what do we do now?” Richard asked, still holding Amanda’s hand.

“We send civilian teams down to the surface,” Hedon replied. “From what my brother Taylor told me earlier, they have some civilians specially trained for this. Once we’re satisfied everything is okay we will start landing the civilians, and I will take the military ships out to the asteroid field and begin constructing our new base. We have over 370 years to get ready to face the Hocklyns. This time we will not fail!”

Amanda and Richard nodded their heads. They believed in the admiral. If he said they wouldn’t fail, then they wouldn’t. Someday the Hocklyns would find the human race again. This time that first contact would be different.

-

On distant Aquaria, Anson Sheen and Avery Brennen stepped out on the porch of the small house on Krall Island. There had not been any sign of the Hocklyns in the last three months. They hoped the enemy had moved on. In the last few days, they had carefully searched the island for other survivors. There were not many. They had found only eight other families still surviving. All of these had hidden in basements or storm shelters during the Hocklyn attack and occupation.

“We will have to plant a garden soon,” commented Avery looking out toward the ocean. He could see a few sea birds flying above the ocean waves. Everything seemed so normal. Krall Island had escaped most of the harmful effects of the radiation from the nukes.

“It will have to be disguised,” Anson said thoughtfully. “We have plenty of seeds, but we will have to avoid straight lines and anything that looks like cultivation. There may still be a few Hocklyns around. I can’t imagine them leaving Aquaria completely.”

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Anson’s wife spoke stepping out on the porch and gazing at the ocean. “I wish Amanda would come home.”

“I don’t think Amanda is coming home,” Anson said in a low voice, turning to face his wife. They both missed their daughter. It was difficult to think that they would never see her again.

“No, she isn’t,” Anson’s wife replied with a gentle, all knowing smile. “She is far away from here and safe. I believe Richard and Amanda will shortly be building a new life together.”

Anson only nodded. His wife had a knack for knowing these types of things. If she said that Amanda had survived and was now far away from danger, then he believed her. It gave him peace of mind knowing that his daughter had survived.

“Let’s go back down to the basement,” he suggested. “We will get up early in the morning and go into town to see if we can find any supplies.”

His wife nodded and, reaching out, took his hand. “Don’t worry, Anson; everything will work out. I know it will.”

-

On board the light cruiser Avenger, Ariel smiled at the news she had just heard. Lieutenants Arcles and Barnes were being transferred over to the colony ship Explorer to work with Major Streth. It was a temporary transfer until the civilians had been settled on their new world.

Ariel looked around the Command Center. For now, the war was over. She didn’t know if she would still be around when the Hocklyns found them in the future. Looking at the ship’s sensors, she knew one thing. This world was now under her protection. Clarissa and she would do everything in their power to ensure that it remained safe. Someday, humans from the planet Earth would walk in her Command Center. She couldn’t wait for that day. She was already thinking about what her first words would be to their commanding officer.

The End

Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy will be the next novel in the Moon Wreck series. It will serve as a linking novel between The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact and The Slaver Wars: First Strike. This story takes place 20 years after Moon Wreck: Secrets of Ceres.

Earth has advanced significantly since Commander Jason Strong discovered the wrecked Federation ship Avenger on the Moon. Now Earth is launching its first interstellar mission. Unknown to Jason, there is a plan to hijack the ship. On Ceres, plans are being made to send a mission back to the former worlds of the Federation to see if anyone survived. It will take a miracle to prevent the Hocklyns from becoming aware of Earth. Can Cadet Lieutenant Jeremy Strong provide that miracle? Find out in Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy.

If you enjoyed The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact and want the series to continue, please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website listed on the following page. Thank you for reading Alien Contact and being so supportive.

Exciting announcement read below!!!

Stars & Empire

Humanity wasn't built for peace. Not on Earth. Not in space. Not on other worlds. Join first colonizers, space marines and rebel forces as they battle for domination against separate factions, alien nations and, sometimes, themselves across the galaxies.

10 of the most recognizable names in space opera today bring you a value-packed bundle like no other, containing everything from full-length novels to tantalizing episode starts to popular serials. The same works you see right on Amazon's bestseller lists.

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Each author has provided special content — from deleted scenes to complete short stories — you won't find anywhere else!

This LIMITED-EDITION bundle includes:

MARINES (Crimson Worlds 1) - Jay Allan

PENNSYLVANIA: Books 1 and 2 - Michael Bunker

OMEGA RISING (Omega Force 1) - Joshua Dalzelle

FOREVER GATE: Parts 1 and 2 - Isaac Hooke

THE EMPIRE'S CORPS - Christopher G. Nuttall

REBEL - Edward W. Robertson

DARK SPACE: Book 1 - Jasper T. Scott

THE TERRAN GAMBIT (Episode #1: The Pax Humana Saga) - Endi Webb

THE SYNCHRONICITY WAR: Part I - Dietmar Arthur Wehr

GALACTIC EMPIRE WARS: Destruction - Raymond L. Weil

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Other Books by Raymond L. Weil

Available at Amazon

-

Dragon Dreams

Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars

Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening

Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon

-

Star One: Tycho City: Survival

Star One: Neutron Star

Star One: Dark Star

-

Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)

Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book 2)

The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 3)

The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)

The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)

The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)

-

Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)

Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)

Turn the page to read an insert from Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction.

Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction

“Mason, I’m glad you’re back,” Pamela Cairns said, hurrying over to where Mason and Drake were standing. She had a look of confusion in her eyes. “Something interesting is coming in over our communication feeds from Holbrook Station and Luna City; you need to see it!”

Holbrook Station had been named after Mason’s father and was the large company space station in orbit around the Earth. Pamela was thirty-two-years-old, married, with dark black hair, which she normally kept cut short. She also had a ten-year-old son that constantly got into everything.

“What is it, Pamela?” asked Mason, feeling curious. There hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary mentioned on the media channels when he had been down on Earth or on Holbrook Station. He had just left the station four days ago; he couldn’t imagine anything that could have changed in that short amount of time.

“You need to come to the main communications console,” Pamela said, gesturing for the two men to follow her. “We just started receiving this a few minutes ago and we’re not sure what’s going on. You’re not going to believe this!”

They made their way across the room to the main com console. There were four communication specialists sitting in front of the large console. From here, they could keep track of their twenty-seven cargo ships as well as the one hundred and five smaller prospector ships. They could also communicate with Earth, Luna City, or Mars Central if need be.

Fortunately, thanks to a communications breakthrough on Earth, faster than light communication had been discovered. So far, the principles that allowed communications to bypass the light barrier hadn’t found its way into ships yet. When it did, the Phoenix would be ready and Mason would be off to Alpha Centauri on the first interstellar trip. He already had a team of engineers and scientists looking into that aspect of the new communications technology.

“What do we have?” asked Mason, looking over at Pamela curiously. She was showing a lot of concern on her face, which was unusual. Even her shortly cut black hair looked slightly ruffled.

“Put it up on the main screen,” Pamela instructed Jessica Lang, one of the communication specialists.

The young woman pressed several icons on her computer screen, and the image she had been observing was transferred to one of the big viewscreens on the wall above her.

Instantly an image appeared on the screen. Mason and Drake stopped breathing at what was being shown. They hadn’t been expecting anything like this.

“Where is that?” demanded Mason, stepping even closer to the screen, staring at it in disbelief. Surely, this had to be a joke of some kind.

“That image is being broadcast from Luna City,” Jessica replied as she checked the video feed. “We just started receiving it a few minutes ago. Holbrook Station has confirmed it.”

Upon the screen was a massive spacecraft, larger than anything Mason had ever seen before or even believed to be possible. He had thought the Phoenix was huge, being five hundred meters long and ninety meters across, but the Phoenix would look like a gnat up against this monstrosity.

“How large is that thing?” Drake asked in a stunned voice. He knew there was not any way that ship had originated in the solar system. This could mean only one thing; aliens had found the Earth!

“LIDAR readings from Luna City indicate that it’s eight thousand two hundred meters across, and one thousand meters thick,” Jessica replied as she glanced at a computer screen showing additional data that Luna City was transmitting. “It looks like a giant black disk.”

“Contact Holbrook Station and inform them to halt all traffic,” ordered Mason as he tried to grasp what was happening. “I don’t want any launches until we know what this thing is and why it’s here.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jessica replied. Then she glanced at Mason with a frightened look upon her face. “Sir, is that an alien spaceship?” Several of the other communication specialists paused as they waited expectantly for Mason’s answer.

Mason was silent for a moment. “I think so,” he finally replied. “I don’t know of anyone on Earth that could have built something like that. That’s why I want all launches halted. I don’t want them to misconstrue the movements of our ships as being threatening.”

Jessica nodded and turned back to her console to begin transmitting Mason’s orders to Holbrook Station. “I just hope they’re friendly,” she commented in a strained voice, her heart racing.

“So do I,” Mason said as he continued to look at the screen. “Pamela, I want you to send a message to all of our mining operations, as well as all prospector and cargo ships. Until further notice, all communications are to be halted. Only in the case of an extreme emergency is anyone to send a message. Tell them an alien craft is approaching Earth and we’ll keep them informed as we get more information.”

“Yes, Sir,” Pamela replied as she stepped over to her command console and began speaking rapidly over her com unit to all the operators in the large room. There were lots of messages that needed to be sent out as rapidly as possible. Even as she passed on the orders, her eyes kept glancing nervously up at the viewscreen and the alien ship. She could feel the rising tension in the large Control Room.

“What do you think they want?” Drake asked as he gazed uneasily at the alien ship. His wife would be scared to death when she saw this thing on the news. Hell, a lot of people were going to be!

Luna City was now sending some close-ups of the ship, and it was evident that it was heavily armed. Large weapon turrets were visible upon the hull of the ship as well as numerous hatches that were now opening. Drake was glad that his family was here inside Vesta. His parents, his brother, his wife, and daughter were all safe in Smithfield.

“That thing’s armed,” Mason spoke, not liking what he was seeing. “Why would an exploration ship be covered in weapons?”

“We never even considered putting weapons on the Phoenix,” Drake responded as he looked intently at the weapon turrets on the alien ship.

He shook his head in worry, knowing he needed to call Larcy soon. He was sure it was only a matter of time before this breaking news was all over the major media outlets, most of which could be received in the homes of the people who lived in Smithfield.

“Sir,” another one of the operators broke in. “The United States government has been attempting to contact the aliens.” She paused for several moments as she continued to listen. “They are reporting that there has been no reply from the alien ship to any of their communication attempts.”

“I don’t like this at all,” muttered Drake, shaking his head.

They continued to watch as over the next half hour the alien ship continued its approach to Earth, finally settling into orbit twenty thousand kilometers above the planet. From several of the large open hatches on the ship, smaller vessels could be seen leaving and heading toward Earth.

“The United States has just raised their defense status,” Pamela reported uneasily as she monitored the main communication console and talked to the four communications specialists. “The U.K., Russia, Germany, France, China, Australia, Canada, and several others have followed suit. They are also launching interceptor aircraft, and the U.S. and the U.K. have just activated their missile defense grids.”

“This could get serious fast,” Drake said with a concerned look upon his face, looking over at Mason meaningfully. “Why won’t they speak to us, and where are all of those small craft going? What if a fighter jet shoots one down?”

“I don’t know,” Mason responded as his eyes gazed fixedly at the main viewscreen. He didn’t like the way this situation was developing. There were too many things that could go wrong.

For several heart-stopping minutes, they waited for additional information. At any moment, they expected to hear reports of one of the smaller alien ships being shot down.

“A special report is being broadcast over all media stations confirming the approach of the alien ship,” Pamela informed them with a pale look upon her face. “The people are being told to remain indoors and not to panic, that the world governments have the situation under control.”

“Like hell they do,” commented Drake, shaking his head. “They’re just as scared as we are.”

He knew he should go make a call to his wife and tell her not to worry. Larcy had a bad habit of overreacting to situations at times. It might not be a bad idea to ask his parents to go over to the house to help keep her calm.

Mason remained silent. He was looking at the alien spacecraft, noting that there was no visible sign of what type of propulsion it was using. The size of the craft, the obvious presence of numerous weapons, and its continued refusal to communicate worried him. This was a situation that could go south in an instant if anyone overreacted, and the small ships that were flying into the Earth’s atmosphere might just cause that to happen. All it would take would be for one of the fighter jets to shoot one down and they might find themselves in an interstellar war.

“How many of the small craft did Luna City detect leaving the ship?” Mason demanded as his eyes focused back on Pamela.

“Over thirty,” she replied as she checked a computer screen. “Luna City is reporting that each of the small ships is nearly two hundred meters across and similar in build to the mother ship.”

“I think I saw this movie a while back,” commented Drake dryly, glancing over at Mason. “It didn’t end well.”

“Pamela, contact all of our cargo ships that are currently in transit to Earth and turn them around,” Mason ordered after thinking the situation over. He was getting a bad feeling about this. “I want our ships to stay away from Earth space for the time being until we know more about these aliens.”

“Is there anything we need to do here?” asked Drake, raising his eyebrows. “What if one of their small ships heads out our way?”

Drake knew that all the major weapons that might be a threat to the aliens were located on Earth; none had been allowed to go out into space due to numerous treaties. Those treaties were aimed at keeping the solar system weapons free.

“Make sure all the airlocks are secure, and place armed guards at the ones in the transit stations and a few in the spacedock,” Mason ordered as he thought about what they could do. “I want Vesta locked down tight until we better understand what’s going on.” He knew the thick metal airlocks would make it virtually impossible to break into the inhabited sections of the asteroid.

For once, he wished he had a larger security force. Crime was almost unknown in Smithfield. His security force only consisted of thirty men and women with light weapons such as pistols and small caliber assault rifles. They were all the treaties allowed.

“Where have those small craft gone?” demanded Mason, looking back at the viewscreen. The way those ships had headed toward Earth looked ominous. This was not how he had visualized a first contact situation.

He could hear people talking in the Control Center as they speculated about what the aliens wanted. He couldn’t blame them; this was making him nervous also. This would be their first contact with an alien species and from the look of their heavily armed ship; Mason wasn’t sure just how friendly they were going to be.

“We don’t know,” reported Pamela worriedly, turning around to face Mason. “Luna City and Holbrook Station lost track of them when they entered the Earth’s atmosphere, and it seems that no one on Earth can track them either. The United States has just upped their defense status to the next level and we can expect the others to do so shortly. They’re scrambling more fighters to find and intercept the alien ships that have entered the atmosphere. The United States government has ordered the fighters not to let the alien ships land unless they initiate communications first.”

“All we need is for someone to start shooting,” Drake muttered, his eyes growing wide at the developing situation on Earth. “We don’t need to start an interstellar war! If these aliens can build ships of that size, who knows what type of weapons they possess.”

“A shuttle is being dispatched from the International Space Station to attempt to make contact,” Pamela added as new information appeared on her screen. She was staying busy trying to stay on top of everything as it occurred.

Mason nodded. The new International Space Station was much larger than the previous one that had been built back around the turn of the century. It currently had a crew of nearly seventy and was mostly a research facility. He wondered what that crew thought about the aliens.

Drake stepped over closer to the communications console so he could read some of the data coming in over the numerous screens. Most of it was from Luna City, and it was evident that they were feeling panic. The majority of Luna City was built deep underground, and was similar in many ways to Smithfield but on a much smaller scale. Instead of one large underground habitat, there were a dozen smaller ones. Over twenty-two thousand people called Luna City their home. Drake knew it had to be frightening for them, knowing how near the alien ship was. He also knew that there were very few weapons at Luna City. They were much like Vesta with a small police force equipped with only light weapons.

For the next hour, they continued to monitor the situation. The alien craft was still refusing to communicate, and no trace could be found of the thirty smaller ships that had entered the Earth’s atmosphere. Somehow, the ships were able to avoid or neutralize all of the Earth’s sophisticated detection equipment. Radar, LIDAR, and other sensor equipment could detect nothing. It was as if they had vanished.

“The shuttle from the International Space Station is nearing the alien ship,” Pamela reported anxiously. She turned to face Drake and Mason with a concerned look upon her normally calm face. “They are halting their approach at twenty kilometers and will attempt to communicate. Some of the scientists on Earth have suggested several different methods to initiate communications. A few feel the aliens may not have understood our first attempts. They will be transmitting a language primer based on numbers. It will contain several universal concepts and should form a basis for allowing the aliens to learn our language.”

“Why do I think it’s a waste of time?” muttered Drake, shaking his head doubtfully. “As large and advanced as that ship is they are bound to know how to communicate with us if they wanted to.” He shifted his weight over to his other foot. He had called his parents and they should have made it over to his house by now. He hoped Larcy was doing all right; he probably should give her a call when he had a chance.

“I think you’re right,” Mason said in agreement. “This whole thing seems kind of odd. If their ship is as advanced as it looks, they should have a method for initiating communications in first contact situations. Surely we’re not the first race they have come across.”

For several minutes, they waited tensely as Luna City and Holbrook Station monitored the communications attempts from the shuttle. Everyone held their breath as they waited for the aliens to reply, wondering what the alien’s first words would be.

“Nothing,” reported Pamela after several minutes had gone by with no response. She shook her head in growing worry. “They still will not communicate, and the crew of the shuttle have tried over half a dozen different methods of communication that the linguists down on Earth suggested.”

“They even tried flashing lights,” Jessica added as she looked at additional information on a data screen. “There was no response to anything.”

“Now what?” asked Drake, folding his arms across his chest as he looked over at Mason. “Do we just let them sit there?”

“There are reports of riots breaking out in several cities,” Jessica continued as she listened to a number of media feeds that were coming in over several of her screens. Her eyes took on a frightened look. “There is panic buying going on, with people stocking up on food, water, and other essentials. All the stock exchanges across the world have been closed down to prevent panic selling from devastating the markets.”

“It’s only going to get worse the longer the aliens go without communicating,” commented Drake, shaking his head.

“Pamela,” one of the other communications specialists broke in. “The communications shuttle is being ordered to back off to one hundred kilometers as a safety precaution. They don’t want the aliens to feel the shuttle is a threat.”

“The shuttle,” laughed Drake, arching his eyebrows. “I suspect the aliens don’t consider the shuttle to be a threat at all. They are just ignoring it like everything else.”

“I just wish we knew what those smaller craft are up to,” spoke Mason, worriedly. He had a bad feeling about all of this and those small craft concerned him. What were they doing down on Earth, and why couldn’t they be detected?

-

One of the small alien ships was flying low over the ground in the United States as it scanned the cities and towns below. The crew of the ship knew it was invisible to any of the primitive detection technology available to this world. It was dark below, and none of the sleeping populace knew what was flying above them. Finally, the crew found what they were seeking. The ship slowly circled as its powerful computers confirmed that they had found what they had been sent to retrieve.

The ship slowed and came to a stop five thousand meters above its intended target. Several small hatches opened, and powerful paralyzing beams shot out and played over the area below, knocking all forms of life unconscious. Once the crew of the alien ship was satisfied that all life forms below had been rendered helpless, the ship landed. It was time now to complete the primary part of their mission.

Airlocks opened and ramps descended to the ground. The crew emerged and began spreading out across the small military base. They were dressed in dark suits of combat armor and stood nearly ten feet tall. Only a few were armed, as they expected no resistance due to the paralyzing beams. They began loading hundreds of unconscious Humans into the ship. They carried them into the ship two or three at a time since the suits of battle armor gave the wearers nearly superhuman strength. The small craft could hold over one thousand of the targeted Humans they had been sent to find. Once they were finished, they would return to the command ship, unload their unconscious Human cargo, and come back for more.

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